Who says the Magic Cyber ​​Police can't overthrow the Heavenly Gang?

Page 166

After a moment of internal grumbling, you turned away helplessly. These people seemed to enjoy the drama, and you couldn't very well kiss them in public. You didn't know what kind of freakish images you and Jennifer would eventually be projected onto you… Suddenly, you paused, then murmured to yourself:

"A dragon?...No, where's my silly dragon?"

Sometimes you don't intentionally forget Serfal; it's just that although this dragon is large, she's lazy, a homebody, and not good at communicating with people. Over time, she becomes like a figurine in a cabinet—forgotten? Yes, forgotten. But if you ask if you still remember? Yes, remembered.

So you immediately asked Jennifer if the Red Dragon had arrived at the Hines family, and after a long-distance chat, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, you received a negative answer.

"I really can't let her go alone..." you calmly muttered, deciding that next time you'd definitely not let the directionally challenged dragon find her way on her own.

[But you're not worried about her safety, you're just afraid that when the little dragon hatches from the egg and discovers it has no mother, it might turn evil... Of course, this evil isn't the kind of evil that refers to a black person without a father... Never mind, the more I explain, the more hellish it gets.]

[Zeris is tinkering with various magical artifacts in the inn. Although they have different names, such as "miniature mobile nodes" that extend the magic network signal, "ring stabilizers" that enhance the stability of magic energy within a certain range, and "portable magic storage boxes" that serve as backup magic energy sources, to you, these are just "thermometer magic gathering towers," "donut magic gathering towers," "C4 magic gathering towers," and so on.]

[However, you've roughly figured out that Zerris wants to rapidly construct a usable magic network around his residence, which is also part of the curriculum taught in the Queen's Academy's new course, "Setting Up Nodes."]

Although there has been no war between Norard and Janium for many years, vigilance cannot be relaxed. After all, everyone knows that Janium is in extreme disarray internally, and if any extremist forces were to attempt an assassination, the Janium government would certainly not take responsibility.

"Truth lies only within the range of cannons..." you sighed. However, compared to transporting cannons to the front lines, the "Setting Up Nodes" course was essentially teaching mages how to build cannons by hand...

The negotiations proceeded as scheduled, and you, with the aim of contributing more to the Goddess Church (and making a good impression on the Goddess), naturally devoted yourself wholeheartedly to it, attending the negotiation meeting as one of the key figures.

"First, there's the issue of people's livelihood after the introduction of the Magic Network. How do you plan to ensure the stability of our domestic situation? If the Magic Network's exploitation of the professional ecosystem leads to civil war, can you take responsibility?"

The opposing negotiator was pressing you with questions, but as the person in charge, you couldn't answer so easily. Therefore, the monk sitting to your left raised his hand and retorted:

"I doubt your country's current domestic situation can be considered stable at all. Internal friction is all too common. Or rather, if your internal forces were to set aside their differences and form an alliance against the Magic Network, wouldn't it be more likely that your government could still control such a massive force? That's the more probable question, isn't it?"

"Ugh, this is so troublesome..." you couldn't help but complain internally. "These guys are still too reserved since it's the first time I've met them. I really miss the days when orders were flying everywhere and we stood there like lackeys. At least it was lively back then..."

However, you did pay a little attention to the negotiating table. Although it was just a back-and-forth test of strength, you gradually learned what kind of place Janium really was.

[In essence, it's a United Nations or a federation, but to put it bluntly, it's like an alternate world version of India. Each state has its own beliefs and powers, and various new and old evil gods secretly reside among the populace. This theocratic system extends to the rulers, making it unclear whether those who have taken over the "Houst Palace" are agents of the gods or the true rulers of the nation.]

You snap out of your reverie and look again at the two sides at the negotiating table. The table in front of them is getting closer and closer, until they're almost face to face.

"We Janium people absolutely do not use toilets, so shouldn't you reconcile with us?"

Upon hearing this topic, you immediately felt a little flustered and couldn't help but mutter to yourself, "oioioi, is it really necessary to bring up such a trivial matter so formally at the negotiating table?"

