Karen glanced at the terms of the agreement, a single glance enough for her to make out the clearly written paragraphs and Freya's elegant signature beneath Hayden's. She then saw that Hayden had traded some Dream Flower-based alchemy techniques and a small share of the company for a plethora of collaborative projects with Freya, including even Valkyrie designs. Without needing to inquire about the details of the negotiations, Karen could guess that Hayden had once again deceived Freya into giving him a lot of information.
So she asked, half-jokingly, "Hayden, have you ever considered that there's something inappropriate about using lies and trickery to save a world full of lies?"
"I didn't actually lie outright. And since I'm only fooling capitalists, I think it's quite appropriate," Hayden replied seriously. "If you ask me, what's really deceiving these capitalist gods is their own hearts!"
He looked quite smug.
Karen shook her head: "This is our prophet. We're really doomed."
“But it’s too late today.” She turned back to Joanna, who had slid down the wall, and said, “Joanna, postpone my work schedule for tomorrow by one day. And then… you should go back and report to Freya.”
Joanna wanted to try again, to argue with Hayden that she wasn't a spy or anything—but the moment she saw the look in Karen's eyes, Joanna realized that nothing she said would make a difference. Joanna even realized that, probably from the very beginning, she had never truly "fooled" Karen. Even if she knew Joanna might have some issues, Karen had clearly never really considered her a "problem."
“Your work performance is quite good. If Freya wants to cause trouble for you and fire you, then come back to me. There will always be a place for you here.”
Even now, when Karen is fully aware that Joanna is indeed a spy sent by Freya, she doesn't think Joanna can cause any trouble. Instead, she tells Joanna that she can come back if she is fired.
Most people might not understand Karen's implication upon hearing this, and might even think she's foolish and naive. But Joanna is intelligent, so she immediately grasped the meaning and felt a profound sense of powerlessness. Like an ant seeing a giant for the first time.
This wasn't foolishness or naivety, but rather an extremely strong sense of self-confidence. When a giant is focused on her goal of changing the world, what mischievous ant running around below might be up to becomes less important. After all, the ant can't sabotage her plans, nor does it need to change her approach.
Realizing what had happened, Joanna quickly bowed to Karen and ran away in a panic.
Hayden watched her leave the office, then turned to Karen and asked, "Are you sure you want her to work for our company?"
“Now that you’ve reached a cooperation agreement with Freya, she definitely won’t dare use Joanna as a spy anymore. Besides, she’s really capable; she’s worth ten people. Why wouldn’t I keep her?” Karen said calmly. “Just don’t let her stay in departments where she’ll see core secrets. As for other intelligence that will inevitably be seen, since we’ve already cooperated with Freya, that’s unavoidable. Just keep the overall situation under control.”
Karen possessed such absolute confidence. She was certain that neither her collaboration with Freya nor Joanna, the spy, would ever turn around and influence or bind her. She had no fear whatsoever that such a thing would happen.
This is actually a form of arrogance, the arrogance of a capitalist deity. However, this has always been a part of Karen's character. Because she's confident in her own strength, she believes she can bestow mercy and spare people at will. Karen's arrogance and mercy have always been two sides of the same coin.
Hayden didn't just realize this today. But so what? Everyone has flaws. He's become much more accepting of it now, and even finds Karen's flaw endearing. It's part of her humanity. Since Karen has this flaw, Hayden should just find a way to help her overcome it. That's what an equal and supportive relationship is all about!
And so, Karen ended the conversation about Joanna and looked at Hayden with renewed interest, asking, "So what brings you to suddenly ask me out? You think you're so great after only half a day apart?"
"Of course. I just defeated a god. Even if it was mainly through talking, how many people could do that?"
Hayden slowly raised his eyebrows.
"But that's just an excuse. Freya just gave me a good scolding, which made me realize just how pathetic I am. So, why shouldn't I correct my behavior quickly?"
At this point, he deliberately bent down and extended his hand, saying, "In conclusion, Miss Karen, may I ask you out tomorrow?"
These words made Karen burst into laughter.
"I've already postponed tomorrow's work, what do you think? But let me make this clear from the start: although this isn't the first time I've been invited, this is the first time I've accepted. Don't disappoint me, okay?"
