She was being hunted down, so she became a magical girl.

Xu Ting opened his eyes, and the gray raven doll in his hand had disappeared.

Sure enough, this doll was Gray Raven's healthy spiritual body; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to fit inside.

Judging from the results, the Starry Servant really helped Xu Ting a lot.

But the more she did this, the more horrified she felt.

Xu Ting also asked Crow about the "maid".

The maidservant refers to the "Star Maiden," a special being chosen by the Star Goddess.

Without exception, they were all powerful witches.

And... some of them were chosen as handmaids before they had become witches.

Therefore, Xu Ting had to consider a possibility—

She was indeed chosen as a maid.

This conjecture is not unfounded. The Lord's will and the Divine Servant's will are inexplicably close to her, and they decisively defect to the enemy as soon as they see her.

If Xu Ting was indeed chosen as a maid, then all of this makes sense.

The divine servant would naturally not refuse her as a maid, and the lord's power may have discovered Xu Ting's special identity, which is why he decisively defected to the enemy.

Damn it, if that's really the case...

Does that mean she's been designated a witch?

Xu Ting looked at the gray crows in front of him with mixed feelings, and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

Gray Raven no longer possesses the powers of a magical girl, so she no longer worries about becoming a witch.

But now I have to face this problem myself.

"Crow, is there a way to avoid becoming a witch?"

"The Evil Beast Crystal Seed, this is the only way," the crow said.

"As long as you carry enough evil beast crystals with you, even if your mental state is extremely poor, you will not become a witch."

"But you have already given the only evil beast crystal seed to Qi Li."

Having said that, it again used that disliked tone to advise:

"What, now you realize how foolish you were?"

"Hurry up and get the evil beast crystal seed back from Qi Li's hands, there's still time."

There's no reason to take back what's given away.

Xu Ting took a deep breath and said, "It seems I have to hunt evil beasts during the fog season."

"And those evil beasts are at least at the Ascension level..."

"Looks like I'll have to advance to the Ascension level before the Fog Season."

"Crow, how do I break through to the Feathered Ascension level?"

This time, the crow, unusually, didn't mock Xu Ting's overestimation of his abilities. Instead, it meticulously explained the method of upgrading:

"The method for advancing to the Feather Transformation level is both difficult and simple."

"In short, it boils down to these four words: 'sublimation of will'."

"For most people, repeating a difficult task repeatedly can help them get through this hurdle by simply waiting it out."

"A hundred years ago, magical girls had to fight against evil beasts at a high intensity. If they could persist for three to six months, they could successively sublimate their will and break through to the Feathering level."

"The magical girl I mentioned before, who has two innate magic spells, also followed this path. She spent three years condensing a dual-color magic core, which elevated her will."

Having said that, it glanced at Xu Ting and shook its head regretfully:

"I'm sorry, this won't work out for you."

Xu Ting nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, I don't have that much time."

"It's not just a matter of time," the crow said, looking worried.

"Your will was already very firm before the contract was made."

"Even if you fight every day like the older generation of magical girls, it won't be much different from your past life. How can that help temper your will?"

"A group of junior and senior high school girls understood the weight of life in the battle and overcame their fear of death. This is called the sublimation of will."

"And you had already accomplished all of this before you became a magical girl..."

Are there such rules for magical girls?

Xu Ting couldn't help but feel the cruel trick of fate.

Her eight years of experience as a mercenary have become a hindrance to her magical girl transformation, which is incredibly unlucky.

"What other options are there?" Xu Ting quickly put her negative emotions aside and continued to ask.

"The second method is for you to have an epiphany," the crow said, looking rather resigned.

"Perhaps one day you'll suddenly have a deeper understanding of the value of life, the world, and all things, and then you'll transcend?"

That's as good as saying nothing at all...

Just as Xu Ting was about to ask further questions, she heard a soft moan coming from the hospital bed.

The gray crow awoke.

Xu Ting quickly moved to the bedside and grasped Gray Crow's raised hand.

"It feels like I had a long dream," Gray Raven said as soon as he opened his mouth.

"It's normal to have this kind of illusion," Xu Ting comforted her. "The witch transformation has a great impact on your body and mind."

However, the gray crow firmly shook its head:

"It wasn't my imagination; I really had a very long dream."

"In my dream, I saw..."

She paused for a moment before uttering a word that sent chills down Xu Ting's spine: "—Starry Night Divine Servant."

Oh my god, that terrified me.

Xu Ting was startled. If Gray Crow knew the name of this evil god's messenger, then the Starry Sky God Servant must have done something sinister again.

She disregarded her composure and anxiously pressed for an answer:

"What did He do to you?"

"She didn't do anything. I think she's a pretty nice person," Gray Raven answered instinctively.

"She told me her name and said to me very gently—"

"It was 'The Colorless' who saved you. You should fight for her wholeheartedly and help her walk that 'heroic path, more arduous than hell, but leading to heaven'."

Xu Ting gasped.

This Starry Night Servant even knew Xu Ting's code name.

The conjecture was confirmed; He really had his eye on her and wanted to make Xu Ting a powerful witch under His command.

"And then, what else did He say?"

"She also said...she also said..."

Gray Crow slapped his forehead and said:

"She asked me to tell 'the colorless'."

"Arrive at Airport No. 5 before midnight today, or the 'Color Loser' will regret it for the rest of their lives."

Xu Ting suddenly stood up, startling Gray Crow.

Xu Ting realized his lapse in composure and quickly comforted Gray Crow:

"It's just a dream, don't overthink it."

"You've recovered and will soon be as lively and energetic as before."

"But don't try to activate your magic anymore, as this might aggravate the hidden injuries within your body."

The last sentence was fabricated by Xu Ting; Gray Crow did not have any internal injuries.

But she dared not question whether the Starry Night Servant had left any "little gifts" inside the Gray Raven.

Even a crow might not be able to see through the tricks of a Starry Night God Servant, so Xu Ting could only tell the gray crow not to activate its magic power, at least to reduce the possibility of triggering the "little gift".

After saying those three sentences, Xu Ting hurriedly left the room.

Huan Guang, who was standing outside the door, greeted Xu Ting warmly when she came out, but Xu Ting ignored her and walked straight towards the villa's gate.

"You think you can fool Gray Raven into thinking it was just a dream?"

"This is truly a case of trying to hide something obvious," the crow quipped.

"Grey Raven is a smart woman; she knows when to stop," Xu Ting could only offer a weak explanation.

From the moment she stood up in a daze, it became impossible for Gray Raven not to notice something amiss.

No, perhaps the problem existed even earlier.

Xu Ting checked the time; there were still three hours until midnight.

Considering the distance from the villa to Airport 1 and then to Airport 5, three hours should be enough if everything goes smoothly.

The words of the Star Servant were too frightening, and Xu Ting dared not gamble on the possibility that He was just talking nonsense.

"It's something she'll regret for the rest of her life if she misses it."

Xu Ting couldn't imagine what would happen for a moment.