Chapter 87 Skyman
Li Pan was so angry that he forced a smile and said,
"Imai-san appreciates you so much, Yamazaki, just go have a few drinks with me, and I'll take care of the goods." "
Yes, manager, I'll go first . I'm sorry."
In this way, Yamazaki was dragged upstairs to drink. Imai Shoichiro regarded him as a junior student at Tokyo University and introduced him to a circle of young ladies and young masters. Then the smart doll quickly delivered the meal, and a group of people started to have the meal together with laughter.
Li Pan was sitting alone downstairs, and the doll was sitting in front of him with a box. He actually held the box containing the golden Buddha in his hand and showed it to him, without even pouring him a glass of water.
Li Pan feels now like a driver who takes his boss to a business banquet but is not qualified to serve at the table and can only sit in the car... Damn it,
these damn sky people! This was not unintentional at all, it was intentional, Xiba!
But yes, the street boys in the Night City are full of envy, jealousy and hatred towards the second generation. Why don’t the young men in Sky City look down on these vulgar, violent, rude, poor and savage ruffians at all? .
Even though Li Pan was the manager of Monster Company, a check of his resume revealed that he was from a compulsory military service technical school. These elites who had received higher education from the New East University of Science and Technology and had studied abroad in other worlds naturally didn't bother to pay attention to him. That Shoichiro was willing to come forward and say a few words was already for the sake of Yamazaki Ayato, his junior.
This feeling is probably like seeing a cockroach in your living room.
Feeling this condescending disregard and obvious boredom, Li Pan almost wanted to overturn the table and kill him.
It was Yamazaki who was the judge of appearance and quickly sent a bunch of information to the general public. Many of them were internal files of the Security Bureau, which gave the boss something to do, lest they cause trouble and the Security Bureau would come to clean up the floor again.
After all, people were looking for clients through connections, so Li Pan had no choice but to sit patiently, waiting for the collector to come to his door, while reading the information to pass the time.
In fact, Li Pan is really not a cyberpsychopath, and he won't explode at the first moment. And to be honest, "Skyman Discrimination" is also a common social phenomenon in 0791 now. It is a manifestation of the sharp differentiation of classes within society, and it has been seen a lot.
Of course, 'Sky People' is a discriminatory term in itself. In addition to referring to the 'Sky City' where these people live, there is also a deeper reason.
To put it simply, because every native of the earth generally calls himself an 'earth person'.
As for the vampires of the Ye family, the Sons of Dorne at Dawn, various battle corpses transported directly by spaceships, artificial humanoids produced using alien technology, and those visitors from other worlds who use QVN to link to this plane. .
For security reasons to prevent Legion terrorist attacks, unregistered prosthetics are generally not allowed to land directly on Earth for their first visit.
These prosthetics are usually stored on space stations and spacecrafts. If they want to descend into the atmosphere, they must pass the customs biochemical security inspection and arrive in a space elevator or shuttle, so they are generally called "spacemen".
So the one caught between the two groups, neither superior nor inferior, is the 'Sky People'.
This word specifically refers to those people who are natives of the earth, but who love the "space people" and even wish to actively change their prosthetic bodies to join the "space people".
Of course, the discrimination is also mutual. The 'sky people' also discriminate against the indigenous people on the ground, all the creatures that are physically bound to the surface of 0791, and even the samurai masters of Takamagahara.
So don't worry too much. They are not targeting you Li Pan alone. They are discriminating against all the people on earth outside his own small circle equally...
Even the Takamagahara warriors that Li Pan has come into contact with before are not as extreme as the sky people. Look at Akiyama Saito and so on, aren't you still kneeling and licking him?
Of course, it is also possible that the kendo masters Li Pan came into contact with, including the hot spring female generals and the Koga kunoichi, were themselves lower-level samurai who served others, so they were all proficient in kneeling and would not be able to show off any Chinese family records. .
Enthusiastic netizens often discuss this phenomenon. Li Pan also saw several popular science articles when he was browsing posts, but the information report sent by Yamazaki was more thorough.
According to analysis, this is because the Chinese in Takamagahara received a traditional education. On the surface, they are presidents and cadres, but at heart they are still warriors. They respect the strong. They consider themselves lords and lords. They are members of the ruling class and certainly disdain the homeless and bankrupt. Care, but not too extreme for a company dog.
