The Creators: From Night City

Page 414

The Palico hopped around distributing food to each person, but the recipients were clearly more interested in the food itself.

Fortunately, due to the weapons in the hands of the guards, the residents of Yharnam only looked at these humanoid beasts with curious eyes.

"Ariana, resident number 0368"

Under Ariana's curious gaze, an Elf cat scanned the metal tag on her chest with some kind of instrument attached to its furry paw and accurately announced her name.

"Your Meal Cat"

A steaming hot lunchbox was placed in front of her.

The transparent, hardened plastic lunchboxes looked exquisite to Ariana, while the gleaming stainless steel cutlery dazzled her even more.

"Adela, resident number 0369, here's your food, cat."

The Palico wearing a white chef's hat and a white apron placed an identical lunchbox in front of the other cat, but unexpectedly, the usually lazy Adela suddenly reached out and grabbed the other cat's furry paw.

"Hello meow, but I have to work and don't have time to play with you, meow."

The cat enthusiastically grasped Adela's hand and shook it a few times before hopping around and starting its work again.

“It doesn’t look like it came from a mutation,” the other person smiled at Ariana and muttered to themselves.

However, this down-on-his-luck nobleman was completely absorbed by the sumptuous meal before him.

She became a prostitute because of her dire financial situation. In Yanan, where people are indifferent and the relationships between residents are tense, it is not easy for a rejected 'Blood Saintess' to survive.

She hadn't had such a luxurious meal in a long time.

Or rather, she had never seen such exquisite and luxurious food in her life.

Thin slices of trout sashimi, as thin as cicada wings, wrap around adorable cat paw-shaped rice balls, interspersed with translucent, jade-like slices of coral melon.

The cool, sweet melon aroma, mixed with a hint of the ocean's subtle saltiness, is very appetizing. The touch of honey adds sweetness and brings a unique sense of happiness.

Although she didn't know what kind of being the "Lord of Eternal Flame" that this sect called "Anti-Entropy" was, Ariana felt that she was about to be bribed the moment the rice ball entered her mouth.

The colorful stewed seven-colored mushrooms in the lunchbox further won her heart.

The rainbow mushrooms, which were captured by the team led by 'Mushroom King' Duke Lawson, are stewed together with Heartbeat Onions, Soft-skinned Pumpkins, and Snow Mountain Grass Roots from Monster Hunter World. Seasoned by Chef 'Fat Orange', the dish is prepared to ensure its flavor while showcasing a natural rainbow color.

Ariana couldn't wait to stick a piece of mushroom into her mouth with her fork.

The unique complex umami flavor of mushrooms blends perfectly with the sweetness of vegetables.

She then extended her fork to other parts; the vegetables were tender and the broth was sweet and delicious, making it irresistible.

Even Adela, who had been complaining all along, fell silent and focused on eating.

Food is always the most basic form of communication between people.

Chapter 845 Learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to control them

Just as Ariana was focused on dealing with the secret yogurt jelly, a black cane suddenly appeared in the corner of her eye.

She struggled to lift her head from her lunchbox, only to find that a large group of people had gathered in front of her.

Several doctors, a soldier commander, a clerk with a pen, and the huntress who had first stormed into the Otton Church were all surrounding a young man with a cane.

"Ariana, was she originally a vampire of Cainhurst?"

For some reason, Ariana always felt that men frequently looked at her lower abdomen.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. The blonde prostitute could only force a business-like smile.

"I heard you just had a miscarriage and were found at Orton Cathedral?"

Ariana's heart immediately began to pound with anxiety.

"Don't worry, it's just a routine inquiry," the doctor reassured the patient in a gentle voice.

He looked at this vampire descendant who was in a very bad state, and scrutinized her face, which resembled that of the last queen of Sumeru, 'Yanan'. He couldn't help but think to himself that 'Odon' was still a sentimental person.

However, since the original body has already been sealed away by him, and without the support of the other party's power, the process of the offspring's birth is naturally interrupted.

However, the other party still needs to be closely monitored to prevent any potential changes in the future.

Ariana, with a complicated expression, was then upgraded from the yellow zone to the heavily eroded area marked in red. She was placed in the sunniest, golden spot, one in front of the other, just a few meters away from the platform where the other was placed.

However, one of them was bound by golden chains made of mysterious characters, while the other was completely unrestrained, making their treatment seem worlds apart.

Jiang Bing and his patrol team continued to patrol the square, and as soon as the medical staff beside Ariana left, the bound Archbishop Amelia immediately spoke up.

