Inequality
John Berger, or Jiang Berger.
This is the name of the Terror Artist. He doesn't belong to any branch of the Madness Butterfly Sect, but he has intricate connections with the Hand of Omnipotence.
More than a hundred years ago, an explosion occurred near Tunguska in Siberia, Russia.
An asteroid with a diameter of 65 meters struck Earth, destroying coniferous forests covering an area of 2,000 square kilometers and leaving behind many Lonsdaleite.
This hexagonal diamond was extremely precious. In that era, to create such enormous impact pressure and heat while retaining the hexagonal lattice of graphite and the hardness of diamond was an incredibly difficult feat, a technique akin to a magical miracle.
These extraterrestrial meteorites returned to the Nine Realms Station and formed a Radiant Stone Ceremony with a young boy from a family of Spirit Shaman who had just come of age. This boy was John Borg.
John obtained the White Stone, could have taken over the role of train conductor. He was exceptionally talented, and Ling Weng and Ming De had high hopes for this young man with abundant primordial energy and extraordinary Inspiration.
But things weren't as simple as the station staff imagined. This sorcerer was obsessed with ancient and mysterious forbidden knowledge. In his view, the soul power of the Madness Butterfly or the station's imitation of the Madness Butterfly, as well as the power of runes, all shared a common origin.
In the ocean of the underground world, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of meters deep, in high-energy, high-temperature zones close to the Earth's core, there exist even greater life forms. These things are far more bizarre and strange than giants or monstrous beasts, and far more terrifying than the colossal creatures rumored in the towns and villages of the underground world.
Let alone highly Inspiration psychics, even ordinary people who come into contact with them will experience brain damage and nerve collapse under the immense pressure of psychic energy, instantly plunging into an eternal torment of madness and chaos.
A hundred years ago, John Borg obtained the remains of Mindt and a powerful meteorite from outer space. Armed with a staff and a stone, he joined the Hand of Omnipotence without hesitation, starting from the pinky finger and working his way up to the Thumb, all to better understand the Madness Butterfly's influence on various creatures and its transformation of the natural environment.
He wants to follow this clue to find the ancestor of the Madness Butterfly and discover the truth about life.
In fact, he succeeded. After visiting numerous giant palaces and demon ruins, this psychic scholar deciphered a crucial piece of information from the texts of various ancient prehistoric civilizations.
The meaning of that message is called--
[--The Earth is a living thing.]
The vast universe is filled with countless stars. Based on human history, which is constantly being overturned, reconstructed, and reinterpreted, John Bogle believed that the Earth possesses a pulse, intelligence, consciousness, and a brain.
Living organisms are to Earth what viruses are to the human body.
Every mass extinction is like the Earth renewing its immune system and its viral reservoir.
Life moved from the ocean to land, and it needed the help of viruses.
This vibrant blue planet is preparing to undergo repeated sifting and natural selection to select the most toxic species in the biosphere, thereby transforming and correcting its primitive and backward physical essence, so that it can escape the pull of nature, escape the control of the sun, escape the tragic fate of other desolate planets, and evolve into a new life form.
Perhaps one day, it will don armor, install engines, and fly to other star systems. It will emit light, grow facial features, become a brain, and speak to children.
Going back a hundred years to the time of John Borg, he believed that humanity was one of the candidates for this trial.
Leaving aside other evolutions or conjectures, at the bottom of the Niflheim Trench, there truly exists a colossal structure resembling mudflows and thunderbolts—its neural synapses.
John wished to make contact with it and called it the [Original Seed].
Where it came from—was it an extraterrestrial visitor? A parasite? A native organism? Native to the solar system? None of that mattered to John.
This powerful psychic, much like Jiang Xueming, transformed himself within a short year.
The people of the underworld say that he is the reincarnation of the souls of hundreds of shamans, and that the soul power contained within him is almost immeasurable.
He works for no one, never participates in any power struggles, and has no vested interests with any Senate or Blood Butterfly Cult. All he does is seek the mysteries of the [Original Seed].
Despite repeated warnings from Ming De, who urged John to cease his exploration of the [Original Seed], the BOSS believed that all psionic research should stop at [Soul Might].
Before Guangling Zhixi had a chance to become a modern army, the Lapis Lazuli Guards and members of the Stone Guild led by the Hunter King relentlessly pursued and persuaded John.
Ultimately, this powerful psychic lost his physical body during the experimental ritual in search of the [Original Seed], and he became a powerful spiritual energy entity.
