065. The White Obelisk
"The White Wolf ending, huh..."
Li Aozi looked at the final comments, sighed, and shook his head.
The main storyline of "Star Abyss" can only be completed once per person, spanning one or two versions, and is quite long, but the rewards are always plentiful.
There are six endings, each symbolizing something different, suitable for different types of players.
Dragon — Powerful, wealth-seeking. This ending suits players interested in amassing wealth openly through strength.
Demon — Ruthless, self-serving, with no regard for moral boundaries. These players will exploit every angle, even taking triple rewards from a single task.
Asura — For those who abandon thought and choose total destruction, skipping complex narrative and tasks, killing anyone in sight—a pure avatar of Khorne.
White Wolf — A lone ranger, a solitary legend. Like in a Western, the story rises and falls, ending with the protagonist riding off alone, leaving a legend behind. From start to finish, they remain a neutral hero, perfect for those seeking fame.
Angel — The ultimate good, righteous and unmatched. Only those with strength, intelligence, charisma, wealth, and morality can achieve this ideal outcome. Players pursuing this "savior" title do so as the highest honor, gaining universal admiration and respect.
Spirit Deer — Kind and humble but lacking strength. Many have a good heart but can only reach this ending due to limited ability, never achieving the angelic status.
The six endings all offer similar rewards. Different results reflect the true nature of each player, even if they aren't ideal outcomes.
The White Wolf ending exemplifies Li Aozi's stance and attitude. He's neither a law-abider nor a greedy villain. He doesn't care if his methods are underhanded, as long as they work, nor does he care about the broader consequences.
For the Frost-Plated Republic, there may or may not be an impact, but from an objective view, Abyss Humanitarian was indeed destroyed, and the vile human experiments were stopped.
But at what cost?
How many Abyss Heavy Industry employees will lose their jobs? Will the Frost-Plated Republic government face a crisis of confidence, possibly leading to its dissolution? How long will it take for surviving families and victims to receive proper compensation?
The White Wolf ending often results in outcomes like this.
"…In legendary tales, the cost is never remembered."
Li Aozi raised his hand, a flame igniting in his palm.
As his strength increased, [Natural Ignition] gradually fell behind his combat rhythm.
[Once back on Azure Star, I'll find a way to return this Omega Energy to Qiu Ran's family, if only to leave them a memory.]
Though not exactly virtuous, Li Aozi did feel a basic sense of gratitude.
Beyond this, his next destination—the Vankov Autonomous Region—held not only side missions but also an opportunity to acquire a unique [Domination]-based extraordinary knowledge.
[Blood of Immortality] had saved him many times; it was only fair he saved Nomi once.
However, there was still a long way to go before reaching Vankov Autonomous Region.
No need to worry about that now; better to think about what "gift" to prepare for N4.
He had no intention of handing over advanced knowledge to N4 so easily. People like N4 were too cool-headed, hard to manipulate; he'd need to keep them hooked bit by bit.
After all, the initiative was in his hands.
Li Aozi looked at the mission interface:
C. "Uprooting" — You successfully eradicated all sponsors and project leaders of Abyss Humanitarian and publicly exposed their actions.
Rewards: [Biochemical Nest] / [Gene Extractor] / [White Obelisk] (Choose one)
"Gotta make a choice."
All three options were Pathway Structures, only placeable on a player's Pathway planet.
[Biochemical Nest] could spawn troops, essentially providing pets for players. For warfare, it was an obvious choice, and it could even be moved, but its potential was limited and required extensive maintenance.
[Gene Extractor] could be used to upgrade Omega Energy, enhancing personal attributes. In theory, capturing people frequently could rapidly boost both Li Aozi's and players' strength, but its drawbacks were obvious. Besides flagrantly violating interstellar treaties, it was immobile and drew massive attention.
Creating one would mean Li Aozi wouldn't last long before the Galactic Alliance detained him.
[White Obelisk]...
