Free Web Novel“When I joined your mine during the interview process, I had high expectations for you.”
Witch Shion, wearing sunglasses, looked at the Chongxu employees who had come to negotiate, a disappointed expression on her delicate face.
Ever since those two battleships on the periphery were blown to pieces, she hadn’t expected Chongxu to be so patient with swallowing the loss.
They actually hadn’t sent any troops to hunt her down.
They were utterly pathetic.
“I had hoped that during the interview, your company would pull out all the stops and leave a deep impression on me. But you guys didn’t show enough business understanding. Where is your value, or your differentiation? Why must I join your mine? Can’t other mines work? You need your own initiative. Later, put your thoughts into the interview process. I want to see your thinking, not just progress. As a reminder, your process is a bit sluggish compared to other companies...”
To be honest, Shion was a bit disappointed.
Such a large mine, aside from a few mechanical dogs and managers like Little Yu who had risen from being miners, didn’t even have any security personnel.
Not only that, but all the miners had had their edges worn smooth, lacking any sharpness.
The result of no sharpness was that they would never cause trouble. Even when Shion provoked them a bit too excessively, the miners only backed off.
Unless she made the first move, these proud talents from the lower realms would only burrow into their own shells.
Not daring to cause trouble marked mediocrity; actively causing trouble marked foolishness.
Shion wasn’t so despicable as to have to pry open someone’s shell just for a fight.
But the life in the mine, so dull and boring, had indeed accumulated a lot of discontent within her.
It was far from the Kunxu recorded by her octopus ancestor in the Azure Cloud Grand Ceremony.
No conflicts, no troublemakers actively stirring things up, no pressure and oppression from the Upper Realms...
Could this even be called a mine?
Shion’s requirements weren’t high enough to demand a one-to-one replication of the legendary Divine Realm mines, since she wasn’t a cosplay enthusiast anyway.
She also didn’t enjoy watching the Upper Realms send a superior divine being to be defeated by a lower-level divine being;
Then send an upper celestial god to be defeated by a superior divine being;
Then send a hundred or so Divine Kings to be defeated by a celestial god who had just broken through to Divine King mid-battle;
And finally have a Heavenly Sovereign arrive only to be effortlessly handled by a Hongmeng Controller—such a twistless, passionless cycle of death and glory.
But after she proactively stirred up trouble, destroying two battleships and killing three Nightwatchmen...
Couldn’t they at least send someone who could put up a fight?
No matter how she provoked them, the other side only inquired about compensation and loan matters.
They just deducted her credit score and blacklisted her work ID.
This was a major reason why she hated capitalist cultivation.
It was clearly part of capital, but where was the Kunxu spirit of these Chongxu people?
Yesterday, you rob one mine and people come. Today, you rob two and people come. Tomorrow, you rob seven and people come.
But once you get to the front, they just can’t fight anymore!
After all, in capitalist cultivation, things like fighting and killing, which waste the resources of the Immortal Path, must be handled with caution.
In the early stages, cultivation level and promotion could still be considered important. But once you reached the later stages, the importance of job rank and sect power could actually suppress cultivation level!
It was an utter insult and stain on the millennia-old world of immortal cultivation!
“Your demands are truly beyond the company’s capabilities. We’re very sorry. Please be patient...”
“If you don’t want to run the company, there are plenty of others who do.”
Shion took off her sunglasses. “A company that can’t pay wages, can’t offer benefits, forces overtime, and can’t meet employee needs should go bankrupt immediately. If you can’t do it, get lost.”
Little Yu, standing nearby, heard this straightforward speech and felt a wave of refreshing clarity.
The employee handling the interface on the other side clearly had a face that turned purple.
Those were our words! The script had been flipped!
Ever since Shion took control of the peripheral mines, the company that originally managed them within Chongxu had been constantly contacting her, demanding the return of the mines and offering quite generous prices.
But all were rejected by Shion.
“Don’t talk to me about money. Talk about money, and it hurts our feelings. Use your fists to come and take it!”
“See this Polluted Magic? I’m a Witch, not someone who needs to farm gold!”
“I have no interest in money. If you’re a Magical Girl, come and fight me!”
They had never seen anyone so outrageous.
A person like this, who had transcended vulgar interests, unmoved by money, and only indulging in the low-level pleasure of barbaric slaughter, was rare not only in Chongxu.
You wouldn’t find anyone like this in any other world!
