[CH.71] Vent
The rumored bar is located in a remote area, with its entrance deep within a long alley. It has no name, nor is it marked on any map. The only distinguishable signs are a sign with the word "Bar" and a large blue area painted on the exterior walls. Only a few people know its whereabouts.
The Blue Wall Bar.
The bar is not large. Upon climbing the steps and entering through a small door, one is greeted with a few tables and a small stage about half a person's height directly in front of the entrance. A complete set of sound equipment is arranged on both sides, and even Lillian, who knows nothing about music, can tell that the prices are high and the equipment is professional.
The bar counter is on the opposite side of the room, trying not to take up space on the stage. A middle-aged woman with heavy makeup is busy mopping the floor. When she looks up, the thick paint on her face startles Lillian.
It's a makeup scarier than a ghost, like a twisted monster. Looking at it from the left and right, the shapes are different, yet there is a creepy harmony, with an ugly and twisted beauty.
Terrifying to the point where it can be considered "beautiful," in a sense surpassing the horror itself.
"Sorry, we haven't opened yet," the middle-aged woman said coldly, but her tone changed when she looked at Lillian.
"Magical Girl Lillian? That's rare. I'm your super fan! I've liked you since your debut. You're the coolest magical girl in my eyes. I vote for you every year and even drag my friends along to vote for you."
The voting the woman mentioned is the annual Magical Girl Alliance selection, where the winners receive a special honorary title, indicating their popularity among the public. It's just a title, with no other rewards.
"Uh... thank you. By the way, isn't this the Odd Jobs agency?"
"Yeah. But we only sell information, we don't handle commissions or anything like that."
"Then, are you a spirit?"
In Lillian's understanding, only elves unfamiliar with human society would paint such strange makeup on themselves. This aesthetic has surpassed that of humans, beyond what ordinary people can accept.
It's just strange that elves would treat magical girls as idols. For most elves, magical girls are just employees with nothing particularly special about them.
The woman replied, "No, I'm not even a magical girl. I'm just the owner of this bar, the spirit you're looking for is that thing."
Following the owner's gesture, Lillian looked at the beckoning cat placed next to the bar.
"That's the great spirit you're looking for, Louise."
---
The chubby cat with a white ceramic texture held its hands up, quietly sitting on the table, looking nothing like a living creature. However, elves can indeed take the form of inanimate objects, in this world, they lack a physical presence, and their appearance is merely a shape created with the power of existence.
Lillian walked up to the beckoning cat, nodding in greeting. However, the beckoning cat did not react – it couldn't, as its facial expression was entirely painted on.
"Are you sure this thing is the one?"
The owner behind her replied, "Of course, go ahead and ask."
"Alright... then, I want to know who wants to kidnap Han Huayang."
After the question, the beckoning cat still showed no change, but a crisp and pleasant female voice emanated from its ceramic body.
"3 points existence, thank you."
Existence is another term for points, different magical girls have different names for points, and existence is the common term.
"How should I pay?"
"Place your hand on my head—on the beckoning cat's head, lift it up, and verbally promise to make the payment."
Lillian did as instructed, with no fancy procedures. As the points decreased, a piece of paper fell from under the beckoning cat's backside. Inside was an address.
"Um... is it that simple?"
"Well, what did you expect? Did you want to chat with me for a while? Sorry, I'm busy and don't have time to chat with you."
"You, a beckoning cat, are busy sleeping every day?"
"Sorry, what spirits can do far exceeds your imagination. I don't feel like explaining to you."
Louise no longer responded, the beckoning cat returned to its lifeless appearance, silent.
---
Great Spirit Louise.
Although her voice sounds pleasantly girlish, she is one of the first spirits to arrive in this world about ten years ago, making her at least over three hundred years old.
Her expertise lies in Spirit Glyphs. Upon graduating from the academy, she became the youngest Great Spirit in history by developing versatile glyphs.
Currently, Louise is experimenting with the development of new master-servant inscriptions, and as a result, she accidentally created a special function *glyph magic. A few days ago, she submitted this magic to the academy leadership, and at the moment, she is working on perfecting the paper for it.
Interestingly, Louise chose to set up her information station in the bar. This is mainly for the convenience of others who may come looking for her, and in the noisy atmosphere of the bar,
the beckoning cat is nothing more than a "phone", Louise's actual self is still working at her own home.
---
Spirits rarely lie, and anyway, Lillian got the answers she wanted. Without dwelling too much, she thanked them briefly and left the place.
The heavily made-up owner spoke up, trying to keep her there, "In such a hurry? We have a performance tonight, won't you stay and watch?"
"No, my partner is waiting for me at home."
"Girlfriend, huh?"
"Huh?! How did you know..."
"What's the big deal? Over 90% of magical girls are into girls, and the rest are mostly bisexual. If you said you found a boyfriend, I wouldn't believe it," the owner smiled, "If you have the chance, come play at my shop. Wednesday and Friday are Crazy Girls' Nights. We have special performances and events. You can bring your girlfriend then."