The mission was complete, so Li Aozi could review its specific attributes:
[Item Name]: White Obelisk
[Category]: Religious Site / Pathway Structure
[Quality]: "Social Institution"
("Social Institution" materials are stripped and assembled from the corpse of a dead society. Since [Society] itself is the sum of a civilization, a "Social Institution" can be anything—factories, industries, cultural memes, armies, ethnicities, resources, research centers, churches, powerful individuals, etc.)
[Attributes]:
This structure can be placed anywhere on your starting Pathway planet.
Blessed by the Star Abyss, this structure is indestructible.
[Pathway Exclusive • Holy Site]: Followers of the [Domination] Pathway within 50 kilometers of the obelisk will receive the "Holy Worship" status.
Holy Worship includes the following effects:
"Baptism of Destiny" — The White Obelisk releases holy power within this area, granting transcendents above Alpha tier an additional 50% [Charisma] boost.
"White Pontiff" — As a holy site, the White Obelisk prohibits combat among followers of the [Domination] Pathway within its vicinity.
"Trinity" — Within this area, the White Obelisk calms the mind, uniting "gene, soul, and Omega Energy." This significantly reduces the probability of negative effects in [Mutants]' mutation directions.
"Blessing of Domination" — Once per natural day, the White Obelisk releases a "sermon," increasing the probability of newborns within this area possessing [Mutant] potential.
When the population within the White Obelisk's domain exceeds 100,000, the [Society] effect is activated—Kingdom of the Living God.
"Kingdom of the Living God" — Within this area, the White Obelisk releases a powerful protective field. Followers of the [Domination] Pathway experience a 15% reduction in damage taken, are unaffected by natural disasters, and related agricultural, industrial, and production efficiency improves by 40%, production capacity by 20%, tool upgrade rate by 10%, and resource allocation fairness by 90%.
[Description]:
"A peculiar religious structure built in a 1:5:8 ratio. Though it appears man-made, with atoms tightly fused seamlessly, it harbors an unimaginable power within."
"It's speculated to be a fragment of a dead [Society], containing neural cells in its religious and belief production region. This suggests that [Society] was once a living civilization, entirely distinct from hive-organisms like the Zerg."
"Society was once a civilization that, through some method, fused every concrete (territory, fields, factories, research institutes, armies, and population) and abstract (technology, belief, culture, history) element it possessed, transforming into a massive, terrifying entity capable of self-repair and strength absorption through devouring civilizations."
"We don't know which [Society] this obelisk fragment originates from, but fortunately, it's long dead. Now, under the blessing of the Star Abyss, this power is yours to command."
Height: 64 meters
Length: 25 meters
Width: 10 meters
Net Weight: Infinite / Zero
Material: Neural cells of a small-scale Society
Comfort Rating Modifier: 100 (Base comfort is 100. Comfort decreases by 1 for every 1,000 residents. Comfort below 10 causes mass migration. Increasing greenery and living conditions can improve comfort.)
—Improved comfort allows residents to awaken higher-quality Omega Energy, increasing their favor toward you, though birth rates may drop.
Prosperity Modifier: 150 (Base prosperity is 0, increasing by 150 for every 1,000 residents, no limit.)
—Higher prosperity increases residents' Omega Energy awakening probability. You also gain access to a donation fund to deploy for any action.
Faith Output Modifier: 300 (Base output is 0 due to insufficient followers—less than 1,000 followers of the [Domination] Pathway.)
—Higher faith output means that upon reaching level 300 and transitioning to the final profession, you can ascend to godhood.
(Requirement: At least 10,000 followers of the same final Pathway, and you must be the highest-level, with no primary god in this Pathway; otherwise, you will become a "God's Favored" demigod.)
This is a sacred relic of great power. When your will guides the Star Abyss, this structure becomes a devoted servant of your cause.
————————————
"What the hell!"
Li Aozi couldn't believe the information he was reading.
He recognized this thing.
"Ascension Platform… an Ascension Platform of a narrative-level civilization!"
The greatness of narrative-level civilizations lies in their control over ascension paths.
Education is the ladder of civilization; ordinary people primarily cross class gaps through violence or exams.
Narrative-level civilizations go all-in, even crafting an eternal blueprint. By holding the paths to godhood, no race, faith, nation, or civilization can match their cohesion.