Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 504 - 141. Pathway management

Chapter 504: 141. Pathway management

Out of caution and unwillingness to overlook a suspected Pseudo-Human, Li Aozi decided to scout the meeting location one day in advance.

He dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans, topped with a hat, and wrapped his neck with a scarf, assuming the image of a Red Arrow Farm worker. To avoid detection, Li Aozi had also purposely applied makeup to give himself the inconspicuous appearance of a middle-aged man with sallow skin.

When he arrived at the destination driving a tractor, the throng of people surrounding him took Li Aozi by surprise.

"I didn’t expect it to be here."

The White Obelisk standing between heaven and earth was right before his eyes. Despite it being the off-season for tourism, the place was teeming with visitors, and the local residents’ farms and homes had been converted into guesthouses and hotels.

Because the influx of outsiders was too great, Erga City had no choice but to transfer its police officers here. They managed the flow of people so tourists could visit and tour the site in an orderly manner. Although Li Aozi could switch to his main body to check the data at any time, it was nowhere near as impactful as observing directly.

Li Aozi parked the tractor and blended into the crowd. Besides scouting the area, he could also get a close-up look at the specifics of the Pathway structure.

After six months of construction, there were already some simple amusement facilities in the area. A viewpoint had been established upon a high slope, and the original farmland had been cleared, creating a sunken plaza that could accommodate at least three thousand people simultaneously—the scale was not small.

The Obelisk was tall enough to be seen from a distance. To enhance its aura of sanctity and divine presence, the person in charge of the facilities raised several cages of doves to be released and retrieved at regular intervals.

The water facilities were also well-developed. The villagers had routed the river nearby to beautify the area even more and had even dug an artificial lake for tourists to rent boats for pleasure and sightseeing.

But after observing for a while, Li Aozi noticed a problem.

He had assumed that the main tourist group coming here would predominantly consist of Transcendents, or at least Mortals who had a strong desire to become Transcendents. However, after looking around, Li Aozi realized that the majority were families out with their children.

Li Aozi approached a family-oriented photographer and asked curiously, "Hey, buddy, what brings you here?"

"Isn’t it obvious? It’s to bring the kids to receive the divine grace," he replied.

As the photographer spoke, he occasionally lifted his DSLR to take commemorative photos of his family.

"You mean to bring the kids to awaken Arcane Energy?" Li Aozi probed.

"Awaken Arcane Energy? I hadn’t thought about it. But such an obvious miracle must be intentionally arranged by the heavens," the photographer replied as a matter of course.

"The awakening of Arcane Energy is secondary. People prefer to believe that this is a blessing from the deities to the Red Arrow People, symbolizing that we will definitely overcome suffering. The compassionate Father God blesses everyone, and this White Obelisk is the best evidence of His presence."

Li Aozi suddenly understood.

"How abrupt of me, I forgot that Red Arrow, unlike other nations, is a religious state."

The main reason tourists came to the White Obelisk was to marvel at its spectacular and majestic appearance, but more so for the Red Arrow People’s worship and belief in deities.

From the way these tourists spoke, Li Aozi could guess why the White Obelisk was attracting so many people. It was likely that even the Red Arrow authorities tacitly accepted the Obelisk as a divine gift.

Attributing everything to the religious beliefs of Red Arrow helped bolster national unity and confidence. It also promoted local tourism development—why not take advantage of it?

Those willing to spend lavishly for good fortune at temples and shrines were numerous, not to mention that living near the White Obelisk genuinely increased the chances of becoming a Mutant.

At first, Li Aozi was somewhat dissatisfied, as Red Arrow had essentially claimed the naming rights and ownership without a word.

However, upon second thought, Li Aozi realized it might not be a bad thing.

If the officials took the lead, Arcane Users of the Sovereign faction should have the opportunity to become Transcendents like the Martial Artists. However, by doing this, it meant that Li Aozi’s initial investment would ultimately need to be shared with the Empire.

"Trying to freeride on my hard work, eh... Not going to happen," Li Aozi calculated mentally.

After looking around, Li Aozi did not find anything amiss. Perhaps those Players had simply chosen a random spot to congregate.

Having come all this way, Li Aozi personally approached the White Obelisk, raised his hand, and touched it.

This was a permanent structure, and the facility’s personnel did not intend to prevent anyone from touching it, although each person’s contact time was limited due to the long line waiting behind.

He quietly felt it for a moment, closed his eyes, and took the opportunity to switch to his main body, swiftly operating it to grant himself the authority of a Path Guardian, which allowed him to rent Arcane Energy that his main body had once possessed.

Although Li Aozi had shattered those Arcane Powers, they were still stored within the Pathway. All Azure Star People who embarked on the Pathway of a Mutant would ultimately be influenced by Li Aozi and awaken the Arcane Powers he had possessed.

The "Eye of Truth" previously came about in this manner, but switching back to the main body to operate the Path System each time was too much of a hassle, so it was better to do it all in one go.

As the leader of the Azure Star’s Pathway, Li Aozi’s main body might temporarily be unable to use those Arcane Powers, but his Players certainly had no reservations about using them.