Vitas thought Earth's civilization was completely absurd.
Even when she was with Noldrei, she rarely saw what normal Earthlings were like.
The special demand for androids once made Vitas suspect that "Sa" might have transformed herself into one. But considering Sa's interactions with others didn't fit the android profile, she concluded Sa was probably still within the scope of human life.
Compared to Sa, a guy like Noldrei, who seemed to enjoy crawling through sewers at the drop of a hat, was far less human.
"Even the sewers have changed. You used to see some corpses down here, but now it's just a place littered with bio-organs."
Noldrei's nostalgic tone made it sound like he was complaining that his favorite childhood snack didn't taste the same anymore.
'Are you serious?' Vitas suspected Noldrei might turn around and eat her at any moment.
"Look at this thing," Noldrei said, picking up a kidney he'd found. "A shoddy kidney. At best, it'll last ten years before it fails again. The original ones are much better. A couple of injections are all you need to fix up an original kidney, and it'll last you until you die of old age."
"What's the point of producing this garbage? To satisfy some special human fetish for cannibalizing their own kind? Seriously, they've hired all sorts of trashy researchers."
Noldrei weighed the kidney in his hand, then tossed it into a nearby recycling bin with a look of disgust.
'Ah, this...'
Vitas hadn't seen a non-recyclable trash bin. Here, all trash was considered recyclable; they just didn't bother with sorting. Everything would be automatically sorted by AI upon collection.
"Wait, Mr. Director, do you Earthlings just throw away replacement organs like this?"
Vitas couldn't resist asking out of curiosity.
"They're too cheap. The rapid development of genetic technology has allowed these useless researchers to create all sorts of garbage organs. The purpose of genetic technology is to enhance human adaptability in the universe, not to produce these cheap replacements."
"Only a better replacement can create a sense of crisis for the original product. These people haven't even learned the basics of Proliferationism. Can we really expect them to oppose it in the future?"
Noldrei let out a mournful sigh and said to Vitas, "Anyway, you future Venusians will go through this step too. It's not a bad thing to know about it in advance."
'...'
Vitas fell silent. She began to wonder if she had made a terrible mistake.
Was it really okay to place the future of the Venusian civilization next to a civilization like Earth's?
What if, one day, the future Earthlings decided they didn't like the Venusians and came over for a bit of "exercise"?
Vitas couldn't even begin to imagine what fate would befall the Venusians then.
"Uh, well... Vitas doesn't know either?"
She could only play dumb in front of Noldrei.
However, Noldrei didn't press her on whether she was feigning ignorance. He simply prepared to continue their tour and see how things were outside Academy City.
Specifically, whether the transformation of the Far East had begun.
Kiana's incognito tours might have been genuinely incognito, but Noldrei's were definitely just an excuse to go out and have fun under the guise of an inspection.
As the two were strolling down the street, they saw a strange interview playing on a large screen mounted on a skyscraper.
["My whole life has been like walking on thin ice..."]
The strange lament made Vitas involuntarily look at the screen. She was still wondering why they were using such a backward method of propaganda.
Then she saw the man on the screen start spouting all sorts of bizarre things.
["I was originally just a high school student who accidentally obtained this mechanical, bio-enhanced body. Now, I've even entered the political scene of the Far East and, by a twist of fate, was elected Prime Minister."]
["I live my life in constant fear, always thinking about how to protect myself, ready to self-destruct at any moment."]
["If it weren't for the trust and promotion from the Director of Academy City, how would I have had the opportunity to stand here and speak? This is all a test from the organization and the people!"]
["My whole life has been like walking on thin ice, terrified that I might betray this trust. Fortunately, I've done a decent job so far!"]
Vitas's eyes widened as she watched this man, Hachiman Hikigaya, ramble on with his strange speech on the television screen.
The person behind him was holding back so hard he looked like he was about to burst, stopping himself several times just as he was about to speak.
Perhaps due to an accidental discovery by the cameraman, those moments were clearly captured in close-up and broadcast.
"He, this... what is he doing?"
Vitas couldn't help but point at Hachiman Hikigaya on the big screen and ask.
"Hm?" Noldrei looked up, surprised that the boy who had been drafted back then had actually made it this far.
"This guy... I didn't expect him to be so good with words. He's using it all for flattery and subtle bragging. Isn't he afraid of getting beaten up on the street later?"
["I've only done a small bit of work, bringing the things people need to them. In the end, it's just that the previous officials were too corrupt. Otherwise, how could someone like me, who's just doing their duty, receive such overwhelming support?"]
["You praise me too much, you praise me too much! I am but a small ripple in the tide of our times, standing on the cusp of the wave, constantly worried that I might fall."]
["I have to wake up at four in the morning every day. The prolonged, immense mental pressure always makes me feel exceptionally sad."]
Vitas was dumbfounded. The more she listened, the more she felt that something was off about the way this leader of the Far East region was speaking.
She pointed at the screen in astonishment and asked, "This person, what on earth is he talking about?"
Noldrei said very calmly, "This is a traditional Earth culture. He's simply giving credit to us, his superiors. What's there to be surprised about? I'm used to this form of communication now. It provides a great deal of emotional value for a leader like me! If you can, you should introduce this kind of cultural exchange to the Venusian civilization after it's revived!"
'No, no, this Earth tradition is too advanced for us. We just want to import the fruits of your genetic civilization.'
Vitas said with a look of earnest admiration, "As expected of you, Mr. Director! What you say is truly profound. We will definitely send a special delegation to study this! I've even thought of a name for them: Envoys to Earth! This worldly wisdom is truly a mark of a superior Earth culture!"
The passersby had no idea what was going on in these two's heads.
One person in the crowd couldn't stand the posturing any longer and deliberately said loudly, "What is this nonsense! All he does is boast. Not a single true word comes out of his mouth. If he was really so scared, wouldn't he have resigned long ago? Such pretense, so fake and artificial. Does anyone actually think this is a good thing?!"
Vitas, who had just "praised" Noldrei, immediately flushed red. What happened to the worldly wisdom, the traditional culture? Was it okay to attack a beautiful girl like her so directly?
That bastard Noldrei was clearly bullying her because she didn't know anything about Earth, spouting nonsense with every word.