She was a pure thug.
The problem was that Shion’s control over the factory was currently too strong. She had cut off all energy supply, and the entire mine was out of control. Unless they actually sent someone to deal with her, they simply couldn’t get the mine back.
“Look at you, you’ve pissed them off. What did I tell you? You need to play to their interests. Hey hey hey, can you hear me? Hey there, pretty little sister over there. Wow, seeing you like this makes me a bit sad for my own gender. Seriously, if I were a guy, I’d be all over you. Unfortunately, we’re both just little sisters without the right parts.”
The girl who squeezed in from beside the company’s liaison employee was giggling. On her left cheek was a faded gold rose tattoo, covering a scar beneath her eye. Her light blue pupils were like gems. After squeezing through, she looked at Shion.
And froze for a moment.
Then she grinned frivolously again:
“My name’s Su. I’m sort of the team leader for the Nightwatchmen’s dispatch to this company? Or maybe not, since our organization almost breaks up every other day. It’s pretty rotten, you know. If you joined the Nightwatchmen’s company, I guarantee you could be their boss for a few days for fun. Anyway, if you keep insisting on staying here, it makes things really hard for us. The periphery has been outsourced to us Nightwatchmen. If something goes wrong, we’re the ones who end up saddled with the debt.”
Shion, however, rested her chin on her hand and looked at her with great interest.
Little Yu was slightly taken aback. For so many days, the Nightwatchmen had made many phone calls, and many people had come to see Shion...
But every single one of them had left Shion feeling uninterested and annoyed.
This was the first person who had actually caught Shion’s interest.
“How pitiful.”
As soon as Shion casually said this, Su’s smile faded. She then scratched her head and shrugged. “Not sure what you mean by that... but that kind of talk makes you look like you’re asking for a beating.”
“You’re different from those rule-following Chongxu people. An untamed beast.”
Su finally dropped her smile.
The madness and irritability hidden in her blue pupils.
Like a powder keg being held down, ready to blow at any moment.
Shion propped her chin on one hand and shook her head. “You’re fundamentally... unsuited for Chongxu.”
The girl opposite her, hands on her hips, looked a bit displeased. She glared angrily at Shion, then slumped her shoulders after a long while.
Finally, after a good long time, she sighed helplessly. “Man, that’s annoying. This is only our first meeting, so how can you just come right in and strip me down to my bare essentials? Even if we’re both girls, that’s very rude. What if I’m on my period? I’d be spraying blood all over everyone’s face. Or do you like that kind of spicy blood feast?”
Little Yu, beside them, wanted to cover Shion’s ears. She never imagined that one day, words could be so dirty!
But Shion was completely unfazed. She just asked, “Do all Chongxu people like to talk like this?”
“Nonononodayo, that’s just my personal style. So you better cherish it. Without me, no one in Chongxu will talk to you like this. After all, everyone here is very well-behaved, under the control of money.”
Even with her disguise seen through, Su didn’t care. She just pushed the staff members aside, sat down seriously, and looked at Shion:
“Well, I’m screwed. Saying that to me has got me all excited. So what do we do now? If I end up falling in love with someone I shouldn’t, my whole life will be ruined. And your words are really making me itch inside, I’m about to lose it. So before I go to the bathroom, you’d better make it clear. What exactly are you trying to say to me?”
“I just think you’d be a good fit for our team.”
Shion appraised Su like a headhunter. “To help us tear down Chongxu together.”
“Ohhh...” Su hummed softly, then grinned. “That’s really tempting, my little devil. But if you want to lead someone into corruption, you’ve gotta give them a taste of the benefits first. That’s how it works in all the stories. So let me see, my devil, just how far you can take this. I don’t wanna be some clown who gets their wild side halfway out, only to get tied down and spanked like a top.”
“Next, I’m going to send a group of people into Chongxu, bypassing Chongxu’s authority.”
Su fell silent for the first time, seriously thinking about Shion’s words.
“And then,” Shion said, not giving her much time to think, “This is your surprise.”
Before she could even ask, Su suddenly felt her body sway.
The entire Nightwatchmen building began to shake violently!
Looking outside, in the unmanned factory zone of another large company in the distance, waves of dense Polluted Magic were surging upwards!
The factory zone contained a large amount of Pure Mana, and the violent reaction between the two was causing a massive explosion in the entire unmanned factory zone!
Even from so far away, the glass of the Nightwatchmen building shattered with a deafening boom!
