Clockwork Bride

Page 258

"In any case, I advise you not to try to cooperate with Tescatlipoca. It is cruel and hypocritical, the worst kind of partner, and certainly not a warrior who can fight alongside you against Mitra."

So she made one last effort.

But Hayden had already stood up from his chair, and said with a wry smile, "Friend, didn't I say I'm going to travel around South America more, so I'll make my own judgments."

“But I didn’t call you friend for nothing, Miktti Kashiva. You just said that the Smoke Mirror is evil, but you’re not exactly a saint yourself. Even so, I think that compared to the other Central and South American gods I know (not counting Pania, since she’s just a figurehead), I would much rather cooperate with you and be your true friend. But friendship can’t be forced, just like trust can’t.”

"I think that's all I can say for today. I hope you won't hesitate for too long."

And so, Hayden turned around and walked away with Angela.

Miktikashiva stared blankly in the direction he left, remaining stunned for a long while before realizing that the control she had tried to maintain had been taken away by Hayden in her own reception room.

She reached up and touched her face, feeling that Hayden's words sounded unusually ominous, even making her, a vampire, suddenly feel a little nervous.

How long has it been since we last met? Isn't this young man growing up a bit too fast?

Mickett found it hard to describe her feelings. Hayden had clearly changed; there was something new about him—not cold, but with a resolute determination. It was as if Hayden had suddenly become…a hundred-year-old version of himself.

How did he suddenly develop this domineering aura of "If you don't quickly convert, no one in heaven or on earth can save you"? Where did it come from?

305: The land of life and death

"I originally thought that you wanted to befriend that vampire lady, Master."

After leaving the company building of the goddess Mikt, Angela said thoughtfully,

"Don't you want more allies?"

Hayden shrugged: "You have to consider who you choose as an ally. All the good things in the world can be used for evil. Miktikashiva, even at her best, is still very evil. Do we know how many people she has killed, or how many more she will kill in the future? Do you think I should give her the perpetual motion machine right now?"

Angela tilted her head, seemingly confused: "I thought you might try to change the vampire lady's mind by, for example, showing genuine kindness and love."

"Huh? You're making it sound like this will work."

Hayden rubbed his forehead.

"She is an evil god who has gathered a large amount of death pollution and carried a huge amount of blood sacrifice power. For thousands of years, she has been devouring the souls and flesh of the living and the dead. Do you want me to talk to her about the moral wrongness of harming and sacrificing others? If I tell her that exploiting the people is bad, she will probably just say to me, 'Don't be ridiculous' - she does not have the same moral standards as humans, and besides, she is not human at all."

Hayden knew quite a few mixed-race friends, but at least some of them were human. Even someone like the Peacock King, who wasn't human at all, spent years trying to understand and study what humans were, to the point of falling in love with a human and marrying and having children with one. The goddess Mikkuri, however, was neither human nor did she intend to imitate human nature.

"That being said, I still hope that Miktikashiva can be won over, or perhaps his situation can be changed. After all, I don't think the gods from the other smoke mirror companies are that great."

At this point, Hayden himself laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Although I don't want to bring up the past, to be honest, Smoke Mirror Company still owes me a blood debt."

He was only half joking when he said that.

The pandemic that killed Hayden's parents more than a decade ago could have been mitigated, allowing many poor people to receive treatment and survive. However, pharmaceutical companies deliberately raised drug prices and various related resources, ultimately leading to the deaths of hundreds of millions of people.

While all large corporations have their own pharmaceutical-related businesses, everyone knows that Smoke Mirror Life Engineering is the largest company in the pharmaceutical industry. Other large companies may have better products, but Smoke Mirror's drugs are definitely the cheapest. In other words, if a poor person dies from illness because they can't afford medicine, there's an 80% chance that Smoke Mirror will be blamed.

If Hayden had been any more stubborn, he might have completely viewed the Smoke Mirror Company as the murderers of his parents. If Hayden hadn't received Angela's help, but instead vowed to use force to punish evil and uphold justice, perhaps he would have already wiped out the entire Smoke Mirror Company.

However, history doesn't allow for "what ifs." By now, Hayden's perspective has matured considerably. Hating only a single large corporation has limited meaning; after all, the current state of modern society isn't the fault of any one company alone, but rather the culmination of long-standing evils accumulated throughout the world.

