023 Talent Excavation

silence.

Time passed silently, second by second. Atkesz felt an eerie atmosphere gradually rising in the air. The carpet on the ground slowly rolled up, and the originally warm and pleasant room gradually became dark and damp. Vortexes, invisible vortexes, rose from the abyss and seeped into the universe from bottom to top, gradually consuming everything.

Atkesz silent, but he could clearly feel a buzzing sound in his ears.

He heard electromagnetic waves bombarding the planet's atmosphere, high-energy ray bursts destroying civilization after civilization, waves of entropy constantly advancing, the drumbeats of collision resounding, and the prelude to new life being given through melting and blending.

He heard howls and cries of wolves coming from the lower arm of the Leo Minor Constellation, starting with the first ape picking up a stone, after which a concerto of gunfire and magic echoed throughout the universe.

He heard the grand epic come to an end, the cold explosion echoing above the ozone layer. The vacuum does not transmit sound; it only carries the embers of destruction.

When it all came to an end, Atkesz only hear distorted white noise.

A ceaseless, twisted murmur From the Star Abyss.

In a daze, he felt his Mental Power being bent by the star, his whole body being captured by a powerful attraction, and a terrifying sense of shock resonated in every cell of his body. A plague-like infection spread, instantly overwhelming him.

Trembling, Terror, shaking, hysteria.

Just then, Barkomon suddenly spoke up, "Damn it, how can they be so heartless?"

His tone was full of incomprehension and helplessness, and the oppressive and distorted feeling in the air vanished. Atkesz instantly woke up, his clothes on his back were soaked with cold sweat, which was being rapidly evaporated by the engraving spell.

"Minister Barkomon..."

"He is not human. Even if he is a synthetic robot of the Night Butterfly People, he would not be so cold and ruthless."

Barkomon looked down at the document in his hand, which contained an argumentative article of no more than ten thousand words.

It's both ordinary and terrifying.

The entire piece is written in the simplest and most unadorned style, keeping everything concise, with each word perfectly chosen.

But what's frightening is that even the most exciting words, when put together, only feel empty.

Barkomon was deeply troubled. Gazing at the nebula outside the window, he said in a deep voice, "Atkesz, do you know what the problem is?"

Atkesz replied, "This is not something a human could write. There is no warmth or human touch in the writing, but it is absolutely correct. Even a robot could not be this correct."

"This is divinity," Barkomon said. "He possesses divinity, which is above humanity and transcends humanity. Humans cannot possess such sentiments and such a high level of vision—humans make mistakes, but gods do not. The only reason a god makes a mistake is because of insufficient power, not because of subjective error."

Atkesz said:

"Do you think this young man named Lioz is similar to the Lioz from the myth..."

"There are too many people named Lioz, even among those who later ascended to godhood." Barkomon shook his head. "Besides, even a three-year-old knows that Lioz and the sixth chief god he served, the Overlord Willpower — Morphedria, were the ones who died the most thoroughly."

"In any case, we need to be careful, Minister," Atkesz cautioned. "A young man with divine qualities is more worthy of attention than a descendant of gods—could he be a spy sent by the Narrative-level?"

After all, there aren't many civilizations in the entire universe that can reliably acquire divinity, but in the Abyss, the Narrative-level Civilization happens to possess such qualifications.

"... There are many deities in Narrative-level, but what is their significance?"

Barkomon was speechless:

"It's true that Narrative-level beings can raise gods, and dragons can even be kept as mounts. Would you really let a dragon fall into the hands of an enemy so easily?"

Atkesz shook his head. "Of course not. Our entire Crystal Tower civilization only has one Dragon Race. We have plenty of low-priced dragon beasts, though—but even so, we wouldn't dare release them."

"Even someone like you who handles the transfer between departments understands this principle, let alone these old foxes at the Narrative-level."

Barkomon shook his head and said:

"Who would send a clearly inhuman divine holder to infiltrate an illegal civilization—isn't that like a firefly in the night?"

