White Candle Star Ministry of Education Asks Zhihu Overnight: How Should Lioz Be Evaluated?

White Candle Star, Office of the Minister of Ministry of Education.

"... That's the situation."

Professor Atkesz, the chief of the Academy Committee, put down the report and nervously asked the minister in front of him:

"So many things have happened in just a few days."

The Ministry of Education of White Candle Star, Barkomon Balevi Buster, crossed his arms casually in front of him, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Is the situation true?"

"Since the news came from the 11th narrative, the ' United Company,' it can't be false. Narrative-level Civilization wouldn't spread rumors about a Gamma-rank mortal..."

"In other words," Barkomon straightened up slightly and stared at Atkesz, "Our recently recruited genius student, during the break before the start of the course, first went to fight with Mr. Liu E, the academic giant of the Life Commune, and then went to the Vanlenkov Autonomous State, blew up a building, destroyed a warship, and made the Verrazzi Company slink out of Valenkov?"

"Well, generally speaking, that's true, but there are many details involved. The Verrazzi Company wasn't driven out by Lioz, but by the masses in Valenkov and the new government..."

"In any case, he has already created the fact that in the universe, rumors always turn into legends and myths."

Barkomon sighed:

"This kid is a headache. I initially thought he was just Narrative-level trying to test us. Now it seems that Lioz not only possesses divinity, but his Combat Power is also quite considerable. A Gamma-rank mortal who survived Verrazzi's offensive and defeated Delta-rank in a one-on-one fight—possessing divinity, Lioz, haha, if Lioz hadn't died so thoroughly, I would have suspected that he was the reincarnation of the real Lioz."

"There is no reincarnation in the Abyss," Atkesz reminded him.

"I don't care whether it's true or not, at least this kid has no connection with the Narrative-level, but he does have a close relationship with the gods. The exam can be said to be a coincidence, but real combat doesn't lie."

Barkomon's words also gave Atkesz a headache. Compared to the Ministry of Education, he was the one who actually had to contact Lioz.

He had no choice but to raise his hand, gather his thoughts, and tentatively ask:

"... What did the Supreme Council say? Did they have any particular opinion on the Lioz matter?"

"Special opinion? What other opinion could there be? I'm telling you, don't idolize those high-ranking people too much. The Supreme Council is just a bunch of big shots waving the banner of democratic voting around and arguing with each other all day long. In reality, everyone knows that those few mage families have already made their decisions. They're just putting on a show to make you feel like all mages are equal."

Barkomon scoffed at the Supreme Council: "The Supreme Council is too busy dealing with the situation on the front lines to offer any advice, leaving us to decide for ourselves. A bunch of incompetent fools... Alright, think about how to deal with Lioz."

"Since the higher-ups have given us enough room to maneuver, does that actually mean that—in the eyes of the Supreme Council — Lioz's situation is not a cause for concern?"

"You could say that for now," Barkomon said after a moment's thought. "Lioz seems relatively friendly to us, at least for now, but do you think he has any strategic significance?"

Atkesz shook his head. "One person alone cannot change the war, but since Lioz did such a thing, it does prove that he has nothing to do with Narrative-level Civilization."

"Do you believe he is a third-party force?"

"Moreover, I suspect that Lioz has no power behind him at all. He is not a third-party force; he is just a personal force."

Barkomon pondered for a moment, "This matter needs to be dealt with seriously. As for public opinion, our people have always been out of touch with interstellar life, so they are easy to control. But Lioz's background is worth considering."

"About this."

Atkesz immediately seized the opportunity and produced a pre-prepared document. "After you introduced divinity last time, I immediately applied for Level 3 borrowing rights from the Alfred Grand Library. Regarding the gods, I conducted investigations and research, and summarized the content of our past conversations and interviews with the gods. As for Lioz's identity... I tend to think of these three possibilities."

"The first possibility is that Lioz received divine inheritance from a fallen god from an unknown source. This is quite possible because, based on the situation in the Abyss, there are hundreds of wild native gods scattered throughout the universe. Most of them are not even at the Sigma-rank (∑, the eighteenth Greek letter). Moreover, wild gods do not have stable followers and most of them are proselytizing illegally, so they can easily fall into evil gods. Based on Lioz's performance, this possibility is unlikely."

"The second possibility is that Lioz himself is born with divine characteristics, but this requires divine lineage within three generations. One of the major characteristics of the Star Abyss Gods is porcelain skin, which Lioz obviously does not possess. We have also checked his family tree, and he is just a descendant of ordinary construction workers. There has not even been Spellcasters in his two generations, so the possibility is quite low."

"The third case is easy to understand," Atkesz said. "He is God, born to be God, ordained by God."

"Chosen ones who are born with divinity. This situation is extremely rare in the current environment, because after the popularization of Daoist education in the Abyss, all civilizations recognize the Daoist system of ' God Embracer ' Ascend to Godhood after birth, and the original natural innate gods are generally not valued."

"The reason is simple: such deities often possess a highly self-centered mindset and do not recognize the 'path narrative' of Narrative-level Civilization. Therefore, they are often the targets of alienation and attack by Narrative-level Civilization —except for the ' Temple of Annihilation '."

