Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

She had not expected that the first to come forth and declare their stance on this matter would be Xia Liang.

After all, whether it was Lin Xiaolu or Bai Jingxuan, they seemed to be the ones more likely to become impatient, and whether they "want to go" or "do not want to go," it should have been those two children who expressed their intentions first.

As for Xia Liang, this child clearly considered various matters more thoroughly, and her progress in the study of magic power was also going smoothly; analyzing the current situation, she did not need to rush to obtain a small certification badge.

"Of course, after all, only with the certification badge does one truly start to 'stand on one's own feet', right?"

Xia Liang tilted her head, "I have already become a Magical Girl, and since that is the case, I definitely aim to 'do better'; there is no reason to stop at where I am now."

"But next year's assessment is going to be more dangerous compared to previous years..." Emerald Sparrow subconsciously started tapping her fingertips on the table.

"No matter how dangerous, isn't it held under the watch of the Magic Kingdom, with the protection of many examiners?" Xia Liang countered, "That means, no matter what, in the end, someone is responsible for backing us up, right?"

"In theory, that's correct, but there could always be accidents."

"After all, they are just accidents. No matter what, it is still safer than facing a real crisis."

Xia Liang responded seriously, "Maybe you, junior predecessor, might think my consideration is too presumptuous, but I believe if we are afraid to face even a 'simulated disaster of Remnant Beasts' under such heavy protection, won't we be even more at a loss when faced with a real disaster?"

"You might not know what a disaster of Remnant Beasts is really like," Emerald Sparrow said, tapping the table with furrowed brows, "Even if it's just a simulation, it shouldn't be underestimated." Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"But in the end, it's just a simulation, right?"

Xia Liang's mouth curved slightly, "If we encounter a real disaster of Remnant Beasts in the future, will a Magical Girl who has experienced the simulation be better prepared, or will a Magical Girl facing it for the first time perform better? Undoubtedly, it will be the former."

This was nothing short of sophistry; to rehearse for a major crisis that was highly unlikely to occur by putting oneself in a crisis that could inherently be avoided sounded very strange indeed.

Emerald Sparrow wanted to say just that, but she found herself at a loss for words to object—because deep down, she, too, held a similar thought.

If her initial reaction upon learning about the content of the assessment was more critical and rejecting, then having calmed down for a few days, she had gained a better understanding of this year's assessment.

No matter how much she worried about the children's safety, no matter how much it concerned her, the rational part of her heart told her that Xia Liang's thoughts were indeed correct.

If she truly didn't want the juniors to participate, she could have simply found an excuse to forbid them from going. She didn't even need an excuse and didn't have to, like she was now, offer something like "respect their freedom to choose."

This sort of indecision was essentially because her rationality could not overcome her emotions, and yet her emotions couldn't completely overshadow her reason. Honestly, even she felt that her series of decisions were topsy-turvy, completely devoid of normal logic.

"Besides, you yourself will be going, right, junior predecessor?"

And Xia Liang, as if she could see right through Emerald Sparrow's thoughts, leaned in slightly, her gleaming eyes twinkling with an indefinable emotion, "If you're going, junior predecessor, is there any reason for me not to? I, truly believe in you from the bottom of my heart."

The emotion in the girl's eyes forced Emerald Sparrow to look away once again.

She was unable to respond to such feelings; perhaps the best course of action was to play dumb.

"...Since you have already made up your mind, it's getting late, so let's talk about Spell Techniques," Emerald Sparrow said, changing the subject abruptly, her voice somewhat hoarse, "I don't have a vast repertoire of Spell Techniques, so let's start with teaching you the simplest and most practical ones."

"You're quite cunning, junior," Xia Liang said with a slight squint of dissatisfaction.

"The first spell technique you should have come across many times before is the most basic of all spell techniques, and the one that significantly enhances the combat capabilities of a Magical Girl—the Magical Barrier."

Ignoring Xia Liang's small display of emotion, Emerald Sparrow continued, tilting her head with a serious tone, "Using the Magical Barrier, you can block your opponent's Magic Power attacks, allowing you to reserve a better position for yourself. At the same time, the Magical Barrier has many advanced and variant forms. When one's research on this spell technique reaches a level of mastery, not only can it block attacks from magical equipment and other spell techniques, but even the lairs of the Remnant Beasts can be somewhat kept at bay."

"For most Magical Girls, mastering spell techniques is also an important lesson in addressing their own weaknesses—since not all magical equipment can provide comprehensive abilities, some people lack means of attack, while others lack defensive capabilities. The Magical Barrier is crucial for those Magical Girls whose magical equipment doesn't offer protection."

Raising her hand, Emerald Sparrow spread her palm in front of Xia Liang, and then, from her sleeve, streams of fine, rune-like Magic Power condensates wriggled out, arranging themselves orderly in her palm before suddenly bursting into light.

Almost simultaneously with the burst of light, an invisible barrier suddenly emerged around Emerald Sparrow, taking on an arc-shaped appearance that separated her from Xia Liang.

"This is the process of forming a Magical Barrier. You must have seen it before. However, in actual combat, its formation will be much quicker than what we just saw."

Maintaining the Magical Barrier around her, Emerald Sparrow said indifferently, "I just slowed down the entire process of the spell technique forming. Can you see what the most critical part is?"

"The most critical part..."

Xia Liang blinked, "Is it that strangely shaped Flow of Magical Power?"

"Strangely shaped Flow of Magical Power?"

Upon hearing this, Emerald Sparrow's mouth twitched, but she soon regained her composure, "You're not entirely wrong, but as I should have mentioned before, this kind of Magic Power flow has its specific name; we usually call it 'runes.' And the runes used by Magical Girls in spell techniques are generally called 'Favo Runes.'"

"Favo Runes constitute the basic units of spell techniques. We imprint Magic Power into the shape of runes, and then arrange these runes in a sequence to guide the flow of Magic Power, thereby forming spell techniques."

"In other words, Favo Runes can be understood as the text of the spell techniques. We assemble the runes to spell out the names representing certain spell techniques, and the Magic Power we use subsequently is infused into the spell until we activate the runes to trigger the spell; or scatter the runes to halt it."

"I'm a bit lost," admitted Xia Liang bluntly.

"Lost... then think of Favo Runes as a foreign language," Emerald Sparrow wasn't surprised by the confusion, "Just like when you learn a foreign language, you need to first grasp the alphabet, then understand the words, and finally learn how to form sentences with them. Favo Runes are the language of the Magic Kingdom, where runes are the letters of this foreign language. You need to learn how to spell words with them, and advanced spell techniques are like sentences, which are combinations of a large number of words."

While saying this, Emerald Sparrow actively dissolved the surrounding barrier, once again condensing runes in her hand, arranging them neatly: "Like this, the structure formed by these runes represents 'barrier.'

"Eh..." Xia Liang uttered a meaningless exclamation while looking at the runes in Emerald Sparrow's hand.

"But merely arranging the runes doesn't complete the spell technique; you could even say that such a spell is only half-completed."

Suddenly, Emerald Sparrow continued, "If we don't perform the next step, the runes are just neatly arranged and look very fancy, but they don't have any practical significance."

"Obviously, because Favo Runes are not the spell itself, they are just a command we use to execute the spell, a key, or to put it another way, the Magic Power spent up until the runes are constructed has not been utilized on the spell at all."

"To transform the key into a spell, to turn the command into reality, what we ultimately need to do is very simple."

With that said, the Favo Runes in Emerald Sparrow's palm gradually glowed: "Infuse Magic Power, and let these runes come to life."