If you have something that others need but don't want, then figuring out how to make them want it is the wisdom of a prophet. However, Hayden couldn't think of one for the moment.
On the contrary, Goddess Mikkert, after enjoying the complex emotions on Hayden's face for a while, suddenly changed the subject: "Mr. Hayden, I will have Pania bring some people to cooperate with you. Although she is by no means an expert in life magic, she is my subordinate god, and you should be able to obtain a small part of my power through her. Moreover, we all know that Pania always trusts you very much."
This development greatly surprised Hayden, and even made him pause for a moment.
"Why? You should know that I was the one who came to you first to talk business, boasting that I had what you needed. Now that I can't provide it, you're agreeing to the deal?"
While Pania's help wouldn't be as helpful to Hayden as Mikt's personal technical support, it would certainly be a significant asset.
"Because you do have what I need, it's just that I don't like its current form. So I'm only giving you a deposit now. Hopefully, you can produce the version I want later."
The goddess Mikkelsen smiled slightly, waved her hand, and spoke in a rather generous tone.
"To put it another way, if you don't get anything from me, and you secretly try to sabotage Pania, she'll definitely listen to you and help you steal my things. Why wouldn't I do you a favor and lend her to you first?"
"Besides, I've done a lot of research on you. Once you owe someone a favor, you'll repay it no matter how hard you try. I've investigated, and several people have received hundreds or thousands of times more in return for lending you favors. You value this principle and morality more than profit."
As she said this, a sly red glint flashed in her eyes.
"Hayden, you're not a real capitalist at all. Principles? Morality? Those are just things that capitalists can easily see through and manipulate. But even if I tell you this to you in person now, you still feel like you owe me a favor, don't you?"
Hayden couldn't refute her statement. She'd already given him resources as a deposit, not wanting anything in return. Even if Mikkelsen wanted Hayden to develop new technology, it would still be a win-win situation. This wasn't a favor; what is? Does it have to be given away for free?
"You're right. I will definitely repay these favors a thousandfold."
So he bowed and paid homage to this terrifying goddess of death.
"I hope that when we meet next time, I can bring you something you want and need."
...And so, Hayden quickly took Pania back to New Jersey.
The goddess Mikkelsen stood on the small balcony of her mansion, watching Hayden and his companions walk away step by step, teleporting away after leaving the barrier's range.
What she was looking at was not just Hayden, but the entirety of Hayden's fate, the massive current that was engulfing everything.
This tide of fate is woven from the desires and actions of all living beings.
“What foolish young people. Hayden, Pania, and that Karen too.”
Watching their retreating figures, the goddess Mikt mocked them.
But after Hayden and the others had completely teleported away, she couldn't help but mutter to herself:
"...Of course I'm also looking forward to seeing you again."
By sending Pania to help Hayden, she was showing him that she still had hope.
After wasting over a thousand years, Miktikashiva, who had become an immortal monster, ultimately seemed to be nothing more than a somewhat foolish thing.
237: Core Wonders
After returning to New Sprout City with Pania, Hayden seemed to be in a very low mood for some reason.
Pania, however, had no idea why Hayden was acting this way. Besides, the girl was a bit slow on the uptake and not very perceptive. Instead, she found Hayden's behavior strange: "Uncle, uncle, what's wrong with you?"
As soon as she finished asking the question, she immediately exclaimed, "Ah, is it because Boss Micket refused to come, and you think I'm not enough? It's true that I know almost nothing about life magic, but that's okay! I can access the boss's database!"
Hayden then looked up and glared at Panya. His gaze was so intense it looked like he wanted to fry Panya and eat her, instantly shutting her up.
As fate would have it, Abigail Hecate walked into their meeting room at that very moment. The scary thing was, she only glanced at Hayden before immediately understanding why he was so downcast.
"This kid is just frustrated because he's not capable enough."
As always, this witch didn't hold back when she started to criticize.
"He always felt that since he had grasped a higher level of wisdom, he should be able to use that wisdom to solve any problem. He never had any basic common sense—that even if you grasp the general direction of wisdom, you are still a long way from being able to apply it to specific problems!"
Hayden slumped on the conference table, speechless. This principle should indeed be common sense; theoretically, everyone should understand it. The problem is, whenever faced with something beyond his control, Hayden still feels frustrated.
"I think this is a sign of Comrade Hayden's growing sense of responsibility. Irresponsible people think that it doesn't matter what they do, but those who know how to be responsible will spur themselves on. People who have no sympathy for the suffering of the people will not be as worried as Hayden."
