Caramel Snail's recent status hasn't been good, or rather, ever since Cumin Powder and other players were breached by the Lai Anding Protocol and died in the real world, he has been in a state of self-isolation.

With his mouth shut, he frantically levels up, traveling from Azure Star to Layer Abyss, wherever there's a Society, whether they're Pseudo-Humans or other kinds of citizens, he exterminates them all.

This continuous slaughter is too much even for summoned characters to bear.

Having spent nearly a decade on Azure Star, Caramel Snail's first summoned character since Descending - the former Sky Ring High School dropout and wanderer 'Saga Qi' - was completely wrecked due to prolonged high-load operations.

[Your summoned character - 'Saga Qi' has reached the service limit]

"I'm sorry, Descender sir, I can't continue fighting alongside you."

Caramel Snail's consciousness and pathway Strength detached from Saga Qi, and he turned to formally face this character who had been by his side since the beginning of Descending Starry Abyss.

According to the game's time calculation, Saga Qi had followed him for a full 89 years, 4 months, and 12 days. Without the pathway's Strength enhancement, Saga Qi's body aged rapidly, his hair fell out entirely, and his face was covered with age spots and wrinkles.

Caramel Snail looked complexly at the old man before him.

Shameful to say, although Saga Qi was the one who had accompanied him from the start of the game to now, unwavering in following him through both Death and battle, he knew and understood Saga Qi less than the True General he had just met recently.

"...You can't continue fighting anymore?"

Saga Qi shook his head and said:

"I truly wish to continue following in your footsteps, but my body and soul can no longer fulfill your battles."

"Is that so..."

"Descender sir—actually, I'd rather call you a Guardian Deity. Compared to someone old and useless like me from Azure Star, you should recruit a young and strong Cosmic Citizen, after all, you're saving the universe."

"To be honest, I've gotten used to this body."

Caramel Snail said:

"To have something like this happen suddenly, I'm also surprised... I never thought that as long as my Level was high enough and my pathway stronger, I could strengthen you too."

"That's impossible, Guardian Deity sir."

Saga Qi shook his head:

"When Starry Abyss found me, it already told me: you're originally someone about to die, unable to accomplish anything in Society. But by providing a body for a Descender, at least you can do something to help save the universe. What's more, Starry Abyss promised me that after fulfilling the summoning Time Limit, I can have my Soul Return to the Nether Abyss and be reincarnated."

"Is that so."

Caramel Snail opened the official website and searched for the original "Lai Anding Medical Protocol."

—According to the game, the person's Life had already reached its end. If he continued being summoned and enhanced, the increasingly advanced pathway would, like a mountain, constantly press upon a Mortal's soul. Eventually, it would crush the old man into powdery fragments, preventing reincarnation even if he entered the Nether Abyss.

That result would be no different from being breached by the Lai Anding Protocol.

Of course, according to the game's hints, he could also ignore Saga Qi's Pain and burden, raising the Cognition Filter to block Saga Qi's wails of Pain, and even earn some Soul Shards by completely taking over Saga Qi's body, transforming the summoned local body into a dominated living corpse.

However, no matter how accustomed he had become to using this body, Caramel Snail still couldn't accept this approach.

Moreover, summoning a corpse has no meaning. When summoning an NPC, if the player logs off, the NPC would autonomously find tasks to do, handling all sorts of complex and trivial matters, from cleaning and preparing supplies to cooking, working, and even maintaining the emotional pets you had in the game.

Besides, as Saga Qi mentioned: someone like him, a high school dropout street wanderer, would have long died in some alley if Caramel Snail hadn't descended to summon his body.

In this light, the Lai Anding Medical Protocol itself indeed extended lives for Saga Qi and all NPCs.

But this doesn't change the fact that these bodies were really only borrowed temporarily.

"After today, I will retire. According to the Pact, I must forget everything about you."

Saga Qi spoke, shakily bowing to Caramel Snail in salute:

"Thank you very much, Descender sir. You made a runaway delinquent into an influence in saving Azure Star, also spreading the name 'Saga Qi' from Azure Star to Layer Abyss... I know, if it were just me, I couldn't possibly achieve this."

"You're too kind, I haven't done anything right, and I've lost my most important companion too..."

"Do you mean Miss Asano Saeko?"

Saga Qi said:

"Although you may not remember that Descender-summoned lady's body, thanks to you, my relationship with her wasn't bad."

"...Eh?"

Caramel Snail was surprised:

"You actually know each other?"

"Not only do we know each other, but when you're not around, Miss Asano Saeko often invites me to play chess and chat. Didn't you have a rural villa on Baizhu Star? Because it covers a large area and it's unmanaged, I usually ask Miss Asano Saeko to help with it."

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