031. Valkyrie Fortress
If Li Aozi really killed her, would he feel sad?
Probably not, because she was nothing, and clearly, Li Aozi didn't like her at all, yet she kept clinging to him.
She raised her hand, covering her head. Her pale hair took on a feather-like texture, cascading down like a waterfall.
—She was utterly pathetic.
'The Secret…'
Becoming like this was all the Secret's fault.
It was [Secret Society]'s Gaia, constantly calling and tempting her, that turned her into this hideous monster.
Gaia said she was a [Seamstress], a noble council member.
But Gaia never mentioned that becoming a citizen of the Secret required paying a 'price.'
When she was lost and trapped in the cold, terrifying black desert of the Outside World, the Secret had extended a helping hand—it was a lifeline.
Since they saved her life, it seemed only fair to pay a small price in return, didn't it?
But... was the price too heavy?
'Confidence.'
As a [Seamstress], Gaia had taken away her 'confidence.'
Perhaps, she should never have resisted, never tried to break free of the influence of the [Secret Society] under the Sailor's guidance.
She should have obediently remained Gaia's daughter, joined the Secret family, and helped them invade and slaughter, consuming more civilizations and gaining more siblings.
—But could she really accept that outcome?
'I don't want Li Aozi to know that version of me.'
She knew about the [Fake Society] and the imposters. She also knew that Li Aozi's friends had been killed by the Society.
If Li Aozi hated her, if he found out she was a citizen of the Society…
No.
Rather than being seen, it would be better to die—but if she died, then Li Aozi would lose a significant, priceless treasure. Would he hate her for it? 'This useless thing, dying before I could even use it, without considering anyone else's feelings at all.'
That kind of outcome was completely unacceptable.
But what could she do?
The person known as 'Yavanna Huskisin' was already dead, but the [Seamstress] version of 'Yavanna Huskisin' was still alive.
One day, the Secret would come for her, just like they had found [Sailor]—the man who had escaped the Secret for countless years, Igore Matthew. Even though he had fled to Azure Star, in the end, the Secret still found him.
What should she do?
Escape? Impossible.
Fight? No chance. She could never defeat the Society, and she couldn't even control the transformation into the monster she became due to the instability of her Aether blood. Perhaps she would often enter that state in the future.
Now, it seemed the only thing she could do was use the remaining time she had to help Li Aozi as much as possible before the Secret came for her.
Help this poor, lonely boy who recognized 'Yavanna.'
That was Yavanna's thought.
Moments later, she saw the energy cluster reactivate,
"Safe travels, dear Li Aozi."
Yavanna lowered her head and retreated into the shadows.
——————————
Buzz!
Li Aozi tore through the energy cluster of the teleportation, with the [Leozi Armor] and [Domination Mode] already activated. After exiting the teleportation node, he bounced lightly off the ground and stepped into space, accelerating his flight.
In the distance, the Eye of the Galaxy sector was still ablaze with combat—though, given that he could see the golden light beams and high-energy bursts, it meant he was witnessing battles from years ago.
Unlike interstellar civilizations, which were still limited by the speed of light in information transmission, narrative-level civilizations shared the same sunrise and sunset over every inch of their territory.
The dominance of narrative-level civilizations meant they didn't care about the time constraints of the speed of light. Within their modified laws, their territories were like a two-dimensional map laid flat. They could directly manipulate any part of their realm from three-dimensional space.
Li Aozi had a clear goal. He followed the D-9090-Sl flight path, flying at near-light speeds, passing two massive stars and using their gravitational slingshot to further accelerate. When he reached one-sixth the speed of light, he had arrived at his destination.
—Valkyrie Fortress.
This was a colossal interstellar fortress, with a spherical, hollow design that generated gravity through centrifugal force from its rotation. Its pale exterior made it blend in with asteroids in space, but the fortress housed a powerful psychic transmission system capable of relaying orders to all living beings within a three-light-year radius.
Valkyrie Fortress was one of the few neutral zones in the Abyss, with a radius of 590,000 kilometers and a 10-million-kilometer docking starport that welcomed any faction and species of giant beasts to rest.
As an independent power, Valkyrie Fortress sat at the crossroads of three narrative-level civilizations. Rather than causing disputes, it had become recognized as a wilderness area.
Not because the three civilizations were kind-hearted, but because the Kaibo star cluster where Valkyrie Fortress was located was... poor.
Poor, as in 'really dirt poor.'
There had never been a place that the narrative-level civilizations couldn't extract any wealth from. The entire Kaibo star cluster had just one arm with a sun.
And that sun was slowly becoming a red giant, but even so, life went on.
Until one day, the red giant disappeared.
Literally disappeared.
Rumor had it that the red giant was stolen by [Soul of Plunder], Red King. The residents of Kaibo even went to the Interstellar Alliance to denounce Red King for shamelessly stealing their vital resource.
As a result, one of the narrative-level civilizations, the [United Company], generously built the massive Valkyrie Fortress to house the residents and manage their affairs.
This was considered one of the few charitable acts by the [United Company].
—Yeah, right.
According to Li Aozi's understanding, it was complete nonsense. Red King probably did steal the sun, but the [United Company] built Valkyrie Fortress purely to create a neutral black market, reducing the cost of exiling prisoners, conducting human experiments, employing labor, and transporting sensitive goods.
Besides, half of the fortress's control was in the hands of the [United Company] mercenaries. After turning it into a free trade zone, all the extraordinary beings from the Abyss to the Outer Abyss docked there for trade and rest. The taxes alone were making the [United Company] rich.
Narrative-level civilizations were always like this. You thought you had reached a place where they had no presence, but it turned out they were the ones who set it up.
"Designation CBZ-114, you are rapidly approaching our territory. Please state your purpose and proceed with registration."
A gentle voice echoed in Li Aozi's mind.
"My name is Leozi, from the Crystal Tower Civilization. I intend to apply for political asylum and use your interstellar routes. I have the ID of an interstellar citizen, and under the Interstellar Alliance Agreement, I can apply for temporary residency."
Li Aozi replied smoothly, presenting his identification with his mental power.
"Understood. We have received your ID manifestation. Please proceed to Dock 514-1919-810 for identity verification and registration procedures."
"Choosing Valkyrie is the wisdom of life."
"Welcome to Valkyrie Fortress, and enjoy your stay."