Clockwork Bride

Page 305

There's no way to redeem oneself and wash away shame without getting out of bed! That makes perfect sense!

"Then get ready to have some fun, Momiji!"

Hayden, however, had no idea what Hongye was thinking. Although they were only separated by a door, he wasn't some kind of pervert who would use magic to spy on his subordinates. So Hayden happily said, "We're going to Japan next! We're going to your hometown!"

aieeee! ?

The sudden turn of events almost made Hongye scream in agony! Go back to her hometown? Why go back to her hometown!?

No! Calm down, Qiuhua! The master only said he was going to Japan! To foreigners, perhaps all of Japan is the home of ninjas! Ninjas won't be afraid of such a trivial matter!

"Yes, sir. Where are we going? I'll prepare immediately." Hongye quickly crawled out of bed, applied ice to her eyes, and dabbed on some lotion. "Are we going to Tokyo?"

Anyway, foreigners going to Japan always go to Tokyo first, right? That's obviously a prejudice and stereotype. But Momiji doesn't care about going to Tokyo. It's not her hometown.

“I’m not going to Tokyo,” Hayden said with a smile. “I told you I was going to your hometown, right? I’m going to where your Old Gods live now, to find Asmodeus… Do you know Asmodeus?”

At this point, Hayden gestured outside the door, though Momiji couldn't actually see him: "I'm not entirely sure either, but he should be similar to Quetzalcoatl, an ancient god king who was sealed away in Japan by the Mithra Group four hundred years ago. He seems to be related to your Mara... Do you know that?"

Hongye almost fainted.

However, she still struggled to her feet and cautiously asked, "You want to go...you want to go to Ashihara Province?"

“Yes,” Hayden frowned, “though I don’t know much about this place. Do you see any problems?”

Hongye stood there for several seconds before saying, "No problem, I will guide you there, sir. But sir, it may be completely different from the modern Japan you imagine. Because it is... the countryside. The difference between Japanese cities and the countryside is very large."

“I know,” Hayden nodded. “Goddess Hela just came over and chatted with me for a while, talking about things like ‘pre-modern’ and ‘semi-capitalist, semi-feudal’. But to be honest, I only half understood it. But the urban-rural gap… the urban-rural gap here is huge too, isn’t it? Big cities like New Asia and New Sprout City are very different from small towns.”

One of Karen's ideals is to use the plant life network of "Dream Flower City" to connect the whole world on a material level, achieving a truly equal state of material prosperity. But of course, this has not yet been achieved, so it is undeniable that there is a real gap between living in big cities and small towns.

But Hongye shook her head: "It's different, sir. Lady Hela is right. Although the old gods and nobles have perished... Japan cannot be considered a truly modern country."

However, these things can't be explained clearly just by talking; let's wait until we see them with our own eyes before making any judgments.

As she pondered, Momiji gradually returned to her serious work mode, reverting to her dignified ninja demeanor: "Master, please entrust the task of guiding you secretly to Ashihara to my care."

Hayden nodded: "I know Japan has always been a semi-isolated country, and it's also under the control of the Mitra Group. It wouldn't be difficult to get in openly, but it would definitely be discovered, and that would be troublesome... So, this kind of covert infiltration work needs to be left to ninjas, right?"

need.

This word has a peculiar effect on people. Some people will run away as soon as they hear it, while others will become nervous. But Hongye seems to really want to hear these two words, and it even makes her face light up.

This is work! This is work! It's a chance to make a name for myself and redeem myself!

"I will not fail you, sir."

She bowed respectfully to Hayden.

But at this point, Hayden finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "...I don't really understand your etiquette, but is it really normal etiquette to bow so respectfully through the door?"

They've said so much, but Hongye still hasn't opened the door.

Hongye replied seriously, "Sir, this is perfectly normal."

Yes, she said it's normal.

"Since we are going to infiltrate secretly and go to Ashihara, we must pass through the [Imperial God Defense Barrier] by means that at least appear to be legal."

Once she was in work mode, Hongye continued.

"The quickest way is to use a disguised identity to infiltrate the treaty port city first."

Hayden rubbed his temples: "A treaty port city, which is New Tokyo, you mean?"

Neo-Tokyo is a massive artificial metropolis that serves as the capital of Japan. It suffers from stark wealth disparity, severe air pollution, and a terrible crime rate. It is also frequently hit by acid rain containing heavy metals, and the searchlights of the buildings tear the capital's sky apart at night.

Although it's a very interesting place, that's not where we're going this time.

"If you want to get to Ashihara as soon as possible, you shouldn't take the New Tokyo route."