However, not harboring hatred or holding grudges doesn't mean Hayden is indifferent to the evil deeds committed by the Smoke Mirror Company. One thing at a time.

"So next I want to go around and see what's going on in South America, and see if there are any suitable partners. Of course, I sincerely hope that Miktikahiva will trust me, cooperate with me, and stop the things she's doing that are killing people."

So Hayden said this, his tone somewhat cold.

"Otherwise, if we ultimately decide to cut off the irredeemable parts of Smoke Mirror Company, Mickett will be doomed along with them."

If anyone else heard Hayden's words, they would be astonished at his arrogant tone. While Smoke Mirror Corporation might be the weakest of the four giant corporations, it was still a global hegemon, a massive financial conglomerate! What gave Hayden the right to speak and think such things?

However, Hayden is the kind of person who says and does these kinds of things—he is trying his best to find a way to defeat Mitra, so why doesn't he dare to think about how to reform the Smoke Mirror Company and kill those incurable evil capitalists?

Hayden certainly dared to do it, and of course he wanted to.

He still thinks about Adam sometimes. Sometimes Hayden feels a pang of regret. Although Adam was undoubtedly evil, he never betrayed Hayden, not even on his deathbed. Adam truly considered Hayden a friend.

Just because a bad person considers you a friend doesn't mean you should side with them. If someone is unspeakably evil, committing heinous crimes like drug trafficking, then even if they consider you a friend, you shouldn't side with them—but lately, Hayden sometimes thinks that if he hadn't started to fear and avoid Adam so early on, but instead tried to deal with him after knowing how bad he was, tried to reform him, and lured him to the side of light (this does sound a bit strange, but it's just an example, so don't dwell on it), perhaps Adam's fate would have been different.

So Hayden didn't want this to happen again. He hoped he could do better in the future and become a less foolish person.

Who are friends, who are enemies, and who can remain neutral for the time being... If Hayden wants to gather the world's strength to defeat Mithra Bodhisattva, he needs to learn this ability to discern and judge, make friends quickly, eliminate those small and medium-sized enemies who might cause trouble, and use benefits to win over the neutrals—only in this way can he gather all the strength to deal with Mithra Bodhisattva, the biggest problem in the world right now.

...As for the remaining crimes of capitalists, they can be dealt with and settled slowly after the Mithra problem is resolved. It's just a matter of order.

Angela nodded, seemingly understanding Hayden's words. But after a while, she spoke again: "Actually, Master, even people with humanity and love can still do terrible things. When people do wrong things, they easily believe they are right."

"I know."

Hayden gave him a dead fish-like look.

"I know there are risks involved. But for now, we can only keep going. Let's try to think positively."

If you don't want to make mistakes, then naturally you need to observe and listen more. With more information, it's less likely you'll make incorrect judgments. Therefore, Hayden should continue to adhere to the key points of the plan. As originally intended, he should spend more time exploring and observing the territory of the Smoke Mirror Company.

A god who is detached from the people and from the mundane earth beneath his feet is more likely to fall into the kind of problem that Angela described.

So Hayden is now taking Angela with him, to travel around this South American land, to make friends, and to judge enemies.

Then he also wanted to try his best to find the knowledge, secrets and power of the ancient gods and outer gods.

There is so much to do.

——————————————————————————————

Although I've just rambled on about a lot of pessimism, the Smoke Mirror Company's territory in South America is actually quite interesting.

Hayden and Angela concealed their excessive spiritual light, suppressing it to the level of an ordinary mortal expert—the same level they were at when he first summoned Angela. The two of them staggered through the streets of Bogotá.

Interestingly, the streets of this South American city seem to have more pedestrians than those in major North American cities like New Jersey, and are noticeably more "disorganized".

For example, in New Jersey, the streets are rarely lined with stalls, and few people sell things on the streets. However, in Bogotá, the situation is quite different. There are many people setting up stalls on the streets, and Hayden quickly glanced around and found that the stalls not only had daily necessities, but also a lot of military and combat equipment.

It's important to understand that while it's often said that the Commonwealth of North America lived in a sea of ​​guns, and that their lives were filled with shootings and bloody street killings, frankly, the Commonwealth of the Americas wasn't so exaggerated as to allow people to buy weapons and armor from street vendors. You'd have to go to a proper store, at least.

In contrast, the streets of Bogotá, South America, are filled with all sorts of things... you name it. Hayden and Angela strolled through the streets. It was clear that the city's districts were related to the goods they sold. The range of goods available varied from section to section.

