Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 429 - 386 bet

Chapter 429: 386 bet

The thing Du Qianqian hated the most was poverty.

Before returning to Shijin Mansion, Du Qianqian transformed into the appearance of an obscure third-tier model.

With slightly tanned skin, she felt like a beauty from a subtropical region. This new form was not stunningly beautiful, but the clothes were trendy, the accessories expensive, and Du Qianqian was deeply impressed at first glance.

Looking at her reflection in a shop window, Du Qianqian saw the brand logo of Trengholden on her short wool coat, her shoes were the seasonal new arrivals from Lajo, and her wristwatch was a "Minister of Time · Gentle Court Banquet", priced at 320,000. Du Qianqian had spent a lot of effort learning about luxury goods, and she was grateful that her transformation magic could also replicate target’s attire, allowing her to enjoy these designer labels without spending a penny.

If only it were her own face.

Material life had become Du Qianqian’s ultimate pursuit.

She was tired of sharing facilities like the swimming pool, gym, cinema, and sauna with the other witches in Shijin Mansion, hated their incessant chatter, and was even sick of groveling before Farosa.

Now, Du Qianqian was chasing her own completely private pleasures. She still had eight hundred thousand left on her card. In the past, she would have considered this a windfall. Now, she only wanted to add five more zeros to that number and even resented the slow pace at which she earned money.

She had the power of transformation, and now she also had the King of Illusions. What in the world could stop her from making money now?

Du Qianqian arrived at a paid parking lot, located in the underground of a shopping mall; her electric flying skateboard had been parked here for six hours, costing ninety yuan. Du Qianqian paid with her cash card, relishing the justified pleasure of spending money. She succumbed to the worship of materialism under corporate logic, where money could achieve anything and the only legitimate pursuit for people was to make money.

Had it not been necessary to keep a low profile, she would not even bother with such a small skateboard and would surely switch to a luxury shuttle machine.

Thinking of this, Du Qianqian’s mind went back to Kojima Kanako’s high-end shuttle machines and the suffering she endured at Sunrise Bar; she thought of that poverty-stricken remote village in the southwest of Xia, an absolutely hideous place in the world that made Du Qianqian shudder with revulsion — she would rather die than return to that wretched place. For such a powerful witch as herself to be born in such dire straits, surrounded by nothing but poverty...

She was going to make money in Silla by any means necessary.

Du Qianqian had two drinks at the bar and didn’t return until 4 p.m., slightly drunk. She squatted on the skateboard, heedlessly boosting its speed to the maximum. Then she used her key to pass the verification, crossed through the holographic projection wall, and entered the landing pad of Shijin Mansion.

She saw Xu Yang returning at the same time, with the exquisite Purple Wind parked beside him.

As usual, Xu Yang wore tightly concealed clothing, very low-key, a complete secret guest. He raised his hand and greeted Du Qianqian.

"Welcome back," Xu Yang said. Since Du Qianqian had entered Shijin Mansion with her proprietary key, he could tell it was her.

"Hey!" she greeted loudly.

"Transform back," Xu Yang looked at Du Qianqian, who was ever-changing but always the same at heart.

"I won’t," said Du Qianqian.

By now, Du Qianqian was overflowing with self-confidence, not even regarding Xu Yang as important.

"Well then," Xu Yang shrugged. He was here waiting for the two sisters.

Soon, 101 and 102 came over and retrieved new outfits from the Purple Wind, custom ordered by Xu Yang. After opening the lid for a look, everything was made of familiar materials and styles, but the sizes were customized to their new figures. 102 thanked Xu Yang happily, while 101 nodded to him.

wanted to make some extra gesture of appreciation. Seeing a stranger present but not recognizing it was Du Qianqian in disguise, she held back, subtly waving to Xu Yang instead.

"Let’s go!" 102 picked up the garment box and ran back lightly, and 101 also vanished on the spot.

"They’re not very smart," Du Qianqian said dismissively before transforming back to her original form, "I am much more capable than they are."

"How do you prove that?" Xu Yang studied Du Qianqian, "How do you know you’re more capable than the two of them?"

Bolstered by the courage from the alcohol, a strong impulse surged in Du Qianqian’s heart. She believed she could accomplish anything and change everyone’s perception.

"Let’s make a bet," she said, "I can make 300 million in Silla."

"300 million," Xu Yang couldn’t help but laugh, "how will you do it?"

"That’s not important! The key point is whether you’re willing," Du Qianqian said proudly, "If I truly bring the money back, I want you to admit that I am strong."

"Then, it’s a deal," Xu Yang nodded.

Immediately afterward, Du Qianqian strutted off the landing pad and headed towards the Witch Activity Center, ready to have a big meal. Her mind was already soaring wildly. She would use any means to gather wealth, resorting to any measures, to completely fill her desire for money.

Du Qianqian must not be allowed to act recklessly. Xu Yang thought to himself. If her mood for mischief escalated, her destructive power would be enormous. It was necessary to send some steady and experienced people to accompany Du Qianqian on her departure.

Witches are all very proud, proud of the great power they possess, only the way they show it differs.

Xu Yang was now most concerned about the election campaign in Anjiu City.

During the election period, the propaganda machine continued to operate, turning into an advertising war. The objects of praise shifted from consumer goods to council candidates, and the selling points changed from efficacy, packaging, and taste to election promises, educational background, and work experience. Those who were willing to spend money in this area could easily attract the attention of the citizens.

