Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 738 - 347. Quietly Blooming

Chapter 738: 347. Quietly Blooming

The torrential rain continued to fall, yet the neutrons liberated by the substance rain did not kill all life on the surface; the damage was limited to units directly exposed to the rain.

For trees and rainforests, a substance rain might not be such a catastrophe.

After all, Dragon Satellite was a planet swallowed by forests, with endless expanses of forest covering the sky and continuously spreading outward.

For carnivorous Tree People, this might have been paradise; yet history repeatedly taught humanity that those who sought to build heaven on earth only ended up diving into hell.

Native organisms had secured a strong ecological niche within the forest, but this soon led to a green desert. Similar plants, madly competing for sunlight, caused a wild inflating effect, making it impossible for lower vegetation to grow. The forest floor lacked an intermediate shrub layer or ground vegetation.

Although plants did not compete with humans for air, their massive absorption of carbon dioxide significantly weakened the greenhouse effect, causing global temperatures to continuously drop.

From both an observer’s and a participant’s perspective, Li Aozi felt as if this phenomenon confirmed the views in "Magic, Giant Dragons, and Mithril": everything’s essence was nothing but a flimsy setup, incapable of withstanding any turmoil.

The substance rain poured down, bringing hardship to human refugees while also devastating the Green Hell.

It seemed as though no victory was truly meaningful.

Reading brought Li Aozi considerable tranquility. Perhaps influenced by his environment, he had recently developed a habit of introspection and debate, becoming intensely interested in topics like time, civilization, science, and chaos systems.

But this serene contemplation did not last long as he was soon forced out of his philosophical reverie.

Because the rain had stopped.

"It’s time to go, little beauty."

Knight Merid, with a gunblade strapped to her waist, passed by Li Aozi and couldn’t resist a playful touch to his cheek, her demeanor frivolous and her actions conspicuous.

"Keep up with me, don’t fall behind."

Li Aozi closed his book, stood up, and left.

Three consecutive days of torrential rain had allowed him to finish a book. Alone in a room with a woman, especially one as frivolous as Merid, yet nothing interesting had happened; it seemed somewhat counterintuitive.

Li Aozi felt an unparalleled sense of calm, following Merid along their path. He gradually began to understand why the description of the "Flower of Nothingness" task was so confusing and disorganized, and the victory conditions so ambiguous.

Void, reality, and romance—among these three ideologies, only one would prevail.

The key to solving the task lay within these three.

[Since Merid is the protagonist... is it possible that changes in her ideology could affect the outcome?]

From the books he had read, it was clear that the ideological current of Dragon Satellite was mired in confusion, chaos, and nihilism.

This was not surprising, given that the entire planet’s foundation was built on the void.

No pathways, no Starry Abyss myths, no society.

—Wait.

Li Aozi suddenly realized—wasn’t this so-called ’Pure Land’?

If not for the invasion of the void, this would have been a completely self-contained, unperturbed pure land, free from the interference of Starry Abyss powers, isolated from the world, peaceful and free for a long-lasting development.

With this thought, Li Aozi immediately became aware of many loopholes:

"Speaking of which, Knight Merid, why are you never curious about where I come from?"

"Why should I be curious? I’m not your mother."

Merid gave him a strange look:

"Blockade bodies come from places outside this planet, whether you come from the void or from another planet—how does that affect me?"

"There is a difference, though. After all, the narrative of the void wants to kill you all, utterly devour and assimilate. We’re different."

"And what about you, Mr. Leoz? How would your faction’s grand narrative choose to handle Dragon Satellite?"

"Most likely... kill ninety percent with a plague, blast the remaining nine percent with guns and cannons, and then use market and capitalism to enslave the remaining one percent, followed by colonial transformation, transferring our jobless vagrants, Puritans, and criminals who can’t make a living back home—let them find new jobs here while developing an urban civilization."

Li Aozi shrugged after finishing.

"Mr. Leoz, aren’t you also very clear about the outcome? The void has been on this planet for decades, and before that, the people here lived in an easy, relaxed kingdom life. Yet within just eighty years, social order was turned upside down, technological growth exploded."

Merid laughed softly:

"Having been accustomed to being enslaved and ordered around in their youth, now you want them to work and consume on their own; people with no labor skills programming in front of a computer—how could they possibly accept that? They’ve merely transitioned from one narrative into another while remaining slaves. The shackles on their bodies may break, but the shackles on their souls remain—does it really make a difference? Has anything truly changed?"

"I don’t deny that."

Li Aozi noticed that his charm seemed to have little effect on Merid.

He used the Eye of Truth to examine her information, but Merid’s template was completely normal, an ordinary Eta (7) level.

Only in the skill bar, there was a glaring skill: Worldview of Nihilism.

Li Aozi had long discovered that the ’worldview’ of Starry Abyss was not just an ideological concept; it provided real spiritual augmentation and resistance.

Nationalist virtues soared, villains had Social Darwinism, Objective Materialism was nicknamed the ’God-killer template,’ and Subjective Idealism was simply a berserk divine artifact. Various radical progressive ideas tended to align with societies...

Nihilism was unique. All the nihilism in this world was the result of the void’s external irradiation; this was the void’s tool for invasion and expansion.

Under the guidance of nihilism, people questioned the meaning of existence, ridiculed past myths and histories, denied the value of labor, opposed any war and organized unity, rejected entertainment and reproduction—ultimately becoming hollow and bland. The only solace for their desiccated souls was found in the void.

Merid was a nihilist, which perhaps explained her constant frivolous and indifferent demeanor, but her actions were highly proactive. Along the way, no matter what she did, she did it herself.

Li Aozi, on the other hand, after a college education, had developed a materialistic worldview. Besides being a politician and industrialist, he could easily transition to realism; this wasn’t difficult.

"So, do you approve of the void?" Li Aozi asked.

"It doesn’t need my approval. Even for the void, existence is unnecessary; like how zero multiplied by anything is still zero."

Merid casually replied:

"The future of the void offers no possibility for change. As adults, we should know that the world does not allow us to question it. History is a train moving forward; you and I are merely passengers or combusted fuel. We’ve never been able to decide where this track leads—even if it’s hell."

"I think you don’t have to be so pessimistic."

Li Aozi shrugged:

"I read the book you gave me."

"How did you feel?" Merid asked.

"The essence of humanity is a flimsy setup. We muddle through life. The human body is no different; the appendix is useless, teeth only come in two sets, and once they are worn out, we have to use dentures. Consuming carbohydrates and calories makes people happy but overeating causes diabetes and severe health declines. Laboring for survival often ends in sudden death or collapsing on the job—what’s the point of such a being?"

Li Aozi sincerely shared his reflections:

"Not just humans, any living being in the universe seems pointless. Mayflies have a lifespan of one day while hibernating bears can sleep for six to seven months. For every civilization, concepts like history, mythology, and nationalism seem to have no practical use for a long time. Culture adds artistic value but seems to serve no further purpose, and politics is a futile pursuit. War can be the most meaningless action; every time people try to solve problems through war, they only create more problems."

"But curiously enough..."

"It’s these utterly meaningless things that make the world colorful."

As soon as Li Aozi finished speaking, a message popped up on his information panel:

[Realism Victory: +0.3%]