Areas with many shops are naturally bustling districts, with a high level of security. The streets are clean, pedestrians are neatly dressed, and the overall order is quite good. Areas closer to the teleportation site and tourist areas are lively but not chaotic.

In contrast, the streets where the poor live are full of garbage... But if we only talk about these things, it's not that different from New Jersey, right?

So Hayden quickly discovered some differences from North America.

First, the buildings are mostly old, even in the bustling areas where the architectural style is quite traditional. However, traditional architectural style doesn't mean they are respectable places; in fact, respectable places are relatively few. Bars and nightclubs use colorful lights to attract customers, casinos of all sizes with a rustic style are everywhere, and brothels openly welcome guests.

In places like this, even pharmacies don't look like proper shops. In fact, there are pharmacies on the street, but you can imagine what they sell.

The poor and the rich are both visible on the street, and easily distinguishable. There are ragged children, office workers hurrying by in suits, women decked out in high-end goods, and even muscular monsters with bio-engineered bodies… The gap between rich and poor is vast here.

but,

"...Master, there doesn't seem to be a clear division between rich and poor areas here?"

Angela quickly noticed this feature.

"Indeed."

Hayden nodded.

"As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Although I have read a lot of information online, I have never actually been to South America or walked on the territory of the Smoke Mirror Company. But as far as I know, in South America, on the territory of the Smoke Mirror Company, the class system is not as rigid as in other regions."

Coincidentally, Hayden and his group happened to pass by a corner of the bustling entertainment district at that moment. Beside the road, there was a clearly marked-out area, resembling a small sports arena. Dozens of adults and children were arguing and making a ruckus around the arena, and then inside…

...and you could see five or six teenagers, at most twenty years old (by Uncle Hayden's standards), wielding various knives and guns, fighting fiercely in the arena.

They were all young, clearly lacking in resources and education, so their skill level and equipment were subpar. However, their passion was extraordinary. A thin boy, wielding twin butterfly swords, roared and lunged at his opponent's throat, as ferocious as a wolf. But his opponent, with his bio-modified arm covered in insect carapace, blocked one sword, dodged another, and seized the opportunity to punch the boy in the stomach, then unleashed a [Fireball] – Bang!

Flesh and blood exploded and evaporated. The little boy was instantly torn to pieces, becoming a mangled corpse.

However, on the other side of the arena, a young warrior wielding a knife pierced the throat of the opposing mage with a sharp thrust of his blade.

"Street fighting arenas. Any nouveau riche with a little money can host gladiatorial matches on the street."

Hayden frowned and looked at it for a moment, then explained,

"Many poor children in South America participate in these casual street death matches. Although it's casual, they can still earn money. If they're skilled enough, they can even make a name for themselves. With money, they can do more biochemical modifications, gradually becoming stronger through combat and upgrades. Theoretically, they can rise in rank this way. In the future, they can become mercenaries, or even possibly join large corporations and get a government job."

Most of the world has been divided and ruled by giant corporations. These corporations prioritize efficiency and profitability, thus seeking order. However, a strong order means that upward and downward social mobility is slowed down or even eliminated.

However, while Smoke Mirror Life Construction Corporation is also a giant corporation, the fourth largest in the world, this class stratification is not as severe in its home country of South America as it is in other large corporations. Relatively speaking, it is more "fair" here, theoretically giving ordinary people a chance to climb the social ladder.

As for the ways to climb up, of course, it's not limited to gladiatorial combat, but this is indeed a very representative example.

Why is this? The answer is actually quite simple—

"Because the gods of the Smoke Mirror Company are all advanced undead beings."

Hayden made a face at this point.

"The fact that they are undead gods means that they do not have direct offspring. Even vampires do not actually give birth to their own offspring; instead, they select existing living people and transform them. And of course, they will prioritize selecting the more outstanding living people who demonstrate the special talents they desire."

For those exceptional lower-class living beings, being chosen to become a vampire is an opportunity for upward mobility. Even just moving from the bottom to the middle is a significant class change, and there might even be a chance to climb up and become a high-ranking vampire!

Similarly, competition is fierce within the ghosts of the Smoke Mirror Company. For example, the goddess Micket often arbitrarily demotes or even devours employees and subordinates who fail or make mistakes. Such consumption naturally creates vacant positions that require new, living people to join. The faster someone dies, the more opportunities arise.

