Chapter 234

Insert 1 Zi Perspective (Top)

[November 24th, Sunday, 22:30]

As soon as I reached the second floor of the villa, I saw Miss Ling Qing sitting on the sofa.

“Finally back?”

She pushed her glasses up and looked in this direction, then sighed.

“You two, don’t let Boss worry too much.”

“Mm! And also Ling Qing Jie! But today was really important for Sister…”

Little Li responded with a greeting, but I covered her big mouth before she could say more.

I said, “Let’s head back to our room now. Don’t work too late, Ling Qing Jie and Boss.”

Originally, I wanted to go back to the research institute to analyze the spell pattern in the bracelet, but Little Li insisted that I come back.

“Sister, you look quite off.”

She poked my cheek with her finger, and the hard nail made me feel uncomfortable, but since she’s my sister, I didn’t show any displeasure. Instead, I asked, “What’s wrong with me?”

She smiled and pointed at her own face, saying, “I just realized you have dimples when you smile, just like me! So sweet! Smile more often!”

I maintained my expression, touching the spot she had poked, which was indeed indented. Even I hadn’t noticed it before.

I’m not usually stoic, but I need to maintain my “persona.” This uncontrollable joy naturally spreads to my lips… although the result isn’t perfect, it’s a crucial step in solidifying my precarious position. How can I not be happy?

At least now he has no reason to push me away.

Little Li added, “Sister, you’re still smiling. You haven’t stopped!”

I took her hand and made her sit beside me.

“Sis, did you get involved in the Lin Hua plan too?”

“Oh! You know already?”

Actually, I wasn’t sure, but Little Li’s straightforward personality would reveal herself easily with just a little prodding.

“Don’t underestimate your sister’s mind. Besides, you couldn’t make it foolproof anyway.”

“Oh! As expected of my sister, you’re amazing!”

Despite her admiring gaze, I couldn’t bring myself to mention the abnormalities detected through her chest and lips, so to cover the awkwardness, I pushed her back.

“Alright, go take a bath. It’s late, and we have school tomorrow.”

“Aww!”

Little Li responded, dragging her change of clothes into the bathroom. I thought for a moment and added, “It’s too late, so don’t take too long. I didn’t bathe either.”

Since she transformed again, bathing time became unusually long.

By the time she finished, it was already past eleven, and adding the time for drying hair…

Tsk, I don’t want to stay up until midnight.

“Okay, okay!”

The response came from behind the bathroom door, sounding somewhat guilty.

I looked at the silver chain again, which Ling Meng said was a gift from the mysterious girl A.

Though ordinary people wouldn’t notice its intricacies, I was at least somewhat familiar with magical studies. After infusing magical energy, the circuitry that appeared on the bracelet was astonishing. I had only seen such meticulous spell patterns on divine relics.

This exquisite miniaturization technology was beyond what any researcher at the institute, including Boss and Director Ke Man, could achieve. Compared to our outdated and crude spell arrays, the efficiency of energy transmission was poor.

The mysterious girl A had professional understanding of magic. No matter what, I wanted to establish a connection with her… huh?

My phone rang, it was Ling Meng’s call.

Seeing that name made my heart race. Is this what they call love?

This dizzying feeling made me feel abnormal, and my rationality as a man was nearly evaporating.

But why call now? Could it be that late-night call between lovers!

Mm, a late-night call, it feels like being in a relationship. Who knew that idiot could be romantic? I rolled around on the bed under the blanket twice before calming down enough to answer the call.

“Zi Jie… no, Zi!”

He corrected his way of addressing me, how cute.

Even without the curse, Ling Meng, who is male but suits women’s clothing better than most females, is perfect for someone like me who is female but retains male thinking.

The answer is clearly a match made in heaven.

I used to scoff at love, but now just hearing him call my name fills my heart with sweetness.

To maintain my composed and intellectual persona, I kept a calm exterior.

“Hey, calling to say good night?”

“Mm…”

He was silent for a while, then hesitantly replied, “…No, it’s about the bracelet. We discovered it’s not just a simple amulet for protection.”

I felt somewhat disappointed. I didn’t know whether to call him honest or dull. At this point, even a lie would do.

I twirled the bracelet around my index finger and asked, “So what does it do?”

“Oh, it seems to exchange souls between two people.”

“Hmm?”

This answer seemed too far-fetched, so I suspected I might have misheard. Ling Meng confirmed it again.

“It’s about swapping bodies. Xiao Lei and Lin Hua seem to have swapped bodies.”

