Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 524 - 158. Days are going well

Chapter 524: 158. Days are going well

The Monolith Church was thriving, its influence increasing, coordinated with Li Aozi’s subtle control over N4 lady, the leader of Mingji Heavy Industries, and Isaac’s flexible observation of his surroundings, his grasp on Azure Star grew stronger.

The 1.0 version of the main quest had already begun, and players were occupied in fighting for their respective countries.

The main quest of the Red Arrow Empire, "Scorching Sun Moment," involved massively arresting terrorists who attacked the empire and launching the largest anti-terrorism war in history, which also served as a rehearsal for the upcoming war against Sky Ring.

Sky Ring’s main quest, "Moonlight Thunder," stood in opposition to the Red Arrow. Sky Ring sent large numbers of stateless troops to infiltrate the Empire, creating panic and undermining capital confidence while continuously searching for main battle unit information for the upcoming conflict against Sky Ring.

Frost Plating’s main quest had some variations. Due to David Lyn’s early ascension, the current quest, "Indestructible Heart," leaned towards construction and small-scale battles. Players had to combat local separatists while investing in production and building more underground shelters.

Zhengxu’s main quest was entirely focused on construction. "Stand Against the Wind" required players to collect materials everywhere, establish good relations with Zhengxu’s officials, and continue constructing the electronic immigrant city.

The advantageous and comfortable environment of the Zhengxu Democratic Republic was most satisfactory for enterprises and governments in the real world, with most PMC companies, corporate departments, and electronic immigrant zones set up there. Due to the special status of electronic immigrants, they did not have the Lai Anding Medical Protocol, so players needed to construct protection seriously and maintain good relations with the Zhengxu people.

The first batch of electronic immigrant slots was limited to 5,000 people, mostly artists and researchers, with a small proportion being highly depressed patients in reality whose consciousness needed to be transplanted into the electronic world to avoid physical pain. This was also a major purpose for developing the electronic world in "Starry Abyss," as mental illnesses could almost all be resolved through electronic immigration.

However, reality never always went smoothly.

Although the bodies generated from electronic immigrants looked no different from Azure Star People, staying long in communities built by Descenders made them somewhat unharmonious with local residents.

Li Aozi noticed several news reports of conflicts between electronic immigrants and native residents, indicating a long road to reconciliation.

On Azure Star, Li Aozi had pretty much handled everything. Alicxia had mostly settled back to her routine life, laid down her weapons, and returned to her previous work. After the Grante ceasefire, through David Lyn’s mediation, Grante eventually chose to join the Frost Plating Federation, and David Lyn provided them with the necessary technology and loans for industrialization, being fairly generous.

Li Aozi kept searching for news about Du Zexin’s whereabouts but received no related information. His former companion, now in the shadows, continually produced various weapons and equipment that Li Aozi couldn’t trace to find Du Zexin’s true location.

[Mechanic] was like this, a bit knowledgeable of industrial camouflage coupled with a mechanical body, and it became too easy to hide oneself.

There was good news too, such as the Pseudo-Humans that Mr. Leoz almost eliminated in the Red Arrow. Players also started spreading reports of Pseudo-Human sightings, though most incidents were debunked by [Eye of Truth].

There was no immediate concern about the severe damage caused by Pseudo-Humans.

Next, Li Aozi gradually shifted his focus back to his daily work and studies.

The area of Newbie Village expanded fourfold, and with the help of players at the Alpha stage, productivity greatly improved. The magic workshop equipment that Li Aozi introduced provided players with Basic enchantment, speeding up territorial expansion. After heavy blows to several nearby demon creatures nests, players found themselves with nothing to fight.

It was then that the instance crystals arranged by Li Aozi came into play.

"Underworld Humanity Laboratory"

"Valenkov’s Winter"

The former required players to spend a long time exploring and studying the game content, with the final boss Bayo Kong making players cry out in agony.

The latter was even more intense, with max-level players getting addicted to constant running and treating it as a new game.

Leaving Newbie Village aside for the moment, after Li Aozi accumulated over a hundred credits, he immediately went to school to apply for the Pathway hierarchy test.

The test result was unsurprisingly, Li Aozi scored steadily at Delta rank, and the school awarded him 200 credits.

Thus, his credits reached 317 points, narrowing the gap with his classmates’ progress.

Li Aozi was not in a hurry and aimed to finish the semester steadily.

He calculated the time, after the version update and maintenance, the players would likely have five years without visiting here. Without the players, his chances of quickly leveling up would diminish.