So, it's somewhat funny that, despite the fact that advanced undead creatures should be able to "live" longer than living people, their average "lifespan" is actually not as long as that of other gods due to the intense competition for survival in South America.

This is South America.

The territory of the smoke mirror.

A place where life and death rapidly change and cycle.

A country perfectly suited for adventurers and hard-working individuals.

...And, of course, these aren't all good things.

306: This is a scientific method!

In the territory of the Smoke Mirror Company, class stratification in South America does not seem to be as severe as elsewhere.

However, these are not all good things.

The street fighting match was over. Three of the six young men were dead. The three who survived gained some street fame and a small sum of money, not much at all.

Why do they only earn so little from fighting and killing? Because they are ultimately just untrained street kids with little bio-modification; at best, they're just thugs at the start. Even if kids are savage, fierce, and daring to kill, in a place where human rights are not respected, they can only earn a child's worth of money.

Fortunately, this "child-level" amount of money isn't too small. If they accumulate little by little, they might actually have a chance to change their living conditions.

And the benefits they receive don't stop there.

Soon, a group of men dressed in white robes, somewhat resembling butchers, emerged from the shop and entered the arena. Then—in the blink of an eye—these white-robed figures extended their bio-modified, claw-like hands and, with a series of swift, sharp cuts, dismembered the children's corpses!

What are they doing? Desecrating a corpse? Of course not.

Soon, the first man in the white robe gouged out the eyes of the skinny boy with twin swords. Upon closer inspection, the eyeballs resembled cat eyes, with slits and a reflective quality. The man in the white robe then placed them in a glass jar filled with culture medium and handed it to his killer. Because, you see, a bio-modified cat eye transplant organ like this was actually quite valuable. A legitimate, first-hand transplant would be worth at least 4000 gold coins—this was the most valuable "trophy" from the boy!

Other defeated children had similar items on them. For example, the young magician, after the white-robed people cut open his stomach, dug out his still-beating bio-modified heart, put it into a culture medium tank, and handed it to his gleeful opponent.

Meanwhile, while these bio-modified organs were the most "valuable" spoils, it didn't mean that only these organs were valuable. These white-robed individuals were also extremely dedicated, meticulously dissecting and subdividing every usable part of the corpse—brain, teeth, spine, internal organs…everything had a use. Fat could be used to make soap, the liver could be used to cultivate special toxin-filtering drugs, and the brain was a high-speed information-processing computer.

Even newly developed sperm and eggs can be used as screws and gears in a biochemical factory!

After all the organs and parts had been removed, and everyone bought them like meat, packing them into jars, all that was left was a pool of blood and the broken bones of the defeated. But this didn't stump the clever shopkeeper. A necromancer in overalls came forward and, using simple spells he had practiced quite skillfully, chanted incantations as he turned the bones of the three defeated men into skeletons and pulled them up from the ground.

These skeletons, of course, lack intelligence, require human control, and wear out quickly. However, they remain the most common basic labor force in South America. Although they can only be sold for a few dollars, they are still valuable.

And so, the only trace left by the defeated was a pool of blood on the ground. The victors and the spectators, having obtained what they wanted, left with containers filled with human parts.

Some people even happily implanted the new organs they received on the spot. This is because these people, who have undergone extensive biochemical modifications, can directly hot-swap their own and others' biochemical organs like spare parts.

Even Angela was somewhat taken aback by the sight.

However, she wasn't stunned by the gruesome scene. Angela was actually looking at the bloodstains on the arena. Strangely enough, those large pools of blood disappeared from the ground in less than two minutes, as if the arena floor had absorbed the blood.

...Perhaps this is not a metaphor.

"This is a sacrifice."

Angela whispered,

"Their blood, and the souls and lives within it, were all devoured and taken away by this place."

Hayden nodded: "This is no news. Although it's the first time I've seen it with my own eyes, the phenomenon itself is well-known—these gladiatorial combats and deaths are actually ritualized blood sacrifices offered to Mikttikashiva."

Since ancient times, the life-or-death battles in the arena have essentially been blood sacrifice rituals offered to gods or kings. This is not surprising at all. However, among the modern gods, perhaps only the Smoke Mirror Company, and only the people and gods of South America, still use this classical method.

The people here are also very clear about what their actions actually represent.