Clockwork Bride

Page 275

But isn't this a good thing? Why should the common people suffer when those in power fight for profit? If all wars were just rulers fighting one-on-one in a ring, the world would be so much better! Hayden would welcome that with open arms!

"So what do you want from me?" he asked, intrigued. "You want to duel with Smoke Mirror? Do you want me to help you cheat?"

Hayden is happy to help with this kind of thing.

But Mickett shook his head, took another small sip of his drink, and his voice hardened like steel: "It's not cheating, at least not the kind of cheating you're thinking of. Duels between our leaders in Aztland have been a tradition since ancient times."

Hayden shrugged. "I'm all ears. So?"

“The tradition of Aztlan is that duels between leaders must involve bloodshed. The succession to the throne must come at the cost of blood and lives,” Mikt said coldly. “But that doesn’t mean I should stand in the arena with Smoke Mirror and fight to the death. After all, such a tradition and rule would only cause serious internal strife and turmoil within the pantheon, which would be meaningless.”

Why are there rituals? Why are there traditions? Essentially, it's to maintain social order. If the duels between the chief gods are forced to end in a fight to the death, the result will be that both sides resort to underhanded tactics, without any limits, using all sorts of dirty and despicable means to win, and in the end, they'll probably destroy the entire society of Aztland.

However, Aztland's society and traditions were not destroyed. To date, the throne of the supreme god in South America has changed hands six times, with Smoke Mirror being the supreme god of the Sixth Age. For the preceding millennia, through several cycles of change, South America maintained a certain traditional order amidst chaos.

“In order to prove that the new chief god is a stronger sun, a public battle is necessary, and the judges must witness the battle firsthand—but,” Mickett said, raising his eyebrows, “the Smoke Mirror has demanded that both sides use proxies in this duel.”

Historically, duels haven't always required the participants to fight in person. They can appoint a proxy to fight on their behalf. While the outcome still belongs to the individual, at least the participant won't be killed on the spot during the duel.

However, Hayden had never heard of a god-king having someone else fight in a duel. Smoke Mirror's insistence on a substitute couldn't be because He was afraid of dying, so what else could it be?

“He doesn’t want you to actually be killed,” Hayden replied immediately. “He believes he has the upper hand, but hopes to control you after the fight, not just kill you. He also wants to deal with Mithra, so your power is essential.”

Mickett chuckled coldly: "Indeed. Besides, it's also for the stability of the internal factions within the company. Four hundred years ago, Smoke Mirror betrayed Quetzalcoatl to seize power. Although He betrayed him in front of all the gods, so it was a public battle, it was still somewhat embarrassing. So even now, He lacks complete control over the entire company. Our Smoke Mirror Company is just a loose alliance of South American capitalist gods, even more disorganized than the other three super-corporations. If you kill me, the factions that support me might cause trouble."

"That being said, the Mitra Group has never truly been united. But that's a digression. Let's get back to the duel—simply put, Smoke Mirror wants me and Him to settle this with blood, but not our own. Because the key point of our struggle is who, as the chief god, can better guide the entire company against Mitra. So, according to Smoke Mirror, the core of our duel should be who can build the stronger army and warriors. Therefore, the method of this duel is for each of us to create a non-god warrior, and for these two warriors to duel. The loser must accept defeat."

Hearing this, Hayden finally sensed something was wrong: "...You didn't come to me today just to ask me to duel for you, did you?"

Was Hayden a non-god warrior? Yes, and probably no other non-god in the world could defeat him.

However, Mickett couldn't help but smile bitterly upon hearing this: "How could that be? On the surface, you're a member of the Mitra Group, and the son-in-law of the Peacock King. To lead the entire Smoke Mirror Company against Mitra, I'd send you to fight for me? The board of directors would never admit to that."

That's true. But this only made Hayden more confused: "So what exactly do you want me to help you with?"

"Of course, it's to use your technology to help me create the strongest fighter, and to help me guard against Smoke Mirror's schemes." Mickett smiled slightly, but this time it wasn't a mocking, cold smile. "I try my best to understand my enemies, to encompass their thoughts, to predict their ideas. But I can never move around as easily as you do between different companies and different big shots, extorting more and more resources out of thin air. I believe you are more resourceful than me, and can rival Smoke Mirror's cunning. Smoke Mirror will definitely pull something, and you are the security advisor I want to consult."

These words made Hayden stare at Mickett in shock, so shocked that he didn't even feel honored—what the hell did this vampire take me for?

