84: Chapter 67 Eating 84: Chapter 67 Eating The so-called Dewdrops are a part of the Path to Immortality, and Xu Yang did not take them lightly.
They all held it in such high regard—it must be important knowledge on the mystical side.
Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with this area and can only investigate it later.
He handed his phone to Farosa, who after much contemplation, filled in the information discreetly and then passed it back.
“Dewdrops are the crystallization of faith.
The wishes and imaginations of many have formed a sort of divine object, which will gradually induce your transformation into it.
Ha, your Dewdrops must be quite filthy.”
That is to say, if people imagine someone as a flying dragon and form Dewdrops out of their faith, when the person consumes the Dewdrops, they will ultimately transform into a flying dragon themselves.
Similarly, people’s imaginations of Suzukawa Kiyo are extremely complex.
Some imagine her as an internet goddess, others as a prostitute.
Such mixed Dewdrops are unpredictable; consuming them could lead to a split personality and eventually cause the original body to collapse.
Those who fail at Ascension explode into countless fragments, forming several newborn deities, spreading everywhere, blind and foolish—a tragic end for the ambitious.
It’s the worshippers’ imaginations that create deities, which is why deities must write scriptures, defining their merits and image in the text to guide followers towards the “correct imagining.”
“Help me,” Suzukawa Kiyo replied succinctly.
If it weren’t for her virtual identity, the Suzukawa Kiyo who had been ingesting polluted Dewdrops for a long time would have surely been disfigured and grotesque, neither human nor ghost.
Modern technology’s convenience allows her to function using a virtual identity.
The taste of the flesh of Suzukawa Kiyo, filled with Divine Power, must be unknown.
Ah, might as well add some seasoning.
“You have two choices.
The first is to train your worshippers, select those trustworthy, communicate your intentions to them, have them form secret societies, and conduct rituals to purify the Dewdrops.
The second is to display the Dewdrops under the moonlight.
The greedy ‘Lunar Fire Mond’ will come to visit.
Just give up half of your Dewdrops, and It will purify your Dewdrops.
Both methods can remove impurities and leave behind pure power for you to grow stronger,”
“What exactly is the ritual you spoke of?
And who is Lunar Fire Mond?”
Right, perhaps Mond is dead.
Farosa looked up at Xu Yang and asked, “Have you seen the Moon?”
“I have,” he replied, “During my time at the company, I could sometimes see the night sky.”
“Does it still have a slender eye in the middle that opens every nine years?”
“Indeed, isn’t that an astronomical phenomenon?” Xu Yang was curious.
That was Mond looking for a new lover, still a temperamental being.
Farosa felt somewhat relieved and texted her.
“Rituals are another secret that’ll cost extra, Lunar Fire Mond is still alive, knowing just that is enough for you,”
“I’ll find out on my own.
I’ll remember you for future contact,”
“Contact this next time.” Farosa registered a new live stream account on her phone and shared it with Suzukawa Kiyo.
Suzukawa Kiyo did not reply again, ending their communication.
This woman also had great pride and was difficult to control, but she did fit the definition of a seeker, willing to go to any lengths for transcendence and sainthood.
Farosa handed the phone back to Xu Yang.
What is that experience like?” Xu Yang asked.
“A bit of brutality, a bit of recklessness, and a touch of responsibility,” Farosa said, leaning in close to Xu Yang and kissing his face, “It has nothing to do with me, though.”
“You’re wrong, it seems like you’re pursuing that very thing.”
“It’s just a little trial,” Farosa said with a sly smile, “No harm in trying.
I can openly tell you that I haven’t accomplished anything so far; I just know a lot of insider information.”
“You claim to be one who serves the deities.”
“I am, even now,” who says care at the end of life isn’t care?
Farosa had a penchant for lying, and Xu Yang was uncertain how much to believe.
Apart from Farosa, there was no relevant information on the internet.
All messages about the deities had become secrets of the ancients.
The news was still vigorously broadcasting about Aizu City.
With Suzukawa Kiyo’s revelation, the modest Aizu City became a hotspot of attention.
Everyone was cashing in on the trend, and a bunch of short videos from Aizu City survivors were being posted from places with internet access, spreading images of the Ratman online.
Many people started talking about the Ratman, sharing evidence of their activities.
Following the great Rat Tide years ago, Ratman nests were still scattered around but were excluded from mainstream view, hence little known.
In the Aizu City forum, previously posted rat-related threads by survivors were dug up and now skyrocket with replies, visitors increase dramatically, nearly crippling the server.
“Saihachi!” Cui Junyou opened his smartphone, “This place has suddenly become globally famous!
The forum has never had so many people before!
Everyone’s asking who Suzukawa Kiyo’s tutor is.”
“The tourism industry is going to explode,” Xu Yang said, “Everyone’s rushing to find out about the tutor.”