"Hmm, that is a problem..." The negotiating mage frowned, remaining silent in thought.

"So there's no need to dwell on this!" you screamed internally, your face tense. "Is the point of your negotiation something that comes out of the toilet?!"

The negotiation mage representative suddenly had a bright idea, slammed his hand on the table and said, "No problem! I have a plan that will allow the commoners of Janium to experience Norard's toilet customs ahead of time!"

"Because your magic element hasn't been tamed by the magic network, you people in Yanium generally travel between states using airships instead of teleportation arrays. We can modify civilian airships for free, turning single seats into toilets with direct access to the bottom of the boat."

"After experiencing such a cathartic release, ordinary people will inevitably develop a certain curiosity and longing for toilets, and at that time..."

"Wait, this isn't right!" You straightened up in alarm, looking at the other representative who was deep in thought, silently pleading in your mind, "Don't think so seriously! This proposal is completely unreasonable, don't you see something wrong with it? Reject it already—"

"Okay." The representative nodded, ticked it off in his notebook, and said with a smile, "A good suggestion. Even I'm excited about it. Let's move on to the next key point."

"No? Isn't that too hasty? Maybe we should think about it some more? Go back and ask the common people what they think about this kind of thing!" You anxiously scratched your head in your seat, wishing you could rush up and give them a good talking to.

"Wait a minute, I've thought about it carefully, and it seems there's still a problem." The mage representative flipped back to the proposal and asked hesitantly, "Your commoners—"

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm asking!" You waved your arm excitedly, muttering to yourself, "How can such a big decision be made so hastily?"

"Your commoners seem to have a high demand for diversity," the mage representative said, frowning. "Some commoners who believe in the 'Underworld Earth God' don't travel by airship, while others who believe in the 'Self-Bound Earth God' don't travel far. It seems that the 'Airship Descent' plan alone is insufficient to completely resolve this cultural conflict."

"That makes sense." The opposing representative also flipped back to the previous proposal, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Alright, to cater to different groups, we can consider setting up toilet trial points on carriages and at certain scenic spots within the city. However, this is a significant matter, and I need to initiate a public opinion survey..."

"Don't make this public knowledge!" You helplessly clutched your head, bowing your eyes in anguish. "This kind of thing can be discussed at the negotiating table! I don't want to become the person in charge of some 'toilet bill' later!!!"

"Then you decide what to do." The mage representative shrugged, turned to the next page of the proposal, paused for a moment, and said:

"Hmm... The next point of conflict you've raised, namely 'the review system for secondary creations of local deity images on the internet after the introduction of the magic network,' is something we cannot guarantee for the time being, because most cyber police officers' real-life identities are hidden, and we cannot find anyone to conduct law enforcement supervision online."

"However... in the future, when the Anium people receive magical education, we will explain the rules to them, and I don't think any Norard people will smear the image of your gods on the magic network..."

"…Never mind." You sighed helplessly, rubbing your forehead, recalling Jennifer's audacious act of looking at doujinshi of goddesses online. "Really not? Oh well… Consider it a little shock to you old fogies who've never been exposed to the internet…"

The first round of negotiations, repeatedly unfolding and then halting amidst controversy, passed intermittently for a year.

In this year, you finally realize how troublesome negotiation is, with both sides scrutinizing every detail in order to extract as much benefit as possible.

From absurd topics like "the Yaniumi will experience population migration due to the magic exchange student program, so Norard needs to supply enough kidney-tonifying magic potions at low prices to ensure the normal operation of the Yaniumi government."

The proposal, "Not the biological father - a field condom popularization program to improve the stability of family units," has a distinctly regional and unorthodox character.

Then there's the internal debate among the mages about cleaning up the atmosphere in Pandora, the sinful city of Janium where exiles criminals. Radicals felt that more than half of the townspeople deserved to be executed, while conservatives thought the radicals were too conservative.

Almost every one or two weeks, a large number of topics change at the negotiating table. Even so, over the course of a year, dozens or even hundreds of topics are temporarily shelved, and the number seems to be increasing.

