Help me write a report to appease Adam?
Hayden didn't even understand what the sentence meant at first. To his shame, he hadn't thought about the name "Adam" for at least a month.
However, things were different for Adam!
To say that he was constantly monitoring Hayden's condition would be a lie, as Adam himself was very busy. On one hand, he had to be a middle manager in a large company, currying favor with upper management and handling work downwards—while on the other hand, he also had to deal with the devil at home who had possessed his wife's body.
Needless to say, a devilish wife is not as easy to get along with as an angelic wife.
...It's not that angel wives are necessarily easier to get along with, but that's a bit of a tangent.
In short, even if not constantly, it's undeniable that Adam was still monitoring Hayden's situation through Abigail. Adam had already been informed two or three months ago when Hayden began to cultivate a better relationship with Karen, and when the "Retribution Military Employment Agency" started signing long-term security contracts with Karen's businesses.
After all, Abigail would definitely report these obvious things to him unless she was crazy, because Adam obviously had more than just her as a source of information on the street.
Not to mention that this matter involves the daughter of the Peacock King. Adam will find out sooner or later. Even if Abigail tries to cover for Hayden, she's not foolish enough to let herself be caught in the crossfire.
So Abigail was actually reporting to Adam the whole time—in a slow, lukewarm, and unimportant way. It wasn't very meaningful, but it wasn't entirely meaningless either; most importantly, there were no obvious errors.
Until a month ago, there was that battle that took place at the wasteland camp.
In that battle, Hayden directly used Karen's divine power to summon a spirit and annihilate a high-ranking demon, which became known to the entire upper echelons of the Mitra Corporation. Of course, most of the upper echelons knew about it, said "oh," kept it in mind, and speculated on how it would affect the office politics, but that was about it; they didn't take it too seriously—it was essentially still a minor matter.
However, this was no small matter for Adam.
what? What?
How did Hayden manage to latch onto Karen and Peacock King so tightly without anyone noticing?
Adam wasn't stupid, and he immediately realized that he could no longer control Hayden.
Originally, he was only able to exert pressure on Hayden because of his position as a mid-level manager in a large company and the support of the Heavenly King Dhritarashtra. Now that Hayden has latched onto Karen and the Peacock King, isn't he just one marriage away from becoming a high-end version of Adam?
Those executives might think that since the relationship isn't official, it's nothing; maybe the Peacock King's daughter just found a boyfriend to play around with, and it's no big deal. This is indeed common sense; it's normal for high-ranking executives to change boyfriends and girlfriends from time to time—however, Adam had gone to university with Hayden and Karen, and he knew very well what kind of people Hayden and Karen were.
In Adam's view, as long as the Peacock King did not interfere, Hayden would probably become the Peacock King's son-in-law.
Will the Peacock King interfere or cause trouble?
Adam certainly doesn't think so! Think about it, at his wedding with Alicia more than a year ago, Karen went on a drunken rampage and directly slapped Dhritarashtra in the face, and what happened?
Did the Peacock King drag his daughter back with him?
Not at all. The Peacock King simply scolded Karen via video call that day and made her write a letter of repentance.
Therefore, in Adam's view, this Peacock King was spoiling his daughter to an extreme degree. Now that Hayden had gained Karen's trust, he would likely rise rapidly in rank soon.
Anyway, enough rambling, let's get back to the main topic.
Now that things have come to this, Adam isn't really upset. He just can't help but start to wonder: Abigail, didn't you claim before that you and Hayden had slept together? How could you be completely unaware that Hayden and Karen were already so close?
Adam would naturally have doubts.
"So I plan to explain to Adam that when I chat with you, we usually talk about things like ancient magic, and then I will write a report on the emotional interference between the projection of the astral consciousness and the primordial spirit, and use a kind of witchcraft love potion that I invented hundreds of years ago, which is now rarely used, to deal with him."
Abigail explained lazily,
"Sometimes I really miss the days when I was just a little witch, hiding in alleys making medicine for people to earn money. It's just a pity that those days can never come back."
The witch was interested in teasing her about this, but Hayden had no interest in such jokes.
He frowned and asked directly, "I know Adam used to study business, so it's not hard to fool him with complicated magical theories, but Adam isn't stupid. You think you can fool him by using the love potion recipe as a byproduct of my research on ancient magical artificial intelligence? Why don't you just leave this to me to handle?"
To be honest, this was originally Hayden's own business, and besides, he's not so afraid of Adam anymore.
It's not that this is something to be proud of, but Hayden has indeed hitched a ride on Karen's coattails, which makes others feel that they have the Peacock King backing them up. Adam is no longer likely to be able to use his social connections to pressure him.