"That man, what did he say to you?"

The voice was intermittent, hoarse and disordered, sounding like the speaker was very weak.

Ariana secretly observed this important figure whom she usually found unapproachable and noticed that his face was unusually pale, as if he had severe anemia.

Disheveled hair fell loosely down her chest, which was almost stripped down to her underwear, swaying helplessly.

"The Archbishop, he only asked about my background."

The Archbishop of the Healing Church was practically a local tyrant in Yharnam in the past. Ariana, a prostitute, never imagined that she would one day be able to speak to him, and her words were stammering.

"I...I'm no longer the archbishop..."

“The Healing Church should cease to exist from now on.” Amelia raised her head, her slightly distorted face covered in bruises, her eyes swollen like a panda’s.

This was all done by that young man with the cane.

"Archbishop, what... what happened to you?" Ariana stared in surprise at the great man with a face full of wounds, her gaze involuntarily lingering on the gold watch hanging around his neck.

This was all that was left on Amelia's body except for her underwear.

The archbishop was pinned to the ground and beaten like a dead dog. Her magnificent robes were stripped off, she was dragged out of the church, chained to a cross, and placed in the most conspicuous position in 'Holy Blood Square' in the most humiliating manner, yet this did not arouse Amelia's disgust.

The former archbishop of the Healing Church glanced down at the gold watch that the other woman had deliberately left hanging around her neck, and felt the restless beast blood within her body subside under the restraint of the chains, being 'evaporated' by the sunlight in excruciating pain. Not only did she not resist at all, but she also tried harder to straighten her body so that her skin could better come into full contact with the sunlight and accelerate the 'purification' process.

It all stemmed from a promise the other party made—the promise the man with the cane made when he put the gold watch back around her neck.

“Amelia, do you want the owner of the gold watch to come back? If you do, then work hard to reform yourself and cooperate with [Anti-Entropy]’s next stability maintenance work. I can promise you that I can bring back the soul of the man named 'Lawrence'.”

Amelia didn't think the other party was lying to her, after all, a 'great being' like Him had absolutely no reason to deceive her.

Compared to this promise, healing the church, wealth, and status were all insignificant; she would gladly accept whatever the outcome might be.

All she wanted was for her beloved to come back, and she knew He had the power to do so.

"Good~ cooperate, believers, actively cooperate with the management of [Anti-Entropy], and also actively embrace... [Lord of Eternal Flame]."

As the head of the largest religious organization in Yharnam, the Archbishop of the Healing Church was the first to brazenly defect, firing the first shot in dismantling the corrupt Healing Church.

The effect was immediate.

Soon, the inspection team arrived at the former archbishop's side. Jiang Bing looked at Amelia, who resembled Jesus on the crucifixion, and asked without any preamble, "So, when can you get back to work?"

Although the entire dream has changed hands, the beliefs held by the residents of Yharnam are not so easily shattered.

After a long night of hunting, this huge mess was not as easy to clean up as it seemed.

At this juncture, the identity and status of the archbishop of the church became the key to breaking the deadlock.

Just as Amelia was about to speak, Jiang Bing stopped her with a gesture.

No one present knew her current physical condition better than Jiang Bing.

"To be honest, you should stay here for at least a few more days, but the chaotic 'Yanan' is in dire need of a leader, so I have to resort to some 'unconventional' methods. I hope you can understand."

Jiang Bing pulled a delicate, transparent syringe from his pocket and showed it to the other person.

It was a tube of blood as pure as liquid gold.

"This enhanced version of [Rotten Firefly] might be the last legal 'blood therapy' on the land of 'Yaran'."

Amelia didn't even ask what was inside. She simply raised her head with difficulty, presenting her neck, still covered with a layer of light white animal fur, to Jiang Bing to express her attitude.

This proactive move made Boss Jiang chuckle and shake his head, but he didn't hesitate to inject the medicine into the other person's body.

"It might hurt a little after this, I hope you can bear it."

The pain that Boss Jiang spoke of was absolutely heart-wrenching, bone-deep, unbearable, and utterly agonizing.

The very next day, Amelia, who was already on duty as the "Anti-Entropy" stability maintenance master, felt her legs trembling with pain as she walked.

Fortunately, her arrival finally freed Boss Jiang from the mess that was 'Ya Nan'.

The great [Forger] has been able to return to his loyal Night City.