She uttered those words without batting an eye, staring intently at Hayden, a mischievous glint in her eye. This, ironically, made Hayden blush slightly. Indeed, even disregarding her divine status, Karen possessed the qualities to be universally adored.
Even though Hayden decided to stand up for himself as a man after Freya's barrage of criticism, he couldn't instantly transform into a dominant figure in the relationship. But there was nothing he could do. At this point, it would be truly unjust if Hayden wasn't captivated by Karen's charm.
So this mere virgin still had to put on a brave face: "It's just a first date, right? It's not like the sky is falling halfway through! Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Karen immediately shook her head and retorted, "It's really not funny for our prophet to say such things."
--------------------------------
Actually, for Hayden, a virgin with no normal dating experience, Karen's suggestion that "it's too late today, let's reschedule for tomorrow" was a good thing. After all, he had never planned out what a date should be like.
"See you tomorrow morning" became a good opportunity for Hayden to calm down and think about his plans.
Dating!
Going on a date with a girl sounds simple... but how exactly should it be planned? Has anyone written a textbook on this?
Hayden had never seen such a textbook before. Back home, he rubbed his head in his studio, deep in thought, sketching and writing. Angela, being tactful, didn't disturb him until dinner time, when she brought in sandwiches and salad, peeking in curiously: "Master, how are your plans for tomorrow's route coming along?"
Hayden, who was staring at the paper, needed someone to give him some advice, so he said, "Let's go see a movie first, then have dinner at a restaurant and chat about our thoughts, then go shopping and buy some things, and finally take a walk in a scenic spot. What do you think, Professor Angela?"
Angela thought for a moment, then pulled out a sign that read "60 points" and held it up. No one would complain about this kind of thing anymore, but Hayden was still taken aback: "Only a passing grade!?"
“Master, love can’t just be about what you think is romantic. What you think is romantic doesn’t actually match what Miss Karen needs.” Angela tilted her head, speaking seriously. “But since it’s the first time for both of you, and it’s a mutual attraction between you and Miss Karen, it’s not a big problem. So it’s acceptable. So it’s a passing grade.”
By Angela's standards for speaking to Hayden, this was already considered unusually sharp-tongued. Hayden was immediately taken aback.
Romance is already a very profound thing for a virgin. How could Hayden possibly possibly figure out what kind of romance others need?
But even if you can't do it, you have to. Facing challenges head-on is what shows responsibility. Hayden racked his brains for hours, rethinking several date routes, before Angela finally forced him to go to sleep at midnight.
The next morning, although he and Karen had arranged to meet at 10:00 AM on the Canopy Pedestrian Street in New Bud City, Hayden was already prepared at 9:00 AM, restless at home. Even when he first became a mercenary, he didn't think he'd ever been this nervous—after all, mercenaries only needed to blast their targets, nothing was more difficult than falling in love!
...At least that's what Hayden, who's practically lost his mind, thinks right now.
Finally, Angela, unable to bear it any longer, complained to him, "Master, if you're really that nervous, why don't you go to the meeting place and wait?"
Hayden hesitated upon hearing this: "There's still an hour left. Wouldn't that be too much of a sycophant? What I want is equality with Karen, not to be a lapdog."
These words made Angela sigh: "Master, if we're talking about flattery, Miss Karen's pampering and tolerance towards you far exceeds what you've given her."
Wow, this rant really struck a chord with Hayden, leaving him speechless for a moment. In the end, he could only obediently walk to the meeting place. He arrived at 9:30, and Karen, of course, hadn't arrived yet. Hayden could only pace anxiously around the meeting point. Although he had never been in a relationship, he had heard that if a man was too obsequious, it would lower his value in a woman's eyes... However, these worries of his vanished like clouds twenty minutes later after Karen teleported over.
Hayden noticed at first glance that Karen was acting differently than usual today.
For a long time, Hayden had almost exclusively seen Karen in business suits, spellcasting robes, lab coats, or even armor—basically, a complete pragmatist. But today, she was wearing a white lace-trimmed dress with a light pink cardigan over it, an outfit brimming with springtime charm. The dress's hemline ended just above the knee; Hayden had almost never seen Karen wear such a short skirt before.
In addition, Karen had her hair braided and styled into a princess hairstyle. Hayden couldn't understand the makeup at all, but he could at least tell that Karen had clearly put a lot of effort into dressing up.