Without relying on overt social connections, did Adam really intend to secretly bring the devil to fight Hayden? That would be far too costly.
"Oh? Are you worried about me?"
As a result, Abigail on the other end of the video call was amused by Hayden's reaction.
"It's not as exaggerated as you think. Whether you can fool them or not isn't the most important thing; what's important is the compliant attitude."
“I have a contractual relationship with a certain great devil, which is a kind of superior-subordinate relationship. But that kid Adam has another related great devil behind him, so I have to give him some face. Conversely, as long as I show obedience and give him enough face, he won’t really break ties with me.”
After laughing, the older witch explained in a languid tone,
“I haven’t lived these past four hundred years for nothing. If I really couldn’t even handle a great demon who isn’t a contractual sect leader, how could I have survived to this day? How could I have maintained such wealth and status?”
That's true. Hayden often thought so too. A little witch like Abigail, who has close ties to the devil but hasn't been eliminated and instead sits firmly on the throne of the New Seattle black market smuggling boss, certainly possesses wealth and status above all others and below all gods.
This world is not one where living longer necessarily makes you stronger. Old gods who ruled for millennia can still be overthrown by new ones. Like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you fall behind. In this insanely competitive human hell, once you become complacent and stop growing, no matter how much wealth you've accumulated, you'll quickly fall.
For over four hundred years, Abigail has been able to remain firmly in this mid-level position, and no matter how much the world changes, she has never stumbled. This is an extremely remarkable skill.
Hayden wasn't really stupid; he quickly figured it out.
However, Abigail's next words only made him feel more guilty.
"Besides, what I most want you to help me with is to continue researching and developing even better anti-aging potions, right?"
The witch then revealed a smiling expression.
Have you made any recent development progress?
噫
As everyone knows, Hayden has been so busy helping Karen these past two months that he's had no choice but to give her the progress on the anti-aging potion.
Since everyone knows this, Abigail naturally knows that Hayden has made no progress in this area. She's saying all this mainly to see Hayden make a fool of himself and to provoke him a little.
Sure enough, Hayden was speechless and even felt that he owed her something.
"...There has been no progress with the anti-aging potion."
So after a moment of silence, he said helplessly,
“However, I’ve had a little more free time lately, and I also have Karen to help me out. She’s much better at potions than I am. As for Adam, I’ll deal with him myself now, so he won’t put any more pressure on you.”
As soon as he said that, Abigail's smile immediately vanished.
"No, no, no, don't try to help me and make things worse."
She jumped up immediately, no longer daring to stay sleepy.
"If you really want to help me, you might as well help me elsewhere. Adam will try to find out from you sooner or later. I'll send you the recipe for the love potion now, so don't give it away."
Even if some things are just for show, and everyone knows deep down that something's fishy, the outward appearance still has to be done right. That's just how complicated things are in this world.
Although Hayden had never liked this kind of thing, he had lived for over thirty years, so he nodded in understanding.
Ultimately, both Hayden and Adam have something to hide. Adam certainly doesn't want the company to discover his possession of his wife by a demon, and Hayden is equally afraid that Angela's secret will be exposed to the big company. As long as Adam is still sensible, he certainly won't fight Hayden to the death.
But what if you push him too far and he really goes insane?
So it's best if everyone gives each other face.
"Besides that, of course there's my medicine."
The witch glanced at Hayden again as she finished speaking.
"I am very grateful for the medicine you have made for me. The three-fold aging speed is enough to alleviate my greatest fear. However, if there were a better and more comfortable version, that would truly solve my problem."
She was really quite blunt in saying that.
However, Hayden did owe Abigail a lot of favors in the previous few months.
Abigail said she could easily deal with Adam, but in reality, it couldn't be as easy as she claimed—the fact that she was staying up all night writing reports to cope already indicated that it wasn't easy. Regardless of what she said, she couldn't completely disregard Adam's feelings. And if Adam did completely disregard her, Abigail might not die, but she would certainly suffer some consequences.
Although the witch did these things for Hayden ultimately for her anti-aging potion, it was still a significant favor for Hayden. He wasn't one to forget favors.
Moreover, Hayden could understand Abigail's fear. She would become younger whenever she used her magic, and her greatest fear was the day she would have to continuously expend her magic, shrinking herself into a baby or even disappearing entirely—in fact, even Abigail herself didn't know if she would actually disappear, since she dared not try. It was precisely because of the unknown that it was terrifying.
If Hayden could make her a potion that she could drink as much as she wanted and instantly age by gulping it down, that would truly solve the problem.
"I can't say for sure about developing new technologies. But as long as I have a clue or a clear idea, I will do my best to do it."
