Chapter 1049: Chapter 822: Mireya’s Fate
The little plastic duck stood listlessly on the ground, showing no reaction to the spell.
Little Mireya crouched down and poked it.
“Quack!” Xu Cheng cooperatively mimicked a duck’s sound from the side, catching Mireya’s attention.
As Little Mireya turned her head, Xu Cheng tackled her from behind, and the two rolled together on the floor.
How stunning Mireya used to be, Xu Yang thought quietly to himself. His Digital Mind had recorded all the witches he had t. She was tall, with exaggerated curves that seed ready to burst forth, clothed entirely in black leather that accentuated her figure, with heavy makeup and an aura of eerie seduction.
But now, Mireya was rely a Little Witch of about seven or eight years old, dressed in a black pleated skirt, resembling a Little Princess, playing alongside Xu Cheng and Bubble.
Her magic power…
Mireya’s magic power could turn everyone into puppets who could only repeat “Forever Mireya,” and she controlled them as slaves without free will.
Xu Yang silently watched the now-younger Mireya.
In the past, Mireya had been commissioned by the Lighthouse Core to spy on the Ancient Witch’s intelligence, marking the first confrontation between the forces of the New Taixi State and their own.
At that ti, the young Lu Jing was investigating the Cyber Specter and had coincidentally helped Xu Yang’s group fend off Mireya’s attacks, defeating her on the streets near Suzuki Springs.
Afterwards, Mireya was sent to Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing, undergoing years of mory regression surgery before being traded back to Nestor Corporation, as so kind of… “gift?”
A few months ago, Farosa had used the Law of Recovery to transform Mireya into a childlike state. She now lacked her past mories, starting anew to reconstruct her personality, essentially rebooting from scratch. She had beco a new benchmark for such cases of identity reset.
However, in another tiline, Mireya might have died, otherwise Xu Yang wouldn’t feel this pang of nostalgia. He thought to himself.
“Did you feel nervous adopting her?” Xu Yang turned to ask Nidelaide.
“Luck handed her over to , didn’t it? She was trained by the people from Lighthouse Core to beco a ruthless witch who killed without hesitation, but given a second chance, she might beco a witch who loves life. Still… there are certain problems.” Nidelaide led Xu Yang to check Mireya’s file.
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Na: Mireya [Witch]
Age: 35
Magic Power: High-Ranking ntal Control Magic Power
Place of Birth: Romania Region · Siebenburgen
Affiliated Company: Nestor Corporation
Position: Junior Assistant (Yet to assu position)
Employnt Period: January 5, Year 152 ~ April 9, Year 152 (Today)
Current Status: Normal
Company Privileges: Nestor Witch Division Level-8 Witch Benefits (Temporarily adjusted to Level-4 Witch Benefits due to individual circumstances)
Criminal Record: Malicious ntal Control (204)/ Robbery (15)/ Preditated Murder (84)/ Major Violations of Corporate Alliance Laws (67)/ Harm to Social Order (22)
Personal Relationships: Forr Colleagues (35)/ Current Family (1)
Financial Services: Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing’s Macro Fortune Loan (Remaining total repaynt: 416,125 funds, comprehensive annual interest rate: 11%)
Security Package: Nestor Corporation Level-5 Standard Security Package
Employnt Recomndations: ntal Operator / Interrogation Specialist / High-Capability Spy Witch / Combat Agent / Secretary / Security Personnel
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“Her criminal record hasn’t been cleared yet,” Nidelaide said. “But look at Little Mireya… she’s already beco a completely different person. How can we pin the evil deeds of the previous Mireya on her head? You always have solutions—help figure this out.”
“Deleting these records is certainly easy; no one would investigate anyway. But this is part of Mireya’s continuity. Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing has already erased Mireya’s previous life through mory-clearing surgery, erasing all her prior social connections. Farosa has turned her into a child, effectively killing half of the original Mireya. If her cris are also erased, it would be like killing the other half of Mireya. Then she should change her na and identity entirely, becoming another woman altogether,” Xu Yang said.
“That sounds great, starting over from scratch. I’d give her a new na myself,” Nidelaide said optimistically.
“Her magic power forces others to repeat the na Mireya. She can’t possibly sever ties with that identity. From a continuity point of view, her criminal record is what still connects Little Mireya to all of her past. If it’s erased, it’s like completely severing her from her forr existence, essentially granting her a rebirth. That’s positive, but the real question is, does Mireya deserve it?”
“You’re too harsh, old Xu. Far too harsh,” Nidelaide sighed.
“I just believe Mireya should pay for what she’s done. Perhaps you believe this world has two tilines, and in another she might’ve died in so accident. If that were the case, her cris would obviously be wiped clean; we can’t hold the dead accountable. But Mireya is alive—standing right in front of us. A witch who’s consistently engaged in destructive behavior, with blood-stained hands—are we to grant her a blissfully happy life forever? That’s just too unfair to too many people,” Xu Yang argued.
To Xu Yang’s surprise, Nidelaide suddenly exploded in a fit of rage.
His long-hidden fury instantly erupted.
“What are you talking about? What about Nanase Kizuna and Kirino Reisei? Aren’t those two won also blood-soaked corporate magnates? Kidnappings, assassinations, indirect killings—they designed the Century Pure Land System to control the Northern Archipelago for over a hundred years. They’re criminals too—a hundred, a thousand tis worse than Mireya. Why did you let them off the hook yet judge Mireya so severely? I’ve endured enough of your pseudo-morality. But today, I can’t hold back anymore!” Nidelaide condemned fiercely.
