The villainous magical girl's daily mission is to find fault.

Chapter 547 The Fox and the Strange Dream

Phase Two: Preparing Appropriate Response Plans

Looking at this task, Su Tianqing felt a headache coming on again.

The matter is very serious; it could even be said that an unexpected situation has arisen.

Based on my experience fighting astral behemoths, things might unfold like this:

【The winged Sasha has a special background. When she was a child, Garuda noticed her magical talent and forced her to leave Eagle Owl Village and go to Sparrow Village, where she was adopted and raised by a sparrow couple】

[Later, due to a certain opportunity, she displayed outstanding magical talent. Garuda saw that the time was ripe and decided to make his move, but unexpectedly encountered Akatsuki, who was passing by on her retirement trip.]

[After a fierce battle, Chi Xue used all her strength to banish the temporarily manifested Garuda back to the Astral Plane, but she herself was also seriously injured and had to conserve her strength to think of a countermeasure in the mental world.]

Sasha, on the other hand, was completely unaware of what was going on, just like Fei Yelan, who had come to the port city from the mountain city in search of a clue.

[With the return of veteran Chi Xue, and with the help of her and this fox's mental world, plus so many Star Shadows in Rongcheng, or at the very least, a few Star Shadows like Bai Lili as reinforcements, we can definitely take down the Star Beast on the spot, just like in Hong Kong.]

—That's how it should have been.

But what does "there is a pair of eyes in the sky" mean?

What's the deal with this groping behavior of "Garuda staring at Sasha for X years"?

What do you mean by "Chi Xue thinks it's a big problem and wants to get a lot of reinforcements so that I can stabilize Sasha's situation first"?

Could Chinese characters really be arranged and combined like this?

Wait a minute, wait a minute, this isn't right. I just worked overtime on the second chapter of TRPG and felt a bit tired, so I spent some time lounging around with Xiaoyu and doing nothing. How did things turn out like this?

Secret Codex, tell me honestly, did you deliberately pull this stunt on me because you saw me having too much fun playing the fool lately?

The void offered no response, as always.

"Why……"

The golden fox sighed and looked up at the sky outside the window where the rain was pouring down.

...There was a pair of eyes watching Sasha from the sky.

Whenever she thought about this, Su Tianqing felt as if she could see a pair of eyes in the air that looked like molten gold, just like when she looked into Jormungandr's eyes in the memories of Inari.

This time, however, there was no ten-year plan from Inari, nor the selfless sealing of Red Rose. Even Chi Xue, who had direct contact with Garuda, had not gathered much more information than herself. It could be said that the situation was the most severe yet.

Garuda's current situation, where it is hiding, and what it intends to do to Sasha are all mysteries.

All she could do was pray that Garuda wouldn't suddenly have a change of heart and attack Sasha directly. It would be best if she waited until Chixue brought back reinforcements before taking action... at least then there would be more people to help evacuate the crowd.

"Splash splash splash..."

The rain outside the window kept falling.

Staring at the rain for a long time without seeing what she wanted from the sky, Su Tianqing lowered her gaze and rubbed her temples, trying to relax her overloaded fox brain in this way.

Coping strategies... In this situation, what other coping strategies do I have...?

The witch legion has been deployed to various locations throughout Rongcheng, remaining vigilant against Garuda's attacks and ensuring timely support should it launch a surprise attack.

Although it's uncertain how long the Zodiac Witches can hold out against Garuda, since Red Snow was able to banish Garuda, who had temporarily manifested in the world, back to the Astral Plane, I should be able to do the same with the Zodiac Witches' help.

The more she thought about it, the sleepier she felt. Her fox ears and tail drooped down, and Su Tianqing couldn't help but let out a long yawn.

"Whoosh—..."

"Are you sleepy?" a concerned voice came from beside me.

"Hmm... I'm sleepy..."

Nan Jiayu stuck out her cat tail and caught the fox's tail just in time, which was about to droop to the ground. She then said to Su Tianqing, who was sprawled on the table, looking completely slumped over:

"If you're sleepy, take a nap. I'll wake you up later, Tianqing."

"Hmm... I'll take a nap now... Good afternoon, Little Fish..."

The fox girl lay on the library desk and quickly drifted off to sleep.

……

……

Su Tianqing felt like she had a long dream, a very, very long dream.

In my dream, I was sitting by the river fishing with Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu could lift a 50-pound fish with every cast, while I kept getting nothing, until I ran out of bait and finally caught a tiny shrimp the size of my little finger.

Then she got angry, so the little fish gave her all the big fish in her bucket and bought grapes from the fruit stand. She peeled them one by one and arranged them on a plate, which looked very tempting.

Then, I saw that Rabbit and Dog were also fishing on the other side of the river. They were also going to catch nothing, just like me. It was as if the cat had caught all the fish in the river. Gradually, her fish bucket was replaced by a fish box, and finally by a huge shipping container filled with big fish that were constantly thrashing around.

Even when he shouted "Doggy! Bunny!" from this side of the river, Ye Lan didn't object in the slightest.

What a strange dream, it's strange no matter where it is. Su Tianqing thought to herself.

