109 Fell Silent and Broke Down Again

After browsing the 'Calamity God' file, Li Aoz remained silent for a long time.

This content... is truly shocking.

So shocked was Li Aoz even in a safe and private environment, he dared not utter a single word of it.

He paced around his room a few times, unable to resist pondering a question, "For ordinary people, between Narrative-level Civilization and 'society,' which is more cruel?"

If the contents of the document are all true, then according to the records of the 'Calamity God Incident,' Narrative-level Civilization and [societies] are completely cut from the same cloth.

But Li Aoz quickly shook his head.

This question is meaningless.

Even if the answer is that Narrative-level is more evil than social evil, so what? Do you still want to betray Star Abyss?

"To personify civilization and to view it as black and white is a prejudice against the group and an overestimation of the superiority of the individual."

After carefully reading through the documents, Li Aoz chose to destroy them directly, leaving no trace.

It would be better to unseal such things that are detrimental to the Star Abyss Civilization millions of years from now. Releasing them now is too much of a blow to people's determination to fight against [society].

"Being too intelligent has this effect; if those who are too smart see this, they might immediately switch to society."

The main enemy of Star Abyss is currently [Society]. As for Narrative-level Civilization, they are now the main force fighting against [Society].

If you had to choose between the two, how would you choose? The answer is that most people have no choice. Those who do have a choice are often the elite of civilization.

The Life Commune does not understand this principle.

They only saw that the Narrative-level was just as 'bad' as 'society', but ignored the fact that the current fragile order is also the result of the Narrative-level's efforts to maintain it.

If a person is lowly, they don't even have the right to be a traitor.

Therefore, the Life Commune was dissolved.

Mr. Liu E was willing to hand over the password to Li Aoz, probably because he had come to understand this point after their encounter.

"Strength, influence, and the path."

Li Aoz a deep breath.

While strength cannot solve all problems, it is an eternal truth.

"If I have the opportunity, I still have to start my own business."

Once Li Aoz made up his mind, he stopped thinking about the problem. There was an opening ceremony the next morning, and he would also need to select courses for the first academic year.

He took a bath and had a snack to try and forget about the unpleasant information, and then went to bed early.

As dawn broke, a thick fog began to rise and enveloped the campus.

The castle of the Magical Application Academy stands tall in this atmosphere, its elegant and simple decorations making it resemble a graceful maidservant, poised to welcome every student who comes to study.

Li Aoz got up early, had breakfast, and went to the castle gate to meet Hobbes and Lucite. The damage they had caused earlier had been repaired.

The students from the past were still talking about the deeds of the Dragon Titan Dia Lan. In their words, the ' Golden Princess ' had become the most dazzling jewel among this year's freshmen.

"I'm so envious. They have such excellent bloodlines, they're born at the finish line." Lucite sighed sincerely after overhearing the conversation around him.

"Bloodline determines the lower limit, but the path one takes determines the future," Li Aoz dismissively.

He certainly has the right to say that.

No matter what bloodline it is, once it falls into his hands, it can be transformed into a body so much that even its own mother wouldn't recognize it.

"That's right. Everyone is equal before the path of cultivation. Even if your parents are royalty, they cannot cultivate and climb the path for you." Lucite was rather simple, and he quickly regained his enthusiasm.

"Yes, everyone is equal before the path of enlightenment, but people of Narrative-level Civilization are more equal than others."

Hobbes seemed to have slept poorly yesterday and was in a bad mood in the morning. He was yawning and drinking red date milk, as if trying to replenish his energy.

"In fact, this is already equal enough."

Li Aoz thought to himself: It's a good thing you guys didn't see the Azure Planet, a place where even the average Alpha Rank person can't do that.

From the perspective of Interstellar Civilization, that would be impossible to live in.

It can only be said that happiness is something that is compared to others.

Upon arriving at the chapel, the three found a place to sit and began to listen to the opening ceremony.

As Magic Civilization known for its materialism, the chapel's design is quite industrial, using a lot of silver and blue spokes, making one feel as if they are in a spaceship. Not long after, an elegant Ta tribe woman in a blue trench coat walked onto the podium.

"Welcome to White Candle Star Interstellar University."

The woman wore pink diamond earrings, exuding the aura of a mature woman, and her face was also very kind, but as soon as she spoke, the noise from the audience immediately quieted down:

"My name is Nastisha Dan Tain, the Dean of the Magical Application Academy and the head of the school's Workshops United Association. I am not good with words, so I will just say a few points."

"First of all, you don't need to have any respect for me. In this school, students have a high degree of autonomy. What you should respect are the teaching staff and workshop owners, who impart knowledge, answer your questions, and guide you in life; secondly, our support staff, who provide you with the most direct and convenient services, allowing you to put aside distractions and concentrate on your studies..."

"Secondly, regardless of your ethnicity, planet, or language, your presence here proves one thing: you are the elite of your respective groups. As talents selected from among the people, you must always remember the responsibilities you bear. Take what you have learned here back with you and repay the people who support you."

"Furthermore, I hope that you will respect each other and become outstanding mages who respect reason, cherish magic, and spread the belief in materialism. But this means that you will bear a heavier burden and face more intense competition during your university years than ordinary university students."

