Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

As Mo He asked this question, the car started moving.

She pressed the accelerator, placed her hands on the steering wheel, and paused for a few seconds. Not waiting for Emerald Sparrow's reply, she continued on her own, "For me, no matter what happens, I still consider the Captain as a companion. So, I want to help you."

"You've said that word several times already."

Emerald Sparrow fastened the barely functional seatbelt on her car seat. The sound of the metal clasp clicking into place blended with the dialogue: "But I don't really think I need help, and I don't think you need to help me either…"

"It is necessary."

Mo He suddenly interrupted Emerald Sparrow, speaking solemnly: "To me, it's very necessary."

"...Alright, let's just say our past friendship makes this worth the favor."

Emerald Sparrow sighed, deciding not to argue further about this with Mo He: "What exactly makes you think I need help? And what do you plan to do to help me? Or are you going to tell me you know who killed Ying?"

If she were to analyze it herself: what would make her need help, and what could the other person possibly know? The only answer would be An Ya's death.

She had never forgotten that sorrow, nor the hate and anger that grew atop it. Yet, up until now, she'd been carrying severe wounds and had to consider her daughter's future, leaving no room to act on this matter.

Now, having her injuries partly healed, and Lin Xiaolu's magical girl career stabilized—albeit dangerously—her thoughts of revenge had become more active within her mind.

It wasn't that she was ready to rush out recklessly to find the culprit and make them pay in blood, but she was beginning to plan preemptively.

"Sorry, I don't know."

But Mo He simply shook her head without hesitation: "I know Captain will one day seek revenge for Miss Ying, and when that day comes, I will certainly help you. But for now, that isn't what I want to say."

Her words made Emerald Sparrow sigh, uncertain whether it was out of disappointment or a sense of "as expected" resignation.

"Then, what do you want to talk about?" Realizing that the help Mo He mentioned had nothing to do with her future revenge, Emerald Sparrow's lingering interest began to fade away.

"Captain's Magic Armor is already down to just one piece, isn't it?" Mo He said softly, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of the wind from the moving car.

Nevertheless, Emerald Sparrow clearly heard what she was saying.

Those words made her eyes suddenly widen.

"...That isn't something you're supposed to know."

She looked at Mo He, and even though Mo He now appeared vastly different from the person she'd been twenty years ago in Sparrow's eyes, she had never thought the woman before her seemed so unfamiliar: "There shouldn't be too many people in the world who know about this."

"'Bloom Burst' isn't a secret in our legion. The Commander taught this technique to everyone she thought might die soon, although very few mastered it."

Mo He maintained her composure: "But Captain, you should remember—I also mastered it."

"I know, but you shouldn't know this much." Emerald Sparrow didn't trust this explanation.

"Because I have my own team, capable of gathering intelligence within the Material Realm."

Mo He went further, explaining, "You've already used Bloom Burst three times… Last year was the third time."

Emerald Sparrow didn't respond immediately.

She leaned slightly against the back of her seat, closing her eyes to think for a moment before opening them again and speaking: "Go on."

"If Captain is willing to join our team, I—we can restore your Magic Armor."

Recognizing that Emerald Sparrow was validating her claim, Mo He continued: "Although, technologically, it might not be exactly the same as before. The form and abilities of the armor may both undergo changes..."

"What's the price?"

Emerald Sparrow remained expressionless, seemingly unmoved by Mo He's proposal to restore the Magic Armor: "Or rather, what exactly is your team doing? This kind of technology, even the Research Institute doesn't have it."

"…Because we also have our own specialized research team, which includes some very capable members from the Research Institute."

Mo He, like a recruiter addressing a top-tier talent at a job fair, answered earnestly: "As for what we do… At least from my understanding, we're trying to build a sanctuary."

By now, Mo He's car had gradually left the city's busiest district and entered the fast lane connecting different neighborhoods, prompting the speed to increase further.

"A sanctuary?" Emerald Sparrow raised an eyebrow from the passenger seat.

"Yes, a sanctuary."