As it turned out, celebrities were the ones most likely to receive a large number of votes, with even the least popular fetching about 30,000 votes. Their fans were full of energy and willing to spend money, showing a much higher level of engagement than anyone else, even quitting their jobs or taking loans if necessary, all to push their idols to high positions, with action far exceeding that of the average citizen.

As someone who did not exist in any records, Xu Yang had no voting rights and could only watch from the sidelines.

However, he found it all very interesting. On the coasts of the Taixi and Agave Continents, there were many similar independent cities, controlled by mayors rather than corporate-appointed management, representing the diversity of urban ecology.

After passing through the entryway, Xu Yang returned to his office, where Little Fool had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing him, she ran over happily and jumped into his arms, much more agile than before.

"Woo..." Little Fool pressed against Xu Yang’s chest.

Seeing Little Fool, Xu Yang felt as if time slowed down.

Xu Yang teased her, then prepared her food and took the building blocks out of the box.

"Quack, quack, quack." Little Fool gestured to Xu Yang, indicating that he was in danger, that Farosa was furious, and likely to tear him from limb to limb.

"How cute," Xu Yang misunderstood her meaning.

He sat in his office chair and began searching through the city forum posts in reverse chronological order to understand the cause of the election.

Xu Yang found that it all started with a major debate on internet forums. Two weeks prior, netizens had been vigorously discussing how to change the status quo, eventually turning their attention to legislation.

The "Corporate Alliance Law" formulated by the Corporate Alliance had become outdated, overly favoring entrepreneurs, which is why citizens demanded a new, comprehensive law, leaning towards various reform proposals.

The public opinion grew intense, to the point where the mayor had no choice but to concede, never having foreseen that he would meet his end in the public square.

There was also the fueling by opinion leaders and intellectual elites who, seeing that the will of the people and societal change were irresistible trends, changed their stance. Initially, they cited classics to discuss the freedom of a corporate market economy, but now they adopted a different tone, speaking vehemently in favor of corporate supervision and regulation, all to appease tendencies and to grab attention.

Xu Yang entered Anjiu City’s data portal to observe the progress.

There were a total of 3.5 million valid votes. Each adult citizen could only cast one vote for one candidate. Based on the number of votes, out of over two thousand candidates, nine would become members of the city council, forming the first council.

A social commentator named Saburo Otsubo wrote a press release, detailing the vote count, campaign stances, characteristics, and advantages of the strong candidates.

Oohara Risa 1.2 million votes (Advocates for societal reform; supported by her father’s political inheritance and the backing of her husband’s Kamibayashi Consortium; promises to establish a social security system; takes a tough stance externally, attempting to tax large enterprises, shows reform bravery. The advantage is that she is the only candidate most citizens have heard of)

Asa Katsuragi 300,000 votes (Advocates for crime reduction; supported by the citizens of Aizu City; has a commoner’s background and high approachability, lacks experience in managing large cities. The advantage is that she makes decisions based on moral sense and conscience, without complex interest entanglements, has her own faction in the Underground City, and is unafraid of threats)

Kensaku Fujiki 430,000 votes (Advocates for improving the business environment, promoting the economy; a big business owner skilled in marketing; supported by many international capitals, has serious background issues; the advantage is that he can provide overwhelming publicity, has been enthusiastic about public welfare for a long time, maintains a positive social image, called the last conscience of entrepreneurs)

Shinsuke Higashino 320,000 votes (Advocates for expanding the gaming industry; more known for his live-streaming room "Super Game Room" and his live-streaming name "Super Game Master," an evergreen presence in the traditional gaming live-streaming circle; has countless fans; astonishing traffic; the advantage is strong immunity to the prevalent depression in the industry)

Setsuki 150,000 votes (Advocates social monitoring through a strong news industry and media; the daughter of the president of Kakuya Media; too young; the advantage is that she has rich practical experience and undercover experience)

Matsuki Junma 200,000 votes (Advocates the expansion of the entertainment industry; an idol with a large fan base from the entertainment and music industries; extremely handsome; the advantage is that he can summon a million ghost soldiers when falling behind in votes)

Takashi Watanabe 190,000 votes (Advocates for city rebuilding, demolishing skyscrapers and expanding living space; a civil politician; too practical, not spending enough on advertising; the advantage is having a very impressive detailed plan)

Lila 350,000 votes (Advocates social fairness promoted by Nestor Corporation; has risen rapidly; the advantage is being able to back up the above candidates with military forces)

Xu Yang also saw that 80,000 votes were cast for Cyber Specter, waiting for it to upload a real, unshaded photo, fill in its file code and birthdate, after which these 80,000 votes would become effective.

But he didn’t want to get involved in the whirlpool of the election, the waters were too deep, and he would leave the handling to Lila.

What Xu Yang saw was the divisiveness of the era.

"We now live in a particularly diverse, or rather, divided era," Xu Yang thought to himself. This could be seen from the voting, as citizens could not be united, each with their own ideas and demands. The whole society was filled with different voices from top to bottom, with people heading in completely different directions. One person’s beliefs couldn’t even convince their family and friends, forcing them to find like-minded partners in the online world.

"In such a period of great change, one must recognize oneself and be patient and cautious," Xu Yang silently admonished himself. "Do not be dazzled by temporary achievements, nor act out of haste for immediate success."