Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 1005 - 796: Auctioning the Purple Radish

Chapter 1005: Chapter 796: Auctioning the Purple Radish

The artist’s name is Ishi Yoshikawa, 33 years old, without a formal job.

Nervously, he followed Xu Yang, and the two of them walked along the red carpet. The corridor walls were painted with interlocking diamond patterns, filled with dazzling and magical colors, like a robot’s dream full of vibrant hues and sharp angles.

"Is my painting... really valuable?" Ishi Yoshikawa hesitated several times before speaking up.

Xu Yang was holding Ishi Yoshikawa’s painstaking work in his arms.

The entire painting was wrapped in plastic film, guaranteed not to deform or discolor for two thousand years, and it was hand-painted by Ishi Yoshikawa.

"How long did it take you to paint this?" Xu Yang took the painting to the backstage, and the machines along the way offered no obstruction to them.

He and Ishi Yoshikawa sat on the same rectangular red cushioned seat, piled with thick plastic and foam, making it quite comfortable to sit on.

"I painted it for half a year, spending over a thousand hours." Ishi Yoshikawa blurted out, "Thirteen hundred hours."

"What do you think your labor is worth per hour?" Xu Yang asked.

"And you? How much do you earn per hour?" Ishi Yoshikawa cunningly countered.

How much does Xu Yang earn per hour?

Compared to the vast Nestor Corporation and the countless wealthy individuals around him, Xu Yang’s personal asset growth was actually slow.

As always, his account funds relied entirely on occasional deposits from Kanako and Lila.

Farosa originally had no money, but thanks to donations from the witches, she had some money these past two years and sometimes gave Xu Yang pocket money as well.

These donations fluctuated too much and were difficult to calculate, so Xu Yang could only report his fixed salary: "250 funds per hour, totaling 54,000 per month."

"That’s not bad." Ishi Yoshikawa breathed a sigh of relief.

If Xu Yang had said he was a millionaire, Ishi Yoshikawa would have gone mad with jealousy, wishing he could destroy himself, as he was just a painter living an ordinary life.

An eye-robot floated over, shaped like a sphere with a flaming thruster at the bottom roaring away. Its eight mechanical arms held wine glasses, napkins, snacks, handkerchiefs, gift boxes, and other items, stacking them neatly on the synthetic plastic round table in front of Ishi Yoshikawa and Xu Yang.

Ishi Yoshikawa glanced around. This room seemed to be used to display auction items, with a carpet so luxurious it was like ready-to-wear fashion, and the walls adorned with some understated artworks, some of which he had learned about in his art academy textbooks but was seeing for the first time today, prompting him to take out his phone to snap photos.

A small side room was a bar offering top-shelf champagne and spirits, itself as exquisite as a work of art. The tables against the walls were filled with appetizers like eel, tempura, and shrimp, beautifully presented and seemingly waiting to be tasted.

Such a luxurious room... Worth it in this lifetime. Ishi Yoshikawa was quite satisfied.

Some waitresses were packing the props to be auctioned next, their gestures courteous and their postures elegant.

Since it was really difficult to distinguish synthetic humans from humans, Ishi Yoshikawa had to voice his inquiries.

"Are they real humans or...?" he asked.

Just as the words left his mouth, one of the girls turned and smiled at him, leaving Ishi Yoshikawa even more bewildered.

Had it been before, he could definitely distinguish between humans and synthetic humans. But now it was really hard to tell...

"They’re real people, hired waitresses by the venue. You also feel it’s hard to tell real people from synthetic ones, huh? Maybe we won’t need to distinguish them so clearly in the future." Xu Yang shrugged.

With synthetic humans entering thousands of households, human-machine interactions will probably blend seamlessly in the future. Xu Yang thought inwardly. The next generation might not be too concerned with distinguishing humans from machines.

"As for the painting..." Ishi Yoshikawa glanced at his artwork, which seemed also destined for auction.

"A labor of love crafted over 1300 hours." Xu Yang held up Ishi Yoshikawa’s painting. "Does it have a name?"

"’Thoughtful Radish,’" Ishi Yoshikawa cautiously stated.

The entire painting depicted a melancholy human face, buried among purple radishes, looking exceptionally dejected, yet conveying a sense of empathy and rage through its eyes.

This painting was imbued with the artist’s inspiration and ingenuity, a true work with a soul, delving into the genuine sphere of human art. Xu Yang held it in high regard, unwilling to see it go unappreciated.

"Does it mean a radish that can think?" Xu Yang asked.

"’Thoughtful Radish’ refers to the unfortunates of our era—they’re smart, insightful, and have seen through the operational mechanisms of society," Ishi Yoshikawa passionately declared, "but this society hasn’t left a place for them, so they can only suffer in their awareness. Aware because their souls ignite like raging, bright flames. Suffering because they watch society in despair, knowing the entire world is mired in sickness and dilemma."

"Like ambitious geniuses who haven’t found success?" Xu Yang observed the melancholy purple radish depicted in the painting.

Observers outside the painting empathize with it, and the radish within the painting sympathizes with humans.

"Indeed, it’s like when the world is in turmoil, the stars shine, and men of ability abound. Yet when times are peaceful, no matter how capable someone is, they are merely an annotation of the whole system, with no room to shine. Smart individuals... those with noble thoughts and clear consciousness far excel their muddled and entertain-to-death peers, but there is no stage for them to showcase their talents in this society." Ishi Yoshikawa fixated on his artwork.

These people could have been towering trees, remembered by the world, leaving a mark in history. However, due to lack of luck, they can only become melancholy purple radishes, clearheaded and despairing.

"This reminds me of the stories of undefeated generals. In the past, there were renowned generals and monarchs who could lead armies and win countless battles, conquering vast territories. Nowadays, it’s hard to come by such undefeated generals," Xu Yang said.

