Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 739 - 348. Village of Silence

Chapter 739: 348. Village of Silence

Indeed.

Seeing the task progress, Li Aozi’s heart stirred.

His guess had indeed been correct; the progress of this task was linked to Merid’s thoughts.

"Since that’s the case, I think I’ve figured it out," Li Aozi murmured to himself.

Li Aozi calculated in his mind:

"Three settlement conditions: Nihilism, Realism, Romanticism, represent the worldview requirements for Merid at the task’s resolution."

If Merid maintained nihilistic thoughts throughout, then a nihilistic victory would be triggered, and any change would tilt towards a victory ending in Realism or Romanticism.

Worldview.

This was the most critical aspect of the "Flower of Nothingness" task.

The entire plot revolved around Merid as the protagonist... This had its advantages.

Nihilism definitely would not lead to a good ending; Li Aozi was very clear about how decadent the void’s teachings were. Moreover, in his previous life, the Dragon Satellite had not been conquered by the void, nor had it been incorporated into the core Inherent Time Domain.

That suggested there was a significant likelihood that the void was eventually repelled, and Merid must have played a key role in that.

Excluding the nihilism ending left only two options: reality and romance.

All he had to do was to find a way to win over Merid and complete her ideological turnaround.

Truth be told, this was not an easy task either.

Even after listening to Li Aozi’s words, Merid did not show any positive reaction.

"But what’s the use?"

Her implication seemed to be:

"No matter how colorful, it’s all just a handful of soil."

Speaking so, she still maintained a frivolous demeanor, leading Li Aozi through the rainforest.

On their way, they encountered no Substance Rain, but this didn’t mean the forest was tranquil.

Slash!

Li Aozi decapitated a Void Stalker with his sword, his crimson blade whirled halfway through the air, scattering a string of fat maggots that slowly wriggled, gnawing and devouring the void creature’s flesh.

He had no time to watch the cursed maggots burst forth and proliferate on the corpse; he immediately released Arcane Energy, Gravity Compression descending, flattening a Void Behemoth as large as a locomotive.

With a tap of his foot, Li Aozi’s body shot into the air, his fingertips casually flicking around, the Sodom Angels wielding Sulfur Fire flashed by, turning invisibly lurking beasts into pillars of salt.

Plop.

Li Aozi landed back on the ground, only to immediately see Merid raise her Gunblade towards him.

"Farewell."

Li Aozi locked eyes with her.

Merid gave a faint smile and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The Void Energy-driven silver bullet shot out instantly, carrying a lethal whirlwind of heat that whizzed past Li Aozi’s ear, accurately hitting the Void Demon Flower that had pounced from behind.

Boom————

The silver flame instantly devoured the entire Demon Flower, and Li Aozi, placing his hand on the stem of the flower, his palm lit up with a blue glow.

"Canyue" — Downgrade strike!

The nearly three-meter-tall Void Demon Flower immediately spread out on the ground like a liquid flowing on the surface of the soil, burning silently and roaring until death.

"There always are these inexplicable invaders in the forest," Merid said casually as she flicked her Gunblade, folding it up and returning it to the holster at her waist and slowly walking towards Li Aozi.

"The Void Demon Flowers, a vanguard from the void, are starting to step out of the Grey Mist Forest. It seems the occupied area has likely expanded again."

"You almost shot me just now," Li Aozi said, casting a glance at her.

"You’re not the kind of person who would die from a single Silver Bullet hit, are you?" Merid teased back:

"If you really are that fragile, then don’t join the fight. Just stand aside obediently. I’ll deal with these monsters."

"You’re not my mom," Li Aozi retorted.

Li Aozi rolled his eyes and bent down to clean up the battlefield.

Creatures from the Void carry a plethora of materials that can be used to extract Alige. On this planet, Alige is the most important energy resource, needed for everything from lighters to trains.

"Congratulations on finally realizing that, pretty boy."

Merid clapped his hands, laughing:

"Even though you’re both beautiful and strong, the world doesn’t revolve around you. You’ve got to learn to fend for yourself."

"Weren’t you the one who said the other day that none of this means anything?"

"That’s not a contradiction."

Merid squatted down, propping his chin on his hand, and watched as Li Aozi busily collected materials. He suddenly asked:

"Your powers are very special, unlike any other Blockade Bodies."

"I thought that was the reason you chose to take me with you," Li Aozi said without turning his head.

"That’s partly why, but your uniqueness exceeded my expectations."

Merid raised a finger:

"Do you know? Most Blockade Bodies are objects or tools, like a vending machine that dispenses a specific drink for blood, a car that can only dive underwater, or a cream cake that makes you hungrier the more you eat. The few humanoid Blockade Bodies, either have scattered consciousness barely understanding anything, or they’re absolutely bonkers."

"I’m not exactly normal either."

Li Aozi plucked a heart, wiped the filth off it, and carefully wrapped it with a cloth before stowing it into his Autonomous Space-Time.

"By the way, aren’t you curious where my power comes from?"

"Why should I be?"

"Right, after all, for a native of Dragon Satellite like you, you’re born with the ability to reach an extremely high level. Indeed, there’s no need to delve into the Pathway."

Li Aozi shrugged, standing up:

"Let’s go, it’s getting late. Where shall we spend the night? In a cave or a trench? We still have time to set up a tent."

"No, not necessary."

Merid pointed toward the mountain pass:

"We’re here."

.........

Minutes later, Li Aozi stepped into the streets of the village, met with an air of desolation.

The cold wind carried dry leaves and twigs, gently falling from the sky. The empty village was filled with dilapidated, rotting wooden houses, many of their ceilings had collapsed, and the paper-covered windows were all chewed through like eyes nibbled by locusts.

A drab yellow.

Everything in the village was as if smeared by an overturned can of bright, uneven yellow paint. The wind chimes hanging on doorframes made monotonous sounds. Despite the vast openness, there was an overwhelming feeling of having nowhere to settle.

The spacetime here seemed to be stagnant, forever trapped in some desolate moment.

"We’ve arrived,"

Merid announced.

"Arrived?" Li Aozi was taken aback. "You went through all the trouble just to bring me here? To a place like this... an abandoned village with no inhabitants?"

"Not quite."

Merid clapped his hands:

"You can come out now."

In the next moment, a variety of strange little animals scurried out of the seemingly old and forsaken houses. Like a tidal wave, they quickly overwhelmed Li Aozi and Merid.

"Meow!"

A black and white short-haired cat leapt into Merid’s arms, extending its tongue to lick his cheek.

"It’s just a bunch of cats."

Li Aozi sneered, casually grabbing the nape of a Shar Pei:

"Doesn’t seem like anything special, and speaking of which, this is one ugly dog."

The Shar Pei glared back furiously and snapped:

"You’re the ugly dog!"