As for the class promotion voucher, Li Aozi intended to use it when he reached Epsilon, for higher gains. But with the academy’s deteriorating situation, Li Aozi worried that rising too fast might lead to conscription by the Baizhu Star recruitment office.

Even for Li Aozi, with only a Zeta rank, he couldn’t confidently navigate the interstellar battlefield, let alone ensuring survival.

War was a collective action, and any segment had numerous uncertainties. Maybe you were the top in training and the champion of the full-army tournament, but in a security war, you could end up perishing with an enemy disguised as a civilian.

At level 200 or Kappa rank, Li Aozi would have a seventy to eighty percent chance of ensuring victory.

After comprehensive consideration, Li Aozi decided it was better to establish his own base early.

In his spare time, he frequently operated between Baizhu Star and Valkyrie Fortress. Thanks to his close relationship with the owner of Heroic Spirit Bar, Olavir, and his financial power, he managed to select some quality technical workers, homemakers, and young labor from the war refugees to migrate.

These people became the second batch of non-player residents of Newbie Village.

As for the first batch...

"Long time no see, Leoz, my old friend!"

Nikita put down his large bags and warmly hugged Li Aozi. He had brought his family to Newbie Village, and Li Aozi felt a bit embarrassed: "Your homes are still under construction, and the accommodations are not ready yet."

"No accommodations? No problem, we can build our preferred houses!"

Nikita’s son-in-law Julian, who was holding his wife, Rosa, barely a meter tall, said while laughing and surveying the environment of Newbie Village, and sighed:

"So this is the magic civilization, just like my mom described, primitive ecology, magical cultivated creatures, and the harmony between man and nature."

"The breeze here is so gentle, quite different from the Valenkov Autonomy." Rosa extended her small hand, softly touching the wind.

"Some places lack technology, which is inconvenient," Li Aozi said: "Nikita, your daughter’s curse problem can be consulted with spellcasters in the city who are good at sealing. Although it can’t be cured, it can be delayed for decades. I will transfer the promised living expenses to you each year, and Ammonium Gold can be exchanged for Dina at any time."

"Thank you so much."

Nikita gratefully said:

"Without these, I really wouldn’t know what to do..."

"Thank you, Mr. Leoz." Julian, holding his wife, also knelt on one knee and performed the Elf Race ceremony compassionately: "I greatly respect your presence, may the Everlasting Vine always bless you."

"Alright, alright, it’s not like I’m giving you a free place to live." Li Aozi smiled: "Brother Nikita, I have a group of young Alpha stage guys here. They have good potential but know nothing about fighting. Please teach them, they’ll cover the cost themselves."

"Just right, an old man like me is afraid of staying idle," Nikita laughed: "I am actually a Gunsmith, but magic civilization’s firearms might need some time for me to get familiar with before I can adjust them."

"I can help as well." Julian raised his hand excitedly: "As a half-elf, I know a bit about elven script engraving, and I am good at forging and crafting elven swords."

Rosa’s reply was more straightforward: "I can cook."

"Awesome, the village is just starting, and we need talents of all kinds."

Li Aozi encouraged everyone and then inspected his territory a bit.

Yawen had been away a lot recently, preoccupied, Li Aozi had to find a new caretaker from the neighboring villages to handle quests.

After making a round and ensuring there were no problems, Li Aozi returned to school.

Days got busier, and the recruitment office began to frequent more often. Li Aozi now saw more recruiters in white pointed hats, clad in composite fiber armor, coming to inquire.

However, it didn’t seem to concern Li Aozi and his peers. As Li Aozi gradually caught up with the progress, Hobbs and Lucite dragged him to the library to study all day long.

It was unlikely that conscription would reach him.

"Senior Karlva of the third grade was conscripted."

During lunch, the trio dined together, and Lucite suddenly mentioned, catching Li Aozi and Hobbs by surprise.

"Senior Karlva?" Hobbs bit a peach tart while pondering: "I remember he was an assistant teacher of Metrology Magic. He seemed to be set to stay on campus. Didn’t the mentor save him?"

"Tried, but it didn’t work. The soldiers forcibly teleported him." Lucite’s tone was solemn and somewhat agitated:

"For the first time, I’ve seen a military magic rifle—it looked like a marble sculpture, with light blue magic crystal silk, completely different from our usual wands. Soldiers would slot in a magazine, each with five bullets. The first shot was ’Focusing Technique,’ which would reveal all the enemies, and the second shot was ’Explosive Combustion Technique,’ shooting a hundred-meter-long fire dragon—"

"Okay, okay, no need for such details," Hobbs interrupted: "But it is odd, an assistant teacher, nearly equivalent to a future high executive of a magic workshop, what’s the military’s leverage over scholars?"