The night passed without further incident. The next day, Ryu got up early. After washing up and greeting Lucy, who was still lingering in bed, he headed alone to the high-rise Garden Plaza in the city center—he had agreed to meet Maine there.
Leaving aside Ryu, who looked triumphant and radiated confidence with a free and easy demeanor, Maine gave off the impression of someone who had suffered through a sleepless night. He looked listless and even a bit panicked.
This was rare for a veteran mercenary who had mixed in Night City for many years. After all, to survive in this cruel world, their nerves should have been tempered to the point where they remained unfazed by anything.
"What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?" Ryu handed him a can of beer and, breaking his own habits, cracked one open for himself.
"You look quite haggard, Boss Maine~"
"Isn't it all thanks to that [Braindance] of yours... Sasha mentioned it to me before. I thought it was just spiked with some special content, but I didn't expect it to be that kind of thing..."
Maine clutched his head, leaning forward against the railing as he looked out over the entire city from the edge of the rooftop.
"I kind of understand now why she couldn't stop thinking about it."
It sounded like he was talking about some kind of contraband—Ryu twitched his lips.
Of course, Boss Maine wasn't suffering insomnia solely because of the content of the [Braindance], but mainly due to a segment of information integrated into it:
Using his own image as the narrator, Ryu had produced a historical documentary about the differences between the "Main World" and "Cyberpunk." It primarily summarized the development of "Ryu's hometown" during the 20th and early 21st centuries.
The massive amount of detailed historical records didn't look like something that could be forged at all!
—Ryu came from a "Parallel World"!
It sounded incredible, but considering the various miraculous displays Ryu had shown, Maine subconsciously believed this outrageous truth.
The guy had even pulled out magic; even if he were a scammer, he was too sincere. It would almost feel rude not to be scammed by him!
"It's really something... that you actually dared to tell me such an important thing." Maine turned his head, observing Ryu's expression through his sunglasses. "Aren't you worried I'll sell your intel? I believe there are plenty of corporations that would be interested in an 'otherworlder' like you!"
Of course he wasn't afraid. Not just anyone could afford the price he offered!
It wasn't a matter of how much money was involved, but that certain things could only be provided by Ryu—it could be called a monopoly!
—Didn't Maine want to travel to, or even settle down in, another world just like Lucy?
Moreover, whether from the "original work" or his own personal experience, Ryu understood Maine very well. This was a man who maintained the concept of "companions" even while in a state of Cyberpsychosis, possessing a bit of that ancient sense of placing righteousness above all else.
Ryu was quite confident in how this mercenary would act.
Even if he had misjudged him and was truly betrayed, as long as the corporations weren't stupid, they would choose to capture him alive. Taking a step back, even in the worst case, they would definitely want a complete brain. But Ryu only needed a single thought to open the "Gate" of return and leave this place. The initiative was always in his hands—of course, Ryu wouldn't bluntly state his ultimate trump card.
So, he smiled calmly, looking back at Maine with clear and determined eyes. "If it were anyone else, I naturally wouldn't be so rash. Precisely because it is you, I have nothing to worry about."
"...Hmph! That kind of thinking will get you killed in Night City!"
Though he said that, Maine shifted his gaze and turned his head to look the other way—he was likely quite embarrassed. Judging by the faintly upturned arc of his mouth, there was also a sense of secret delight.
"Do you have the VR equipment I gave you on you?"
"I do."
"Let's use that to talk."
Both of them took out the glasses-shaped [AmuSphere]. However, they didn't enter FullDive mode in a place like this. Instead, they connected via a physical cable, temporarily setting up a mini-LAN with the two machines.
While appearing to admire the scenery at the edge of the rooftop, they conversed by reading brainwaves, using the device like a social messaging app.
After all, what they were about to discuss was extremely important. Using this method effectively prevented eavesdropping and left no traces on the public network.
"To be honest, until now, I still find it hard to believe that you actually come from a parallel world or whatever... But if this is a prank, it's a bit too realistic, and there's no need to spend so much effort just to trick a poor wretch like me."
Hearing this, Ryu smiled.
Maine certainly wasn't poor. He didn't have any major vices and had quite a bit of savings compared to other mercenaries.
But poverty and wealth were never about numbers; it depended on who you were compared to. Placed next to Ryu, his standing immediately became apparent.
"Lucy has already been to my hometown. You can ask her for the details later."
Ryu's lips didn't move, but his brainwaves converted into his voice and spoke to Maine: "The reason I'm telling you all this is to sign a long-term employment contract."
"Employment?" Maine frowned deeply. "Although I'm quite confident, to be honest, mercenaries of my level are too many to count in Night City using both hands and feet. There are at least several dozen... If you can take people through time and space—like Lucy—I believe even the Security Director of Arasaka Tower would be moved by you.
"In doing business, many times it's not about the other party's capital, but about whether they are reliable."