So as long as you wear a formal suit, a tie, and follow the company's internal culture and tacit understanding, in the eyes of other samurai, you can be regarded as a first-rate Ashigaru servant, at least a low-level member of the group, and an abide by the ruling order of Takamagahara.
Therefore, generally speaking, samurai bully their direct subordinates within the rules, and it is rare for them to discriminate against everyone else without distinction.
But the sky people are different. If you don't have the same family background and education, they won't even want to tease you.
This is not only the discrimination between the wealthy and the bankrupt, but also the special historical reasons of the 0791 plane. The most important reason comes from Gao Tianyuan's original shareholders.
Many people often mistakenly believe that Takamagahara is a private property established by the Oda family from scratch. In fact, this is deliberately misleading.
To be precise, it was the first generation Oda Sosuke who joined Takamagahara with the 0791 plane and obtained investment from the board of directors. 0791 gradually became the headquarters of Takamagahara.
It might be a little difficult to understand if you don't start from the beginning, so I'll say a few more words.
To simply understand, in the beginning, only Earth 0 was considered the Earth, and the other Earths were just parallel universe colonies of Earth 0.
Oda, the first generation time traveler, was just a mere cruiser captain on Earth 0. Although he could easily sweep through other worlds and rule Earth 0791, that was all.
With just an alien traveler and a cruiser, he can dominate the primitive tribes, but it is simply impossible to develop this rural earth in the 16th century and join the trade system of the universe of Earth 0.
So he needs to attract investors, recruit partners, and get loans from banks to develop his own world.
So Oda used the intelligence collected during the 0791 crusade against the legion to contact the Oriental chaebols under the legion and recruit them to join the group.
At that time, the war between the Security Council and the Legion was gradually coming to an end, and the overall situation had been decided. As the defeated party, the Oriental Conglomerate lost almost all its fleets and colonies. If they did not want to continue their path to the dark side and be expelled to the edge of the universe with the remnants of the legion, they would have to start all over again.
So they grabbed this life-saving straw and accepted the invitation of the first generation Oda to surrender. Gao Tianyuan was officially established, and the funds and technology of the Oriental Department were invested in Earth 0791 to participate in colonial development.
The name Gao Tianyuan is also written very clearly. The directors of the first Gao Tianyuan are all "cosmic humans and gods" from other worlds.
Although the two parties are partners, the Takamagahara chaebol are the actual financial and technology investors. However, for the local indigenous earthlings, especially the samurai class, they feel that they are the masters of 0791 and the co-owners of the world. It is still the Oda family, so the Odas have always firmly controlled the appointment and dismissal of the presidents of each company.
Of course, those directors were from unclean backgrounds and violated the taboos of the Security Bureau. They had no reason to jump out and compete with the Oda family for the real power of the chairman of the rural enterprise. They were just looking for a place to invest and make money. Who would actually come to work in land reclamation?
So the 'God' chose the 'United Society', a local aboriginal businessman, as a manager and white glove to operate the fund and appreciate the assets. At the expense of not participating in Gao Tianyuan's personal rights, he assisted trade and investment consultants and received a large amount of income dividends as a reward for investment.
In this way, with the massive capital injection and technological support, Gao Tianyuan grew explosively. Riding on the economic recovery of the post-war Zhutian Universe, Gao Tianyuan successfully joined the Zhutian Trade Agreement. The group's output value continued to rise, and the directors made a lot of money.
By the time of the eighth generation Oda, there was even a chance to join the Safety Committee. Although the attack on the committee failed in the end and the prosperity turned to decline, and then there was the financial crisis of the collapse of the real estate and stock markets, capital flight, and large-scale bankruptcies, but in the The 'United Congregation', which controls the actual capital of Gao Tianyuan behind the scenes, is not only unscathed, it can also be said that it can be said to have added insult to injury, took advantage of the situation and made a fortune.
However, in this long economic winter, a large number of middle- and lower-level samurai families, including the upper-class Chinese, went bankrupt in the economic crisis. The dissatisfaction that the samurai class's upward path was cut off and their savings could no longer be concealed by economic growth. In order to transform internal contradictions, The Oda family was forced to embark on the path of militarism, and even wanted to build a multiverse empire. In the end, of course, they were defeated miserably in the corporate war, which is a story later.
