Clockwork Bride

Page 115

But Hayden looked up and said...

"The danger doesn't necessarily come from the pollution itself. I need to find out what exactly these two big companies are planning in their collaborative project."

Why did this incident trigger Hayden's "sense of crisis"?

Perhaps this feeling stems from a deeper, unseen confrontation of divine power, from the changing circumstances.

Perhaps it's because such turmoil could directly endanger Angela or Karen.

Hayden had to guard against such a possibility.

125: The Ultimatum

So, you're still stuck in the wasteland?

The witch Abigail raised an eyebrow on the screen projected onto Hayden's phone.

What have you all been busy with outside the city lately?

"Build the city, manage the ley lines, set up city barriers, develop the new potions you need, and teach those demi-humans not to eat people."

Hayden shrugged.

"Isn't all of this enough to keep me busy?"

That being said, Hayden's initial reason for planting trees was actually to save on both resources and time. After studying the modern urban arcane examples Karen had given him, Hayden ultimately chose to modify the ritual, incorporating the physical core of classical magic and adding elements of the earth god.

These are all classical practices that modern capitalist gods have long abandoned. After all, easily destroyed physical cores and flawed earth gods are "outdated technologies" that have been eliminated by the ever-evolving modern arcane arts.

However, Hayden preferred to incorporate outdated city-building techniques into the modern arcane city barrier as a compromise, even if it meant leaving obvious flaws. This was because he felt some things were best accomplished as quickly as possible. Even with imperfections, it was better to leave it completely blank.

His purpose is to protect. He wants to protect Angela, protect Karen, protect Karen's ideals, and also protect these demi-humans who have just joined the group.

Hayden knew very well that trying to accomplish several goals at once would likely result in failing to do any of them well.

Resources and time were limited. Although it was a bit of a pity, Hayden chose to use the limited time and resources to first build a framework that was at least usable.

This is all so that we won't be caught in a helpless predicament when the "storm of disaster" strikes.

...However, he doesn't even know what a "storm of calamity" is yet. So, isn't that why Hayden has come to Abigail to ask for information?

If I really knew what kind of crazy collaboration Adam was up to with Smoke Mirror Company lately, how could I not tell you right away?

However, after hearing Hayden's words, Abigail sighed and immediately retorted.

The confidentiality level for this collaborative project is extremely high. What have I done to deserve this that you think I'd know the answer to something like this?

Wow, that's a really good question.

Hayden touched his chin, speechless for a moment.

"...Because I believe you?"

Don't try to make this kind of behavior, which is essentially laziness, sound so noble.

Even so, after making her complaints, Abigail frowned and began to think.

[...If I had to say, something strange has indeed happened recently.]

Sharp tongue but soft heart, cute loli and old devil women are so good, really.

My connections in the black market smuggling industry told me the other day that it would be best to call all the smugglers who are out in the wilderness back to the city to avoid unnecessary losses.

To avoid unnecessary losses?

It's not surprising that Abigail has connections with upper management at large companies, but it sounds very strange that they would say such things to her.

"Is business on the black market in New Seattle not good lately?"

The past six months haven't been good. But like many other businesses around the world, stopping operations would actually result in greater losses; maintaining operations at least allows us to stay afloat. So, that's clearly not the main point.

The Dark Witch curled her lip.

The other party is someone I trust to a certain extent—meaning they wouldn't suddenly cheat me in something like this. The loss I'm referring to clearly doesn't refer to that.

[This is just my intuition. But we're all classical magicians, we know the importance of intuition, so I'll be frank: I suspect that when those bigwigs at the company talked about avoiding losses, they meant something was about to happen on the wasteland that would seriously impact the smugglers' business.]

Although both were witches, Abigail did not possess Hayden's prophetic talents. However, she always firmly believed in her intuition and the results of her divinations. She had previously told Hayden that, as a classical witch, one should cherish and trust the fleeting thoughts that crossed one's mind.

For wizards, a sudden intuition is often a revelation from fate.

Therefore, I do intend to temporarily suspend my smuggling business.

Abigail sighed again as she finished speaking.

I suspect these two companies are secretly planning something big on this wasteland. If their sports car drivers get caught up in it, they'll be in real trouble.

