Chapter 146 Interlude 2 Behind-the-scenes Deal
——"I have fully understood the situation. You have worked hard. The Investigation Institute will appreciate your efforts."
In the bedroom under the setting sun, the girl's voice came from the mirror on the table. A girl wearing a golden robe and smiling nodded slightly at the mirror: "I will send the magical girl from the Strategy Bureau to assist the Black Dawn in the hunt as soon as possible, and I will also give you corresponding compensation and rewards, Miss Delphinium."
"You know that's not what I want to hear."
Across the mirror, the girl in a blue dress had a blank expression on her face: "If you just want to talk official language, then stop here, Your Excellency the Dean."
After the attack on the night of the Full Moon Festival, Delphinium contacted the Investigation Institute. Because this matter involved the real top leaders of the Black Ember Dawn, Golden Green Cat's Eye accepted the conversation.
After Delphinium described the whole story, she did not show any special reaction. She just gave a very official but useless response as usual.
This made Delphinium very dissatisfied, so the above conversation took place.
"Official language... You seem to have something else to say?" The golden-green cat's eyes appropriately expressed a little confusion.
A porcelain teacup appeared in her hand. She seemed to want to end the conversation, but now she had to stop what she was doing: "Well, if you are willing, maybe we can fill in some gaps."
"I don't intend to continue to play around with you. You deceived me, Your Excellency the Dean." Delphinium said bluntly.
"...I don't understand what you mean, Miss Delphinium." The golden-green cat blinked.
"It's impossible for you not to know the cause and effect of this incident."
Delphinium lowered her eyes slightly: "What happened in Donghua Province and what Black Cinder Dawn did, you know everything. Their every move has been under your nose. Over a dozen magical girls disappeared in the past two years, and a large number of civilians were sacrificed. You sent investigation teams here more than once, and even captured a lot of villains who were brought back to the country. Are you going to tell me that you really don't know anything?"
"You seem to have a great misunderstanding of me, Miss Delphinium."
The hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and the golden-green cat-eye shook his head and said, "The Gemstone Scepter and the Investigation Institute are not as powerful as you think. The Investigation Institute only knows that they have some plans in Donghua Province, and cannot know in detail what they have done in each city."
"Your Excellency, the Dean."
Through the mirror, Delphinium stared at the golden-green cat's eyes: "Do you think I'm a fool, or are your investigation team fools?"
"No one is a fool. You are all outstanding members of the Investigation Bureau. You are also the hero of this incident, Miss Delphinium."
The golden-green cat-eye said sincerely, "You know, although the Investigation Institute has been investigating the serial disappearances in Donghua Prefecture, the mastermind of the Black Cinder Dawn is very well hidden, especially the culprit this time, Moth, who is in a high position in the Strategy Bureau. With the limited manpower of the Investigation Institute, it is impossible to get to the truth by bypassing such a complex network of forces. If it weren't for you, colleagues in the Investigation Institute might not be able to solve this case now."
I don’t know why, although Cat’s Eye was very serious in the conversation, Delphinium felt a little irritated for some reason.
This was one of the reasons why she had never liked Golden-Green Cat's Eyes - this person could always stay out of everything without getting involved, and her attitude towards everything was smooth and vague, making it difficult for people to figure out her true thoughts.
I came here with a questioning attitude, but it was like punching cotton. There was no conclusion and it was not satisfying. There was only a deep feeling of powerlessness.
But she knew very well that she could not show her emotions in front of this person. Golden Green Cat's Eye was good at hiding itself and was also good at seeing through others. Exposing her own emotional tendencies to Golden Green Cat's Eye would not solve any problems, but would leave more room for exploitation.
Even if she is dissatisfied with this person, she has to be flexible.
"Touting my merits cannot cover up your deception, Your Excellency the Dean."
So she suppressed her urge to say something cold and continued expressionlessly: "I need an explanation."
The golden-green cat-eye put down the teacup in his hand.
"The Investigation Institute did not play its due role in this incident. As the director, I express my deep regret and reflection. I am also very grateful for your efforts and achievements. I also express my deep sympathy and care to all the citizens of Fangting City who were affected by the disaster."
She lowered her eyes, with a look of compassion: "From now on, the Investigation Bureau will diligently complete the task of hunting down the remnants of the Black Dawn. If Miss Delphinium needs anything, we will also try our best to provide post-disaster reconstruction materials to compensate the injured staff and people of the Strategy Bureau."
"Is this the explanation you wanted?"
"This is not it, Your Excellency the Dean."
Delphinium remained indifferent: "You know what I want."
"...I think if you are here just to call me to task, there is no need to report the whole incident in Fangting City in such detail."
The golden-green cat's eye slightly raised its eyelids, and its cat-like vertical pupils stared at the delphinium:
"So, is there anything you need me to do for you? My... colleague in reserve?"
Now comes the point.
Delphinium sighed slightly in her heart.
She knew that she would not get any results by asking the Golden Green Cat's Eye for the truth, so she could only try to get some benefits from the other party. The other party showed such an attitude, obviously agreeing with the hidden meaning in the words of the Delphinium: either explain the truth or give compensation.
If Delphinium was just an ordinary magical girl, then she would not be qualified to negotiate with the other party in this way - as one of the oldest jewel scepters in the magical kingdom, the Golden Green Cat's Eye could just ignore anyone.
But she is not, she was also once a candidate for the Gem Scepter.
Now, she was not expressing her dissatisfaction to Golden Green Cat's Eye as an inspector of the Investigation Institute, but as a candidate for the Sapphire Scepter, or even a candidate for the Beyond Scepter, and using this identity to threaten the other party to make a choice.
