010 Villager: Was This Kid Always This Bad?

Li Aoz was quite satisfied with what he had accomplished on this trip. It took him less than 40 minutes, even close to 35 minutes. Given his current level, this would have been a world record in his previous life.

For players, speedrunning through unorthodox methods will result in a significant loss of gameplay experience and missing important storylines. However, Li Aoz has already experienced enough of the complex and monotonous daily quests in his previous life and doesn't want to waste his time on them.

He possesses many seemingly useless but highly valuable items that can be transformed into treasures the moment he enters the territory of Narrative-level Civilization, instantly increasing his wealth and securing his status.

Without fame and fortune, no problem can be solved.

For Li Aoz, who has been involved in more than a dozen versions of Star Abyss, he is very familiar with Layer Abyss.

To solve the problem of Azure Planet, Li Aoz's first consideration was not the Galaxy Civilization —most of the member civilizations of the [Heroes Empire] had an arrogant and complacent mentality, and if he invited them over again, Li Aoz estimated that the Empire could bomb Azure Planet again.

In fact, the Temple of Annihilation is a good helper. The temple has a strong religious atmosphere and its people are quite emotional. As long as one's reputation is good, they should be happy to help. However, the problem is that Azure Planet is not within the temple's sphere of influence at all, but is very close to the Empire.

On the one hand, the two places are too far apart; Li Aoz probably wouldn't even be able to cover the travel expenses if he sold himself.

On the other hand, if a Narrative-level Civilization goes near another Narrative-level Civilization with military weapons—what are you trying to do? What is your purpose in doing this? Who gave you permission to do this? As for the [United Company], they are more expensive, but they are the most reliable. The people in the group have no sense of honor or reason; they only care about interests and benefits.

To reliably eradicate the problem of Entropy, we must bypass galactic civilizations and directly contact the top-level Narrative-level. Otherwise, those below will only think about blowing up planets to solve the problem. The Narrative-level is large and powerful, and has room for thought and maneuver.

Moreover, Narrative-level Civilization would pay even more attention to matters concerning Hidden Society and Imitation Society.

However, two conditions are essential for making contact with three Narrative-level Civilization:

First, he must be an Interstellar Citizen to enter the territory of Narrative-level Civilization.

Then, he must have money, lots of money, and it can't be the currency of ordinary civilizations; it must be the cosmic currency ' Ammonium Gold '.

Li Aoz controlled a large number of Teleportation Node. All things considered, smuggling was the easiest and fastest way for him to make money. It was low-cost, efficient, tax-free, and he could earn as much as he did. The silver bracelet was just right, and it was also highly punishable by law.

Li Aoz envisioned his future trade network and casually raised his [Elementalist] skill to level 60, increasing his [Intelligence] stat to 84.

According to the Tannhauser's innate talent [Spell Aptitude], for every 50 points increase in [Intelligence], he can designate any school of magic as his 'specialization'.

Li Aoz opened the specialization panel. Currently, there are only three spell systems available for him to choose from: [Elemental Magic], [Primal Magic], and [Universal Magic].

Elemental Magic is what we commonly refer to as fireballs, ice spikes, wind blades, and ground spikes—very powerful. However, for Li Aoz, choosing the [Elemental Magic] specialization is not very meaningful. Elemental Magic deals a lot of damage in the early game, but it becomes too weak in the late game. He will eventually remove the [Elemental Mage] class from the game.

[Primal Magic] refers to some ancient, or rather crude, magic. It is simple to cast, and some can even use the casting materials to generate a magical reaction, replacing the consumption of one's own magic power. It is more like physics and chemistry than magic.

Li Aoz was quite familiar with [Primal Magic]. After unlocking [Hyperdimensional Law] in the later stages of this spell, he could summon armies from various Timeline in a classic way, making him extremely shameless.

But Li Aoz doesn't need this; most of the knowledge in [Primal Magic] doesn't provide any bonus for [Starcaller].

This body was intended to be continuously nurtured by Li Aoz to obtain a secondary profession, so he directly assigned the specialization to [Universal Magic].

At first glance, Universal Magic may not seem impressive, but in reality, its status and research direction are more similar to Applied Mathematics—a very fundamental theoretical discipline. Not only Magicians, but also those in the Art of the Arts department and indeed all Spellcasters, must continuously study and research Universal Magic over a long period.

[Project: [Universal Magic] - Specialized]

When learning [General] type magic, you will gain a 180% learning speed, and when casting this type of spell, your mana cost will be reduced by 8%.

After the distribution was completed, Li Aoz walked towards the Elemental Tree. He lowered his head, picked up a piece of white wax stone from the corner, and skillfully carved a line of runes on the ground.

