The post-rain air was filled with the smell of damp earth. Zog knew this was the fart of actinomycetes.
The towering chimney of the Factory before him spewed white smoke. It wasn't from a vape; it was just condensing high-temperature water vapor.
'Fuel combustion is pretty thorough. Making a fuss about environmental pollution won't work.'
Zog took out his little notebook. A page was titled: "Alternative Plans to Take Down the Potion Seller."
He crossed out the first line: "Recruit a teen eco-warrior."
That's right. The owner of the Factory before him was none other than Raghu Kurman, the man who made bootleg Yo-Yos.
The Zor had already uncovered his entire history.
In a way, his story was quite Legendary.
He grew up on the streets and even joined a gang, where he worked as a courier. That's how he met a Druid drowning in gambling debt. The two went into business together, selling fake potions.
It was a shady business, but not completely depraved; the potions they sold were useless but harmless.
After saving up some money, he expanded his operations. Smuggling, reselling defective equipment, printing pirated books—he'd do anything. As his business grew, he bet big on a Potion Factory following the advent of the Steam Engine, and his fortunes skyrocketed.
But even after striking it rich, he couldn't give up his shady side hustles, which led to him bootlegging Yo-Yos.
A Zor emerged from the shadows. "We've scouted the Factory's interior. He's a Level Five Ranger and has hired four guards: two Barbarians, one Martial Monk, and a Warlock. The strongest among them is only Level Nine."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go wreck the Factory!" Elsa's voice was filled with excitement.
"Fine, be my guest."
"How am I supposed to wreck a Factory?"
"Are you the Evil Dragon, or am I? Why are you so violent at such a young age? Besides, why did you even follow me here?"
"To watch Zog burn down the Potion Factory!" Elsa's eyes lit up.
Zog rolled his eyes. 'Is this kid under too much stress lately? She's always looking for something to destroy.'
Resorting to violence wasn't on Zog's list of options. For one, the Factory was the livelihood of many workers; destroying it would harm too many innocent people.
Secondly, Soron had helped him out before, and it wouldn't be right to commit acts of violence in his city.
Besides, he coveted the Factory's technology and equipment. Leaving aside the potions, the Yo-Yos they made were indistinguishable from the authentic version. If he could run the Factory into the ground and then acquire it, he could shift his Yo-Yo production here and free up his goblin workforce for other things.
Zog looked at the second item in his little notebook: "Engineer a massive scandal." If the potions here were found to be problematic, it wouldn't be the kind of thing you could solve with a simple bow and an apology.
This Potion Factory's main product was the Healing Potion, which accounted for seventy percent of its total output and was also the most in-demand type of potion on the market.
Just then, another Zor appeared from the shadows. She was a Priest.
"I've gathered the Healing Potion formula, the patent office registration files, and the R&D lab reports. I've also highlighted the areas we can exploit."
"Good work."
Zog opened the formula first.
'The formula contains Taro Fruit, which is most commonly used as animal feed... Hmm... I'll have someone write an article. First, let's jot down the headline: *Healing Potions Contain Taro Fruit. Most Taro Fruit Vendors are Animal Feed Suppliers Who Advise Against Human Consumption.*'
Next, he took out the lab reports.
'During R&D, they experimented with Hellhound blood, but it was later discarded. Hiss... I'll jot down another one: *Shocking! The Origins of the Healing Potion Are Tied to Hell! Could It Pose a Safety Risk?* And I'll add a note: the headline must start with "Shocking!"'
Finally, he started flipping through the patent office files. He had to admit, the patent office was remarkably thorough. Even his Zor, who were masters of schemes and intrigue, hadn't found any issues.
But Zog's worldly experience was far beyond that of these Underground Elves. He read the documents from cover to cover several times and finally spotted a loophole.
'The side effects section says "currently unknown." Perfect. We'll write this: *Who Will Give the Public the Truth? Healing Potions Have Undisclosed Side Effects!* Note to self: make sure not to mention the patent office.'
Zog was extremely pleased with his work. He felt he'd captured at least eighty percent of the essence of Earth's clickbait farms.
After a moment's thought, he added, "Find a few people with cushy, do-nothing jobs at research institutes who are short on cash. The more obscure their titles, the better. Have them add a few quotes to the articles, but make sure their statements are vague."
It was the highest principle of "journalism": show people facts, but only the facts you want them to see.
Once these articles were out, anyone not already baptized by the fires of clickbait would be left utterly speechless.
It would be easier than selling snake oil to seniors.
Elsa watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded. 'What in the world is happening?' she thought. 'How does everything sound so completely different coming out of Zog's mouth? Will I ever be able to trust a newspaper again?'
But Zog wasn't satisfied. A smear campaign in writing wasn't explosive enough. He needed something with more shock value, a bigger hook to grab everyone's attention. Then, he would release all the articles at once.
'How to make a big splash?'
As Zog pondered, a large crowd gathered outside the Factory. They were dressed in simple clothes stitched from animal hides, wearing ornaments like deer antlers and canine-tooth necklaces. They joined hands, blocking the Factory gate and chanting in an incomprehensible language.
As they chanted, swarms of birds gathered above, forming a swirling, dancing flock.
You had to admit, the visual effect was quite unnerving.
"Go see what those people are doing."
Zog gave the order, and a Zor concealed its form, melting into the shadows.
About ten minutes later, it returned to Zog's side.
"They're a group of Druids protesting the Factory's production of Healing Potions. They believe steam-powered machinery is an affront to nature and that it will incur the earth's punishment."
'Ah, I get it. Eco-fanatics,' Zog thought. 'Didn't expect Twin Tower City to be so ahead of the curve on this.'
"But there are so many Factories, and this Potion Factory isn't even the biggest. Why protest here?" Zog's intuition told him there had to be more to it.
"They keep mentioning Healing Potions. I suspect it's a conflict of interest. The Totems they bear belong to the Spore Association, and the Spore Association's main source of income is from fungus-based Healing Potions."
"Don't Druids despise cities and worship nature? Why are they in business now?"
"Rumor has it something happened to the nature Deities they worship, so they're integrating into society to acquire resources."
'All doctrine on the surface, all business underneath,' Zog mused. 'They might as well come and believe in my Internet Divine Remains. One more believer is one more consumer.'
"So what's the content of their protest?" Zog pressed, sensing an opportunity.
"They're claiming that machine-produced Healing Potions consume the user's soul, turning them into walking corpses."
'They've got quite an imagination.'
Wait, users will turn into walking corpses? Zog suddenly realized he'd found his big story.
Almost everyone uses Healing Potions. The idea of getting "infected" from drinking one was perfectly relatable. It would hit close to home for everyone.
If he could turn the Druids' scary story into a moving picture, they would surely help build hype for it. The PR campaign would practically run itself.
'But where should the story be set?'
Of course. The first railway line had just recently opened. It was a hot topic, and a train was a confined space—the perfect setting for a disaster-thriller.
"Go ask Yuno how the camera optimization is coming along. We've got big things to do. It's time to shoot this world's first feature-length Shadow of Evil film!"