"Do you know why?" Ishi Yoshikawa asked.

"Of course, modern warfare is unique. Once a general achieves God-like status in combat, his soldiers below disseminate information, capturing images. The world’s think tanks get to work, his troop deployments are captured by satellites, and recorded by surveillance witches. All actions and commands are analyzed by psychology experts, and then his tactics decoded and entered into think tanks, so that by the next day, generals worldwide can learn them. Even being a genius doesn’t hold as much value." Xu Yang said.

"So that’s our fate. Our creativity and talent are devoured by big data and information systems, dismantled by AI, turned into parts of algorithms, becoming mass-producible industrial consumer goods," Ishi Yoshikawa said painfully.

Isn’t this just the trend? Xu Yang mused inwardly.

Ever since cameras appeared, hyper-realistic techniques of painters have become uninspiring; with recorders, people don’t have to personally attend concert halls to hear the beautiful voices of singers; with copiers and material printers, easily produce hundreds of counterfeit artworks...

People have become accustomed to these things, and now history has simply reached another stage: technology consuming the artistic creations of novels, comics, music, film, and painting.

It’s like a cold, ruthless scraper, tirelessly scraping away the icebergs on the sea. Once a piece of ice surfaces, it’s cut off to add to its own mass.

Xu Yang handed Ishi Yoshikawa’s "Thoughtful Radish" to a waitress, instructing her to take it to the front for auction.

"Will I get a cut of the auction money?" Ishi Yoshikawa asked, "I haven’t earned anything for months."

"The auction house takes a 6% fee, I’ll take 15% as a token, and the remaining 79% is yours," Xu Yang said.

"Great." Ishi Yoshikawa was very pleased, having dealt with those bastards on consignment before who basically took all the money.

Ishi Yoshikawa watched as others entered the backstage, but they all swiped their cards, with some being denied, and red warning lights lit up from the walls, indicating the backstage is a private area.

Only now did he realize how extraordinary it was that Xu Yang had easily brought him into the backstage.

Ishi Yoshikawa shrank back, watching one familiar big shot after another from the news come to the backstage.

He saw VVIPs from various industries, including prominent bankers, regional managers of international corporations, low-key dressed entrepreneurs, and professional investors. Then came several lavishly dressed socialites and entertainment stars, influential in the eyes of ordinary people, but appearing very underpowered in such a setting, forced to stand on the sidelines.

They all showed great respect towards Xu Yang. Ishi Yoshikawa was dumbfounded.

"Hello, Commissioner Xu!"

"Ah, long time no see!"

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence!"

"My apologies!"

"You’re here too, that’s great, truly appreciated!"

"Hello, hello, pleased to meet you for the first time..."

"Please accept this, pardon the intrusion!" They greeted Xu Yang in turn, trying hard to appear courteous, then quickly taking their leave, not wanting to be an annoyance.

Nestor Corporation’s network surveillance, he’s a big shot among big shots.

Not to mention those whimsical rumors, the mere merit of defending against cyber attacks commands respect.

Xu Yang also smiled, nodded, and shook hands, interacting with these notable figures.

Ishi Yoshikawa, just by sitting next to Xu Yang, also received a great deal of attention.

People continuously probed and inquired about Ishi Yoshikawa’s occupation and identity, wanting to know why Ishi Yoshikawa would appear in the VIP backstage of a charity auction with Xu Yang.

The top name there was Menon.

Upon arriving backstage, he immediately noticed Xu Yang, waving him down, then quickly moved to sit next to him and chat.

Ishi Yoshikawa, sitting on the other side, felt his face flush to his ears.

Rohit Menon!

He recognized him, the Chief Executive Officer of Night Gate Technology Company, a top billionaire worth tens of trillions, now sitting on the same couch as himself.

"What, is the ’Thoughtful Radish’ ripening?" Xu Yang turned his head, noticing Ishi Yoshikawa’s expression.

"Please... huff..." Ishi Yoshikawa spoke nervously and uneasily, not knowing how to form words.

Xu Yang nodded, letting Ishi Yoshikawa off the hook. Subsequently, he chatted with Menon while observing the auction’s progress.

The first few auctioned items were digital artworks and the like, hyped to exorbitant prices due to their unique digital keys. Many people amassed fortunes by playing with digital collectibles.

Although they had no tangible value, people indulged in collecting them. After each large-scale war, the economy always entered a post-war boom period. It was the same now, with the world returning to peace, entertainment and investments flourished again.

Soon, the items Xu Yang had put up for auction were reached.

"A replica 30-year-old ’Suzukawa-565’ miniature hover-motorcycle, starting bid of 3 million!" the auctioneer shouted.

"I’ll bid 4 million!"

"I’ll bid 4.01 million!"

"I’ll bid 8 million!" People in the audience shouted, contending for Xu Yang’s collection item he initially bought for 1.2 million.

It finally sold for 12.5 million, with a lively transaction atmosphere.

"Sea Wand! Containing ancient power, prolonging life! Starting bid of 5 million!" the auctioneer announced.

"I’ll bid 6 million!"

"7 million!"

This magic wand was retrieved from a seafloor during an expedition to rescue Yan Duo years ago and was auctioned now because it was of little use. Xu Yang didn’t expect so many people would want it.

It ultimately sold for 23 million.

"It probably can only adjust the flow of water." Xu Yang said.

"But its appearance is truly one of a kind, a very old piece." Menon also enjoyed the auction.

Ishi Yoshikawa swallowed hard since it was time for his painting entrusted to Xu Yang for consignment.

"’Thoughtful Radish’! A famous painting! Masterpiece! Starting bid of 1 million!" the auctioneer announced.

million?

Upon hearing that, Ishi Yoshikawa directly fainted.