Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 244 - 218: Please Advise

Chapter 244: Chapter 218: Please Advise

Miyazato Kazama maintained enough patience as she walked around the personal armors suspended in the air, swiftly examining their appearances, maintenance status, and the markings on crucial parts to verify their authenticity.

These armors surprised her greatly; personal armor was standard issue equipment for the "Pale Legion," the main force of the Lighthouse Core Company, configured with cutting-edge specifications in line with a philosophy of continuous improvement. It possessed massive scientific research value, tantamount to unobtainable research material for any military technology development unit.

She couldn’t help but take several glances at Xu Yang. At this moment, Xu Yang, clothed heavily and his true face unseen, seemed to control everything, shrouded in mystery that made Kazama find him elusive.

"How shall I address you?" Miyazato Kazama asked cautiously.

"Unfortunately, there is no suitable title. Due to some accidents, I have lost my original identity," Xu Yang said, "You may refer to me in any way you like."

"That’s truly unusual," Miyazato Kazama’s curiosity towards Xu Yang grew. She tucked her hands in her pockets, finding that despite everything, he was easy to get along with, affording her ample respect and personal space which was pleasantly surprising and warmer than other companies.

"These armors," Xu Yang pointed to the captured single combat armors, "are modularly equipped with many of Lighthouse Core’s cutting-edge technologies, the most core of which is the autonomous assist module. The entire armor can upgrade in tandem with the wearer, learning the wearer’s combat style and philosophy."

"Indeed," Miyazato Kazama observed the armors with the eyes of a professional, "the key lies in the specially made memory chips and combat simulation programs loaded inside the helmets, continuously recording the wearer’s combat reports while running background simulation tests and analytics to ultimately provide improved combat assistance strategies, replacing the one-size-fits-all standard combat guidance solutions. This is the style of Lighthouse Core—piling on the individual to ensure each combatant’s potential is optimally utilized."

"Personal armor is intended for humans, but I am considering other equipment," Xu Yang pulled out an unworn "Whisper" class Witch Armor from the storage, "These Witch Armors serve the Witches."

"Yes," Miyazato Kazama expertly disassembled the Witch Armor before Xu Yang, showing the lining. Inside the armor, adjacent to the body, a series of specially designed corrosion-resistant alloys distributed like neural circuits. "Referencing the classical ceremonial robes of High-Ranking Witches, the ebbs and flows of magic power in a Witch’s body are analyzed. Direct magic circuits corresponding to the body’s magic nodes are also designed on the armor, connecting with each other using a distributed system to enhance and accelerate the circulation of magic, universally amplifying the intensity of Magic Power."

"Nestor Corporation employs a group of very talented Witches with exceptional individual abilities," Xu Yang said, "If we could combine the advantages of both types of armors and design ’tailor-made’ combat solutions for them, they ought to be able to perform better under any circumstances."

"You have employed many Witches?" Miyazato Kazama couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease.

It was certain that Witches at any company suffered harsh oppression. If the Witches here were engaged in astounding physical labor and suffered abuse of varying degrees, she wouldn’t be surprised.

"Not ’many,’" Xu Yang said, "after all, we only hire from among the most outstanding Witches. I’ll arrange your accommodations and logistical matters. You may visit the industrial park at your leisure, and as for the specific work content and compensation, those can be discussed once you’ve fully adapted to the environment here."

"There is one thing," Miyazato Kazama pointed out, "I cannot work alone; I need a team."

"Alright, that’s also within consideration," Xu Yang nodded. That was a tricky issue; it was difficult to guarantee the quality of others, and more people meant more complications.

Miyazato Kazama nodded to Xu Yang and then left the warehouse silently.

Everything here was filled with an unprecedented sense of mystery and freshness. What kind of life did the other Witches here lead? What were the accommodations and dining facilities like where she would be living?

She was very keen to find out.

First, Miyazato Kazama headed to a place marked "Employee Recreation Room." Inside, rhythmic music was playing, and two charming Witches were sitting in front of a gaming console, engrossed with their controllers.

One had brown hair and blue eyes, appearing like a young girl from the Taixi Continent, with soft freckles on her face, sweet and cute, exuding vitality; the other had black hair and eyes and was both smaller in stature and younger in age.

The screen displayed an intense combat game in progress. Miyazato Kazama watched their actions; the black-haired little girl had noticeably more skilled input, taking the upper hand after executing a crisp two-hit combo. The other girl was frantically pressing buttons on the controller, and in her urgency, seemed to release some magic power—there was a crisp snap, and the controller broke in two in her hands, cutting off its connection to the console.