Alastor arrived at that moment and gave Hayden a relatively positive evaluation.
Abigail was a little annoyed by this: "How much suffering have you actually experienced from the people? All you do is spout this high-sounding nonsense all day long?"
Alastor didn't retaliate, but simply smiled and said calmly, "At least enough to make me want to sacrifice and dedicate myself to them."
Clearly, these two just don't get along. But there's nothing that can be done about it. One is an old witch who has lived for over four hundred years, from the feudal era to the present, and believes that capitalist society isn't so bad, at most needing some improvement; the other is a young man in his twenties who has witnessed and experienced much of the ugliness of capitalists, and believes that reforming this hell on earth requires radical changes, breaking down the old to build the new.
An old man believed that overly idealistic reforms would lead to disaster, and turmoil would cause more suffering for the people; social change should be moderate.
A young man believed that these old guys were all beneficiaries of the system, while the people at the bottom were already living in misery, and the upheaval was just to break their shackles.
Abigail and Alastor—two such distinct sides, it would be a miracle if they could even avoid attacking and despising each other, let alone becoming friends.
As for Panya… well, she ate her cream puff in the conference room while watching the two guys upstairs, completely baffled as to what they were arguing about. This young girl neither understood nor cared about any kind of route issue. So after finishing her cream puff, she turned to Hayden curiously and asked, “So what exactly did Boss Micket say to you?”
Hayden had no intention of hiding information from his core team members. Just then, Karen walked into the meeting room, and Hayden simply recounted his conversation with Mikkelsen.
He initially thought it was no big deal.
Unexpectedly, after listening, Alastor, Abigail, and Pania each showed their own subtle expressions of worry.
Karen, on the other hand, showed no change in expression, simply raising an eyebrow and saying, "You're quite popular with Miktikashiva."
"She only saw Angela's shadow in me, and mistook me for a goose that lays golden eggs," Hayden muttered, leaning on the conference table. "Who knew that seventy percent of our Secret Fire came from Angela's own actions."
If it weren't for Angela's perpetual motion machine breathing, Karen wouldn't have been able to develop so rapidly by relying solely on her own use of the [Dream Flower] to transform the secret fire produced by pollution.
And at least half of the incredible things Hayden was capable of were thanks to Angela. He was well aware of this.
But when Karen heard his words, she shook her head: "Hayden, you always underestimate your own worth."
As she spoke, she glanced at the others in the conference room. Some naive individuals didn't understand why Karen was looking at them like that, while others with similar thoughts smiled but remained silent. One particular witch rolled her eyes.
However, Karen herself did not continue to discuss this topic.
"Thank you all for gathering here. Building the Life Network is a huge undertaking, so I won't waste any more time on formalities."
She turned to everyone in the conference room and said...
"With resources gathered here, there shouldn't be any major technical issues. Now it's time to discuss the overall blueprint."
At that moment, Abigail raised her hand: "Miss, of course we'll help. Hayden called us over, so we came. But what exactly do you mean by this so-called life network? It can't just be a StarNet with different technology, can it?"
Since the events of the Fallen City, Abigail's current divine status is that of a subordinate of the Peacock King. That said, her deliberate address of Karen as "Young Lady" clearly reveals some of the more unpleasant aspects of this witch's personality.
Fortunately, Karen didn't intend to argue with her, and the others were more concerned about the question she asked.
Karen was, after all, the mastermind behind this life network project; they were merely invited to help. So how exactly did Karen intend to shape this grand undertaking? How would she design the specific forms and operational processes of the magic? And how would such a system differ from the Mitra Corporation's StarNet (Kalen clearly didn't just want to copy StarNet)? – Everyone wanted to know the answers quickly.
Hayden could summon them over with just a few words, but Karen would definitely have to answer these questions herself.
"Of course it's different."
So Karen said calmly,
"StarNet is a mental network built on the collective unconscious of humanity. To use Hayden's favorite phrase, it's a dream we all share. It's great, but you need at least a human-level mind to log in and use StarNet."
"In other words, animals and plants cannot connect to the Star Network, and unconscious earth spirits certainly cannot either. This is because when Mithra designed the underlying structure of the original Star Network, he did not consider including the material world within it."
Pania didn't care about the route, but as a young internet geek, she was still puzzled when Karen said that: "Huh? You know the underlying structure of the original StarNet?"