In short, it is very clear that these "Sky People" themselves are the basic base of the "United Society" and are the children of the plutocrat family. The education they received since childhood has been extremely elitist and alien.
In order to serve the real master, they will engage in Gao Tianyuan's trade and capital operations with the heavens in the future. The elite education these people received since childhood is on the level of the multiverse. Coupled with their family conditions, they are often linked to the heavens and universe through QVN. Even spending most of the time in the 'universe on the other side of the door', only occasionally 'waking up', how can one not broaden one's horizons?
Having seen the stunning scenery of another world, and having no room for improvement in Takamagahara, it is natural for the converts to worship and feel that the City of Night is just a mud ditch, a remote small villa. From generation to generation, of course, they gradually isolate themselves from the natives and focus on the country. To move closer to the more advanced and civilized heavens and worlds.
In fact, let alone them, even Li Pan himself is the same. Now that he has become an immortal, he sees everyone as an ant. Where can I see this piece of shit like the Night City?
This is not alarmist. In fact, with the development of science and technology, the 'sky people' are rapidly being accepted by the 'space people', and they have divided into two distinct groups from the indigenous earthlings in the City of Night.
The people of the sky benefited from today's trade in the heavens. Naturally, they were completely opposite to the red tengu who were bankrupt and defeated and clamored for independence. Compared with the so-called samurai empire, they supported the financial order of the heavens established by the Security Committee.
They hope to completely integrate 0791 into the trade system of the heavens. Therefore, even though they are a group cultivated by Gao Tianyuan and make money from Gao Tianyuan, they are still emotionally inclined to the side of the Security Committee and are strong supporters, allies and compradors of the 'Space People'.
There are even rumors that even in the tragic defeat of Gao Tianyuan, it is said that the 'Sky People' played a very disgraceful role in the war. Therefore, they have always been the target of the Red Tengu's Tenchu, and they are increasingly afraid to leave the "Sky City" and return to the ground.
After roughly sorting out the positions of the Sky People and the United Society, and looking at the banquet upstairs, Li Pan had a clear idea.
This time, Imai was so ingratiated with Yamazaki Ayato, his 'junior', that he was even willing to take out the family's 'Golden Buddha' and transfer it at a discount. Maybe he already secretly knew Yamazaki's undercover status and wanted to use business assistance to hook up with him. What about the Security Bureau?
However, a lot of the things that Monsters Inc. is eyeing were indeed bought by the chaebols of the "United Society". It wouldn't be a bad thing to take Yamazaki Ayato's path and get them back if there is a chance. At worst, let him have one in the future. If people come to buy it, Li Pan won't be angry.
It's just that it was obviously a good opportunity, but at this time, a new competitor appeared. It was really full of twists and turns.
After flipping through the magazine and looking at the goods, after waiting for two hours, the ACA collector finally arrived, led by the smart doll.
The Collector also sent two representatives, one of whom used a female intelligent human prosthetic body and was obviously a cosmic being linked through QVN, and the other was a boy about the same age as Rama, about ten years old.
There's not much to say about the intelligent human. It's similar to the intelligent human attendant in Sky City. It's provided by the space station. It's a short-term business rental prosthetic body. It's a level 5 intelligent human prosthetic specially prepared for tourists from other worlds and company employees who are on short-term business trips. .
The boy was from Earth. He was dressed like a street boy. He had blue eyes and a white head. His hair was black and white and stood up like a hedgehog. His forehead was so medium that he had to wear a forehead protector. There were tears on his left cheek. There are similar tattoos, and there are several leather wristbands on the wrists of both hands.
This guy has a weird aura. Is it a ninja? No, this aura seems to be a bit like Rama... Could it be someone with super powers...
"Oh my, you are in formal attire, is it possible that you are from Monster Company? It's our
first time meeting you! What an honor! This is your business card! "
The white-headed boy stood at the door with his hands in his pockets, while the intelligent female figure took the initiative to shake Li Pan's hand.
Li Pan looked at the electronic business card sent by the other party.
Belia
, ACA Antique Collectors Association
S68 site manager
, MA level collector,
"It turns out to be Ms. Belia, meeting for the first time, and I am the acting manager of TheM."
Li Pan exchanged business cards with her, and the other party also smiled,
"It's such a coincidence, could it be that Your Excellency is also here for the 'Statue of Lushi', right?