Are they planning something big?

Hayden immediately recalled the scene he had witnessed while exploring the ley lines—that feeling of "dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to crush it" was no joke.

"I think I roughly understand what you mean."

He nodded thoughtfully.

That's why I advised you to quickly pack up what's happening in the field and bring your men back to the city—but I doubt you'd listen even if I said that.

The witch rolled her eyes as she finished speaking.

Let me be clear from the start: I have no idea what your so-called "calamity storm" is all about. But I do know one thing.

She truly lives up to her reputation as a witch who has lived for over four hundred years; she really does speak very directly.

No matter how grand the goal, if you die, you have nothing. Don't let that goddess's ideals cloud your judgment and ruin yourself. I'm counting on you to help me develop the new drug.

After all, the reason Abigail was able to become the queen of the underground black market in New Yatu was not because she was particularly good at fighting, but because she had been in this position for four hundred years without being killed.

Life has never been easy in this era.

Oh, right. Speaking of which, there's one last thing I can tell you.

Before ending the call, the witch abruptly changed the subject and mentioned something rather strange.

[Those primitive people you're busy educating now, I've heard they actually have their own methods of prophecy and divination about wilderness weather. If you really refuse to move, perhaps you could talk to them.]

...Ajin's divination techniques?

To be honest, this didn't sound like very reliable stuff. Fortunately, Hayden was never arrogant enough to disregard the words of the old witch.

After ending the call, he immediately used his beast transformation magic to transform into a wolf and ran to the demi-human tribe to find out what was going on.

Although the tribe received many favors from Hayden and Angela after they came to the mountains and worshipped these two or three gods, strangely enough, the demi-people have recently been building all sorts of shelters and performing all sorts of witchcraft in the tribe.

Hayden and Angela forbade them from eating people and mutilating themselves, but they didn't completely forbid them from using animal flesh and blood for magic. After all, such things are not easy to achieve in one step. So when Hayden the wolf ran into the tribe, he happened to see the demi-humans carrying buckets of blood from corrupted magical beasts hunted from the wasteland, smearing it on their own huts.

The image looks like more mud being smeared onto a mud house to reinforce it.

There was also a demi-human elder who lit a bonfire in the tribal square (the place where the heart of Terasque used to be kept), its flickering light illuminating the surroundings. The elders kept throwing various dried herbs into the bonfire, and then used torches taken from the bonfire to smoke over the various houses in the tribe.

"Calamity! Calamity!"

The elders chanted as they smoked the house.

"You are a child abandoned by the gods!"

"Calamity! Calamity!"

"Riding the wind that sweeps across the barren land!"

“We once came from the same place as you, that magnificent divine paradise.”

“You are our brother, the son of man, who, along with you, has been forsaken by the gods!”

"Today you devour the flesh and blood of your abandoned brother, do you not know that tomorrow your despicable parents will treat you the same way?"

Through the corrupted flesh and blood of the monsters they hunted in the wasteland, along with the poisonous and polluted herbs found there, the demi-human elders used this shared pollution to cast a sympathetic spell, imbuing their houses with magical effects that resisted the pollution—a spell structure that wasn't particularly difficult for Hayden to understand.

"Calamity! Calamity!"

"Please join us, we are brothers born of the same origin!"

"You won't hurt us, and we won't hurt you!"

"One day, we will return. Together with the winds of life, we will return to our fairyland homeland!"

With unwavering resolve, the demi-human elder spoke eloquently, chanting and reciting. His voice rose and fell, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low; sometimes like a roar, sometimes like a song.

These sorcery incantations were filled with their fear of the ominous winds. Of course, Hayden could also see that with Angela's arrival on the mountain, the demi-people's confidence had actually increased considerably. They even believed that one day they would be able to return to their "fairyland homeland"—that is, the so-called modern city.

However, that was merely their hope for the future.

Now, Hayden, Angela, and even Karen have brought many "miracles" to these demi-humans. Angela gives them healing and life, Karen gives them food and supplies, and Hayden sets up a ley line barrier to protect their safety—yet even so, these demi-humans still fear the polluted weather on the barren land.

