"It's a pity that such death energy isn't very useful. It's too dark and destroys life, so there are very few places where it can be used. However, the berserk energy produced by the [Kowtowing Bug] system is just right to neutralize death energy and adjust it into something usable."
As the goddess Mikt finished speaking, she turned to look at Pania beside her.
“Mr. Hayden, if you particularly like this kitten, I must remind you that her usefulness is probably limited.”
The words she uttered were so cruel they sent chills down your spine, yet her tone remained remarkably calm.
What's even more alarming is that Pania had clearly heard about this before. When she heard her boss's words, she didn't show any shock; she merely shifted uncomfortably, her expression somewhat unpleasant.
She already knew it.
Even Hayden, who was usually slow on the uptake, began to understand after hearing this: "The person behind [Magical Girl Pazuzu]... really is a expendable item?"
"That's not quite right. Hmm... how should I put it?"
The goddess Mikkelsen tilted her head and pondered for a long while.
"This kitten has such a faint presence in the material world, yet such a strong presence in the Star Network. Don't you find that strange?"
"Have you ever considered why there is such a huge difference between her physical and spiritual presence, or rather, her vitality?"
--------------------------
Further discussion:
Shortly after, after negotiating the terms of their business cooperation with Hayden and having him take Panya with him,
Miktikahiva sat at the table, staring at the empty bowl of noodle soup left by Hayden for a long time.
Hayden has promised to send her more Secret Fire food later. But that's not the main point right now.
“‘Even if it means going against the whole world, I will stand by her side’... This is the first time in my life I’ve ever heard such a thing.”
The blond, green-eyed God of Death and Darkness, looking at the bowl left behind by Hayden, murmured to himself.
"Why aren't these words being said to me?"
ideal
Or what we call dreams, hopes, and wishes
Such a thing is somewhat embarrassing to say—Mikttikahiva probably doesn't exist.
Not only her, but many of the top executives and financial geniuses in the Smoke Mirror Company probably don't have that kind of status.
She once read in a book that human needs have five levels: to continue life, to feel safe, to receive love from others, to be respected by others, and to get closer to one's ideals.
Humans will ponder why they live.
And such thoughts, shamefully speaking, are simply not possible for inhuman vampires like the gods of the Smoke Mirror Company. True, inhuman vampires, besides their insatiable hunger, only have a need for security. In Angela's words, this is because they are the dead, not truly alive, and therefore lack the need for love and dreams. They neither have them, nor do they need them.
However, at this moment, whether it was because she ate the food from the secret fire or because she heard Hayden's words, Miktikashiva felt a strange and inexplicable desire welling up in the empty space of her heart that had been still, stirring up a turbid black impulse that she herself could not quite understand.
Because ultimately, she's just imitating human emotions; she doesn't really understand them. After all, they aren't human.
"...I really want to eat him up."
Miktikahiva, who was lying on the table, squinted and muttered in a dazed tone with a absent-minded expression.
This feeling is less like the heart of a girl in love and more like the hunger of a female spider or a female praying mantis; it's definitely not something that would make a normal person feel aroused.
155: Resurrection and Fate Reversal
After leaving the villa of the goddess Mikter, Hayden kidnapped Panya like a stray cat and took her away.
Pania didn't dare to directly defy Hayden, and only dared to ask cautiously, "Excuse me...aren't we supposed to be going back to the company now? Where are you taking me?"
Hayden didn't answer her directly. Instead, he turned to Angela behind him and said, "Angela, in your opinion, if this little girl doesn't go back to the company to soak in the culture medium and doesn't adjust her body for the time being, will she immediately develop health problems?"
Angela tilted her head and shook it: "No. I've been feeding Miss Panya recently. In fact, her vitality (presence) is already better than it was right after the adjustment. You should be able to tell that."
Hayden nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. Take her with you. We won't take her back to the company today."
"Wait, what's good?" Pania was immediately dumbfounded. "What are you going to do?! Kidnap your little idol?!"
What respectable person in this world would call themselves a loli idol?
So Hayden scoffed at the idea. He picked Panya up like a bag and continued on his way. Passersby saw him carrying a white-haired little girl in a tight-fitting outfit around, and while some found it strange, no one really intended to do anything about it.
After all, this is New Seattle. You could run around naked in the streets and do performance art and nobody would care. As long as you don't blow someone's head off with a fireball or a gun, nobody cares what you're doing.
Hayden simply grabbed Panya and headed towards her residence. Panya tried to resist, but in the material world, she was merely a powerless being. How could she possibly resist Hayden and Angela?
Although Pania usually stayed at the company, she actually had her own place to live. Like any migrant worker coming to a big city, she rented a single apartment in New Asia, which she basically used only for storing her belongings. A little while later, Hayden and Angela both rushed into Pania's single apartment.
He wasn't very familiar with the income market for virtual YouTubers, let alone the situation for idol trainees, but no matter how you looked at it, Panya's single apartment was pitifully cramped. It was essentially a small suite containing a bed that hadn't been used in a long time, a desk, and a large wardrobe, along with many cardboard boxes.
