The Lingering Echoes of 205

The campaign against the Crescent Moon has come to an end.

Li Aoz deactivated his Dictator Form and donned a new bio-armored head. His muscles twitched; he was exhausted from operating it for so long.

In reality, he has not yet achieved his goal.

He searched everywhere for the crescent moon, but could not find the card that sealed Lucite and Hobbes.

"The fact that the biological frequencies recorded at the school have not disappeared indicates that the [Crescent Moon] Aoneng has been deactivated, and the person is safe and healthy. It's just that the energy has been scattered in other dimensions, and no one can be found there for the time being."

Li Aoz could only console himself with this thought.

Fortunately, the two may have fallen into some other dimension, which happens to be suitable for life, so at least their lives are not in danger in the short term.

Unfortunately, there are too many dimensions in the universe, and without any clues, it will be very difficult to find them.

Li Aoz wasn't worried about their safety.

Both of them were quite clever, especially as creatures from the Star Abyss, they had an overwhelming advantage over the native creatures of this other world.

"Old Huo and Old Lu, you two stay put. I'll search for you for over ten years and then come back to get you."

After finishing all the battles, Li Aoz took stock of his spoils.

First, there's the experience. The massive amount of experience provided by Crescent Moon allowed Li Aoz to raise his [Echo] level to 110 in one go, gaining 6 [Charm] points, and increasing his actual gains to 577.8 points.

Since he had just been suppressed to death by the Crescent Moon, the divine essence of [Smiling Through Suffering] provided him with a lot of experience. He was still about 400 million experience points away from level 120... After a few more hard battles, Li Aoz would be able to become a complete Zeta-rank.

The next benefit is the [template].

[Rewards for Challenging Higher Levels - Template Advancement]

[Due to your diverse and varied combat style, please choose one of the following templates as your advancement direction:]

A - Advanced Lord-type NPC (Max HP +100%)

B - Combat Expert-type NPC (Damage output +25%, Evasion rate permanently increased by 35%, Resilience increased by 15%)

C - Berserker-type NPC (Damage output rate +300%, ignores tier effects) D - Beginner BOSS (System template fully optimized; when HP drops below 50% in battle, it will gain 'Second Stage': Attack frequency +45%, 10% damage reduction effect.) "C".

That goes without saying.

The Berserker template is the best fit for Li Aoz. The extremely high strength provided by the Bloodline makes the damage considerable once the tier effects are ignored.

For example, Nefes, the Silver Armor, and Mr. Zhuo, the bodyguard of Liu E, are two violent output classes of the [Destruction] type. When paired with the Berserker template, it's like putting a nuclear warhead on a rocket.

That's terrifying, bro.

For Li Aoz, the harm was secondary.

With the War Maniac template, the benefits of [Gravity] become extremely high. In the future, when performing 'time stop', he won't have to worry about the opponent's level being too high, and he can directly exempt the bonus.

Furthermore, Aoneng like [Calamity], which are based on probability and are more likely to be effective against high-level targets, are much more effective against targets like Crescent Moon, which took three mana bars to kill.

A and B are both rubbish, and as for D... that's only needed by NPCs who follow the BOSS route.

Li Aoz disdains being a BOSS; the BOSS route focuses more on fighting with players. But Li Aoz treats players like pigs, so there's no conflict between them.

Secondly, since he has a bloodline, his body cannot be fragile.

Thirdly, with the [Crescent Moon] item present, his evasion ability will not be low.

These three reasons are sufficient and complete.

"The next promotion template will be difficult... The one after 'Battle Maniac' is 'Chosen Battle Maniac,' and I remember that you have to kill several targets of higher rank in a row to complete the challenge."

Overall, I gained a lot.

Li Aoz estimated the time; Dean Nastisha should have killed everyone and should be leaving soon.

Compared to the waning moon, this is the truly serious issue.

Leaving the two-dimensional space, Li Aoz landed on the cold ruins of Trivella. The Dark Domain in the sky had long since dissipated, and sirens and cries of agony filled the broken buildings.

The scene resembled a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

"You're back?"

Nastisha's voice rang out from the side.

Li Aoz turned his head and saw him sitting on a collapsed street lamp, his staff casually stuck in the corpse of a member of the Bravo Squad, with several Crescent Moon subordinates kneeling beside him, bound by arcane magic.

As for the Implant Equipment Vanguard —those more than 30,000 Implant Equipment Vanguard were all wiped out the moment Nastisha opened her Thunder Domain.

All 12 Zeta-rank regular soldiers were wiped out, the Crescent Moon subordinates were captured alive, and the entire city's enemies were instantly wiped out.

If Remnant Moon hadn't deliberately targeted Li Aoz, Nastisha could probably have killed Remnant Moon with the flick of a finger.

Even for an Ita-level Deified Person, Nastisha's performance was a bit too strong.

"Hello, Dean."

Li Aoz stepped forward and respectfully said, "If it weren't for your timely rescue, I would have truly lost my life at the hands of these thugs."

"Alright, alright..."

