Zach was invited to attend an... event. Vertex 23S. The fastest update was a gathering of funeral practitioners. In addition to the four ghouls from Vega City, there were also representatives from several surrounding cities. Ghouls made up the majority, making it a very diverse 'collective'.
The location is completely unlike the 'suburbs' in the southern suburbs. It's a hidden location, um, a nightclub.
It's been a long time since Zach felt like he was surrounded by aliens.
Zach counted carefully. There were only 6 humans here, and they all seemed lost. The pure white little sheep was lost in the chaotic party of carnivores, unable to find its way out.
"Don't worry about those humans!!" It's still the talkative guy among the four ghouls, "They won't last long!!" In fact, he doesn't need to shout at all. Zach can hear him clearly no matter what environment he is in. if. But this guy still responded to the situation by shouting to convey the message, "There will be several such humans coming every day!! Challenge!! Then it won't take long to become self-aware!! Then leave!!"
Zach had to shout, because he was sure that he didn't need to shout to carry out the conversation, and the other party would not be able to separate his voice from the noisy environment, "What is the challenge!!"
"Limit!!" The ghoul pointed in a certain direction.
Zach looked in that direction, and on the cylindrical stage that could only accommodate one person, there was a 'woman' with amazing curves... everyone knows. There was a lost sheep in the audience desperately throwing away the Dole banknotes in his hands.
The 'woman's' movements changed. After all, the money that keeps flying towards 'her' is urging 'her' to show more. The upper body that deliberately leaned forward, guided by gravity, became more and more astonishing... making the bills flying towards 'her' become more violent. Crash.
Then, it stopped abruptly.
The last banknote falling from the air was still spinning in a big circle. The 'she' on stage has become a 'he'.
"*!*!**!" The human who spilled a lot of money found his limit, turned around and ran towards the exit.
Zach raised his eyebrows. Being able to see a shapeshifter performing a stripping show, that human was a winner. After all, the performer is still on the stage, and has not progressed to a deeper step, right
"I think that human being has a psychological shadow!!" Zach shouted in response.
"No!! That person will probably come back in a few days!! Humans!! Very forgetful!!" The ghoul grabbed Zach, "Come here!! I want to meet someone !!”
Zach didn't bother to ask, being pulled through the crowd. The 'person' here was obviously a general term for convenience. Zach clearly saw some creatures twisting on the dance floor, and what was shaking was no longer his head.
After getting a little quieter, Zach was pulled into a semi-enclosed space similar to a seating area, "This is my son, Ge..."
"Call me dog brother."
The boy, who seemed to be on the verge of adulthood, held a video recorder in his hand. He glanced at Zach and adjusted the focus.
Zach's action was divided into two parts. He used his hand to block the camera pointed at him, and his gaze turned to the ghoul whose introduction was interrupted. "You have a son? A human son."
"Well, this is a long story..." He was interrupted again.
"I am his entrustment." Brother Gou interrupted, tried hard twice, and twitched his lips when he was freed from the camera controlled by Zach, "A social worker used a year's worth of manicure coupons to entrust him to adopt me. "
The ghoul looked a little helpless and nodded, "He just came to live with me today. I don't know how to place him. I can only bring him."
Zach didn't understand, so he reminded the other person, "You said you wanted me to meet him?" It meant why should I get to know a strange human being who just had your son for a day.
"Oh." The ghoul scratched his head, "He's doing, uh, what?" Look at the dog brother.
"Documentary." Dog Brother looked at Zach, "I want to make a documentary about studying alien ecology." There was no joke on the young man's face.
The ghoul looked at Zach and blinked hard, "I know this is an unkind request, but can you help me..." Blinking crazily.
Zach understood, "You want me to use the Charming Eye on your son."
"right!"
Zach said directly, "No." Why should you help? Who are you from Toledo? With a little force, Zach twisted the lens off and threw it away. After looking at the other funeral directors here, they were basically all here. "Let's get down to business." Someone had already given up their seats.
The only way to keep the atmosphere from getting weird is for someone to speak up. Fortunately, there are such self-aware people in this diverse group.
"If our state also implements the privatization of funerals, we must have political support." This is a funeral owner from an out-of-town city, and his skin is so good that he has no pores. He looked around and said, "We have no political support."
"Did you start privatization in Massachusetts?" asked a guy with a face full of pores.
"I don't know," Zach replied. "All I got was a notice from the mayor. That's it."
I once questioned that Mayor Barton was just a human ghoul interface, "If our mayor wants to privatize funerals, we will get it as soon as he comes." He paused and looked at Zach, "This notice is here. I There’s no need to discuss anything here.”
Zach wasn't prepared to respond. If these people are going to compare their relationship with Anthony to their relationship with Lesembra, haha, Zach doesn't want to waste effort explaining.
On the other hand, the stupid boy squatted on the ground, held a minute's silence for his broken lens, and then disappeared into the crowd. Zach wanted to remind a certain father... forget it.
The discussion here continued, "But Mr. Toledo is here." Another guy from another city smiled flatteringly at Zach, "He also brought precious experience and information. Maybe Lesembra is really are considering privatization.”
"I think you are just confused by 'privatization'!" I won't introduce the speakers one by one. Anyway, everyone knows them. The names will not appear. The meaning of their existence in this story is only... the footnote of the story, "Our personal property! Have you ever thought about whether the Sabbat is so generous as to give us our own property!"
The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment. Zach raised his eyebrows, things got a little more interesting, but Zach still decided to stay quiet unless questions came to him.
"After all, it's just the funeral industry..." Someone started tentatively, looking around, "We all know why we got this job. Basically, there is no lower job than ours, even if it becomes us The private industry is just the funeral industry. The funeral industry is marginalized by all living things."