Besides the suite room, there's a bathroom and toilet connected to the room, plus a kitchenette (with a food processor). All of this combined occupies approximately ten square meters. Even if Hayden had absolutely no idea where idols should live, living in a place like this seemed incredibly strange.
Perhaps this is what modern virtual idol streamers are all about.
"Miss Panya, is this your home?"
Even Angela was somewhat surprised at this moment.
"This is what's known as the Reality-Fear Generation. They spend far more time in the StarNet than in the physical world."
Hayden cast several spells in the room to conceal himself from others' detection, while casually explaining them.
“That’s how most employees are in the StarNet industry these days,” Panya muttered in defense of herself. “Everything can be done online, and the physical body can be maintained with mechanical equipment. Things online are much more important than things in the physical world.”
Hearing this, Hayden finally frowned: "So that's why you joined Smoke Mirror Corporation's experimental StarNet Life Magic project?"
Panya immediately shook her head: "No. It's just... part of the reason."
The goddess Mikkuri just told Hayden and the others the most important thing: part of the secret of [Magical Girl Pazuzu].
Hayden now knows that the energy of [Magical Girl Pazuzu] comes from the [Head-bobbing Bug] system and [Death] itself. One is extremely yang, and the other is extremely yin. These two energies, which were originally difficult to use, have become very delicate after being merged—unfortunately, such delicacy does not come without a price.
Why is Pania's presence so faint in the material world, yet so strong in the StarNet space? Why did she always have to stay in a sealed pod for a week every time she went online before coming out for the company to maintain her body?
The answer is actually quite simple.
Because "Magical Girl Pazuzu" is actually a modern arcane ritual involving the transformation of life and death, yin and yang.
"Pazuzu is dead. Although dead gods and demons still possess power, it's merely the residue of that power, with very little usable material. Only living gods and demons are valuable to the company. However, of course, the company has no intention of resurrecting Pazuzu."
After being forcibly dragged into Hayden's room, Panya was naturally even less able to resist and could only offer them a dry explanation.
“Mickey’s idea is that we should resurrect a new god, Pazuzu, from death. Not the original Pazuzu, but the [Magical Girl Pazuzu].
This is why Pania's existence and life in the material world will become increasingly faint, while her form in the StarNet space is so vibrant and radiant.
Because through the ritual of performing magic, Pania is gradually infusing her own life and existence into the astral form of [Magical Girl Pazuzu] every day.
When the ritual reaches its final step—Panya will infuse all her life and existence into it, and then die.
And the new god, magical girl Pazuzu, will be born from Pania's death.
What? Wait a minute, isn't this just killing myself?!
It does sound like that, but that's not actually the case.
Just like a caterpillar emerging from its cocoon and transforming into a butterfly.
Just like ancient monks who transcended their physical bodies in their tombs and became immortals.
Just like the great hero Hercules who burned his mortal body in flames and then ascended to heaven to become the new Hercules of Mars.
Through proper rituals and methods, the dead mortals can be resurrected as new gods.
The method of corpse liberation involves dying first and then being reborn, separating the body and spirit, and allowing the true spirit to emerge.
This is a very, very ancient Eastern Taoist classic, and the rituals and spells recorded in the Taiping Jing are mentioned.
Although this example uses Eastern Taoist magic, similar principles of magic exist all over the world—the idea of achieving immortality through death is a magical theory that exists in both ancient and modern times, in both the East and the West. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs used such magical rituals to achieve rebirth after death. This basic principle has long been prevalent throughout the world.
【Magical Girl Pazuzu】is a ritual that reshapes a new god from death. Through the so-called "separation of body and spirit" theory of corpse dissolution magic, the physical body dies, and the spirit is sublimated into a demon god, becoming the subject of life.
This is an experimental ritual developed by the goddess Mikt using the life and death magic technology of the Smoke Mirror Company and the mind magic technology of the Outer Miktra Group, combining the two.
This is a new, experimental magical ritual based on death and resurrection.
Just how dangerous this literal, suicidal new magic really is, how likely it is to fail and kill Pania or even more people, or turn her into a mutated, insane monster, or blow up the entire company—nobody knows.
Overall, anything is possible.
Developing new large-scale magic is inherently like this. Although magic has its own rules, these rules are even more illogical than the laws of physics, easily influencing energy and matter, and even distorting spacetime and concepts. The more cutting-edge a magical theory is, the less it has been proven in practice; it's all theory and data.
Many cutting-edge magical theories are so difficult to verify that no matter how impressive the data may seem, no one actually knows whether they are true or false.
Even someone as eccentric as Hayden would only concoct new spells when drunk or in dire situations where he was doomed anyway. Luckily, he was also gifted with prophetic abilities, and his impromptu creations didn't kill him—but everyone knows this is simply a case of protagonist's plot armor. Normal research and development can't be conducted this way.