However, criticizing Mickett is not conducive to further cooperation.

“Alright, let me take a look first,” Hayden rubbed his temples and asked, “Do you have any prepared fighter candidates? You’re not going to create one out of thin air now, are you?”

"Of course. As soon as I got back, I picked out a few candidates and made a list."

Mickie nodded and projected a list containing personal profiles onto an AR screen for Hayden to view. However, Hayden didn't really need to look closely, because the photo on the first page of the list almost made him freeze in shock.

Mickett's number one choice for a fighter is Hayden's second incarnation, Voldemort!

331: Temporary Alliance

When Hayden saw the photo of his clone, Voldemort, it took a lot of effort to keep his shock from showing on his face.

Fortunately, Mickett didn't notice—thankfully, Hayden has grown up quite a bit lately, otherwise she really wouldn't have noticed!

However, just to be on the safe side, Hayden continued to review all the files of the potential fighters before asking, "How come the first person on your candidate list is a new employee who has only been with the company for two months?"

"Because he was just a god, but he repelled a minor god who invaded my factory."

Mickett explained it quite simply.

“A few hours ago, Smoke Mirror sent a combat-type minor god and a squad of Night Axe Hawk warriors to attack my bio-factory. An enemy of this size would normally require a rapid reaction force to strike, but this Voodoo Demon drove the minor god away.”

She never would have guessed that it was actually Hayden himself who remotely controlled the clone of Voodoo to do this with an Abrahim's Big Melon... She probably didn't know that, right?

Hayden was almost starting to become paranoid. But he had a gut feeling that Mickett probably didn't know, at least not yet.

Meanwhile, Mickett probably thought Hayden's earlier surprise had been a bit over the top, and gave him a strange look. But Hayden didn't pause or tremble, so she seemed completely oblivious—though it was hard to say for sure; perhaps Mickett was just faking it. Hayden certainly didn't underestimate her sense of humor.

So Hayden tentatively asked, "But I've looked at his file. His file says he's from an independent, free race from Europe. But what if there's a problem with such an unclear and easily falsified identity? Why don't you just use someone you trust?"

“Of course I have other candidates in mind,” Mickett said calmly. “But having a reliable file doesn’t mean you can really trust them—Hayden, the Smoke Mirror is the most cunning and deceitful thing in the world. He wants me to find a proxy to duel with, so how can I unconditionally trust any of my subordinates now? No employee is beyond doubt right now. In other words, whoever I choose, I will vet them all over again.”

That does sound reasonable... but it's clearly not enough.

“Miktikashiva, if you want my help, don’t withhold any other information.” Hayden frowned, tapping his fingers on the table. “Is there some other trouble?”

The vampire goddess paused for a moment, then sighed and replied, "A few hours ago, the warrior gods sent by Smoke Mirror stole a clone I was cultivating in the factory."

Oh, that's it.

But Hayden still didn't understand: "One of your clones was stolen by Smoke Mirror, so? What does this have to do with the duel? You think He will let your clone take his place in the match? But your clone shouldn't be that strong, right?"

Hayden personally examined the clone's condition. Normally, she's only at the level of an ordinary War God; even if her opponent isn't a true god, she's by no means invincible in the arena.

But Mickett shook his head and frowned: "It's not a matter of strength. You need to think about it using the concepts of ancient magic, Mr. Hayden. A clone is another me, and my substitute fighter is my chosen one. If there's an opponent in this world that my chosen one can't defeat no matter what, who do you think it could be?"

噫

Then Hayden finally understood—it was this mysterious logic all along!

The chosen warriors of God are no match for the God He created! All of Mickett's employees, all the tools she created, are likely to be conceptually no match for her clones... at least that's a possibility.

Micket couldn't be sure either. But it was only natural that she would be suspicious of the most cunning evil god in the world challenging her to a duel.

Only Hayden knew that there was actually no need to worry too much about this. The clone, Isham, wasn't even in Smoke Mirror's hands right now... and better yet, Mickett obviously didn't know that either.

But you still have to put on an act, so Hayden scratched his head and continued, "So you plan to find a new employee with no problem fighting ability, someone you didn't create, and then have me strengthen him, so that the person who created him won't be you."

Ironically, this "new employee" turned out to be Hayden's alter ego, Voldemort. And the person who created him wasn't Michalt at all. It's truly hilarious.