In a place always bound by fixed, routine life, like a stagnant pool of still water, a peaceful building held down by loans and power...
For the first time in over a decade, chaos erupted!
Glass fragments cascaded down like a waterfall, accompanied by screams, shrieks, and the crackling sound of electrical wires mixed into the weeping and wailing. Smoke and blood spiraled outward, assaulting her senses.
A numbing sensation, from the soles of her feet all the way to her heart and head... it was a refreshing, soul-soothing comfort and joy.
The pleasure and ease of destroying everything, blooming forth in the midst of destruction!
“Hope you like it.”
Su stood up from her workstation and then cheered, jumping up and down like a child, clapping her hands wildly.
The madness and delight in her eyes had drowned out the previous irritability and numbness.
“Darling!”
She spread her arms wide, running excitedly through the rain of broken glass.
“I absolutely love you!”
...
For Jiang Si, he needed a batch of people to scout ahead in Chongxu first.
After all, he still wanted to do a bit more mining himself. He’d go a little later, and let others go first to check out the situation. That way, when he did arrive, he wouldn’t have to waste time figuring out who the good guys and the bad guys were.
As for an internal contact, his initial thought was the President of the Witch Association. If a group of people had a place to stay, it would be easier to develop things.
But the problem was, he hadn’t been able to reach the Witch Association President at all. There was no news from Jialan either.
He’d tried contacting the Twins and Sonora, but both attempts failed.
As for inviting Su, that was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
After spending this time dealing with so many people from Chongxu, he could more or less see what the place was really like.
Too oppressively controlled by money.
Everyone was weighed down by things like loans, unable to hold their heads up. But most of them just appeared numb and cowering.
Without the ability to break the rules, Jiang Si had no interest in them.
Su, on the other hand, had a strong spirit of seeking the Way.
Even though it was a crooked path, as a local, being repressed for so many years, she still hadn’t lost that pure desire for destruction and wildness. Of course, Jiang Si was very interested in her.
He was kind-hearted and couldn’t stand seeing people suffer. Helping her release her true nature was a merit in itself.
As for what she would eventually become, he didn’t really care or mind.
To put it simply, since he planned to step into Chongxu anyway, people like Su were bound to release their true nature. Rather than letting them run amok, it was better to use them for his own purposes.
If she really stepped out of line, he could just kill her. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The ability to identify and utilize people was also a necessary skill for a web novel protagonist...
When he got home, Keke was sitting on the sofa, curled up, hugging her knees, quietly watching TV.
Sitting next to her was White Fox, also staring at the TV with a dazed, lost look.
They looked like two orphans abandoned by their parents.
After the Mirror Kingdom incident, Jiang Si had asked the Azure Cloud Sect to send Qianying, Water in the Spring, and White Fox back to their respective old worlds.
He guessed White Fox had come back on her own.
As for Keke, her recent Pseudo-Full Bloom performance using the Dream Core had been pretty good. Although it was mainly because it exceeded Itaen’s expectations, resulting in a spectacular scene, in the end, it was her own ability that allowed her to step into Full Bloom.
In his heart, he was somewhat proud of Keke.
But he naturally couldn’t say that out loud, lest Keke get cocky and slack off again.
Over at the Azure Cloud Sect, Dragon Lord Shion was using her recreated Full Bloom magic as a temporary replacement for the world bubbles, which was enough to significantly extend their lifespan. Currently, Bingtang had started distributing world bubbles to disciples for their second transformation training.
As for that alternative Full Bloom achieved by merging two Personal Realities through the Dream Core, it was actually not suitable for the Azure Cloud Sect.
Because it meant one person’s Personal Reality would be devoured. And only Keke, whose Personal Reality had been split into two due to a Witch’s experiment, could use the Dream Core for Full Bloom without needing to cooperate with another person. She was truly one of a kind.
Even when he opened the door and entered the room, no one spoke, and no one even looked over. The two girls just stared blankly at the TV, like delicate dolls.
The TV was playing news about the Azure Cloud Sect’s recent policy plans and financial changes in the local Disaster Control Bureau.
To be honest, Jiang Si didn’t think these two could understand such profound topics.
They were so melancholic, like they’d lost all their dreams.
It was understandable for White Fox, who had lost her ability to transform; being melancholic was normal. But he didn’t know what Keke was so sad about.