“Suzukawa Kiyo has a mentor, that’s what everyone’s so obsessed with,” Cui Junyou snorted, “That’s modern society for you, that’s netizens tamed by corporations and online media, with no concern for immense suffering.”
The Tortilla Big Hat Shop also burst into activity, every staff member’s phone was ringing off the hook as they tirelessly responded to emails, made calls, and rushed about.
“What’s the situation now?” Xu Yang asked, as the staff hustled and bustled around.
“Orders from everywhere are surging,” a waiter replied briskly as he walked quickly, “Everyone’s talking about Suzukawa Kiyo’s teacher while ordering tortillas from us—over a thousand orders per second—headquarters has already dispatched 150 shuttle machines and engineering teams here to elevate our restaurant’s status to the highest grade in Kyoto Infinity Zone.”
“Now we’ll be able to hold this place,” a wounded security staff member resting inside the shop couldn’t help but say, “There are too many rats.
Why exactly has everyone suddenly taken an interest in Aizu City’s Underground City?”
“It seems to be because Suzukawa Kiyo mentioned Aizu City’s Underground City,” another staff member said.
“Kiyo-chan actually cares about us!
Suzukawa Kiyo is the best!”
“I’ve got to bow to her several times!”
“Now, at last, everyone’s starting to pay attention to the matters of Aizu City’s Underground City,” people whispered among themselves.
Xu Yang nodded silently.
This would change the destinies of several hundred thousand people in the entire city; Kyoto Infinity could no longer cover up the fact of the rat infestation.
Accordingly, Xu Yang looked into the financial markets and saw that Kyoto Infinity’s stock had begun to fall due to the news of the rat infestation.
Capital looks at things differently, focusing more on financial risks.
The fact of the rat infestation exposed the weakness of Kyoto Infinity; they didn’t have control over their jurisdiction and hadn’t even detected a large Ratman nest.
For a giant corporation like Kyoto Infinity, when one thread is pulled, the whole body is affected.
Once world capital begins to doubt its stability and chooses a new agent, it will gradually bleed out, and its hegemony in the Archipelago Continent will slowly die away, to be taken over by new capitalist agents.
Giant corporations are not monoliths; there’s a weak link in the chain they comprise.
Xu Yang thought to himself.
If one were to facilitate change, there are two appropriate places for that.
One is where corporatism is weak or showing signs of decline, and the other is less developed areas.
There are still some particularly chaotic and impoverished areas in the world, like the Hot Tree Region where Songhai is located, or the White Elephant Continent controlled by Peacock-Tristan, where residents have a stronger desire to change the status quo.
They haven’t enjoyed the benefits of technological progress, only suffering from the exploitation of corporatism.
Reinforcements from all over Anjiu City arrived swiftly, plunging the Ratman into utter despair.
They who once kept gaining ground were now facing a counter-attack ten times stronger than before, the pressure mounting.
Their adversaries included not just robots dispatched by the companies but also militias formed by civilian fans, whose equipment was uneven but whose morale was incredibly high.
Inside Tortilla Big Hat, things were much calmer.
Farosa was not fond of Chaos Beast Meat, and after Xu Yang explained its origins, she feared she was eating monsters and requested traditional animal tortillas.
Her appetite was intended for consuming deities, not to be wasted so casually.
To satisfy the VIP customer, the kitchen prepared roasted beef, chicken, pork, along with lettuce, endives, fish skin, tomatoes, onions, rolled inside a crispy tortilla skin, adding cheese, corn kernels, and diced tomatoes, poured over with spicy or salsa sauce, concocting diverse combinations.
A variety of tortillas were brought to the table, grasped in Farosa’s hands and crunched down.
The kitchen bustled with activity, busier than ever, with waitstaff constantly shuttling between the kitchen and their booths, piling more food onto two tables.
In addition to tortillas, there were also fried chicken pieces, fries, lime beer, Pepsi Cola, and orange juice; in this moment of peace, the act of eating was maximally relaxing for the body and mind.
The conflict outside gradually ceased, and the Rat Tide seemed to be repelled, the roads littered with Ratman corpses, piled into small mounds…
A huge clearing vehicle roared past, pushing the Ratman bodies to the sides with a large fragmenting shovel.
Once the road conditions improved, what followed were the military vehicles of various corporate security teams, loaded with heavy firepower and personnel.
Accompanied by the faint sounds of Ratman slaughter, it all seemed so distant.
“What do we do next?” Farosa was very curious.
Only when the Rat Tide outside began to recede did Xu Yang see Zuo Hongchen, with his company men looking dirty and disheveled, entering the restaurant.
“To acquire a company,” Xu Yang remained seated.
“Why don’t you go find that fat guy.”
“He’ll come to me,” Xu Yang had barely finished speaking when he saw Zuo Hongchen approach humbly.