Body swapping? How does that work?

Should I have stayed at the research institute tonight?

Such an unknown magical artifact, asking Director Ke Man to help analyze it would surely be welcome. It’s too late now to visit, but there are other people to discuss with.

I asked, “Has Xiao Ying figured out the principle behind the spell?”

“No, she mentioned needing Director Ke Man’s analyzer, but the effect of the artifact has been confirmed. I think analyzing the spell will help, so I called.”

“That can provide a research direction. I’ll pay attention to it, but spells involving the soul are very complex. I can’t guarantee results…”

Not lacking confidence, considering the slim chance of success, this is quite a confident response.

“Don’t worry, Zi Jie! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself!”

If we figure it out, it would be a huge breakthrough, especially regarding the technology to miniaturize and optimize spells. For us now, this is crucial. Although the magical energy issue has improved, the crude array leads to low utilization.

I thought of the ventilation system in the deep research institute.

If we apply this technology, it might sustain the ventilation system long-term.

After hanging up Ling Meng’s call, without much thought, I took the bracelet upstairs to the study.

“Knock knock—” Lightly tapping the door.

“Boss, I have something to discuss.”

“Come in, the door’s unlocked.” Boss’s voice.

This mature woman, who was once my grandfather’s colleague, was busy with paperwork. Though the research institute was important, the pharmaceutical company’s affairs couldn’t be neglected. It was valuable property and a source of influence. Even for better magical research, the company needed to grow stronger.

That’s why she’s eager to transfer the institute projects to me, focusing on company management?

At least, that’s what I thought.

Ling Qing Jie, assisting Boss, asked, “Young Miss, why are you up so late?”

“Ling Qing Jie, don’t treat me like a child. I said there’s something important to discuss.”

I placed the bracelet on Boss’s desk.

She glanced at it, then opened a drawer and pulled out a purple glow battery, inserting it into a socket on the desk. Some sort of mechanism was activated, and a faint blue curtain enveloped the study before fading away.

This was a barrier of magical power.

This new technology prevented the flow of magical power, making it widely applicable. It could reduce damage during experimental accidents and seal or restrict the effects of certain artifacts.

Boss activating the barrier was out of concern for any listening devices on the bracelet.

She asked, “Is this… the masterpiece of the mysterious girl A?”

“Yes, due to some reasons, I, Huangfu Lin Hua, and Zhao Lei each got one.”

Pushing aside the documents on the table, Boss picked up the bracelet carefully.

“I can guess what happened. Did you confirm your relationship with Xiao Kai?”

She pointed out what I wanted to hide.

I asked, “Did Little Li tell you?”

Ling Qing Jie chuckled softly, “You’ve written it all over your face. You can’t hide anything. What do you mean by not treating you like a child? Your state tonight, isn’t it obvious that you’re a lovesick maiden?”

Though I knew I was acting strangely, I didn’t expect it to be so obvious. Being exposed so easily made me feel embarrassed, wandering my eyes around the study looking for a crack to hide in.

“Don’t mind what Ling Qing said. Let’s talk about the serious stuff.”

Boss placed the bracelet back on the table and asked, “What does this artifact do?”

“According to Ling Meng, this bracelet can swap the souls of the wearers, but nothing strange happened when I wore it. I suspect this exchange is remotely controlled by the mysterious girl A. However, the soul-swapping spell is too complex to be practical in the short term. I’m more concerned about the technique she used to inscribe the spell pattern.”

Injecting magical energy, a faint purple light appeared on the interlocking silver rings of the bracelet.

But upon closer inspection, it was clear these were extremely intricate circuits, not artificial constructs.

Boss nodded.

“Go on.”

“If we could master this technology, we could miniaturize and optimize our current bulky equipment, greatly improving our research efficiency and saving a lot of magical energy.”

“Zi’er, you think this because there’s something you don’t understand yet… let me keep this for now.”

Boss took out an iron box and placed the bracelet inside.

“Soul-level spells aren’t just complex. They belong to the realm of divine techniques. We mortals without divine altars can’t use or inscribe those spells, even risking our lives… That’s why I want to figure it out.”

After Ling Meng completes her trials, she will become a deity, a proxy of Tian Dao, holding a divine altar, wielding divine power, and using more efficient divine techniques.

Magical arts are gifts from deities to their followers, inferior substitutes for divine techniques, but still exist outside the bounds of the supreme Heavenly Dao.

“…Perhaps the mysterious girl A still has connections to divine altars?”