247. The Secret Gaia
"Sigh, what a pity. At Zeta-tier (6), without support from any Narrative, he still managed to repel the marauder-type [Mechanical Society]. That's no ordinary feat."
A companion analyzed:
"Even the 「United Group」, which had a grudge against Leoz, gave up the dispute and sent people to investigate and make contact. Leoz's value is probably still underrated…"
"Of course. Someone like him is bound to be taken in by a Narrative-level civilization first. Let's report this to the Empire of Heroes."
He shrugged, then suddenly thought of something:
"By the way, if he does join a Narrative, do you think they'll let him ascend to godhood? Or train him as part of a deep-dive team?"
"Hard to say. Ascending to godhood only requires Kappa-tier (10). Theoretically, you don't even need to enter Star Abyss. It's mainly a combat power reserve against [Society]. As for the deep-dive team…"
Before his colleague could finish, he slapped his forehead:
"Right, the deep-dive team plunges into Star Abyss, contacting the various Narratives, unleashing their potential and collecting treasures. It's meant to train the core cadres of Narrative-level civilizations. You can't really count on first-generation immigrants for that. But given Leoz's achievements, his second-generation direct descendants will definitely make it into the deep-dive team."
"Yes. Star Abyss is where potential is unleashed and 'truth' is understood. Anyone who's gone down rarely wants to return to the surface. But since they're funded by surface-level forces of the Layered Abyss, if they leave that system, they're like water without a source when they're in the Boundary Abyss. A Kappa-tier (10) who's a war machine in the Layered Abyss is merely at the threshold of the extraordinary in the Boundary Abyss."
Finishing his explanation, he shook his head:
"This is how we Narrative-level civilizations maintain loyalty among the strong. We're never afraid they'll leave and strike out on their own—if they can actually pull that off, it means our pond was too small to hold a big fish like that. Letting them go early might even earn goodwill."
"Is that what they call the Philosopher-King's wisdom? Not everyone sees it from that angle."
"Yes. The Philosopher-King's big-picture mindset and tolerance are the guiding principles. That's likely how the Empire of Heroes will approach this. But with other Narratives, it's anybody's guess."
"Ugh, Star Abyss…do you think it really cares about creations like us? Why does it divide itself into so many layers, separating each layer's Narrative civilizations?"
"Not something we can worry about on a 3,000-Anjin monthly salary." His colleague shrugged. "Come on, if the Valkyrie Fortress lead is a dead end, let's go investigate elsewhere."
"Where to next?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
He smiled and opened his communicator:
"On-site reporting—let's head to the battlefield on White Candle Star."
.........
"New version boosts [Domination] considerably. Background hints at Star Abyss main god Leozi? Gamma-tier fully unlocked. Next version teases stepping into the cosmos?"
Sunshine fell on Xia Yubing's shoulder. She slightly raised her hand to block the glare.
Today she wore a one-shoulder tank top and canvas pants, draped in a thin shawl. Her hair was ion-permed and tied in a ponytail, giving her a trendy, radiant look.
"Wow, there's a lot of "Star Abyss" leaks this time. I might just quit my government job and focus on leveling."
Scrolling through the forum, Xia Yubing saw apologies to Li Aozi, [Domination]-type players celebrating, and players hypothesizing that this update aimed to align players with outer space.
Meanwhile, as the current version neared its end, various tournaments were being organized.
But Xia Yubing's thoughts were simpler:
Finally, she could catch up to Jiao Ziniu's progress.
She felt annoyed whenever Caramel Snail casually mentioned his daily activities with Cumin Powder during chats.
Praising another woman or comparing her in front of one woman was practically dancing on a minefield.
'This time, I have to seize the opportunity and find a path into outer space ASAP. I'll soar right past that vixen!'
Poof!
Jiao Ziniu plopped down in front of her, panting:
"I'm here! Whew—sorry, so sorry…"
"You're so~ slow~, Ziniu!"
Xia Yubing puffed her cheeks, then sniffed twice and clamped a hand over her nose:
"What's that smell… Jiao Ziniu, how long have you been stewing in that game pod?"
"Not that long, only about 27 hours." Jiao Ziniu shrugged nonchalantly.
Xia Yubing raised an eyebrow:
"'Only'? Aren't you a science and engineering guy? That's a crazy amount of time to be gaming—did you enroll in Star Abyss University's e-sports major, grinding AOEs nonstop?"
"No way. Actually, my teammates play even harder than I do; I can't keep up, especially Cumin Powder—"
"You're bringing up that woman again!" Xia Yubing crossed her arms in annoyance. "Today's my birthday, and you're talking about another woman right in front of me? What's wrong with you?"
"I can't help it, she's my most frequent partner—maybe you should hurry and level up!" Jiao Ziniu scratched his head, then suddenly remembered: "You might not know yet, but White Candle Star now belongs to Li Aozi. Once you hit Gamma-tier, I'm sure Li Aozi will handle transportation and travel issues. Then we can team up."
"Really… But I thought you got along great with those pro players." Xia Yubing felt a spark of delight, though she turned her head to feign concern. "I wouldn't want to get in your way and ruin your future…"
"Well, although they treat me well, you and I have a closer bond."
Jiao Ziniu spoke candidly while lifting a gift bag:
"Happy birthday, Miss Xia Yubing. To celebrate your 18th year since hatching into the world, here you go."
"Hmph—eh-heh."
Xia Yubing couldn't hide her smile as she took the gift bag and peeked inside:
"Oh? What's this?"
She spoke as she opened the gift box, revealing an ancient-looking book.
"A paper book…and it's an antique."
"Aren't you studying ancient languages and literature? I specifically looked into archaeological finds around the cosmos. This one was well-preserved and available for purchase, so I figured it might be useful to you. I went ahead and bought it." Jiao Ziniu explained.
"Such a precious gift…" Xia Yubing glanced at him, her bright eyes gleaming. "Thank you, I love ancient books! You're awesome, Ziniu—I love you to bits."
"Heh, it's nothing." Jiao Ziniu scratched his head. "Actually, I'm curious. The writing on it isn't in our Yanxia language or any Terra-based script—what is it?"
"You're asking the right person. This is my specialty."
Xia Yubing almost wanted to plant a kiss on him, but she was more drawn to the old book in her hands. Flipping a few pages, she said:
"This is a very ancient language, not from our local civilization. Simply put, it's an alien language."
"It's clearly an alphabetical system—vowels, consonants, all neatly structured. Seems quite straightforward… Hmm, about 26 letters. I recall a record in the database. Let me compare…"
"Aha—there it is."
After checking, Xia Yubing exclaimed excitedly:
"It's labeled as a language called English. It doesn't belong to our linguistic family. It's quite primitive in structure and super easy to learn. I can master it right now—activating my auxiliary learning function… Alright, I've learned 'English.' Hmm, I even picked up a famous quote: 'To be or not to be…'"
"Don't speak a foreign language—you're giving me a headache," Jiao Ziniu muttered in curiosity. "So what does the book actually say?"
"Let's start by translating the title."
Xia Yubing eyed the cover and read it fluently in the alien language known as 'English':
""Society Is My Home—The Ether Civilization's Chief Consul: Gaia·Secret Personal Biography"."