The Elemental Tree trembled slightly, and then ripples spread across the space in front of Li Aoz.

Li Aoz stepped into the spatial ripples, and the next moment, the cool moonlight shone down on him.

Looking down, Li Aoz saw the cave he had dug earlier, the overturned soil piled up into a mountain, and then slowly collapsed.

He returned to the entrance of the ruins.

The teleportation spell was also under the control of that elemental tree. Li Aoz put away the white wax stone, which was a very important item. Without the runes written on it, the teleportation ripples leading to the tree could not be opened.

"In a way, wouldn't this count as possessing a Spatial Ring?"

Li Aoz muttered something to himself, then turned around and started filling in the hole.

He had to fill in these mud caves completely, otherwise sooner or later the people of White Candle Star would notice his actions.

They might not care about possessing another body, but if it's about looting ruins, even if Li Aoz hides to the ends of the earth, the magic police of White Candle Star will still come after him.

Without any suitable tools, Li Aoz had no choice but to fill the pit with his bare hands by brute force. He worked until dawn before he finally filled the pit, covered it with a thick layer of bark, transplanted weeds, and made sure it was sturdy. Only then did Li Aoz breathe a sigh of relief.

Digging a hole is fun for a moment, but filling it in is a nightmare.

Li Aoz sighed inwardly.

"I'll dig again next time!" "Phew! It's getting late, the sun's about to rise, I should hurry back to the village."

Li Aoz hurriedly returned to the village, and on the way, he casually killed a small fox-like animal to explain why he hadn't returned all night, and why he was covered in mud and injured.

When he returned to the village, people had already started working on the ridges of the fields. A chubby dog walked by the street, leisurely swaying back and forth, looking quite pleased with itself.

The pale golden sunlight spilled across the fields, dispelling the morning mist and painting everything in a slightly reddish and white hue. The morning dew dripped onto the soil, and the moist air carried the unique scent of the earth, making people feel refreshed and relaxed.

If it weren't for the magical facilities and the birds flying around spraying pesticides, the scene would be no different from the farmland in Li Aoz's memory.

Li Aoz gazed at the peaceful pastoral scenery for a long time before realizing that he had not seen the sun or felt the warmth of spring and summer for half a year.

"This is so peaceful..."

Having grown accustomed to the Malefic Calamity red and black sky of Azure Planet, and the meticulously crafted greenhouse farms, the sight of the real sun and rain stirred something within him, causing a slight tremor in his heart. For a moment, he felt an indescribable flutter in his heart.

—I've been in time for half a year now.

He couldn't help but recall this fact.

Sometimes he still maintains the style he had when he was a player, after all, it's not so easy to change one's mindset and habits, but such a beautiful and clear world is truly touching.

He stood quietly on the hill, gazing up at this unfamiliar yet familiar land, where men and women worked from sunrise to sunset. Their simple, honest lives reminded Li Aoz of many people—people he had met both in and outside the game.

Li Aoz was a little confused; was this the game world, or the world's game? He had been accidentally digitized and entered the game, even reverting to a version before 1.0.

Or is all of this just a dream? When he wakes up from the dream, he will return to being the legendary Starcaller Master Player dominates the game and roams the Star Abyss, and in reality, he will be a busy online streamer who has sacrificed all his leisure time.

However, whether it's true or false, perhaps none of that matters anymore.

He stretched out his hand, feeling the abundant magic in the air. His Element Pool was completely filled with various elements, and his body felt incredibly light and comfortable.

The beauty of this moment is so real.

He likes this new life.

Just as Li Aoz was slightly overwhelmed by the idyllic scenery, he suddenly remembered his former bully persona.

So he walked up to him, and the chubby dog was immediately attracted by Li Aoz's powerful charm. It wagged its little tail, stuck out its tongue, and tilted its head up cutely, as if it wanted to be petted by Li Aoz.

Bang! Li Aoz kicked the puppy so hard it flew into the ditch next to him.

"Where did this dog come from? Go to hell!"

Awooo! Waaaaah—

The whimpering of a fat dog came from the ditch, but Li Aoz paid no attention. Carrying the fox he had casually hunted, he headed straight for the village market.

Blue Chrysanthemum Village has a small population, but the morning market is still very lively. The old ladies shout, "Jinggao 12 Dina per jin, three jin 30 Dina," pushing their carts past each household, selling a kind of steaming hot rice cake.

The bard at the tavern seemed to have overslept. He bought a pot of hot milk wine from a vendor, casually showed his Information Rune, and transferred the money without haggling. He took a bite of apple pie, then drank some hot milk from the pot, and hurried to the tavern, looking like he was going to be late.

