That afternoon, Jiulong Walled City, Hong Kong City.
Su Tianqing strolled down the street, watching the withered leaves floating on the surface of the nearby small river.
The unusually hot winter had completely dissipated, and Hong Kong City was enveloped by deep winter, with withered leaves everywhere, adding a sense of solemn desolation.
Especially near some old houses in Jiulong Walled City, one could feel even more the sense of age and history emanating from the buildings.
“This used to be a very famous lawless zone.”
Bai Li, walking beside Su Tianqing, spoke, also gazing at the weathered concrete building in the distance.
Cluttered, old anti-theft grilles were densely erected outside the windows, with a few pieces of drying laundry visible—a very old house.
“Jiulong Walled City, right? I’ve heard of it,” Su Tianqing replied.
This was one of the few things she knew about Hong Kong City, reminding her of old documents she had looked through in the Rong City Association archives:
Jiulong Walled City was once an anarchic, lawless zone, filled with illegal structures, rampant gangster smuggling, and a strong cyberpunk vibe.
However, in a Monster attack incident that occurred more than ten years ago, this lawless zone suffered devastating damage, with most of its buildings collapsing and heavy casualties, making it known as the most destructive Monster attack in history.
This incident forced the Hero Association to organize personnel to demolish the remaining illegal structures, completely dismantling the entire lawless zone and transforming it into the current Jiulong Walled City.
And for Magic Girl Inari, who made outstanding contributions to the rescue and evacuation efforts at the time, people specially built a plaza park in her honor.
“It’s the one on our left.”
Bai Li pointed to the park visible across the small river.
In the cold winter, the park was covered with withered leaves, and a sanitation worker could be seen sweeping them up. Tourists and passersby were sparse due to the gloomy weather today, making it appear even more desolate.
“I see… It seems Inari Senior saved quite a few people back then.”
Siyecao, following behind Bai Lili, whispered.
Su Tianqing had a deep impression of Siyecao; the child had been very brave in the last Zoo Demon King City, and the audience was very fond of Siyecao's performance.
“I remember she rescued over 40,000 people at the time? I can’t quite recall, but Inari was quite remorseful then, saying she hadn’t managed to save the rest of them,” Bai Lili explained.
“But Inari Senior is already amazing. To rescue so many people in such a complex terrain, it’s hard to imagine how she did it.”
Siyecao sighed.
The group walked to the park entrance, crossed a wide road bridge, and arrived at the memorial monument.
On the monument was a relief sculpture of the Red Fox Girl, depicting her heroic struggle against three Monsters.
“Interesting…” Su Tianqing murmured to herself.
The appearance of the Monsters was not meticulously carved, only roughly depicted with a few silhouettes; the vast majority of the relief was dedicated to portraying Inari’s posture.
But even with just these few silhouettes, Su Tianqing could identify the types of the three Monsters:
Black Wolf Monster, Python Monster, and a bird-shaped Flying Monster.
The simultaneous appearance of three Monsters in one place was far from ordinary; there must have been something strange involved.
“Inari not only rescued almost all the survivors in Jiulong Walled City but also single-handedly eliminated these three Monsters, preventing them from attacking the Hong Kong City center and causing greater damage.”
“So amazing…”
Looking at Inari’s heroic posture on the monument, Siyecao’s eyes gleamed, wishing she could go back in time to witness the senior’s bravery.
But there was more important work to be done now. Bai Lili temporarily stopped her storytelling and arranged for her team members to spread out and search for the barrier nodes in the plaza using their magic.
...
The search took more than ten minutes.
“Oh, this is unexpectedly hard to find.”
Walking a circle around the plaza while maintaining her detection magic, Bai Li sighed.
“Do you need my help? If I use a strengthening spell on you, Miss Bai Li, your magical perception might become much sharper.”
“No, that’s alright. It feels a bit like overkill,” the girl replied with a wry smile.
After strolling for a while, Bai Li continued to talk about the Jiulong Walled City Monster attack incident.
“That incident caused thousands of casualties, and most of Jiulong Walled City was destroyed by the Monster, but it also gave the Hero Association an opportunity to enter and dismantle the criminal dens.”
