The System screamed loudly at this moment: [Host, I can level up now, wait for me.]
After saying that, the System disappeared.
Fang Lingchu was already used to it and followed her father to the small dining hall for a meal.
Looking at the food in front of her, Fang Lingchu once again realized how truly poor the Emperor was.
Three dishes and a soup, but there wasn’t much meat in any of them, and the food was cold.
Fang Lingchu finished the meal without really tasting it. A quarter of an hour later, it was time to attend court again.
Fang Lingchu felt she hadn’t even eaten her fill.
[System, I’m still hungry, wuwuwuwu, this Emperor is so poor. Gua Gua, when are you coming back?]
Fang Lingchu wailed inwardly, but unfortunately, no one paid her any attention.
Because the System had left, everyone could no longer hear her inner thoughts.
Soon, the afternoon court session began. Fang Lingchu, still wailing inwardly, followed her superior to work.
Fang Lingchu stood bored at the back, playing with her little fingers and blowing bubbles out of boredom.
Everyone started discussing state affairs again, getting so worked up they ended up arguing in a chaotic mess.
Fang Lingchu was getting really annoyed by their noise and, for some reason, suddenly missed the System terribly.
The System, whom Fang Lingchu was thinking of, returned.
[Host, I’m back after leveling up.]
With the System’s return, everyone could hear Fang Lingchu’s inner voice again.
Hearing the System’s voice, Fang Lingchu immediately perked up.
[Gua Gua, why did your upgrade take so long this time?]
The System replied happily with a laugh: [Because I was still an intern system before. Now that I have enough points, I can become a regular.]
Fang Lingchu was somewhat surprised. [You systems even have interns? That’s a thing?]
The System complained: [It’s the same as your kind of work. You have no idea how shady our Main System is. Anyway, enough of that. I brought back two pieces of good news and two pieces of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?]
Fang Lingchu said angrily: [Didn’t you say leveling up would only bring benefits and no downsides for me? How come there’s bad news now?]
She had worked so diligently to save up all those points, only for it to take them for the upgrade, and now there was bad news too. It infuriated her.
The System asked timidly: [So… do you still want to hear it?]
Fang Lingchu said irritably: [Of course I’ll listen. I spent so much money on it.]
The System said somewhat meekly: [Then which do you want to hear first?]
Fang Lingchu thought for a moment and said: [The good ones, I guess.]
The System said in a somewhat fawning tone: [Because we just gossiped and helped the Long Kingdom avoid a disaster, you can now have a skill: Crow’s Mouth. The second piece of good news: if you can complete the skill mission, you can have many skills combined.]
Fang Lingchu looked at the panel, not noticing that the volume of the discussions around her had lowered.
[What on earth is this Crow’s Mouth skill? It can be used twice a day. Using it more requires exchanging luck points, two points per use. The damage potency ranges from 1 to 10 people. Note: It can also be used on animals and plants.]
After reading it, Fang Lingchu nodded and said: [This skill is not bad. So what’s the bad news?]
Hearing her ask about the bad news, the System sounded like it was about to cry. [Promise you won’t get angry after I tell you?]
Seeing the System like this, Fang Lingchu had a bad feeling.
The Emperor sitting above frowned tightly; he too had an ominous premonition.
[Hurry up and tell me.]
The System said ingratiatingly: [Let’s start with some not-so-bad news. When I leveled up, I didn’t draw from the System Mall. Instead, I drew a Luck Prank Mission. You need to complete the prank mission to acquire skills.]
Hearing this, Fang Lingchu felt somewhat disappointed about missing out on those good items, but she wasn’t particularly angry.
[So, I won’t be able to get those high-yield grain seeds with a yield of a thousand jin per mu, or those firearms and ammunition.]
To be honest, she was quite regretful about not having these.
The System shook its little electronic head and said: [That’s not entirely true. You can still obtain them through Daily Missions.]
Upon hearing about the yield of a thousand jin per mu, the other officials in the Imperial Court were so excited they wanted to look at Fang Lingchu. However, under the Emperor’s imposing presence, they could only suppress their excitement and glance at Minister Fang with their eyes.
When Minister Fang heard his daughter say this, he was completely stunned.
[That’s still acceptable. Completing missions to gain luck isn’t such bad news. Next.]
The System glanced at the first prank mission, hoping the Host would remain this calm when she saw these pranks.
[First, your luck is connected to the luck dragon of the Long Kingdom. This little dragon is dying. If you don’t complete missions quickly, both you and it will perish. Also, the small world we’re in is a fusion of several unfinished, melodramatic novels. The country you’re in is full of cannon fodder from top to bottom, and it will be destroyed in two years.]
As the System finished speaking, the entire Imperial Court fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Only Fang Lingchu’s heavy breathing could be heard.
Then, Fang Lingchu erupted in anger, saying: [Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?]
Only after retreating to a safe distance did the System reply: [I’m just an intern system, I don’t have the authority.]
Fang Lingchu was furious. Then, she saw a dragon egg flickering with golden light in the System Space.
She poked the egg that was about to disappear and asked: [This thing looks like it’s about to die. How am I supposed to save it?]
Seeing Fang Lingchu calm down, the System scurried back over and said: [It’s simple—just complete the luck missions.]
[What are the missions?]
The Emperor and the court officials above were growing anxious. Could they please talk about the country’s impending destruction?
[For example, one mission is to have two court officials—one act as a pillar while the other dresses in women’s clothing and dances.]
Fang Lingchu couldn’t hold back anymore: [What kind of ridiculous mission is this? Who am I supposed to ask? Who would do such a thing, and it has to be men?]
The court officials thought: This isn’t important; what matters is the country’s destruction!
The System also said helplessly: [There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve already communicated with the main system. The missions can’t be changed, but the reward is: 50 Medical Kits plus a medical handbook.]
Hearing this reward, Fang Lingchu thought it was acceptable.
Then, the System and Fang Lingchu looked at what was inside the Medical Kits. Everyone, hearing how useful these items were, wanted them too, especially the military officers who desperately needed them for battles.
They thought of the soldiers who had died from infected wounds.
But right now, the important thing is the country’s destruction in two years. Could you two please talk about that?
Just as everyone was growing impatient, the System voiced their confusion: [Why aren’t you asking about the country’s destruction?]
A bolt from the blue…
Fang Lingchu’s voice rose sharply.
[“What did you say, the country will be destroyed? When?”
The System was dazed by her voice.
It replied, [“In two years.”]
Fang Lingchu asked somewhat agitatedly, [“Why? Didn’t you say our emperor is a wise ruler?”]
In truth, Emperor Chongde also wanted to know—since the System had called him a wise ruler, why would the country fall?
The System said, [“Let me dig it up for you.”]
After a while
[“Found it, tsk tsk tsk, your emperor is really pitiful.”]
Fang Lingchu had no patience left now. She only had two years to live—in two years, she would perish along with this country!