130. 「Born of Chaos」
Two hours later, Li Aozi left Wendy's apartment with a potion in hand.
"This trip was quite rewarding. Not only did I get the memory potion, but I also learned about what happened to Azure Star."
Although he had long known that narrative-level civilizations weren't exactly paragons of righteousness, Li Aozi still felt uneasy realizing just how much these supreme privileges loomed over him.
In his previous life, he had spent so much time in the "Empire of Heroes." If it weren't for the fact that he had spent most of his later years in the Abyss and seldom surfaced, he might have considered the Empire as his own home.
And yet, even after all this time, he had never known the details about the destruction of Azure Star... which spoke volumes about how tightly guarded this secret was.
But despising and resenting hegemony was pointless; those in power couldn't care less about individual likes or dislikes.
The only way to defeat hegemony was to become a hegemon oneself.
Joining what you can't beat has never been something shameful.
"On the other hand, this might actually be good news—it proves that the narrative-level civilization still has an intention to rescue Azure Star."
Although the 「Empire of Heroes」 had always had plans for Azure Star, at least they approached it from a developmental perspective. Compared to the Maxwell Guild's reckless introduction of cutting-edge knowledge that provoked Entropy Lord and sealed Azure Star, the Empire's approach didn't even seem expansionist—it had a vibe more akin to poverty alleviation.
"The 「Temple of Annihilation」 is too extreme in their views, and their ways are quite dogmatic. Better not to get too involved with them. As for the 「United Group」, due to the Fanlunkeff incident, our relationship isn't great. Given the situation, it seems I'll have to make a trip to the Empire to resolve things."
Li Aozi was much more familiar with the Empire, and returning to that well-known circle seemed like the better option.
Best to prepare for both possibilities.
Having obtained the potion, Li Aozi was in high spirits and decided to stop by the cafeteria for a meal.
It was only when he sat in his usual spot that he noticed there seemed to be quite a few people at the neighboring table.
He turned his head and happened to meet the gaze of a blonde-haired, golden-eyed beauty with a cold expression.
"Yo, good afternoon, Diaran."
"Good afternoon."
Diaran nodded slightly, seemingly ignoring the people who were monitoring her.
"You're that new student, Li Aozi, right?"
It was one of the patrol squad members who recognized Li Aozi. Several of them had already met him during the elemental riot, and some had even testified on his behalf, leading to casual conversations.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Aozi resumed his meal.
He scooped two spoonfuls of rice, chopped the chicken into fine pieces with his spoon, mixed it with the rice, and took a mouthful.
The rice grown on White Candle Star wasn't quite the same as that from Azure Star—it had a texture similar to millet but with a more intense fragrance. It was slightly sticky, and paired with pork lard gravy, chicken fillet, and beans, it had an incredibly rich aroma. With just these seasonings, there was no need for extra dishes. Li Aozi downed five bowls in a row, washing it all down with chilled mango soda, leaving him entirely satisfied.
The way Diaran ate at the neighboring table was not much more refined. Unlike those with companions whose food covered the whole table, she didn't seem to eat any staples—perhaps due to her race—opting instead for a purely ketogenic diet consisting of meat and fish: roasted suckling pig, fresh ham, grilled venison, stewed beef, medium-rare ribs, fresh cod fillets, blood ice cream... a feast for the eyes.
She didn't bother using utensils, opening her mouth to reveal sharp teeth, casually sucking up an entire pot of stew like it was milk tea. Watching her, it was hard to associate this image with any sort of 'Golden Princess'; she looked more like a starving grizzly bear.
Li Aozi had been full after several bowls, but watching Diaran's casual eating battle opened his appetite again. He ended up eating two more bowls.
One thing was certain: Diaran was beautiful, and she ate a lot. Her brutal eating style, paired with her cool, elegant demeanor, made for an entertaining live broadcast. When Li Aozi saw her grab a lobster and swallow it whole, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Pfft!"
That laugh caught Diaran's attention. She looked at Li Aozi while still holding half of a lobster the length of an arm, swung her head, and swallowed the rest whole. Her golden eyes bore into him with curiosity:
"What's so funny?"
"Not much." Li Aozi noticed her gaze and shrugged.
"Then why laugh?"
"I just found it cute." Li Aozi stacked his plates for the convenience of the staff: "Normally, you give off this unapproachable aura, but the way you eat is kind of bear-like—it's a charming contrast."
Finished speaking, he turned to leave:
"I'm done. You continue the battle."
Diaran's eyes deepened, and she rested her hands on the table. Her golden gaze flickered, as if pondering something, which made the patrol squad members visibly uneasy.
"You'd better not make any rash moves," one of the squad members quickly said, "We're still under surveillance. The sooner we clear your name, the better for everyone..."
Diaran raised her hand, pointing at the stack of rice bowls left by Li Aozi:
"Do all Tower people eat as much as us dragonkin?"
The group looked over at the table beside them—there, the stack of Li Aozi's bowls had formed a small mountain.
