Under Karen's meticulous management, after two years, the population of New Sprout City has shrunk to just over 200,000. She carefully selects immigrants while also ensuring that the new residents work here and that employees enjoy the right to live here. Because New Sprout City is no longer just a tree city built on a mountain, but rather the prototype of a new giant enterprise that integrates multiple industries under Karen's name.
This is a sapling full of power, radiance, and magic, and it is still growing strong.
Karen, on the other hand, was the most important core member who painstakingly nurtured this sapling. This morning, after waking up, she quickly washed up, tidied herself up, applied a simple natural makeup, and immediately went into work mode, projecting her mental energy into hundreds and thousands of different places.
This is the power of a true god, and also what Hayden is least good at. Karen, on the other hand, can coordinate the company's operations, review fifty documents, and read through a report submitted by the department manager at computer speed, then provide feedback.
A god more powerful than her could do even more in this regard.
Having money alone is useless. The power of capitalists lies in their ability to control vast sums of money and spend it wisely. Their ultimate manifestation is simultaneously focusing on hundreds of millions of people, controlling global cash flows, and directing countless employees worldwide. Making the best use of every penny is itself a skill.
If we had such technology and energy, we could move mountains and fill seas without any obstacles.
Hayden has been constantly embarking on new adventures, earning new gains and resources. But only the diligent Karen has been able to effectively manage these gains and resources.
Moreover, there have been a lot of troubles lately.
"...Another spy?"
Suddenly, while projecting her mental energy into the void and handling many things at the same time, Karen focused part of her gaze on a corner of New Sprout City.
There, someone undetectable by the city's protective barrier was secretly meeting with a researcher from the development department. Although they used magic to try and evade divine detection, Kallen discovered them. Most likely, they were mercenary spies sent by other capitalist gods.
Karen used telepathy to signal the security team to come and subdue them all.
Hayden's knowledge, gained through various adventures and trials, and Karen's painstaking research and development in the laboratory before making it practical, could be easily stolen by other capitalists who could simply hire a mercenary spy. Even if these mercenaries were caught, the loss would only be a small deposit. The profit formula is simple: imagine spending 40,000 to hire four mercenaries to steal a technology that could increase departmental profits by one million—the return on this investment would be 2500%! Such a high rate of return more than compensates for any potential risks. Even if the failure rate is high, it won't be a big deal.
Instead of investing heavily in development yourself, it's better to spend a small amount of money to send people to steal new technologies. The latter is the real investment strategy that brings returns. That's really unfair, isn't it?
Karen hated this kind of unfairness the most. So while Hayden went out on his strange adventures, she was in charge of squashing these bugs. Most of them were spies who had infiltrated the ranks, but some mercenaries had "better" ideas—for example, last week a group of mercenaries tried to impersonate deliverymen and kidnap one of Karen's researchers by packing her in a parcel.
Fortunately, Karen discovered them before they left the city. But she was beginning to understand why some capitalists became increasingly cruel—frankly, Karen also wanted to skin these mercenaries alive and hang them on the city walls. After dealing with underhanded guys for too long, anyone would be tempted to do something cruel.
However, even cruel methods wouldn't solve the problem. Karen and Hayden had spent so much time together; she knew perfectly well that the mercenary was only hired to make a living. Furthermore, even if Karen severely tortured the mercenary, she wouldn't be able to extract information about his employer.
Because there are too many capitalists trying to suppress and scheme against her lately, she can't distinguish any specific "enemies".
The collapse of the Fallen City of New Babylon has made Kallen too powerful.
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This morning, when Hayden arrived at Karen's office in New Sprouts City, he saw many employees coming and going, creating a lively and bustling scene.
The scene should have been quite lively. However, Hayden instinctively felt that something was off.
When he pushed open the door, the first thing that caught his eye was a mountain of documents. The desk, large enough for two adults to lie down on, was piled high with files of all sizes. And that wasn't all. Upon closer inspection, he saw several secretaries and clerks sitting at a separate long table, diligently battling with equally massive piles of documents.
...This scene is even stranger. Something's not right, is it?
Hayden walked around the mountain of documents to Karen's desk, just in time to see her signing a document. He paused for a second, then realized, "Is this the beginning of problems?"
