"Old Donn, another serving of fried Horned Demon tendon and a glass of jacaranda flower juice! Oh—and have Lia chill the juice with the Frostlight Blade."

"Ho ho ho, coming right up! Lia, did you hear that?"

"Got it, Grandpa. Just a moment."

Hearing Lia’s reply, Donn returned behind the counter.

But before he could sit down, a commotion erupted at the shop entrance. Customers watching the Spirit Card Cinema turned with visible annoyance.

"Another fight over cutting the line?"

Muttering irritably, Donn stepped out—only to find no fight at all.

Instead, two girls squeezed through the doorway amid the noise, the queue parting willingly for them.

They wore identical uniforms and long cyan hair. Even a glance revealed an aura distinctly unlike the townsfolk.

The girl in front casually swept her wavy hair over her shoulder and gave a slight, polite bow.

"Excuse me—is the shop owner Lia? We’re from the Imperial Capital’s Spirit Card Academy. I’m Diana."

"The… the Imperial Capital? The Spirit Card Academy?!"

Donn’s eyes widened in shock, words stumbling from his lips.

Diana lifted her fair face, a faint smile gracing her lips. Unlike Lia’s pure charm, Diana’s beauty carried a heart-fluttering allure, yet her posture held noble aloofness. Even this polite smile felt captivating.

(For an old man like Lia’s grandfather, it wasn’t her beauty that stirred him—but her status.)

"I’m Lia’s grandfather. She’s in the kitchen! What brings you here?"

"We’ve come to invite Lia to the Spirit Card Academy. She aced the skill portion every year. The Academy waived her enrollment fee as a special exception—but she didn’t attend this year, so we came."

Lia’s grandfather beamed with joy. Murmurs rippled through the shop—no one expected the Academy to recruit Lia personally!

He turned toward the kitchen door. "Lia! Diana from the Spirit Card Academy is here—they’re offering you a tuition-free spot!"

"Senior Diana?! And they want to…"

Lia had heard the commotion earlier but hadn’t minded it. Now, delight flashed across her face—then faded into hesitant worry.

"I… I’ll go change first…"

Confused by her shift, her grandfather stepped back without delay. "She’ll be right out. Please, sit."

Diana nodded but didn’t sit. Her gaze locked onto the Spirit Card Cinema.

It was *Magical Girl Monkey Burn*—and the visuals and audio were breathtakingly perfect. Every detail crisp, backgrounds rendered with delicate precision.

"Oh my! Senior Diana, how is this *Magical Girl Monkey Burn* so stunning?! Dozens of times better than your copy! And the sound—wow!" whispered the girl beside her, trembling with excitement.

Diana stood stunned. *So this perfected version already exists?* *Did Old Xu improve it this fast?*

Most shockingly—the scenes playing were entirely new.

This was *new* content.

Could Old Xu really be in this town?

Her thoughts dissolved; the film consumed her completely.

She didn’t notice Lia step out in fresh clothes.

"Senior Diana?"

Diana blinked back to reality, eyes lighting up. "Long time no see, Lia."

Clearly fond of her, Diana walked over and gently took Lia’s hands. "We’re here to bring you to the Spirit Card Academy. Why didn’t you come for the exam this year?"

They’d met yearly at the tests—friendship had grown naturally.

But before Lia could voice her joy, Diana’s question left her flustered.

"I… I got busy and lost track of time…"

Lia was terrible at lying. Her shaky reply sounded hollow even to herself.

Yet she refused to let anyone blame Su Hong. Besides—without him, she could never have gathered the enrollment fee anyway.