Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'

"I once conversed with an emperor who called himself the Ancestral Dragon. He guided me on many things about politics and law. You could say it was an enlightenment—then there were Napoleon, Gode, Montesquieu, Da Vinci, Tesla—the entire history of old humanity seemed to be beckoning me."

Gaia propped up her chin and said:

"They say I was born to bear human destiny. I don't know them, yet they know me and are fond of me. Victoria manages colonies for me, Genghis Khan gallops and herds for me, Washington kneels to me with black slaves in submission, and Adolf picks up a pen to draw my eyebrows."

"You are the child of humanity, the hope of Earth—every historical figure I have known or never met has told me this—you are destined to forge territories for humanity in every dimension, every world, and every span of spacetime."

"Humanity is the only truth in the world, and my task is to bring truth to all worlds."

"There were so many historical people who said this to me, I didn't bother to refute them, so I just let them call me whatever they liked."

Before Gaia officially became the Governor of Civilization, she was already an outstanding sociologist.

She proposed numerous important theories that almost eradicated poverty and injustice once and for all. And after she took office, she managed to expand the empire's territory while ensuring continuous happiness for the people through careful planning.

"My dream is simple, pure."

Gaia said with a smile. Even though she had become the Governor of Civilization, she still liked to dress like a farmer's daughter, not caring if this seemed a bit rustic.

Or rather, at her level, her every move, words, and expressions had already become the truth.

"I want the things I love to exist forever."

She held her chin, revealing a gentle smile:

"I like humanity."

"I like the health of hairdressers, the passion of blacksmiths, the mystery of astrologers, the piety of bishops, the humility and caution of tailors, the earnestness of farmers, the generosity of gourmets, the compassion of doctors, the imagination of writers, the ambition of players, the dashing nature of engineers, the loyalty of soldiers, and the justice of teachers."

"These qualities are, in my opinion, the greatest existence of humanity. Even if humanity perishes, and the genes become extinct, as long as these qualities remain, no matter what form humanity takes, humanity will not vanish."

"It's precisely these great qualities that have constructed our beautiful society."

Xia Yubing stared blankly ahead as the silver-haired country girl played with her braid, just as if she were communicating face-to-face:

"I just never thought that the social phenomena I studied back then would leave such consequences, directly affecting the entire society—"

Ding-dong!

The doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting Xia Yubing's thoughts, and the scene of Gaia before her shattered instantly, disappearing without a trace.

"Was it just... a little bit more, Gaia, did she regret something in the end?"

Xia Yubing held her head, immediately trying to recall her memories.

"Influencing the entire society, the entire society... what exactly was it? What did she study? I really want to know!"

Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong!

"Ah, stop it, I'm coming to open the door. Pressing the doorbell so rudely, it must be Kiddo."

Xia Yubing pouted, jumped up immediately, walked to the door, turned the handle, and said unhappily:

"Hey, Jiaozi Niu, you interrupted my thoughts—eh?"

She looked up, facing the stern face of a young man, hesitated for a moment, and said,

"It's not Jiaozi Niu..."

"I just interrupted, sorry." The young man spoke, but there was no sign of apology in his words: "I didn't expect you to be doing research, my actions were too rough, sorry."

"Uh, it's not that big of a deal."

Xia Yubing scratched her chin with her index finger, awkwardly saying:

"Anyway—who are you? A new neighbor? I've never seen you before."

"My name is Ou Shen, a professional player from Qiongyu. Well, let's keep it short."

Ou Shen raised his hand, took out a business card from his pocket:

"Player ID: Xiachong Yubing#9303, I hope you can join our guild."

"...You're not joking, right?"

Xia Yubing looked at Ou Shen in shock:

"My game time is just 800 hours, in Starry Abyss, that's no different from a newbie, right? Are you sure you want to recruit me?"

"Yes, Miss Xia Yubing."

Ou Shen nodded:

"In fact, we are not focused on your gaming abilities—outside the game, there are also many needed auxiliary personnel."