I understand, it's up to you to do whatever you want. Since you're here first, why don't you make an offer first?"
Huh? Statue of Rus?
"No, no, they will just buy a box."
Before Li Pan could speak, Imai Shoichiro floated out from the second floor and interjected,
"Now that we are all here, let's take a look at the goods."
The intelligent attendant opened the box and took out the golden Buddha 'Show it to Belia and ask her to see it. He also deliberately closed the lid of the box and showed Li Pan the box...
"The goods are genuine." Belia nodded with a smile, then bowed to Li Pan, "Then let's take it, okay?"
Li Pan indicated that you have money. , please do as you please.
"Thank you."
Belia bowed to Li Pan again, snapped her fingers to pay the Imai family, and the young man behind her came up, reached into the box, and took out the 'Golden Buddha' with his bare hands.
The moment he took it out of the box, Li Pan clearly saw that the 'Golden Buddha' was filled with black smoke, and blood and tears seemed to be shed on the Buddha's face. On the young man's hands, the leather wristbands shone brightly, gathering two groups of rich white light, wrapping the 'Golden Buddha' like a cocoon, suppressing the black smoke.
Li Pan looked at the young man's hands with great interest. It was indeed not Qi, but some kind of alien energy that he had never seen before. It emanated from the magic lines hidden under the forehead and wrist guards between the eyebrows and wrists, and then passed through Protective gear amplification takes effect.
Obviously, this kind of super energy must also abide by the monster rules of the 0791 plane.
"Is this also an ACA collector?"
Belia waved her hands repeatedly with a smile, "No, Husky is my pet."
Li Pan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, but the white-haired boy named Husky had no expression and his eyes didn't look like him. Being controlled by spirits or drugs, they should have basic self-awareness and not be some bionic clone.
Imai Shoichiro's eyes lit up and he chuckled,
"So you have this kind of taste, Miss Belia, we made a big deal today. If you are not in a hurry, how about I host a banquet for you?
I also have many puppies at home. , I think you will like it, why not take a few back and treat them as souvenirs."
Belia smiled, "It's okay, we are new to the Collectors Association, and there will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future. Just be respectful. I'm sorry to bother you tonight. Husky, look at something."
The husky held the 'Golden Buddha', and he remained motionless even as the smart man sent him a bulletproof suitcase. Li Pan silently put away the empty box.
After the 75 million was received, Imai Shoichiro was extremely happy,
"It's great to be able to do this business, and it's rare to meet again. Let's have a class reunion tonight!
Ayato, come too, let your manager take the things back. , let's have some fun together!"
"This... let's not nag..."
Yamazaki Ayato also felt that Shoichiro had gone too far. If he continued to stimulate him, he was afraid that he would not be able to shovel the body when he collected it...
Li Pan didn't care. , he was still staring at the 'Golden Buddha'. Sure enough, the moment he closed the wooden box in his hand, the 'Golden Buddha' suddenly opened his eyes, shot out a red light, made a hole in the light cocoon, and then protruded from its mouth. A burst of black energy broke through the shackles of the light cocoon and fled to the second floor.
The scene was almost fleeting, and Husky didn't respond at all, so Li Pan smiled and said,
"Since it's rare for old classmates to meet, Yamazaki, don't be polite. You can represent the company tonight and report anything tomorrow." Okay, I'm going back to the company with the goods first."
Then he and Belia looked at each other, nodded and left, and Li Pan walked out of the maze under the leadership of the intelligent doll and returned to the shuttle.
Does Lu Shi look like...
Li Pan checked the company's files. Lu Shi seems to be a practitioner in ancient South Asia. The inheritance era was even before the emergence of ancient Buddhism. It can basically be understood as the Asan version of the monk, but it is It advocates practicing hard through extreme self-abuse, torturing the body to stimulate potential, and to achieve immortality after suffering all the hardships.
However, looking at the shapes of Lushi statues online, they usually have green faces and fangs, and look like evil ghosts, which is far from the walking Buddha in Sukhothai. It stands to reason that there can be no confusion, right?
Is it because the collector really knows the details of the Buddha statue?
Or is it that the other party sees something different...
No matter what, people look down on us earthlings, why should we stick to a cold butt when we are hot on the face? We might as well use the Imai family first to test the quality of this monster.
Whether it is a Buddha or a demon, you can know it with just one test.
(End of chapter)