The Azure Cloud Sect people should have told her before sending her back that he wasn’t dead.
“Finished your homework? Still watching TV?”
Keke, still curled up, stared at Bingtang on the TV, then her gaze fell on Silver Lotus beside her.
Silver Lotus, representing the Magical Girls of Beihai, was discussing Beihai’s financial allocation with Bingtang.
Casting a glance at the odds and ends he had brought back from the Disaster Control Bureau, Keke stretched out her foot, clad in a bubble sock, and gently kicked at them.
Pushing the clutter aside.
Then she heard the familiar voice, asking if she had finished her homework and why she was still watching TV.
Keke just responded weakly, “Mm.”
Then, her curled-up body stiffened for a moment.
Immediately after, White Fox turned her head first, looking towards the doorway.
Keke, still curled up on the sofa, then followed White Fox, struggling to turn around. She propped herself up on the sofa with her hands and looked sideways.
On her cheek, the flickering images from the TV kept changing colors, making her expression shift between light and shadow.
In her pupils, the figure of Jiang Si was reflected.
So, her lips moved. “Bro...”
Jiang Si casually turned on the living room light. “You didn’t turn on the light. The room’s pitch black. Watching TV in the dark is bad for your eyes. How many times have I told you? Do you think getting glasses is free? It’ll crush your nose bridge if you wear them too young. Even if you have money, you need to be careful...”
Before he could finish, Keke had already slid directly off the sofa, almost sitting on the floor.
Then, holding onto the sofa, she slowly stood up.
She didn’t say anything. Her feet, clad in bubble socks, padded on the floor as she walked over.
She stopped in front of Jiang Si.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Si touched her head. “Didn’t the Azure Cloud Sect tell you? I went to...”
Before he could finish, Keke silently hugged him.
She held him tightly around the waist, burying her face in his chest, trembling slightly.
After a long time, she began to sob quietly.
“Bro... where did you go...?”
“Mining.”
Keke’s sobbing paused for a moment, then she blankly repeated, “Mining?”
Even the tears she had been building up had disappeared.
White Fox also stood up, reaching out a hand in confusion and hesitation, grabbing Jiang Si’s sleeve. “Sir.”
Jiang Si tugged at Keke’s shoulder.
To stop this idiot from using his clothes to wipe her tears and snot.
That’s what she used to do when she was little.
But Keke just held on tighter, even transforming into a Magical Girl right after, stubbornly refusing to let go.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Si gave up on breaking her grip. Instead, he dragged the two millstones over to the sofa and first turned off the TV.
Wasn’t electricity free? If you’re not watching it, you should turn it off.
No matter how rich you are, you have to save. Young people these days don’t know how to manage a household...
“Bro.” Keke’s voice was muffled, her face buried in his chest. “Let’s live separately.”
Jiang Si was taken aback. “Huh?”
After thinking for a while, he found the reason:
“You don’t want to pay me the salary anymore?”
Keke, who was still in the middle of building up her emotions, paused for a moment, but finally nodded. “Mm.”
Actually, Jiang Si didn’t really need the money. He was mainly holding onto it for Keke, to make sure she didn’t spend it recklessly.
So, after thinking it over, he said, “We can just give you half the salary. You don’t have to give it all.”
He couldn’t let Keke grow up to be a gold digger. Since she was still young, he had to correct this.
Keke just shook her head. “Bro, go ahead and do what you need to do. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I can take care of myself. Don’t let the Azure Cloud Sect catch me.”
“What’s wrong? Before, you didn’t want to, did you?”
“I’ve already grown up,” Keke said softly. “I can’t... always rely on big brother.”
Although Jiang Si found it a bit strange that Keke had suddenly matured and stopped acting spoiled, he was still quite satisfied.
Except for her not wanting to give him her salary anymore.
No matter what, it was a good thing overall, a benefit outweighing the drawbacks.
As for the reason for her maturity, and how to interact with her now that she had changed, he could ask Bingtang about it later.
“Since that’s the case, I won’t be staying home tonight. I won’t be back for a while either. I need to lie low for a bit.”
After saying that, before Jiang Si had even been home for a moment, he turned around to leave.
He had only come back to inform Keke that he would be going to Chongxu for a while and wouldn’t be home, so she wouldn’t go looking for him everywhere.
But it turned out Keke had voluntarily proposed living separately—whether it was because the child had grown up and wanted some distance, or for some other reason, it gave him more freedom.
