Angela certainly wouldn't object, but she still didn't quite understand: "Didn't you say that Miss Abigail refused to tell you those secrets?"
However, Hayden shook his head and made a profound expression: "There are only secrets that are not secrets."
The very beginning of the secret determined that it was something that could be traded, a secret that was destined to never be a secret again.
So after dinner, which consisted of stewed beef, Hayden dragged Angela straight to the Veela Bar. Abigail, though somewhat puzzled, immediately ushered them into her office. Hearing Hayden say he was there to inquire about the lineage of a god, the Dark Witch frowned: "I've already said it, these divine secrets aren't easily revealed to outsiders. Especially not the lineage of a very ancient and powerful god. This is very dangerous."
Upon hearing this, Hayden immediately raised one eyebrow: "Do you know whose family tree I'm asking about?"
“Of course. It’s not like I don’t have intelligence sources.” Abigail waved her hand and said, “How could I not know which goddess lady you deal with most often?”
Ah, that makes it simple.
This makes things much simpler.
“Okay, I’m sorry to be so direct.” So Hayden rubbed his cheek. “But have you realized that since a certain young lady of the gods deals with me the most, it means I have a lot of information about her that I can sell to you?”
The witch's office fell silent.
Several seconds later, Abigail blinked again. She looked at Hayden as if he had just eaten a cat alive.
In theory, all information can be sold in this era. The interests, past experiences, and even psychological pattern recognition, profiling, and personality analysis of a young lady from the Protoss race are all valuable data.
but……
"...You're planning to trade information about a certain young lady from the divine race's past for information about her family's genealogy?"
Even Abigail couldn't help but twitch her lips at this moment.
Do you know what this is called getting something for nothing?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this is comparable to alchemy—creating something from nothing.
“No. I would never sell out my classmates’ or friends’ private information.” But Hayden immediately shook his head. “I was talking about other information.”
He waved the detailed reports that Angela had just handed him in his hand.
"I have a business opportunity related to interstate smuggling connected to [Flower Magic Workshop]. You should be interested in that, right?"
This statement caused a moment of silence.
Everyone has a price. At least intelligent people do.
The price has varied across different eras. But at least in this era, money and business opportunities are the most commonly used bargaining chips.
Sure enough, Hayden saw Abigail frown seriously, deep in thought, and meet his gaze across the desk. The silence lasted a long time. However, an intuition told Hayden not to break the silence, to wait a little longer.
"What do you want to know?"
After a long pause, Abigail indeed slowly began to speak again.
"That young lady's father is the Human Resources Director of the Mitra Group, the famous [Peacock King]. I already told you this last year. What else do you need to know?"
Aha
There are so many things I can ask.
Hayden shrugged.
"What kind of god is the Peacock King? The myths and genealogies within large companies are basically secrets; this isn't something I could find in a school library. Besides, what's the deal with Karen? Aren't elves usually lower-level gods? Her father is a high-ranking god, so why is she an elf? What's going on in her family? I feel like she was living like an ordinary office worker before, completely unlike the privileged lives of normal gods."
Doesn't he need to know enough?
078: Melek Taus, the Peacock King
"King Peacock..."
Although she had promised to tell Hayden about Karen's family background and genealogy, Abigail was clearly not very enthusiastic about it. She picked up her long pipe, took a couple of puffs of incense, and frowned.
"These divine secrets are taboo to even discuss. My office is equipped with almost every level of security and protection I know of, so please don't mention these things again after we leave, okay?"
Hayden, of course, nodded.
So Maleficent finally began to speak:
"The Peacock King is actually an ancient Persian deity, which is now the region of Iran and Iraq. His history is even older than that of Mithra."
"Everyone knows that Mithra rose to power and defeated the ancient Indian gods hundreds of years ago, so I won't go into details. But the Peacock King—who wasn't yet a 'Vidyaraja' at that time—wasn't an ancient god defeated by Mithra. He was never defeated; he simply joined the Mithra group."
This was indeed a secret of the gods that Hayden had never known before—he never imagined that the Peacock King was not a new god, but rather a transformation of an ancient god from the West Asia. However, this didn't seem to be such a remarkable secret; that was all.
Abigail probably knew this was nothing, so she continued:
“Long before the rise of the new gods, the ancient Persian peacock god was a winged god who hunted demons that roamed the world, was good at devouring evil gods, and was a professional warrior—in other words, a peacock that ate poisonous snakes. He was essentially a god of battle, destruction, and annihilation, capable of killing and destroying all impurity.”
"After being accepted by the Mithra Group, He became the so-called Peacock King. It is said that the Peacock King can devour all poisons, calamities and sufferings, and He can both destroy poisons and bestow nectar in return."
