234. You have the right to remain silent, but "Star Abyss" is a…
As for "how Leozi fell," Sophia Marlin's answer isn't much different from what the Machine Realm councilors said.
It was likewise the infant-form Morphedria, likewise Leozi being killed in battle by the [Secret Society].
But Sophia mentioned a piece of information that caught his attention.
"...[Secret Society] has three council leaders?"
"Yes." Sophia said, "Inside the Hidden group, there's a saying:"
"Taxes go to the [Emperor], faith goes to the [Scholar], and everything else goes to the [Collector]."
"Emperor, Scholar, Collector… Doesn't seem like they share anything in common at all?"
Li Aozi was somewhat surprised:
"Honestly… I didn't see that coming. Three council leaders—doesn't that mean she constantly has three Omega-tier powerhouses at her command?"
Previously, Yavanna had told him about discord within the Hidden Council. He thought it was mere disputes among its council members, never imagining it was a conflict on this level.
"Not exactly..."
Sophia replied solemnly:
"The [Secret Society] basically takes a free-range approach to managing its council leaders, and the three leaders of the Hidden have their own ways of remaining concealed within civilizations. Compared to ordinary citizens, jurors, and council members, these three are invisible to outsiders. Perhaps entire civilizations have already become the private domain of these three leaders—and they don't even realize it."
"That's pretty impressive…" Li Aozi stroked his chin, eyes pensive.
All of a sudden, he thought of something: could it be that the 'cognition filter' of the Qiqiao Network exists precisely to protect players?
After all, "Star Abyss" and the real world share the same physical rules. If the Hidden council leaders truly possess such terrifying infiltration and stealth abilities, then the cognition filter of the Qiqiao Network may well have emerged to prevent their infiltration.
Judging from the outcome, the cognition filter in the Qiqiao Network has only grown more and more airtight, strictly barring the Hidden from the players' view. In a sense, it's already succeeded.
"Entities in the game can affect reality… What in the world is "Star Abyss"? Or rather, if I'm Leozi, how did I go from dying beyond the Abyss to becoming a citizen in reality, and then transmigrating here into "Star Abyss"?"
With so few leads at hand, Li Aozi couldn't draw any conclusions right now.
"That's all I know about Leozi." Sophia Marlin nodded. "Anything else?"
"Nothing else comes to mind for now."
Li Aozi shook his head.
"All right, then see you in a few thousand years. Don't bother me otherwise."
Sophia Marlin walked off without a trace of courtesy.
Li Aozi didn't mind. After all, Ascendants of the [Eerie] lineage are always like this… If one of them acted perfectly normal, that'd be more suspicious!
If a [Eerie] Ascendant can speak nicely, it's either to scam your money or to take your life.
He'd already gained plenty of information today, and for now, he couldn't unearth anything else about Leozi's identity.
"Sharguenia… The 'Imitation Truth Elixir' I'm taking also originates from Her. Looks like I'll have to pay Her a visit no matter what."
With that in mind, Li Aozi suddenly noticed teleportation gates opening in the distance, followed by a surge of mages in heavy battle armor pouring out—Zeta rank, Eta rank… powerful auras gathering in waves.
Among them, he glimpsed the figure of Dean Nastisha.
[The mages of the Crystal Tower have finally arrived.]
Li Aozi had already stowed his critical items in his Independent Spacetime Pouch. He glanced at the players under his command, gave them a task to obey his arrangements, and had them lay down their weapons, assuming a docile, harmless stance.
Even though these newcomers were fully armed to the teeth, Li Aozi didn't appear nervous. He greeted them with a natural smile.
"I know what you're here to say."
Li Aozi spread his hands, showing he had no weapons, and offered:
"Just in case, you'd better activate the Higgs Field. My power is too great; you should probably use a weakening spell. Though I believe I'm absolutely innocent and loyal to the [Crystal Tower], you obviously won't believe just my word alone."
The mages exchanged glances, seemingly never having encountered such a cooperative individual before. They activated the Higgs Field and applied spell chains to restrain him. After confirming they had him under control, one of the mages turned to Nastisha and said:
"Dean Nastisha, he's your student. You interrogate him."
"…All right."
Nastisha nodded, stepped forward, calmed herself, and spoke in a steady voice:
"Suspect Leoz, you stand accused of violating the laws and regulations of our civilization. Because our civilization is not part of the Interstellar League, no extradition or transfer statutes apply. We ask your understanding."
"I understand. I am not a citizen of any Interstellar League state or narrative. My only registration is in Trivira City on White Candle Star. I'm a third-year student in the College of Magical Applications at White Candle Interstellar University. You can find my information on the official site."
Li Aozi answered calmly.
Nastisha had told him all this before. Trivira City was destroyed, the archives erased. He'd been prepared from the start and wasn't worried about any investigation.
A nearby mage quickly went online to check his records. Soon enough, they found the modified student file Nastisha had created. He nodded. "Confirmed."
"Suspect Leoz, as an Ascendant of the [Domination] lineage, you concealed your identity and infiltrated White Candle Interstellar University. You caused an elemental riot, then unleashed Omega Energy to battle that thug Remaining Moon, also of the same path, killing him. Now you have appeared at the ruins of the [Machine Society]'s council. Do you admit to these facts?"
"I do." Li Aozi replied calmly.
"You and Remaining Moon both snuck into the university but ended up in a fierce fight. Did you know each other? What were you two after?"
"I don't know Remaining Moon. I enrolled at the university to learn magic, experience campus life, and earn enough graduation points for a diploma from a prestigious school. Under the 'Special Talent Introduction Policy' of Trivira City, graduates of the eight top academies enjoy priority residency privileges. That way I could settle in Trivira, buy a house, and make it easier for my future child to attend school."
Li Aozi explained.
"Then please explain where you actually come from?"
"I'm from a frontier planet near Valkyrie Fortress. I was down on my luck for years, scraping by as a mercenary at Valkyrie Fortress. More recently I took on assignments in the Valenkov Autonomous State."
Li Aozi continued:
"I don't have much education, and I've paid the price for that. I'm tired of wandering about, so I wanted to find a proper place to settle down. The immigration requirements for other civilizations are too strict. Because White Candle Star is outside the Interstellar League yet has excellent educational resources, it's my first choice."
Nastisha listened to Li Aozi's words, pausing for a few seconds before remarking:
"…So you're saying that everything you did—defeating Remaining Moon, resisting the [Machine Society]—was all just for the sake of immigrating and settling down?"