127 Du Zexin, Very, Very Bad

Due to time constraints, Li Aoz did not linger. He modified his bio-armor head, used the [Crescent Moon] to eliminate the genetic information inside, replenished some materials to the solidified Biochemical Pool, and then teleported back to Water Moon Fort to return to school by car.

During this time, he also contacted the people in the Help-Study Association. Trivella has many prestigious schools, and several members of the Help-Study Association were also students who had come from there. In their conversation, they expressed great admiration for Li Aoz, the founder, and planned to visit and meet him when they had the opportunity.

Li Aoz did not refuse, but he had to find a way to end the Negative Effect of being unable to learn.

After returning to school, with the [Crescent Moon] Aoneng in hand, Li Aoz was no longer worried about his clone identity being exposed, and directly contacted the woman that Mordot had recommended that day.

Four days later, at Water Moon Fort, in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city.

"... That's the situation."

Romulus knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and reported to the person before him:

"Lord Mo Zilan was severely injured by that man of unknown origin, who also stole his Aoneng. We had no chance to stop him; his strength... is at least Delta-rank."

He was very careful with every word he spoke, daring not to hide anything, not even his own incompetence and mistakes.

Romulus's forehead was beaded with sweat; he knew all too well how terrifying the man before him was.

If he dares to conceal it, he will be torn to shreds like a piece of paper.

The man in the shadows remained silent for a moment before slowly uttering a single word:

"Um."

What does 'hmm' mean? Is it dissatisfaction? Understanding? Or perhaps amusement?

Before Romulus could speculate further, the man's gaze shifted to Mo Zilan, who stood to the side, her eyes hesitant.

"Romulus said your Aoneng was stolen and you got beaten up—but you seem perfectly fine?"

"I..."

Mo Zilan reached out and squeezed my fist, her expression subtle, her eyes revealing complex emotions:

"Although he took away my Aoneng, because of that... these hands have become normal again."

He clenched his fist tightly.

"It can strike, it can grasp, it can feed itself, it can move freely without the aid of an exoskeleton, it doesn't have to worry about being sealed inside a piece of paper by the slightest emotional outburst, and it doesn't have to worry about being trapped in the two-dimensional world forever, never able to come out—"

"Is this all you've got?"

The man said coldly.

"But, Dad... isn't this why we came here?" Mo Zilan bit his lip. As Mutant, he had considerable charm and a handsome appearance. After being freed from the torment of Aoneng, his personality was no longer extreme and twisted, and he became gentle.

Mo Zilan said in a deep voice:

"No matter what, we've achieved our goal, and I'm no longer cursed by the sequence. Dad... shall we go home?"

"Home?" the man said coldly, exuding an extremely dangerous aura.

Mo Zilan was repeatedly forced back by his opponent's imposing aura. As Delta-rank, he couldn't even stand upright in front of him. He even panicked for a moment and turned to Romulus was only at the peak of the Gamma-rank, and shouted:

"Romulus, you should also say a few words."

Romulus was taken aback, thinking to himself, "How dare I speak when you two are arguing?" But the man's gaze had already fallen on him, so he could only give a wry smile and force himself to say:

"Lord Canyue, I think what Lord Mo Zilan said makes sense."

"Reason?" Canyue asked coldly, resting her cheek on her hand.

"We've already wasted three years on White Candle Star, and the brothers under our command must be dissatisfied with the long-term deficit."

Romulus said cautiously, "Our fleet has not had any income for many years, and the brothers are having a hard time. Lord Crescent Moon must be in the same boat, right? Besides, you don't really want to antagonize a civilization like the Crystal Tower —although they are not a legitimate civilization, their strength is considered third-rate in the Abyss. They are not something that we, as small fry without any backing, can mess with."

The waning moon nodded:

"In your opinion, what should be done?"

"My lord, I dare not overstep your authority, but I think that the brothers in the fleet truly desire to resume our normal business... This is just a suggestion, and it may not be correct. If you don't care, just ignore it."