These words finally made Hayden frown.
poison
Incomplete cleaning
The God of War, the God of Destruction, and the Peacock King who devours venomous snakes—all dedicated to slaying gods.
These are all key aspects that are relevant to what Hayden is currently observing.
“‘Mingwang’ is a deity rank within the Mithra Group, as I recall.”
He spoke as he thought.
Most of the new-era "gods," despite their noble status, are still essentially high-level employees, some even exploited by other, higher-ranking gods. However, for those who enjoy dividends, it's a completely different story. At that level, they are no longer simply "gods," but rather "gods" with their own unique "names" and "positions."
"Within the Mithra Group, the 'gods' are divided into three ranks according to their status. The lowest rank is 'deva,' and deputy executives like Dhritarashtra, the 'Heavenly King,' are basically at this rank."
Hayden's words made Abigail nod. Then she continued to explain: "The so-called 'Deva' are mostly new gods promoted from among the gods and mortals now, but when the Mithra Group was first established, the 'Deva' were actually ancient Asian gods who had fought against the newly established company but were defeated and were subdued and absorbed."
"However, the Myō-ō are not the old gods who have been subdued. Apart from the special case of the Peacock Myō-ō, the other Myō-ō are all new gods who followed Mithra from the very beginning of the war, and they are new battle gods specifically responsible for defeating the old gods. They represent the strongest fighting force within the Mithra group. So even now, within the Mithra group, they are still in the second rank, which is very prestigious."
明王
"Ming" refers to the wisdom and light that dispels darkness; "Wang" naturally refers to a person's noble status.
"The highest rank, of course, is the board of directors of the Mitra Group. Including Chairman Mitra, there are a total of eight directors with voting rights who can exercise control and management power over the company. They are the highest rank within the Mitra Group—the 'Bodhisattva' rank."
Bodhisattva. This word also originates from ancient Sanskrit, so what exactly is a Bodhisattva?
They seek enlightenment above and guide sentient beings below; therefore, they are Bodhisattvas.
In layman's terms, they are the powerful beings who, in the last great war, converted the old gods, subdued the demons, changed the world, and defined the rules of a new era.
The core of the Mitra Group, consisting of eight key directors capable of wielding the supreme power of a super corporation, are what are known as bodhisattvas.
However, that's a bit of a tangent. There's no need to dwell on it now.
So Hayden frowned and asked, "You said that this Peacock King is an ancient god who was transformed from a warrior, but how come he is now the Human Resources Director of the Mithra Group? Shouldn't the company be sending him to the military department?"
Abigail raised an eyebrow and countered, "If you were on the board of directors of the Mitra Corporation, would you allow that ancient war god who used to specialize in killing gods to still be in charge of the military department in your company after the war? Right now, the head of the military department of the Mitra Corporation is still another Ming King."
...That actually makes a damn good point.
Ultimately, this Peacock King was once an old god. His origins and background are different from those of the new gods who form the core leadership of the Mithra Group.
"Moreover, the Peacock King is actually doing a very good job in the human resources department. The so-called peacock's tail is actually hundreds or thousands of eyes; hundreds or thousands of eyes mean omniscient divine power. The peacock is a celestial bird with a thousand eyes that sees the world. It is actually very convenient for the company to have such a deity in charge of human resources."
Yes, it is quite convenient. However, it can be terrifying for employees managed by a company.
Although Hayden had hardly ever worked a job, he could still imagine what it would be like if your company knew everything about you, whether it was work-related or personal matters.
Just imagining it is enough to send chills down one's spine.
So Hayden rubbed his temples: "Speaking of the Bird God of the Mitra Group, I remember there's another one..."
“Garuda?” Abigail picked up the conversation immediately. “She was indeed once the bird god of ancient West Asia, the Golden-Winged Roc, and she was related to the Peacock King by blood. She could devour five hundred poisonous dragons every day. I remember she is currently in Asia, as the deputy design director in charge of Asian affairs for the Mitra Group.”
Another one devouring poisonous dragon?
In mythology, dragons and snakes are originally one entity, capable of transforming into each other based on their position and strength. This is a fundamental principle of ancient magic, which Hayden naturally understood.
However, now that things have come to this point, he has come to understand part of the truth.
Karen's "Dream Flower," Sabnikaf, can absorb toxins and pollution from the surrounding environment.
Her father, the Peacock King, was also able to devour and destroy all poisonous snakes and creatures.
Although they are different, they are indeed very similar.
However, Karen used "flowers" as a medium to represent this phenomenon and process, and she couldn't completely decompose and eliminate the pollutants and toxins—perhaps because she wasn't her father and therefore lacked such destructive power. But to solve this problem, Karen simply purified and condensed the toxins and pollution into beads, which was actually a very clever solution.
However, solving one problem brought about more: if Karen actually inherited supernatural powers so similar to her father's, then why was she so rebellious and so disgusted with her family background? And, to put it another way, why was she an elf in the first place?