Karen didn't stop writing for a moment: "Thank you for being so slow to react. That's why I asked you for help today."
What riddle are they trying to solve?
The answer is actually very simple.
The last time the Fallen City was corrupted by the Underworld, it basically became a laughing stock for the whole world. On one hand, Astaroth lost a lot of face and suffered even greater financial losses. But on the other hand, Hayden saved everyone present with Kallen's Dream Flower Sea and purified the entire Dead Sea region from pollution. This was also witnessed by all the gods in the world.
This results in both good and bad aspects.
On one hand, Kallen's Dream Flower received a free, world-class advertisement. It's important to understand that, thanks to Kallen's continuous improvement and breeding over the past two years, the Dream Flower's performance has become incredibly powerful. It doesn't just remove the environmental pollution that has plagued the Dead Sea region since ancient times; it absorbs, separates, and purifies the pollution, and can even transform it through alchemy. In other words, the Dream Flower's greatest value—its ability to rapidly convert pollution into resources, and to use these resources to quickly repair the damaged environment—has been exposed to the gods.
Almost every capitalist with even a modicum of success and a real business immediately realized how useful this "Dream Flower" could be to them. Not for others, not for nature, but solely for themselves, a new technology capable of purifying environmental pollution and turning it into a resource could make them a fortune.
On the one hand, this means a lot of business and collaborations. Karen is already a thriving little god, and these businesses will make her even stronger.
But on the other hand, this also forced Karen to confront a problem:
Her wealth, her energy, and her potential are already too great, far beyond what a minor deity could be.
The other capitalists weren't fools either. They could see who was growing, they could see Karen's astonishing growth rate, and they could see that she was about to become a new player, a new opponent on the chessboard.
"What's more troublesome is that they've also seen the relationships between you and me."
Hayden stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.
"The network of people gathered around us has already become like a small pantheon."
His wisdom has greatly increased, and he can easily see many causes and effects.
But Kallen immediately retorted, "This is actually a network of connections gathered around you, it's just that the other gods haven't noticed yet that you are the core."
Hayden's network of connections is actually quite frightening.
Let's leave Karen's side aside for now; everyone's familiar with them. Three gods in one family, none of them are easy to mess with.
On the other side of the group, the board members of Smoke Mirror Life Construction Company (though not yet the main god), including the Goddess of Death, Miktikashiva, have always been happy to cooperate with Hayden, because she believes it will help her in her quest for the throne of the main god. And Pania, a subordinate of Goddess Miktikashiva, personally created by Hayden, is also a formidable minor god. Her relationship with Hayden is even closer, as everyone can see.
Then there's Alastor, the dragon god resurrected by Hayden in public, now known as the "Great Shiva" by the Mithra Group. Although others don't know it, he and Hayden actually have a life-or-death bond; even though others don't know, they can see that the Great Shiva and Hayden have a very good relationship.
Finally, there's the recent case of Abigail Hecate and Astaroth... Oh dear, aren't these two minor deities again?
Incidentally, Abigail's current status was secured by the Peacock King's guarantee. After all, this witch was essentially an employee of the Peacock King. Without his guarantee, she would probably have been hunted down as a great demon fugitive.
In conclusion, a closer look reveals that Hayden, like "gravity," has gathered numerous divine powers and relationships into one person. This power is truly remarkable.
Based on this, the whole world regarded him as Karen's fiancé and her trusted and beloved representative. Therefore, everything Hayden did was attributed to Karen.
Such a combination of wealth and power, including their cash, their status and influence in the divine society, and their complex network of loans, favors, and debts... all of this combined is no less than the resources that a great god could control.
But Karen isn't a god-like figure. She hasn't truly reached that level yet. The same principle has already been mentioned: money alone is useless. The power of capitalists lies in their ability to control vast sums of money and spend them wisely.
Karen, Hayden, and the others in their small group do not yet possess the true power of the "Great God," but they already have roughly the same wealth and capital.
This is what's known as "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Don't others want to reap the benefits?
“We can’t always rely on my father for protection.”
Karen spoke as she worked, and then she sighed as she finished speaking.
Hayden thought for a moment, then uttered a somewhat subtle but truthful statement: "Wouldn't it be more troublesome to have the Peacock King handle this?"
