Confidentiality Agreement

Guided by the Hot Wind, Bu Liuxing arrived at Little Kanto's bank.

This place is located on the first floor of the [Forty-Three Pillars] Giant Tower. Starting from the riverside road of the Kanto Wharf, it took Meteor two bus transfers and more than 20 minutes to get here.

Before the tower that connects heaven and earth stands a bright red torii gate.

The tower's relief paintings depict the Seven Lucky Gods, incorporating images of deities from Shintoism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Brahmanism.

[This is it. Let's go see Black-Eyed Goddess.]

According to Hot Wind, the entire financial management system of Shinto City is managed by a god named [Hei Mu Qianshou].

She is the incarnation of the Seven Lucky Gods. If you want to buy property in Little Kanto and rent a place to sleep, you have to sign a contract with the Black-Eyed Goddess.

The public offices and general council counters were empty; the machines were all in a dormant state.

As the meteor drew nearer, a sound immediately arose, and following the wave pattern of the sound, fine sand formed human faces, offering a friendly greeting to the meteor.

All of this A Xing completely bewildered. He hurried forward, muttering to himself.

"Hot Wind, something's not right. This place is fucking weird—you want me to take out a loan, but I don't see anyone else here."

[This bank hasn't seen any new customers for forty or fifty years. Most people working and living in the city have already signed pledge contracts, essentially selling their entire brain data to [The Eternal World]. All the cancellation and redemption agreements can be completed in [Extreme Bliss Space], so there's no need to make a trip in reality and affect the efficiency of making money.]

Meteor nervously swallowed, not quite understanding.

[The point is, with mobile payments and online contracts, would you still travel all that way to a bank to sign a contract? In Shinto City, people's lives are measured in seconds—except for babies and wild animals who come here to set their own prices, no citizen wants to waste their life doing business in person.]

The meteor's eyes swept over the mechanical spheres in the office, which emitted sound waves that caused the magnetic fluid in front of the counter to project virtual human figures.

[More than twenty years ago, the Day Patrol would invest in some engineering materials, such as creating mechanical skeletons and busts for these tellers, and skinning and makeup them to make them look more lifelike. Later, as the place became more and more desolate, only a subwoofer using augmented reality technology and sound wave imaging remained—all replaced by digital avatars.]

[Perhaps in a few years, the Black-Eyed Goddess will step out of her shrine and personally run the business, saving on these costs.]

Walking from the side office to the main hall, you can see that the main hall's door is tightly closed. The huge door seems to have not been opened for many, many years and has been sealed.

On the dark lotus platform in the main hall, a statue of a deity sat or lay.

It was a woman, just as Hot Wind described. She held a bright red carp in her arms, wore hunting clothes, carried a pipa on her back, and had a white crane lying beside her.

She smiled broadly, and as the shooting star approached, she slightly turned her head to look at the visiting guest.

She was robust and somewhat obese, with a black cloth binding her long hair on her head. A pagoda, about twenty meters high, rose from the lotus platform, just in front of her body lying horizontally on the lotus platform.

This is one of the six divine beings in Shinto— Hei Mu Qianshou.

"What am I supposed to say? I..."

Meteor was stunned by the enormous human figure; he didn't know what to say.

During the battle at Niflheim, he had seen giants hundreds of meters tall, but those were from a previous era, mysterious remains of prehistoric civilizations, the remains of dead gods.

At this moment, when a divine incarnation born from human civilization lay before him, impeccably dressed and dignified, he could barely think, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

[Say whatever you want. Black-Eyed Goddess is an amalgamation of Artificial Intelligence. You're here to ask for money, so talk to her about asset collateral.]

Meteor immediately mustered his courage and shouted, "I want to make some money! To buy an apartment in the city, what do you think?"

Hei Mu Qianshou raised his arm, and his enormous index finger condensed into a point of intense light, projecting a city image onto the meteor's face.

Then countless spots of light converged on the city map, eventually locking onto a residence.

Meteor continued, "If it's too expensive, and you think I can't afford to buy it, renting is also an option!"

The number of light spots increased, and the number of available residences grew to sixteen.

Meteor whispered, "Hot Wind, which set should we choose?"

[The set closest to the Forty-Three Pillars.]

Guided by the Hot Wind, the meteor headed towards the waters near the giant tower, where there was an artificial island. He decided to stay in an apartment building on the island, as it was closest to the residence of the Forty-Three Pillars Heavenly Gods.

Meteor then asked, "How much do I need to pay? How do I get a loan? What kind of collateral do I need?"

Hot Wind and Meteor once said that when borrowing money at the bank in Shinto City, the collateral is memories, whether long-term or short-term, which can be exchanged for a portion of the money.

The Black-Eyed Goddess didn't speak, but instead reached out her hand to Meteor.

--When A Xing saw the enormous hand, seven or eight meters wide, coming down, he immediately cowered in fear.

The enormous fleshy paw turned into fine dust and smoke, sliding across the meteor's skin.

At that moment, a burst of intense lightning erupted, and the Black-Eyed Goddess's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, flashing with images within their dark pupils.