The instant his physical body connected with the [Original Seed], a powerful mental storm destroyed half of the city in Segment Six. Mother Earth's mental tendrils grew rampantly in his brain, spreading fresh life force.
Homo sapiens and various animals and insects were corrupted by this divine power and instantly transformed into a blood-and-flesh stitched monster. These life samples became a rich source of Inspiration for the Madness Butterfly Cult, and the blood-giving rituals became increasingly elaborate.
The disaster caused by John Borg became a terrifying shadow that lingered in Ming De's mind, and from then on, all materials about giants or other prehistoric civilizations were subject to the highest level of confidentiality agreements.
The more Inspiration a person is, the more obsessed they become with these things, almost as if they are under a curse of knowledge.
Their connection with the [Original Seed] is like a series of human bombs, instantly tearing apart the barriers of space and reconstructing flesh and blood from the brain, like blossoming and bearing fruit, growing beautiful flowers that nurture new life. Then, other life forms around them will also be affected by this psionic radiation and begin to merge and mutate.
Vita Imprint and Madness Butterfly are terrifying life forms born from this flower.
John Borg's Lonsdaleite was confiscated by the station staff and can no longer be reforged on the Radiant Road, so other passengers cannot obtain this colorless stone. John was originally the head of the [Nameless] group and possessed Mingde's remains, which ended up in Jiang Xueming's hands.
A century later, this legendary being finally escaped the spiritual storm of the [Original Seed] and returned to the mortal realm once more. He gathered four souls to form a circus troupe, preparing to gather information in the mundane world and see what the new generation of psionicists are like.
He gave his good brothers four simple and easy-to-understand names.
They are Sigmar, the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
Alpha Bartender -- the first letter of the Greek alphabet.
Beta-singer – the second Greek letter.
And the middleman, Omega —the last Greek letter.
The [Terror Artist] appeared in this city for a few very simple purposes. But before they could achieve these purposes, they encountered a little bit of resistance.
During the trial operation over the past two months, this store had already attracted the attention of many.
The moment Omega, the middleman, received his business license, the armed group of Tian Shu issued an arrest warrant for him.
The members of the Terror Artist realized that there seemed to be an unidentified supernatural force secretly investigating them across this land.
While Sima Yao was exploring the store and gathering intelligence, Omega also collected specific information about the local police station for its owner.
The person in charge of controlling the psionic disasters in this area is named Ye Bei. He is an enforcer with powerful psionic abilities.
Just today, Jiang Xueming took over Ye Bei's shift, using Ye Bei's receipts to handle the Spirit Calamity.
Let's get back to the main topic.
Steward Sigma calls himself Lord.
He came from France in 1557, his birth name was Jacques Cartier, and he worked with many explorers to build New Zealand and hoped to find a new sea route from Europe to the East.
In Xue Ming's eyes, this wandering ghost had no physiological characteristics such as body temperature or heart rate; it was like a mechanical puppet sewn together from leather and paint.
Lord Sigma was preoccupied with his master's business, meticulously calculating entrance fees and discussing the inequalities of value with his guests. His job was to make money—to provide John Borg with a universal currency for both the mortal and underworld worlds.
"Our ticket price is exactly 800 yuan. Did everyone get their tickets according to this price?"
This startup team has a deep understanding of human weaknesses and is able to use these weaknesses as a starting point to plunder essential resources.
Upon hearing this, the two monks, one fat and one thin, couldn't sit still any longer.
The skinny one, A Le, shouted, "I bought it from a scalper for three thousand yuan!"
"Can I get a refund for the price difference, sir?" The fat guy was called Feibo, a good friend of A Le from the same gang. They both worked at the Huadu Nightclub as dirty-handed security guards, responsible for collecting bad assets. To put it nicely, it was called debt collection by force; to put it bluntly, it was called a fish that slipped through the net in the anti-gang campaign. They were the kind of old hands who would greet the police officers at the police station more like they were seeing relatives.
"I'm afraid that won't do." Lord Sigma pursed his lips, then stated his terms. "It wouldn't do for our two distinguished guests to suffer a loss. We will offer them an equivalent amount of pure gold coins as exchange after the performance."
At this point, the steward took out a small box from under the counter, inside which was a gleaming gold coin.
"This isn't a fake, gilded copper item; it's specially made for customers who've been ripped off by ticket scalpers."