To his shame, Hayden had only picked out a few decent clothes from his wardrobe. These clothes weren't exactly embarrassing to wear, but they certainly couldn't compare to the effort Karen had put into her outfit, not to mention makeup and hair – words Hayden had never associated with in his life. Now, just seeing Karen dressed up so beautifully for their date, he realized Angela was absolutely right.
As Hayden stared intently at her, Karen felt a little awkward: "Don't keep staring like that. Is what I'm dressed like that so weird?"
"No, no, no, no, no," Hayden quickly shook his head. "It's because you're dressed too beautifully today."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Hayden's words, Karen not only didn't blush, but instead raised an eyebrow and launched into an extremely difficult, death-defying question: "So, what exactly makes me look beautiful today?"
Good heavens, these kinds of trick questions for boyfriends are way too difficult for Hayden, a billion times harder than having a verbal battle with Freya!
Seeing Hayden speechless for a moment, Karen laughed instead: "You're still too green!"
When this meticulously dressed future queen of the land, the lord of a hundred flowers, radiated her confident smile, even the ever-blooming flowers in New Sprout City seemed to glow more vibrantly than usual, causing Hayden's heart to race.
Fortunately, Karen quickly became serious: "Okay, okay, I'm not kidding you anymore. Seriously, where are you taking me today?"
“I thought about it for a long time last night,” Hayden replied, scratching his head. “In the end, I felt it would be too much to make a decision so casually, so I wanted to ask you first. Is there anywhere you'd like to go? Anyway, we can teleport anywhere we want without any problem; space is no longer an obstacle.”
While that wasn't wrong, Karen was still somewhat speechless: "So your plan after thinking about it for so long last night was actually no plan at all? Seriously, your skills in pursuing girls haven't improved at all. Only I would get used to someone like you."
She paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go back to New Jersey for a walk today."
For better or for worse, New Jersey was always the city where they first met.
257: New Seattle, Sweet Home
Since everything in New Sprouts City got back on track, Hayden and Karen hadn't been to New Jersey for a long time. Although New Jersey was where they had spent most of their lives, they had both been busy with their own things lately and had no reason to go there.
For some reason, Karen said today that she wanted to go back to New Jersey for a visit:
"I want to stroll around the streets of New Jersey and then check out the supermarket."
Hayden was somewhat surprised, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. So soon, the two of them were walking side by side on a coastal trail in New Jersey.
This coastal walkway is just one step away from the beach. It's currently the transition from spring to summer, and with the city's protective climate, the sun is bright but not humid, and the sea breeze is gentle and soothing. Perhaps because it's not a holiday, there aren't many people on the walkway. Karen hums a little tune, her hands behind her back, gazing at the shimmering sea in the distance, looking quite pleased.
Seeing Karen like this, Hayden couldn't help but tease her, "Are you having so much fun hanging out with me?"
To everyone's surprise, Karen actually turned around and smiled slightly: "Yes, is that not allowed?"
Her radiant smile captivated Hayden as well. Even so, he was still somewhat puzzled: "Really just because of that?"
Under the bright sunshine and clear blue sky, the sea stretched to the horizon, a truly breathtaking sight. Besides, this wasn't the first time Hayden and Karen had been going on a date together, so naturally everything they saw was pleasing. However, knowing Karen as he did, Hayden knew she wouldn't become overly happy so easily.
"I was thinking that it might be better to go to a place with a more intimate atmosphere for our first date."
So Hayden was very puzzled.
But Karen could see through Hayden's thoughts perfectly well. She smiled at Hayden's face, then turned her gaze back to the sea. A flock of seagulls was soaring in formation over the calm waters.
Suddenly, Karen reached out her hand to the seagulls, and then a seagull flew over and landed on her hand.
Hayden didn't understand what she was doing at first, but he soon realized: "Seagulls? There are wild birds on the sea in New Jersey?"
Everyone knows how polluted the natural environment is these days. Here, the sea and sky are blue, and there are seagulls. What's more, these seagulls don't breathe fire at people, which is incredibly rare.
“Actually, it’s not wild.” Karen stroked the seagull and explained, “It’s an artificial life form, part of an industry that enhances the [Dream Flower].
