Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 352 - 002. Scouting Implant Gear Candidates

Chapter 352: 002. Scouting Implant Gear Candidates

Yawen gazed at Li Aozi.

After a long while, she finally spoke slowly:

"That’s why I can’t resist the naive throbbing in my heart..."

She wrapped her arms around Li Aozi’s neck and stood on tiptoes, her eyes that were riddled with spider-web patterns faintly blushed pink. She pressed her head against Li Aozi’s chest and whispered:

"I’m not staying by your side to please you, but to find the meaning of existence. That’s why I’ve decided to keep chasing after you, to see you as my role model... Does that sound like I’ve lost a lot of male gaze? More like an Independent Female now?"

"Miss, you’re not in Frost Plated now, so why care about what’s appropriate there?"

Li Aozi shrugged.

"I don’t think you’re someone who would be interested in love," Yawen drew circles on Li Aozi’s chest with her finger, speaking softly, "but as a Follower, it seems I can always stay by your side."

"Not interested in love?" Li Aozi was taken aback, "Why would you think that?"

Yawen turned her head and glanced at Li Aozi playfully, deliberately raising her pitch in a sickly sweet tone:

"Oh my, isn’t it because you seemed to have found a ’Bride’ and then left her behind when you went into space?"

Li Aozi’s expression stiffened slightly.

"That, it’s not a Bride in the sense you’re thinking of."

"Then in what sense is it?" Yawen took Li Aozi’s hand, their fingers slowly intertwining. She placed Li Aozi’s palm over her heart, and said earnestly, "If Li Aozi is rejecting me because of another woman, I can accept such an outcome—but why did you choose to go into space alone?"

"Don’t overthink it, the jealousy in the air is so sour it’s enough to season my dumplings," Li Aozi spread his hands.

"Only a boyfriend would think that’s being jealous—so you don’t accept me outright, but deep down, Mr. Leoz has other ideas."

"Stop teasing, I didn’t accept Alicxia either."

"What about Nomi, Qiu Ran, and Du Zexin then? Have you ever accepted them?"

"Two deceased, plus I’m not interested in machines. What do you think?" Li Aozi countered, "Aren’t you afraid of rushing to the netherworld yourself by being so close to me? Wait until Alicxia dies too, then you four women can all go down there and play a round of mahjong."

"You seem to have already resigned yourself to the fate that the women who get close to you will end up dead."

Yawen had just spoken when she laughed out loud:

"—Hahaha, thank you, Oz, I feel much better now."

"However you want to think about it is fine, but I’ve got to leave now."

Li Aozi pushed Yawen away and headed towards the exit of the ruins. Without looking back, he waved his hand:

"See you later, Yawen."

"I’ll wait for you here."

Yawen put her cloak back on and watched his back disappear, saying:

"I’ll wait forever, forever—but if I wait too long, I’ll come looking for you."

"First, ensure your own safety before saying such things."

Yawen, upon hearing this, no longer argued. She turned around, ready to continue her work.

Suddenly, Li Aozi said again:

"Universities on alien planets also have summer and winter breaks."

——————————

Li Aozi left the mountain where the ruins were located, entered the forest, and walked for several days before he found his destination: a small village on the mountainside.

Due to the traits of the magic civilization, the village seemed to have a distinctly low level of modernization; there were hardly any mechanized devices to be seen, and the fields cultivated by the villagers were still plowed with primitive animal power.

Only their livestock was a bit more advanced; they were giant ungulates with a shoulder height of 5 meters, and their heads resembled that of hammerhead sharks. With a casual nudge, they could dig a deep furrow in the ground, with efficiency not at all inferior to any machinery.

Quite a few villagers were somewhat proficient in magic. They used water-summoning magic mixed with pesticides, evenly spraying them in the form of rain. The magic civilization did not lack primary productivity and tools; it simply manifested in different forms.

Apart from a high tower carved out of white jade and some floating surveillance elements scattered around, there were hardly any distinct signs of a modern magical civilization in the village, which was exactly what Li Aozi needed.

After observing the village for a while, Li Aozi noticed that the villagers, conservative by nature, mainly relied on farming and selling magical materials to the market for self-sufficiency.

Such a slow-paced life obviously didn’t align with the aspirations of the younger generation. From his vantage point on the hillside, Li Aozi saw some youngsters riding public flying carpets on the road to the city, going crazy for a day or two before returning.

Those youngsters, when they returned, were always laden with big and small packages; some even dyed their hair and changed into bright, attractive clothes, giving off a vibe of villagers coming into town for the first time.

Of course, rural life is not always peaceful and harmonious. Even in the countryside of a magical civilization, there were bullies.

According to Li Aozi’s observations, the youngsters who came back from the city were all in a hurry to get home. Those who were slow would bump into a big, strong, blond youth who liked to loaf around.

The blond youth would first be chummy by slinging an arm over someone’s shoulders, giving unwelcome advice, and then casually pocketing some of the goods the other person had brought back. Sometimes, he would even brazenly demand money. Anyone who resisted would get beaten up.

One dark-haired young man was particularly interesting. He had a slim build, but often argued with the blond youth for a while. Even when knocked to the ground and trampled on by the blond, he refused to give in, his eyes revealing a fierce and indomitable spirit.

"Nice eyes. And he knows a bit of a spell, but unfortunately, he couldn’t cast it during combat and was simply beaten up by the youth," Li Aozi nodded to himself, quite satisfied with the young man.

—He had a certain magical aptitude, a fierce disposition, never admitted defeat, and because of his unconventional behavior, he did not fit in with the people around him.

He was simply the most suitable candidate.

Therefore, Li Aozi turned his attention to the blond bully:

"What a promising seedling, you’ll do."

Choosing the blond bully wasn’t for any particularly important reason: he didn’t have better physical qualities than the other; both were ordinary humans with Spellcasters’ aptitude, with no significant difference.

The key was, according to Li Aozi’s observations, the young man with black hair had both parents, a sister, a house, and a childhood sweetheart. On one hand, Li Aozi felt it would be too difficult to impersonate him, as it was easy to slip up.

On the other hand, if he were to take over his body, many people would likely be heartbroken.

As for the blond bully, he had no parents and with his personality—kicking even a dog that crossed his path—Li Aozi found it extremely easy to impersonate him, with no pressure at all.

"Just a local bully, I can take on the role with ease."