He saw the meteor clearly; those images were exactly what he had personally experienced.

Those were his memories, everything that had happened to him from birth and up until today. Even if he didn't remember some of the details, they were gradually restored and reconstructed in the eyes of the gods, and the blurry memories became clear.

Hei Mu Qianshou extracted a fragment of memory--

--That was a scene from when A Xing was young, showing his time with Bu Mei's mother.

It was a scene of Bu Mei bathing her son when he was only three or four years old.

Everything is presented from the first-person perspective of the meteor, played out from his point of view.

The film is 26 minutes long and takes place in an old house in Hong Kong. Inside the glass room with flowers, Bu Mei's mother carries a large basin of water from outside the door and staggers into the room.

Little Meteor sat in front of the flowerpot, holding a Lego brick and a pair of plastic round-tipped scissors in his hand, watching his young mother, who was no more than twenty years old, rush into the door in a panic.

He heard Bu Mei's mother say.

"Time for a bath! This is the first time Mommy has given you a bath! Sister Wang always used to bathe you, but I figured I should take care of you myself this time, otherwise we won't be as close, right?"

The little shooting star didn't say anything, and dropped all its toys.

After that, there was no dialogue, no lines.

He followed Bu Mei's mother's instructions and watched as she clumsily took off the child's clothes.

He slowly climbed into the wooden tub, curiously raising his head, and saw Bu Mei's mother rolling up her sleeves, pouring skincare products and flower petals into the tub as if she were cooking, always thinking that these things would make her son fair and tender.

He felt those twenty-six minutes were so long, with the sound of splashing water, his mother's breathing, and the soft sounds of rubbing skin and cleaning hair.

He was lifted up by his mother's arms, and he could feel Bu Mei his mother's frail arms seemed unable to carry this baby who weighed more than 30 pounds. His mother was trembling, and from her pursed lips and angry glare, he could see a lot of resentment.

He told Bu Mei's mother to wrap him in a towel, then wiped him clean like a large plush toy, put on a clean set of clothes, and sat back on the small stool wearing open-crotch pants.

The same potted plant was still in front of him. He had retrieved building blocks and scissors from the soil, and his hands were dirty.

Mosquitoes flew among the flowers and grass, drawing his attention. Then, Bu Mei a crisp slap—a slap on Little Meteor's forehead—killing the mosquito.

Meteor immediately burst into tears.

The story ends abruptly here, after twenty-six minutes.

The collateral required by the Black-Eyed God was this memory. She still smiled and reached out to the shooting star, her palm holding a scroll of light composed of this memory, along with additional explanations.

[Lease Term: Twelve Months]

[Collateral: 26 minutes and 12 seconds of Bu Liuxing's time]

On the other hand, there is another option.

[Freehold]

[Requires payment of 145 million Hui Stone Currency]

Bu Liuxing looked at the scroll, still somewhat uneasy, and asked Hot Wind for clarification.

"The Black-Eyed Goddess only wants my memories? But Teacher Victor said that memories can be copied, and stories can be rewritten."

[You will need to sign a confidentiality agreement. After this transaction is completed, you will lose this memory. Since it's something even you yourself didn't know, it becomes unique—and cannot be mortgaged or sold again.]

Meteor asked in surprise, "Should I forget about this?"

[What? Is this story important to you?]

This is twenty-six minutes and twelve seconds of A Xing's life, and he finds it difficult to define this memory.

Important or unimportant? Many adults don't remember their childhood experiences.

Why does the Black-Eyed Goddess want these things? Can these things really be exchanged for money?

Even considering the total property value, the apartment buildings on the island are astronomically expensive for Meteor, even just for rent.

Can a mere 26-minute bath experience from childhood really be worth so much money?

How will the Black-Eyed God use this memory?

[Bu Liuxing, what are you hesitating about?]

[Until you redeem this collateral, during the contract's validity period, the bank will not do anything regarding this memory; the Black-Eyed Goddess is the most trustworthy deity.]

[However, if you can't repay this debt, that's a different story.]

Meteor: "What will she do with this recording?"

[This isn't just a simple recording, Meteor Boy.]

[This is a part of you, your essence.]

[I need to explain to you that if you are unable to redeem this prime material within the specified period, it will become Hei Mu Qianshou's asset, and may even become a commodity, a consumer good.]

[There will always be someone who buys this experience, to become another version of yourself, and to feel your mother's love for you.]

You will permanently lose this memory, and I can't say what the consequences will be. The human brain is a very complex thing.

[Perhaps you will lose some instincts, unable to recall your mother's face while drowning, or remember where your inner strength comes from.]

[Perhaps someone suddenly pats your forehead, and your first reaction is anger and aggression, rather than carefully considering—could that person be your mother?]

[Perhaps when you smell similar scents of flower petals in shampoo and skincare products, you don't feel that inexplicable sense of familiarity.]

[Perhaps when you see similar toys and tools, you'll lose the ability to recognize them.]

Of course, the human brain is very complex. Taking away those twenty-six minutes will have unpredictable consequences, since your memory extends far beyond those twenty-six minutes.