So taking this opportunity, Hayden found the demi-human chieftain whom everyone was already familiar with and asked, "I heard that you have your own methods for prophecy and divination of wilderness weather, and now I see you busy enchanting and strengthening your houses. Does this mean a big storm is coming soon?"

The chief nodded repeatedly: "That's right. Great wolf, every tribe of us, the people of the wasteland, must master the method of predicting celestial phenomena. Otherwise, if we are not well prepared before the winds of calamity blow, we will die from the curse even if we do not die from the curse itself."

"Therefore, over time, before the winds of disaster blow, the elders of the tribe would divine and sense something—we already feel that a great storm is coming. We must prepare early."

So said the demi-human chieftain.

Hayden nodded in agreement. “I understand. But we have given you enough food and supplies, and I have also prepared a new barrier. Yet you are still clearly very afraid lately. Is it that you have so little faith in us? Or is this storm of calamity truly so fierce?”

Upon hearing this question, the demi-human chieftain was naturally speechless. However, despite Hayden's "criticism," the chieftain still seemed very troubled and afraid.

He—no, it should be said that "they"—felt a real fear of the polluted climate of this wasteland, a fear that Hayden could not soothe with a few words.

Actually, Hayden wasn't dissatisfied with this. These demi-humans had suffered from the pollution of the wasteland for generations. Even now, with Hayden and the others' help, it was only natural that they were still afraid.

"You can continue preparing, just don't use self-harming or cannibalistic spells again."

Therefore Hayden said,

"If a storm comes, I will open the ley line barrier so you can see that the pollution won't get in. From then on, you won't have to be afraid anymore."

The demi-human chieftain immediately bowed his head and thanked Hayden repeatedly. However, even with Hayden's words, the demi-humans probably wouldn't be truly at ease. But there was nothing they could do; they could only wait and see.

Abigail said there might be something going on in the wasteland, while the demi-people said they could sense a great storm coming, and they were so afraid.

Taking into account their statements, and considering Hayden's own premonitions, it seems likely that a pollution storm is indeed on the way.

But Hayden has already set up a ley line barrier, so it's not a big problem.

Right?

"In the end, it should just be a pollution storm. The reason I feel a sense of crisis is probably only because it is a product of divine power."

After leaving the demi-human tribe, Hayden muttered to himself as he deactivated his transformation, lost in thought.

"There's a barrier, a land god controlling the ley lines (even though it's just a sapling), and if all else fails, Karen will bring us food. No matter how you look at it, there's no way there could be a problem."

He thought about it carefully for a while and still felt that there should be no flaws.

Frankly, Hayden didn't think there could be any problem. A pollution storm might be terrible, but that's all it would be.

What other problems could there be?

Then, the next instant, Hayden's phone rang.

This time it was someone else's turn to attack.

And the name displayed on the phone screen was, for crying out loud, Adam. Just trying to talk to Adam without giving himself away would be incredibly difficult for Hayden.

He patted his face to get into the zone, then connected the call and asked with a grin, "Hey buddy, what's up?"

Hey bro. Still out there on the wasteland?

Adam's face was projected onto the phone screen. He was smiling too.

And they even asked this question right at the beginning.

For a split second, Hayden's brain raced, trying to figure out how to answer, before he realized the risk of lying was too great and unnecessary. So he immediately said, "Of course. Karen has entrusted me with a whole bunch of work to clean up the environmental pollution in the wilderness. I'm personally on-site doing the work. Unlike you, who just sits in your office enjoying the air conditioning."

[You're talking nonsense. I spend far more time out there doing business than you do in the lab.]

Adam's lips twitched.

But let's not talk about that now—I advise you not to stay in this wasteland any longer and to come back to the city as soon as possible.

……ah?

Now Hayden was even more puzzled: Why did you come to me with this?

Hayden wasn't stupid. And now, with everyone warning him not to stay in the Wasteland, even a fool had to admit that something strange was definitely going to happen there. It seemed the Mitra Corporation's American branch and the Smoke Mirror Company were about to join forces and cause some trouble in the Wasteland.

But what did Adam do when he came to warn him about Hayden's actions?