So Hayden felt very proud for a moment.
However, don't forget that Karen's talent and intelligence in alchemy and potion-making far surpass his. So soon...
"You did a very rough job here."
Karen then started nitpicking at him.
"With such a fine phoenix liver, plus your life essence material, we could have cloned a living phoenix at a very low cost."
噫
But before Hayden could even be dumbfounded, Karen sighed:
"It's a pity that the Phoenix gene copyright belongs to Mars Industries. Using a real clone would only cause more trouble. Being targeted by two big companies at the same time is really unbearable. Otherwise, it would be quite a show to clone a bunch of real phoenixes and have them fight."
Even their genetic code has been patented—this is no joke. Even secretly cloning a phoenix and using it could be detected by the Mars Corporation's legal department using sympathetic magic, leading to immediate consequences. If it were Hayden, a freelance mercenary, traveling around, he might have been able to use it occasionally without much trouble, but with Karen's situation, things can't be handled that way.
Then Karen looked at Hayden's other potion, magic oil, and incense recipes, and in the blink of an eye, she rattled off a series of improvement ideas like a machine gun, for example:
"The idea that this ointment you apply to your body can turn non-fatal injuries into healing is good, but why design it to be applied before battle? Your thinking is too old-fashioned; it's not like ancient people applied battle makeup before fighting! Remove the ingredients here... add two grams of pearl powder... then make it into an infused oil. Apply it to your body every night, then take a half-hour hot bath with some wild ginger root in the water. Emphasize the interaction between the earth and water elements, and the effect on the etheric body will be stronger, and the effect can last all day. This way, you don't need to apply medicine before battle, isn't that more convenient? If used for more than a month, it can even leave a constant effect in the etheric body."
Although Hayden immediately retorted, "Don't you find it terrifying to apply this effect to the body?!", even he had to secretly admire Karen for being able to offer suggestions for improving the potion just by glancing at the recipe.
The value of improving pre-battle buffs into sustained buffs is obvious, isn't it?
Of course, doing it this way will increase costs.
"And the transformation potion recipe Professor Albion gave you... that's really a good thing. But this design was obviously written with a general audience in mind, so that ordinary people could use it, right? I can't optimize it in this aspect, but if you want to make it special for you, you can simply adjust it like this... and add gold dust..."
Hayden finally panicked upon hearing this: "Gold powder, huh! Where am I going to get so much money to make medicine with gold?!"
Karen glanced at him: "There's no such thing as saving money in war."
The words of the eldest daughter of the Mitra Group's War God family were truly convincing. Hayden could only cover his face and weep, taking the bottles and jars and various medicinal herbs that Karen had given him to the laboratory to test their effects.
Now, only Karen and Angela were left in the room.
In a way, this was Karen's doing. There were things she always wanted to talk to Angela about, but it wasn't appropriate to say them in front of Hayden. Now that she had lured that foolish man away, Karen could finally speak with Angela alone.
"...Although he didn't say much, my father once told me some stories about ancient gods."
She looked at Angela, her eyes full of wariness.
“He once told me that the original Old Gods came from beyond the heavens and came to this world at the beginning of time.”
“You are neither a new god nor an old god, yet you have a deep connection with us. I know that the alchemical fluid in your body is the Andrea No. 3 that I invented before, but our connection should go beyond that. I can sense a deeper karmic bond between you and me.”
Karen's words made Angela tilt her head and look at her, seemingly not understanding what she was talking about.
But Karen didn't let her guard down. She kept a close eye on Angela and began circling her, continuing to talk as she paced.
“You are a life form unlike any other god in this world, using energy in a completely different way. Without prayer, without rituals, and without transmitting divine power through sympathetic connection, you still provide Hayden with immense power. Tell me, who are you? What is your purpose?”
Karen asked, still moving sideways around Angela, circling her, always maintaining the same distance. Her tone was very serious.
This is by no means an unfounded worry.
Because Karen is the daughter of the God of Capital, she is all the more aware of how dangerous what Angela is currently doing for Hayden could be.
Angela has already given Hayden too much.
In other words, it could be said that Hayden already owes Angela too much.
If Angela harbored malicious intent, she could very well have used this immense causal relationship and close sympathetic connection to gradually erode Hayden's soul and corrupt his very being. Everything she did for Hayden seemed selfless, but what if it actually came with a price? Hayden would likely be doomed.
Moreover, this is something that both devils and capitalists are very likely to do.
How could Karen not be worried, vigilant, and suspicious?
Suddenly, Karen stopped circling. With a soft thud, a black and white light burst forth from the very center of the circle she had been repeatedly stepping on—the very spot where Angela was now—and then layered and sealed off the entire circle, which had a radius of about two meters.
"Don't expect to escape. I have linked my divine power with the flower shop's barrier, sealing off space and causal interaction."
Karen said coldly,
"No enemy can pass through my domain, not even a god could easily break through these multiple constraints. Tell me honestly, what exactly do you intend to do with Hayden? Otherwise, I will never have broken the seal!"
For some reason, these words made Angela look very happy.
It's too late, but it's soon.
