62: Chapter 62 The Law of Cause and Effect That Shocked the Sanctuary

Li Qingyue floated in mid-air.

Beneath her bare feet was a slowly rotating triple-law halo. The silver one was Space, the lavender one was Time, and the golden one was Causality.

The three rings intertwined, forming a Law Wheel never seen before.

"...Master."

Su Bai said, shocked, "Did you break through?"

Li Qingyue opened her eyes.

Deep within her crimson pupils, a tiny golden halo was slowly rotating.

"'Break through' isn't quite accurate."

She said.

"It is 'consummation'."

Her voice was calm. But Su Bai noticed that the fingertips of the hand holding the card were trembling slightly.

Meanwhile.

Truth Sanctuary.

This inverted pyramid building, suspended amidst ten thousand meters of aurora, was covered year-round by a Rank 9 Mental Power barrier.

At this moment.

A violent fluctuation of laws surged in from an unknown coordinate.

Everything on the magic level was normal.

The trembling occurred on the level of laws.

The Rank 8 deacon guarding the entrance of the Sanctuary fell to his knees directly. His Mental Power instinctively sensed the arrival of a higher-level law, and his knees went soft on their own; it had nothing to do with anyone pressing them down.

The defensive circuits of the Sanctuary dome were automatically activated, and the highest-level law alarm sounded simultaneously in the card-making rooms of all Rank 9 Elders.

Then came the guild channel.

[ [Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen] ]: [What is happening?! Who is advancing?! This law fluctuation—there is a Causality Contract within the time-space law!!]

[ [Phantom Sovereign] ]: [Rank 9 Peak?! No, even a Rank 9 Peak doesn't have this intensity of law overflow! This is the fusion of three laws—time-space plus causality?! This combination has never appeared in the entire history of the Sanctuary!!]

[ [Qi Yuan] ]: [I am analyzing this fluctuation frame by frame. The time-space law is undoubtedly the characteristic of Her Excellency Qingyue, but that causality law does not belong to any Supreme recorded by the Sanctuary. This is a brand-new law.]

[ [Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen] ]: [Li Qingyue?! Impossible! How many years has she been stuck at the Rank 9 Upper stage? She hasn't broken through since the time-space law—when did she master the causality law?!]

[ [Phantom Sovereign] ]: [The question isn't when she mastered it. It's that she is mastering it right now. The intensity of this fluctuation is still rising—do you feel it? The triple laws are fusing, forming a closed loop.]

The guild channel fell into a dead silence for three seconds at this moment.

Everyone was using their Mental Power to perceive the law tremor coming from the distant coordinates. No one could spare the energy to type.

Then.

[ [Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen] ]: [Everyone. I have a hypothesis.]

[ [Qi Yuan] ]: [Speak.]

[ [Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen] ]: [Qingyue just took on a disciple this afternoon. That disciple made a Rank 1 Rainbow Card, and the core concept was a Causality Contract. Qingyue's current breakthrough just happens to include the causality law.]

Another dead silence.

[ [Phantom Sovereign] ]: [You mean—Qingyue took the framework of a Rank 1 Rainbow Card and made a Rank 9 version? And then relied on this Rank 9 version to break through the bottleneck?]

[ [Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen] ]: [I have no proof. But this possibility cannot be ruled out on the timeline.]

[ [Qi Yuan] ]: [If this hypothesis holds, the key point is not just a Rank 9 Rainbow Card. A Rank 9 Rainbow Card can be replicated, as long as the core framework of the Magical Girl system exists. Do you understand what this means?]

No one answered.

Because everyone understood.

[ [Phantom Sovereign] ]: [Lu Chen. Can you contact Qingyue right now?]

[ [Armored Mage Emperor Lu Chen] ]: [She isn't opening communications. Her card-making room has an independent spatial barrier; unless she opens it herself, no one can get in.]

[ [Qi Yuan] ]: [So we can only wait. Wait for a 9th-tier Supreme to break through right under our noses. Without even knowing what happened.]

The guild channel fell into silence again.

This silence was longer and more restless than before.

Inside the card-making room.

The golden light of the laws slowly dissipated.

Li Qingyue landed back on the ground, his bare feet stepping on the void crystal. The triple-law halo slowly shrank beneath her feet, eventually merging into her body.

She looked down at the Rank 9 Kyubey Card in her palm.

She looked for a long time.

Then she raised her head and looked at Su Bai.

"Su Bai."

"Yes."

"The effect of this card is even stronger than I expected. It's not just a matter of doubling combat power. The Causality Contract framework it carries allowed me to automatically complete the final piece of the puzzle for the time-space law the moment it was finished."

She paused.

"A transaction cannot repay something like this."

Su Bai was about to say something, but Li Qingyue raised her hand.

Her fingertip glowed with a tiny wisp of golden light. It was the light of the causality law, a texture completely different from the time-space law.

That golden thread passed through the air and landed gently on the soul gem on the back of Su Bai's left hand.

The purple light inside the gem and the golden thread of causality intertwined, forming a tiny, slowly rotating two-colored halo.