“But I don’t know the specific details. I was too far away to provide support back then, so I can’t imagine how Inari managed to fight three at once.”
After speaking, the girl sighed, shaking her head helplessly.
“Inari’s attainments in magic are beyond my reach. Even with Star Shadow, I can’t keep up with her ingenious magical ideas.”
“She always manages to come up with strange yet incredibly powerful spells, just like…”
“Just like a genius, right?” Su Tianqing said softly.
“Yes, exactly, she is a genius, a genius in magic.”
“I even think—if she wanted to, she could simulate the Star Shadow state with magic at any time. She is that kind of genius.”
Bai Li spared no praise, but then changed the subject:
“But I think Xin Yuehu and Inari should be on par.”
“Oh? How so?”
Su Tianqing blinked, keeping a poker face, but her fox tail was already wagging.
Hmph hmph hmph, Ben Hu can actually receive such praise, not bad.
“Hmm… The magic Xin Yuehu uses is beyond my cognitive scope; I can’t really explain it in detail.”
“But her magic effects are extremely exaggerated, not to mention she also has powerful magic like the Mindscape World.”
“—Found it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Li suddenly stopped and looked at the solid bluestone slab beneath her feet.
Magic slowly lifted the bluestone slab, revealing a wooden box hidden beneath it.
“It’s really well hidden,” Su Tianqing grumbled.
Although Ben Hu could find it if she searched carefully, relying solely on her own power, she probably wouldn't find it even if she wandered around the park for an hour or two.
“Indeed, both the concealment and the intricacy of the barrier are excellent. From this perspective, Xin Yuehu’s control over magic might truly be on par with Inari’s.”
Bai Li spoke her inner thoughts, then pulled her magic wand from under her skirt, transforming it into a familiar long-handled staff in her hand, and gently poked the top panel of the dusty wooden box.
Magic was injected, a careful probe, and then a faint cracking sound.
“Done. The barrier she set up this time was surprisingly easy to break,” Bai Lili said with some surprise.
The last Zoo Monster Tales barrier had taken ages to deal with, but in Hong Kong City, it was so gentle, which was puzzling.
The two leaned over the wooden box and jointly lifted the lid.
Inside lay a small object resembling a sachet. Su Tianqing carefully picked it up and held it in her palm, observing it closely.
A crimson omamori, with a fox mask pattern embroidered on its surface, exquisite and beautiful.
“To use something like this as the contact node for the barrier… Xin Yuehu’s ideas really are different from ours.”
“Anyway, once we destroy the barrier node on it, our mission will be complete.”
Bai Li complained.
But just as the two were about to call their other companions over to check, Su Tianqing looked up, and the scene before her suddenly underwent a dramatic change—
“CRACK! BOOM!!!”
An explosion echoed in her ears.
Su Tianqing stared blankly ahead.
The scene before her was no longer the memorial plaza—the surroundings were full of building ruins and debris, the roars of Monsters resounded through the sky, and the crimson fox-human girl was fiercely battling them!
Was this really Inari’s memory attached to the item?
Such a vivid sense of reality, even the chill of the wind blowing across her face was conveyed to her. What exactly…
“It really is a memory.”
The girl’s voice came from beside her.
Su Tianqing suddenly turned her head, meeting the gaze of the Red Fox Girl who was not much taller than herself.
Magic Girl Inari.
“Sorry, did I scare you, Miss Xin Yuehu? But I thought recreating the memory in this form might bring you more insights.”
Su Tianqing was somewhat suspicious if the person beside her was the living Inari.
But considering that she possessed the magic of foresight, it didn’t seem very surprising.
The Red Fox Girl cast her gaze towards the battlefield ahead.
“This is the battle that took place in Jiulong Walled City.”
“It was also in this battle that I once again sensed the presence of Jörmungandr.”
The Red Fox Girl said softly, looking at the immersive scene before them.
“Black Wolf, Python, Monster Bird—three Monsters appearing simultaneously in one place. This couldn’t have formed naturally; it could only be the work of that Star Realm Giant Beast.”
“...Miss Xin Yuehu.”
“Can you find the key information to counter Jörmungandr from this battle?”