He skillfully demonstrated his academic bureaucratic demeanor and expertise, showcasing his meticulous logic and information-gathering abilities. Each page featured prominent red highlights and well-placed annotations, making it very reader-friendly. His reasoned, concise, and well-supported arguments impressed Barkomon.

Although Atkesz didn't explicitly state it, Barkomon already understood which category he was referring to for Lioz.

Nature deities? That stuff is outdated.

In this era where everyone is climbing the path of self-realization, self-transcendence, and self-ascension, these are themselves the Grand Narrative outlined by Narrative-level Civilization.

Narrative-level Civilization use such methods and slogans to transcend racial and geographical barriers, effectively uniting people's hearts and minds both ideologically and materially. Naturally, they have little affection for the innate deities of nature, which are destined to be out of the question for Narrative-level Civilization civilizations.

Barkomon didn't care that he knew about divinity first, but now he was being educated by Atkesz. In his view, this only further proved that his chosen successor had excellent learning qualities.

"Since Lioz is fine, that's a good thing."

Barkomon nodded:

"Nature gods are a harmless and neutral figure. Besides, it will take at least four or five hundred years for him to truly Ascend to Godhood. Until then, we will continue to adhere to the policy of nurturing but not supporting, but we can give Lioz some freedom and room to develop."

What do you mean?

"Let him learn some skills if he can. Even if he organizes some groups, registers workshops and companies, or even joins the army, it is permissible. Give him some welfare subsidies so that he can feel the goodwill of the Crystal Tower."

Barkomon said, "The White Candle Star is highly educated, and our students are all excellent mages. The Objective Idealism idealism of the gods holds no allure for them. Even if we did recruit some people, given Lioz's character and intelligence, he wouldn't go so far as to carve out his own territory."

"As for his messy affairs with Liu E, Valenkov, and Verrazzi, let's not mention them; it's embarrassing for everyone. By the way, you should get his household registration sorted out as soon as possible. That way, if he wants to go to another civilization, we can let go whenever we want, or trip him up whenever we want."

"The only point: Lioz must never be allowed to participate in politics. The Crystal Tower is a noble materialistic civilization, and we absolutely do not recognize that gods have legitimate political seats. Otherwise, it will have a negative impact on our common people, do you understand?"

Barkomon's instruction, in Atkesz's view, sent a signal: the Crystal Tower Civilization was now on high alert. In the past, their research on gods could be openly conducted, but now that the war with the Night Butterfly Federation was going badly, they naturally wouldn't be friendly to those idealists.

Atkesz also discussed Lioz's course arrangements with Barkomon, Barkomon vaguely replied, "You decide, I don't know anything about teaching. There's no need to specifically promote the image of the Crystal Tower Civilization, but you can promote more of the Night Butterfly Federation's ridiculous and outrageous affairs."

This statement further solidified Atkesz's belief that a great deal of information could actually be gleaned from such seemingly minor details.

For example, areas with high birth rates often also have high mortality rates, suggesting that people are forced to adopt a strategy of quantity over quality to combat natural disasters, war, and poverty. In peacetime, however, urbanization resumes, sanitation improves, mortality rates drop significantly, and the cost of raising children is higher, leading people to choose eugenic strategies and thus reducing birth rates.

Barkomon's remarks revealed more of a concern about the image of the enemy country, indicating that something must have happened on the front lines, and that the Night Butterfly Federation had won a crucial battle or made some progress.

So, after explaining Lioz's arrangements, he casually mentioned:

"Minister, regarding Vierria, whom you asked me to find before, it can be confirmed that she has been resurrected. The ruins and tomb were emptied five years ago, and confirming her location is just a matter of time. When would you like to arrange for our Golden Dragon volunteer hero to come to White Candle Star?"

"Ugh, don't even mention it."

Barkomon casually said, "The Night Butterfly Federation has used some kind of weapon, and now all the information sent to the Galaxy Eye Front is going unanswered. We have no idea what's going on there—so, don't worry about your matter for now. The Supreme Council has issued a new round of recruitment orders, requiring White Candle Star to provide 3,000 elite Zeta-rank Spellcasters. The requirements are loyalty to civilization, firm materialism, good academic performance, and extremely high patriotism—you can help find the right candidates."

Atkesz in agreement, but a cold sweat broke out on his back.

—The last time the Crystal Tower Civilization recruited college students was 400 years ago.

At that time, they were invaded by society and almost faced national extinction.

Despite Barkomon's seemingly relaxed attitude and nonchalant tone, his actual performance is far from optimistic; civilization may have already lost four or five crucial battles.

Barkomon didn't spell it out, but he knew perfectly well in his heart that:

In just seven days, the Galaxy Eye Campaign suffered a major setback, with heavy casualties on both sides and the campaign lost. Even the renowned Golden Dragon Monk was unable to launch an attack due to insufficient logistical support.

At this moment, the Galaxy Eye Battlefield has transformed into the largest meat grinder in the Abyss.