Karen nodded silently, her expression somewhat bitter.
Think about it, the daughter of the Peacock King is about to have the power of a great god, and the Peacock King is protecting her and helping her withstand all kinds of pressure. How would other gods judge the situation?
Aren't the other Bodhisattvas and main gods worried that this Peacock King... might be trying to use his daughter as a cover to rise to the position of Bodhisattva?
The highest tier of the capitalist gods, the so-called Bodhisattvas and chief gods, are all currently new gods ascended from mortals. However, the Peacock King is an old god, and a fallen angel at that. If he now wants to climb up to become a Bodhisattva, what will the other Bodhisattvas think?
They probably won't resort to force, but they'll at least cause some trouble.
Hayden spoke to Karen while pondering. His wisdom had recently increased, and he saw people and things more clearly. He thought about these capitalist gods, figuring out that they wanted to devour people, yet they were sneaky and secretive, trying to cover their tracks and not daring to act directly—thinking about this made Hayden laugh to death.
"Hahahaha! Karen, why don't you find an opportunity to have the Peacock King act out a father-daughter feud with you, to dispel the suspicions of those gods?"
He couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding it quite exhilarating.
"Stop joking. If things were that simple, would I be working so hard every day?"
Karen watched Hayden laugh silently, but she wasn't angry. She knew very well that Hayden's laughter was full of courage and righteousness in the face of crisis.
"Getting back to the main point. Karen, what exactly is the difference between you and a true master? What are your shortcomings?"
Finally, Hayden stopped laughing and asked seriously.
"I guess it's not a matter of lacking money?"
Karen shook her head as expected.
"Hayden, you noticed something was off about my office before you came in, and you realized it even faster after you entered. What did you find wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Hayden immediately pointed to the towering mountains of documents and the clerks coming and going around him: "What era are we living in? You're not using IT for office work, but instead you're dealing with so many paper documents and manual handling? This is clearly a problem."
"Yes. That's the gist of it."
Karen rubbed her forehead.
She possesses most of the things that great gods have. Given enough time, Karen will surely become a great god, even a bodhisattva… But what she lacks most right now is time. Other capitalist gods have already started causing her trouble, and these capitalists have accumulated far more wealth in the early stages than she has.
For a newcomer to surpass others and achieve what they have accumulated over time, Karen needs something.
That is
"Hayden, we need our own network."
234: The Holy King!
Anyone with a special skill, given enough divine power and resources, can be considered a minor deity.
Therefore, the difference between the levels of minor and major gods is never, or at least not entirely, about the accumulation of wealth. Without corresponding divine abilities and the ability to effectively utilize wealth, even if a minor god possesses the wealth of a major god, it will only attract more terrifying covetousness.
This ability doesn't refer to military force, but for a capitalist, wealth, if used well, can be converted into military force, so the difference isn't significant. The key point is that the more advanced a capitalist becomes, the less they can afford to allow their company or industry to have weaknesses.
A truly advanced capitalist entity must ensure that its core industries and related sectors are self-sufficient. Otherwise, relying solely on cooperation and trade could lead to a chain reaction if these channels are cut off.
This doesn't mean that those at the "god-level" or higher cannot collaborate with others; that's impossible, as there would be no business. However, a god-level expert cannot afford to be cut off from supplies and immediately suffocate. That would make them too easily defeated, and therefore they wouldn't be worthy of the title "god-level."
In the past one or two hundred years, there have actually been many mortals who rose to prominence overnight and ascended to godhood, such as Karen's mother, Hela. Although she had the help of the Peacock King, she was also very powerful on her own.
However, relying solely on one's own abilities to ascend to godhood, even with a special skill, ultimately results in an unstable income. This income is susceptible to the influence of others' will or favorable opportunities. For example, the collapse of a bank, the spread of a market rumor, or a malicious attack from a rival deity... all can significantly impact a minor deity's financial situation. Speculative ventures involve risk, and profits and losses always depend on luck—which is negligible compared to the boundless power of great gods and bodhisattvas.
A true master is someone who won't be easily wounded or bloodied by market fluctuations or attacks from rivals, and at least won't be easily defeated.
