235 Wartime Special Management Act
"The original prosecuting authority was the Provisional Public Prosecutor's Office of Trivella City."
The makeshift court was set up in the hall of the Magic Technology Hall, hastily adorned with the emblem and flag of the Crystal Tower, and summoned by mages to oversee the execution ground. A few rows of folding chairs and desks were added, and that was it—a simple courthouse.
Li Aoz lowered his head listlessly, with two golem bailiffs pressing firmly on his shoulders behind him, as if afraid he would escape from the courtroom shrouded in the Higgs Field.
The judge adjusted his monocle and continued reading:
"The plaintiff in the incidental civil suit Ministry of Education White Candle Star,"
"The original defendant, Lioz, Biological Male and self-identifies as male. Tanas Race, 22 years old, and currently resides in Trivella City. He holds a bachelor's degree. He was a third-year student at the Magical Application Academy of White Candle Star Interstellar University. He is a Daoist of the [Dominator] lineage, and his class Zeta-rank (6). He was criminally detained four days ago and sentenced to 270 years in prison for this case. Due to his good behavior and significant meritorious service, his sentence was reduced by 270 years, and he will serve his sentence on White Candle Star."
"Defense attorney Rosian, Professor of Law, Faculty of Humanities White Candle Star Interstellar University."
"The Trivella City Summary Court, in its trial of the Trivella City Provisional Prosecutor's Office's charges against defendant Lioz for illegal entry, forgery of documents, bringing forbidden knowledge into the country, possession of Implant Equipment Vanguard, and extradition of refugees, rendered its decision in court (12166) Special Criminal Judgment No. 1, finding that:"
"First, the defendant Lioz is guilty of illegal entry and is sentenced to twenty years in prison and fined 6.6 million Dina."
"Second, the defendant Lioz is guilty of impersonation, forging his identity, participating in the Magic Aptitude Test and obtaining student status. He is sentenced to 100 years in prison, and his student status will be retained until the end of his sentence."
"Third, the defendant Lioz..."
As the judge delivered his verdicts, Li Aoz remained calm and composed on the dock.
Thanks to his previous honesty and frankness, both Dean Nastisha and the mage who cleaned up the battlefield treated him leniently.
His defender was none other than a law professor from White Candle Star Interstellar University.
Needless to say, the evidence collection process was straightforward. Not only did Li Aoz display the stolen Aoneng, but the large number of remains of Machine World citizens were also enough to prove his innocence. As for the Implant Equipment Vanguard, Li Aoz openly displayed them, allowing the mage to compare them with the Crescent Moon's Implant Equipment Vanguard.
In terms of witness testimony, Li Aoz has an overwhelming advantage.
Aside from Dean Nastisha, who was already on his side, the players, Sophia Marlene the Fairy of the Lake), and the three captured Mech Council members all attested to the fact that Li Aoz fighting against Crescent Moon and the Machine World Society.
To Li Aoz's surprise, the student he had previously saved from Canyue also appeared in court to testify on his behalf.
Undisputedly, he was spared punishment, and the Crystal Tower, considering his outstanding contributions, stopped pursuing Li Aoz further. As for his previous actions... they completely acquiesced to them.
However, due to procedural constraints, Li Aoz was not released in court immediately. He still needs some time to process the civil lawsuit for compensation. Once Trustworthy Village completes the liquidation, he can be released from the detention center. The whole process will take at most two weeks, which is equivalent to paying a ransom to avoid trouble. His past criminal record will not be mentioned again. However, not long after, the authorities issued a document requiring Trustworthy Village to pay back the taxes owed for the past few months.
From then on, his territory was no longer a place where illegal refugees stayed, but a proper rural administrative division. When he was released from prison, he would receive a letter of appointment as a lord.
The Crystal Tower Civilization did not have the concept of titles; the term "lord" was similar to that of a farmer or Landlords.
For Li Aoz, this was undoubtedly the most profitable.
He has already maxed out the legend of White Candle Star. Now that Trustworthy Village has been legalized by default, he can continuously attract players from all over the place.
Although it seemed like he lost some Dina, Li Aoz's account was always filled with Ammonium Gold, so he suffered almost no loss and instead gained a greater future.
Next, he can confidently engage in the middleman business and recruit people from the nearest Agincourt server.
In the past, there were telecom fraud gangs that preyed on people's kidneys; now, there are Li's scalpers who lure and abduct players. Although they didn't happen at the same time, the methods are the same.
"When you do the right thing in the big way, the whole world is on your side."
Li Aoz, sitting in the detention cell, couldn't help but sigh.
"You really have a leisurely life."
A teasing female voice rang out, and Li Aoz immediately sat up straight, looked out the observation window, bowed his head respectfully, and said:
"Dean Nastisha, thank you for being willing to testify for me."
"Don't try that on me, you little rascal. I told you to stay in your room, and you suddenly ran out, almost ruining my plans."
Looking out the window, Dean Nastisha raised her hand, and magic instantly conjured a chair. She leaned back leisurely, resting her cheek on her hand. Although she spoke harshly, her expression and demeanor were quite pleasant.
"Sigh, you'll regret not listening to your teacher—look, I'm already in jail." Li Aoz said with a smile. "It's all thanks to Dean Nastisha's thoughtful arrangements. I really need to change my reckless ways in the future."
The two are only one level apart, and setting aside the age and teacher-student differences, they still communicate on an equal footing.
"Dean, what happened to those three councilors in the end?"
"They were taken away by the high-ranking scholars of the Supreme Council and will most likely become experimental subjects. Affected by the planetary antibody, the [Machine World Society] will not be able to get close to White Candle Star for the next few hundred years. Therefore, these councilors have become beacons for Mash Gergang. According to the tradition of Star Abyss, we will try to use these three Machine Councilors to lure Mash Gergang into the black hole, which will also trap Mash Gergang for a long time."
Li Aoz was not surprised by this outcome.
After all, the [Machine World Society] is still nearby. If someone were an outsider and captured Society Councilor, they would definitely think of continuing to kill him over and over again, or sealing him away.
The Crystal Tower is a pragmatic civilization, and introducing [society] into the black hole is a good choice.
"In fact, your detention isn't such a bad thing."
Nastisha reminded her, "Since you are a [Dominator] type Deified Person and have made great contributions in repelling [Machine World Society], we should all award you the Tanas Hero Medal. However, the situation is special now, and detention may be a form of protection for you."
"I understand." Li Aoz nodded. "It's about the war, isn't it?"
"It's complicated. First of all, because Minister Barkomon is still fighting against Night Butterfly People's Mechanical Legion, and there is a high probability that he can capture the opponent's Kappa-rank (10) alive."
Just as Li Aoz was about to say that being able to capture a combatant of the decisive weapon level alive would be a good thing, he suddenly realized something. "--Wait, it's been several days already?"
Li Aoz counted on his fingers. "It's been a full six days since I defeated [Machine World Society]—six days! Has Night Butterfly People and the Supreme Council not sent any reinforcements?"
Upon hearing this, Nastisha looked at him and smiled without saying a word.
Li Aoz something and frowned, asking:
"Leaving aside others, didn't our Crystal Tower's support arrive?"
The next moment, Nastisha calmly said, "Without troops, how can we talk about reinforcements?"