"I am very happy because the sea and sky in New Jersey are so clean now, thanks to the hard work of both of us."
After hearing Karen say this, Hayden suddenly realized what was going on.
Because Karen's words were indeed true. The current excellent natural environment of New Jersey is largely due to their indirect influence. Back then, Alastorga Hayden's actions transformed New Jersey from a market monopolized by the Mitra Corporation into one where they had to compete with Wotan and Smoke Mirror, forcing them all to invest effort in improving New Jersey's environment. At that time, Karen launched the "Dream Flower" business. The Dream Flower's transformation and purification capabilities turned what was originally a costly environmental project into a profitable business. With both parties working together, New Jersey's climate and environment naturally improved significantly.
Furthermore, Hayden had Angela purify the soil of the entire industrial area of New Jersey, which further cleansed the air and water within hundreds of kilometers. Once the natural environment is clean, life can return to this land.
"The natural life around New Yatu has been basically destroyed by the previous large vacuum cleaner. If there are only flowers, it would seem too monotonous."
That's why Karen is saying this now.
"This coastal walkway has actually been developed more in the last two years after we improved the environment of New Seattle. Because the scenery has become so beautiful, it attracts many tourists. There are also water shows on weekends."
She reached out and released the seagull, gazing at the distant horizon.
"New Yatu is just the beginning. In the future, I will clean up all the pollution on this planet of 500 million square kilometers."
Hearing this, who wouldn't understand why she was so happy looking at the blue sea and sky of New Jersey? Hayden was also quite shocked when he thought about this.
However, he still joked, "So when you're on a date with me, are you still thinking about world affairs?"
“Of course. Don’t you know me?” Karen’s face lit up with an even more confident smile. “Don’t think it’s just a date. No matter what we do, I won’t forget certain things. If you’re expecting a romantic rendezvous today, you’ll be disappointed. After all, I’m not exactly known for my witty remarks.”
“Likewise.” Hayden chuckled, feeling a significant reduction in pressure. “When have I ever been a romantic person? So this is just right.”
He had been considering whether to find an opportunity to hold Karen's hand, but now he felt there was no need. One had the world in her heart, the other had all living beings in her heart; even if these two just strolled side by side through the city streets for a whole day, they would surely have a feeling that would be enough to satisfy them.
So the result is that these two, who should theoretically be considered an unmarried couple, are now walking along a beautiful seaside promenade while talking about things that are anything but romantic.
For example, this: "What did you talk about with Freya yesterday? I mean, besides the benefits you managed to get back."
Hayden certainly didn't want to tell Karen that Freya harbored such strange and inappropriate thoughts about her. He also didn't want to talk too much about Freya's foresight that Karen would become the Earth Sovereign, because everyone knew that many prophecies only went wrong and exploded after being told to the person involved. So Hayden changed his mind and simply avoided the main point: "The main reason I was able to persuade her to ally with us this time was that I convinced her that I had precognitive abilities."
“This might not be a lie.” Karen shook her head thoughtfully. “I’ve always felt that your intuitive talent might actually be a kind of precognitive ability. This kind of ability is very rare. It can’t be obtained innately through genetic modification, and it’s extremely difficult to cultivate later in life. Even my father didn’t have it, let alone me. I’m afraid that for a long time to come, you will be the only person among us with precognitive abilities.”
According to existing arcane theory, the future is inherently uncertain, making precise prediction impossible. This is why prophetic magic techniques are generally unreliable, relying instead on large companies' big data to improve accuracy (though even then, the accuracy remains relatively low).
However, gods like the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, Odin, Freya, and Apollo possess special technologies or abilities that modern arcane theory cannot yet explain, allowing them to foresee this uncertain future to some extent. These technologies and abilities are mostly strange things that modern arcane theory cannot explain, and therefore cannot be mass-produced; in fact, they are extremely rare.
As for the lesser deities and fallen angels, some can glean information and intelligence from changes in the world's environment, making predictions based on these observations. The saying goes, "Seeing a single falling leaf, one knows the world is in autumn"... Unfortunately, such predictions are far more limited. After all, everyone knows that truly knowing the world is in autumn from a single falling leaf is simply impossible.
How can the future be so easily predicted?
