Chapter 180

Page Thirty-Six Two Little Ones

Miss Ke Man stared intently at Little Qing Lan.

“Haha, it’s similar to this situation.”

The usually stern woman actually showed a rare smile.

I pondered her words and glanced at the little girl beside her.

I asked, “By ‘this situation,’ do you mean this child?”

She pinched out the cigarette with her bare hands and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can. Nodding, she said, “Yes, why don’t you guess her identity?”

The little girl beside her didn’t speak but looked at me with a gentle smile. Compared to Little Qing Lan’s talkativeness, this child was much more composed.

She had short, boyish hair, wore a blue down jacket and cotton pants, and had on ill-fitting rain boots for crossing water. An adult’s watch was on her delicate wrist, held in place by being worn over her sleeve up to her forearm to prevent it from slipping off.

If it’s similar, does that mean she’s also been rejuvenated into a child?

I shook my head helplessly, having no recollection of this child. I said casually, “I can’t guess. Could she be your daughter?”

Miss Ke Man chuckled lightly.

“Impossible, my daughter is already in high school.”

My mother knelt down in front of the child and, after a thorough look, asked, “Are you Bei Hai?”

The child smiled and looked up, saying, “Yes, it’s really impressive that you could tell, even though I don’t know why, but I woke up like this today.”

Could it be Zhú Bei Hai?

… He might have been punished by the old lady for showing interest in my mother, just like Xiao Qing Lan.

“So, Boss brought you here to be checked by Director Ke?” I asked.

“You seem to be Xiao Ying, right?”

She could distinguish between me and Xiao Kai.

I admitted, “Yes, I brought Xiao Qing Lan here for a checkup too.”

She shook her head with a bitter smile.

“Bringing me here was just a side task. The main reason is to test the new ventilation system. Without it, she can’t stay in the new research institute, and subsequent construction would be impossible.”

Miss Ke Man added, “Boss also wanted to bring Professor Shi Huorong out. Being in such a harsh environment is harmful to her newly regained youthful body. This person works so hard that they forget why they were lonely before.”

So, Miss Ke Man couldn’t convince her boss herself, so she called him over.

I looked at the closed door of the simple hut and asked, “What are they doing inside? Setting up a new ventilation system?”

Miss Ke Man replied, “The new ventilation system is already installed. They’re taking a bath now.”

“… What?”

Not to mention the danger of bathing in the generator room, it was simply incomprehensible.

“If they’re going to bathe, why not go upstairs? It wouldn’t take much time.”

Miss Ke Man seemed even more helpless about this.

“Professor absolutely refuses to go upstairs, but at least she needs to be cleaned. So Boss personally washed her… Don’t worry, the entire process was done with magic, so there’s no risk of the generator leaking electricity.”

How do they use magic to bathe?

But after solving the problem of magical energy shortage, they fell into another extreme—relying entirely on spells.

Though these are small matters that won’t provoke Heaven’s Path, excessive reliance on spells isn’t good.

“So, how did you solve the ventilation problem?”

“The previous ventilation system drew external air through a spell, but it consumed too much magical energy. With current production levels, it’s unsustainable. So we decided to filter the internal air instead.”

“Filtering… Does that mean your spells can identify tiny harmful substances?”

“Don’t be so rigid. If spells can’t do it, use science to make up for it.”

Miss Ke Man explained, “We built a special air purifier, replacing the fan part with a spell. It has multiple layers of filters, electrostatic fields, activated carbon cores, negative ion generators, and oxygen-producing spells. The whole system uses replaceable components. Later, we’ll add intake and exhaust ducts, eventually creating an ultra-large filtration system covering the entire new research institute.”

This system seems powerful. The breeze we felt in the laboratory came from this ventilation system.

“Magical energy consumption must still be significant, right?”

“It’s much more efficient than teleportation spells. Currently, we only need to ensure proper ventilation in the forward laboratory and this generator room. Once the airways are installed, energy consumption will drop significantly.”

Miss Ke Man was very satisfied with this accomplishment.

Not only doctors like her, but these “witches” were originally talents in various fields, with higher understanding and cognition of modern science. Shi Huorong, as a senior engineer, was among the elites. When they encountered new technologies like magic, they exploded with enthusiasm, akin to diesel meeting a spark.

Clearly, this was a technological revolution.

But I hoped they’d remain cautious and not lose control…

“So, are you Wu Qinglan?”

On the other side, Xiao Bei Hai was interacting with Xiao Qing Lan, who laughed maliciously, “I didn’t expect you to get caught too. But even if you turn into a child, you’re not as cute as me!”