"Damn it, isn't this just a simple plan for trade, academic exchange, and a pilot program for the Magic Network? How come our own proposal includes 'hanging Emperor Runetic II of Janium'?"

During an internal meeting, as you reviewed your own proposal, you couldn't help but complain to the mages:

"Who wrote this proposal? Isn't it a bit too extreme? They're nobles, after all; hanging is a bit too undignified, isn't it?"

No one claims the proposal, so you can only grumble and toss it into the discard pile, then take out the next document.

"Put Emperor Runetic II of Janium on the guillotine?" You couldn't help but laugh, then immediately became serious and asked loudly, "Who is this? Is this a soap opera? You even anticipated my reaction?"

[The audience only chuckled. You shook your head helplessly, stuffed the file back into the overflowing wastebasket, and pulled out the next one.]

"You read half of 'Put the Führer Janium...' then wiped your face and said with a sarcastic tone:"

"Another expert? Let me see what you wrote... 'Purify the leader of Yanium, Runetik, with pure light'? Huh? Jennifer, speak!"

Jennifer stood up hesitantly from the back row and said weakly:

“I saw they all wrote similar proposals, so I just wrote one for fun… Lazi, you know me, I haven’t learned the purification magic from the Pope yet…”

[You're utterly speechless about your own team's situation, but with the first round of negotiations coming to a close, it's understandable that morale is high. They've been stuck in this wretched border region for a year, so naturally they harbor deep resentment towards Janium.]

So you temporarily disbanded the negotiation team. Watching everyone leave the meeting room, you walked over to Jennifer, pinched her cheek, and muttered:

"We're about to return to Londia. The final armed exercise—are you ready?"

"There's nothing to prepare. I'm always at my best when I'm with you," Jennifer said, placing her hand on your shoulder.

"On the contrary, Lazi, your meditation progress has slowed down recently. Is something on your mind?"

You shook your head, laughed, and took Jennifer back to your room.

[The so-called armed drills are simply demonstrations of your learned magic and divine arts to the watching civilians of Yanium, without any actual fighting.]

Although there are mercenaries of different professions from Yanium's own country as practice subjects each time, it is ultimately on someone else's territory, and their rules are mostly aimed at you.

For example, there are rules such as "the mage representatives participating in the battle cannot use the same spells to avoid affecting the viewing experience" and "the training ground area is set according to the attack range of local professionals in Janium, without taking into account the need for mages to keep their distance".

As a result, the mages, who originally intended to showcase the magic to the common people, gradually lost interest in the event.

Fortunately, this is the last time. After the first round of negotiations, what remains are the more detailed and constantly changing political policies, which will be left to the next group of unfortunate people to negotiate.

As for Jennifer's comment about your slower meditation speed, it's simply because you've stopped casting useless spells.

[Since you plan to visit the Church of the Goddess later, and you're thinking of cramming at the last minute... well, cramming at the last minute to make a good impression on the Goddess, you've paused issuing new spells to avoid increasing your risk level.]

[However, you still maintained your professional ethics and didn't stop updating. On the contrary, you finished serializing "The Record of the Goddess of Yanium" for free in the discussion area. Although the comments in the discussion area were quickly wiped out, there were always quick-witted people who took a snapshot on the magic network. In such moments, a mage's hand speed is much faster than a warrior's.]

According to them, your fans have collectively flooded a quiet, small forum called Beacon, where they've posted your collected volumes and are discussing them enthusiastically every day. Some have even written fanfiction, but no one is sharing links with you. As the author, you can't even find where to read your own novel.

[The day has finally come for your last day in Janium. You and Jennifer are ready for the exercise and wait together in the field outside Dirtmouth for it to begin.]

However, just as it was about to be your turn, you suddenly felt a chill, which sounded an alarm bell in your heart. You looked up and sensed the thin magical net in the area.

[In just one year, the magic network has spread from the inn to this place, following your daily activities. However, before officially establishing nodes, the magic network's connection is still quite weak.]

"Without cyber police authorization, things are a bit inconvenient in Janium..." you muttered to yourself. Since there's no magic network in Janium, there are naturally no cyber police appointed by the goddess. You have no idea where to obtain the key to this area.