Romulus made a hooked gesture and replied respectfully.

"Yes, Dad, we've been delayed for so long because of my problem. That man named Du Zexin, although his intentions were bad, unintentionally made things better for me. Now I can switch to cultivating other Aoneng, and it definitely won't be long before I regain my strength—"

"Shut up!" Crescent Moon snapped. "What do you think that is? Some kind of outer space junk? That's Sequence Aura! The power of natural disaster!"

He scolded the child, expressing his disappointment and frustration, and said harshly:

"I did this so that you could break free of the curse and truly unleash the power of the [Crescent Moon] Aoneng. Otherwise, how would you take over my mantle? The affairs of the universe are ever-changing. The Abyss will not remember anyone's death. Only the path to enlightenment, only strength, only existences like Narrative-level Civilization are eternal and immortal. Do you understand, you silly child!"

After scolding her son, Canyue felt a pang of heartache when she saw him too afraid to utter a word.

"Dad," Mo Zilan said, feeling wronged, "I'm sorry, I didn't think of that..."

"Never mind," Canyue sighed, "What else can I do now that things have come to this?"

"Then, sir... shall we leave now?"

"Withdraw? Withdraw my ass." Crescent Moon sneered, "You don't really think I'd just leave like this, all bark and no bite?"

Mo Zilan suddenly had a flash of inspiration and heard the voice-over. "Dad, do you mean there are other plans?"

With a casual wave of his hand, the crescent moon elevated a stored piece of information to a higher dimension, projecting a detailed model:

"Two years ago, I attacked thirteen colleges in Trivella. Although my attempt to rob the relics of a previous civilization failed, I did learn some secrets."

He raised his hand, zoomed in on the model's structure, and pointed out several colleges in the Trivella city cross-section:

"This is the main library of the Magical Application Academy at White Candle Star Interstellar University."

"And here, Trivella University, the School of Magical Engineering, the Forbidden Library."

"Magical Industrial University, Theoretical Magic Workshop, Library."

"These three universities each possess a forbidden piece of knowledge. And only by acquiring all three pieces of Forbidden Knowledge can one synthesize the true relic of a previous civilization."

Hearing this, Mo Zilan was confused and couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what exactly are those relics from the previous civilization? Why do they require three pieces of Forbidden Knowledge to synthesize?"

"Call..."

Crescent Moon crossed his arms, let out a long breath, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Strictly speaking, it was a fragment of the body of one of the Destroyers, the ' Eye of Discernment '."

"What—" Mo Zilan's pupils shrank. "Are you crazy? Dad, we can't touch that thing! Research on the Destroyers and [Society] is absolutely forbidden! Narrative-level Civilization will destroy us!"

"Listen to me, silly child," Crescent Moon said calmly. "That body fragment is different from other Destroyer fragments... because it is itself a Social Institution."

"You mean... there is a [society] that is hostile to the Destroyers? That it has transformed fragments of the Destroyers into a part of itself."

"It's also possible that the destroyers and [society] are inherently irreconcilable enemies."

Crescent Moon glanced at the child. "Although the Destroyer and [Society] are prohibited from being researched, Social Institution, as equipment and weapons, have never been subject to any restrictions—so we can exploit this loophole and possess a Social Institution made from Destroyer fragments."

"But like this..."

"I know your concerns. We think about it, and so do others. For outlaws like us, this thing is a hot potato." Crescent Moon's thinking was very clear, "So, I plan to sell it for a good price. Think about it, losing this thing would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Crystal Tower Civilization. Who would be happiest about that?"

Mo Zilan's mind raced. "The Night Butterfly Federation!"

"You got it right." Canyue nodded. "We can't come here for nothing. After we get this, we'll leave—and while we're at it, we can also go and teach that Du Zexin who bullied you a lesson."

He grinned, revealing a fierce smile:

"Sequence Aura isn't so easy to obtain."