"But we cannot rule out the possibility that this kind of thinking is deliberately used to reduce the likelihood of being suspected of being a spy."

"You're right. I have no liking for Narrative-level. Although they are the dominant force, they have no principles or bottom line in their actions. This possibility cannot be ruled out—but we cannot let this young man go."

Barkomon picked up the document and tossed it onto the desk. "First, keep this article confidential and conceal his divinity issues... This kid shouldn't be allowed into the Temple. Since there's a possibility he's a spy from Narrative-level Civilization, we might as well place him in an interstellar-level academy. That way, we can reduce the sensitivity of our intelligence."

"That's a great idea!"

Atkesz' eyes lit up. "The Interstellar Academy consists of students from some illegal civilizations and lower-level planetary civilizations that we have allied with. Although they have high political status, they are much less sensitive. There will be no secret Magic Workshop or important magic research projects."

Barkomon's methods surprised Atkesz quite a bit—he had thought that the man in front of him would choose to eliminate or expel Lioz —after all, Barkomon had a grudge against the Narrative-level Civilization, and his extremely bad temper and remarks had long been known throughout the entire civilization.

However, that didn't happen.

Moreover, Barkomon came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

"We can't waste such a high-quality talent. As long as he receives an education in our university and provides knowledge output, we will have made a profit. It's perfect to place him in an interstellar school. We can keep an eye on his movements without making him feel neglected."

Atkesz praised, "This way, we can save face, he can work for us, and we don't have to worry about him getting classified information—it's better for everyone by taking a step back."

"Even if he really is Narrative-level undercover agent, it doesn't matter. The interstellar school is a place to showcase our Crystal Tower Civilization to the outside world."

At this point, Barkomon Atkesz.

Previously, Barkomon exuded the aura of the Abyss, clearly sensing the possibility of a connection between ' Lioz ' and the Narrative-level, but at this moment he suddenly returned to calm and made such a rational judgment.

Barkomon glanced at Atkesz: "You've been influenced by what's being said outside, and you know I have conflicts with Narrative-level Civilization, so you're worried about stepping on a landmine, right?"

Before Atkesz could reply, Barkomon said:

"That's normal. After all, I came back from the Star Abyss. Even looking at the entire Layer Abyss... the number of people who have dived there is no more than a few billion."

Atkesz taken aback. "Only this much?"

"I'm afraid the actual number is even smaller. Those who could still stand up and fight after being cursed probably wouldn't even be enough to form a planet. Most of them are concentrated in the hands of the three major Narrative-level Civilization. At this point, the only thing that can unite them is their pursuit of the Dao."

Barkomon explained, "Beings above the Kappa-rank must descend into the Star Abyss to break through their biological limitations and transcend their biological level. Once you understand this, and compare it to the fact that there are less than 10 billion Kappa-rank beings currently existing in the Abyss, you'll realize how mysterious the Star Abyss is."

"That's why this ' Lioz ' is quite significant. He possesses divinity, and compared to others, he can avoid some detours in his exploration of the path. Being able to witness how he grows, his resume itself is a valuable resource."

"You should focus on cooperation with Lioz, while examining his background and upbringing, and at the same time nurturing him—remember, nurture him, don't spoil him."

Atkesz:

"You mean, you'll only provide educational resources, but not resources for personal growth?"

"This is good for everyone. We don't have to worry about him betraying us and leaving in the future, causing us to lose too much cost. And Lioz won't feel that we attach too much importance to him or make too many demands and supervise him, which will affect his opinion of us."

Actually, there's one more thing that Barkomon didn't mention.

If Lioz realizes his importance, he might try to raise the price or turn to another civilization to threaten the Crystal Tower Civilization into providing more resources.

As a bureaucrat and soldier of Interstellar Civilization, Barkomon had a much broader perspective and had seen plenty of cases of extortion and double-dealing.

If Lioz dares to play these tricks on them, Barkomon wouldn't mind letting him experience the effects of a gamma-ray burst.

