The Path of 44 Echoers

Li Aoz rolled his eyes, and then a system message popped up: ——————————

You have triggered the career quest – "Life Echo".

[Type]: Path of the Dao

[Duration Period]: None

[Task Difficulty]: A [Description]: "They disbanded the commune, disbanded my home, and destroyed my research results. But this is not the end of it. They do not understand that the fate of an individual life is not without clues."

A glass of wine, a name, an organization buried in history.

The Life Commune, once the greatest project to deconstruct fate in the Abyss, brought together 400 of the most outstanding engineering scholars. Their goal was to deconstruct the limits of life entropy and completely unravel the mystery of the Aoneng held by the "Mutant" that had puzzled scholars for five thousand years.

Is it the power of fate, the expression of genes, or another unknown and mysterious technology? What exactly is Aoneng? For you, your life as a "Mutant" has come to an end. You can no longer find further advancement in your life. Your former companions are constantly breaking through and progressing. They are following in the footsteps of the gods.

[You, the master of genes, are you content to be just a mortal creature capable of mutation?] You already have a completely different destiny in your heart.

The mysterious whispers grew clearer in your ears:

[Yes, you shouldn't stop here— Child of the Source Abyss.] A rare and secluded path slowly unfolds before you.

[Continue onward, you must be passionate, romantic, and full of warmth, and your hands must be stained with blood.] Source Abyss Celestial Lord keeps calling to you, but where exactly does your future lie?

[Let the universe bow down and listen to the echoes you have triggered.] [Settlement Conditions]: A. "Visiting Old Friends" - Alde Midkash Ryue, a former member of the Life Commune, is still active somewhere, continuing her research. You have a feeling that there will be meaningful help for you there. Visit her and learn about her work;

Reward: Unlock the next part of the story quest.

B. 《Travel Insurance》 – The expensive Private Plane to your destination is beyond your current means. You need to find a companion of at least Delta-rank to travel with you in order to get Olavier to agree to let you go.

Reward: A new module will be available in Olavier, allowing you to purchase the ' Olavier's Fine Wine ' series directly in the in-game Shop.

"Would the Delta-rank be acceptable?"

Upon seeing the second condition, Li Aoz simply turned on his communicator, logged into the Free Mercenary Network, and prepared to find a cheap, durable, and hardy mercenary.

Olavier's Fine Wine are excellent items, offering certain attribute bonuses or buffs, making them very cost-effective. Since there's an early opportunity to unlock them, Li Aoz won't hold back.

"Let me take a look. Tsk, Valkyrie Fortress, the prices are really high! No wonder it's controlled by a bunch of people who trust Red King's United Company; almost every mercenary's fee includes service tax and Starport tax..."

Li Aoz stroked his chin and quickly browsed through the information on these mercenaries.

He mainly looked at the price, but Delta-rank mercenaries started at three thousand Ammonium Gold, and he couldn't bring in Gamma-rank mortals to fill the ranks.

Li Aoz doesn't have much Ammonium Gold on hand, so he'll try to save money wherever possible in the short term.

After paddling for a while, someone suddenly sat down next to Li Aoz.

"Hey, buddy."

He turned around, and there sat gracefully beside him, an Elf Kind with chocolate-colored skin, her chin resting on her hand. Her simple, inexpensive mechanical exoskeleton couldn't contain her slender, curvaceous figure. The moment her eyes met Li Aoz's, she immediately flashed a charming smile:

"Looks like you're looking for freelance mercenaries?"

"Dark Elf?" Li Aoz was a little surprised. "Although I know that Valkyrie Fortress has all kinds of races... I didn't expect that such a high race as Dark Elf would actually come to work as freelance mercenaries."

Dark Elf and Night Elf are two races, and people from the Abyss generally can't tell them apart. After all, both races have similarly dark skin.

Li Aoz knew this very well: Elves are a typical example of bloodline determining class. High-ranking Dark Elf, Radiant Elf, Flood Elf, Steel Elf, and Maggot Elf are inherently superior to other elves in status. Even in the Interstellar Era, low-ranking elves have to kneel and greet High Elf.

"Oh dear, our family has fallen on hard times, our family has fallen on hard times."

The Dark Elf waved his hand and said with a smile:

"My name is Flana Nightwhisper, as you can see, Delta-rank, a dedicated freelance mercenary. Choosing me will definitely not be a mistake."

As she spoke, she turned her head and whispered in Li Aoz's ear, "And I'm getting you a bargain, only a thousand..."

As she spoke, a faint pink glint appeared in her eyes, and her tone suddenly became persuasive and alluring.

"Pick me, buddy! I haven't closed a deal in two days. If I don't close one soon, I'll be homeless..."

[You have been affected by 'Raphna Nightwhisper's' [Failed Charm]. Make a [Willpower] check.]

Lavna spoke softly, full of confidence.

