PNB Chapter 71, Mentor
Chapter 71, Mentor
Cheng Chen sat upright at the large desk, staring at the tablet screen on it.
"How have you been lately, Professor?"
"I'm fine~ It's just that I'm a little lonely because I can't see my most, most, most adorable disciple~"
On the other side of the screen, a girl who looked still very young was nestled in a large sofa chair. Her long, silvery-white hair spread out like silk all over the chair, and her delicate white feet could not reach the floor, so they dangled in mid-air and swayed back and forth.
"Have you been behaving well? Have you been eating properly lately?"
The girl deliberately put her hands on her hips, put on a serious face, and asked in an adult tone.
Cheng Chen was not fooled by her cute and harmless appearance, and still respectfully said, "Professor, the research project has recently made some substantial progress, and I would like to report the specific situation to you."
"Okay, go ahead and say it." The girl nodded, feigning seriousness.
Cheng Chen spread his palms out and pointed them at the camera in front of him.
Accompanied by a faint magical hum, a strand of magic, as thin as a hair and as clear as glass, gradually gathered in the palm of the hand.
The girl tilted her head and casually stretched out a fair and slender arm. Her hand emerged directly from the tablet screen as if passing through water!
She first ruffled Cheng Chen's hair, then grabbed the magic power and pulled her hand back to the other side of the screen.
"Chew~ Chew~"
Without hesitation, she put the magic into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks as if carefully savoring its flavor.
After a long pause, she smacked her lips and gave her evaluation: "Hmm... it's barely acceptable."
"tutor?"
Cheng Chen called out to her with his hair all messed up.
What kind of evaluation is "not bad"?
The girl on the screen lightly leaped off the chair, put her hands into the pockets of her white coat, and the camera floated up, following her.
"As far as the 'sublimation and condensation' step is concerned, you have indeed succeeded." The ahoge on her head swayed from side to side with her steps. "However... the magical girl who provided this sublimation did not have a pure dependence on you. There were many distracting thoughts, hesitations, and doubts, which became impurities in your magic."
A futuristic, silver-gray door swung open, and the girl stepped into a laboratory.
In the center of the laboratory stood a huge, narrow-necked vessel. She took Cheng Chen's magic from her mouth and stuffed it into the spout of the vessel.
Hey.
The device started working and quickly displayed an analysis on the screen.
Total Score: 23.1/100
[Quality: Rough]
[Concentration: Excellent]
[Energy Level: Very Poor]
[Evaluation: The problem wasn't with the Ascended user's operational process; it lay with the medium upon which the contribution depended. It can be determined that her own rank was only 'Firebellion,' and she hadn't properly managed her own magical power. Using this as the base for ascension would leave hidden dangers in the constructed miracle, posing a risk of collapse.]
The girl extended her slender, pale finger, pointed the camera at the appalling analysis results, and pouted, "Look, see?"
Cheng Chen had nothing to say.
"I know your yearning for ascension," the girl shook her head, "but there's no need to rush into choosing a magical girl of this caliber as your base. As my disciple, someone worthy of you should at least be... what was her name again?"
She tapped the screen a few times with her finger, then exclaimed in realization:
"Oh right, Hiiro."
"At least you need to be at the level of a girlfriend who's 100% dependent on you to qualify as a base material." At this point, the girl's gaze suddenly shifted, going over Cheng Chen's shoulder to look at the wall. "Alright, come in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the office door was pushed open.
Jiang Fei scurried in from outside like a mouse, snuggled up to Cheng Chen, and squeezed her face into the camera lens.
"Hello, mentor."
She greeted him hastily.
The girl on the screen ignored her, rummaging in the pocket of her white coat for a moment before pulling out a small pink card.
With a flick of his finger, the card passed through the screen and landed in Cheng Chen's hand.
"Before trying to build your own 'miracle,' practice with a general template. With your talent, it won't be difficult for you to understand." She yawned widely, covering her mouth without any regard for appearances, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm going to sleep now. You can play by yourself. Goodnight~"
Ding.
The video call ended instantly, and the screen went black again.
Jiang Fei finally relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief.
"That scared me to death!" she said, patting her chest with lingering fear. "How did our advisor find out about me?"
What does "our mentor" mean?
Does it concern you?
Cheng Chen glanced at her sideways.
But the shameless CEO clearly didn't care about these details. His restless little hand quietly slipped over Cheng Chen's shoulder and reached for the pink card.
Snapped.
Just before her fingertips touched it, the card exploded and merged into Cheng Chen's body.
"Tch, stingy."
Jiang Fei puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
Cheng Chen ignored her complaints, lowering his eyes to absorb the information contained in the card. A few minutes later, he reopened his eyes, turned to Jiang Fei, and went straight to the point: "Any results?"
"Got it."
Jiang Fei nodded, leaned against the edge of his desk, and looked down at him. "Guess what we found out?"
After returning to the company, Cheng Chen immediately handed the transaction records he obtained from the remaining members to the intelligence analysis department for investigation. Jiang Fei, having apparently heard about the events within the trade fair's barrier through other gossip channels, volunteered to help monitor the progress.
Now, the first result has been found.
Cheng Chen leaned back in his chair, listening attentively.
Jiang Fei magically produced a report: "That demon called Yu Nie is buying up large quantities of magical girls' 'Hearts of Wishes' from all sides. 'Hearts of Wishes' are hard currency in the demon black market, and they're always in high demand but hard to find. But the price Yu Nie is offering... tsk tsk, even I'm tempted. He's really rich."
"But the [Heart of Wishes] cannot be preserved for long. After a demon kills a magical girl, it either devours it on the spot or can only let it dissipate. If you want the [Heart of Wishes] to stay longer, there is only one way..."
"Preserving the body," he calmly continued. "Like that icehouse I went to with Huiya last time."
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow. "You guessed it all?"
There aren't that many coincidences in the world.
Cheng Chen shook his head slightly. "Judging from the timeline, the remnants started their large-scale acquisition campaign a long time ago. The fact that they spent money to buy them instead of hunting them themselves shows that they didn't want to attract attention."
"What's the point of them buying so many 'Hearts of Wish'?" Jiang Fei asked, arms crossed.
"It couldn't have been bought to eat."
Cheng Chen certainly wasn't that shrewd.
He paused, then asked, "The point isn't what the remnant bought, but who he bought it for."
"Tracing the source will take some time."
Jiang Fei shrugged. "This purchase record is very detailed. If there's no misleading information, we can definitely follow the clues to find the final buyer."
"Go ahead and investigate," Cheng Chen shook his head.
The remnants wouldn't be so foolish as to bring the account book with them before provoking him.
This purchase record was most likely given by the person behind the trade fair. Mo Mao Ju has its own agenda and is not entirely aligned with the remnants, so there is no need for them to falsify such a thing.
"oh."
Hearing him say that, Jiang Fei's eyes darted around.
Seeing this, Cheng Chen turned to look at her and casually asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
"have."
Jiang Fei nodded emphatically.
"Yan Xi came to see me."
……