Hongye shook her head and said something somewhat sad.

"We are going to Kyoto, sir."

Unlike Tokyo, the capital that represents the new era, Kyoto, the old capital, was the capital of Japan during the Heian period, the time of the ancient gods.

——————————————————————————————

The soft night sky gently enveloped the rain-soaked city, much like the Eight Bridges.

This is Kyoto, a city with a history spanning thousands of years. Golden-tiled walls line its edges, and its streets are laid out in neat, orderly squares. The buildings, painted black, display elegant neon Chinese characters, subtly reflecting ancient etiquette and rituals. Countless five-story pagodas stand in rows like transistors, and large loudspeakers blare mechanical court music. Elegant geishas, ​​carrying umbrellas, stroll slowly along the streets with their bridges and flowing water, casting enigmatic smiles at tourists seated in rickshaws.

Because this is Kyoto, the oldest city in Japan.

Although the world today is no longer in the feudal era, many ancient customs still apply in this city. For example, no building in the city can be taller than Kyoto Castle; and most people cannot perform flying magic in the city without permission. Motor vehicles are also generally not allowed to be used by most people.

So how do most people get around Kyoto? They either rely on their own two legs or on the two legs of others.

That is, a rickshaw.

Therefore, Kyoto has an extremely developed rickshaw industry, mainly used by tourists. Four hundred years ago, Kyoto was a prosperous capital city inhabited by the nobles of the old gods. Today, however, it is Dejima, Japan's gateway for earning foreign exchange. Consequently, 8% of Kyoto's economy is related to tourism.

Tanaka Sho, 22 years old, is a young rickshaw driver in Kyoto. Every morning, he pulls his rickshaw out of his house, wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit like a sports swimsuit, a dark gray short kimono, and a straw hat with advertisements on it, and runs briskly through the cobblestone streets of Kyoto.

It's important to understand that these rickshaws in Kyoto aren't ordinary rickshaws. And the drivers aren't ordinary drivers either. The carriages are all enchanted with the "Home of the Lost," allowing three or four people to fit in, plus luggage. While the weight isn't reduced, it's not a problem; the driver just needs to use a physical enhancement spell.

Therefore, Tanaka Sho was considered a high-ranking rickshaw driver in the industry—yes, a high-ranking one. This was because he was young and strong, and had a university education. Most importantly, he owned his own rickshaw.

This is by no means an easy task; it's considered quite expensive in the rickshaw industry. Most rickshaw drivers have to rent vehicles from companies, and 90% of their income is taken by the companies as rent for the rickshaw and other equipment, as well as work permit fees.

In contrast, although Tanaka Sho also has to join the company (without being registered with the company, he doesn't have a work permit, and even if he owns a car, he can't make money from it), he only needs to give 50% of his income to the company—just 50%!

So, although Tanaka Sho pulled a rickshaw, he wasn't ashamed of it. On the contrary, he worked very hard and was very proud of it, not afraid of hardship at all. He was strong, young, and smart. He knew how to keep his rickshaw looking nice and very eye-catching, so that generous tourists who would tip him could spot it at a glance, take photos with him, and give him money. Working from morning till night, Tanaka Sho's income was three to five times that of other rickshaw drivers!

He wasn't foolish enough to plan on pulling a rickshaw for his entire life, nor was he likely to. But as long as he worked hard and earned money, he could save up little by little. A better life was just a matter of time for him; it was a goal he was certain to achieve!

Tonight, before he finished driving, he got lucky and picked up a group of very generous customers. There were three of them, one man and two women, who seemed to be male and female tourists plus a local female guide... However, the male tourist seemed to have a lot of interest in the architecture of Kyoto.

"Oh my, this is really amazing."

The man sitting in the rickshaw looked around and muttered to himself. Because the streets of Kyoto were lined with buildings and streets arranged like a grid, and the walls of each district had become giant screens, displaying complex Chinese characters, sushi, courtesans, news programs, stock reports, and so on, full of mysterious and ancient beauty.

"The streets and buildings of Kyoto were all planned and constructed systematically since the Heian period."

Tanaka Sho continued running while providing tourist commentary.

“I can see that.” His guest nodded and gestured in the air with his hand. “The layout and shape of the streets and buildings here, the entire city, are all magic circles that work in accordance with specific spells… If I flew up to see it, I could see it even more clearly. This is at least a thousand years old, a very classical paradigm that has been continuously improved and maintained to this day. It’s amazing.”

"You're very knowledgeable, sir."