Nastisha, her hair disheveled, sighed and looked at him with a complicated expression:

"Hey... what's your name again?"

He replied, "Applied Magic Department, first-year student, Lioz."

"Lioz... You are indeed as brave as Lioz, but you are also just like Lioz, belonging to the [Dominator]."

Nastisha brushed her hair aside, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Lioz, what exactly is your purpose?"

"I'm here to study," Li Aoz answered truthfully.

"Go to school? Heh..."

Nastisha raised her head and looked at Li Aoz: "A Zeta-rank [Dominator] type Deified Person disguised as a student, infiltrated my campus, and got into a fight with another Zeta-rank [Dominator] type Deified Person. You're telling me you did it to go to school? Tell me, do you even believe that yourself?"

"I swear to Star Abyss, I really came here to study. I want to learn magic, get a degree, and then find a good job and settle down."

Li Aoz raised his fist and solemnly said:

"Lucite and Hobbes, they were both my friends, if it weren't for the waning moon—"

"If it weren't for the crescent moon, you would have kept it a secret forever, concealing the truth that you are Aoneng, and even a holder of Sequence Aura, until graduation."

Nastisha looked at Lioz: "Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Then—" Nastisha casually flicked her wrist, revealing a card. "The Lyle Swindler's Destiny Card, isn't that your target?"

Li Aoz shook his head in confusion:

"I don't know what this is."

"Yeah?."

Nastisha stared at Li Aoz: "[The Oath True Spirit]."

The next moment, the magic circle beneath Li Aoz's feet lit up instantly, and a huge arcane demon emerged from it, opening its chest and firmly imprisoning Li Aoz's body within it.

"Dean," Li Aoz said, "We shouldn't have any grudges between us, right? I was the one who helped eliminate the Crescent Moon. Is this how the school treats students who killed terrorists and acted bravely?"

"Forgive me, my child."

Nastisha looked at him regretfully. "Those Deified Person through the path of the [Dominator] are not allowed to enter; that is the rule."

Teleportation arrays lit up behind her, and high-ranking mages in formal attire arrived in Trivella one after another. Everyone who arrived was horrified by the tragic state of Trivella.

"My God, what happened to our city—"

"Who is the murderer? My students, my school! I demand a report to the Supreme Council!"

"And there's Night Butterfly People's army too! Good, these idealistic pigs have already invaded our backyard!"

Soon, their eyes fell on Li Aoz.

A mage immediately stormed over, demanding an explanation. His eyes were filled with anger as he coldly stared at Li Aoz, then turned to Nastisha and asked:

"Is this the murderer?"

"No, the murderer is the interstellar criminal Crescent Moon," Nastisha said calmly. "He took care of the murderer."

"Him?" The mage glanced at Li Aoz. "You took down the murderer, well done. But you're already Zeta-rank, why are you still holed up in school? Why didn't the conscription office send you to the battlefield?"

A thought flashed through Li Aoz's mind; he realized that Nastisha had deliberately concealed his identity as a [Dominator] of the Dao path.

"I..."

Before Li Aoz could finish speaking, the monk waved his hand:

"Forget it, even if you manage to escape by luck, you can't escape what will happen in the future— Nastisha, why did you still bind this little hero with [Oath True Spirit]? He's not Night Butterfly People."

"I need to make sure he hasn't been brainwashed by idealism," Nastisha said matter-of-factly. "When I got to the ground, he was already fighting Crescent Moon. I helped him out a bit, and that's how he took down Crescent Moon. But even so, I'm not sure if he's been corrupted by Night Butterfly People."

"Your vigilance is justified; we must remain vigilant." The mage sighed. "The minister has gone to fight against Night Butterfly People's Kappa-rank. White Candle Star is in complete chaos right now, and there are probably Night Butterfly's spies and informants operating in the shadows."

"Of course."

Nastisha said, "Let the [Oath True Spirit] lift up Li Aoz:"

"I'll take him back to White Candle Star Interstellar University for testing. The task of calming the city's residents and providing disaster relief is now in your hands."

The other mages nodded, then turned and dispersed.

Nastisha snapped her fingers as everyone left.

Ping Pong —

The next moment, Li Aoz appeared in a dark room. The Oath True Spirit disappeared, and a faint blue candlelight lit up the surroundings. Nastisha casually sat down behind a table, raised her hand and activated several spells in succession to set up a shielding force field before turning her head to look at Li Aoz.

"I'll smooth things over with the officials for now."

Nastisha said calmly:

"Don't thank me yet, the suspicion against you hasn't been cleared."

Li Aoz shrugged. He noticed a chair behind him and sat down casually. "Dean, I'm a good student. I've never been in a fight or caused trouble. I'd feel bad if the school didn't give me a scholarship for this incident."

"Really?" Nastisha tapped the table. "Then explain what this elemental rampage is all about."

"Huh?" Li Aoz blinked. "Elemental rampage? What's that?"

"Don't you remember? What about the [Machine World Society]?"

As Nastisha spoke, she casually activated a magic circle, extracting a massive amount of surveillance record crystals from it:

"I had the AI do a search, and it turns out you're quite an interesting kid."

