Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'

"Speaker?"

Li Aozi glanced at the ring, releasing his mana to probe:

"There's nothing inside here? It's just an ordinary ring."

"This thing is anything but ordinary." Lucite said from the side, "Hobbs, show him the truth."

"You will soon understand, Leoz."

Hobbs smiled faintly, releasing the restraints on his body, his Zeta Rank (6) quickly dispersed, reverting to the level of an ordinary person.

Moreover, the solidified spells, magic, pathway foundation—everything related to Supernatural Excellence—instantly vanished like smoke, as if he had always been a regular person.

But just this alone was enough to demonstrate something incredible.

"You… have no traces of magical power at all, no sign of training or practice. That's impossible, for anyone who climbs the pathway, the Strength and laws of the Starry Abyss imprint themselves upon the body. Biological signals are precisely detected through the exploration of Starry Abyss imprints."

Li Aozi was shocked:

"But, Hobbs, you have no traces of Starry Abyss on you, even if your power declined, this shouldn't be possible. Unless..."

"Unless I never climbed the pathway."

Hobbs lowered his head, apologetically saying:

"Sorry, Leoz, I deceived you. In fact, I have no Spellcaster abilities."

"You're not a Spellcaster? Then how did you enter the Magic Academy?"

"I know this." Lucite said, "Leoz, you've sensed it before—Hobbs used to often suffer from vomiting, dizziness, and clouded consciousness. In reality, he was paying certain costs to the ring to gain Spellcaster powers for disguise."

"At that time, I just thought he was weak..."

"That's nonsense; this kid is a pure lover through and through."

Lucite lightly elbowed Hobbs, explaining:

"Hobbs' girlfriend, who was once our senior, died during Canyue's terrorist attack on campus, trying to seize Discerning Eye Fragments. The school chose to keep it secret to maintain order and avoid negative impact."

"At that time, the meat-grinding battles of the Eye of the Galaxy hadn't started yet. Both the Crystal Tower and the Night Butterfly Federation hoped to resolve the war quickly. They didn't want the terrorist incident to affect the citizens' sense of security."

Hobbs shook his head:

"I can't believe my lover, my beloved, my indispensable half in life, left due to an 'accident.' She was our local Magical Exam Top Scholar, meticulous and serious in everything, and my mother treated her like her daughter — shortly after the incident, my mother died from excessive grief."

"Condolences." Li Aozi lowered his head in tribute, "But now, both can rest in peace - I killed the Canyue and his precious son."

"For this alone, it might take lifetimes to repay the kindness."

Hobbs looked gratefully at Li Aozi; even after decades, he was still deeply moved.

It was evident he truly loved his girlfriend.

Of course, having matured over the years, he quickly regained composure and said:

"After organizing the funeral, I found this ring among my mother's belongings. One night, I heard a voice:"

"'Meganiros.' He said, 'I am the Mechanical World Speaker, Meganiros, sealed here due to persecution from the Scholars. Child, you have great talent; I sense the emptiness and despair within you, the contempt and hatred for this societal world — as long as you follow what I say, you can have whatever you desire...'"

"My mother had just passed away, and the ruinous, helpless me was so mentally barren I hardly doubted it and believed his words. Meganiros was very clever; he analyzed various issues for me, be it exams or societal phenomena, speaking more incisively than the school's Professor. With his help, I entered Baizhu Interstellar University, him being somewhat like my mentor."

"It wasn't long after arriving at school that I discovered the real culprit behind the attack. However, the purpose of Canyue I remained unable to understand, until Canyue attacked again..."

Meganiros.

Still sealed by the Scholars?

This matter is quite intriguing and warrants a good study.

Li Aozi squinted:

"This sure is the Speaker of the Mechanical World Society... the Hunters Association's 'Social Hunting List' records this."

More critically, the List exists only as a single copy and is actually kept at the Mass Abyss Headquarters of the Hunters Association.

Meaning Hobbs could never have seen the 'Social Hunting List' book.

He speaks the truth; there truly is a Speaker within.

"So it is? As expected, Meganiros constantly told me he was trying to gather partners and needed to use my body to transmit signals, in exchange he would give me some strength to use, even to seek revenge on Canyue..."

"There was indeed a period where the Jury and citizens of the Mechanical World Society appeared on campus, and on the day of Canyue's attack, Meganiros launched an invasion on Baizhu Star."

Li Aozi stroked his chin:

"From this perspective, in some sense, their arrival is related to you."

"...because of my selfishness, resulting in more people suffering."

Hobbs' eyes dimmed:

"If I hadn't believed Meganiros, Baizhu Star wouldn't have been invaded."

"No, you mentioned Meganiros supported your entry into Baizhu Interstellar University—apparently he aimed at the Discerning Eye Fragments stored and protected there."

Li Aozi shook his head:

"Of course, your guilt exists and cannot be shirked. But since Baizhu Star's government vanished long ago, involving sensitive Discerning Eye Fragments, even if taken to the Crystal Tower, no one would dare judge you at this time. If word leaked, attracting Canyue-like bandits, what then?"

"That's true." Hobbs chuckled bitterly, "Mistakes made in youth, I once thought that for love, any price was worth paying. I never imagined hatred would be avenged by my best friend, while the sins arising from my ignorance remain unjudged."

"Crimes must certainly be punished."

Li Aozi said:

"Considering your circumstances, including exposing Canyue and submitting the Mechanical World Speaker, you'll surely face leniency, nothing to fear — transferring you to the Crystal Tower would have to wait until after the war. For now, rest in my manor."

"Reuniting after years only to send a brother to prison."

Hobbs felt a bit sentimental but wasn't averse. He merely looked at Li Aozi, asking:

"Is this protective seclusion?"

"No, just temporary oversight. Involving societal issues is a matter of life and death; I can't indulge or be biased."

Li Aozi didn't evade:

"Even though you're a good friend, an old classmate, I can't let you escape justice."