Although Xiao Bei Hai looked like a **, he seemed much more mature. He didn’t argue about cuteness with Xiao Qing Lan. Instead, he analyzed, “It seems Bi Fang’s speculation was correct. The source of our transformation spell is that mysterious girl A… As for her motive, Xiao Ying, she is indeed—”

I stepped forward and covered her mouth, warning, “Some things shouldn’t be spoken about even if you realize them.”

According to Xiao Kai and Lord Hai’s theory, it wasn’t just a matter of her not admitting it. If others spoke it out, Heaven’s Path might detect it sooner, leading to my mother’s erasure…

“In any case, this mysterious girl A harbors resentment towards me and Miss Qinglan, so she’s retaliating this way, right?”

The half-soul whose daughter’s body was taken had a truly pitiful fate.

“I can’t go into details, but it’s roughly like that. After we go up, please have Miss Ke Man analyze the spell.”

“No problem.”

Miss Ke Man agreed first, then said, “But the analyzer can only clearly depict the spell. I can’t guarantee I’ll understand it.”

“But Boss is here. She should be able to understand it, right?”

“That’s not certain either.”

After a few minutes, the door of the simple hut opened.

Professor Shi Huorong emerged, steam rising from her body, wearing only a white cotton thong, completely naked. Her firm abs and toned calves were visible at a glance. A white towel around her neck was her last shred of modesty… She wasn’t embarrassed at all, like an old man fresh out of a bathhouse.

I didn’t mind, but as the only male present, Xiao Bei Hai quietly turned his back.

Though he wasn’t exactly male anymore.

Professor Shi Huorong didn’t mind our presence and nudged Miss Ke Man with her elbow.

“Director Ke, give me a smoke.”

Miss Ke Man reluctantly took out a pack of cigarettes and sighed, “Professor, please put on the change of clothes I brought.”

“Director Ke, you’re really nagging. Since there are only women here, it’s perfectly fine to admire my abs and even touch them.”

“Put on your clothes!”

Reluctantly, Professor Shi Huorong dressed. Yesterday, when Xiao Kai came, she had only kept her shirt on… Could she have some exhibitionist tendencies like Old Yan?

Putting on a tight vest and sweater, then a clean white coat, Professor Shi Huorong lit a cigarette and pointed to a corner of the cave, saying, “The deep groundwater here is still clean. If utilized, I plan to build a natural hot spring there.”

Lubifang finally walked out of the hut, holding a large, foamy hot water ball in her palm, which she threw toward the puddle Professor Shi Huorong indicated…

Professor Shi Huorong sighed regretfully, “Hey! Lubifang, don’t pollute the water source! I still plan to build a hot spring!”

That was the dirty water used to wash Professor Shi Huorong. This所谓的bathing was done by magically holding hot water and scrubbing her body…

This spell could be called a tumble dryer, probably useful for washing clothes too.

Lubifang threw away the water ball, clapped her hands, and reminded, “Huorong, we’re not here for a resort. You should focus on the overall planning of this research institute.”

“Fine, I’ll go draw up the design plans.”

Professor Shi Huorong scratched her head, turned, and ducked back into the smelly hut. Lubifang turned to glance at Xiao Qing Lan.

“Since you’ve also been affected by this spell, the culprit must be clear… Xiao Kai, no, it’s Xiao Ying today?”

“Yes, Xiao Kai went to school. I brought her here to analyze the principle of this spell.”

“Oh? Even a divine artifact can’t see through it?”

Her tone was somewhat mocking, but it was true. “I’m less capable than you think. For functions not granted by the Heavenly Path, I can’t achieve them out of thin air.”

We headed toward the laboratory. Lubifang continued, “Did you catch that… mysterious girl A?”

She seemed to have noticed something and didn’t directly mention our mother’s name.

I waved to deny, “No, we can’t find her. Instant teleportation, cognitive interference, remote casting, and even hiding her restraints… What kind of anti-tracking ability is that? Her spellcasting abilities are stronger than mine! If she doesn’t show herself, we can’t catch her. If we had divine authority, we could directly locate her, but…”

Lubifang interjected, “But Xiao Kai can’t exercise authority, and Cang Er has lost synchronization with the divine altar. Is there no solution?”

Stepping onto the teleportation array, I comforted, “But it’s not all bad news. Xiao Kai contacted Lord Hai, and Qian Xia’s new body is in its final debugging stage. She’ll return soon.”

Once everyone stood in, she pushed the magical power battery into the console.

“If Qian Xia’s return causes her to disappear… let that child endure a bit longer.”

She had clearly thought of that too.