"This is my feedback to you."

Li Qingyue's voice was very soft.

"Causality Interference—you can make a wish to me. I will directly fulfill your request."

"No matter how outrageous the request. No matter how great the cost. As long as the Causality Contract allows it."

"I will help you realize it."

Su Bai looked down at the golden halo on the back of his hand and was stunned for a moment.

"Master. Does this mean I have unconditional command over you or something—"

"Don't even think about it."

Li Qingyue interrupted him expressionlessly, "It's a one-time thing. It's gone once used. And you cannot make a wish that exceeds my capabilities."

"Then that's no different from Kyubey—"

"It's different. The ability Kyubey gives you has a cost. What I give you has no cost."

"So you're stronger than Kyubey."

"...Are you complimenting me?"

"Of course."

Su Bai looked down at the two-colored halo on the back of his hand, then looked up at Li Qingyue.

He suddenly smiled.

"Thank you, Master."

Ding.

His phone vibrated once.

Then a second time.

A third time.

A fourth time.

The phone vibrated like crazy, and message notifications popped up on the screen layer upon layer.

Su Bai took out his phone.

[Three-Person Card-Making Mutual Aid Group]

[Lin Xiao]: [@Su Bai Su Bai, are you there! Did you see that law fluctuation just now! A 9th-tier Supreme is advancing to the peak at Truth Sanctuary! Causality law! Time-space law! Fusion of three laws! The magic monitoring stations in the entire Jinghai City are alarming!]

[Zhao Dahai]: [I felt it even in my dorm!! The floor is shaking!! The ceiling is shedding dust!! The people in the next dorm thought the Abyss had attacked!!]

[Lin Xiao]: [I asked my cousin, and she said that the source of the fluctuation was confirmed to be the direction of Master Li Qingyue's card-making room at the Sanctuary. @Su Bai Are you there right now?]

Su Bai typed a few words.

[Su Bai]: [Yes. It's my Master.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Your Master???]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Isn't Li Qingyue a Rank 9 Upper stage??? How did she suddenly reach the peak??? And it's a fusion of three laws???]

[Su Bai]: [Oh, we just finished making a Rank 9 Kyubey Card, and Master had an epiphany about the causality law during the card-making process.]

The group was silent for a full ten seconds.

[Zhao Dahai]: [?]

[Zhao Dahai]: [What did you say]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Rank 9 Kyubey Card]

[Zhao Dahai]: [You were still making Rank 1 cards during the day]

[Zhao Dahai]: [And you made a Rank 9 one at night???]

[Lin Xiao]: [...You mean, after Master Li Qingyue saw your Kyubey design, she broke through to the fusion of three laws on the spot? From a Rank 9 Upper stage who could only interfere with time and space, she became a Peak Supreme with three laws?]

[Su Bai]: [Pretty much. And she gave me a causality interference buff, saying she could unconditionally help me do one thing.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Unconditionally help you do one thing??? Unconditional coming from the mouth of a 9th-tier Supreme??? Are you sure this is unconditional for you, not unconditional for your Master??? Logically this is backwards!!!]

[Lin Xiao]: [Zhao Dahai, calm down first. You can't calm down, and neither can I.]

[Lin Xiao]: [So the situation now is—Su Bai, you not only made a Rank 9 Rainbow Card, but you also made your Master leap to become the world's only Supreme with a fusion of three laws, and then your Master, in order to repay you, gave you a chance to use a 9th-tier Supreme's ability unconditionally?]

[Su Bai]: [Lin Xiao, your ability to recount is really suitable for writing meeting minutes.]

[Lin Xiao]: [Su Bai, stop replying to read messages without answering!!! Do you know how many people won't be able to sleep tonight!!!]

[Zhao Dahai]: [@Su Bai Su Bai, from now on you are my big brother. I, Zhao Dahai, will follow you for the rest of my life. I should have guessed this day would come when you only had fifty yuan left in your pocket to make Kyubey. Big brother! Accept my bow!]

[Lin Xiao]: [No. Su Bai is no longer the big brother.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [?]

[Lin Xiao]: [Now it's big sister.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [???]

[Zhao Dahai]: [What, Su Bai turned into a Magical Girl??? Lin Xiao, did you take a picture??? Su Bai won't have the goods anymore???]

[Zhao Dahai]: [That's not right, why did you change, Su Bai? Didn't you say you'd never change before? What happened to "I'd rather be cannon fodder on the front lines than wear a pink lace dress"??]

[Su Bai]: [? I can change back, you know.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [???]

[Lin Xiao]: [???]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Can change back??? This thing has a two-way switch??? Then you were acting when you resisted it before??? You actually wanted to wear women's clothing, right Su Bai, no, big sister.]

[Su Bai]: [Fatty.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Here!!]

[Su Bai]: [For tomorrow's mass-produced design draft, I plan to have Lin Weiwei add an extra test requirement in the quality control session. The test subject needs to weigh over 180 jin. The occupation should preferably be a Card Creator working part-time as a Berserker. Do you think this requirement needs any additions?]

