By Swan Lake.
The observation deck stood quietly by the shore, as tourists gazed at the leisurely swimming water birds on the lake, raising their phones and cameras to snap photos.
"They're so beautiful."
Looking at the pristine white water birds gracefully gliding in the water, Hyacinth couldn't help but exclaim with emotion.
As a signature attraction of Suicheng Wild Animal Park, Swan Lake is home to a large flock of swans, which were currently gathered around the observation deck, swaying and feeding on food thrown by tourists.
Iris also bought a bag of swan feed with great interest and leaned over the railing to feed the water birds, attracting Siyecao who followed her closely.
"But don't get too carried away, we still need to decipher the core of this Mindscape World's barrier."
Perhaps feeling that simply feeding them was not very interesting, after throwing a few snacks to an eagerly awaiting swan, Hyacinth spoke to her companions.
"We'll come once we finish feeding this bag!" Siyecao joyfully followed Iris, practically becoming her shadow.
Bai Lili couldn't do anything about her. She turned around and saw Liza approaching with drinks and snacks. The group simply sat on a long bench on the observation deck, spread out a promotional poster, and began to study it intently.
"According to the information we've gathered so far, this barrier set up by Xin Yuehu can be completely broken! As long as we follow her rules and investigate step by step, we can lift her barrier!"
"It's like an escape room."
Liza chewed on the pudding in her small bowl and said.
"Now that you mention it, it really does feel that way." Hyacinth blinked in surprise, praising Liza's imagination.
When she was first trapped in the barrier, Hyacinth felt a little eerie, but if she imagined it as an alternative escape room, it didn't seem so scary anymore.
After all, Xin Yuehu was just playing a prank and never really did anything strange.
...Forget it, I can't attribute everything to Xin Yuehu's benevolence; I still need to take it seriously.
"Let's investigate around Swan Lake next. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to find the next clue here."
Hyacinth made the next arrangements, fixing her gaze on the poster in her hand.
The content of the poster made everyone stunned.
The huge image depicted Swan Lake at night, reflecting the calm, mirror-like surface of the lake under the starry sky. A petite Fox girl, dressed in a ballet tutu, lightly touched the water, her posture elegant, like a dancing cygnet.
"The Four Little Swans."
Mai Sui recognized the dance pose on the poster at a glance and said softly.
Everyone couldn't help but cast surprised glances at her, and Bai Lili even smiled a little.
"Oh, I didn't expect Miss Mai Sui to know this."
"I used to study ballet, so I'm very familiar with this move." Mai Sui reluctantly pulled at the corner of her mouth, saying with a wry smile.
Hyacinth remembered the situation of this young lady's family; it wasn't too surprising that she would learn ballet.
"But logically speaking, 'The Four Little Swans' should be performed by four people together, so why is there only one person on the poster?"
"...One person?"
Hyacinth was the first to express her confusion.
Bai Lili's eyes also looked a little off, and Cang Er and Liza also showed expressions of horror.
"Mai, Mai Sui, the poster you... you saw... was there only one person...?"
"Yes, I only saw one person too."
Iris and Nightingale chimed in, and Siyecao also nodded along.
Hyacinth swallowed.
In her eyes, on the poster, under the starry sky on Swan Lake, there were clearly four young girls in ballet tutus.
Besides a figure suspected to be Xin Yuehu, there were three other very familiar figures:
"Lulu, Violet, and Edelweiss, aren't all three of them in the poster?"
?!"
Mai Sui was startled and looked at the poster again, but no matter how she looked, she could only see Xin Yuehu alone, with no one else.
"...I can only see two people, Lulu and Xin Yuehu, I didn't see Violet or Edelweiss." Bai Lili replied.
Silence.
A long silence.
The group stared at the poster, each seeing a different image. The eerie scene made the surrounding environment feel as if it had taken on a chilling aura.
"It seems that the dance performance depicted on this poster is probably the clue we need to find in Swan Lake."
Hyacinth tried to calm herself down from the fear, hugging the fox pillow in her arms tightly, and said to her companions,
"And Xin Yuehu also captured Lulu! We must find a way to rescue all three of them!"
Mai Sui looked at the poster in Hyacinth's hand, gazing at the Golden Fox, who was the only one in the picture, her eyes downcast.
Lulu, Violet, Edelweiss, her former teammates.
Not long after she became a Magic Girl, the three of them found her, and together they formed Sui City's Magic Girl team.
Although some unpleasant things had happened recently, Mai Sui's feelings were very complicated upon hearing the news of their capture.
She couldn't see the three of them on the poster, but since Hyacinth said so, and given that the three of them had indeed disappeared, it was indeed possible that they had fallen into Xin Yuehu's hands.
When she had made up her mind to leave Sui City, her resolve was very firm, thinking that she would never bother with them again in this life, but she still felt worried for them.
After all, they were companions who had once fought together.
Just like last time at Suicheng Tower, she still rushed to rescue them without hesitation.
【Magic Girls are born to protect】
Recalling the conversation with Dandelion, recalling the belief she had shared with her, Mai Sui felt as if she had realized something.
--No companion can be left behind!
Even if this was Xin Yuehu's Mindscape World, even if they were caught in a terrifying rule-based anomaly, she would do her best to save her companions!
"In short, we must investigate this so-called performance!"
...
The performance was scheduled for the evening.
Following the poster's guidance, everyone wandered around the animal park for a few more circles, but they didn't find any more related information. It seemed that the end of this rule-based anomaly was set for the ballet performance at night.
Time passed quickly, as if time in the Mindscape World had been accelerated. Although only a little over two hours had passed, the sky had already completely darkened.
The animal park should have closed for the night, but there was no sign of the surrounding tourists decreasing. Instead, they gathered in front of Swan Lake, as if waiting for the performance to begin.
"It's almost time."
Hyacinth and the others stood by the lake, each gripping their magic wands and fox pillows, ready to respond to any possible emergencies.
The stars sparkled brightly.
The lights in the animal park went out simultaneously, and the noisy chatter of the tourists and audience suddenly fell silent, leaving only the melodious music coming from somewhere unknown--
"Look quickly! There's movement on the lake!"
Nightingale was the first to speak.
Everyone looked down. The surface of Swan Lake had become as calm as a mirror at some point, and a spotlight shone on the center, illuminating the Golden Fox who had taken a ballet starting pose.
Her formal dress had transformed into a pristine white ballet tutu, elegant and slender, as if she were truly a cygnet floating on the lake.
"Welcome to today's final show."
Xin Yuehu's voice echoed in the sky,
"Did everyone have fun in my Fox Fox's animal park? Did you strictly follow my Fox Fox's rules?"
"But you know, some visitors didn't put the rules in their eyes at all... If you ignore the rules and do as you please, you'll be punished by my Fox Fox~"
"Now, my Fox Fox will present the final performance for everyone."
The spotlight went out, then lit up again.
The figures of Lulu and the other two appeared beside Xin Yuehu, silent and wooden like puppets, striking a ballet starting pose.
"Come on."
Su Tianqing smiled and looked up at Hyacinth and the others by the lake, who were filled with astonishment.
"Before the performance ends, if you can snatch Miss Lulu back from my Fox Fox... then it will be counted as your victory~"