"Sounds good, maybe on Friday."
It was a polite remark, but Lillian did take note of it. Alice has been a bit uncomfortable talking to strangers, and she should take her out more.
Crazy Girls' Night... sounds interesting from the name. Of course, there's only one thing she needs to do tonight.
---
"……"
---
A few blocks away, the city's largest dance hall. Even from outside, you could hear the lively music emanating from within. The head of the gang is here.
Entry requires presenting a ticket or a membership card, but even the most basic entry pass costs around two thousand, not to mention how much you'd spend once inside.
Lillian made it clear she wasn't here to have fun. Anger burned in her eyes as she clenched her fists and marched towards the main entrance with determined steps. Lillian is not the type to plan before taking action.
She doesn't need a plan, everything relies on her anger, moving forward without any other thoughts.
"Hey, look at that girl. Seems to be the magical girl Lillian."
Some passersby fans noticed Lillian.
"Why is she going into a nightclub?"
People nearby were chatting, and the security guard at the entrance tried to stop Lillian from advancing.
"Stop, what are you doing? New staff enter through the back door—"
"Get lost!"
Suddenly, Lillian delivered a backhanded punch, smacking the security guard across the face with the back of her hand. The security guard didn't react at all and took the hit head-on, instantly fainting.
"Boss, someone's here causing trouble!"
Standing behind, a person who had just reported to the others, Lillian dashed forward with a knee strike, hitting the person's head squarely.
Heading straight into the store, she encountered four more security guards.
"Stop—"
The leader, who was just about to speak, was swiftly approached by Lillian, and she landed a punch straight to his throat. With one punch, a strong sense of suffocation reddened his face, and he fell to the ground clutching his neck.
Lillian didn't give the others a chance. She kicked down the second person charging at her with a left roundhouse kick and pushed away the third with a straight kick. After dodging the fourth person's attempt to grab her, Lillian delivered a hook punch to his abdomen, knocking him down.
While the second person was still on the ground, Lillian stomped on his face with one foot. In almost an instant, three out of the four approaching figures fainted.
Seeing this, the third person, who had only been kicked away, dared not move.
"Don't... don't think just because you're a woman, I won't dare to hit you! Wait... wait until I call someone..."
"Sure, go call someone. Call as many as you can."
"Alright! Don't move, just wait here... wait until I bring people..."
The person staggered backward, trembling, and then frantically fled for his life. However, Lillian was much faster. She kicked him to the ground and slapped him across the face.
"Who's your boss?"
"Boss? What boss?"
Slap, slap, slap—three loud slaps turned the person's face into a pig's face.
"In... inside..." the person tremblingly pointed to the stairs behind, then lost consciousness.
"That was a bit too much."
Lillian stood up again, and around her, a dozen or so security guards came rushing over. These people were holding short sticks and knives and charged at her without a word.
---
Magical Girl Lillian's fighting style is straightforward and brutal.
Unlike Alice, who is agile, dodging monster attacks and delivering fatal blows up close, and her senior who uses a combination of strikes to limit the monster's movements, reducing their defenses, creating openings, and then using magical skills to eliminate them—Lillian's approach may seem brute-force, but her mastery of combat techniques is richer than Alice's. She lacks a single winning move like Alice, relying more on skillful combinations to suppress her opponents.
While this style might not be evident when facing monsters, Lillian's proficiency in combat becomes fully apparent when dealing with ordinary people.
She intercepted the oncoming short stick, fingers gripping the joints, gently twisted, and broke the opponent's forearm. Lillian snatched the stick and, with a few swings, knocked away the knife that was swung at her.
Combining punches and strikes, the first group of people charging at her all fell to the ground, howling.
Perhaps annoyed by the noise, Lillian delivered a stick to the face of each person on the ground.
She picked up the knife, held the short stick in her right hand, and the knife in her left. Both weapons were kept behind her arms, preventing others who were gradually surrounding her from seeing them.
"Come on! Who else is coming?"
The number of opponents increased, but no one dared to approach head-on. Nearly 10 people had already fallen around Lillian, and no one wanted to be the next one on the ground.
"What are you afraid of? She's just one person, and there are so many of us! Go on! Let's all go together!"
Someone in the crowd was encouraging others to come forward but stayed back themselves. Surprisingly, there were some who believed this and charged at Lillian from the side.
A short stick struck the head, and a knife slashed at the leg. In the blink of an eye, the guy who rushed forward first fell to the ground.
But he wasn't the only one to approach. When someone is afraid of something, as long as one person dares to step forward, others will follow.
Even if the first person had verified that this was a lesson, there were still people who bravely stepped forward to meet their demise.
After knocking down several more people in succession, Lillian, feeling somewhat annoyed, unleashed her magical skill.
A golden light shot out, the dazzling radiance almost burning the eyes of onlookers. Lillian turned around, the golden light swirling, and for a moment, a mist of blood sprayed out, pervading the entire space and even staining the air red.
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