[Zhao Dahai]: [I was wrong, big sister.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [You will always be my big brother.]

[Lin Xiao]: [Why are Fatty's knees always soft.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Because those with hard knees have already died under Su Bai's Time Stop plus six guns firing at once!! Did you see Director He in the reception room today!! Even the person in charge of logistics was dragged to test the Magical Girl!! If I don't give in, the next one will be me!!]

[Lin Xiao]: [Makes sense.]

[Su Bai]: [Alright, stop howling. I'll send the mass-produced design draft to Lin Weiwei tomorrow morning, and you'll all see it then. Also, Deputy Commander Xiao's order of 10,000 cards—Fatty, didn't you always say you couldn't find a job.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [I'm not wearing women's clothes!!!!]

[Su Bai]: [I didn't ask you to wear them. I asked you to do quality control. The Spatial Circuit of your rotating framework was taught by me personally, after all.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Big brother, you finally remembered me!! No, big sister!! No—Su Bai, what do you want me to call you!! You are a woman now, but you said you can change back—how do you expect me to address someone who can jump back and forth between genders at any time??]

[Su Bai]: [Just call me by my name.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [No!! That's not respectful enough!! You are now my big brother, big sister, my Master, my boss, and the direct disciple of a 9th-tier Supreme—no, I have to think of a more formal title.]

[Lin Xiao]: [Call him Su Bai. If you talk nonsense again, I'll give the quality control spot to Wang Shaotian.]

[Zhao Dahai]: [Okay, Su Bai!! It's always you!!]

Su Bai watched the last exclamation mark sent by Zhao Dahai on the screen, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

Kyubey poked its head out from his shoulder, its red glass eyes staring at the phone screen.

[Su Bai, your friends are very interesting. Their Causality Contract ratings are not high, but their emotional energy is quite abundant.]

"...What are you implying."

[I am just stating an objective fact.]

[However.]

Kyubey's tail gently swept across the back of Su Bai's hand.

[Lin Xiao's Causality Contract rating is actually higher than she realizes. If you need to complete the job transfer task, she is a very suitable target.]

[Just a suggestion.]

Su Bai glanced at Kyubey.

Then he lowered his head, looking at the group chat messages still scrolling crazily on the phone screen.

Outside the window.

Beneath the dome of Truth Sanctuary, the golden afterglow of the fusion of three laws was slowly dissipating. The first ray of morning light in Jinghai City took its place, pouring down from the gaps in the aurora sky.

He put away his phone and looked up at Li Qingyue standing in front of the card-making table.

Li Qingyue was looking down at the Rank 9 Kyubey Card in her palm. Her silver-white long hair was glowing with a faint golden hue in the light interwoven with dawn and stars.

"Master."

"Hmm."

"I'll send you the design draft for the mass-produced version tomorrow morning. How should we proceed with the Rank 9 version—wait for the test results from Deputy Commander Xiao?"

Li Qingyue raised her head, a trace of playfulness flashing in her crimson pupils.

"Are you afraid she'll come looking for trouble with you after she transforms?"

"...A little. After all, she said before that she wanted to train me like a new recruit."

"Then you can use that wish right now. Let me help you stop Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan."

"Don't, that's too much of a loss. One unconditional help from a 9th-tier Supreme—I have to save it for when I really need it."

The corners of Li Qingyue's mouth rose slightly.

"Considered you still have some brains."

She tucked the Rank 9 Kyubey Card into her sleeve, turned, and faced the stars that were slowly rearranging themselves on the dome.

"It's dawn. Rest."

"There are many things to do tomorrow."

"Hmm."

Su Bai lifted the hem of his Magical Girl skirt and walked towards the rest area in the corner of the card-making room.

He took two steps and then stopped.

"Master."

"Speak."

"You just said—the bottleneck that you couldn't break through for thirty years, you broke through in one night today."

"..."

"Which means, this favor you owe me, you probably won't be able to pay back in thirty years, right."

Li Qingyue turned her head.

Those crimson pupils stared straight at Su Bai for a full three seconds.

Then a very subtle arc appeared on that porcelain doll-like face. An expression more dangerous than a smile.

"Su Bai."

"Yes."

"That wish of yours, I can help you use it right now. To make you shut up."

"Goodnight, Master! See you tomorrow!"

Su Bai instantly disappeared behind the door of the rest area with the agility unique to a Magical Girl.

The card-making room fell silent.

Li Qingyue stood where she was, looking at the door that had already closed.

Then she lowered her head, looking at the halo of the three laws still remaining on her palm.

Time-space, causality, fusion of three laws, Rank 9 Peak!

Thirty years.

Today, in one night, it was all completed.

And the person who allowed her to do all this—was a Rank 2 Card Creator who made a talking cat with a cost of 2.05 million.

Li Qingyue laughed softly.

Very softly.

So soft that even she almost didn't hear it.

Then she raised her hand and turned off the stars on the dome.

"Goodnight."

Li Qingyue said this in a low voice. The entire card-making room fell into gentle darkness.