Mo He nodded: "A home that welcomes anyone, regardless of where they're from, with any kind of past… Of course, for now, the majority are abandoned magical girls, as well as displaced humans."

"Abandoned magical girls?" Emerald Sparrow latched onto the key phrase in her words.

"Children like us, essentially."

Speaking about the so-called "sanctuary," Mo He's tone unknowingly softened: "Rejected by society, we band together like family—building, farming, forging a future together."

"We found a stable point in the Wilderness within the Material Realm, prepared houses, farmland, and energy… If there's a magical girl who can no longer survive in the Kingdom, she can come to us. Everyone will welcome her and help build that home together."

"Even humans who've wandered into the Wilderness or lacked cities willing to take them in can join us—though stricter measures might apply to criminals…"

By now, the sky had turned completely dark.

The Kingdom's night presented an exquisite blue-purple sky, its rich oil-painted hues sprinkled with stars. Moonlight and starlight together illuminated their road ahead, serene and gentle.

In the evening wind, Mo He used her less-than-extraordinary speaking skills to convey the vision of her "team" and "sanctuary" as best she could. Though her words often faltered, her passion was unmistakable.

The other wasn't lying.

Emerald Sparrow could confirm that.

For Mo He, she truly—deeply—even with a fervent simplicity—believed in her dreams and was working toward them with sincerity. Her trust and care for the team members she mentioned were equally genuine.

This shifted Emerald Sparrow's earlier suspicion that Mo He's "team" might be part of Claw Mark to the back burner.

Nothing else—only because it didn't seem likely.

Emerald Sparrow had encountered or heard about many Claw Mark members. Among them were pure villains like Sparrow, amoral and unrestrained individuals like Yuan, and scheming masterminds like Purple Diamond… But no matter how she thought about it, Mo He didn't fit as a dreamer.

Yes, what Mo He described felt almost like "a dream" to Emerald Sparrow.

Mo He's actions closely bordered undermining the Kingdom—essentially stepping toward establishing another "Magic Kingdom." Such efforts, if on a small scale, might be ignored by the Kingdom. But once exposed, they'd likely face suppression, assimilation, or worse outcomes.

Beyond this, Mo He's mention of "being abandoned by the Kingdom" was extremely concerning.

Emerald Sparrow herself had been exiled indefinitely, barred from the Kingdom—which could potentially be interpreted as "abandonment." But what about Mo He? And the "abandoned magical girls" she alluded to—what had they encountered?

Emerald Sparrow's faith in the existence of the Kingdom had always been low. She trusted most magical girls themselves and believed the Kingdom served as a haven for ordinary people. But the Royal Court, entrenched within this nation for millennia, remained petty, decayed, and arrogant in her eyes. So whatever the court had done over the years to oppress lower-tier magical girls, she wouldn't bat an eyelid in surprise.

Now, Emerald Sparrow was nearly certain—in the years since she'd left the Kingdom, Mo He must have experienced something beyond her imagination.

But honestly, even though curiosity gnawed at her, she couldn't bring herself to ask Mo He what had happened.

Because she already carried too much: An Ya's rage, her children's future, Fangting City's safety, the deal with Emerald… She wasn't sure—she couldn't assure—whether she had the capacity to take on more.

If she asked Mo He outright and unearthed the truth, she doubted she could ignore it.

She likely couldn't turn a blind eye to injustice, but she also couldn't deceive others by making promises she couldn't keep. Conscious of the likelihood that Mo He's experiences might run deeper than imagined, she realized that stepping into this could very well trap her beyond escape.

——"That's why it's not just about me wanting to help the Captain. I also need the Captain's help."

"Because the Captain is strong and kind. If it's you, you'll definitely be able to join me in protecting those kids, and this sanctuary as well."

"That's what I believe."

And when Mo He finished describing those ideals, turning to Emerald Sparrow with a kind of hope to ask her question, Emerald Sparrow once again became acutely aware of her limitations.

I guess I'm still not a hero.

Feeling the hesitation in her heart, Emerald Sparrow closed her eyes and, with a slight bitterness, said:

"...Sorry, I need to think about it."

These few words were all she could manage.