"Freya has her own unique precognitive magic and wants to cooperate with you, so it seems the future she sees is not good."
Karen paused here, and then said...
Can you tell me about it?
Hayden naturally relayed Freya's words, such as "The times are changing, and chaos and moral decay are about to follow." After finishing, he rubbed his temples and added, "These changes she mentioned mainly stem from the Mitra Group's recent skill education chips. She made it sound very serious, and I can understand that these skill chips will be another blow to ordinary people, but they will also greatly reduce the Mitra Group's employee costs, making it more competitive."
"But I don't understand those complex global economic situations. I really don't understand why Freya said that educational chips could kill the other three giant companies, why she said that it could cause the collapse of the current capitalist society, and why she said that this is the twilight of the gods—when I think about it myself, I don't think it's serious enough to destroy the world."
"But I didn't dare ask her, because if I did, she would know that I didn't have any such premonitions at all. That would be very awkward."
Hayden didn't really understand economics, but that's not to blame him for being stupid. Economics in this world was considered a royal discipline, not to be lightly taught to anyone but gods. Hayden, being of commoner origin, simply didn't have the opportunity to study it.
(Why is it that Alastor, also an ordinary citizen, seems to know more than Hayden? To be honest, Alastor's IQ is indeed higher than Hayden's; he can figure some things out just by watching the news. There's nothing that can be done about it.)
The awkward thing is, Karen was a martial arts prodigy in her childhood, and after running away from home, she was busy learning alchemy, so she doesn't really understand these economic and financial intricacies. Fortunately, she at least knows more than Hayden, and she immediately frowned: "What Freya said is really not a good sign. A company that doesn't need to worry about labor costs, employee sources, or loyalty, a company that can arbitrarily increase working hours, inevitably has a strong advantage in the capitalist market."
"But if that's all... it shouldn't be enough to kill off the other three giant corporations, after all, they won't just sit and wait to die... Why do you say that?"
Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily, let alone a giant corporation, which is essentially a group composed of capitalist gods. Thinking about it from this perspective, Karen couldn't understand why Freya would say this was the beginning of Ragnarok. However, because Karen didn't know Freya "liked" her, and had always considered Freya a reasonably nice distant aunt, and one who was also very knowledgeable, she didn't think Freya's assessment was a major misjudgment.
"Perhaps other large companies feel that Mitra Group is breaking the rules and baring its fangs, which will lead to more intense conflicts in the future, and may even trigger a corporate war." Therefore, Karen deduced, "We don't have many options in this matter. Let's be conservative and self-reliant, try to form as many alliances and cooperate as possible, and continue to prepare for this as a priority."
This engaged couple, who were supposed to be on a date, are now engaged in such unromantic conversations in their favorite dating spot... but there's nothing they can do about it. After all, while Karen is female in a gender sense, she fulfills the same social functions as men, being a leader whose focus is more on her career.
That being said, they couldn't possibly spend the whole day just chatting about serious matters on the coastal walkway. They said they'd wander the city streets, but they weren't really going to end up in the slums—not because of safety concerns, since Karen and Hayden could easily turn an entire slum into a wasteland. But actually wandering aimlessly in the slums would really lack the atmosphere of a date.
So, Hayden, who was more concerned about the date, spoke first: "It's almost noon. Would you like something to eat?"
Karen laughed when she heard this: "What, are you going to use my money to book a fancy restaurant for us?"
Wow, although it's the truth, it's really hurtful. But Hayden still struggled to his feet and said, "No, no, no, look, I used to be a city mercenary, and New Yatu is like my backyard. If you want to eat anything weird, I can take you there. You probably don't know any of those legendary little restaurants, do you? Even when you were in college, you didn't eat at many of those little shops near the school!"
These words effectively shut Karen down! When this person was in college, he had just run away from home and had a somewhat hostile attitude towards the whole world. He spent his days hiding in the research lab, disheveled and brewing potions. He hadn't even eaten at many of the cheap shops near the school that sold potions to students.
The main point is that even when Karen ran away from home, she wasn't actually short of money; at most, she just stubbornly refused to spend it. But eating at cheap eateries near the school was, for Karen at that time, a waste of time meant for studying and research, so she had no interest. Now, hearing Hayden say this, she realized with a start that a large part of her student life seemed to be missing.