Thinking about this, Hayden finally couldn't help but complain: "I understand the logic, but how can you trust me so much? Aren't you afraid that I won't have enough fighters to strengthen? Aren't you afraid that I'll cooperate with Smoke Mirror?"

This remark amused Mickett: "Working with Smoke Mirror? You? I've never worried about that, Mr. Hayden."

As she said this, she revealed a smile that was very different from that of a corpse and more like that of a living person: "Perhaps one day, you will become my enemy for your so-called righteous reasons, or even defeat me. But to let you cooperate with Smoke Mirror? Heh heh, although I am never sure what morality looks like from a practical point of view, I am very sure that Smoke Mirror is far, far, far more evil than me... I can't imagine anything that a moralist would consider more evil than Him."

Wow

Even Hayden was stunned. On one hand, he genuinely didn't understand just how evil Smoke Mirror was—after all, Mickert spent her days cannibalizing, killing, and exploiting people all over the world, and she never thought she was wrong. Yet she was so certain that Smoke Mirror was far more evil than her?

On the other hand, Hayden hadn't expected Mickett to speak so highly of him. Now, Hayden might need to seriously consider this matter—strange, why did this vampire goddess like him so much?

Hayden used to think it was terrifying to be entangled with a vampire goddess and tried to avoid Mitra as much as possible. However, if he really wanted to change the status quo in South America and further unite forces to deal with Mitra, then he obviously could no longer avoid the issue.

Sigh, there are so many problems, it seems like they'll never be solved.

“Tell me,” Hayden said, “about how you and Smoke Mirror will fight, under what conditions the two fighters will duel, the date and time of the duel… all of this.”

Mickett raised an eyebrow, then smiled and began to explain.

The chieftain's duel will take place in two weeks, in Aztland, where a specially constructed arena, over a thousand years old, has been built. The obsidian walls and floor of that ceremonial arena would not be damaged even at the epicenter of a nuclear explosion, and probably wouldn't even heat up.

The two fighters will enter the arena at noon on the day of the duel. After a brief ritual, the battle will begin. Any weapon and magic may be used in the duel. The arena will be sealed by the power of the sun god after the ritual begins, and no one may interfere with the other in any way. Because the succession to the throne of the god-king must be completed in broad daylight through blood sacrifice and death, there is no possibility of surrender or escape between the two fighters; the duel will only end when one of them is killed.

Upon hearing this, Hayden's first reaction was naturally: "Wouldn't sealing off the dueling arena with the power of the Sun God turn it into a one-sided cheat by Smoke Mirror?"

But Mickett shook his head and said, "Strictly speaking, the sun god of South America is not just Smoke Mirror. Smoke Mirror, the rain god, and even every great god have some of the attributes of the sun god. During ritual duels, all of us gods work together to maintain the seal of the dueling arena, and any god who cheats will be detected by the other gods."

There isn't necessarily only one sun.

Is the sun at dawn the sun? But the sun at noon is another kind of sun, and the sun at dusk is yet another kind of sun—even the sun at night is a kind of sun.

When Hayden first met Mickett, he noticed that the divine power emanating from her was like a black sun. And indeed she was the sun—the sun of the underworld.

"Smoke Mirror once jokingly called me their daughter, which was mocking, but also true to some extent. Because our divine power comes from the same country, the same bloodline, and the same faith."

Micket explained.

Hayden listened intently, trying to figure out what loopholes or misleading devices might be present. Frankly, just listening wasn't enough for him. Even with barriers and seals, there seemed to be far too many potential problems, making it impossible to address them all.

So he thought about it again—what would he do if he were in that situation?

Therefore, the answer is obvious.

"If everyone thinks I'm going to do something underhanded somewhere, then I definitely won't do it there; I'll definitely do it somewhere else."

Hayden shook his head and said,

"When all your attention is focused on the duel, the real conspiracy happens elsewhere. That's the basics of magic and deception."

Micket stared at Hayden for a moment, then slowly nodded: "That makes sense, but if that's the case, what is the real conspiracy?"

Hayden really couldn't answer that question.

However, at the same time, he was already starting to plan—Smoke Mirror had sent a minor war god to steal Micket's clone today, but failed; this was already a failure. He would probably come up with something else to make up for this setback.

Fenrir and Gustav were both heading south to settle scores with that little war god. Smoke Mirror dared to send that little god to do this, so he must trust him a great deal. Even Smoke Mirror probably doesn't have many trusted little war gods like that under his command. If He wants to do something else, He might just send this trusted little war god again.