To conduct unprecedented practical tests on this "unfathomable new thing," one should be extremely cautious, conducting them in a closed environment far from human habitation, and being prepared for the possibility of causing casualties among a large number of experimental personnel. After extensive calculations, one should start with repeated experiments on a very small scale, and no one should know what the results will be. It would not be surprising if a few experimental personnel died.
But Pania willingly went up to her.
"Did you voluntarily sign the contract to become a virtual streamer idol knowing how dangerous this ceremony was?"
That's why Hayden asked Pania this question with such a serious expression. He was well aware of the gravity of the situation.
To his surprise, Pania nodded: "If the subject of such a magical ritual involving physical and mental transformation is completely unaware of its effects, the failure rate will rise sharply. When the boss was selecting idol trainees, we all already knew that this was a magical experiment that could potentially kill people."
Now it was Hayden's turn to be speechless.
After several seconds, he pressed on, "So... why is that? You're only a fifteen-year-old girl, right? Why would you willingly participate in such a potentially fatal experiment?"
For a moment, Hayden even considered a few rather bleak possibilities: "Is it because your parents are pressuring you? Or is it because your family urgently needs a large sum of money, and you have to do this kind of work to earn it?"
Pania gave Hayden a strange look after hearing this: "...Uncle, although you are a kind and good person, and a genius in magical technology, and I don't even know why our boss is so infatuated with you—you actually know absolutely nothing about the entertainment industry, right?"
"Go to hell, I'm not an old man."
Hayden didn't hold back and reached out to pinch the little girl's cheek: "Get to the point, stop with the riddles."
"It hurts, it hurts!"
Pania, who was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason, immediately became half-obedient after being pinched on the cheek and quickly explained, "B-Big brother, I've already said it before! This job as a member of [Magical Girl Pazuzu] was chosen through internal competition among many idol trainees! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know why?"
A chance to ascend to heaven?
Hayden wasn't really stupid after all; after hearing what she said, he finally realized what she meant.
"【Magical Girl Pazuzu】is a ritual magic experiment for mortals to ascend to godhood. Although I am the guinea pig in the experiment, if it succeeds, I will gain a chance to become a god or even a new celestial being for free. It is a real leap to the top."
Pania pulled her hand away from Hayden's grasp, rubbing her face as she calmly explained.
"There are millions of people in this world who are willing to trade someone else's life for their own chance to ascend to godhood. I'm just betting my own life to try and get this chance to move up in social class. Even so, so many idol trainees are fighting tooth and nail for it."
That...that statement is indeed true.
Hayden actually knew people who were willing to sacrifice others' lives for their own chance to rise in social class. Compared to such people, Panya's actions were indeed understandable.
Mortals are inherently disadvantaged, making it incredibly difficult to rise in rank and become gods. So what's wrong with risking one's life for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
But Hayden couldn't help but ask one more question: "Why do you want to become a god so badly?"
"Of course, it's so I can live in a luxury apartment, eat delicious food, play games, read anime, comics, and novels as I please, and not even need to work!"
Pania puffed out her chest, which was almost as bare as Karen's, and answered confidently.
"Why can those gods live in grand mansions and eat tomahawk steaks, while I have to live in a tiny apartment, working hard every day singing, dancing, and rehearsing for live streams? Are kings and generals born with a special destiny? My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens! I will defy fate and change my destiny!"
by
These familiar words coming from the mouth of the white-haired loli left Hayden utterly speechless.
However, he was too lazy to complain about the details at this point, and turned directly to Angela to ask, "Do you think she can make it through this ceremony?"
This was, after all, an experimental magical ritual, and human life is only given once. Once the body dies and the soul has not successfully ascended, then of course one is truly dead.
Micket doesn't care; she has plenty of idol trainees willing to risk their lives to replace the person in the video. But Panya's life doesn't have a spare chance.
Upon hearing this, Angela thought for a moment and then nodded: "As long as Miss Panya continues to eat the food I make every day, she should be able to accumulate a lot of room for error and won't be so easy to actually die during the process of being resurrected. In fact, you should also be able to see that Miss Panya is much more energetic now than when I first met her."
That's absolutely true. When Panya was first brought out of the sealed capsule on the first day, she even used ellipses when she spoke.
In the terms of Eastern immortality, this is what is known as "refining the form." Spells that involve dying first and then transforming are too easy to fail, and could very well kill the user. However, those who refine their form regenerate their physical body, ensuring their physical body doesn't die, making it less likely for them to self-destruct, at least leaving them a way out.
"That's good."
Since Angela had made this judgment, as a special authority on life magic, Hayden no longer doubted it.
Pania, on the other hand, was left aside and looked around at the two of them discussing this. She was both puzzled and hesitant to make a move.
Hayden truly didn't want the little girl to die. After all, he was a good person with compassion. But besides that, after hearing what Goddess Mikt and Panya said today, Hayden became even more certain of one thing.