Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 368 - 014. Journey Together

Chapter 368: 014. Journey Together

"Perhaps it’s because I’ve switched bodies, but my mentality has become that of a young person."

Li Aozi turned his head aside. As ’Leo’ had no one to see him off, he simply grabbed his backpack, boarded the flying carpet, and casually chose a seat.

The flying carpet was for long-distance travel, merely passing through Blue Chrysanthemum Village. Examinees from the nearby villages were numerous, and after a few stops, the flying carpet was packed.

The people from Blue Chrysanthemum Village clustered together, but because Li Aozi was usually ’benevolent and of good character’, there was not a single fellow villager sitting next to him.

Although no acquaintances came over, examinees from other villages did, and they gathered around Li Aozi and even started chatting with him.

"Hey, lad, are you the only one from your village taking the exam?" A blue-haired youth noticed Li Aozi sitting alone reading a book, immediately came over, and friendly extended his hand, "I’m Cadfy Endale, I’m the only one from our village taking the exam this time. How about we get to know each other? It’s always good to have someone to talk to on the way."

"Oh, I’m Li Aozi." Li Aozi blurted out reflexively, then realized he had slipped up and quickly explained, "Leo...zi is because I’m not very fond of socializing."

"Leoz? Leozi, huh, that’s a great name," Cadfy sat down opposite Li Aozi, pulled out a pack of dried fruits, and began to chat with him:

"Do you know the meaning of ’Leozi’?"

Seeing the other person misunderstood, Li Aozi simply played along:

"Leozi — in myth, the ’God of Reality’, a hero who resisted the invasion of monsters. My name is quite common."

"Right, you share a name with deities and great men—eh, what’s that like?" Cadfy talked non-stop, munching on dried fruits while chatting; Li Aozi was happy to relax.

"Nothing special, Noah, Arthur, David, Caesar, Vladimir—these names are everywhere."

Li Aozi explained:

"Good names are sought after by many, and once they are taken often, they naturally lose their mystique and divinity. That’s what demystifying is—actually, maybe ’Leozi’ isn’t meant to imply anything outstanding. Initially, some people named Leozi weren’t famous, but later on, a celebrity named ’Leozi’ emerged, and consequently, people with the same name appeared more unique."

"Hmm, what you say makes sense. It’s not the name that’s great, but the person, right?"

"It’s probably like that," Li Aozi replied, "Leozi itself might just be a common name, but because a ’Leozi’ became famous, other ’Leozis’ might have been considered to have similar traits as him."

"So it turns out there isn’t any actual link?" Cadfy asked disappointedly, "I thought there might be some connection."

"A name is just a code, that’s all, and codes will always repeat. What’s unique are the soul and actions." Li Aozi said casually, "I could be called any name, but what kind of person I become depends on what I do."

"Being able to utter such words, you seem well-read."

Someone nearby was drawn by Li Aozi’s statement, perhaps it was due to Li Aozi’s distinctive ideology, or perhaps it was his Charm attracting them, leading more and more people to join in.

Gradually, Li Aozi found that his self-prophesied moniker ’Leoz’ was completely accepted by people.

Two weeks of relentless studying day and night had stripped away the body’s previous crude and rogue air, instead adding a scholarly aura.

Coupled with the whole world’s affection and grace, ’Leo’s’ persona had also changed somewhat. Even candidates from the same village didn’t feel anything off—Li Aozi made it a point to show his face every day, gradually adapting and subtly accepting these changes.

Before leaving, Li Aozi also took special care of his appearance, visiting the barber to tidy up his messy blond hair and cleanly shave his stubble.

Under the whole world’s adoration, his facial features were continuously adapting; from the initial brutal and ugly ’Leo’ carelessly dealing with things, it had transformed into a rugged and robust face, with well-defined and striking features that possessed a wild beauty. With emerald green eyes, golden hair, and a tall, muscular body, it was easy to associate him with a wilderness lion.

Even though his Intelligence had greatly increased, Charm remained his Main Attribute. Li Aozi had a strong Attraction to ordinary people, and soon, candidates from neighboring villages all became familiar with him. No one treated him as an outsider, they chatted and laughed without any shyness.

Most candidates had taken the exam several times, and some were hoping by sheer Luck, making a desperate attempt, even going in naked - simply young people fed up with their parents’ nagging.

The public Flying Carpet was ideal for gathering together, forming a circle for conversation, which also aligned with the Tanas Clan’s cultural traditions. Even strangers would share food and tea in public places, chat about various things, and enjoy the journey together.

This place was a haven for social butterflies to thrive and a nightmare for the socially anxious to explode. Naturally, Li Aozi wasn’t afraid of these interactions, chatting with people also made information gathering convenient.

"I heard that the top institution in Baizhu Star—the Crystal Magic Academy, their students in the fourth year are already working in space." Suddenly someone brought up the cosmos, and many others joined in the conversation.

"Really? I’m so envious. My hometown only has rhinos and rice paddies. I heard that in the cosmos, they can grow special crops with high-energy rays, and some magicians are lucky enough to sign contracts with giant beasts in the starry sky, traveling freely between several star systems."

"Ahaha, I’m not going to the cosmos. For a nobody like me, just finding a female mage of equal social standing to marry and settle down in the city would be enough. I’d be a senior employee in a workshop, and she’d be a primary school teacher. That would already satisfy me greatly."

"Exactly, I’d also like to be a little official, help improve the environment of my hometown, build a Magic Tower there. That would allow many unemployed to work in my area; it would be wonderful."

Most people held simple views, even though they all had Gamma Rank strength, they still possessed modest civilian thoughts. Hearing this, Li Aozi unexpectedly discovered that their demands weren’t much different from those of most Azure Star People.

It seems the grassroots population is the same everywhere.

"I’m joining the military!" Cadfy suddenly declared, "Corinna—the planet contested by the Night Butterfly Federation and the Crystal Tower still has our fellow citizens. The Night Butterfly People are bombing and slaughtering our people, and it’s still ongoing."

As he spoke, his eyes filled with a fighting spirit: "War is the only thing we can do now. I became a mage to join the military, to save our fellow citizens, to protect our homeland."