132. "Truth"
At four in the morning, the sky was already tinged with the light of dawn, with scattered bird calls echoing through the woods, lending a sense of vitality to the castle situated within the swamp.
Li Aozi sat on his bed, struggling out of the nightmare of his memories. His entire body was trembling uncontrollably, sweat soaking the bedsheets. The scenes before his eyes kept shifting, overlapping dream and reality, making it impossible to tell what was real.
That dream… was it real?
No, more accurately, was that truly his own memory?
[Was I... just cannon fodder for Morphedria? Was I a god in my past life?]
[This has to be some kind of joke, right?]
After a brief moment, Li Aozi calmed down. He raised his hand.
He opened his five fingers.
He grasped.
He clenched a fist.
He let go.
He rotated his hand.
"… It's gone."
Li Aozi lowered his head, his gaze repeatedly scanning the pale and delicate skin.
It wasn't porcelain-like skin, but what could be considered human skin.
"What exactly did I just see?"
The Chaos Breeding Ground, the red-black sun, the Bright Dragon Emperor, Morphedria's universe, Haynes...
[And—10752!]
That number—what did it mean? Why was it the same as his intricately coded sequence?
Why did he see Morphedria, the memory fragments of deity warrior #10752?
Could it be that, in a past life, he really had some connection to "Star Abyss"?
[I can't take it anymore, I don't want to think about it. It's too confusing.]
Li Aozi opened his system panel. The past seven hours of records were all gibberish until he woke from the recollection, after which everything returned to normal.
"Welcome back to "Star Abyss"... Real."
Li Aozi murmured the last message notification. Even though he was in a comfortable room, it felt as though he'd fallen into an ice cellar.
Real.
That was the name of his game account from his past life.
"Since I've transmigrated, my system changed to an NPC template. No longer limited by the version updates, I lost some of the conveniences players had. But now, I've somehow regained the player identity verification..."
The more Li Aozi muttered, the stranger it seemed.
What was this?
Had the QiQiao Network reconnected his account? Was all this just a dream? Had he never transmigrated, but instead experienced a network fluctuation, delaying his arrival?
Or was it that he had returned to version 14.0 of the game world? That was certainly impossible. He was still in his single dormitory at White Candle Interstellar University's Academy of Magical Applications. His unfinished assignments still lay on the tablet beside him.
This wasn't a dream; this was reality.
Li Aozi immediately began checking his system interface, but unfortunately, he found no changes. It was still the version 14.0 system, and he was still an 80-level Delta-tier [Star Realm Echoer] with the same system functions.
Nothing seemed to have changed?
"No, wait!"
Li Aozi's gaze sharpened. He opened his personal attributes and looked at the top row.
----------------------
[Name]: Li Aozi (Switch to 'Real')
[Title]: Deployer, Cataclysm, Pioneer of the Future
[Race]: Elai Spirit, Phase I
[Gender]: Biological Male
----------------------
"It changed." Li Aozi held his breath. He suddenly realized something. "Switch to 'Real'—what does that mean?"
Could it be...
[Wait a second, could it be because of... today?]
To confirm his guess, Li Aozi didn't immediately click the switch. Instead, he turned and opened the game forum, quickly checking the current date and time.
"2142/11/19, 8:26 AM."
Sure enough.
Li Aozi narrowed his eyes.
He remembered this time very clearly: this was when he, as 'Li Zi,' had registered and entered the game in his past life.
In his past life, Li Zi hadn't joined the beta, nor did he acquire the game on day one. At that time, he was agonizing over whether to attend university or take the job assigned to him, earn some money, and labor. Hesitating, he was introduced to "Star Abyss"by his friends Wen Long and Xia Yubing.
It wasn't until Li Zi accidentally became a [Mutant] that he rose from obscurity. His fame exploded during the 2.5 version planetary destruction event, followed by solidifying his status in subsequent versions, ultimately becoming a well-known niche streamer.
"If my guess is correct, 'Switch to Real' means..."
Li Aozi opened his personal center. By default, he logged in as 'Li Aozi,' which showed that the account was banned. But there was an option to switch accounts in the upper right corner, just like an ordinary player.
Li Aozi took a deep breath, steadying his increasingly agitated heartbeat, and clicked on the switch account button.
[You have switched to 'Real' #10752.]
[Welcome to "Star Abyss" official website, respected Deployer #10752. As a first-time visitor, you can claim a 500 token new player bonus.]
Li Aozi's heart skipped a beat. His nonexistent mind went blank in an instant.