At this moment, the skinny monk A Le was still skeptical. If the thing in the Duke's hand was genuine, the gold coin weighed a full twenty grams. Even if it was sold cheaply by the gram, it would still be worth more than four thousand yuan.
Fat Monk Feibo leaned close to his brother and whispered a warning, telling his friend to be careful.
"Have him take the things out so we can see them."
Before A Le could speak, Lord Sigma generously opened the box and displayed the gold coins to everyone, allowing the guests to handle and play with them.
Feibo and A Le frequented casinos. Gamblers who were desperate to win money often pawned their belongings to get by. They were very familiar with precious metals like gold watches and rings and could tell the difference between real and fake at a glance.
The gold coin in front of me has an unknown design and I don't know which country it belongs to. It might just be a cultural and creative product made by some factory by copying an online image, but it is definitely genuine gold.
"We both have them?" A Le was almost incredulous, but this gold coin alone was enough to recoup the money wasted on the tickets.
"Yes!" Lord Sigma carefully put away his valuables and began to do some calculations with the two guests. "The price difference to be refunded to you two is three thousand yuan?"
A Le: "I spent 3,188 yuan on the ticket."
Feibo kept winking and shouting louder, "I spent four thousand five hundred!"
"Then, after deducting 1,600, I will refund you 6,088 yuan." Lord Sigma took out two gold coins. "These two Blood Butterfly Gold Coin are also our VIP membership certificates. After your two distinguished guests have visited, you can use these gold coins to receive two tickets from us each month."
"Two tickets?" A Le's eyes lit up. "Does that mean we can play for free?"
The lord nodded. "Yes."
Feibo immediately seized the opportunity to make money. "Do we have to come in person? What if I don't have time?"
Lord: "You can also give it to your friends."
The two brothers discussed it together in private.
"These tickets can sell for so much money, this is a good business opportunity, bro."
"Brother Le, this is way more profitable than splashing paint on people."
Just then, Lord Sigma's cold voice rang out.
"Gentlemen, there's one more thing you need to think about beforehand. These two Blood Butterfly Gold Coin are quite valuable. The refund will be based on the difference in your ticket prices, but you'll also need to pay a little extra." The head steward, carrying a food scale, meticulously calculated the net weight of the two gold coins, as if he were selling meat at a market. "I feel a connection with you two, so I'll round down the price and give you a discount. Just pay me 1600 coins."
A Le was still hesitating, but Feibo had already opened Alipay and was ready to transfer the money.
All of this seemed so familiar and so cliché to Jiang Xueming.
There's no need to complete the rest of the process; there are far too many places where you can tamper with things.
What ended up in Lord Sigma's account was real gold and silver, and the gold coins could also be real. As for how much the tickets were worth and whether they could be sold, that depended entirely on the two brothers' own abilities.
This whole transaction, which appeared to be an equal exchange, turned the two brothers into free ticket sellers.
A Xiang wanted to say something more...
Her older sister, Qianqian, is quite outspoken.
"Aren't you just making people count money for nothing? People pay to come here, buy your gold coins, and now you expect them to sell tickets for you?"
"Oh, oh, oh! Oh!" Lord Sigma smiled broadly. "My beautiful lady, please don't say that. I have never said such things—never."
At this point, Lord Sigma changed to a stern tone and questioned the fat and thin monks.
"Are you planning to use the VIP pass, this incredibly valuable and rare Blood Butterfly Gold Coin, as a tool for making money? I originally thought it would be a token of friendship, a souvenir with special meaning. This lady has reminded me—if everyone comes to my counter with an 800 yuan ticket, demanding I make up the exorbitant difference in price charged by scalpers without any proof, then my small business will go out of business."
Then the chief steward's tone grew colder and colder as he slammed the lid shut, hiding all the gold coins.
"I'd like to say a few more words to you both out of goodwill: these tickets are for gifting only and must never be used to make money. Otherwise, you wouldn't have this VIP status; countless others would be eagerly waiting for this opportunity."
Upon hearing this, A Le panicked and immediately transferred the money.
The two then glared at Qianqian and yelled at her.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
"You bitch! Say another word and I'll slash your face!"
Immediately afterwards--
--Ah A Le whispered in a low, gloomy voice as he moved closer to Xue Ming.
"Is she the girl you brought? I advise you to keep your hands off these two women! Don't let them get in the way of my money."
Lord Sigma blinked his blood-red eyes, his demeanor composed, upright, and polite.
