Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 459 - 410 Unparalleled

Chapter 459: Chapter 410 Unparalleled

Nanase Kizuna pushed open the large doors of the meeting room and found that the board members and the Tenjouin Family had arrived earlier than her.

The entire circular meeting room was adorned in modern decor. The permanent corporate directors settled into their seats, whispering among themselves, wondering what maneuver Reisei Kirino, the Sakura Witch, would make next.

She walked forward and shut the door firmly behind her.

Everything had changed, Nanase Kizuna thought to herself. Before Shangjing became as affluent as it was now, before shopping complexes and office buildings sprung up, the city was filled with low, wooden ancient buildings.

She remembered how the Corporate Alliance had dismantled the feudal rule in a mere nine hours, forcing the Northern Archipelago to open its country. At that time, nobles and daimyo could only constrain their samurai and silently watch as entrepreneurs shipped goods across the ocean to flood the local markets.

They were stupefied by science, technology, industrial products, and modern military forces, indistinguishable from the common villagers they once scorned, like confused wild beasts, only wanting to worship the intercontinental corporations, just as they used to revere the Ancient Gods of the sea.

But they soon realized that social rules had not changed. The disparity between the noble and the common remained vast, and once they adopted corporatism, the efficiency with which they harvested the villagers’ labor greatly surpassed the past. The elite groups used it to slash and burn, rising rapidly, then employed cultural indoctrination and technological control like twin hammers, pounding the livestock out of any place to hide.

To this day, investors of noble descent were gathered in front of Nanase Kizuna: the Kurokawa, Kojima, Kamibayashi, Tenjouin... Nanase Kizuna had dealt with their ancestors and could now recognize the genetic legacy left by them in their eyes and brows.

It was Reisei Kirino who was the bold, intelligent, and visionary president. Nanase Kizuna was merely in charge of daily operations, and she never felt comfortable in front of so many investors; the meeting room was very different from the ancient forests she preferred.

Yuan Chaozong, the CEO of Xisheng Defense Company, was also present, his large belly and wrinkled face giving a benign appearance. Yet, if one spent some time with him, his sly nature would become apparent.

Behind him stood his daughter, Minamoto Makoto, a powerful Witch.

Her hair dyed a golden color, her facial features were sharp, like those of a mixed-race person, dressed in an ill-fitting bright red long raincoat, with the hood loosely hanging behind her neck, she looked bizarre, and was now smiling at Nanase Kizuna.

Nanase Kizuna had heard that she had spent a long time in the Taixi Continent, had come into contact with ancient evil entities, and was not to be underestimated in power.

"So," Yuan Chaozong spoke nonchalantly, full of self-regard, believing himself to be far more powerful than his grandmother Honma Noriko, "we all believe that Miss Kirino wouldn’t have hurriedly called us together without important business. Please speak."

"It’s about the anime adaptation of ’Siphon!’, " Nanase Kizuna declared loudly, "I trust that everyone here is eager to see it smoothly enter the production process."

In truth, that was not the case. Nanase Kizuna was disappointed to see they did not even bother to feign interest.

Twenty shareholders in the room all wore inscrutable smiles; some exchanged knowing glances as if they had already understood the answer to this matter, isolating Nanase Kizuna in the center of the entrance.

"Get on with it," Yuan Chaozong said sternly, half challenging, half asserting authority. He intended to affirm the position of the New Xisheng Group within the Kyoto Infinity management hierarchy; from now on, their word would be law.

"I have found the perfect singer for the theme song of ’Siphon!’. Just this theme song is arguably enough to protect the buzzing sales of the work," said Nanase Kizuna.

Upon hearing this, the directors reacted with even stranger expressions, laced with scorn and frustration.

They leaned back in their chairs, clearly unenthusiastic about the matter, convinced that Reisei Kirino had lost her senses. Faced with the harsh reality of ’Siphon!’ being difficult to adapt into an anime, she brought up such trivial details.

A theme song...

No matter how pleasant to listen to, no matter how significant, it was just a song. How could it possibly have a decisive effect?

Even classic anime themes with high sing-along rates in iconic series relied on production and promotion to build hype, securing their popularity through exposure.

"Actually," Zina Tenjouin, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly interjected, "I too have found a suitable singer for the theme song of ’Siphon!’."

"Who is it?" Yuan Chaozong was courteous towards Zina Tenjouin, not only because of her noble bloodline but also because her nephew, Tenjouin Kiriya, captain of the Orochi, was powerful.

"Matsuki Junma," Zina Tenjouin nodded, "he has already recorded half of the content, and the effect has been outstanding."

Upon the mention of the star Matsuki Junma, Yuan Chaozong nodded in agreement.

This would indeed add real appeal to the anime’s release. With a sizable fanbase, Matsuki Junma was currently running for a position in the city council of Anjiu City. His fans were fervent, ready to rally for their idol’s success. Whenever he fell behind, his numbers would surge dramatically overnight.

"Let’s give it a try," Yuan Chaozong said with pleasure, deliberately ignoring the presence of Nanase Kizuna.

Nanase Kizuna simply moved aside and listened to the recording by Matsuki Junma along with everyone else.