"You are lucky." The newcomer said, "You just gave it to us because this industry is cheap? When was the last time we received anything as a gift?"
Someone replied, "Never."
"Exactly." The guy who asked this question leaned on the sofa. It seemed that he had finished expressing his views and had no intention of participating in the rest of the discussion.
"Have you ever thought about a possibility?" Vega, the ghoul who wanted to copy Grande, said, "Privatization will be carried out, but the owner is not us." He glanced at Zach.
Great, all eyes are on Zach's side. Zach was going to say something.
"I?"
"Yes." The ghoul nodded, "Sir, he has experience, ability, and a suitable position." This position refers to the position in the Sabbat, because there is a supplement later, "It is just right to be your Zachrigg. Rand's identity is excessive. When Zachary Grande's life should disappear, your Toledo clan members must have some, um, reserves in the west. They can simply take over and say they have private ownership. A modernized funeral industry.”
The ghoul glanced at the guy who was already leaning on the back of the sofa, "Then I don't agree with your view that the funeral industry is low. Judging from the information I have obtained about the funeral industry in the east, especially the Grande Funeral Industry The family's social status is very high in Barton." His eyes returned to Zach, asking for confirmation, "The superiors in Barton, the Westerners, right, all value Barton's only traditional funeral director."
Someone echoed, "I am also somewhat concerned about this information. Preserving the uniqueness of burials seems to be one of the ways to reflect status in human society, and because of Grande's relationship and the agreements signed between Grande and other funeral industries, High-end funeral agreement. In a sense, it is improving the status of the funeral industry in society and culture."
"I agree." It seems that the majority of people agree, and everyone has seriously considered this matter related to their own jobs. "If privatized cremation is for the development and practicality of the entire society." It saves land and resources, no need Explained, "Retaining some burials as private enterprise-style services can better promote the sophistication of the industry. For example, I heard that Grande reconstructed Indian funerals..."
Everyone looked at each other unnaturally, and the person speaking awkwardly expressed his point of view, "Well, I've already said what I meant."
That's it.
"So, the status of the funeral industry is improving. Anyway, it seems that nothing will happen to us. Then, we are here actually just for..." Looking at Zach, his tone was quite respectful, "Toledo's transition .”
Zach twitched the corner of his mouth and said with a half-smile, "Thanks, Lesembra~" Hehe, what else could he think~
It's just a pity that someone who guessed the outcome was not here to witness it. Yes, it's Dale Walker.
"Okay, then I guess, we need to do our final work." Someone has already found his direction, "Let us do everything we can, and then..." He didn't need to finish, everyone , including the guy who didn't want to talk just now, they all forced themselves to collect their emotions, with an attitude of working hard.
Just think of it as giving these people a little comfort, "You won't lose your jobs." Zach, "I can't create so many descendants overnight to take over your business."
There are those guys who climb up just by being given a stick, "I promise I will work very hard and diligently under you!"
There’s no need for Zach to comment on this shit.
Dog brother is back.
Carrying a new video recorder, he squeezed out of the crowd and heard how much of what happened here. The camera turned on everyone here and recorded a narration for his documentary, "A group of people are at the bottom of this society. Creatures." Behind him was the noisy nightclub, "Pretending to be business people here, get them out of this gang..." The camera quickly glanced at the dance floor behind him, "Creatures that can only let loose here, literally. The middle zone is distinguished. It makes people worried.”
The camera stopped on Zach, skipping the narration, "I still have one if I break it." Then he opened the camera and continued his documentary shooting, "The guys sitting here now are the ones who live in human civilization. Creatures in the funeral industry at the end of the industry. Among them are ghouls who rely on corpses to maintain their human form. The ugly androids remind me of yesterday’s defecation. The schizophrenia who live like plants will always look like mud in front of the camera. An ooze monster that looks like..." This enumeration was a bit long until he returned to Zach again.
Zach took the initiative and did not stop the filming this time. Instead, he watched with interest how this young man who insisted on calling himself a 'dog brother' would introduce himself.
"And this..." Dog Brother paused for a moment, looked up from the shooting, and looked at Zach, "What are you?"
This bitch has no idea Zach is a vampire. Oh, how could he know
"What did you see in your lens?" Zach asked with a smile.
"You." Dog Brother frowned, "You look like a human." He curled his lips, "Are you a shapechanger?"
"No, I'm a vampire."
The dog boy was stunned for a moment, then he sighed and started filming again. The narration continued, "And a vampire, a vampire who can already hide his true form in this world. Sigh." Everyone heard it right, this boy He turned the tone into words and added it to his own narration, "As a human being, a human being who has not yet started his own life, I feel worried."
"What are you worried about?" Zach asked.
The dog brother raised his head slightly and glanced at Zach, "A hundred years ago, the aliens did not dare to show their faces. They were 'underground creatures', except for vampires." The dog brother actually rolled his eyes, "But I guess this is There is nothing to say about the rewards they deserve for opening up the Wild West. But look at it now." The camera began to rotate at all angles, and then returned to Zach, "Who let these people out? Allowed them to have a wild carnival here? Let them They live around us. Well, there are also curious humans who come here to watch. I don’t know what happened a hundred years ago to make them change like this, but what I know is that here, there is another group trying to The aliens who continue to climb up in human civilization. I want to record it. If anyone in future generations wants to reflect on this irreversible mistake, my documentary will be their only thought."
kindness. Not only us, but Zach also didn't know what expression to make towards this dog brother.
But, what should be said is, "Are you a high school student? Haven't you studied history?" Zach gave a smile, "A hundred years ago, slavery was abolished."
"Oh. It shouldn't be abolished. Just like future generations who see my documentary will think that you guys shouldn't be allowed to get together."
This is a magical boy.