Before he could even eat the grapes, the dream before him suddenly vanished like smoke, the empty fish basket and the full container disappeared, swallowed up by a thick fog.

Su Tianqing's consciousness gradually cleared, and she blinked as she stared at the thick, foggy dreamscape before her.

Um……?

Something seems off... Was this a lucid dream? I rarely have lucid dreams.

Almost instantly, the thick fog dissipated rapidly, and darkness descended, as if the lights had been turned off, seamlessly switching from day to night, allowing Su Tianqing to see her surroundings clearly—

—The surrounding area is a quiet rural town, with lush trees and fields everywhere. Streetlights illuminate several roads, but there isn't a single pedestrian in sight.

"It would be quite frightening if even half a pedestrian appeared," Su Tianqing thought to herself.

However, the scene in this town was completely unfamiliar. Su Tianqing was certain that she had never been here before, which was quite a strange situation for a dream.

People can only dream about things they have seen or have seen before. Once something they have never experienced appears in a dream, there is often a situation where the material is missing, causing the entire dream to collapse in an instant.

Something's not quite right.

Sensing something amiss, Su Tianqing immediately became alert and subtly looked around.

I was standing by the roadside in a small town. Not far away were several rural bungalows and small buildings. I couldn't see any lights, but judging from the couplets on the door and the clothes drying on the balconies, these houses were inhabited.

Why did I find myself in this unfamiliar rural town in my dream? And what exactly is this place...?

"————!"

A sharp chill suddenly rose from my back.

Su Tianqing shuddered, her ears and tail bristled, and the fox became fluffy as she looked up at the source of the chill.

The moment she gazed at the clear starry sky, Su Tianqing opened her mouth slightly, unable to look away:

The stars twinkled softly in the sky.

But in that moonless, starry sky, a pair of eyes, as fiery as molten gold, hung high above, gazing at him.

Its eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow, revealing no trace of emotional fluctuation. It simply gazed down silently, without any kindness or malice.

Yet its gaze is so deep, like a bottomless abyss.

After a long period of stunned silence, Su Tianqing finally snapped out of her daze, took two steps back, and almost fell to the ground.

Is there a pair of eyes watching you in the night sky?

Su Tianqing remembered Sasha's confusion and the question she had posed to her as she pointed to the sky.

Now she knew what she saw every time she looked up at the starry sky—or rather, it wasn't any "thing" at all, but a scorching gaze from the astral plane that pierced the heavens and reached the mortal world...

【Garuda, the Astral Beast】

……But.

After overcoming her shock and disbelief, Su Tianqing calmed herself down, looked around again to make sure there was no danger, and then turned her gaze back to the burning eyes in the sky.

Why do I see Garuda in my dreams?

Is it possible that because Sasha mentioned her confusion to me, Garuda cast its gaze upon me, which is why I...?

"Don't guess. Don't move around. Listen carefully to the sounds around you, and don't pay attention to anything else."

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded from behind.

Su Tianqing was about to subconsciously turn around to look at the source of the sound, but she could only see a crimson figure flash by. A hand had somehow patted her shoulder, with a small bell held between its fingertips.

"Ring ring~"

The bell rang, its melodious sound echoing in her ears. Everything around her was once again enveloped in thick fog; darkness and those eyes were shrouded in the mist. Then, light reappeared in the surroundings.

...Then, when the fog dissipated again, the scene of the Gate of Fox Virtue appeared before my eyes.

Looking around at the mental world scene that she had arranged for her familiars to build, Su Tianqing felt even more confused.

"You're still conscious after making eye contact with Garuda? Well, judging from your appearance, you're probably alright."

The crimson figure put away the bell in her hand and walked up to Su Tianqing.

Only then did Su Tianqing realize that she was wearing magical costumes and had somehow ended up in front of the mage tower of the Fox Gate in the form of a dandelion, staring at Chi Xue, who was also in magical girl form.

Chi Xue seemed to be visiting the Gate of Fox Virtue for the first time, looking around curiously and marveling at the sight.

"What amazing environmental creativity! I never knew such a magnificent scene could be created in the world of mental images... cough cough, it seems that Xin Yuehu's control over the world of mental images has reached a whole new level. I can't cover up her creations in Rongcheng, so I can only use the bell to pull you in."

"Do you feel dizzy? If so, don't worry, it's just a slight effect of Garuda's gaze. It hasn't fully noticed your presence yet, and I pulled you out before its gaze focused on you."

"I originally wanted to pull you into my mental image, but I forgot that Xin Yuehu had already set up a mental image world in Rongcheng... Unfortunately, her control over it is higher than mine, and I can't cover it up, so I can only settle for leaving us here."

Chi Xue spoke a long string of words, then lightly stomped her foot, as if indicating her chosen landing spot.

"Anyway, give me a call when you wake up. I've already contacted quite a few helpers, and we'll talk about it in detail when we have the chance. See you later."

After saying that, the crimson magical girl turned around, waved her hand, made a "goodbye" gesture, and walked towards a certain direction of the Fox Gate.

...Then she stopped at the crossroads, staring silently at the empty street devoid of familiar NPCs for a long while before turning back to look at Su Tianqing, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

"Um... Miss Dandelion, do you know how to get out of this place?"