The familiar melody she knew began to play, and after the intro, Matsuki Junma’s warm and steady male voice echoed throughout the meeting room.

With the support of professional sound cards and studio monitors, his vocal skills became apparent, prompting frequent nods of approval.

With Matsuki Junma’s professional performance level, the anime’s theme song would surely be well within his grasp. Having debuted over a decade ago, he had built a solid reputation in the entertainment industry of the Northern Archipelago. Known for his humor and down-to-earth personality, he had good rapport and fan bases across different age groups.

Yuan Chaozong cast an approving glance at Zina Tenjouin, and the other attendees felt convinced.

"I had no idea such a fine collaboration had already been achieved," Yuan Chaozong nodded. "It seems that if ’Siphon!’ is to be successfully adapted into an anime, it still relies on your contribution, Zina!"

"Thank you," Tenjouin Zina replied, before looking at Nanase Kizuna with a half-weary gaze.

She wanted to grab the fox hidden under the mask and kill it, but she couldn’t.

’Siphon!’ was the most touching manga that Tenjouin Zina had read in fifty years. Even though she was not pleased with Nanase Kizuna’s bewitching ways, she now had to give her some respect.

"And the singer I’ve contacted," Nanase Kizuna stepped forward, drawing everyone’s attention. "Her interpretation of the song is of a higher completeness. I believe that once you hear her voice, you will understand the deep meaning I wish to convey."

"Is she a star? Is she popular?" Yuan Chaozong asked curiously.

"I’m completely unaware of her details," Nanase Kizuna said.

"Then why are you so sure?" Yuan Chaozong laughed, "Even if she sings well, she can’t possibly match the popularity boost that Matsuki Junma will bring to the entire work."

"Don’t let your personal bias harm the entire work," Tenjouin Zina spoke coldly.

"This is my original creation," Nanase Kizuna retorted angrily. "I believe I still have some say in the matter."

"This is Kyoto Infinity," Yuan Chaozong said with particular pride. "Standardized processing is our first principle."

"Please allow me to play this demo," Nanase Kizuna walked to the control terminal of the conference room, uploading the file she had received.

Playback began.

The familiar melody started playing. It had already been sung once by Matsuki Junma. No matter what, this was their second time listening, and they felt a bit tired of this repetitive tone.

Music, after all, has its limits in touching the human heart.

—Until the vocals started, and in an instant, the bright and moving voice gave them a stunning sense of shock.

Their ears had never heard such sweet sounds; it was like the ultimate care for the ears.

Even those who were tone deaf to music would be moved by this voice. If Matsuki Junma’s singing reached the peak of mortals, then the voice they were hearing now transcended the mundane. The emotions expressed by the voice seeped into the heart on a higher level.

Upon hearing this voice, Tenjouin Zina shivered. She had served as the animation supervisor for many years, but she had never heard such heavenly sounds before.

It was truly intoxicating.

She couldn’t help but fantasize about who the singer might be. With such a voice, they should have gained fame overseas and reached the pinnacle of the music charts by now. Compared to the performer of this song, Matsuki Junma was but a toddling fool, in need of starting from scratch to refine his singing skills.

Yuan Chaozong, who had weathered many storms, clapped symbolically, still unwilling to concede to Reisei Kirino.

His daughter Minamoto Makoto, who seemed pensive, had already prepared a recording device and captured this tune.

This was the singing of a supernatural being. Minamoto Makoto silently analyzed. They possessed a broader range of sounds than humans, exceptional tones, perhaps augmented by spells and magical items, giving their singing an unrivaled sense, beyond any human singer’s reach.

As a witch, Minamoto Makoto felt a strong sense of caution and knew she must investigate the singer thoroughly to prevent them from posing a threat. This was Shangjing, the largest metropolis in the Northern Archipelago, and if the person had malicious intentions, millions of people would be affected.

Other members, who were not as versed in secrets as Minamoto Makoto was, saw great potential. In their view, compared to producing the anime adaptation of ’Siphon!’, establishing contact with this mysterious singer was even more profitable.

"How about it?" Nanase Kizuna was pleased with their reaction. "I knew this song would change everyone’s perception of ’Siphon!’."

"I will personally pay Matsuki Junma the penalty fee," Tenjouin Zina promised. "Go ahead and do it; I will do my utmost to ensure the production of this anime."

Her statement was significant, essentially signaling that the core management of Kyoto Infinity was giving the green light to this anime production.

Nanase Kizuna took a deep breath, still hiding her expression behind the fox mask, and bowed deeply to them.

What she was most grateful for was the mysterious person from the New World Mechanism, that somewhat irritable agent, and the perfect singer who lent her voice to the song; she wondered what kind of stunning existence that was.

With that thought, Nanase Kizuna said her final farewells to them, then turned and rushed to sign the contract.

Minamoto Makoto excused herself from her father and left first; she needed to investigate thoroughly. As long as the person existed in this world, they would have left some trace.

The data archive of the Corporate Alliance was the largest human civilization data center. Minamoto Makoto intended to take the recorded voiceprint to the data center for comparison, confident that she would find clues to their identity.