Angela smiled slightly and instantly stood in front of Karen. Karen didn't even see Angela's movements or trajectory.
Even more terrifying is that the layers of barriers that should have sealed Angela off completely did not react at all!
The next instant, before Karen could make any move to resist, Angela had already reached out her hand—
—Then gently place it on Karen's head.
"Don't be afraid, sweetie."
Angela gently patted Karen's head.
“I know Hayden’s actions have caused you a lot of worry. My only goal is to make Hayden happy, so you don’t need to be afraid.”
Needless to say, this made Karen feel even more terrified!
What on earth did she do? What exactly happened?!
“I know how much you care about Hayden, and I know that you care about him so much and like him so much because of his insistence on pursuing his independence. In that case, how could I possibly be your enemy?”
Angela explained with a smile, her tone very gentle.
"Your barrier cannot bind me, because I have no enemies."
Perhaps due to the divine instincts of the gods, or perhaps due to the karmic burdens of her bloodline, Kallen did indeed sense when Angela said those words that it was the tip of the iceberg of some colossus, gently stroking her head.
Even stranger, Kallen could sense that this colossal entity, seemingly hidden behind the veil of the universe, indeed shared a close and profound relationship with her. Like her father, or perhaps something far more profound and immense than her father…
After the enormous being withdrew its hand from her head, Kallen finally came to her senses, only to hear the wind-up doll suddenly say happily again:
"I hope you and Hayden will have many children in the future!"
What!?
087: Rights and Obligations
Regardless of any strange events that may have occurred during the process, Hayden and Karen eventually managed to discuss some collaborative plans and decide how to enhance each other's strength.
During this time, Karen also exhibited some strange reactions, seeming to become even more shy when interacting with Hayden. However, Hayden was completely unaware of the strange things Karen and Angela had discussed while he was in the lab, so he remained blissfully ignorant of these matters, spending his days preparing for the possible attack that the Great Sage Joyful Heaven might launch next.
During this time, Karen actually taught Angela some methods and tricks for modern gods to use their powers. But that's another story.
Because, Huanxitian soon attacked in "other" ways.
Neither Karen nor Hayden expected that they would be the first to suffer:
The first week after Hayden and Karen's candid talk, the biggest news in New Jersey was that the Giannili family, the Italian Mafia that dominated the city, had been killed.
"The newly appointed Special Supervisor of the Federal Enforcement Agency for the New Seattle area, Mr. Denton, led his team of agents in a raid on the Janelli family's downtown mansion at 2:00 AM today, seizing a large quantity of smuggled goods in the basement... Mr. Janelli, 64, has now been arrested and questioned—what's going on?"
Looking at the news on his phone screen, Hayden finally couldn't help but exclaim when he got to this part: "Does the United States of America really still have law enforcement agencies?!"
“Of course they still exist,” Karen replied with a sarcastic tone from the other end of the video call. “With them, it’s much easier for big companies to do many things.”
Looking at the news photos of federal employees wearing sunglasses and federal windproof jackets, Hayden rubbed his temples and fell into deep thought.
It may sound unbelievable, but in these tragic times, federal law enforcement agencies of the Union of the Americas did indeed still exist. While giant corporations like the Mitra Corporation enjoyed the powers of national governments on their own private territories, they did not extend the same powers to every corner of the Union of the Americas.
why?
The reason is actually quite simple: First, the Americas were not the private domain of any single company, but rather a battleground for giant corporations vying for power. Different states and even different cities across the continent were imbued with the influence of various large corporations. However, influence is inherently a resource that can be consumed. As mentioned earlier, company executives had to consider where to invest more resources and where to leave things unattended.
As one of the Americas' major economic hubs, New Jersey is a coveted location for various large corporations.
So what about those large companies that don't want to invest too many resources and obligations in managing areas where they can't generate enough revenue? They need to find someone to blame, right?
Rulers have obligations. National governments need to be responsible for the public interest; otherwise, when people are driven to desperation, they will rebel and hold the government accountable.
However, companies don't want to take on this obligation. Obligations come at a cost; they cost money. The purpose of a company is to make a profit, so why add this extra governance cost? If it's a particularly valuable location, such as a spiritual vein node, then of course the company should quickly fence it off as its own private property, and spending the money is no big deal.
As for those ordinary small towns and cities, places where you can't find much profit, the company will need to shirk responsibility.
This is why, despite their fierce competition, the giant corporations of the New World of North America still reached an agreement to support the federal government. Because these large corporations needed a "scapegoat" to act as. Without a federal government to blame, the dying lower classes would directly target the big corporations.
For example, if a major pandemic strikes and hundreds of thousands or even millions of people die, people will blame the government for its ineffective pandemic response. Who will blame the capitalists for their irresponsible pandemic control efforts?
Of course, some might think that since large corporations are already like gods with such great power, why worry about ordinary people turning against them and rebelling? This idea is reasonable, but in reality, the new gods are not beings whose power belongs entirely to themselves; they also have things they are afraid of losing... So it's best to shift the responsibility and negative impression onto the government.
But that's a bit of a tangent, we'll talk about it later.