The so-called "great gods" are those who can demonstrate their stability and power to the entire capitalist divine society. Seasons change, time flows, lesser gods rise and fall in the fierce competition, while the great gods sit on their immortal thrones.
Of course, the status of Bodhisattvas and the main deities is even more stable and enduring.
Karen clearly hasn't yet attained this secure and stable omnipotence. Even though she's been preparing all along, even though she possesses everything most great beings have, she's still one step away. Given enough time, Karen will surely become a great being, a bodhisattva, or even someone more remarkable than a bodhisattva—but what she lacks now is time.
She's achieved this much in just three years, which is actually quite remarkable, unprecedented in history. Even Mithra didn't grow this fast. However, such rapid growth has its limits. A company can't achieve omnipotence in just a year or two. Keep in mind that her mother, Hela, spent a hundred years and was still only at the peak of a minor deity, not yet a major deity.
(In other words, yes, Hela might not be able to defeat Kallen on her own now if she didn't rely on the Peacock King. Poor Hela.)
If Karen wants to be even more unreasonable, to surpass others, and to skip the accumulation of time, she needs something powerful enough to transcend common sense.
For example, a network system that belongs to her.
Because a self-contained network system is indeed that powerful. Mithra Bodhisattva used the star network as the foundation of his path. A new network system is another new great undertaking.
It allowed Nengkaren to skip the accumulation that would normally take a hundred years, enabling her to break through to a new level.
On the other hand, both Karen and Hayden wanted to change the world and shake the power of the current rulers. If they didn't first establish their own networks, they would be courting disaster. This is why she now avoids transmitting even the most important documents via the StarNet and insists on using physical paper.
Hayden didn't need Karen to explain any of these points further. He understood as soon as Karen mentioned "the internet."
“You certainly don’t just want a local area network, nor do you just want a knock-off Mitra StarNet.”
So Hayden frowned: "Do you have any ideas or a framework you've already developed?"
Karen pointed out the office window: "Can't you guess?"
What's outside the window? Nothing more than city buildings blending into the mountains and vegetation, and that Tree of Life standing atop the mountain.
Hayden immediately realized, "You want to continue working on earth and plant magic to build a magical network that connects life."
"Of course. After all, we already have a very good foundation."
Karen gazed out the window at New Sprout City, at the dream flowers blooming across the hillsides. Her eyes sparkled with thoughts of the future.
“We have already shown the world the power of the Dream Flower. We have shown the current gods of capital that we can do what they cannot.”
Her words were referring to Hayden's use of the Dream Flower to purify the Dead Sea's natural environment, making it known to the whole world.
It's important to understand that the damage and pollution caused by modern arcane industry to the natural environment is extremely devastating. Previously, Hayden's grand engineering project disrupted the natural forces of the Dead Sea, resulting in the emergence of terrifying beings like the Dead Sea Child God, capable of defeating even minor deities. While that event involved many coincidences, it also serves as evidence of the terrifying power of environmental pollution.
A minor deity cannot solve this environmental pollution problem. Even a powerful deity would find it difficult. This is why all the gods have been watching helplessly as the Earth's environment deteriorates day by day, yet no one has been willing to take action to rectify it.
However, Karen used her "Dream Flower" to prove to the gods just how capable she was.
"If we go a step further and are able to use the Dream Flower and more plant magic to build a network connecting life in a state where nature is so severely polluted, what do you think that would signify?"
Karen asked this question.
Hayden, of course, understood what she meant.
Polluted nature and ravaged earth are, to put it bluntly, filth. Even the gods don't want to touch this pollution, nor do they want to get involved in these matters. Although some powerful gods of capital might have ways to solve these problems, the cost would be far too high, diminishing their own power and even hindering their development.
(That's why many powerful beings move their bases to outer space, and why bodhisattvas and deities begin developing other planets like the moon and Mars.)
But if Kallen can subdue and purify the impure earth, not only will her own power not be diminished, but she may even benefit from it and become stronger, further establishing a network connecting the ecosystem and building a pure and just divine kingdom on earth...
...Then even the gods would be astonished, and even the gods would have to admit that Kallen possessed god-level power.
While the ability to purify pollution is impressive, the ability to purify it and then manage it, establishing a new system on the purified land, is on a completely different level. That is the power to even eradicate pollution from the Earth.