She had just witnessed the bartender treating Li Aoz with utmost respect, and with her elf-like heightened hearing, she even overheard words like "50,000 Ammonium Gold." Without a doubt, this was a wealthy man! The bar owner, Olavier, was personally attending to him? What kind of treatment was this? It meant he was a big shot.

Rich, well-connected, and so handsome—my god, who could resist him? If such an outstanding man ran away, Lavna felt she would be ridiculed by her peers for the rest of her life.

[The "Despotism" perk has been triggered; this time, the skill check has been changed to "Charisma".]

'Hehe! I'm so lucky. I'm so young, probably still a naive and innocent young man. If I just use my racial advantages a little, I'll definitely win over both love and career.'

The thought of suddenly becoming part of a wealthy family, wearing a red backless dress, holding a glass of expensive red wine, and having those two Unlucky Guy used to look down on me kneeling on the ground begging for my attention is incredibly appealing.

[Super Successful Test - You have been neutralized by this charm!]

'No, no, no, we need a broader perspective.'

Raven glanced defiantly at Kavin Magnet, who was sitting dumbfounded on the sofa, and at the Crocodile Prophet, who was making the sign of the cross with his hands clasped together in front of him.

Immediately, she abandoned her previous dignified and charming demeanor, revealing a smug smile of triumph:

'Hahaha! By then I'll definitely be a rich housewife, financially independent. Why would I need to stay in this lousy fortress? I won't need to do anything like cleaning toilets or mining anymore. I can cultivate some refined hobbies... But...'

[Charm] Completely crushes it!

'but...'

For some reason, Raphna instinctively turned to look at the young boy in front of her.

His blond hair fell casually and naturally, and his emerald eyes were clear and beautiful, yet they complemented his handsome, well-defined features perfectly. The Spellcasters, along with the strong and muscular physique beneath his coat, combined with his innocent gaze, easily evoked the image of a lion cub leaving its pack for the first time.

Thump! [Countermeasure activated, [Perpetual · Love Hunter] effect activated!]

'Gurgle...'

Lavna swallowed hard, quickly turned her head away, covered her mouth, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes shone with an excited pink halo. Her shoulders trembled, and she kept exhaling hot breath. At the same time, she quickly slapped herself twice.

'What was I doing? How could I even consider harming such an innocent child? I'm such a scumbag! I'm guilty, I need to reflect on my actions!'

[Test passed.]

Her heart raced, and when she glanced at the young, naive, innocent, and shy Li Aoz, she found her adorable, sexy, beautiful, and charming, and couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness.

You have in turn applied the [Charm] effect to 'Raphna Nightwhisper'.

"One thousand Ammonium Gold, that's quite cheap."

Li Aoz glanced at the screen and said:

"But this guy called Kavin Magnet only costs 500 Ammonium Gold, and the one next to him called Crocodile Prophet only costs 600 Ammonium Gold, plus a divination session."

"...ha?"

Lavna was taken aback.

She turned her head and saw two burly men on the sofa behind her smiling at the same time.

"You, you two wouldn't—"

Lavna's eyelids twitched.

"There's nothing I can do, they're calling my name."

"What a coincidence, he called me by my name too."

The two bumped fists in unison, stood up, brushed past Ravenna, and even patted her on the shoulder in a 'comforting' gesture.

"Hey, esteemed employer, I am Kavin Magnet. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll definitely take the beating for you."

"Amina, benefactor, crocodiles are not good at fighting, but they are absolutely capable of helping you escape in your spaceship."

"Is your competition really that fierce?"

Li Aoz deliberately touched his chin:

"That's really cheap, 500 and 600 Ammonium Gold, even if you add them up, it's still completely within the budget - how about we hire you all?"

Click—

For a moment, Raphna heard the sound of her heart breaking.

"Wait!"

Lavna suddenly rushed forward and said excitedly:

"I'll take 400 Ammonium Gold! Don't let those two idiots make money!"

Seeing her friend make money makes her feel worse than if she couldn't make money herself.

"What? Lavna, you've gone too far with this joke, I'll pay 300!" Magnet quickly raised his hand.

The Crocodile Prophet drew a six-pointed star on his chest and muttered, "May you live forever, Amen. This is vicious competition. As Buddha said, it's unacceptable—I'll just have a hundred."

"Free!"

Lavna hugged Li Aoz's shoulders and pleaded, "Please, I'll pay for their food and lodging, don't let them earn a single penny!"

"Alright then," Li Aoz said reluctantly, "You're the one, Miss Lavna."

Before Raphna could react, Kavin Magnet and Crocodile Prophet immediately stepped aside in unison, quietly celebrating. "Yay! What a gold digger! Raphna should just go back to delivering packages."

"I've tricked that idiot Raphna again. It's so much fun, I can never get tired of it."

We've actually gotten 4,000 monthly votes this month! Thank you all for your hard work and support.

I'm going to copy down the names of the generous donors. I hope everyone can get over the post-holiday blues soon.