As Xiang ran quickly, he showered the driver with compliments, feeling a secret sense of pride. Although he was just a rickshaw driver, he was a native of Kyoto, and he felt a deep-seated sense of honor for his hometown, Kyoto, a civilization comparable to ancient Egypt.

Art, ancient traditions, etiquette, culture—these things, these feelings, all bring a powerful magical force.

About twenty minutes later, Tanaka Sho's rickshaw finally arrived at the place the female tour guide had instructed. Before even getting off, the male passenger was already dumbfounded upon seeing the place: "...Why is it a brothel?"

The female tour guide answered earnestly, "You must come to the brothel first, sir."

Sho ignored what the passengers were saying. He stopped his rickshaw and waited, kneeling in a humiliating manner, to welcome the passengers alighting. This was part of the Kyoto rickshaw service. The customer is king!

The male guest, however, was not used to this kind of service. He jumped off the vehicle, handed Xiang the fare and a large stack of tips, and muttered to the female tour guide, "Why do we have to take a rickshaw? We could have come by ourselves."

"Meeting the courtesan on foot is far too conspicuous, sir," the female tour guide explained earnestly. "Besides, you can't teleport inside the [National Defense Barrier]."

Another female guest accompanying the male guest said, "Master, it's good for everyone to get to know people and make them aware of you."

“That’s not the issue.” The male guest shook his head. “This country is really strange. New things and old things are mixed together, and some places are even stranger than Aztland.”

Tanaka Sho didn't like hearing that. However, he wouldn't say anything; everyone in the service industry knows not to be foolish enough to say anything inappropriate in front of foreign customers. He was simply pleased with the large tip the male customer gave him. He was supposed to give 50% of the fare to the company, but not the tip.

He served eight groups of customers today, but the tips from the last group alone were equivalent to ten days' earnings. If he continues to work this hard, and if his luck keeps this good, he can save up his first pot of gold in three to five years at most, enough to get himself enhancement surgery and implant skill chips—he'll soon be able to get a better job!

However, most hopes are dashed, and Tanaka Sho was no exception.

373: Opportunity

Before leaving, Tanaka Sho's male customer chatted with him for a few more minutes.

"You must have graduated from a good university, right?"

The male tourist gestured in the air: "Because from the structure of your spells and the flow of your mana, it's clear that it's much smoother than most people's, and the enhancement effect is also better."

Tanaka Sho was somewhat surprised by this, but he knew that many rickshaw passengers were gods, so he thought it made sense and immediately nodded: "Yes. I am from the Department of Chemistry at Kyoto University."

"Graduated from the chemistry department of a prestigious university? You must also have an alchemist's license, right?" The tourist asked, somewhat surprised. "Then why are you working as a rickshaw driver?"

Well, Tanaka Sho obviously didn't like talking about this topic, so he just smiled as if he was pretending to be stupid and didn't answer.

Fortunately, the tourist wasn't really stupid. He immediately slapped his forehead and realized, "Because of the 'skill chips'? Japan is also experiencing widespread unemployment due to 'skill chips'?"

It seems this guest really enjoys talking. Tanaka Sho sighed for a moment, but finally kept chatting: "It's not entirely like that. As long as you have a [skill chip], have undergone biological enhancement modifications, and have strong enough personal abilities, you can still find a job. Besides, companies in Japan are different from those elsewhere. Once you become a full-time employee, it's lifelong employment, very stable."

The tourist scratched his head and frowned: "Lifetime employment, huh? I've heard of that term before, but I also know that many people still lose their jobs for no apparent reason. Is it really reliable?"

"Ah, then there's another way: spend money to study harder and take the exam for a government employee position in Kyoto." Tanaka Sho chuckled. "Being a government employee is always the most reliable option."

The tourist tapped his forehead, seemingly lost in thought. Indeed, the government in this country wasn't as weak as in other places.

"I think I understand. But you still need to be careful." The tourist thought for a moment and then advised him, "There might be a war. The world is unstable lately. Nothing you do is reliable, so be extra careful."

Then he slipped Tanaka Sho another tip before leaving with his two female companions.

He received his second payment. Even though Xiang had initially been somewhat dissatisfied, he was now completely indifferent. He could finish his shift today, so he pulled the cart back to the company.

The last guest mentioned that things were not peaceful lately and that war might break out. However, Tanaka Sho didn't take this to heart.

Yes, there's war going on. Tanaka knows that war broke out in Europe yesterday—a corporate war between big companies. But what does that have to do with him? Europe is on the other side of the world. Even if the war escalates, it might not necessarily reach Japan. And even if it does reach Japan, there are always tall people to hold up the sky, right?

Large corporations or the government—there are always higher-ups who handle these kinds of things. Ordinary people don't need to bother with this.