Xu Yang frowned at Nidelaide’s sudden outburst. Initially angry himself, he quickly suppressed his emotions and frad his argunts carefully, responding sharply.
“Didn’t they atone for their sins? After losing power, they completely withdrew from Kyoto Infinity’s core leadership, exhausting themselves to stop in-fighting within the company and prevent conflict with Nestor Corporation. That’s why Kyoto Infinity has maintained a ‘submissive’ stance for years, passively watching Nestor Corporation grow. They donated all proceeds from their artwork ‘Siphon!’—amounting to over 20 billion—piece by piece to charity, helping the poor and sick. Nanase Kizuna self-exiled and will never return to public affairs. Kirino Reisei has retired, remaining in shrines until death, with only a few years left. Didn’t they make their effort first, earning their peaceful outcos? For others, justice has been served—punish who should be punished, imprison who should be imprisoned.” Xu Yang declared firmly.
Their loud argunt startled the children nearby. Bubble shrank fearfully into a corner, while Xu Cheng and Mireya exchanged glances nervously before cautiously approaching.
Xu Cheng looked at Xu Yang. Little Mireya looked at Nidelaide.
Their gaze montarily suppressed the adults’ tensions. Xu Yang stared at Nidelaide. Beneath Nidelaide’s enigmatic tal mask surely hid storms of unspoken criticisms, but neither could vent them, forced instead to bury them inside.
“I—” Xu Yang struggled to keep his tone steady. “I’ve never sought to be the kind of person who dictates everything. Not all matters are decided just by . I don’t even serve as Nestor Corporation’s president—did you notice? I focus more on my own pursuits. Regarding judgnt and decisions, I only offer my opinions; the final outco rests with the Witch Division.”
“You just want to wash your hands clean. The glory of Nestor Corporation belongs to you, but its darkness doesn’t concern you—any problems are just underlings’ business…” Nidelaide held back harsher criticisms. They tacitly agreed not to let the argunt escalate further.
Xu Yang understood the volatility of conflicts between n. Once it erupted, it would be as fierce as a volcanic explosion. He also knew his relationship with Nidelaide would never return to its forr state. Still, he had to endure the accusations. In fact, it was the first ti in years soone had criticized him like this.
Did his handling of Mireya’s case seem unjust? Why couldn’t people judge matters fairly? Xu Yang pondered. Was it because his punishnt of Kirino Reisei and Nanase Kizuna wasn’t harsh enough that he couldn’t handle Mireya according to the usual rules? Or had his judgnt irrevocably lost credibility?
He felt their grievances dissipate like waves receding from the shore, quickly fading. Xu Yang’s Digital Mind connected half the world, and argunts like today’s passed through his neural network like inconsequential feathers. He took Xu Cheng’s hand and prepared to leave.
“Please stay for dinner, I beg you,” Vierre, Nidelaide’s robotic assistant, pleaded.
“Dinner…” Xu Cheng looked up at Xu Yang with pitiful eyes.
This child likely understood everything clearly, Xu Yang thought. She hoped he might reconcile with Nidelaide. Xu Yang turned toward Nidelaide, who sat at the desk, fiddling with his hood.
Vierre prepared a sumptuous al, starting with appetizers of edama paste and seaweed sheets. The centerpiece was a large platter of sashimi assortnt, accompanied by wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger. Each personal serving included a bowl of ran, with other dishes like teriyaki beef skewers, grilled chicken chunks, mochi, and red bean paste.
They sat on cushions on the floor, gathered around a low table, eating in silence. Little Mireya quietly divided the food on her plate. No one spoke, as neither Xu Yang nor Nidelaide wanted to break the silence.
Xu Cheng secretly observed Xu Yang and Nidelaide. To her, it was a fascinating study.
She silently noted in her mind: n who’ve argued face-to-face seem like this. Their dignity becos a delicate balance, where the first to speak loses the upper hand, while the one who remains silent to the end erges as the winner.
The silence was broken by an email sent to the workspace. Nidelaide stood to check it, while Vierre turned and stared blankly at him.
“What is it?” Xu Yang asked.
“Recently, Nidelaide intends to donate his neural recording disk,” Vierre explained.
“You an… his prosthesis doctor and prosthesis-making expertise compiled into a skill archive for others to download? At his age, such surgery would harm his neural potential,” Xu Yang remarked, slightly puzzled.
“How improper of … Nidelaide always does things like this,” Vierre lowered her head.
Xu Yang checked the research departnt records, confirming Nidelaide’s registration and recent update just seconds ago.
“I must warn you,” Xu Yang cautioned Nidelaide as he returned. “Brain skill transcription surgery harms your neural cell vitality.”
“I know,” Nidelaide replied nonchalantly, sitting back down. “This will train hundreds, if not thousands, of prosthetics experts like . That has so much more aning. The new society gave opportunities; I should give them to others.”
“I understand your good intentions, but you’d better double-check their policies,” Xu Yang advised.
Nidelaide gripped his chopsticks, seemingly growing more perplexed by Xu Yang’s doubts.
“Isn’t it because of our goodwill that we founded Nestor Corporation?” Nidelaide countered.
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