"In this school, besides ensuring your basic living needs, everything else—advanced courses, alchemy equipment, Quantum Magic Brain, Biological Laboratory, exploration of Demiplane, and even daily transactions—must be earned through Credits. Our faculty and staff will regularly post tasks every week, and you can earn Credits as long as you complete them within the specified period."

The female dean spoke very bluntly, not at all as kind and approachable as her face suggested. Her gaze swept across the entire room, and even students from noble families dared not meet her eyes.

Then she continued, "Besides, our school does not prohibit private fights, but we firmly oppose murder. As long as it is not a serious case that results in death, endangers public safety, or disrupts the teaching order, White Candle Star will not pursue you. We will not expel you for minor crimes, but that will affect your academic career. If you don't want to pay tuition every year and work for free until retirement, then you should honestly abide by the laws and regulations."

"The workshop system is the greatest system of the Crystal Tower Civilization, and among the thirteen prestigious universities in Trivella, the White Candle Star Interstellar University's workshops are the only ones that do not have restrictions on origin or race. As long as you work hard to accumulate Credits, you can join any workshop. No matter what misdeeds or defects you have in the past, as long as you join a workshop, you can start all over again."

These words caused an uproar among many students, but they remained silent.

'That's it...' Hobbes sent a message to the three in the group chat: 'This school is the most unique among the thirteen prestigious schools in Trivella. Dina is useless here; Credits are the real currency. Be careful, everyone. Don't assume the mortality and disability rates will be low just because it's an Interstellar University...'

Lucite remained calm. For the fiercely independent Hiluth Catfish People, fighting on the way to school was a normal occurrence.

"Can't I pay for the Credits?" Li Aoz asked.

"Money? Forget about Dina, Ammonium Gold won't help."

Li Aoz's expression suddenly turned strange.

As Astral Echoer, he is not allowed to learn supernatural knowledge, so he only plans to learn a few magical skills, get by, obtain his degree, and then contribute to Narrative-level Civilization.

In addition, after the Valenkov incident, his preferential treatment was canceled, and the Ministry of Education is still trying to erase his honors and protect his privacy.

With this change, the school refused to accept Dina for Credits, and he realized that he suddenly seemed to have lost even his last advantage: being rich.

"Finally, I would like to remind everyone: the oldest graduate of our school was 127 years old when he graduated after accumulating enough Credits. He was the son of the president of the Coral Federation."

The dean smiled kindly:

That concludes my remarks. I wish everyone success in their studies.

A round of applause erupted, but the students were immediately divided into opposing camps.

From now on, family background, wealth, and status will be downplayed.

Almost instantly, all the students began to look down and flip through their freshman handbooks.

"Every student is a competitor. For freshmen, if they don't get transferred to an excellent workshop before the start of their second year, graduation will be a long way off."

Lucite said seriously:

"We have to work hard to earn Credits. The minimum requirement for first-year students to advance to university is 5,000 Credits, but completing a general education course only gives 50 credits. Even if we complete all 20 general education courses, we will only have 1,000 Credits."

"Wait a minute, there are 64 elective courses in total. Assuming each course has 8 hours of class time, that's 21 days in total. But the problem is that elective courses only give 30 Credits. Even if you complete them all, you'll only have less than 3,000 Credits."

Hobbes bit his pen, realizing the seriousness of the problem. "So we can only complete the remaining 2,000 Credits through club activities and campus assignments? How long will that take? If we've only just reached 5,000 Credits, then we can only choose the worst workshops."

"No, it's worse than that."

Li Aoz glanced at the student handbook. "White Candle Star Interstellar University only has six workshops, and each workshop only accepts 100 people. However, there are as many as 1,200 freshmen this year. If your score is not high enough, you will probably have to continue to compete with the next batch of freshmen."

Credits are everything.

"So, even the seniors from the previous year are competitors?" Hobbes smirked.

"Damn it." Lucite said with a gloomy face, "I should have changed my application to the Civil Engineering Department."

Li Aoz gazed ahead, and new information was projected onto his retina:

[You have triggered the career quest - "Academic Success"]

[Type]: Career/Further Education [Duration]: One calendar year [Difficulty]: Abandon (Note: 'Abandon' means give up! Although this type of mission is not life-threatening, for some people it is more painful than death. It is easier than a regular A-level mission, but more difficult.) [Description]: "Welcome to high school, although you are facing the ultimate level of despair."

You crawled out of a pile of dead bodies, but now you have to face a group of living classmates who each have their own ulterior motives and ambitions. This is a completely different level of difficulty.

You used to wield a sword and cut people down like chopping melons and vegetables, but now you have to hold a pen and study for exams, and you can't even kill your classmates, which makes you feel incredibly frustrated.

You're a reckless wanderer who'll die if you use your brain, and now you have to study the rules and take the exams harder than anyone else to avoid being eliminated.

You once sacrificed your head, your weakness, for your life and power.

Now, how will you learn new things? [Settlement Conditions]: A. "Passing is everything"—Successfully complete your first year of studies with no failed courses. The task will then be updated.

Reward: Specialization - [Novice Incantation Mastery]

B. Academic Study – The pursuit of magic and truth has never ceased. Master at least three spells before the end of the first year.

Reward: Skill - Worldview: Materialism

Li Aoz lowered his head, lost in deep thought.

[Perhaps things will go wrong on the project that was least likely to fail.]

Now, he has to think carefully about how he can graduate.

It's the beginning of the month, time to give out votes, I'll update.