Li Aoz arrived late, and the indoor stalls were already full. The breakfast vendors, fishmongers, ore sellers, and weapon sellers were all crammed together, vividly illustrating the meaning of "shoulder to shoulder." Li Aoz subconsciously wanted to leave, but then immediately realized his own persona.

Playing the role of a bully is also part of the plan.

Li Aoz carefully instructed himself, then swaggered into the crowd. After scanning the area, he immediately spotted a familiar-looking black-haired youth— Luther Klin, whom Rio had bullied before.

I've also been following this young man Li Aoz. His eyes are bright and sparkling, he has a rich emotional life, he's intelligent, articulate, and clearly has good potential. He's also very handsome, a promising talent.

However, because he had both parents and was a popular guy, Li Aoz eventually gave up on possessing him.

Early in the morning, Luther ran out to set up a stall to make money. His stall was small, and he sold some simple herbs and materials. Blue Chrysanthemum Village was not very modernized and did not have Alchemy Workshops. Household medicines were basically made from local materials and prepared by himself according to folk remedies.

However, Luther's business was surprisingly good today. He arrived early and quickly sold two Solma Legion plants, Purple Orchid Parasite, and Snake Line Grass, as well as a few bottles of Nutmeg Powder. If he stayed a little longer, he would be able to earn back the money he spent on his studies in the city.

Luther was quite knowledgeable, and some people came not to buy medicine, but just to ask questions. They also felt a connection with him. Because he earned a lot of money, Luther's service attitude was also very good.

"Auntie Zhuorika, you can't sell Rowell Grass to treat your headache. It will cause insomnia. I'm telling you, don't take herbs. Just go to the pharmacy and buy pills. You can buy a hundred pills for only 40 Dina."

"Oh dear, Uncle Kurit, a cold caused by wind-cold is different from a cold caused by wind-heat. How could you buy this? You should buy Hemp Root instead and soak it in alcohol to drink with it."

"Jenny, what are you doing here? I don't want to be in a relationship right now, I just want to focus on reading and studying."

Luther chatted and laughed, treating each customer with warmth and enthusiasm. Although his stall was small, it attracted quite a few people. People asked him questions all at once, and some girls who had feelings for him even came over to fawn over him, which troubled him a little.

Take, for example, the healthy girl in front of him with flaxen hair and wheat-colored skin. She had brought a basket of freshly baked bread, eggs, and milk. When she saw Luther say this to her, she immediately blushed.

"Yes, is it because I came at the wrong time...? Should I come back later?"

"Okay, see you later." Luther nodded.

"OK!"

To everyone's surprise, Jenny's expression immediately changed. She stomped her foot, pouted, and looked at Luther with pitiful eyes, saying aggrievedly:

"Do you hate me that much? I was worried you'd be hungry and wouldn't have the energy to study later, so I brought you breakfast without even washing my face, but you think I'm a nuisance and want to kick me out."

"No, Jenny, I know you're good to me, but we need to think this through. Our most important task right now is studying..."

"Studying can't accompany you for a lifetime. You can get a wife and have a few children. They can accompany you in your old age."

Luther, this kind of clueless straight man, is completely inept at dealing with girls, constantly stepping on landmines and making the surrounding villagers laugh out loud. In a place where entertainment options are scarce, watching this kind of rural love story is the perfect source of amusement.

"Look at you guys, don't be like Luther, always trying to reason with the girls upstairs. You have to coax them and try to see things from their perspective."

"Yeah, Luther any good? And Jenny too, do they even know how to play? When my grandma was dating, she pinned my grandpa against the wall and kissed him hard for hours until he was completely won over."

As the young couple began to argue and defend themselves amidst the teasing of the crowd, a tall figure slowly squeezed in.

Snap.

The tall man approached the stall. Luther turned around, his face stiffening: "Rio— "

Slap! "Get off me! Who gave you permission to look me in the eye?"

Li Aoz rolled up his stall and threw it out, grabbing Luther along with it and tossing him away.

Then, he casually placed the fox on the ground, sat down cross-legged, and said, "This is mine now. The fox is 250 Dina. If you're interested, come and buy it. No bargaining."

After saying that, he glared at the people around him and said kindly, "What are you all standing there for? This is my first time doing business. I hope you won't be ungrateful and will hand over your money and buy with all your might. Thank you."

After saying that, Li Aoz revealed a cruel smile, and the aura he had developed from long-term killing and fighting unconsciously emanated from him.

The villagers quietly took a few steps back, whispering among themselves: ' Rio... this kid wasn't this bad before, was he?'