097. Special Treatment
White Candle Star, surface, Trivira, City Council Hall.
A pale blue ice crystal beetle slowly landed in front of the door. This expensive and rare mount symbolized a high-ranking mage, drawing many passersby to stop and watch. For the usually desolate City Council, it was as if a bomb had gone off.
All administrative staff put down their work and rushed downstairs to welcome the man stepping off the ice crystal beetle, whose gray uniform of the Ministry of Education was particularly striking at this moment.
"Professor Atkez, why have you come here all of a sudden?!"
From afar, Mayor Menfil Weilan hurriedly approached, his face breaking into a smile:
"You could have at least informed me. I haven't even prepared a proper welcome. Please, come to my office. I have a batch of premium tea from a narrative-level civilization—"
"Let's put the tea aside for now."
Atkez waved his hand dismissively and, following Menfil's lead, headed straight for the private office, dismissing servants and secretaries. After setting up a soundproof barrier and ensuring everything was secure, he finally spoke:
"Mayor Menfil, I'll get straight to the point—I'm here on important business, something that Minister Balkomon has entrusted you to handle."
Menfil's eyelid twitched, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he tentatively asked:
"Is it about the 'Holy Maiden of Danger-Seeking'..."
"Virlia's situation is insignificant now. Currently, Galactic Eye knows nothing of what's going on. Please cooperate with our Ministry of Education, Mayor, and work on ideological promotion, encouraging young spellcasters to prepare for battle, and actively organize tactical training for workshop leaders."
Atkez slightly altered the phrasing. Balkomon's original words were to select the elite from among the students to prepare for future wars, but Atkez thought that would cause significant negative repercussions. The students were still young, had promising futures, and lacked life experience. Their psychological fortitude on the battlefield would be far inferior to that of mature spellcasters.
Even with Atkez's softened wording, Mayor Menfil's face turned pale instantly.
"Father of Crystal!" Menfil exclaimed in panic, "Are we defeated? What should we do now?"
"Calm down, Mr. Mayor. This is the interstellar age. Losing one war won't determine the destruction of an entire civilization. If we can't win in a hundred years, we'll fight another hundred years. The universe has plenty of time."
Atkez reassured him, trying to bolster his morale, and then added:
"You previously reported a student named 'Leoz'?"
"Yes, do you remember? That kid is a real genius. It's not unheard of for someone to score full marks in five minutes, but those people are usually extraordinary Zeta-tier individuals, while Leoz is merely a Gamma-level mortal."
Speaking of this, Menfil's complexion softened considerably, and his tone became more cheerful:
"It's just a pity that the committee transferred him to White Candle Interstellar University. Wouldn't it have been better if he'd gone to the main campus?"
"This is for the best. The requirements on the home planet are strict, and the academic atmosphere is stagnant. Our place is much more suitable." Atkez nodded. "By the way, I remember you were planning to promote this student, right?"
"Of course! A farmer from a poor backwater, changing his fate through exams—it's perfect propaganda material, right? If we put it in the Night Butterfly Federation, it would definitely make many of the lower-class Cyrites (the destitute class in the Night Butterfly hierarchy) envious."
Menfil clapped repeatedly. Under his governance, having such an outstanding student in Trivira was a tremendous blessing. Utilizing his talent would undoubtedly enhance his political achievements.
"We were even planning to award Leoz a special scholarship. I had my secretary arrange an interview, and we were going to make a documentary and release it. No matter what happens in the future, for now, he can serve as the best role model. Our White Rainbow Star will certainly be highly praised by the Grand Council next year, and we'll receive more funding..."
However, Atkez's next words shattered Menfil's dreams.
"In that case, cancel his special treatment."
Atkez said solemnly:
"Leoz's situation is sensitive right now. Don't let outsiders know his identity. Downplay his identity and achievements. The minister wants us to treat every student fairly and justly."
"But someone like Leoz could inspire many families to value education more—"
"Mayor Menfil," Atkez pointed out the window, "Leoz is connected to 'that'..."
Menfil was puzzled, and he looked in the direction Atkez pointed.
He saw a statue.
Menfil's head buzzed, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
"I see, I see now..." He took out a handkerchief to wipe himself, his tone unnatural, "If it's related to the gods, then keeping it secret is more than justified."