The current focus is on Mr. Denton, a newly appointed Special Regional Supervisor of the Federal Enforcement Agency in New Jersey, who is determined to eliminate the New Jersey gangs.
Although he already knew that the New Jersey gangs were about to fall from grace, Hayden still couldn't help but frown as he looked at the news.
The "United States Operations Headquarters Executive Office," or simply "Execution Office," is essentially a kind of... federal "department." Although agencies like the FBI, federal police, and IRS remain independent, they all report to the Federal Execution Office, perform similar tasks, and are more or less interchangeable. Once outside the federal office building, they are all seen as federal employees, so the differences are not significant.
In any case, the Federal Executive Office has never been a standalone player on this grand stage. Its existence is precisely to do things that private companies are unwilling to bother with or spend money on.
"Won't your business be affected by this?"
Hayden asked Karen on the phone.
Karen nodded in agreement: "Yes. As you know, these mafia members buy a lot of my goods and then smuggle them to other states to sell."
“Actually, it’s not a big deal.” She made a somewhat disdainful face as she said this. “I never really wanted to rely on smuggling to expand my influence. Now that the New Yatu gang has been taken down, it’s just a loss of some big clients for me.”
Hayden, however, did not laugh.
"In the past six months or so, the middle class and petty bourgeoisie in New Yatu have been slaughtered and devoured by several large companies. The fact that the old orc Sok wanted to sell his shop to pay for his son's wedding already shows that the economic situation of the middle class is very bad recently. Not to mention what happened to Eric's family, as you know. A perfectly good contract manufacturer was killed by a large upstream company without saying a word."
He frowned.
"On the other hand, my connections in the black market have also told me that the gangs in New Yatu have begun to gradually restrain themselves, shrink and transform in the past six months."
It's clear that the connection he's referring to is Abigail, the Dark Witch.
“The Italian Mafia, like the Giannili family, can’t even be considered very…evil. Although they are certainly bad people.”
Those Italians just provided people with prostitutes, sold smuggled drugs, ran casinos to earn people's wages, and then lent them money at exorbitant interest rates when people were desperate—so of course they deserved to be shot. But the real problem is that those who shot them were actually guys who deserved to be hung from lampposts even more.
"The middle class is suffering setbacks, and your business is already affected. If even the gangs are all wiped out, who will you sell your flowers and plants to?"
No matter how advanced Karen's new technology is, it's impossible to reduce the cost of alchemical products to dirt-cheap prices; they'll still be somewhat expensive. If the entire middle class in New Yatu were to die out and fall into poverty, Karen's main target customer group would disappear.
Upon hearing Hayden's words, Karen indeed fell silent. She was clearly aware of the situation, but had simply feigned confidence, not wanting to show her anxiety in front of Hayden.
"I actually bear some responsibility for this."
Hayden then continued speaking.
"It was I who helped [Bo Xun] do so many things half a year ago. It was I who revived the spiritual veins of the abandoned industrial area half a year ago, which stimulated competition among large companies in the New Yatu market. It is because the competition at the top has become more intense that large companies have started to harvest the middle level."
"Stop talking nonsense." But Karen immediately raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "Without your commotion, I wouldn't even have had the chance to invent the [Dream Flower]. Besides, overall this isn't a bad thing. Even the best gangs are still gangs, and it's right for them to be wiped out. The security has indeed improved, and the income of lower-class workers has indeed increased. In any case, more people have benefited."
The upper class kills the middle class, eats the meat, and then shares the soup with the lower class. This method has been used in class societies for thousands of years, and humanity still enjoys it—although it sounds pathetic, the soup the laborers drink and the rice they eat are, after all, real.
Most people's lives have indeed improved somewhat, but that's a separate issue and shouldn't be ignored. Human society is always complex in this way.
That's why Karen said, "What's done is done, so don't regret it! If you're wrong, try to fix it. Besides, this was the right thing to do!"
Her tone was sharp and decisive, full of resolute spirit. Hayden, who already knew her background, couldn't help but think of her former martial arts background.
"You're right, there's no time to lament about that now."
So Hayden scratched the back of his head and continued.
"Getting back to the main point. Since this is the current trend in the new Yatu market, it's definitely not something Huanxitian is leading; they're just using this trend. But if that's the case, they must have other offensives planned. Have you encountered any other problems?"
This question finally made Karen frown: "Yes, it is. The Federal Enforcement Agency asked me for the accounting books, saying that my store is suspected of conspiring with smuggling gangs to illegally smuggle goods, and asked me to temporarily close down to cooperate with the investigation."
噫
Hayden was finally shocked.
Huanxitian, you're using this kind of tactic in business warfare?
"This...this is really troublesome..."
After careful consideration, Hayden began to break out in a cold sweat.
He prepared a lot of fighting force, but what use is fighting force in this kind of situation? If the Federal Enforcement Agency just seals up Karen's shop and investigates for a month, two months, three months... the whole shop will be practically ruined, right?
What could Hayden do? Blow up the entire executive office building? He could certainly do that, but would it make any sense?
However, he quickly came up with a strange idea: "How about I sneak into that enforcement officer's house, point a gun at his head, and threaten him to stop causing trouble?"