NOVEL NEXT 048. I, Li Aozzi, Have Never Betrayed Any Homeland
- I, Li Aozzi, Have Never Betrayed Any Homeland
"Hmm," Yavanna smiled, "Your words don't sound like something someone with just a vocational school education would say."
"So what?"
"Li Aozzi, male, Frost, 21 years old, vocational school education, bank security guard, not on good terms with your family. When the police visited, they complained you hadn't sent them any money."
Yavanna said:
"To be honest, from both genetic comparison and record registration, we couldn't find any evidence linking you to the Red Arrow Empire. But after you left your home in Prosperity Village and came to the border city, you showed a completely different side."
"Toying with spirits, burning the bank, intimidating snakeheads under the guise of the Rose Army—these actions were quick and decisive, and in less than five hours, you smuggled yourself out of the country to the outside world. According to you, if it weren't for the Abyss Humanitarian Relief taking you in, you might have already contacted people from the Red Arrow Empire, right?"
Qiu Ran widened her eyes, looking at Li Aozzi with admiration.
"So?" Li Aozzi opened one eye, then closed it again, exchanging a glance with Nomi, who rolled her eyes at him, clearly sulking.
"Li Aozzi, biologically, you should still be Li Aozzi."
Yavanna paused and said:
"However, in this age of the internet, it's not uncommon for netizens to be inadvertently infiltrated and bought by foreign forces. You're very young, easily corrupted by the enticing world and the blueprints they draw."
"I want to remind you that the Red Arrow Empire is not as great as the spy organizations that trained you say it is. Many of their lower-class citizens still live in misery. Frost is your true—"
"If you want to convert me, there's no need. Your charm doesn't work on me."
Li Aozzi glanced at Yavanna's delicate face. She indeed looked good, with neat features, not at all like the weathered and heavily made-up agents of Law IV. Instead, she seemed like a well-mannered, sheltered young lady.
Thinking this, Li Aozzi suddenly had an idea.
[My charisma attribute isn't low, I could just persuade her to join me as an enforcer.]
Why should I snatch it?
Why was my first reaction to spend money on draws?
Li Aozzi realized this problem.
Could it be that I was used to being a domineering player?
Li Aozzi glanced at his attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 5, Constitution 7, Charisma 21, Willpower 8.
Considering the benefits of the specialization [Everlasting • Love Hunter], his Charisma was effectively 27.3, close to the Alpha tier limit.
At this level of Charisma, gaining favorability would be much faster than for regular players. It would take others three to four months to reach 500 favorability points, and some arrogant NPCs might take two versions' worth of time.
Li Aozzi only needed about ten days.
He recalled the calculation formula between favorability and Charisma, realizing that after flying solo for so long as a Starfall Master, he almost forgot how lethal this attribute was to NPCs.
Calculating, Li Aozzi estimated that without saying anything wrong or doing anything that touched her principled bottom line, interacting for two hours a day, he could win over Agent Yavanna in just 16 days.
If he advanced to the Alpha tier and got the tier bonus, it might take less than 10 days.
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
What is the Charisma attribute for?
Enhancing the strength of abilities!
Duh! It's for persuading people!
The heads and leaders of cosmic civilizations, even if they weren't transcendent masters, had Charisma no lower than 300.
[With my Charisma attribute, gaining favorability won't be slow. Then, using the White Wax Fantasy Crystal would only cost 168 points—wow, that's a deal!]
The team was missing a soul damage dealer, and the Medium profession could fill that gap.
Anyway, according to Li Aozzi's thinking, human talent is for team experience gain, no reason not to use it.
He planned to form an elite team in the early and mid-stages, with the best teammate configurations mostly found in the Celestial Ring or Red Arrow.
Like his long-coveted big brother from the Celestial Ring, with high growth potential, the kind that could amaze aliens in the universe.
No other NPC teammate gave him as much security as that big brother.
Nomi, being a raider, had some growth potential and could be used for a while longer until he found a reason to let her go.
Once Qiu Ran got her ability, he wouldn't have to worry about her; she had nothing useful.
Since these enforcers would eventually be replaced, Li Aozzi saw no need to be too strict. Bringing Yavanna over would add a Medium to the team.
This profession was rare. Although Li Aozzi was half a spellcaster, his gravity abilities primarily dealt physical damage early on, so adding some magic damage would be very cost-effective.
Worst case, she could be a tank or emergency food supply.
Arrogance indeed blinds people.
Li Aozzi began to feel fortunate he realized this problem in time.
On one hand, it's better to realize it now than during a battle when things could change unpredictably.
Who knows, a black luxury car could show up, and a bunch of rifle-wielding killers could jump out and shoot him down.
On the other hand, from a practical standpoint, coupons were a non-renewable resource, getting scarcer with use.
Coupons were part of the game's trading system, a way for the developer to milk players, difficult to grind out on your own without events or ladder rewards.
Li Aozzi aimed to save as many coupons as possible.
Once he reached space, those coupons could make him rich overnight.
Spending on a 20-draw impulsively was a mistake.
I was wrong, I repent, no more gacha.
Li Aozzi sighed: times have changed; he needed to budget carefully.
But then he thought something was off.
"I never liked gacha before, just bought the pass and battle pass. Why did I get so hooked this time?"
He had purchased a [Ticket to Trekie's Exhibition Hall] but didn't use it immediately. Instead, he examined it closely, turning it over and over until he noticed something.
The ticket's patterns weren't just decorative; they were written in complex runes with special dust. Comparing them with some symbols in his memory, he figured it out.
"Dragon Language."
Li Aozzi squinted his eyes:
"Although I can't recognize the exact meaning, I'm sure these letters are only in Dragon Language."
The dragon race in cosmic civilizations was very mysterious. Li Aozzi couldn't recall which version they appeared in—though his previous life's gear was mainly made from Void Dragons, the specifics of dragon civilization were unclear.
"This thing shouldn't be touched. Dragon Language has mysterious powers, possibly inducing spending or amplifying desires."
If it's the former, fine. If it's the latter—
For the first time since his rebirth, Li Aozzi felt a strong sense of crisis. He hated things spiraling out of his control. As people said about [Mastery] players, they preferred giving up something rather than being controlled by others.
It seemed they were right.
Li Aozzi put away the last [Ticket to Trekie's Exhibition Hall], deciding to seal it and not use it again. His mind and willpower were paramount and shouldn't be violated.
He glanced at Nomi, whose favorability had dropped to 198 points. Nomi was still an important frontline and helper, so he needed to make it up.
Yavanna seemed normal, with some skills, but essentially just a recent university graduate.
Trying to persuade and convert him was naive, but understandable. New graduates often held overly optimistic views about society.
Especially those from Frost's top universities, whose experiences and understanding were vastly different from the common people's.
Most of them were like white lotus flowers, overly trusting in the state and future, full of youthful vigor—until they quickly discovered the reality of endless overtime and difficult clients.
Yavanna seemed like an untested young lady.
This would be fun.
With this in mind, Li Aozzi carefully considered his words and said solemnly:
"Frankly, none of the four countries are good. All of them thrive by sucking the blood of the lower classes, and 70% of the outside world's current state is due to natural disasters, but the remaining 30% is definitely the man-made calamity by your Frost!"
[Prompt: Nomi likes this—Favorability +7]
[Nomi's Favorability: 205]
Yavanna insisted, "Li Aozzi, the emperor is a wicked dictator. People can't enjoy fairness—"
"Fairness? The so-called fairness in Frost is all fabricated by those injustices!"