If it was purely about volume... it seemed no less impressive than Diaran's feast.
"That guy, Leoz, was just eating rice?"
"He eats too much, and he doesn't even seem affected."
"Could he also be a dragon? No way, right?"
Diaran lowered her head, her gaze flickering, deep in thought.
...........
"Hmm, maybe I did eat a bit too much today. Although [Bloodline] doesn't consume mana, enhancing my physical qualities has definitely increased my appetite."
Combined with the 'Iron Stomach' mutation he acquired during his time as a [Mutant], Li Aozi now felt overflowing with mana, almost inexhaustible.
Of course, this wasn't the crucial part.
The crucial part was that his head was a colonized implant—he didn't even have a brain. Whatever he ate was directly broken down in his skull to power the implant.
Increasing food intake was one thing. It's not like he could bite an enemy during a fight, tear them apart, and swallow them whole.
[Bloodline], what a useless superpower.
Lame, [Bloodline], lame.
Today was Wednesday, which meant club activities in the afternoon. Hobbs had to go home to fetch some things, while Lucite was busy earning credits in the alchemy club.
But judging by the alchemical trash he kept bringing back, Li Aozi figured it was only a matter of time before Lucite realized alchemy was a dead end.
With his two buddies away, Li Aozi decided not to bother with homework. Instead, he wandered around the dorm, took a stroll back to his room, locked the windows and doors, made sure everything was secure, and finally sat down on his bed, taking out the memory potion.
"'Total Recall'—what an appropriate name. I hope it really delivers."
He fed the entire potion to the original head within the fracture space. Almost immediately, he felt a wave of drowsiness hit. Removing the colonized head, he collapsed onto the bed, sinking into a deep dream.
......
Profound.
The cosmos was so profound at its ancient beginnings, before even the Abyss had solidified, before any legend had begun, before the 'history' of the wheel of history existed. The universe was so profoundly silent
At first, there was absolute nothingness, not even a void. Gradually, it precipitated from nothing, forming the void, which evolved further, its nonexistent mass endlessly compressing until all was drawn in, becoming chaos.
At that time, there was neither light nor darkness.
But in the midst of the deep chaos, a group of ancient beings emerged from the harshest of environments, extracting everything from the primordial universe. Clarifying the vague laws, they instantaneously gained a will, separating themselves from the chaos.
Their bodies were forged and tempered within the chaos. Under extreme gravity, pressure, and temperature, they formed a peculiar shape—smooth, resilient, without any wrinkles. In later generations, this would be known as 'porcelain-like' skin, a trait of those ancient beings from the dawn of time.
There were initially six of them, faceless and voiceless, summoned into existence from the chaos by the primordial universe itself, seemingly corresponding to the six layers into which the Abyss would eventually divide.
That history was far too ancient—so ancient that even the concept of history hadn't yet been born, and the universe had not yet formed its own notions of time and space.
But those who lived after history came into being would bestow upon these revered beings the greatest title known to mankind:
The Prime Gods.
The Abyss seemed to sense an impending crisis. It urgently called upon the six Prime Gods to create another realm, building their own universes on the outskirts of the Abyss. Regardless of their motivations, the idea of defending the borders had already manifested at that time.
Amidst surging darkness, the roar of dragons shattered the silence, and invaders—the Ruinous Ones—opened their demonic eyes.
The endless [Outer Abyss War] began in silence.
As the six Prime Gods built their own cosmic frontlines to protect the Abyss, they began to feel inadequate. They realized that despite their tremendous divine power, they lacked diversity and creativity compared to the beings refined through natural competition.
Life was not something that originally belonged in the Abyss.
Yet, with the arrival of the invaders, life had become a part of the Abyss. As the war progressed, even the gods themselves were redefined as 'life.'
In the end, regardless of the gods' denial, life had already become their followers and vanguard. Compared to the Ruinous Ones that brought them into existence, the creatures of the universe seemed to have more affinity for the Abyss.
Perhaps from that moment on, the gods knew that their war was destined to end in failure.
To cope with the war and stabilize their universes, the Prime Gods began to develop their vast pantheons. They extracted certain characteristics from the Abyss, endowed those concepts with authority, awakened their will, and cast them into the chaos to endure suffering and tempering.
Thus, a deity was born.
Clang!
A carbon-black body fell into the white sands, struggling and twisting. Bathed in the healing light of Lyonine, the filthy, scorched body gradually shed its blackened scars, revealing a silvery porcelain skin. Massive areas of deep blue muscle slowly rose and fell under the gravitational pull of the stars.
————[Mastering the Universe], Homeworld Haynes, Chaos Breeding Grounds————
It slowly raised its head. The red-black sun grew millions of branch-like tendrils, lifting the newborn with a single pull. Divine power resonated, creating a sound that echoed directly into its consciousness:
「You have emerged through chaos—Number 10752, you are the 10,752nd deity born today. Now, take up your sword and go die for His Majesty Morfideria.」