"Please refrain from laughing and playing around in the store. Photography is not permitted. After checking your tickets, we will proceed to our first stop immediately."
Jiang Xueming didn't say anything. At least all the motives that Lord Sigma had expressed so far were for making money, not for killing. Jiang Xueming was never a great philanthropist, and it was impossible to persuade a damned devil with kind words. He didn't have the ability to meddle in this matter. Until he met the person in charge, he would just follow along and see what happened.
He ignored A Le's verbal threats and nodded like an honest, simple man.
After registration, the counter's shelves transform into a revolving door.
Lord Sigma, carrying gold coins, a mobile payment device, and the guests' identification information, walked to the backstage area.
A bartender followed the receptionist in and began explaining the necessary etiquette before the art exhibition to the guests, which involved choosing a drink.
This time, Xue Ming couldn't sit still any longer.
--As the shelves shifted, the display cases behind the counter, which originally held various commemorative coins, were revealed. These were mostly exhibits designed to accommodate different price differences. The gold coins came in various sizes to meet diverse needs, providing equivalent value based on the offers of those willing to overpay.
What follows is no longer a matter of equivalent exchange.
The bartender, also with red skin and red eyes, was young and energetic, with a mouthful of sharp fangs and a hearty smile.
He first bowed to the guests, then took out wine sets and various ingredients, as well as rare vintage wines and other treasures. In addition, there were bottles and jars of different sizes. Some of the small jars were filled with densely packed reddish-brown powder, like freeze-dried powder made from ground-up Madness Butterfly, which was then mixed with drinks.
"I will prepare drinks and snacks to quench your thirst and enhance your enjoyment during the exhibition for our distinguished guests. Here is the menu."
A menu so thick it could be bulletproof remained on the counter.
Right now, at this very moment.
Lord Sigma returned to his master's side.
In front of the cluttered workbench, numerous research notes and engineering diagrams were piled up next to Lulu the little rabbit.
The pink, ferocious monster was being kneaded and stroked by a large hand.
The owner of the hand was like a great demon from hell, like kindling added to the fire of the Lord of Cinder, now reduced to ashes.
Beneath his ruddy skin were dark veins, and like his men, John Berg had a pair of bright red eyes.
Sigma said, "Master, the matter is settled, but Ye Bei hasn't come."
John Berg waved his hand. "It's alright, the performance will proceed as scheduled."
Sigma pressed further. "The one who replaced him seems to be a complete novice."
John continued, "Then let him have some fun, and make sure the service is top-notch."
Sigma looked at him suspiciously. "No need for special treatment? Maybe we should scare him a little?"
"No need." John turned his head and scratched the little rabbit's neck. "I'm just here to make money, not to risk my life. Sigma— Thumb just sent me a message. You can take a look. I don't understand modern internet slang. Can you explain what it means to me?"
Sigma took his owner's phone and looked at the text messages from the emergency contact.
[Get the hell out of here! Senior! Your IP address shows up in Hengyin City! If you're still doing some weird blood-giving ceremony, it's like the Dragon King's third son running around Chentang Pass trying to walk Nezha's bird while surfing—wanting to find an old Chinese medicine doctor to loosen up his muscles! In short! Get the hell out of here!]
Sigma didn't quite understand, because it had only been half a year since his discovery, and he still needed to learn many survival rules of modern society.
I don't understand.
John, too, didn't take it to heart.
"I don't quite understand either. Is it possible that opening a shop here, Vita Imprint on lucky individuals who voluntarily come to us, conducting experiments using blood-giving ritual props, and collecting experimental data would bring about some kind of disaster? Would it be a catastrophe?"
Sigma stood beside his master, shrugging indifferently.
"The current the Hand of Omnipotence is truly getting worse with each generation, Master. I think it's understandable that these little guys reacted so strongly and with such fear; they are weak and unable to protect themselves. Who is this Thumb to you? If he's not someone important, perhaps there's no need to contact him anymore."
John: "After I left the Hand of Omnipotence, this little guy asked me for help; I saved his life. Perhaps he wanted to repay that debt in this way?"
"You cunning little thing!" Sigma cursed. "Is this guy going to repay a favor with his words? I hate those who talk the talk but don't walk the walk the walk!"
John thought about it, but still couldn't figure it out, so he eventually stopped thinking about it.
He casually deleted the text message, just like he deleted the loan collection text messages from last month; after all, starting a business requires start-up capital.
--Just pretend it doesn't exist.