Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 539 - 466: New Order

Chapter 539: Chapter 466: New Order

After the victory of the war, the next task was to rebuild a new order in the Northern Archipelago.

The support of Tenjouin Shino was indispensable in this process. Because of her significant assistance, Nestor Corporation had easily occupied Xisheng Shrine, facilitating everything that followed, leading to a successful collaboration on the same front due to this relationship.

Hearing that Lila was going to hold a meeting, Tenjouin Shino then headed to Xisheng Shrine.

"Be cautious of enemies," warn the samurai of the Tenjouin Family, fully armed in bulletproof armor. Xisheng Shrine was always a dangerous place, even though it had changed hands.

"Lila Nestor is a woman who goes by the rules," Tenjouin Shino confidently alighted from the Shuttle Machine, "Even if she were to wage war, she would present a declaration of war first."

"She may be involved in the death of Mayor Oohara Nobuhiko of Anjiu City," cautioned the samurai. "Don’t think of her as too naive, Miss. You are now the only one who can assume the heavy responsibility for the Tenjouin Family."

"I’m here to make friends," Tenjouin Shino said as she jumped off the Shuttle Machine, "Otherwise, why would I dress like this?"

The samurai stood at the Shuttle Machine’s exit, scrutinizing the noble daughter of the Tenjouin family. Tenjouin Shino had her hands in her skirt pockets, was wearing a beautiful red canvas jacket with a purple bow tie, a white tank top with cartoon images, a plaid miniskirt, brown soft leather shoes, and white bubble socks, and adorned with black sunglasses. She looked neither like a company president nor a traditional noble, but rather had a highly individual style.

"They’re waiting for another person," the samurai shifted the topic, noticing the staff of Nestor Corporation clearing the runway, suggesting that some other important guest was about to arrive at Xisheng Shrine.

"We’ll know who it is in a while," Tenjouin Shino was indifferent.

She proceeded to the meeting room where, around the circular seating, Lila Nestor sat on a black leather chair, impeccably dressed in a pure white coat. Her light golden hair and sky-blue eyes always struck Tenjouin Shino as chilling.

"Excuse me!" Tenjouin Shino loudly announced at the door, "This is Tenjouin Shino, now present at the scene!"

She intended to participate in the meeting in a more relaxed manner, hoping to slightly wear down Lila’s harsh exterior.

"Please change into more formal attire for the meeting," Lila looked up, her words still mercilessly cold.

"Don’t keep such a straight face," Tenjouin Shino took a seat two places away from Lila.

Lila put aside her work and Tenjouin Shino observed her, truly admiring her.

After defeating New Xisheng Group, Nestor Corporation’s primary task was to assimilate the fruits of victory, absorbing an industry park with a trillion in output and controlling a vast expanse of real estate. In order to sort this all out, Lila worked almost 24 hours a day, dealing with the complex matters and reshaping order.

"Tenjouin Shino, known for her severity, now appears joyful and relaxed - quite unexpected," commented Lila in a frosty tone.

"Because I just neutralized that brat Kiriya yesterday," Tenjouin Shino smiled, as if having discarded a great annoyance, "And thanks to you driving away New Xisheng, Kyoto Infinity has also become much quieter. I can run my company as I like now, without the board consuming my energy."

"Miss Tenjouin must have made many sacrifices as well," Lila observed Tenjouin Shino.

"Just say it directly," Tenjouin Shino replied with ease. "I’m not one for beating around the bush."

"Previously, 670 nobles fled aboard Orochi," explained Lila. "But they were purged by Nestor Corporation, including members of the Tenjouin Family. Now you are cooperating with Nestor Corporation again."

Blood staining the seas, corpses piling into mountains, blood flowing like a river. Just thinking about the scene made Tenjouin Shino shiver. Subsequent rescue teams that arrived could do nothing to ameliorate the situation; they could only photograph the bloodied heaps of the Orochi’s wreckage before organizing the personal effects.

In that maritime disaster, Tenjouin Shino lost many nephews and nieces, either dead at sea or fed to the Ocean Descendants, decreasing her family’s population by two-thirds. Other noble families suffered tragically as well, with many dying out entirely and facing the risk of ending their lineages. Historians reflecting back on this event would deem it the doomsday of the island’s noble houses.

However, Tenjouin Shino had already stepped out from the shadows.

"I was a bit dismayed at first, but now I’ve come to understand that, to a Witch, the concept of ’family’ is rather faint, isn’t it?" Tenjouin Shino shook her head, "I won’t even have my own offspring. What reproductive capacity does a Witch have? After all, as a Witch, it’s unconnected to property inheritance or family expansion - just a tool that gives it all, and doing what I love matters most."

