029. Jania
「Of course it was that idiot Liedvedens. He was Sharpfang Peak's successor. When he died, he should've chosen a new sword-bearer—but instead, he stubbornly hid me away! That idiot, that stupid pig, he betrayed Sharpfang Peak's expectations!」
The divine sword was quite resentful:
「Liedvedens was a coward. He should have kept fighting! Society had already launched a full-scale invasion of White Candle Star, and our people were suffering torture and slaughter, but he hid me away, refusing to use the god's power. How foolish.」
Li Aozi blinked.
—Liedvedens... was exactly the heroic commander of the [Hero of Phalicia] ruins.
He hesitated for a moment and asked:
[Uh, are you sure? Is it possible that Liedvedens could no longer fight and was just preserving his strength by hiding the weapon so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands... It's just a hypothesis, not necessarily true.]
「I'm certain. Liedvedens was in his prime as a warrior! He was only 35, riding a tall horse, wielding blades and magic, looking exactly like a young Sharpfang Peak... yet he gave up the fight.」
The sword's tone was filled with frustration and anger:
「Sharpfang Peak died in battle, as a god, on the path of resisting invaders. Liedvedens, on the other hand, refused to use my power, treating me as a relic and treasure—this is an insult to Sharpfang Peak. I will never forgive him, never!」
Although Li Aozi hadn't seen the entire storyline, the information he had gathered so far allowed him to piece things together.
According to the game's background lore, the Phalicia civilization was a group of refugees from Haynes Star. They resettled on White Candle Star but were still hunted by [Society].
The last hero of Phalicia, 'Sharpfang Peak,' was a hardliner who firmly opposed the invasion of [Society] and nearly ascended to godhood.
But even as a god, he was powerless against the fierce onslaught of [Society]. In his final moments, Sharpfang Peak passed his weapon to his successor, Liedvedens, hoping he would continue the fight with the divine sword.
Liedvedens clearly didn't live up to that hope, or he wouldn't have turned into a twisted wraith, lurking in the underground ruins. He hid the divine sword his mentor passed to him, abandoning the fight, and instead took on the role of guarding the ruins.
Judging by the outcome, it seemed Phalicia civilization had been wiped out by [Society].
However, the divine sword didn't know this outcome.
As a divine weapon, it had no concept of time. It had been thousands of years since the fall of Phalicia, and White Candle Star had since become the academic planet of the Crystal Tower Civilization.
After conversing for a while, Li Aozi discovered that the divine sword held significant animosity toward Liedvedens.
Even after all this time, it couldn't let go of the fact that Liedvedens had hidden it away.
The sword loved and longed for its former master and had once respected Liedvedens as Sharpfang Peak's successor. But Liedvedens had stashed it away in silence, neglecting the sword completely.
This was something the divine sword could not accept.
But the sword didn't know that thousands of years had passed, and Liedvedens was no longer the gallant knight he once was—he had become a twisted wraith.
「If you ever meet Liedvedens, you must use me to cut off his head! He betrayed Sharpfang Peak... Unforgivable.」
While still fuming, the sword acknowledged Li Aozi's presence:
「Well then, current sword-bearer, do you have anything else you want to ask? It looks like you're not planning to melt me down and sell me as iron, which is great. You must be smart because my blade is made of adamantine and mithril—it would be a huge loss to sell me as iron.」
Li Aozi followed the players' discovered strategy and continued asking:
[What are your thoughts on Sharpfang Peak?]
「Sharpfang Peak, Kario Smith. He was my creator and master. He was a brave warrior, a fearless god. I could use every beautiful word I know and still fail to describe how great he was—his only flaw was that he died.」
The sword's tone suddenly became somber.
[My name is Li Aozi.]
Li Aozi said.
「Leozi? What a common name. I know many people name themselves after gods and angels, hoping to bless their future—but, uh, no offense, that name is dumb, and it suits you.」
The divine sword, unaffected by the system's [Charisma], bluntly commented:
「You look pretty good, but your name is stupid. If I were you, I'd call myself 'Supreme Cosmic Overlord' or 'Invincible Iron Tyrant' or 'Sky God Emperor of Divine Might.'」
Li Aozi didn't have the energy to comment on the sword's naming skills and continued asking:
[I'm hunting [Society]. Will you assist me?]
「Hunt [Society]? Oh, sure! But let me make this clear: I won't recognize you as my master. Even though Liedvedens betrayed me, he's still my master. You'll need to deal with him before I acknowledge you.」
Li Aozi's system immediately popped up with a side quest: [Awakening of the Divine Sword]. Without even looking, he knew what the reward would be.
Divine weapons that fall into the hands of players often come with such quests for 'master recognition,' 'awakening,' or 'completion.' This 'blacksmith's sword' was one of the few divine weapons that players could obtain, and Li Aozi had done this quest before.
Unlike the main storyline, which was full of thrills, or the fun side quests, divine weapon quests were long and tedious—either repeatedly grinding materials or running back and forth on errands. The only redeeming feature was that divine weapons could talk, providing some entertainment on the road. Otherwise, most players who got a divine weapon wouldn't want to waste time doing the quest.
Having a divine weapon didn't necessarily make you stronger than using a regular one, but if you committed to a specific weapon type, the divine weapon could grow with you.
The 'blacksmith's sword' quest was relatively simple. This weapon had support and logistics capabilities. While Li Aozi couldn't conveniently carry a bio pool around, having the 'blacksmith's sword' meant he could roam the universe freely.
[You've been dormant for a long time. People now call you the 'Sword of Destiny's Awakening.' How do you feel about that name? Can I call you that?]
「Too cringy. It feels like it should be called 'Ultimate Invincible Light God Overlord Tyrannosaurus Rex Saint Supreme Ruler Dark Emperor Immortal Holy Sword.'」
The sword sharply critiqued.
Li Aozi twitched at the corner of his eye, barely holding back a laugh, as he continued following the strategy guide:
[That name is too grand and powerful for me. As a mere mortal, I can't bear such a title.]
「In that case, for your sake, you can call me that.」
The sword, seeing that Li Aozi was in awe of the name it had invented, immediately displayed generosity and consideration:
「Jania.」
A slender girl's silhouette slowly appeared in front of Li Aozi. She had dark golden hair, goat-like horns, and flawless metallic skin with no visible wrinkles. Her bronze eyes looked directly at Li Aozi, full of curiosity.
"I am called Jania. To Kario, this was a name of reverence and love."
Jania approached Li Aozi, crossing her arms and looking up at him:
"By the way, if we're using human gender categories, I'm an Alpha male. If you're interested in me, I'll pin you to the ground and OO you."
"What kind of human gender categories are you using?"
Li Aozi retorted.
"Huh? Don't you people have more than two genders?"
"I'm Tanas human, so we only have two biological sexes, and I identify as male."
"Weird."
Jania commented strangely:
"Your diversity is terrible. In Phalicia, we had three main categories: ABO, and 97 sub-genders."
Li Aozi had no energy left to argue.
Ever since encountering the 'Bride' Alexia, he had already realized that the ancient people played a much wilder game than modern folks.