Li Aozi walked through the forest with Caral Snail. They passed through the muddy terrain, but stepping on pine needles and fallen leaves didn’t dirty their boots.
Li Aozi picked so berries, eating them as he walked, looking like he was on an outing. Since arriving on this planet, he had beco silent and rarely had late-night talks with Caral Snail.
Whenever he spoke, Li Aozi would repeatedly say, "Trust ," "I’m the only one who won’t betray you," "Don’t think about anything."
At first, Caral Snail thought that maybe Li Aozi had so hidden troubles because, judging by his familiarity with Ziluo Star, this certainly wasn’t his first ti here.
"Li Aozi, where exactly are you from?"
Caral Snail asked.
Li Aozi, walking in front, didn’t turn his head, biting into a wild fruit that looked like a tomato. He retorted:
"Why ask that all of a sudden?"
"You previously told us on Azure Star that you ca from the Empire of Heralds and that you were a special investigator codenad ’Echoer.’"
Caral Snail dug out their old chat logs and read from them. Then he lifted his head, looking at Li Aozi’s back:
"Although you’ve said before that you were an alien, after returning to the cosmos, instead of going back to your ’hotown,’ you stayed on Baizhu Star, helping us build a base of operations. You even beca the President."
"So what?"
Li Aozi nonchalantly responded with an "oh."
"Nothing really. I’m just curious, Li Aozi, about your origin and who you are..." Caral Snail scratched his chin, "You always seem too perfect yet too lonely."
"I’m probably not even human."
Li Aozi wiped his hands with a handkerchief and casually said:
"As for my origin, I don’t have a fixed nationality or holand. To achieve my goals, I don’t care about any limitations."
"I can be anyone or just a passing wanderer."
"Factions, ethnicities, beliefs, countries—those things are like clothes to , to be taken off and put on as needed."
"But do you have a sense of belonging?"
"If I had to say..."
Li Aozi thought seriously for a mont and then said earnestly:
"I have a feeling that I can only show my true self in this cosmos. Once I leave it, I beco nothing."
"From that perspective, my belonging is this Starry Abyss."
It was another one of those conversations where a lot was said, but no information was leaked.
Caral Snail was at a loss for words.
He couldn’t tell if the ga’s AI was just that good or if his probing was too obvious. Li Aozi just wouldn’t buy into it, not even revealing useful information when given small gifts occasionally.
This only made Caral Snail more curious about the task.
’Maybe it’s an exclusive task just for ... Will the rewards be generous? I should probably record a video of my ga journey. Maybe I could make so money from it.’
Being naturally optimistic, Caral Snail felt better thinking this way. Going on tasks with Li Aozi wasn’t unpleasant, so he decided to enjoy the gaming process.
"By the way, where are we going?"
Caral Snail asked.
"Straight ahead, follow the river. Soon, you’ll co to a bridge. Cross it, and you’ll see a road. Then, we’ll head to the city to find soone."
Li Aozi said.
"Aren’t you looking to make money? I thought we were searching for treasure or sothing."
"Strictly speaking, it is treasure."
Li Aozi raised his hand, gazing toward the distant river:
"I’m looking for soone who plays rock music."
............
Scrub, scrub, scrub—
Xia Beiluo sat by the riverbank, scrubbing her clothes and shoes. Her fingers were swollen and white from the water. She hadn’t eaten anything since last night, and now the fishy sll of river snails and small fish made her dazed.
After scrubbing her clothes, she wrung them out and laid them on a rock to dry. The scorching sun made her dizzy as she lay on the grass, daydreaming.
Her rented ho was flooded, the property managent had run away, and the landlord wanted her to compensate for the cheap furniture. Even her second-hand bicycle was broken.
With her savings depleted, where could she find work?
She wasn’t attractive, almost having a boyish face. Even if she sold herself, she wouldn’t make much money. Plus, on Black Snake Gang’s territory, she’d have to pay fees no matter what she did. They had close ties with The Church, handling much of their dirty work.
She lay silently for a while, staring blankly at the grass, pondering her plan.
She could only try her luck at the junkyard again.
When the sun had dried her clothes, she put on her thin shirt and pants again, draping the still-damp coat over her shoulders. Her hair dried naturally in the wind, looking like a tangled ss of straw.
Complaining wouldn’t change anything, only worsening her mood—a lesson Xia Beiluo had learned early on.
As she approached the junkyard, she saw several n blocking the entrance from a distance. She imdiately stopped and hid.
"You really haven’t seen it?" the lead man asked suspiciously.
They wore black hoods with black snake tattoos.
Black Snake Gang’s thugs...
Xia Beiluo crept closer. Her small fra of just above 1.6 ters allowed her to hide behind a trash bin unnoticed.
Several thugs held phosphor lamps, curved blade swords at their waists, looking like they might as well have their ties to the Master of Souls written on their faces.
They seed to be in a heated argunt with the junkyard boss.
"Of course not. I’ve never heard of or seen these things. The Church bans the collection of such items. I’ve lived for over fifty years. Do you think I wouldn’t know?"
Piere, the junkyard owner, said impatiently:
"You atheads don’t use your brains. At least trust your eyes? You turned my place upside down, looking for so kind of casino? Have you ever seen anyone set up a casino in a junkyard?"
The Black Snake Gang mbers were visibly embarrassed, clearly hit by Piere’s words. They mumbled:
"Uh—how would I know? We’re just following orders after hearing sothing from above."
"From above? You an the Ostro Archpriest of this diocese?" Piere asked in surprise.
"You got that right. Ostro Archpriest has already ascended to Gamma Rank. Once he receives the Master of Souls’ blessing, he’ll beco the Grand High Priest. Even the mayor will have to listen to him then."
The gang leader warned:
"So don’t hide anything. The Master of Souls forbids gambling. Casinos can’t be set up! If you get caught, don’t bla for not warning you. The Church’s thods are much crueler than ours..."
"Alright, alright. Just leave. You’ve already ssed up my place!"
Piere waved his hand dismissively, pushing the Black Snake Gang away from the junkyard. The leader, as if fearing Piere might forget, shouted back:
"Rember! No rock music! The Church doesn’t like rebellious stuff."
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