There was still a lot to do in Chongxu, and it would be best to leave as soon as possible.
Keke froze for a moment, probably not expecting her big brother to leave as soon as he stepped through the door.
She had hoped they could at least stay together for one night, so she could talk to him a bit more.
But in the end, the mature Keke still nodded firmly. “Okay, bro. Be careful on the road. If anything happens, be sure to call me.”
“Mm.”
Dazedly watching Jiang Si leave, Keke unconsciously took two steps, wanting to follow him out.
But she still stopped.
She couldn’t keep pestering big brother anymore. She had grown up.
But she still couldn’t help the sting in her eyes. She reached up to wipe the tears that were falling uncontrollably.
“Bro... what exactly are you doing...?”
Even knowing he would come back, even though she had agreed to it...
She still felt like she was being abandoned.
An uncontrollable sense of panic and unease, mixed with a little bit of grievance.
It was like right after she had held the funeral for her parents. She had cried and begged Jiang Si to stay with her for a while. In their lonely, empty house, the two siblings who only had each other, they should have been able to confide in one another, right?
But Jiang Si was still busy, still rushing out the door.
He was always busy, always busy.
Before, Keke had thought her big brother was just brushing her off, that he didn’t want to deal with her.
But now, Keke knew that her big brother really had important things to take care of.
He had already, very, very much, accommodated her.
But still, the tears just wouldn’t stop...
After wiping them for a while, she turned her head.
She found White Fox next to her, also silently crying—and crying even harder than she was.
After all, Keke had at least managed to say a few words. White Fox hadn’t even had a chance to say a single sentence. Before she could ask Sir what to do now that she had lost her Magical Girl identity.
She hadn’t been able to fulfill Sir’s expectations, and she had lost her power. The pain weighed on her so heavily it was hard to breathe.
And this time, when Sir came back, he hadn’t even looked at her before leaving.
That one action had ignited all the pent-up emotions. Although she still couldn’t produce a varied expression, her tears were no longer stingy.
Keke sniffled for a moment, then forced a smile. Forgetting her own feelings, she started wiping White Fox’s tears and comforting her. “Don’t cry. It’s... it’s okay. Big brother will come back. Next time, I’ll help you ask him.”
Baihu nodded blankly, finally managing to stop her tears with Keke’s help.
Then Keke took a deep breath. “Big brother is gone. So let’s go too.”
With that, she led White Fox over to the mirror.
As her authority was activated, the two of them were quickly pulled into the mirror, stepping into a brilliant space.
[Welcome to the Main God Space.]
This was the reason Keke wanted to live separately from her big brother and was unwilling to give him her salary.
She had withdrawn from the Disaster Control Bureau and cut ties with the Azure Cloud Sect.
She had joined the Saints of the Hall.
Now, only this place could protect her big brother.
Do more missions, become stronger, find more teammates...
The Main God Plaza was bustling with people everywhere. Groups of three to five were loudly shouting for teammates. Many were sitting on the ground trading information. Keke heard shouts like, “Silver Scale Demon Armor, Azure Cloud brand, purple quality, fifty pieces!” and “Brotherhood Sword! When the Brotherhood Sword appears, brothers must help each other!” This made her feel for a moment like she had stepped into a world from a comic.
The entire Main God Space was way too lively.
Amidst the waves of sound rising and falling, with the crowd jostling, the two of them gradually became a bit disoriented. But most of the Saints of the Hall were actually frantically buying a particular item.
Tickets to the outside world.
Frantically trying to leave this place.
Keke pushed her way through the crowd, holding White Fox’s hand, when she suddenly noticed a girl with a listless face, huddled in a corner of the square.
Her crimson eyes were covered in a faint layer of gray, dim and lifeless. Her silver-white hair even seemed to have gained a few streaks of black. She leaned against the corner wall, curled up into a tiny ball, almost unnoticed by the passing crowd.
Hesitating for a moment, Keke still walked over and crouched down beside her.
“Miss Itaen.”
The Prince slowly raised her head, looking at her woodenly.
“Can I ask... what exactly happened between you, my big brother, and Teacher Shion back then?”
The crimson pupils reflected the girl’s face. Then, as if remembering something, they gradually lit up.
The original dejection and numbness slowly melted away, revealing a hint of sarcasm and mockery, with a semblance of vengeful satisfaction.
“Jiang Keke... you really don’t know anything about your brother.”
