Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'

Clack.

The door closed, and Aunt Merston's footsteps gradually faded away. Leoz and Rednaya exchanged a glance, finally relaxing.

"Leoz, your aunt is quite something," Rednaya removed the maid's headpiece on her head, looking somewhat relieved, "Is her title 'Lord Ao Sha'? This woman is quite formidable."

"At least she's been good to me, treating me like her own—compared to this."

Leoz pointed at Rednaya:

"How did you think of playing the maid? Using Qinlan Jiuge's body for this?"

"I had no choice; this woman's body reeked of alcohol. I had to use my blood to modify it, which took a lot of effort to suit me. Besides, with the Border Abyss curse, finding a suitable job was already hard enough, and to legally and reasonably approach you, I had to do this."

Rednaya was surprised. She pinched the hem of her skirt and spoke softly:

"What, my dear Prince, don't you like it? A Starry Abyss Main God personally serving you, whether it's for bathing and dressing or accompanying you to bed..."

Before she finished speaking, she sized up Leoz's appearance and then looked relieved.

"Lord Leoz, you didn't say your true body isn't fully mature yet."

"That's not a big deal. Anyway, in about 16 years, I'll be able to merge with the Pathway and truly restore my peak combat power."

"No, no, no, that's not what I mean."

Rednaya stepped forward, towering over the petite Leoz, smiling brightly:

"You didn't say you look so adorable right now."

And she wasn't wrong; Leoz's current form was indeed more adorable than imposing.

His lightly golden short hair casually draped over his shoulders, like morning sunlight woven, soft and smooth, no less than silk. Perhaps because they hadn't set in deeply yet, Leoz's characteristic deep blue eyes were still light in color, not yet reaching the former depth and coolness, more like the clarity of gemstones.

His face was much softer too, lacking the sharpness of adulthood. The serious demeanor on his youthful cheeks, however, made him appear even more endearing.

Leoz frowned: "Be serious, we need to discuss important matters."

"Important matters? Darling, you know that saying such things with such a cute appearance is like a tiger cub roaring, adorable without an ounce of deterrent force."

Rednaya laughed and said:

"Don't worry, no matter what, now I'm your maid sister and won't mistreat you. Feel free to act coy and cute if you like."

"Save your role-play hobby until we've cleaned up the Earthlings."

Leoz sat down in the chair, speaking coolly:

"As you can see, I'm just starting out, and this body is only a year old. If it weren't for species advantages and fast development, I'd still be weaning. Redd, since you're by my side, why not use your Earthly wisdom to give me your thoughts and opinions."

"Thoughts?" Rednaya pondered seriously and said, "I want to eat you."

Seeing Leoz's face darken, Rednaya broke into a dazzling smile, and then said:

"You truly lack a sense of humor—since that's the case, let me propose something."

She raised a hand, projecting a map in front of Leoz:

"Our current strategic objective is clear: develop civilization, quickly accelerate into the narrative phase, or at least give you the ability to join in narrative endeavors. If we don't do this, we have no preconditions for confronting the Secret Society Gaia in the future."

"To confront Gaia, even 13 narratives together would have difficulty. Primordial Abyss knows this, which is why they sent those Descenders to infiltrate each level of Starry Abyss, indirectly turning them into vassals. This is how they consolidate power to directly confront the Secret."

Leoz said:

"What's more, according to my intelligence sources, the Primordial Abyss Will currently has no plans to have an outright confrontation with Earth. They have maintained a policy of appeasement, even feeding the enemy in self-enrichment, which undoubtedly allows Earthly powers to grow stronger unhindered."

"Exactly, although I hail from Earth, I'm afraid I don't have any attachment to it. Even if you asked me to kill all Earthlings, I'd be happy to do so. Given this stance, we might as well aim to quickly establish your independent narrative-level power and preemptively launch an offensive against Earth civilization, thus breaking the current stalemate between the Secret and the Primordial Abyss, forcing a rift."

During serious discussions, Rednaya's insights were keen:

"On the way here, I researched Oxiulia and had a brief chat with your Duchess aunt. Although that woman has some skill and rules with an iron hand, the most pressing issue is your nation lacks any advantage, whether financial or in resources, nothing distinctive."

"You're right, and indeed there's nothing that can be done about it. Oxiulia's major feature is the Dawnbreaker Family's Pathway of 'Redemption', relying entirely on providing medical services to earn foreign exchange, the whole nation is basically founded on this. It's safe to say that the Monarch is the cornerstone of the nation. So, any reform is essentially impossible."

Leoz listed out a document:

"The land in Oxiulia isn't particularly fertile, but it's not too poor either. Water resources might be lacking, requiring the construction of water facilities, which would need many Architects and plenty of labor and materials. Money is definitely needed as well..."

"If domestic reform is hard, then don't reform; keep power central, and perform your duties well as the Duke."

"Infrastructure like water facilities can all be categorized as basic construction issues. Just stimulate construction."

"As for money, money isn't the issue; the issue lies in how you want to develop, in which direction."

Rednaya pointed at the map and said:

"You're unfortunate, Oxiulia is mountainous with few plains. Even if you're recognized as the confederation leader by the Platinum Orchid Confederation, it's of no use; that area is also a rotten land, low wetlands, dense jungles, not rich in minerals either. The fact that you managed this far really relies on the Dawnbreaker Family's lead."

"Speaking of which..."

Rednaya glanced at Leoz:

"Dear, your body's Talent isn't up to par either, nowhere near the standard for the Pathway of 'Redemption'."

"That's a matter for later," Leoz deflected. "You've pointed out so many issues, what's the solution?"

"That's quite simple. Both you and your aunt should have realized that population is a critical issue for Oxiulia's development. But with Underwater Abyss Port closed, you can't immediately bring over lots of Players. Faced with this situation, I've prepared a contingency."

Rednaya enlarged the map, pointing northwest:

"Here is the Sodanland Khanate, outwardly appearing as a state established by a Nomadic Tribe. But in reality, the system is extremely loose, lacking a unified ethnicity, and with a primitive structure. We could look to unite them."

"You're suggesting buying out herders, inviting them to emigrate?" Leoz considered this point: "Indeed, they are proficient at sheep herding and horseback riding, and could offer some transport means."

"Darling, you're too kind," Rednaya lamented, "What I mean is we could turn them into refugees and force them to flee into Oxiulia."

Leoz paused.

This was the first time someone had called him 'kind.'