"Leoz might be a naturally-born deity, and in this day and age, that's a sensitive matter. It's best not to mention it." Atkez sighed, "Not sending him to the home planet was also due to his identity. This is a complicated matter, and you need to handle it carefully. Get the publicity department to act, and suppress any mention of Leoz. I will also implement some controls in the academy—overall, just make sure no one notices there's a 'deity' among us."
Sometimes, having something valuable is dangerous in itself. No one knew if Leoz's current situation might attract ill-intentioned individuals. It would take time to observe.
On the other hand, Leoz's mysterious identity and formidable power, once fully revealed, would undoubtedly cause trouble.
The higher-ups of the Crystal Tower didn't want to give up their study and observation of a deity, nor did they want Leoz to stir up big trouble. It would be better to keep Leoz close, stabilize his emotions, and downplay his existence.
"Understood. I'll cancel the interviews and reports on Leoz immediately. The public opinion agencies will be mobilized to ensure that no one in Leoz's hometown knows his exam results." Menfil quickly formulated a response.
Atkez sighed in relief:
"That's good. I'll also take care of forging and concealing Leoz's presence at the university, ensuring he doesn't stand out."
Unfortunately, he wasn't very familiar with White Candle Interstellar University. This school didn't fall under the Ministry of Education but was directly governed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Balkomon thought it was fine as long as Leoz wasn't exposed to the political figures of the Crystal Tower. The university had mostly foreign students, which made it an ideal setting.
All Atkez could do was adjust Leoz's ranking in the placement system to make it appear above average.
'Well, they're all foreign students anyway, with cultural and language differences. Leoz shouldn't cause any issues there.'
The various countries had sent elite noble students, and with their backgrounds and upbringing, they should be able to provide considerable help to Leoz, expanding his horizons.
............
Li Aozi's return to school went smoothly. He strolled and took his time, eating and drinking, like he was on a field trip.
He was able to be so leisurely for a reason. Earlier, he had studied the media reports. The tranquil landscape reassured him.
"The Education Bureau of White Candle Star seems to be downplaying my identity."
Not only that, but when Li Aozi opened his personal terminal and searched for news about himself in the interstellar space, he found that articles and videos related to 'Leoz' and 'Vanlenkov' were rapidly decreasing. Instead, a bunch of obscure internet influencers with the same name were dominating the content under 'Leoz.'
As a streamer, Li Aozi knew what this meant: traffic suppression.
Unlike the internet technology of Azure Star, which relied on archaeological inventions, the virtual network services in the Layers were advanced and sophisticated. Conducting media control was too easy. Even historical tragedies that genuinely occurred could be directly buried deep in hazardous collapse zones. Trying to use the network to find the truth buried there was less effective than searching in a black hole.
"Hmm... in the short term, this is a good thing. It seems like White Candle Star is suppressing my news to protect me."
To verify his speculation, Li Aozi took out an information rune that he hadn't used for a long time, connected to the planetary network, and checked the education network of his school.
When Li Aozi searched for his academic information, a message popped up immediately: [Suspected privacy breach, access denied].
"I can't even access my own academic information—interesting. It seems the higher-ups of White Candle Star really value me."
Li Aozi rubbed the chin of his disguised head, deep in thought:
"What benefits do I offer?"
"Or is White Candle Star so desperately short of talent? Has the frontline deteriorated so much that they're willing to send an unknown individual to the battlefield?"
"Whatever the case, White Candle Interstellar University is a higher education institution for foreign students, especially to showcase the strength of the Crystal Tower's allies. My school life should still be relatively safe."
Li Aozi had a relatively positive impression of the Crystal Tower civilization. After all, in this war, Crystal Tower leaned more towards the just side, and dealing with a single-theocracy civilization like the Night Butterfly Federation wasn't in line with Li Aozi's way of doing things. The prevailing trend in the universe was inclusivity and diversity, and sticking to old ways in the cosmos was simply outdated.
Strolling along, sightseeing, Li Aozi suddenly remembered something and casually shared the news of his successful enrollment with the other members of the scholarship association.
First was Cardife, who was on good terms with him.
"What? Brother Leoz, you've already enrolled?"
"Yes, classes start the day after tomorrow."
"That's great. I've contacted Miti and the others, and everyone's results are out too. Let's all come out and celebrate."
"I'll pass... I don't like crowded places."
"Aw, come on, it won't be many people. Just the scholarship group, and everyone's busy with school. Not many will come."
Li Aozi thought for a moment; this was part of university life, so he agreed:
"Alright then."
"Awesome, I'll add you to our new group chat. The last one got reported for someone posting erotic pictures and political discussions."