“Of course it’s impossible to know for sure,” Karen replied noncommittally. “But Professor Albion was one of the early StarNet engineers, and he’s helping us now.”
The early StarNet was neither the original StarNet nor the modern StarNet, because the StarNet has been updated to too many versions over the centuries. It was impossible for an early mortal engineer to know everything about the StarNet—but this statement still had some persuasive power, at least enough to convince that little fool Pania, leaving her completely stunned.
"Fortunately, Mitra did not connect the natural ecosystem to the StarNet, but that doesn't mean we have to start from scratch. Because the system that connects the unconscious land and its flora and fauna already exists in nature."
As Karen finished speaking, she tilted her head towards Alastor.
Because what she was actually talking about was the Earth's natural spiritual veins, and the land gods that naturally arise from those veins. And Alastor, strictly speaking, is indeed a dragon god land god that originated from the Neo-Yatu spiritual veins.
That being said, Alastor frowned upon hearing this: A mortal directly connecting with a spiritual vein can easily be driven mad or insane by the recoil. Alastor himself nearly died because of this, and Hayden almost went insane after transforming into a land wolf. Directly connecting with natural spiritual energy is very dangerous, which is why, while not all ancient shamans were insane, at least half were. This is because natural spirits are completely inhuman and devoid of humanity; a mortal connected to such a completely different spiritual energy for a long time cannot maintain the integrity of their personality.
Alastor only maintained his self-identity by being resurrected as a dragon god by Hayden. Conversely, if the life network in Karen's plan can truly connect everyone to nature and allow them to maintain their own identity, then what will these people be?
It seems that mass production of dragon-like creatures is indeed possible.
Everyone will be able to communicate with any life in the natural ecosystem, exchanging messages and instructions.
Once completed, such a magical network system will possess unimaginable power—a monumental undertaking capable of transforming the world. It will offer countless uses and byproducts, creating immeasurable value. Imagine the transformative power of connecting everyone to the universe and nature! They would then be a new generation of gods.
Karen's idea is so amazing and grand. If it can be done well, it will be at least twice as powerful as the entire StarNet.
But Alastor frowned and pondered—when that time comes, everyone will be like a dragon, and all of humanity on Earth will be a new, new god race. Then what will Kallen, who will be in charge of the core of the ecological network, be? An invincible Earth God-Emperor?
Alastor really hates this kind of thing... but that's something to worry about after it's all built. Arguing about how to divide and cook the prey before even hunting it is just idiotic.
The others didn't have many objections either. Soon, Karen began to outline the specific plans for her grand project, detailing each person's responsibilities, their respective magical abilities, techniques, and divine powers…
...Then, less than half an hour later, they started causing trouble.
“Young lady, you can’t really grant every citizen such extensive authority and power.”
Abigail looked at the plan Karen had given her and was the first to object.
"Truly transforming all of humanity into gods would only lead to the complete collapse of social order. Since we're going to create a huge network anyway, why not just incorporate a social credit scoring system, combined with life transformation, allowing people to improve their social rights and life level within the social system through hard work? This is the only way to ensure both social order and social vitality."
At first glance, this does seem to make some sense, but Karen disagrees: "Doing this will inevitably create substantial unfairness in the long run. It will only create new upper and lower classes."
On the other hand, Panya didn't seem to care much about such complex social systems; in fact, her assigned tasks were almost nonexistent. Clearly, Kallen didn't fully trust her, since Panya was, after all, a subordinate of the goddess Mikt. Therefore, Kallen basically only assigned Panya to use the life magic of the Smoke Mirror Company, preventing her from accessing other people's technology or other confidential information. Logically speaking, this wasn't wrong.
However, for Pania, this kind of work was incredibly boring. And this silly girl was truly a minor; once she got bored, she would start causing trouble—in less than twenty minutes, Pania was already offering nonsensical suggestions in the meeting, wanting to modify the magical structure of the life network to better suit her live streaming.
Forget about social systems, just listen to my song!
And the result? Even though she was just speaking off the cuff, others took her words as the opinion of the goddess Mikkuri. This made the meeting even more chaotic.
As for Alastor… he doesn’t have any opinions on the content of the work at the moment. His opinions on Karen are about the approach and methods. For example, he is now frowning and asking, “Are you really planning to completely abandon the existing architecture of StarNet and develop it independently? This will make it difficult for us to resonate with and influence StarNet through our own network. We can’t leverage its resources and can only rely on our own strength, which is not worthwhile.”