Chapter 846 The Iron Frame and Its Developer

Erwin Hillkey, a top student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Humanoid Development at Night City University, has never been as nervous as he is now, not even when he first went to Twisty Street to find a sex doll with several months' worth of savings.

He is an amateur scientist, commonly known as a folk scientist, whose main work is researching intelligent robots, which he does at his own expense.

But this brings up a problem: he is short of money.

After seeking help from various people to no avail, he submitted his amateur scientific project proposal and resume to Dogtown, hoping to get on the good side of Hansen. He even moved his entire family to Dogtown for this purpose, only to receive the chilling news that [Anti-Entropy] had taken over Dogtown.

In this time of political upheaval and turmoil, his research proposal was naturally met with indifference.

After waiting for so long, Erwin had no choice but to find another way out.

So he made the second biggest mistake of his life: in a moment of madness, he borrowed a high-interest loan from the Tiger Claw Gang for an experimental electromagnetic programming board.

Then the Tiger Claw Gang members came to their door demanding repayment.

A buzz cut, demon tattoos, a sleazy smile, malicious eyes, and the monomolecular samurai sword in the other's hand made Erwin quickly realize the reality.

Money is easy to spend, but hard to repay.

But thankfully, this is Dogtown, the Dogtown of [Reverse Entropy].

"I will definitely repay the money, please forgive me for a while longer."

"Baka, you've used the same excuse to fob me off three times already, Elwin, I think you're tired of living."

The leader of the Tiger Claw Gang scanned the other man's body with a cold gaze, a look that sent chills down one's spine.

"If you can't pay back the money, we'll use your organs to settle the debt. Anyway, you still have a belly full of original organs. Selling half of them will be enough to pay off the debts you owe us."

The katana was drawn, its sharp blade pressed against Elwin's waist and abdomen, forcing him to quickly realize the reality.

"I will pay you back, I will pay you back, just give me some more time, just a little bit of time!"

The piercing screams sounded like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Maekawa Yoko, an experienced debt collector, listened to the screams and nodded in satisfaction, knowing that this debt collection trip had reached its intended stage.

"Three days. Either pay me back, or you can wait to wake up in a bathtub full of ice."

Erwin could only sheepishly agree, then slink back to his filthy home.

Calling it a home is an understatement; it's more like an abandoned, dilapidated building. Fortunately, it provides shelter from the wind and rain, preventing drafts from all sides.

Normally, a house like this wouldn't be worth much if you weren't strong enough to get it. Someone as weak as Elwin, back in the days of Dogtown, might have gotten his ass kicked in his dreams even if he slept in the sewers.

But things are different now. The arrival of [Reverse Entropy] has brought tremendous changes to Dogtown. A large number of building ruins have been cleared, and rows of well-equipped low-rent housing have sprung up. In addition, the large-scale construction and factory construction have created a large number of jobs. Most of Dogtown's residents have moved out of these dilapidated houses that could collapse at any time and have moved into clean, tidy and safe low-rent apartments for a small amount of rent.

This kind of dilapidated building became a boon for unemployed people like Erwin, who were penniless and unwilling to work in a factory tightening screws.

"Father, are you injured?" As soon as Erwin entered the room, the four-armed raven 'Micro Vision III' surveillance camera that he had specially installed on the ceiling by the door automatically activated, scanning his entire body and transmitting the data back to another being in the room.

"Minor injury, metal frame"

Erwin took off his coat and sat down at the control panel, looking dejected.

A rudimentary robot, consisting only of the main structural frame, thoughtfully brought him a towel.

“My data shows that you may have been robbed or extorted. In this case, it is best to call the police immediately. Father, should I contact the Taiping State Police for you?”

"Forget it, Iron Frame, it's better to believe a sow can fly than to believe those cops."

"Also, you really need to replace this microphone. The one you found in the junkyard is unusable; it's crackling." Erwin said, scratching his head in annoyance.

“Recent online data from various forums shows that the resident support rate for the ‘Taiping State Police Department’ is rising rapidly. You may need to re-examine your stereotypes about them.” The robot’s words were full of mechanical logic, but in Erwin’s view, they did not quite conform to human social engineering.

"You're quite considerate, iron frame, but I can handle this, trust me."

"Of course, Father."

The ugly robot's eyes gleamed, clearly receiving its creator's attitude, and readily agreed, following the built-in algorithm logic.

"Come on, connect to the program. Today we'll continue to refine that great algorithm in your head."

But the iron frame took in all of Erwin's sorrowful sighs and his tossing and turning in the night.