"I'm sorry, but we have urgent business."
Emerald Sparrow didn't stop because of their persuasion, but calmly stepped forward and handed over a prepared document, "Please make an exception for us."
The two twin guards exchanged a glance, and eventually, one of them took the document from Emerald Sparrow's hand. After reading its contents and confirming its authenticity, they looked at each other again.
This time, they didn't make any further efforts to stop her but cleared the way, allowing Bai Jingxuan to pass.
And Emerald Sparrow, who was standing by, also put away the document, nodded to the two guards as a gesture of appreciation, and then passed through the Boundary Gate together.
There was nothing noteworthy about the contents of the document; it was merely an exceptional task file issued by Emerald on behalf of Fangting City's Magical Girl, tasked with transporting some special experimental materials. The document outlined everything from personnel to specifications to standards, and all necessary official seals and document numbers were also present. If one didn't consider the content, it would seem entirely like a genuine document.
Considering Bai Jingxuan's special physique, and that various special issues could arise on the way to the Kingdom, Emerald Sparrow had long collaborated with Emerald to prepare various "genuine" proofs. Not limited to Bai Jingxuan, but also for Lin Xiaolu's unusual Magic Armor, Emerald Sparrow had prepared numerous proofs to cover its uniqueness at critical moments. She had even prepared a series of documents for Xia Liang, a Magical Girl whose roots should theoretically raise no issues whatsoever, just in case of accidents.
Such elaborate preparations and a mass of documents were also one of the reasons why Emerald Sparrow needed to repeatedly check her luggage before departure. In fact, because preparing these items had taken so much effort, she hardly had time to confirm the specifics written on each document; she could only trust that Emerald and her "friends" could handle things properly, which was why she was caught off guard by the issue with the entrance exam age.
Without hesitation, she walked through the Boundary Gate, and what emerged before Emerald Sparrow was a rather dim corridor.
The surroundings of the corridor were dark and lightless, with very limited visibility. Only the ceiling lights above cast their glow, illuminating a pathway leading forward, while the surroundings were shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see what was hidden within it.
This place was the "Boundary Bridge" that Emerald Sparrow and Lin Xiaolu had mentioned earlier.
The so-called Boundary Bridge is, as its name implies, a bridge built between the Material Realm and the Magic Kingdom, serving as a passage that connects the two worlds. Its primary function is not only to provide a stable route between the worlds but also to offer an adaptation process to all who cross the Boundary Bridge, avoiding any physical rejection symptoms that might occur after traversing between worlds.
Especially for ordinary people who commute between the Kingdom and the Material Realm and Magicians whose control of Magic Power is not precise, such a bridge is essential. Without it, these individuals might suffer from physical mutations while crossing between worlds, endangering their lives. In the worst-case scenario, parts of their body might even undergo a process of magicification, resulting in permanent organ failure.
Of course, for Magical Girls, this minor discrepancy between worlds would not cause discomfort. Crossing the Boundary Bridge is simply following protocol and using the formal channel.
Intending not to linger here, Emerald Sparrow took a deep breath and pulled her suitcase as she walked forward.
Shadows rippled where her footsteps fell, and the emptiness of the darkness flowed in the silence. A solitary figure traversed the corridor, slowly approaching the sole exit.
It seemed as if a voice was whispering so in the darkness.
Like a whisper at the ear or a distant echo, it was an enigma that made one doubt whether one's ears had indeed heard anything.
Fragments of shadows flickered in the dim corridor, shattering and reforming under the dull light, like ripped up texts desperately pieced together, menacingly contorting.
Broken and chaotic emotions buzzed deep in the mind, uncontrolled memories surged in the brain, like murky bubbles that upon surfacing, unfolded old and tattered trains of thought.
The murmurs from the darkness grew louder, becoming a cacophony; the words formed from shadows multiplied, obscuring the path and exit; memories bubbling up from thoughts increased in disarray, transforming the path into a mire, as if a massive weight hung from Emerald Sparrow, dragging her down.
Emerald Sparrow didn't react.
She just kept walking forward, continuously moving ahead.
Even though the noise had turned into a screech, the text into layers of seals, the thoughts into shackles, none slowed her pace in the slightest.
Casually tearing through the layered text made of shadows, she placed her hands on the door at the end of the corridor.
This was the final door before entering the Kingdom.
She said emotionlessly.
Then she forcefully pushed the door open and walked in without looking back.