So Tanaka Sho didn't think too much about it. Every day, the passengers who rode in his rickshaw marveled at the profound and refined beauty of Kyoto's ancient city. Today, a strange passenger suddenly reminded him to be careful—but what was there to be careful about?

Half an hour later, he pulled his rickshaw back to the Very Fast Rickshaw Company. In the huge garage where hundreds of rickshaws were neatly parked, Tanaka parked his own rickshaw in the designated spot, preparing for the vehicle's maintenance and inspection the next day, and then scanned his employee card. The company system immediately issued a synthesized geisha voice praising his achievement, saying, "Good job! Keep up the good work tomorrow!" and automatically deducted his share of the fees he was supposed to pay to the company.

Normally, at this point, Tanaka Sho's work for the day would be finished, and he could simply go home. However, at this very moment, he glanced at the system screen and couldn't help but exclaim, "Aiee!?"

Why?! Normally only 50% of the income should be deducted, but just now it showed that 80% was deducted?!

Tanaka quickly tapped the display screen next to the parking space to see the detailed deduction. However, the company's system only showed a circle slowly spinning, making Tanaka anxious.

at this time!

"Hey! Tanaka!"

Suddenly, a voice calling his name came from the other side of the garage, causing Tanaka Sho to turn around quickly. It was Kobayashi-san, the company's manager. In the company, the difference in status based on rank and seniority was a very serious matter. So Tanaka immediately bowed to Manager Kobayashi and greeted him, "Yes, Manager Kobayashi."

Unlike rickshaw drivers like Tanaka, Director Kobayashi is a full-time employee of "Very Fast Rickshaw Company." Although he is just a mortal, not a god, and currently appears to be just an older man, he was once a highly educated individual who triumphed in the difficult, life-or-death university entrance exams, securing a job and enjoying a high salary and benefits far beyond what drivers could achieve, with a bright future ahead!

Tanaka Sho was extremely envious of such a position. While "Very Fast Rickshaw Company" might not sound impressive at first glance, it actually managed all the rickshaws in Kyoto. In other words, it was a unit directly linked to the Kyoto city government. Becoming a full-time employee there meant a stable and comfortable job forever!

"The company held a meeting this morning. Because of the outbreak of corporate wars in Europe and the sudden chaos in South America, we expect tourism revenue to decrease in the future."

Director Kobayashi didn't even turn his head, continuing to speak to himself.

"So starting today, for drivers like you who don't rent cars from the company but own their own cars, the cost of vehicle maintenance and inspection will be increased."

Tanaka immediately realized—ah, no wonder the company had deducted more money from my paycheck… “Wait, wait a minute!? Shouldn’t we be notified beforehand about something like this?”

Graduates from prestigious universities delivering food or working as drivers are things that people are no longer sensitive to; they've long been used to. Highly educated people facing low employment is so common that people have come to accept it.

Even so... there will always be times when people can't take it anymore.

As Tanaka Sho jumped up, clenching his fists, Director Kobayashi finally lifted one eye from his tablet, glanced at the driver, and loudly shouted out the terrifying power words from the Heian period:

"What? If you won't do it, plenty of others will!"

Abbaba!

Under the oppressive power of this terrifying incantation, Tanaka immediately lost his courage and shrank back in fear.

Hmm, oh well. Even if they take 80% off, it's still better than those drivers who rent cars from companies and get 90% off, right? My income is still twice theirs anyway, so thinking like that makes me stop being angry. Hmm!

...Even so, it was still difficult to completely swallow this resentment. So after a couple of seconds, Tanaka couldn't help but ask, "Chief, is this... is the fighting in Europe going to affect us too?"

"Of course it has an impact." Director Kobayashi turned his eyes back and answered casually, "So you shouldn't be so selfish all the time, only thinking about how much you can earn. It's good enough to have a job. You should know how to give back to society... Oh, right."

At this point, Director Kobayashi swiped on the tablet again and sent a file to Tanaka Sho.

"From headquarters, Lord Dajini Ten has relayed a message that all of us rickshaw drivers need to be careful. Recently, there may be agents from other foreign companies infiltrating Kyoto. Every driver needs to memorize this list. Especially the top two, a man and a woman—look, this female fox is actually a local of Kyoto. Tsk tsk, despicable non-citizens."

Working themselves to the bone every day for such a meager salary, who has the time to keep track of your master's names or watch out for spies?

Tanaka cursed inwardly, then casually accepted the document.

"If you actually find a spy, notify the company, and you'll get a bonus. Especially the two on top, each one is worth five million."