Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 117 - 117 100 A Whole Week of Love

117: Chapter 100 A Whole Week of Love 117: Chapter 100 A Whole Week of Love To entertain the new shareholder of the company, Zuo Hongchen specially arranged a highly confidential automated private club called “Holy Favor Garden” for Xu Yang and his group to rest and enjoy.

After repeated investigations, Xu Yang confirmed the safety and seclusion of the club before setting off.

On the way, he opened a series of works sent to him by Selita and skimmed through some of the content.

The documents she sent not only contained propaganda about pioneering ideology but also included her analysis of modern society, which was incisive and eye-opening for Xu Yang.

A piece titled “The Melancholy of Food” mentioned how the issue of food affected the entire world.

In the Middle Ages and even pre-war nations, food production was of paramount importance, but since modern times, major corporations, in pursuit of profit, have fully focused on developing industries with high-value-added products and high profits, completely neglecting the development of basic agriculture.

After being dominated by corporations, the traditional five major grain-producing regions underwent different changes.

The Xia District experienced large-scale industrialization, informatization, and urbanization.

Both Kyushu High Pavilion and Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing devoted themselves to technological research and thus escaped the fate of being the world’s food suppliers, carving out their niche in the global division of labor.

New Taixi State, with its vast and flat terrain, was initially very suitable for modern agriculture and large-scale mechanized farming.

However, due to the Lighthouse Core’s excessive exploitation and ruthless plundering of the natural environment, the ecology of New Taixi State became imbalanced.

Apart from the ideal city known as “Paradise,” the rest was desolate wasteland covered by acid rain and tornadoes, inhabitable only by Synthetic Humans.

Thus, the responsibility of producing food was entrusted to the remaining three major grain-producing regions, namely White Elephant Continent, Hot Tree Continent, and Agave Continent.

Every year, these regions planted countless rice, soybeans, and wheat to feed billions of mouths worldwide.

As a result, a large number of agricultural companies and the agricultural population were still active in these areas, engaging in labor-intensive production.

These three regions had an extremely high population density, totaling 6.5 billion people, and were buried at the very bottom of the world’s production system, losing the chance to turn their lives around.

Such a dense population meant that per capita resources were extremely low, and the level of development and education per capita were also underdeveloped.

Correspondingly, issues of poverty, crime, and warfare frequently occurred in these regions.

Typically, a citizen from the Archipelago Continent, who had the opportunity to enjoy anime and games daily, would instinctively disdain and ridicule farmers from the White Elephant Continent, believing that their life on the brink of hunger was self-inflicted.

Likewise, a child from New Taixi State living in a 200-square-meter mansion would be perplexed as to why citizens of the Archipelago Continent had to work over twelve hours a day.

This is how a food issue led to a great divide in the world.

Whether a person lived happily increasingly had nothing to do with their personal efforts; it mainly depended on the family and environment into which they were born.

Under corporatism, technological progress enabled people to indulge in virtual worlds, live streaming, and Illusion, but it would never free most from suffering.

It left people living in extreme repression, and after overcoming a difficult hurdle, the only reward was a ticket to the next hurdle.

The best solution would still be to completely eradicate corporatism, rebuild society, eliminate division, and redistribute wealth, allowing technology and funds to serve the development of Humans and Witches, rather than burning people and extracting the brains of Witches to develop technology for the corporations.

The pursuit of pioneering ideology was to reach a consensus on equality and progress for all intelligent life on this planet.

Indeed, it had its unique insights.

Xu Yang pondered in his seat.

Witches could live up to 200 years; Selita had observed humanity for much longer than Humans, and she was no mere theorist.

Having fought as a guerrilla in the White Elephant Continent for so many years and demonstrated her military expertise in modern wars, she had also trained a batch of well-trained cadres and soldiers.

Are all Witches so wise?

Xu Yang turned to see Farosa lying in her seat scrolling through videos.

She stretched out her legs, taking up three seats by lying down, and giggled foolishly at her phone.

If she hadn’t been given a pair of wireless headphones before they set off, by now the entire Shuttle Machine cabin would be filled with noisy music and high-pitched squeals.

With her back to everyone else, Farosa’s face was lit by the phone screen’s glow, her beauty easily enchanting to anyone, but she had not learned to think from the perspective of others.

The Baxes treated Farosa as if she were a monster, not daring to look at her from afar, silent as cicadas in the cold, fearful that any careless act might provoke her wrath; they already showed signs of serving a New God.

Upon arriving at Holy Favor Garden, the atmosphere became much better.

The exterior of the club looked like an elegant small hotel, four stories high, with neatly manicured private gardens on both sides of the entrance.

The security facilities were concealed inside the marble wall, and because of its strong defense and deep location in Hui City District, it had not been greatly affected by the rodent plague.

This was a big help to Xu Yang, as he had too many people without legal identities, not just himself, but 101 and 102 as well, who couldn’t afford to be seen in public.

