Vol 2 Chapter 158 Gradually Clarifying Thoughts
When Veronica returned to Rainbow Cloud Wetlands again, her emotions had stabilized considerably, yet she was still deep in thought.
From a rational standpoint, she clearly understood that most of Emerald's advice was correct. In fact, if she were to objectively evaluate her current situation as a third party, she might have offered similar suggestions as Emerald.
But when the matter involved the Garden Defense battle, when current events gradually overlapped with the remnants of that battle twenty years ago, Veronica realized she might be far less rational than she imagined.
The schemes of Claw Marks and Black Ember Dawn were absolutely nothing good, so allowing their activities to continue was unthinkable. The responses from the Magical Affairs Court and Research Court were perfectly reasonable - even if there were selfish motives involved, they certainly weren't bad actions.
Thus, the problem undoubtedly lay within herself.
What kind of mindset made her so reluctant to directly oppose these "city guard traitors"?
Perhaps it was because her view of these "old comrades" remained filtered through nostalgic memories.
Because they had once fought desperately for the same goal, because they had once battled the same enemies together, because they had tasted the same pain and sorrow... Too many "shared experiences" made her unconsciously view herself and them as similar people.
Yet at the same time, she couldn't help wondering: was there any chance these former comrades, even while being part of Claw Marks now, were fundamentally different from people like Sparrow, Yuan, and White Wolf?
This might sound like an excuse to exonerate her "old comrades," but it wasn't entirely impossible. Based on the information Veronica had, Claw Marks' membership could be divided into at least three groups by origin and time period.
The first group was undoubtedly Claw Marks' founding core - White Wolf's trusted aides from when she was still Purple Diamond in the magic nation, consisting of Finance Court members and magical girls with vested interests in the Finance Court. These magical girls were White Wolf's loyal followers who had betrayed the nation for her - capable of anything.
The second group were the "washouts" who inexplicably joined when Claw Marks began defecting from the nation. Like Mohe and many magical girls who had been disabled in the Inter-Realm War, their combat effectiveness had greatly diminished. Fresh chapters posted on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
The final group were those who joined after Claw Marks became independent and gained notoriety - magical girls who defected due to misconduct and joined this "traitor organization" by reputation. Without exception, these were hardly good people; their voluntary defection and joining already declared their intentions - they had likely aimed for wrongdoing from the start.
Among these three groups, the first and third were undoubtedly terrorists. But the second group remained full of unanswered questions.
Judging by composition, they were Claw Marks' most misfit members. Beyond that, what exactly they experienced postwar that led to their defection, why they joined White Wolf, and what they did after joining were all major mysteries.
Moreover, if Mohe hadn't lied or concealed part of the truth, her description of her "work" sounded nothing like terrorism but more like some sociological experiment.
Compiling all this information led Veronica to face a rather broad question:
Were these "old comrades" of hers already plunged into darkness, standing against normal society? Or were they trapped in quicksand but still lucid, just waiting for someone to pull them out?
Pondering this, Veronica unconsciously arrived at the cabin where Mohe and others had previously lived.
The cabin was now lit, but the camping equipment outside indicated new occupants. This meant her question would never be answered by the original residents.
And if she couldn't get a definitive answer to determine how to regard these people, what else could she do?
Gazing at the brightly lit white viewing cabin, Veronica stood still, gathering her overly long skirt in her arms without moving for a long time.
Was there a solution that could both ensure safety during the certification assessment while allowing security forces to show some restraint - not immediately going for lethal force against Mohe's group, leaving room to inquire about the truth? All while not revealing her interference with Magical Affairs Court operations or leaking her communications with Claw Marks, preferably even distinguishing between Claw Marks and Black Ember Dawn to selectively eliminate the latter's pests...
After a long while, Veronica conceived a somewhat clumsy and inefficient but perfectly executable plan to realize her will.
—Why not have herself capture Mohe's group while letting Research Court handle Black Ember Dawn?
She could recognize fellow former city guard comrades, so she wouldn't target the wrong people from the start. By personally intervening, she could control the combat intensity to avoid immediate lethal force. And if questioning confirmed someone had completely fallen beyond redemption, she could personally bring them to justice.
Undoubtedly, this was the safest approach she could devise.
The only concern was being recognized when confronting Claw Marks members, so perhaps the examination site layout needed slight adjustments to ensure encounters occurred unnoticed.
Additionally, the security force distribution, spectator area adjustments, and examinee activity zones... all needed corresponding modifications to accommodate this plan.
As Veronica mentally outlined specifics, she turned and walked toward her own cabin, holding up her skirt.
Having clarified the core concept, there was no need for solitary brooding - she could present this plan to the Magical Affairs Court and have Folding Crane Orchid and others help refine it.
With night deep, if she didn't return soon, her juniors would worry.
After walking awhile, Veronica reached the cabin.
Unexpectedly, someone stood at the door.
Lin Xiaolu held her phone, biting her thumbnail pensively while pacing within several meters of the entrance as if wrestling with a difficult decision.
"...Why isn't she back yet? Did something really happen? Should I call? But if it's some important occasion, my call might cause trouble. Yet if something did happen, not calling would be wrong..."
Veronica could faintly hear her strange mutterings.
Lin Xiaolu's odd behavior continued until Veronica's approaching footsteps became audible. Looking toward the sound, her face first showed "anticipation," "reassurance," and "joy," then shifted through "confusion," "surprise," and "awe," before finally settling on "admiration," "amazement," and "being moved."
Had she not seen it herself, Veronica would hardly believe one's face could display so many expressions in seconds - especially when that person was her own daughter.
Finally, Lin Xiaolu's expression settled on "enrapture." Gazing at Veronica's appearance, she clasped her hands as if worshiping a deity and closed her eyes:
"O gods, if this is a dream, let me never wake. If reality, let my opened eyes still behold this peerless sight."
After this incantation, she reopened her eyes. Confirming the vision remained...
Lin Xiaolu shed tears.
"I live to witness this moment, Veronica! You're practically an angel!"
She assumed a posture halfway between lunging for an embrace and reverent worship, frozen in awkward adoration.
This exaggerated, almost clownish performance left Veronica momentarily speechless.
Looking down at her attire, she realized she'd been so preoccupied during the return trip that she'd forgotten to change out of the princess dress worn to the gathering.
Was the outfit really that effective?
As Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan emerged, drawn by the commotion, and displayed similarly awed expressions (albeit to varying degrees), she received her answer:
—Well, it seemed Emerald indeed had excellent fashion sense.