Of course, these things are never certain. But since Hayden's main body and Voldemort's clone are both staying with Mickett, the task of investigating the Smoke Mirror's conspiracy can only be left to Fenrir's clone. There's nothing wrong with that.

Hayden is already working on a plan.

"Alright then, Ms. Miktikashiva. I'll help you see how to strengthen and modify your favorite fighter now, since that's the foundation of dueling, and time is limited. As for what Smoke Mirror is up to, you can investigate that yourself, how about that?"

Of course, he still had to say the same thing to Mickett.

The vampire goddess nodded, quite willing to accept the proposal. Her lips curved into a smile: "So, Mr. Hayden, can we now be considered allies?"

“No. We’re only temporarily teaming up to deal with the smoke goggles.” Hayden raised an eyebrow. “Going any further will require mutual trust.”

Mickett sighed regretfully.

--------------------------

And so everything began to work as it should naturally have.

Gustav was heading south to settle scores with that little war god and retrieve Dolly and the crocodile's souls. He asked the veteran driver if he wanted to come along, much to the driver's surprise. Unfortunately, the veteran driver ultimately didn't agree; he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

After all, not everyone can be like Gustav, waking up to reality after being provoked. So Gustav nodded, not pressuring the veteran driver to make a choice. If he could survive because of this, that would be fine too.

However, Hayden encountered some minor problems in Isham:

For some reason, she was very stubborn and refused to be sent to New Sprout City by Hayden.

Hayden tried hard to persuade the girl: "If Smoke Mirror wants to catch you, Micket might stew you if he finds you."

But she still wouldn't have it, she just wouldn't, and she was particularly good at arguing: "If a supreme deity really goes to such lengths to capture me, is there anywhere in the world that is absolutely safe? I'd rather stay by your side. Perhaps your wit can outsmart the cunning of the Smoke Mirror!"

Hey, Mickett, why do you trust my intelligence so much, whether it's your original self or a clone?

"Moreover, although the main body sealed away the secrets related to me and her, it did not forbid me from revealing information about the Smoke Mirror." At this point, a cunning glint appeared in Isam's eyes. "Including the information about the Smoke Mirror that the main body was unwilling to tell you, I know it all."

That did have some appeal, but Hayden was still very resistant to using minors in the war, even when it came to dealing with Smoke Mirror, he was still hesitant: "I can't use children in the war."

But Isham's attitude was firm: "This is my own choice! If you force me to leave my land, my homeland, what difference is there between me and those evil gods?"

Why is this clone girl so good at talking?

“Am, I’m not stupid. With your determination, even a fool would know that you definitely want to stay in South America and do something.”

Hayden squinted.

"Tell me honestly what you want to do, or I'll definitely send you to New Sprout City first."

The result of this threat was that the white-haired, red-eyed vampire girl glared at him with teary eyes, looking both cute and fierce.

Hayden's own child was still in Karen's belly, and he already fully understood how difficult it is to raise children.

332: You need to broaden your horizons more.

Isham's problem is actually quite complicated.

For Hayden, the biggest problem here is mainly:

—Do you think I treat her like a little girl, or like an adult capable of making independent decisions?

Hayden clearly thought she was a child, though Eminem herself certainly didn't. But looking at her sulking now, Hayden thought she was still quite immature.

But Hayden had already been trying to correct a habit of judging people based on first impressions. So he decided to give Eminem another chance: "I'm not going to change my mind just because a child is yelling, unless that child proves she's not just a child—but if you keep yelling, don't you look like a child yourself? Think about your position."

These words did indeed startle Am. Then she blinked her blood-red eyes, paused for two seconds, and then quickly calmed down.

Seeing this, Hayden nodded in agreement.

Some people might think, "Aren't Isham's memories and knowledge all downloaded from Mikt's original body? Why does she have to be treated like a child?"

Hayden initially thought the same thing. But just by looking at her before and now, it's clear that Am is actually quite different from her original self. Imagine, would Micket's original self be afraid of death? Would she argue with Hayden about sending her to kindergarten, or even jump around like that?

Sending him to kindergarten is just a metaphor, but Micket's real self certainly wouldn't.

Therefore, Hayden now believes that Am only possesses the memories and knowledge of the physical body, but does not have her personality or thoughts. Although everyone says that personality and thoughts are formed through experience, the [Skill Chip] has proven that simply stuffing memories and knowledge into the brain cannot cultivate a complete personality.

But Hayden wasn't stupid.