102 was lively, the first to leap off the Shuttle Machine.

Sharing a room with Farosa was like accompanying an invisible monster; knowing of its existence, yet unable to point it out to anyone.

“Wow, it’s like a vacation!” 102 cheerfully ran towards the entrance, and soon a floating robotic butler opened the door for her, attending to her diligently.

Is this the life of the rich?

Xu Yang followed off the Shuttle Machine.

He ascended the steps, pushed open the heavy wooden doors, and entered the lobby.

The interior was lavishly decorated, with a two-story ceiling, a huge crystal chandelier hanging down, casting warm golden light.

The air was warm and comfortable, with exquisite wall decorations and vast space.

Standing there, he felt like his mind and chest had broadened, even his breathing felt smoother than before.

Farosa, who had been playing with her phone, took off her headphones and glanced around, her eyes immediately lighting up.

“I should live in a place like this.” Farosa walked over to a golden fabric sofa, picked up a silk pillow, tossed it into the air and caught it again, beaming with joy.

She couldn’t help but touch the vases, coffee tables, and statues around her, utterly enchanted.

In the adjacent music room, an automatic piano was playing “Lana River Dance,” a piece very well-known in the Taixi Continent and quite old.

Drawn by the music, Farosa approached it, lost in thought as she listened.

“I heard this piece once at a banquet held by the Cardo Royal Family.” Farosa said.

“The predecessor of the Iris Group…

the Cardo Kingdom.” Xu Yang recalled what Farosa had once said.

“They ruled the central mountains of the Taixi Continent, and had only risen for less than 10 years at that time.

I hadn’t expected them to have developed so successfully into this era.” Farosa walked towards the piano, her hand caressing it.

There was no need to press the keys; they moved up and down according to an electronic program, and she imagined a shadowy musician seated there, serving the mansion’s master.

“A phantom pianist.” Farosa murmured.

“A tune that evokes your nostalgia?” Xu Yang silently listened.

Classical music seemed a world away from a corporate person’s life.

Now having the opportunity to lay down his burdens and listen intently, he found it delightfully refreshing.

“Not just nostalgic, it’s as if I’m back at that day’s banquet, though not with this kind of instrument.”

“It must have been lively.”

“Lively is an understatement, with 12 women dancing at the edge of the hall,” Farosa still remembered, “There were Eastern guests who presented gold, fruit, ivory, and spices to King Cardo, which made his heart burst with joy.

He tasted the spices; maintaining health and eternal life with them was an important custom.

I was drinking on the side when a bird flew through the hall.

At first, it pleased me, but its noise became unbearable, and I cast a spell to kill it.”

“You’re too violent.”

“Everyone thought so.

The king pretended to be calm, continuing to toast and drink, but secretly ordered the court witch to guard his side to prevent me from causing trouble.

The music grew more vigorous, the flutist suddenly hit a wrong note, and the jester danced wildly in the court.

The king couldn’t stop laughing, choked on his wine, and soon died there and then.

The prince rushed in, begging me to revive his father.

I replied, ‘Now you are the king, aren’t you pleased?'”

“And then…”

“The prince appeared oddly furious and ordered me to be expelled.

I knew very well that by doing this, he was keeping the only person who could save his father away from the scene.

I was happy to comply, taking my fine wine and purse, and fled far, far away.

The old king’s decrepit state made death a trivial matter.

At that time, I was still in flight; the new king, bold as he was, later negotiated with me to help me escape far away, completely leaving the Taixi Continent.

I said this reward wasn’t enough compared to the help I’d given him.

He promised that the Cardo family would forever owe Farosa a favor.”

“I wonder when I can claim it from the Iris Group.”

“They may have forgotten, but these notes remain the same; perhaps only music can transcend the long span of history.”

“The era you lived in truly differs greatly from the modern one.”

“Turn it off.” Farosa spoke to the automated piano, which recognized her voice and sought confirmation.

After Farosa nodded, the music stopped immediately.

“Now you should know this isn’t a phantom.”

“It’s what you call a program.” Farosa said, “You have many ways to enslave steel…

steel doesn’t tire, doesn’t feel pain, but people will have their youth drained.

Witches are no different, I didn’t mean to pressure Lila so aggressively.

Reflecting on it now, existing within some data, she must have her own sorrows.”

“Your understanding of this world is growing deeper.”

“The deeper it gets, the more bewildering it becomes, the more I realize its hopelessness.”

“A witch has proposed her solution,” Xu Yang wanted to talk to Farosa about Selita’s plan, “…Would you like to see it?

She is sensible, worldly, and well-educated.

She has outlined a better world, drawn up a beautiful blueprint.”

“I have a better idea…” Farosa stretched lazily, looked at Xu Yang with desirous eyes, and licked her lips, “…This place has such a nice atmosphere, I’m going to find a bathtub, change into fresh clothes, and then we should find a big enough bed and spend an entire week together.”