Atkesz's answer satisfied Barkomon. The subsequent report and opinions were also quite insightful and of a high standard, earning Barkomon frequent nods of approval. After the discussion concluded, Barcomon expressed great admiration for his young subordinate.

"Your awareness is good, but you lack experience. Coincidentally, I have a task to assign to my subordinates, so why not take the lead now? What do you think?"

Atkesz' eyes lit up; this was the leader's way of grooming him.

However, even though he was going to agree, he still had to say the polite words.

"Oh, you think too highly of me, Minister. I am not very capable and I am afraid I cannot handle the important task you have entrusted to me by myself."

The implication was that he hoped Barkomon would send someone with him so that he could continuously relay his performance to the minister.

As a technocrat, Atkesz confident in his ability to handle problems, but he fears that even if he achieves something, no one will care.

Besides, what dangerous missions could a teaching planet possibly have? It's obvious that Minister Barkomon intends to cultivate him carefully, whether as the second-in-command or as a future candidate—given the minister's personality, he probably already has several similar talents in mind.

To stand out from the crowd, Atkesz knew he still needed to perform better.

Barkomon saw through Atkesz's thoughts and simply waved his hand:

"I will give you two assistants. This task is not difficult, but it will require your long-term attention."

"Please tell me, I will do my best," Atkesz assured him.

"It's like this. This is a long story, so I'll keep it short."

Barkomon hesitated for a moment, then cast a shielding spell on the spot before saying with relief, "Do you know that Golden Dragon Monk, Archer Duken Monser?"

"I know a little about him. It is said that through a fortuitous encounter, he obtained the bloodline of a Dragon Race, which led him down a special path. His character became noble and pure, so he voluntarily joined us to assist us in battle."

Atkesz thought for a moment and then said, "Archer Duken seems to be fighting very well on the front lines. Some people around me have even read about the Galaxy's Eye Campaign, where he single-handedly fought against three Kappa-rank powerhouses without being at a disadvantage. It's safe to say that with him around, the Galaxy's Eye Campaign will not be lost. It's truly a blessing to have such an ally."

"Is there a problem? Does he not intend to fight for us anymore?"

No, that's not it.

Barkomon turned around, laughing and crying at the same time, and said, "You know that high-ranking dragonborn are not common. The higher-ups are considering how to keep him here. At the very least, it would be best to keep his bloodline."

"This seems to be fine, right?" Atkesz hesitated for a moment, not realizing the problem.

Barkomon said with a hint of amusement, "This guy is also of the Golden Dragon bloodline, a born artist with very high aesthetic standards. Secondly, he's a martial monk who scorns worldly desires."

"Only a female with exceptional artistic talent, refined temperament, and beauty can attract his attention."

Atkesz suddenly realized something. "Uh, Minister, you mean... we've found someone like that?"

"I would say yes, for the time being."

"Great!" Atkesz exclaimed excitedly. "So where is she now? Is there anything I can do for her?"

"It's buried underground."

Barkomon said, "She is a descendant of special people. What you need to do is dig her out, revive her, and then nurture and train her again—the war will last at least sixty years, which is enough time for her to become an agent loyal to the Crystal Civilization."

"Was she someone who fell into a deep sleep in the ancient times? If so, she must be an individual with divine blood or a super-life form. Our technology... shouldn't be able to revive someone of that level, right?"

"That's not quite right. From what I know so little, she was someone from decades ago who simply disappeared by accident. Now, it's your job."

"Don't worry, my primary job is to discover talent, and my secondary job is to teach and nurture students."

But now, it's really turned into 'discovering' talent.

Fortunately, grave digging is something that mages are very skilled at; there are hardly any mages who haven't dug graves... He meant exploring archaeological sites.

When Atkesz heard that it was a task within his own field of expertise, he immediately felt much more relaxed:

"What's this girl's name? I think I need to gather some information about her and see if I can find any relevant records."

Logically speaking, a woman who is beautiful, has excellent temperament, and is also quite talented in art should not be hard to find in history books if she has been asleep for too many years.

"Vierria".

Barkomon said, "His full name is: Wei Erwei Aellria San Valendino."