"It disconnected!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed.

"Then I win!" the black-haired little girl exclaimed excitedly, seizing the opportunity to defeat the opponent’s character during her inability to play, clinching a clean victory.

"Oh!" the brown-haired girl, frustrated, tossed the broken controller aside, "That’s the third one I’ve broken!"

"You should control your magic power! And your emotions!" the other girl teased.

Miyazato Kazama looked on incredulously; wasn’t it working hours? What was their job?

Besides the young Witches who were playing, the other Witches nearby seemed almost idle, lying on sofas watching TV, cooking, engaging in floriculture, almost as if they were on an endless vacation. Four Synthetic Maids bustled about, performing basic services like cleaning. Their workload was light, pausing briefly after being a little busy before dispersing on their own.

Wrapped in an atmosphere that was dreamy and relaxed, Miyazato Kazama felt she had entered a paradise meticulously designed for Witches, with all pressure gone without a trace.

Just a few hours ago, she had been distressed over her hollow work and meaningless life, but now she felt extremely relaxed, unable to discern which was the true face of the world.

Confounded by reality, Miyazato Kazama stumbled to a sofa and sat down, crossed her legs, buried her face in her palms, and took deep breaths.

"What’s wrong?" the brown-haired girl who had broken the game controller ran over, "Who are you? Are you okay?"

"I..." Miyazato Kazama lifted her head.

It was then that she realized she had caught the attention of all the other Witches in the resting room. They were sizing her up with different looks, mostly kind, except for one Witch whose eyes carried a degree of doubt and instinctive hostility.

"You must be new," confidently stated the brown-haired girl, "My name is 102!"

"Nice to meet you." Miyazato Kazama quickly got up and bowed to her, "My name is Miyazato Kazama."

"You should tell us about your past, why you came here, what you’ll be doing here." The unfriendly Witch kept watching Miyazato Kazama, "Your name, Miyazato Kazama..."

"I’ve been hired as the Science Officer for the Nestor Corporation." Overcoming her initial panic, Miyazato Kazama gradually calmed down, looking up, "I’m sorry, but I don’t think I need to explain more to you. What’s your name?"

"Du Qianqian." The Witch leaned against the bar, her eyes continuously probing Miyazato Kazama as if trying to see right through her.

"I hope we can all work together as equals and get along well in the future," Miyazato Kazama said evenly.

"A Science Officer!" 102 exclaimed in surprise, "Then you must be very smart, capable of anything, and even able to conduct research?"

"Of course," Miyazato Kazama replied with pride.

"Can you fix this?" another black-haired Little Witch brought over the broken game controller, "We don’t dare bother our mistress anymore."

"This... I should be able to." Miyazato Kazama could fix the wires and the casing, "Um... who is the mistress?"

"A very impressive person," 102 said, "You’d better watch out! You’ll meet her later."

"Is she the president of the Nestor Corporation?" Miyazato Kazama asked curiously, "The man who brought me in was wearing a black coat and a Phantom mask—who is he?"

"The man you’re talking about is the real boss of the company," 102 gestured, "I don’t know how I would explain the relationships between the mistress, the president, and that man. But forget it! You’ll understand everything soon enough."

Miyazato Kazama smiled faintly.

Looking around, she slowly started to chat with them, getting to know their individual names.

To be honest, she wasn’t quite comfortable interacting with so many Witches.

In the research institute, people preferred to keep a distance of eight hundred meters between one another, and even if their workstations were next to each other, there would be no interaction. One might feel disdain or wariness towards the others and hate having their time occupied by someone else, for the atmosphere in the institute was more like a collection of self-interested decision-making entities, afraid that unnecessary socializing would impact the maximization of their own interests.

The situation at the Nestor Corporation was entirely different. To Miyazato Kazama, these Witches hardly seemed like the standard productive labor units in a company. Rather, they were more like self-employed individuals, their output linked to their own labor, and the intensity and content of their work determined by themselves, so their morale and mental outlook were quite positive.

For Witches who naturally possess powers superior to humans, this latter work model was better suited for them to play to their strengths, which Miyazato Kazama considered the most excellent aspect of the company.

However, how could such a flatly managed company maintain the loyalty of its Witches?

By nightfall, Miyazato Kazama arrived at her dormitory, where her luggage had been neatly arranged, and the Synthetic Maid had made her bed for her.

She opened her intelligent communication channel and found many missed messages from a past colleague at the research institute.