"I failed 15 courses in less than a month after enrolling, but I not only made up the Credits in just three months, but I even scored more than many others."

"This is the result of my in-depth reflection on my learning model, research into new playing styles, review of past experiences, and through my unremitting efforts, diligent study, and the enthusiastic help of my teachers and classmates," Li Aoz replied righteously.

"Do you mean your relentless efforts and hard work mean you slept in the school dormitory for a month?"

"No," Li Aoz without batting an eye, "I love studying in my dreams!"

Nastisha looked at Li Aoz: "You have a divine sword on you, where did you get it?"

"My ancestors were all single-line descendants for eight generations. As for why they recognized me as their master, it all started when the woman I was betrothed to since childhood came to break off the engagement. Feeling deeply humiliated, I uttered a harsh threat: 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate a young man—'"

"I asked using the GPT brain, and it says that it is the Fate Awakening Sword. The sword of the legendary demigod of the Pharassia Civilization, Sharp Tooth Peak."

Nastisha said with a stern face, "When you enrolled in school, you filled in the Tanas Race and said that your ancestors were C3 Luca-type Spaceman. According to the database, your ancestors for eight generations were all Tanas Race —what, did your ancestors wear cuckold's hats?"

Li Aoz looked to the side, admiring the candlelight:

"What beautiful candlelight! It must be made from rare and valuable biological fats!"

"It's from the Wing House Small Market wholesale market."

Nastisha crossed her legs and looked at Li Aoz: "Tell me the truth honestly, and I won't make things difficult for you. After all, you're still my student."

Li Aoz said innocently:

"I'm telling the truth."

You have committed an act of 'lying'. Perform a [Charm] check...

[Test passed! Failure, objective achieved [intellectual superiority], refusing to believe your lies.]

[Nastisha's Favorability towards you has decreased.]

Tsk.

Compared to the powerhouses of the Ita rank, my attributes are indeed inadequate.

"Listen," Nastisha sighed, "Lioz, I had the Oath True Spirit examine your mind. You don't have any idealistic tendencies, which is good. At least it means you're not Night Butterfly People —but that doesn't mean you're safe."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Li Aoz shrugged. "You've already lied to the officials, why not continue the lie to the end?"

"You have already demonstrated the strength of Zeta-rank cultivator in the meeting just now. The Supreme Council will find out sooner or later that you killed Can Yue. All I can do is help you cover up your identity as a [Dominator] type Path Deified Person. I have also basically swept the battlefield with my Thunder Domain, and the Higgs Field cannot detect any traces of your Aoneng. This can save you from going to jail."

Nastisha leaned forward slightly, and an overwhelming sense of class oppression immediately enveloped her, pinning Li Aoz to the chair, unable to move.

"However, the strength of the Zeta-rank cannot be hidden."

Nastisha raised her hand:

"Biological frequency is the best way to detect the levels of one's cultivation path, because it cannot be hidden—and do you know how difficult the situation on the front lines has become?"

Li Aoz squinted:

"Are you going to force me to join the army?"

"Serving in the military while in school is an obligation that every citizen should fulfill. The school will keep a record of your blood."

Nastisha smiled slightly:

"Or do you mean that you don't consider yourself a citizen of our [Crystal Tower] civilization?"

Li Aoz stared at the other person.

The meaning of Nastisha is easy to understand.

The two had a good teacher-student relationship, and Nastisha was willing to protect him because of this, his killing of Crescent Moon, and his failure to absorb the Eye of Discernment fragment of "Lyle Swindler's Destiny Card".

But there are prerequisites for protecting him.

"Dean, look at what you're saying, I'm still a student." Li Aoz with an embarrassed smile.

"To be honest, I'm not just the dean."

Nastisha crossed her arms and said, "After visiting the Amaryllis Fortress, I have received a new position—I am now the Commander-in-Chief of the White Candle Star Reserve Force. According to the Wartime Special Decree, all students of the Epsilon rank and above on White Candle Star must join the reserve force, receive military training, complete military missions, and do their part to protect their homeland."

She looked at Li Aoz and smiled:

"Would you rather go to jail or serve in the military?"

As she spoke, she added, "Speaking of which, Trivella City has become like this. I can ask someone to modify your household registration information and files at any time—for example, change your school registration information from first year to fourth year. In this way, you will be more secure in your status Zeta-rank student, and naturally you will not be associated with the [Dominator] path."

Li Aoz fell silent.

I must say, he truly lives up to his reputation as a high-level mage.

Nastisha was quite intelligent and resourceful; despite being an educator, she had a very flexible way of thinking.

Although military service might seem like going to the battlefield at first glance, Nastisha herself is the commander of the reserves, so serving under her can be considered a form of protection.

Nastisha was willing to protect him entirely out of personal favor; in reality, there was no business relationship between them. To do so much was truly an act of kindness and righteousness.

Besides, if it really comes to that... wouldn't it be easy for him to escape with his abilities? "... I agree to serve."

Li Aoz nodded. "I'll report to the conscription office in a few days."