208. [Society] Crusade: Marshgurgon's Gears
The magitech train emerged from subspace, laden with a massive shipment of supplies from Faithkeepe Village, speeding toward Trivira.
Once the proud planetary capital, it was now a scene of ruin and desolation. Corpses hanging in the streets remained uncollected, while cold rain dripped incessantly. Survivors huddled in the mud and cold, exhaling visible breaths. They couldn't even find a single blanket.
With key officials dead, the government had collapsed, plunging Trivira into paralysis. Originally occupying a territory of 1.2 million square kilometers, the city required 600,000 civil servants and 1.2 million employees and enforcers to maintain order. But Remaining Moon's rampage had driven it into total disarray.
No government, no police, no firefighters, no army.
Even though elite forces from the Gladiolus Fortress arrived swiftly, they were spread too thin. They couldn't magically conjure food from thin air, nor could they forcibly relocate citizens en masse from other cities to this wasteland just to provide disaster relief or repopulate it.
In fact, the more advanced a civilization's metropolis was, the more it relied on finely tuned social divisions of labor. They excelled at combat and resolving political incidents but needed grassroots administrative staff to personally visit households and address daily human needs.
Under these circumstances, the magitech train packed with supplies instantly drew attention from the local populace.
"There's a shipment of aid!"
"Food! I smell food!"
"Hey, folks on the train—please spare some water for this pregnant woman!"
The train gradually slowed, automatically laying traction rails as it touched down. One by one, the cargo cars opened, revealing faces quite different from those of the Tanassian people.
About twenty individuals emerged. Their skin was pale as if they'd never seen sunlight. Their power levels weren't high, their auras as weak as goblins—nobody knew what alien race they were.
But none of that really mattered.
These pale-skinned aliens pulled out bag after bag of supplies from the train and passed them onto the ground:
"Don't rush, don't push! There's enough for everyone."
One of the freight cars was emptied in no time. A pallid-skinned crew member sighed in relief, then casually slid a finger across the panel before his eyes:
[Side Quest: "Relief Aid" Completed]
"Finally arrived in Trivira. We also finished the quest we picked up on the way."
Dragon City Dungeon, the leader of the [Board Game Club] guild, nodded in satisfaction.
Ever since Li Aozi issued a new main quest, they'd been racing the clock. They sent their highest-[Charisma] players to negotiate and explain the calamity that had befallen Trivira.
Normally, a single magitech train with tens of thousands of tons of supplies would be impossible, even if they sold Faithkeepe Village. But an organization called the "Scholarship Society" came forward to help, mediating logistics and providing guarantees, ensuring they arrived in time.
Besides the supplies, they also brought along a few items belonging to Li Aozi.
After distributing the supplies, the players were about to search for Li Aozi when a flurry of system messages popped up.
"Hey, Guild Leader, I just unlocked a 'Trivira City Reputation' level!" said a thrilled Xi'ouxi from [Board Game Club]. "We get half-off on purchases and skill training in Trivira City!"
"There's also a new title—[City Hero]. Wow, it gives +5% Mana Regen per second!" exclaimed the Warhammer guy beside him. "Damn, look at all these side quests in Trivira! My quest panel's totally overflowing!"
"Rescue, search-and-recover, water delivery, circuit resets, urgent repairs, lost-and-found—there's no end to them. So many side quests, it's endless."
"But the rewards are awesome. All settled in Dina currency, plus magical bonuses."
For players visiting a foreign planet's grand city for the first time—despite its ruin—Trivira was still deeply impressive.
Towering buildings interlaced with mysterious magical conduits, mage towers piercing the sky, magical creatures flying freely above, paired with Trivira's crumbling remains, exuded an aesthetic akin to post-apocalyptic fantasy.
The main quest Li Aozi issued was essentially done; all that remained was delivering the supplies to him personally.
Now in Trivira City, the players discussed whether to pick up side quests for rewards. At that moment, a figure suddenly tore open a ripple in space, appearing above the train cars.
Pa!
Floating overhead was Li Aozi. He shouted down to the players:
"Comrades from Azure Star, you've come at just the right time. Trivira's crisis is over, but White Candle Star's fate still hangs in the balance."
It was Li Aozi!
[Main Quest "Rescue Lord Aozi"—Completion Condition A Achieved]
[Rewards have been distributed.]
The players received their rewards but didn't leave. They gathered around and fixed their eyes on Li Aozi, blinking expectantly.
Judging from his words, there might be follow-up quests. They'd already gotten up in the middle of the night for this, so why not grind a bit longer before going back to sleep?
Without wasting words, Li Aozi surveyed the assembled players. Apart from Caramel Snail, Cumin Powder, and a few others who were absent, everyone else was here.
[Caramel Snail isn't here? Hmm, maybe he's off looking for a Zeta-tier.]
Li Aozi didn't dwell on it. This crowd was big enough for him. Waving them inside and closing the doors, he spoke in a serious tone:
"The situation remains grave, folks from Azure Star. A few hours ago, Trivira City was attacked by the Zeta-tier criminal known as 'Remaining Moon,' reducing it to what you see now. In the process, he also helped the Night Butterfly Federation obtain two extremely forbidden bits of knowledge—fragments of the Body of the Identification Eye, one of the Three Destroyers."
The players started talking among themselves.
"Identification Eye… that was mentioned in the closed beta trailer, right? It's up there with the [Gemstone Dragon King] and the [Dark Titan] as invaders of Star Abyss."
"Must be the ultimate boss. They're already mentioning Identification Eye in the very first version?"
"But this is a fragment of a final-boss-tier character. Did it really just get stolen like that?"
"Story events. Gotta roll with it."
Li Aozi continued:
"I know you have many questions. For now, these events don't concern us directly—but it's not entirely irrelevant."
With that, he showed them the note Virlia had given him:
"Thanks to a certain someone, I've obtained intel confirming that due to the presence of the Identification Eye fragments, the roaming [Mechanical Society] Mashgegangtook notice. Not long ago, they infiltrated White Candle Star. Sadly, because of Remaining Moon's attack, Mashgegangcould descend at any moment."
By now, the players were somewhat familiar with [Society].
Unlike the indigenous peoples of Azure Star, interstellar civilizations had basic knowledge about the infiltration of [Society]. After mastering the language in Faithkeepe Village, players also learned the basics, so Li Aozi didn't have to explain everything.
Additionally, some players had already discovered the connection between forgeries and [Society].
"Mashgegangis not an enemy we can handle at this stage. Even a Kappa-tier powerhouse might only escape with their life when facing the true form of [Society]—if not outright perish. The entire planet could be devoured, including our homeland, our land, and our people…"
Li Aozi's words were grim. Where moments ago the players were relaxed, they now grew solemn.
"But [Society] is not invincible."