Ryu spoke frankly: "I might be able to find mercenaries more excellent than you, but I cannot trust their character and integrity. And this business of mine can only be done by the most reliable people—for example, you, my brother Maine."
"Heh!"
Rubbing his nose, Maine felt quite proud of this remark. "I'll give you credit for having good taste... What business? For Lucy's sake, I'll give you a discount price!"
"Human trafficking."
"...Huh?" Maine was stunned; this indeed exceeded his expectations.
"Or to put it another way—talent acquisition."
Ryu paused, then said, "I plan to form a team. I need you to help me scout for some relatively reliable technical talents with normal mental states, mainly Netrunners. If there's a chance, bring in a few engineers who can build firewalls as well.
"It's best if they don't have many attachments, or if they have fantasies about the outside world and want to escape Night City... I will take them back to my 'hometown' to add a force to my world.
"How about it? Is the difficulty high?"
"Difficulty?"
Maine thought for a moment and felt that the difficulty of this job mainly concentrated on "how to find reliable people in Night City" and whether the other party could trust him. As for whether the targets were willing to leave Night City...
What kind of joke was that? Assuming they hadn't completely fallen, who wouldn't want to leave? Everyone just lacked a better place to go and other ways to make a living!
Just in his "Cyberpunk" squad alone, counting Lucy, there were three Netrunners, and all of them wanted to escape this hellhole!
There was no need to tell them about any "Parallel World." As long as they could live a peaceful and stable life in some countryside place, they would be ten thousand times willing.
"Night City lacks everything—clean water, soil, even air... but the only thing it doesn't lack is people!"
Maine was quite confident about this. "If the politicians dared to use 'Escape Night City' as a campaign slogan, they'd probably get quite a few votes."
"I don't need that many people, though." Ryu shook his head.
Was he joking? He intended to absorb talent from Night City, but the quantity had to be strictly controlled. Better to go without than to have low-quality options!
Just like how many large foreign enterprises introduced Indians as executives—you would find that individually they were quite good, with truly many capable talents. But once they grouped together, a subtle chemical reaction would occur, like fermentation starting, and the flavor would quickly go bad.
Therefore, this department in the future had to be under Lucy's control; Ryu wouldn't be at ease giving it to anyone else!
"About twenty or thirty people should be enough."
Ryu said seriously, "Try not to attract the attention of the corporations."
"A bunch of people die in Night City every day... Of course, I'll be careful." Maine nodded. "How about I let you take away two or three each time?"
"How do you intend to persuade them?" Ryu pondered. "You can't just tell strangers about the 'Parallel World' right off the bat like this."
"That [Braindance] of yours is enough!
"To put it bluntly, if you had the mind to, you could build a religion just relying on that [Braindance] that even made me tear up!"
Maine was very confident. "I'll pay attention to those guys who are already at the end of their rope. Don't worry; people in Night City are generally willing to gamble when they see hope."
"Then I leave it to you... When the time is about right, are you willing to take a trip to my hometown as well?"
"Is that the payment?"
Maine took a deep breath. "I can't speak for others, but Dorio will probably choose to follow me."
"Of course, you can bring family members too."
"Haha! Then I have no reason to refuse!"
Maine sighed in relief, then looked at Ryu with curiosity. "Why are you doing all this? Since you can travel through parallel worlds, you could make money just as well without going through all this trouble, right?"
Indeed, if it was just about doing business, there was no need to hire others at all; he could just act as a smuggler himself.
Just moving some green plants or carrying a bag of eggs from the Main World to Night City could sell for a sky-high price!
But looking at Ryu's requirement... it seemed like he wanted to open a network company?
"Making money? Actually, up until now, I've been investing into this; I haven't made a profit from related projects yet."
Ryu smiled, then his expression turned serious. "I am doing this to stockpile power."
"Hmm?" Maine didn't understand.
"I am a person with superpowers, or rather, a mage... You've already experienced this point."
Subconsciously looking at the skin on his arm, Maine nodded.
"In my hometown, there are occasionally existences like me, only their numbers are very scarce. Some can even predict the future.
"I heard just such a prophecy:
"In the not-too-distant future, many crises will appear in this world. Ancient darkness will make a comeback, and if humanity wants to weather the storm, it must save itself."
Ryu's expression had become very solemn, making Maine nervous as well.
"I am stockpiling power for that very day!"
"...I see."
Looking at the young man before him who was much younger than himself, Maine instantly felt a surge of deep respect.
Ryu spaced out slightly, as if thinking about something, then came back to his senses and gave Maine an apologetic smile, simultaneously guaranteeing: "Don't worry. If that day really comes, I will send you all back."
"Huh?"
Maine immediately rejected the idea. "No need!
"We might not live long if we stay in Night City anyway. We might as well stay over on your side; at least the days are comfortable!"
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