Ash's expression froze for a moment before he swiftly changed the subject. "Tea cafés are one thing—I mean, who doesn't enjoy looking at beautiful women? But what I can't understand are these so-called Mud Cafés filled with scantily clad men posing provocatively. It's such an eyesore. Honestly, if I weren't a fugitive, I'd report them to the Criminal Hunters for ruining the city's image. This should really be banned—"
"I'd advise you not to meddle in things that aren't your business," Freya interrupted with a warning. "You don't like it, but we do. Why is it okay for men to enjoy looking at beautiful women, but not for us women to appreciate handsome men?"
"Well, fine, I can accept that it's a longstanding tradition. Sure, the scale might be excessive, but whatever," Ash conceded before his face darkened. "But when I wandered a bit further, I saw workers at a construction site."
"What about them?"
"They… half their bodies were mechanical. Their legs replaced by wheels, their hands turned into multifunctional tools, and even their eyes were swapped for mechanical implants. If it weren't for hearing them chat and drink, I'd have thought they were robots."
"Of course they're not robots," Freya said, waving her hand dismissively. "Fully automated robots are way too expensive and require constant maintenance. Hiring these cyborg workers is much cheaper. You haven't been out of prison that long; haven't you seen cyborg workers before? They've been a trend in Caimon City for over a decade."
"…Are there many of these cyborg workers in the city?" Ash asked.
"They're not all on construction sites. With interchangeable hand modules and basic training, they can switch between jobs like assembly workers, repair technicians, and other skilled trades."
Freya took a big bite of her Spicy Red Lala Fatty Bowl, smearing mayonnaise on the corner of her mouth. "Generally speaking, ordinary people who don't have the potential to become sorcerers often transition into cyborg workers. Even office workers aren't an exception—the difference is just the degree of mechanical modification."
Ash was taken aback. "Even non-technical jobs involve mechanization?"
"Of course. It's not just about arms and spines. Internal organ modifications offer huge advantages too," Freya said, poking at her chest. "For example, a heart can be replaced with a more powerful Ignition Core. Lungs can be swapped for high-capacity Internal Combustion Engines, and stomachs can become Energy Pools with superior digestion and absorption capabilities."
"Mechanical modifications are quite affordable these days. A standard set can be paid off with three to four years of steady work. And the benefits are incredible: longer stamina and better energy efficiency," she explained. "In tough times, you can survive on just water and still stay energetic. When times are good, you'll have more physical strength to enjoy life and indulge in heightened sensory experiences."
"If mechanical modifications didn't reduce a sorcerer's efficiency in absorbing power from the Void, I bet many sorcerers would choose them over the far more expensive biological augmentations," Freya added with a shrug. "For ordinary people, though, mechanical hands and energy-efficient stomachs are practically mandatory. Without them, no company would hire you. Most tools these days are designed with mechanical hand interfaces. Without one, you can't use them. For instance, the chef in our university cafeteria uses a mechanical hand equipped with a spatula module. It can automatically heat, cool, and season dishes. His steaks are amazing."
"As for mechanical stomachs, you can eat all your food for the day in one sitting and digest it slowly, which extends working hours and reduces food costs. Take this meal we're having now—it could be replaced with thirty portions of 'nutrient feed.'"
"A single portion of nutrient feed sustains a cyborg worker for an entire day. Which means we're basically eating a month's worth of a cyborg worker's food," Freya said nonchalantly.
Ash was stunned. "What about the Human Rights Association? Or the Inter-Species Rights Association? Don't they care about this?"
"What do they have to do with it?" Freya frowned. "No one's forcing these people to get mechanical modifications. They're all doing it voluntarily. The Human Rights Association can't restrict their freedom to modify their bodies, nor can they stop people from pursuing a better life."
Pursuing a better life.
Ash was speechless.
He fell silent for a long time, waiting for Freya to finish eating. When she wiped her mouth, he suddenly asked, "If these cyborg workers save so much money, what do they spend it on?"
Freya began counting on her fingers. "Mud cafés, tea cafés, casinos, sugar shops, fan votes for TV dramas, clothes and accessories, biological modifications, chip upgrades, Veil of Knowledge upgrades, and games like Sorcerer's Ascent, Void Fantasy 14, Miracle World…"
Ash recognized the last three titles as the most popular multiplayer games on the Veil. The Veil, a collective information network for the entire nation, functioned much like the internet. It was called the Veil because of its highly concealed nature—only the Criminal Hunters' Office, which managed chips, could trace individuals. For ordinary users, everyone was an anonymous "shadow behind the veil."
This anonymity bred uninhibited speech. In just one day of browsing, Ash had encountered an astounding array of insults—racist, sexist, elitist, and occupational slurs of every kind.
Even though the Blood Moon Kingdom didn't have mothers, the creativity and sheer venom of their insults made Ash wonder if he needed new eyes to unsee it all.
He even thought, for a fleeting moment, that the strict "speech control" policies of prisons like Lake Fragmentation might not be entirely bad. Perhaps the foul-mouthed masses needed some reform.
The fan voting for TV dramas was another unique feature of the Blood Moon Kingdom's entertainment industry. After watching the first half of a show, viewers could pay to vote on their preferred ending, which the production team would then film.
For example, a manga Ash had once read, It's My Fault I Said I Like Married Women, could have film adaptations offering endings like "The male lead and the female lead live happily ever after," "The male lead ends up with both the female lead and the second female lead," "The female lead and the second female lead end up together," or even "The male lead ends up with the male second lead." Viewers would vote with their wallets to decide the outcome.
As for clothing and accessories, Ash had noticed that Freya's small apartment somehow contained three wardrobes stuffed with fashionable outfits. He had initially thought it was just a female hobby, but a walk through the city revealed that almost everyone dressed to impress—even supermarket clerks looked like wealthy heirs.
Moreover, most young people, regardless of gender, were strikingly attractive. Even goblins looked neat and appealing, with some having eyes that literally sparkled—actual glowing stars in their pupils.
It was clear that most people had undergone cosmetic enhancements from medics. Ash couldn't really criticize, given that Medic 222 had "adjusted" his own face.
As for upgrading chips, that was another necessity. Most people were born with the basic Miracle-1 model, which was slow, had minimal storage, and barely got the job done. By adulthood, most would upgrade to at least the Miracle-10 model. Newer chips offered faster speeds, more features, and better compatibility with advanced applications.
The Veil of Knowledge display, like the one they were using now, was an upgraded terminal. Compared to the small projection screen of a chip, the Veil of Knowledge offered higher resolution, larger size, better color accuracy, and superior storage capacity. It was essentially a high-end personal computer compared to the chip's role as a basic smartphone.
"So, most people spend their money on gambling, sugar, body modifications, clothes, accessories, and virtual entertainment?" Ash summarized.
"Exactly."
Ash opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated and closed it again.
It wasn't until he finished the last bite of quiche that he finally asked, "Are you like that too?"
"Yeah. But I'm not into gambling or sugar, and since I'm aiming to become a sorcerer, I can't undergo biological modifications for now," Freya said matter-of-factly.
"Does it make you happy?"
Freya gave him a strange look.
"Of course. Very happy."