So Hayden left it at that.
For the witch, who was already familiar with Hayden's personality, these words carried enough weight. She nodded and did not continue the topic.
The two chatted for a while longer, agreeing on the "testimony" that might be used with Adam, before ending the call.
Strangely, when Hayden came out of the studio and returned to the dining table, he saw Karen and Angela staring at each other without saying a word.
Angela was fine, as usual, calm and collected. Although it was hard to know what she was thinking, she at least seemed relaxed and natural.
Karen, on the other hand, seemed to be frowning the whole time.
"What's wrong? Didn't you eat enough for breakfast?"
Hayden leaned over,
"Shall I cook you another bowl of noodles?"
"Get lost," Karen immediately rolled her eyes at him. "Your jokes are terrible."
Okay, it seems that no matter what's bothering her, at least she has the energy to vent. Hayden can rest assured now.
"Let's get down to business. Do you know of any potions that can make people age quickly?"
Embarrassingly, Hayden had never mentioned the aging potion to Karen before, and now this was a perfect opportunity.
However, as Hayden recounted the events in detail, Karen's brows furrowed even more.
"I've always wondered how you managed to get on good terms with the black market smuggling channels in New Jersey, and it turns out it's because of this."
Hayden hadn't told Karen about Abigail in detail before, only saying that he had a reliable connection with the smuggling boss in the New Jersey black market. It wasn't that Hayden was being secretive, but rather that everyone was busy dealing with Huanxitian's attack at the time, and Hayden had put aside irrelevant details for the time being.
Now that Hayden has finished telling Karen about the Black Witch in detail, Karen feels a little uneasy.
For Karen to experience such an emotional shift, Hayden and her relationship has recently taken a significant turn for the better.
Unfortunately, Hayden had no idea what Karen was thinking about, and instead asked, "So, do you have any clues about developing an aging potion?"
"I've been so busy lately, constantly contacting this person and making arrangements for that crisis my father mentioned. I'm exhausted. How could I possibly have time to help others develop some strange anti-aging potion?"
Karen frowned, but continued speaking.
“Generally speaking, arcane spells that accelerate ripening rely on accelerating time. Since that black witch is immune to external spacetime magic, you'll have to use some more unconventional methods.”
She disliked black market smuggling, the Dark Witch, and Adam. However, Karen knew that Hayden did owe Abigail some favors, and even she herself owed one. So since Hayden wanted her help with ideas, Karen would seriously consider it.
Hayden couldn't help but retort after hearing her words: "You're so busy you barely have time to breathe, and you still come to my house to freeload breakfast?"
"That's two different things. Can't I ask you to have dinner? Besides, I have important business to discuss with you... Ah."
Karen countered with a question, then suddenly wore a thoughtful expression.
"Now that you mention it, I do have an idea for an unconventional method—you could try the blood of primitive dragons."
……ah?
"Undiluted raw dragon blood is poisonous and can cause all sorts of strange effects on the bodies of mortals."
Karen waved her hand and explained,
"This could include accelerated aging. There are ancient legends of mortal heroes who killed serpents and dragons, spewing poisonous blood that caused their bodies to age and die. Of course, such things are definitely unreliable, but it should be a starting point, which is better than having no clue at all right now."
That does make sense.
"Dragon blood again?" Hayden rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "You want dragon blood, and she wants dragon blood. Where am I supposed to find enough blood from powerful primitive dragons?"
As mentioned before, these kinds of materials that nobody usually uses are inconvenient to buy.
But as the saying goes, a truly powerful wizard must be able to glean useful clues from snippets of conversation overheard in the past. Suddenly, images flashed through Hayden's mind, and an intuitive thought popped into his head.
"Karen, didn't you mention that when you were twelve, you encountered an adult serpent dragon near a desolate town? Shall we go take another look?"
105: The human heart is the most unpredictable thing throughout history.
Karen had previously told Hayden that when she was twelve, she and her parents came down to the surface to hunt and saw the polluted wasteland outside the city for the first time.
That time, they hunted down a fully grown serpent dragon near a desolate town. Since they didn't have any useful materials, they left the dragon's carcass with the townspeople and took only a dragon egg with them.
Now, for some reason, Hayden suddenly had a gut feeling that he thought of the desolate town that Karen had mentioned.
"For a dragon, a decade or so is nothing. You were able to hunt an adult serpent dragon there back then, and even find a dragon egg, so there must have been at least another adult serpent dragon, right?"
Hayden touched his chin as he finished speaking.
"After all, the serpent dragon is not a monster that reproduces asexually."
In conclusion, Hayden felt that his idea was quite feasible.