He quickly checked his account information—there were no badges, no forum levels, no post history; it was a completely brand-new intricate player account.
"None of my guide posts, no short video blog, no livestream plugin information—this was just like the original account from my first entry into "Star Abyss"!"
Li Aozi tested a few functions, finding that everything was normal—he could post, forward, comment, livestream, record, and download videos. He even wrote a quick joke, receiving seven likes and two followers.
"This is my account, it rolled back—not rolled back, but officially created today."
This was just the forum account.
[The forum account is completely linked to the game account...]
Li Aozi suddenly realized something and looked back at his personal attribute panel.
(Switch to 'Real')
[...No way.]
Due to the unique verification mechanism of the QiQiao Network, players had to first register a forum account, perform real-name verification, and undergo genetic binding before registering a game account.
The purpose was to prevent "keyboard warriors." Every player's game level, title, and recent battle record were directly displayed in the forum, greatly promoting a harmonious atmosphere.
Keyboard warriors thrive under virtual anonymity, but when basic information is semi-public, everyone becomes more mindful of their words.
But Li Aozi didn't care about that; he realized a very serious problem.
[I clearly recall from my memories—Li Zi entered "Star Abyss" at 8:20 AM and created the 'Real' character account.]
Yet until now, Li Aozi found that he hadn't created any game character.
What did this imply?
[...Does the 'me' in reality no longer exist?]
That brought up a question.
If 'Li Zi' from reality was already dead, why was his official account recreated now?
Despite its abysmal balance and terrible lottery events, QiQiao Network had an impeccable reputation for user privacy and security, as it was developed for electronic immigration, and thus countries took it seriously.
And now it seemed that Star Abyss was a real world; the science and magical theories inside applied to reality as well.
QiQiao Network had no right or authority to modify user data, at most banning players' forum accounts.
Only one person could create an account.
[Only I could create this account.]
Li Aozi pulled out a potion of truth—he had already guessed who it was.
[That thing that has been subtly influencing my thoughts all this time.]
He took the potion as he did every morning at 7 AM, except today it had been delayed by an hour due to his memories.
If that other consciousness in his mind had created 'Real,' that hour would have been enough.
[Hmm... Why does it feel like that guy doesn't have any ill intent and keeps trying to help me?]
Li Aozi gave the truth potion to his real head to ensure he stayed sane.
He had more or less figured out the situation. Regardless, reclaiming his account was a good thing.
[Due to gravitational and magical influences, the flow of time on White Candle Star differs from Azure Star. I can use this time gap to create a smurf account on Azure Star.]
This way, combined with the effects of [Star Realm Echoer], [White Obelisk], and Abyss Heavy Industries, Li Aozi would reach the pinnacle of control over Azure Star.
"And, I have an excellent idea."
Originally, Li Aozi used Total Recall to find a way for the [Star Realm Echoer] to break the career barrier and learn transcendental knowledge, so as not to fail his classes.
You could say he achieved that goal.
Through Total Recall, Li Aozi clearly remembered the information from the guide:
[Stored within White Candle Interstellar University, the University of Magical Industry, and Trevilla University are three separate pieces of forbidden knowledge. By obtaining all three, one could assemble a fragment of the Eye of Recognition.]
With that, he wouldn't need to study anymore. He speculated that three-quarters of White Candle Star's knowledge was deconstructed from it.
If Li Aozi were to obtain it—he figured he'd truly no longer need to attend school.
He'd go directly to interstellar prison as a "Ruinous Apostate," becoming a state-sponsored inmate.
"Although there wasn't much choice before... now, with 'Real' appearing, the situation changes."
Li Aozi stroked his nonexistent chin.
"Li Aozi can't learn transcendental knowledge—but 'Real' can."
He'd have 'Real' learn it, then switch back to his original self.
With his high [Intelligence] attribute, Li Aozi quickly understood.
Players had a perception filter, but as an NPC, Li Aozi didn't.
NPCs don't have perception filters.
The knowledge is stored directly in one's mind. Switching over means I just instantly comprehend it, doesn't it?
"Heh, looks like I've found a bug in the system."
However, it's better if he conducts some tests first.
Li Aozi applied for a half-month leave under the pretense of being ill. Until he solved his problem with learning transcendental knowledge, attending classes was just a way to lose more points.
It would be better to take leave and study independently—at least he wouldn't lose any more points.
"Alright, from now on, it's truly time for "Rebirth of Star Abyssal God Master"!'"