However, Karen's denial was equally firm: "If we can use our own network to resonate with and influence the StarNet, we can easily be influenced by it in return. Don't gaze into the abyss."
Alastor was naturally dissatisfied with this decision. He wanted a Skynet that provided checks and balances, a network capable of monitoring everything (and at a lower cost). Karen, on the other hand, wanted an independent network that relied solely on its own natural ecosystem. This greatly displeased Alastor, a hacker by trade.
You see, everyone in this conference room, except Hayden, is a god. And they're all gods with completely different personalities and ideas, so they might not necessarily get along. While they wouldn't necessarily fight in the conference room, these conflicts are enough to make all four of them very unhappy.
But soon, Panya immediately thought of who she should ask to handle this: "Hayden! Uncle! You come... oh?"
Hayden has disappeared.
——————————————————————————————
In fact, Hayden had already quietly slipped out of the meeting room while Karen was explaining her life network plan to the other three people.
On the one hand, this was because Hayden felt it was better for Karen to do the explanation.
On the other hand, Hayden was feeling rather down because of what happened with Goddess Mikt earlier. He decided to take this opportunity to go out and clear his head.
Leaving the conference room and the office building, he flew around New Sprout City for a while, and before he knew it, he was drifting towards the mountaintop.
Beneath the verdant Tree of Life atop the mountain, Angela and Professor Albion were helping them adjust and set up the core of their future life network.
The core of Karen's life network could only be built on the Tree of Life that Angela originally planted on the mountaintop, because they had no other artifacts that could serve as the core to support such a magical project. However, most people didn't understand the magic of the Tree of Life, let alone use it to coordinate with modern network technology.
Only a rare and exceptional talent like Professor Albion could handle such a matter well—that being said, the professor now seems more like an assistant, like a chef helping with chopping vegetables. Angela sang a new song to the Tree of Life. She reached out and stroked the trunk, softly chanting, and the Tree of Life changed with her song. At her touch, the bark split open, mysterious patterns extending up and down the straight trunk, and the branches swayed gently like animals.
Professor Albion held his wand and gently waved it beside him, as if helping to stir musical notes. Hayden could see an enormous amount of magical energy being released and harmonized, which made him secretly startled and deeply impressed.
Harmonizing mystical forces and resolving magical problems—that's what a highly intelligent great wizard should do!
In contrast, Hayden was not entirely satisfied with his own abilities. This wasn't just about the goddess Micket today.
So, just as Angela finished singing, Hayden walked over to them. Angela saw her and immediately hugged her happily.
Professor Albion looked at Hayden carefully for a while, then asked, "Hayden, what's wrong with you this time?"
This question left Hayden speechless: "Professor, do you think I only come to you when something really bad happens?"
Unexpectedly, the old professor nodded very seriously: "Hayden, two hundred years of teaching experience has taught me one thing: eight out of ten students will only think of talking to their teachers or elders when something happens. As for the other two types... well, you just don't happen to be that kind of person."
Wow, that was really harsh. But Hayden was speechless for a moment, unable to refute it, and could only obediently bow his head to the professor: "I have indeed encountered a problem, please guide me."
And so, Hayden honestly poured out his troubles of the day—that is, he felt that he was still far from adequate as a prophet, a wizard, and a wise man.
His friends trusted him? Yes, that's true, and even people who weren't his friends sometimes believed in Hayden. But whether Hayden could meet their expectations and trust, or do what they believed in, is another matter entirely.
That's why Hayden came to his elders to complain: "Now a bunch of people say I'm a prophet, expecting me to do miracles. But what miracles should I actually do? Raise the dead? Stop storms? Walk on water? Those aren't the point, are they?"
In this world where miracles are systematized and used arbitrarily and without question, how much ability does he actually possess to create miracles? After all, any powerful capitalist god has the capacity to create great miracles, capable of moving mountains and seizing the moon, suppressing planets, and changing the world. Hayden simply doesn't have the ability to immediately annihilate the capitalist gods, nor can he save the world in the blink of an eye.
So, what exactly can Hayden do now to truly be considered a miracle?
...His question left Professor Albion and Angela exchanging bewildered glances for a moment. Then the old professor sighed first: "Hayden, you really are stubborn. You yourself are already a miracle."
Angela nodded. "Master, you should turn around and go back to the conference room right now. Once you go back and see the situation, you'll understand the true meaning of a miracle."