"A wise choice," said Lila.

As a mid-generation Witch, Tenjouin Shino was already quite old. She desired to experience more future-oriented matters in her extended life, rather than stagnating in the past.

She assessed Lila, a witch with an artificial body and mechanical mind, and found that interacting with her truly felt different.

Moreover, mortals all have family backgrounds, social status, and societal entanglements. Yet Lila came alone, signifying that the reforms she intended to promote were unencumbered by any conflicts of interest. Tenjouin Shino didn’t even know if Lila had any friends!

Thinking of this, Tenjouin Shino felt a considerable amount of sympathy and moved over to take a seat closer to Lila.

"This spot is closer to the air conditioning," Tenjouin Shino said.

"A cultural shirt," Lila glanced at the commemorative garment Tenjouin Shino wore under her coat, emblazoned with a brave miniaturized version of a knight hero.

"This is the 70th-anniversary T-shirt for ’Knight DIA’!" Tenjouin Shino said with extreme excitement, "It’s the highest-selling manga in the history of Kyoto Infinity. It was just released when I was in middle school."

An old witch, Lila thought silently. Knowledgeable, graceful in manner, open-minded, and diligent in her work.

Time is unforgiving, and she herself wasn’t much younger than Tenjouin Shino—they both could be considered middle-aged witches. Lila evaluated. Compared to those little witches who knew nothing of the world, Tenjouin Shino seemed like a suitable social contact.

With this thought, Lila’s opinion of Tenjouin Shino improved. Her friendship module contained a list where people’s relationships were marked with numeric values.

Similar age: Tenjouin Shino’s favorability +20

"Good," Lila said, "let’s return to official business."

"Previously, Miss Witch and the President operated Kyoto Infinity very prosperously," Tenjouin Shino said generously, "But I am not as skilled as they are in overseeing the bigger picture. I hope Miss Nestor can clarify the rationale for me so I can also direct everyone at Kyoto Infinity and find the correct direction for our efforts."

"There’s no need to be nervous." Lila activated the informational modeling machine in the center of the conference table, "Deep collaboration between Nestor Corporation and Kyoto Infinity can resolve the majority of the problems in the Northern Archipelago."

The equipment projected the current topographic map of the Northern Archipelago, slowly rotating in three-dimensional form and reflecting data on corporate cities, wastelands, ports, corporate shares, industrial layout, and population.

"Ah, the Shangjing Bay Industrial Area," Tenjouin Shino saw the key industrial capacities. Once those manufacturing capacities were secured, Nestor Corporation would soar rapidly, breaking through the trillion-dollar mark in value. "Just by restarting these factories in Shangjing, Nestor Corporation is likely to become the foremost in finances and production capacity in the Archipelago."

"That’s the plan, to restart industrial production first," Lila indicated her strategy, "But we have more to do than just that; we aim to reverse the current situation and transform the world of mortals."

"What?"

"This is a suggestion from our partners," Lila explained Xu Yang’s idea, "We all understand what corporatism looks like. If we do not restructure it from the root, the world will fall into stagnation. We will adjust everything and do the opposite, reuniting the homeless, unemployed, and the lower classes of citizens, transforming the entire Northern Archipelago."

"A colossal undertaking," Tenjouin Shino felt the trouble with just a slight consideration, "To draw a standard of living, at least 150 million people in the Northern Archipelago fit the criterion for poverty."

"Nestor Corporation has just won the war and has enough prestige to push for reforms," Lila said, "Nestor Corporation will rebuild all the foundational organizations and order so that people can escape violence and chaos and live a life with an optimistic outlook."

"Where do we start?"

"What I am about to discuss might be rather complicated," Lila said as she sat up straight, "I hope Miss Tenjouin listens carefully."

"Yes," Tenjouin Shino also sat up straight, ready for a discussion of broad scope.

"Corporatism still has a clear presence in Shangjing. Capital from various places, power groups, real estate moguls, and financial exchanges all thrive within this commercial city, vividly resisting Nestor Corporation’s entry and control of the city. They are the largest remnants of corporatism in the Northern Archipelago," Lila explained.

"Indeed, after all, this is Shangjing, nowhere is more prosperous," Tenjouin Shino looked out the window. The megacity was emblematic of the heights of corporatism.

"Obviously, to defeat a system, one must not only crush it militarily but also make it inoperable economically, and economic means are more effective than military ones," Lila stated.

Economic means? Tenjouin Shino was deeply skeptical. Nestor Corporation had military might, but where were the economic tactics to shake the foundations of corporatism?