Golden Green Cat's Eye chose the latter.
"I have two requests."
So Cuiqiao took out the prepared speech and said, "The first request is related to the dispatch of magic affairs. I hope you can transfer the dispatch and transfer rights of the three magical girls, Baimei, Xiaojin, and Boxue, in the Magic Affairs Institute to me."
"What do you mean?" The vertical pupils of the golden-green cat's eyes were still staring straight at Delphinium, as if they could see through people's hearts.
"Transfer them to Cornflower's name," Delphinium responded seriously.
"You want to be their all-powerful leader, and no one except the Queen can give orders to those children over you?"
The golden-green cat-eye asked, "Why? You seem to have no trust in the Demonic Affairs Institute?"
"To be honest, I have no trust in the Royal Court of the Kingdom."
Delphinium said expressionlessly, "After so many dangerous incidents, I can't leave the life and death of my daughter and my younger generations in the hands of the Demonic Affairs Institute. So, give them to me."
"…You seem to have some misunderstanding about the role of the Investigation Bureau, Delphinium."
After Delphinium made clear its request, Golden Green Cat Eyes gradually returned to a relatively gentle appearance, raised his fingers, and tapped the teacup as if in distress: "We are only on the same level as the Demonic Affairs Institute, and it is impossible for us to interfere in their affairs."
"The Magical Court is nominally directly under the Royal Court, but in reality, all the magical girls in the agency have factional backgrounds from the other four major courts. It can be said that the power has long been divided up by you. Do I need to remind you of this fact?"
Delphinium also rapped on the table in response: "My rejection of the Sapphire Scepter was actually a good thing for you. It indirectly helped you keep the cake in your hands. Now that it concerns the Magic Affairs Institute, I don't think you have any reason to reject me."
"I don't think I need to remind you that rumors should not be trusted. The jeweled scepter does not have that much power."
The golden-green cat-eye smiled and shook her head: "However, if you insist on asking for this, then as an individual magical girl, I do have some friends in the Magic Academy who can accomplish this task. I can ask them to do this."
"The second thing."
After getting the other party's promise, Kuei Ching didn't even want to say a word and directly pushed the topic: "You have been investigating the truth about Ying's death for two years. What have you learned during this period? Tell me now."
The golden-green cat eyes looked at her with a smile, saying nothing.
"Your Excellency the Dean?" Delphinium called out calmly.
"...I didn't expect it to be such a simple request." The golden-green cat's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm not a person who likes to make things difficult for others." Delphinium said expressionlessly.
"You would make me feel personally indebted, Miss Delphinium."
Continuing to tap the teacup with his fingers, the golden-green cat-eye said, "Because I can't actually give you a lot of information."
“You investigated for two years.”
Delphinium reminded again: "Don't tell me there is no conclusion."
"No, there are actually results, but they may be different from what you expected."
The golden-green cat-eye replied, "Because you actually know the conclusion - the murderer is from Black Cinder Dawn."
"Who?" Delphinium asked.
The golden-green cat-eye shook his head.
"We know it's Black Dawn, but we can't find the specific murderer?"
Delphinium looked indifferent: "How on earth do you want me to trust you, Mr. Dean?"
"It's not that we can't find it, but this result... makes people feel a little weird."
The golden-green cat-eye raised its vertical pupils and said, "According to recent investigations and eyewitness records, a group of members of the Black Dawn did leave Fangting City some time after Sakura's death, and they are suspected to be carrying the Heart Gem that was missing when Sakura died."
"And then?" Delphinium clenched her fists.
"Then, their bodies were found in the wasteland outside the city a week later." The golden-green cat-eyes lowered their eyes slightly: "All died, no one survived."
"Where's Sakura's heart jewel?"
"It's been stolen again."
The room suddenly fell into silence.
"You mean..." Delphinium opened her mouth, trying to maintain her calm expression, but she was unable to say the answer that she found difficult to accept.
"Yes, if there is nothing wrong with this investigation, the real murderer who killed Sakura may have already died." The golden-green cat's eyes gave the answer.
Delphinium was silent for a long time again.
“…I don’t believe this answer.”
After a long pause, she spoke again, "If Sakura's heart gem was taken away, then the person who did this may also be involved in her death."
"I don't deny it." The golden-green cat-eye nodded lightly.
"So the next direction of investigation should be who took Sakura's heart gem."
“We will try in this direction.”
"Then I have no other requests."
Delphinium took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry for taking up your time. Thank you for listening to my request, Dean."
After she finished speaking, she reached out and touched the mirror, ready to end the call.
—"One more thing, Miss Delphinium."
However, the voice of the golden-green cat-eye came out from the mirror again: "I just said that I didn't do anything about the second request."
Delphinium stopped what she was doing and looked at the other party again, waiting for the golden-green cat's eyes to explain further.
Seeing Cuiqiao's face reappear in the mirror, Golden Green Cat Eyes said slowly: "What I want to say is that Fangting City's Strategy Bureau has been riddled with holes because of this incident and has lost its proper function, right?"
"Yes, Your Excellency the Dean."
"Have you ever considered restoring its functionality yourself?"
"…Recover it yourself?"
Delphinium raised an eyebrow, "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the work of magical girls. This should be a matter for your Investigation Institute and the city government."
"No, I don't want you to assist the government in rebuilding the Bureau of Strategy. What I mean is that the position of director of Fangting City is currently vacant."
Shaking his head, Cat-Eyes crossed his hands on the table with a playful expression:
——"So, are you interested in this position?"
(End of this chapter)
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