Seized by the System

Fang Ning waited for a while, then he saw the three of them bowing down before the statues and paying their respects.

After that, clouds of white smoke appeared and diffused all over the place.

He was already a lake-level powerhouse, so he could faintly feel that the white smoke was not devilish. There was a sense of grandeur to it.

“Sir System, isn’t this odd? They don’t seem like they’re up to something bad.”

“Didn’t I ask you to analyze? Why are you asking me?” the System was displeased.

“I can’t analyze due to the lack of information…,” Fang Ning paused in the middle of his sentence, “I can finally remember that this type of white gas is actually a form of clan energy, something like burning incense. They are directing the clan energy of Greater Rat Clan into Land of Culinary. I’m pretty sure they’re up to something.”

“Up to what?” Sir System asked.

“Ask the black pot,” Fang Ning replied.

” You’re tossing the pot for real this time ¹ …,” Sir System muttered, then it called out to Black Pot who was working in the Alchemy Lab. The black pot quivered for a while, then came to a halt after realizing what was happening outside.

“Nothing much. These people think too highly of themselves. They’re trying to spread out their clan energy in my realm to check if there’s any treasure. However, I’ve told both of you the location and the method to get the treasure. They’re already one step too late,” Black Pot answered honestly.

Fang Ning did not have any doubts after listening to that. From his perspective, that was probably it.

The same thing applied to the System, the only lies it could detect were mostly from Fang Ning.

Firstly, both of them spent too much time together. Secondly, it could always peek into Fang Ning’s head if it wanted to…

These two conditions did not hold for Black Pot.

“Well, then, it seemed like they can’t do anything bad. Just let them be,” Fang Ning concluded.

Sir System was still hesitant, “My instincts told me that it’s not that simple.”

“Then you can pinch your fingers and calculate ² ,” Fang Ning wanted to see if Sir System could outdo him.

“That’s impossible…I’m a fool, I really am,” the System suddenly sighed.

“I understand now,” Fang Ning sighed as well, “There’s someone else that we could go to, and he can’t lie to us.”

…

Headquarter Base of Truth Department.

Xie Dong sat in the simple reception room, next to the Venerable Dragon God. Elder Ancestor Bai sat opposite them across the table. For some reason, it was wearing a hat that completely covered its head. Xie Dong felt strange about it, was it bald? It certainly was not easy to be a leader.

“What’s the matter with the statues in Land of Culinary? Please don’t tell me that you don’t know anything about it,” Vigilante A said flatly.

Xie Dong adjusted his sitting posture. He looked at Vigilante A with his eyes wide open to show his presence.

He knew that he was a thorn in the flesh to everyone, but he had a Guardian Angel. He had learned to take the bad with the good.

His psychic powers were growing stronger as they progressed, now he could even identify whether a god was lying. He was amazed but frightened by his powers at the same time.

The ability to tell the truth from falsehood seemed ordinary, but it could have an influential impact. The fate of a powerhouse was now on his hands, now that he was sitting beside a stronger powerhouse.

“You’re everywhere…,” Elder Ancestor Bai said coldly, “That’s simple. Land of Culinary is just a temporary grotto-heaven to the inception of bequeathal ….. I had gotten a secret technique from the Upper Realm, clan energy can be used as a reinforcement to transform it into a permanent grotto-heaven.”

“…,” Fang Ning’s mind went blank, then he said to Sir System, “Black Pot’s lying to us!”

“Yes, we were fooled by his honest appearance. He lied to us without even blinking an eye… Surely all gods are cunning!” the System was furious.

“He didn’t even have eyes to begin with… Lying is the norm in the society nowadays,” Fang Ning said in a consoling manner.

“Damn it! I’ll triple his rent and cut his wages in half,” Sir System said without any mercy.

“Speaking of that, I can actually understand his point of view. He wants to take over the place and reap the benefits. Although Elder Ancestor Bai might be proficient when it comes to assessing the situation, he certainly did not expect Culinary God to be alive. If the grotto-heaven becomes permanent, he would be giving it to Culinary God for nothing,” Fang Ning sighed.

“You have an interesting point, “the System turned its anger to elation, “If I imprison him, then wouldn’t the grotto-heaven be ours?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Fang Ning was at a loss for words, “We’re noblemen. How can we obtain something by stealing and using deceitful means? For Elder Ancestor Bai and Culinary God, one contributed greatly to the construction, another one has a rightful claim to it. They have a reason to fight for ownership, but we don’t.”

“How I wish I’m not a nobleman,” Sir System was upset that it was bounded by restrictions.

“There’s always a flip side to a coin. You’re enjoying the benefits of your chivalrous reputation, you can’t have the good without the bad,” Fang Ning said.

“Nonsense! Since he already has an estate, I’ll increase the rent. He’s guilty of deceiving a chivalrous system like me!” Sir System was not willing to let it slip.

“Do as you please. However, I’ll need to remind you something. Do you know why he had the nerve to lie to us?” Fang Ning asked.

“Why?” Sir System did not understand.

“That’s because he knows Alchemy, he can cultivate a pill that can prolong the life of humans. You ought to know that a regular person can never consume a mystical pill. The strength of the pill can make them explode at any time. Regular food can cause death if too much of it is consumed, let alone a mystical pill. He handed over The Bequethal of Culinary God, but he never once mentioned the method of pill cultivation. He was already planning to use this as his leverage,” Fang Ning analyzed solemnly.

“Society, society, an honest and simple-minded system like me can no longer deal with it,” the System said bitterly, “I’ve always thought that Black Pot is good-natured and pure. After all, he’s friends with Chong Daqing.”

“You’re saying that a god is good-natured and pure, that’s a joke,” Fang Ning said contemptuously.

“It’s all your fault. You’re a poor judge of character. Otherwise, how would I get cheated?” the System put the blame on Fang Ning.

“Alright, I’m a poor judge of gods,” Fang Ning did not try to defend himself. He had no choice but to take the blame, he needed Sir System to deal with the challenge later.

“That’s more like it. What do we do now?”

“Let’s just wait and see. We shouldn’t do anything now. At least when Culinary God seizes this realm, we don’t have to worry about him not paying rent,” Fang Ning evaluated the situation.

“What if he wants to leave?” Sir System did not feel reassured.

“Then just let him go.”

“What? That’s impossible. How could we let him leave when he’s of great use to us?”

“Hmph, he’ll beg us to take him back after that,” Fang Ning said coldly, “Is the arcane realm really that safe? Besides, the existence of the arcane realm relies on the help of external forces.”