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Chapter 480. The Financial Aggression of Roses (Part Two)

After so many years in this apocalyptic world, Jiang Jianxin's only truly mastered skill is the ability to randomly reply to read messages.

Anyway, she is powerful, and people always blindly worship the strong, so they can fill in the gaps in their imaginations no matter how outrageous the lie is.

Andorra paused for more than ten minutes, seemingly conjuring up some idea in his mind, before finally revealing an admiring look.

"I see."

"?"

Jiang Jianxin coughed and chose to change the subject:

"Hey, are you done shopping? If you are, let's go back."

"The south has just been pacified, but it will be in chaos for a long time, so it is not advisable to stay there for too long."

Andorra simply said this time:

"Let's go."

……

Jiang Jianxin used his sword to take him back to his own 1,000-square-meter mansion.

Andorra, born into a wealthy family and clearly worldly-wise, didn't show excessive shock upon seeing her grand mansion, but still gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed in admiration:
"The last time I saw such a large mansion was at my sister's house. Her private courtyard is like a palace."

Jiang Jianxin knew that Andor's sister was Owen Anjana, the current head of the Owen family.

It is said that she inherited the ruthless style of the gambling king's family, and her business is booming, with new casinos appearing in every corner.

Because in the second cycle, in order to avoid negative impact on her family, she severed ties with her relatives without hesitation. Jiang Jianxin was noncommittal about her family ties, but he had to admit that she was indeed a remarkable person in her career.

“This is just a small detached house, nothing compared to those manor houses.”

Jiang Jianxin stood at the door, waved his hand humbly, and stepped aside to let Andor into the entrance hall.

The warmth inside dispelled the slight chill of the evening in Haidu.

Walking through the carpeted corridor into the restaurant, she found a seat reserved for her at the long table, where a sumptuous spread of dishes was laid out in perfect condition.

Even more thoughtfully, the plates are covered with a light blue thermostatic cover, a household contamination tool launched by Dream Pavilion a few months ago, which can lock in the temperature and aroma of food.

She had previously purchased several sets from the forum to keep at home, and she never expected them to come in so handy today.

"Looks like you've had your fill of the southern district of Haidu?"

Edric was wiping his hands against the counter when he looked up at Andorra, his tone gentle yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible concern:

"You're not lost, are you?"

"How could that be? How could I get lost?"

Andorra took off his coat and casually draped it over the back of the chair, then sat down relaxed, a carefree smile playing on his lips.

"The shopping was alright, but my legs are a bit tired."

He did not hold Edric accountable for abandoning him. The two had been friends for many years, having known each other since Edric became a priest. Many years had passed, and they understood each other well.

Edric wasn't actually that talkative. After all, he spent all his time in the lifeless temple. Even gods themselves couldn't utter a single word in a year, so he wasn't one to be talkative.

Upon arriving in this world, his first thought was definitely to spend some time alone with his sister and enjoy the long-lost family affection. Having outsiders present would always seem like a hindrance.

So when Andorra saw the bulging money bag in his pocket and knew that his former employer, "Rose Transportation," had a pick-up vehicle nearby, he didn't chase after it like a persistent leech.

Instead, he wandered aimlessly around the southern part of Haidu for most of the day like a leisurely tourist, giving the brother and sister a warm and undisturbed time.

Unfortunately, his good intentions backfired. He was distracted and accidentally wandered into the contaminated area, forcing him to use emergency calls, which once again shattered the tranquility.

Jiang Jianxin, standing to the side, understood the charade between the two good friends. After thinking for a moment, she directly called out:
"This guy is incredibly stupid; he walked into the contaminated area. I left suddenly just now to save him."

“He didn’t have a good time in Haidu. He wandered around on his own and got lost. The contaminated area was full of blood. I’m used to it, but he’s never seen anything like it.”

Jiang Jianxin continued:

“Look, he’s even lost his hat.”

"When has the young master of the Owen family ever been so disheveled?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of unnatural guilt flashed across Edric's face.

He pursed his thin lips and solemnly whispered:
"I'm sorry... I really didn't think this through."

The two pushed open the door and walked out of the restaurant. Adrian pulled Andorra aside and asked for details.

Jiang Jianxin let out a long sigh of relief, sat back down at the dining table, deftly lifted the temperature-controlled cover that glowed with blue light, picked up his knife and fork, and began to devour the food.

Although she didn't have friends as close as Edric and Andor, she knew what friendship should be like.

She saved her brother in the fourth playthrough, turning his inevitable death averted, which is a good thing.

However, in that cycle, he seemed to have experienced a severe distortion of his worldview, becoming taciturn, repressed, and eccentric. After becoming a god, he became even more indifferent and aloof.

As a priest, Edric was inevitably affected, and his handling of friendships was indeed inappropriate, even somewhat cold-hearted.

Andorra himself came from a noble family and did not have to inherit a family business. His upbringing was too smooth, which made his personality much softer and more naive. When faced with such indifference, his first thought was not to complain or be angry, but to empathize with the other person's situation and understand his behavior.

There is a reason why the two have been able to remain friends for so many years.

However, even the strongest friendship cannot withstand constant sabotage and damage from one side.

Jiang Jianxin realized this, so when he discovered that Andor's handling of matters only caused internal strife, he directly voiced his grievances.