Suddenly, a quarrel caught your attention. You looked at the mage who was cursing loudly because of his injury and the arrogant local professional, and you unconsciously frowned.

Although Yanium has various rules regarding armed exercises that target mages, there is one rule that both sides must abide by: stop when the fighting is over. And at this moment, this rule has clearly been broken.

[You've just taken a step forward to take charge when you see the anxious Zerris already flying up to heal the mage. Relieved, you take a step back. Just then, turning your attention to your surroundings, you see a wisp of tainted divine power skimming across the ground through the crowd. Your eyes sharpen, and you instantly prepare for battle.]

Suddenly, Jennifer emitted an intense light—her passive warning ability. Your heart sank slightly, further confirming your suspicions. Then, your magical wings flapped, and you took flight, shouting, "Attention everyone..."

Before you could finish speaking, the corrupting divine power instantly enveloped the entire area. As if fully understanding the very foundation of the magic network's existence, it roared before doing anything, causing all the magical energy outside the city to vibrate.

[Zeris's healing spell abruptly stopped. His brow furrowed, he raised his spell cloak, and unfurled seven or eight scrolls, preparing to launch a counterattack.]

"However… it's too late! Preserve our strength!" You, relying on your magic book to cast spells, flew through the air and shouted amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd. Then, with a wave of your hand, the magic energy within you surged forth. Before the corrupted divine power could wash away the mages like a surging tide, you shouted again:

"Mass Teleportation!"

[Spatial magic instantly enveloped the mages' bodies, teleporting them back to the city's inn, which was the safest place within teleportation range.]

"At least the inn's magic network has become quite stable thanks to the various magic gathering towers..." you said, slightly relieved, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hopefully, the mages who have recovered from their rage won't tear the city apart, otherwise we'll have to negotiate again... In the end, isn't sending Runetic II to the guillotine more cost-effective?..."

Before the corrupting divine power could engulf you, Jennifer, radiant with light, refused your teleportation and leaped up to embrace you.

[Your vision went black as a dizzying sensation, akin to being swept through space by the unstable divine power of the battle, engulfs your mind.]

Chapter 181 Purification! Purify them all!

The moment you were freed from the corrupting divine power, you regained your senses under Jennifer's protection.

[Before you appeared a burly man wielding a massive sword, with protruding ears, a single eye, and a long scar running across his right eye, almost splitting his head diagonally in two.]

He had a blood-stained cigar dangling from his lips, its faint glow flickering in the dark room, dimly illuminating rows of unidentified mutilated bodies hanging along the edge of the wall.

"Hmm?" He looked at you and Jennifer, who had instantly assumed a fighting stance, bulged his biceps, patted his greatsword in his hand, and then slung it over his shoulder. He took a puff of smoke from his cigar, hesitated for a moment, and muttered to himself:

"Damn... how come there are only two people? This is troublesome..."

After sensing your own magic reserves and confirming that they were sufficient to fight your way in and out of Changban Slope seven times, you patted Jennifer, who was holding her sword in defense, reassuringly, stepped forward, and asked loudly:

"Who are you? What do you want to do to the mages? Aren't you afraid of incurring Norard's wrath?"

"Why are you yelling so loudly? Don't speak to me like that." The scarred man frowned, carefully stubbed out his cigar with his fingers and put it in his pocket, and said in a deep voice, "Look at the big knife I'm carrying, guess what I'm going to do? Also, who is Norald? Is he very powerful?"

"Are you illiterate?" you couldn't help but mutter, as the magic energy within you began to gather in your palm. The spell "Dissociation" was ready to be cast in your hand. The man before you certainly wouldn't expect a mage to be able to cast spells outside of the magic network, so your chances of succeeding in one move were frighteningly high.

But before that, you need to figure out what exactly happened, so you shouted loudly and righteously:

"You, tell me honestly, where is this place? What other schemes and plots do you have up your sleeves? Who's behind this?!"

"You brat!" The scarred man pointed his thick finger at you angrily and said, "I told you not to—"