He pointed to the thick collection of books inside Xia Yubing's room:

"You are a language expert, and your gaming skills are also decent. There are many tasks we need your help with."

"But you could find professional scholars."

Xia Yubing finally accepted the other party's business card, confirmed it was genuine, then slightly relaxed but still looked at the other party warily:

"Why specifically choose me? I'm not the best language student, nor am I a professional gamer..."

"Because you are the assistant and manager of Jiaozi Niu."

Ou Shen replied:

"I trust Gio Zie—Jiaozi Niu's judgment, and not long ago, he already proved to me that his strength hasn't diminished."

As he said this, he couldn't help but clench his fist.

—Of course, Gio Zieou hadn't declined, he was still the great warrior who vanquished Society and aided his allies.

Only now, he had become even stronger.

Was it because he had borne Leoz's punishment for too long? Or was it because the pressure from being an Evil God has now been released?

No matter what, Ou Shen was keenly aware that having such a day was all thanks to Starry Abyss.

"You know Kiddo?"

Xia Yubing was stunned, suddenly reacting:

"Wait, a professional player from Qiongyu who knows Jiaozi Niu—doesn't that mean you're Long Yuqiong?!"

"...The ID was assigned by the club, I can't control it."

"No, I didn't mean to say your ID is cheesy and funny."

"But you still mocked it."

"No, no! I didn't mean that, I really wasn't saying your ID is cheesy and funny!"

"Whatever."

Ou Shen handed out the card and didn't concern himself further:

"Jiaozi Niu is a formidable opponent. If he didn't rely so much on Arcane Energy and entirely depended on swordsmanship, I wouldn't be his match—besides, who convinced such a martial arts prodigy to waste so much experience and time on controlling Arcane Energy?"

"Well..."

Xia Yubing said with a sheepish grin:

"You'd have to ask Li Aozi about that... However, Mr. Long Yuqiong, since you mostly engage in PVP, you might not be familiar with this person."

"I'm not too clear about it, but let's talk about it later. Hearing that name gives me a strange sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity."

Ou Shen waved his hand:

"Anyways, I've informed you, whether to join Qiongyu, it's up to you to decide. Regard it as a part-time job."

Xia Yubing shrugged off the comment:

"Then I'll pass, my main job is busy enough already. Plus, I have to take care of that dummy Jiaozi Niu—you've been up against him, so you should know what kind of personality he has! I mean to say, I'm already busy enough with my main job."

"I see, it's my mistake for disrespecting you."

Ou Shen bowed his head apologetically:

"I was going to mention meal vouchers and food subsidies, but you don't seem like someone who would easily be swayed by such offers, and betray a friend."

"Hmph!"

Xia Yubing raised her tiny nose proudly:

"You think those would do the trick with me?"

"Whatever."

Ou Shen handed over the business card and didn't bother anymore:

"Jiaozi Niu is a very capable opponent, if he just didn't focus so much on wielding Arcane Energy at the expense of spending so much experience and time... who managed to convince him otherwise?"

"Well..."

Xia Yubing twiddled her fingers, awkwardly remarked:

"You'd have to ask Li Aozi about that... But you probably don't know this person since, Mr. Long Yuqiong, you usually only play PVP."

"I indeed don't know much about it, but we'll talk again later."

Ou Shen casually closed the folder and casually said:

"In any case, I've informed you, it's your decision whether to come to Qiongyu. Consider it a part-time job."

Xia Yubing's disbelief was evident:

"Eh?"

"Well then, I guess we say goodbye here, this dirty money shouldn't sully someone who values friendship so much."

Forty-five minutes later, in the Bingji Club.

"So, I joined Qiongyu in the end."

Xia Yubing took a sip of her coffee and said to the director:

"Sorry, boss, but Long Yuqiong made an offer that was hard to refuse. The monthly salary alone is enough to buy three vending machines. However, it's just reconnaissance! Just reconnaissance! Reconnaissance, nothing else!"