However, Hayden now understands why Karen's hair is green: peacock wings and beautiful tails are indeed green!
"I'm not entirely sure why that young lady is an elf," Abigail frowned, taking two more puffs of incense. "But I have some guesses."
"Garuda, or the Great Roc, is related to the Peacock King by blood, as I just mentioned. In ancient Persian legends and fairy tales... such as Aladdin's Lamp, it was mentioned that the Great Roc of ancient Persia was the king of all the local elves."
……ah?
This statement was completely unexpected by Hayden, and even left him bewildered.
"Wait a minute, aren't elves supposed to be a race originating from Norse and Celtic cultures?!"
The Dark Witch scoffed, "Don't you know that the Indo-European gods share a common origin? How could elves be a race that only originated in Europe? There are elven relatives in several pantheons around the world!"
Ah this
Hayden did indeed know that the Indo-European pantheon, like their language, shared a common origin. This wasn't a huge secret, as some knowledge even the gods couldn't completely conceal. But it was still a secret he had never imagined, leaving Hayden utterly astonished.
So the origin of elves is spread all over the world?
"It's not just elves, orcs are actually the same. In fact, we humans, elves, and orcs may share a common ancestor... but this is just an unproven academic theory. Some of the Old Gods might know, but they haven't told humans. And that's getting off-topic."
Abigail tapped the pipe to bring Hayden back to his senses.
"I've told you most of what I know. I don't know why that young lady doesn't get along with her family. In fact, my sources tell me that she was quite capable when she was young."
what?
Hayden scratched his head: "She's really amazing now. I could never make those potions and magic flowers myself..."
“No, I’m not talking about that kind of power, not the kind that comes from potions and gadgets.” The Dark Witch waved her hand. “Actually, I heard that before she was ten, she was known among the young gods for her martial prowess. I even have a record of her winning the North American Children’s Martial Arts Competition when she was nine.”
……ah!?
Regardless of whether Hayden was stunned, Abigail actually pulled up the photos and records and showed them to him. There were not only pictures of little Kallen, with her green ponytail, holding a trophy, but also the opinions of other upper-class people about her at the time. Those gods from twenty years ago all said that Kallen resembled her father, was an excellent inheritor of the Peacock King's bloodline, and would surely become an elite among the warrior gods—and so on.
Kallen, a warrior god-type?
Hayden couldn't even imagine it!
"Why did she fall out with her family later? Why did she dress like a white dragon fish before, like a corporate slave? I'm not a god, just someone like an ancient witch, how would I know? Rather, I was hoping to get these secrets out of you!"
Abigail sighed, and said somewhat angrily,
"You don't even know the answer! What kind of friend are you?"
That's not fair. I'm just her friend, not her boyfriend—but Hayden wasn't stupid enough to say that out loud.
He and Abigail had been chatting for a while, and he was getting a little tired, mainly from all the jump scares. So Hayden turned around and looked at Angela, who had been standing behind him... only to find that Angela's expression seemed a little strange.
"Winged...flying...devouring demon gods..."
She frowned, looking somewhat dazed, and seemed to be muttering something to herself.
Then, before Hayden and Abigail could react, before they could do anything, Angela reached out and gently poked at the void.
Hayden remembered her gesture and immediately felt a chill run down her spine. Abigail had never seen it before, but she would soon.
To the naked eye, Angela merely extended her hand and gently poked at something. However, from a magical perspective, that poking was an incredible transformation of magical incantations in an instant. That poking was an extremely dense array of text, a spell written in hundreds of millions, or even trillions of lines.
Abigail was nearly driven mad with terror just from witnessing these things firsthand.
Hayden, on the other hand, was somewhat used to it. So he studied it carefully for a while and finally deciphered the words between the lines—in those hundreds of millions, even trillions, of lines, perhaps even more, of text, there was one word written everywhere: 【taus】.
In the ancient languages of the Arabic-Persian region, this word means "peacock".
“benave████pakedeluvanumehraban——（In the name of purity, kindness, and generosity██——）”
As Angela chanted wondrous verses, she gently waved her fingers, tracing lines through the air. Hayden could understand most of the words she uttered, but there was one particular word that neither his ears nor his brain could grasp; it bypassed his understanding and vanished completely.
Then, a miracle happened.
Where Angela's right index finger traced, space itself shattered. Her finger seemed to have "eaten" space itself, even the light disappeared, leaving only emptiness.
But the next second, she lightly traced a line with her left index finger. The void was replaced, and the liquid, gleaming like an emerald, reappeared. Hayden reacted swiftly, pulling an empty bottle from his belt and casting a spell to absorb it. The small amount of liquid that entered his hand was so heavy that his hand began to tremble.