119. Flexible Bottom Line
Li Aozi really didn't expect that the inspection team would send over 40 people. If it were just the number, he could still handle it—Li Aozi was confident in his movement abilities.
The problem was that each student had a pet and a magisarcophagus, which completely sealed off the area.
Even if he had eyes and ears everywhere, he couldn't evade both the dogs' noses and the magic machine's scans!
Thinking it over for a moment, Li Aozi decided that rather than clashing and forcibly breaking through, it might be better to cooperate and see if he could blend in.
Worst-case scenario, he'd reveal his divine sword and blame everything on Jenia.
As for where Jenia came from? Li Aozi already had the story figured out.
The sword was a family heirloom passed down for eight generations. When he hit rock bottom, he decided to sell it, accidentally cut his finger, dropped his blood on it, and awakened the mysterious Sword Spirit Sister, guiding him down the magical path...
Before Li Aozi could decide whether to embellish it with a "rejected engagement" or a "destined childhood sweetheart" subplot, the inspection team members were already in front of him, instructing him to put his belongings on the ground, clasp his hands behind his head, and squat as they verified his identity.
"Verification complete—he really is a first-year student, and we have chat logs as proof. He was coming to meet with third-year student Mero Alenman."
They lifted Li Aozi up and collected his biological data. No fingerprints or biological residues belonging to Li Aozi were found at the scene.
After their cautious assessment, they confirmed Li Aozi's alibi. He was just an unlucky guy looking for someone.
One student recognized him and came over to ask:
"Aren't you Leoz? The first-year who lost over a hundred points in the first week for learning nothing at all?"
"Yes." Li Aozi answered confidently.
What was once a laughingstock—having lost so many points—had now become the strongest evidence to clear his name.
"Alright, you can go."
The guy waved him off.
As Li Aozi nodded and was about to leave, a female voice called out:
"Wait! The inspection isn't over, is it?"
Li Aozi turned his head, innocently glancing at the source—a typical woman of the Tower Tribe, pale skin and soft features, even through the protective suit and transparent mask, she looked adorably puffed up.
But since he'd seen Grina Waterspout and beauties of her level, attractiveness had lost its novelty.
Especially after daily mirror training, Li Aozi was now immune to anyone's looks.
Now, everyone looked the same to him as Lucite.
"This guy was at the scene; he's a suspect!"
Jenia ran over energetically, demanding:
"He could be the one who started the elemental riot. Why aren't you continuing with the inspection?"
"We searched him, verified his identity, confirmed he had an alibi—didn't we do all that?"
"What about his biological frequency? You guys didn't check that!"
The senior shrugged, explaining to her:
"He's Leoz, don't you know? In the first week, he lost over a hundred points. His path progression is basically zero, still a Gamma-tier nobody."
"Lost a hundred points?!" Jenia was stunned.
"121 points," Li Aozi added.
"—Why do you sound proud of that? Losing 121 points, even if you marked all C's, it wouldn't be that bad!"
Jenia froze, shaking her head, stunned by this information. Still, she wasn't satisfied and said to the senior:
"Even if it's not him, he could be carrying some highly dangerous object..."
"He can't afford it, relax. This guy's from Blue Chrysanthemum Village, a place where even watching the news is considered entertainment."
The senior waved dismissively:
"Anyone could be behind the elemental riot, but it couldn't possibly be this guy."
"To be fair, yes."
"If you told me it was 'Golden Princess' Diaran, I'd believe you. But Leoz? No way."
"Hey, newbie, have you attended any practical magic classes? (Li Aozi showed his class schedule)—Look, he hasn't even taken a single practical course."
Everyone who knew Li Aozi stepped forward to vouch for him, using various examples and facts to prove Leoz couldn't possibly be the real culprit.
Combined with his complete evidence, and a few minutes later, they found the body of Mero the senior he had come looking for. Her information rune also verified Li Aozi's story.
"Look here—'Mero, I've heard you're quite skilled in memory potions. Could you help me craft one to dig into deep memories? I need it to help me improve my studies.'"
A senior held up the broken information rune, swiping through the holographic screen:
"'I know you, Leoz. No worries, come over this afternoon, and we'll have a good talk.'"
He spread his hands:
"See, Jenia? You're alright overall, but you tend to be overly suspicious. Though that's normal for a newbie."
Li Aozi stood quietly, playing the role of an obedient and innocent bystander.
His judgment was indeed right—the 146.88 points he added to [Intelligence] were definitely worth it!
Add in his 204.1 points of [Charisma], his [Kindness Aura], complete evidence, a friendly reputation, and a cooperative attitude—all of it worked in his favor.
"I wasn't wrong, I didn't do anything—"
Jenia was momentarily speechless, but suddenly an idea flashed through her mind, and she pointed at Li Aozi:
"Wait! There's something you didn't check!"
"What?" Several of the inspectors were confused.
Jenia spoke excitedly:
"Colonial status! You didn't check if he's a colonial being—"
"Enough!"
Jenia trembled, and a tall, burly figure in full protective armor walked over, glaring at her through his helmet, then turning to Li Aozi with an apologetic look:
"Sorry about that. Jenia here is just a newbie, didn't mean to give you trouble, first-year."
Li Aozi kept a calm expression and shook his head at this:
"It's fine, suspicion is understandable—you see, there are so many seniors who believe in me."
"Yeah, Leoz. I've heard your name. Don't worry, you're clear. Head on home."
This senior was quite righteous, even handing Li Aozi a protective mask:
"The elemental radiation is strong here. Be careful."
Li Aozi felt a bit touched—this big guy looked simple, but he had high emotional intelligence and showed great care for newcomers.
In fact, it also helped patch up a bug—elemental riots were causing havoc everywhere, yet the third-year seniors were all heavily armored, while he was lightly dressed, making him stand out.
Even though he didn't need protection as an elemental affinity user, he still put on the mask and cooperated by acting as though he'd just felt relieved, further reducing any suspicion.
At this point, Li Aozi decided to play his role to the end:
"Uh, if possible, could I ask the seniors to help look for the potion that Mero had agreed to make for me? It's really important..."
"Forget it, that area is too dangerous, and it's pretty much blown to pieces." The big senior shook his head. "But I can introduce you to someone—she might be able to help."
Saying that, the big guy grabbed his information rune and transferred a contact named 'Wendy Destis' to Li Aozi.
"She's in the Academy of Diplomatic Relations. Just tell her I sent you."
Li Aozi was a bit surprised. He didn't expect such a kind-hearted good guy in this day and age:
"Uh, thanks. But, what's your name?"
"Me? Oh, right—just call me Mordot."
The big guy said casually:
"Full name: Mordotkotel Husserl."