This will help Edric realize his mistakes and change. After all, friends can be tolerant of each other, but they can't be exploited without limits.

The two were still whispering outside, but Jiang Jianxin had already started stuffing his mouth with food.

Speaking of the fourth time around, she recalled the description of that person in Vera's diary.

It is said that she lived in a strange and eerie world, where she was the only human.

Jiang Jianxin couldn't imagine what kind of loneliness that was.

Although she doesn't have any friends right now, it's just that she doesn't have any long-term, stable close friends. If you're talking about people she's really close to, she can't even count them all.

However, the world in the fourth timeline is different.

She is the only human in the entire world, representing a lack of companions.

The supernatural has its own language, and she speaks human language, but there are no longer any listeners for that language.

"Those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts." This saying will be amplified infinitely there. All the monsters want to kill this alien, and she has lost the ability to communicate with her own kind, and she also has to be wary of the malice of the monsters.

That week, she was taciturn, perhaps not because she didn't like to talk, but because prolonged loneliness had robbed her of her ability to communicate, ultimately making her gloomy and indifferent.

Even when she finally became a god and could see human society, she could only watch silently, unable to integrate into it.

—Because once something is lost, it is incredibly difficult to get it back.

Jiang Jianxin could actually see the twisted pain, almost capable of reshaping a person, in her few casual words about the third time around.

That dark purple diary may have contained all the dark emotions accumulated over four cycles, which is why its lock was a jumble of black threads.

The fact that it can't be opened now might actually be a way of protecting her.

When Jiang Jianxin finished the last bite of rice, the two of them came back.

It's clear that after the mediation and communication just now, the two of them got along much better.

Andor sat down opposite her, resting his chin on his hand, and said:

"Why didn't Sword Master leave me a bite? I haven't even tasted this guy's cooking yet."

Jiang Jianxin put down his chopsticks and said without any politeness:
"I slaughtered the entire contaminated area. The most energy you expended was shopping. You should let the war giant have the food."

Edric laughed and said:

"I'll make some more. I feel like you haven't eaten enough, little sister."

Jiang Jianxin was indeed not full, and Andor had no objection. He even sneaked into the kitchen to help his old friend.

As for the former, since he knew nothing about cooking, he simply nestled into the sofa in the living room, intending to enjoy a moment of leisure.

The huge villa was unusually filled with people.

She leaned against the soft cushions, the sounds of chopping vegetables and clattering spatulas coming from the kitchen filling her ears, while the warm yellow light bathed the entire space in a cozy glow.

At that moment, her nose inexplicably felt sore.

The last time I experienced such a strong emotional fluctuation was when I had just moved into this villa.

The house was too big then, and the empty echo made me uneasy. It was really hard to bear being all alone.

So, before she returned home, Ayu quietly turned on all the lights in the villa.

At that moment, the empty house was as bright as day, like a crystal palace.

The house remained empty, but the cold program code seemed to suddenly come to life, silently embracing her with the lights of the room.

Unfortunately, that golden age of artificial intelligence came to an abrupt end with the arrival of the apocalypse.

Otherwise, Jiang Jianxin was willing to believe that one day, thousands upon thousands of intelligent beings like "Ayu" would be born to accompany every lonely traveler wandering alone in the dead of night.

She sat on the sofa, opened her phone, and glanced at the latest news on the forum.

Even though I haven't turned on my phone for just a few days, there's already been some new activity on the forums. And the person who started this whole mess is none other than the financier who was all the rage in the strategist circle a few days ago.

She previously used the financial crisis to incite conflict between the Vatican and believers.

Just a few days ago, this conflict had escalated to its extreme, with almost all of the Vatican's core institutions being paralyzed by fanatical believers who either turned against or sabotaged them.

The believers were also subjected to violent suppression by the Vatican, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

Just when both sides were at their wits' end, the instigator, Rose Group, appeared as a savior, accompanied by dazzling background music.

The financiers first sent people to distribute supplies to the refugees at near-dumping prices, then offered highly tempting microcredit policies. Hunger was the best bargaining chip, and the desperate believers, faced with bread, quickly hailed her as their new protector.

Taking advantage of the Vatican's financial depletion and widespread panic, she secretly approached the Vatican, posing as a white knight, and acquired its vital industries at extremely low valuations. Providing financial support to keep it afloat while simultaneously undermining its foundations, this was a textbook example of capital predation.

Beyond the financial offensive, a simultaneous propaganda war was launched. Groups of scholars, heavily bribed, wrote books overnight, dismantling the original theological system into fragments.
"Vulcan is dead, only the rose is eternal!"

"No divine grace is needed; your hands are the covenant, and labor is salvation!"

"Today's suffering stems from dependence on God; tomorrow's prosperity comes from upholding faith!"

Once this logic completely took hold of their minds, the physical businesses under the Rose Group expanded wildly within the information domain like mushrooms after rain.

Rose Group did not offer high wages to this new workforce, but the low wages did not cause resentment; instead, they were seen as an honor of "earning one's own living."

Thus, the three key moves were finalized, not only filling the power vacuum but also completely reshaping the faith totem of this land.

The God of Wealth, stepping over the corpse of the God of Fire, officially announced his arrival.

(End of this chapter)