[Let's stay optimistic; I don't think anything will happen.]

[This is the first time Bu Mei has personally bathed you. Even if you don't remember it, it won't affect your brain or change your personality.]

Meteor was filled with unease, unsure whether Hot Wind was telling the truth.

This unfamiliar yet friendly Artificial Intelligence saved his life and seemed to be a trustworthy partner.

After much hesitation, he finally extended his right hand, deciding to hand over the VENOM organization to Black-Eyed God and sign the contract.

At the last moment --

He tried hard to recall, tried hard to think.

He didn't know what this meant, how the confidentiality agreement would be enforced, or how his memories would be stripped away or sealed.

He wanted to try, to try to write down this memory, to reinforce it by repeatedly recreating the scene and reciting the words, so that he could keep all these details in his mind.

But the next second, it was as if time had frozen. His mind went blank, and Venom left a bright red mark on the index finger of the Black-Eyed God.

The meteor's cerebral cortex structure underwent irreversible changes; nanomechanics reorganized some of the brain's constituent elements, and a warm current flowed through its head and neck.

He has absolutely no memory of any of these things.

--It was completely forgotten that the 26 minutes and 12 seconds that belonged to Bu Liuxing were reduced to a string of QR code numbers, which remained in the database of Hot Wind and turned into a dark mass of magnetic fluid.

"Transaction complete."

After saying this, the Black-Eyed God slowly lay back down on the lotus platform.

Meteor walked out of the bank in a daze, only snapping out of it when he saw the relief of the Seven Lucky Gods again.

He racked his brains but couldn't figure it out; only the barcode key on his arm told a story he could never recall.

All he knew was that he had such collateral in the bank, but he couldn't remember what the collateral actually was.

The barcode and his DNA are the keys to unlocking the apartment building door.

"That's fucking terrifying!"

[You're lucky, kid.]

[Experiences like a mother bathing her baby are considered extremely valuable by Black-Eyed Goddess.]

[The people of Shinto City have countless burdens of debt, such as painful memories, betrayals, and bullying. These aren't worth much money, but Black-Eyed Goddess will still keep track of them—and then collect them all.]

People will always try to earn money to redeem themselves, discover the true nature of the collateral, and judge based on the amount owed—cheap junk debts will not be redeemed, becoming non-performing loans or bad debts.

[Occasionally, the entertainment production team of Extreme Bliss Space would buy these bad debts—I myself once borrowed money from Black-Eyed Goddess.]

Meteor: "What did you bet on?"

[While evading the Night Patrol's pursuit, I jumped from the fourth floor in a cool pose, landing right on a load-bearing beam. I lost my balance, and...]

[Cough. I feel like the protagonist in a slapstick comedy sketch, my manhood has suffered a devastating blow, it fucking hurts. I can't even describe the pain.]

[I sold this memory to the Black-Eyed Goddess —she asked for an exorbitant price.]

[I was secretly thrilled when I redeemed this memory! Because at the time, I couldn't remember anything, only that when I was wrestling with Night Patrol, there was a blank space in my mind—I thought I had salvaged a valuable piece of combat record.]

[When I finally realized how much I had spent and reflected on it all, I was filled with mixed emotions.]

Meteor: "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

[I deeply regret recalling such a frustrating and upsetting memory. Thankfully, I managed to get it back; otherwise, someone else would have bought it, and the online program "Extreme Bliss Space" would have broadcast my story of jumping off Hot Wind building and breaking my testicles—that would have been hilarious.]

[Every time I tried to get my money back, it was like opening a blind box – either a pleasant surprise or a horrible shock. Since then, I've never borrowed money again.]

[Hei Mu Qianshou is a very interesting god. Many people on the Chinese internet, like you, like to say that--]

[Give me eyes that haven't seen this picture before.]

[Give me ears that have never heard this song before.]

Give me a mouth that never said that.

[The Black-Eyed Goddess could fulfill these needs, and thus she became a goddess.]

An unmanned ship, responding to VENOM's call, arrived in front of Meteor to take him home.

When Meteor boarded the ship, he thought for a while longer and asked one more question.

"So, Black-Eyed God knows who you are?"

During the memory review, Meteor's brain was laid bare before Hei Mu Qianshou —he should have known what was residing in VENOM.

[That's right, that's why I sent you to find her.]

Meteor sat in the passenger seat of the speedboat; the driver's seat was empty. It seemed they hadn't even bothered with the pretense, not even an augmented reality avatar.

The stereo was playing Matsushima Seiko's single released in 1984.

--It is <The Kingdom of Time>.

A warm sea breeze brushed against the shooting star's cheek.

"She has a close relationship with you?"

[It's not that good either; I'm a criminal, and she's a businesswoman.]

[I once proposed to her—but dating only slows down my money-making.]

Meteor: "Then why does she still help you? Why does she turn a blind eye to your behavior?"

[Could it be a conflict of interest?]

[Would letting a terrorist like me into Shinto City help her make money?]

The shooting star didn't speak; it simply didn't dwell on things it couldn't understand.

[It couldn't possibly be love, could it?]