Seized by the System

The room was silent for a long while before a minister finally stepped up.

“I may be incompetent but I am willing to take on this responsibility.”

The one who came out was a young, unsung minister who had recently been promoted as he swiftly raked up points in the National Intelligence Management System with his outstanding work performance

“Very well, Minister Ou, I commend you for your courage. I hereby appoint you as the Disaster Relief Minister, you’ve been promoted to the third-highest rank. You will be in charge of the affairs related to outside the realm, any and all matters should be reported to me directly…” Bai Shixin said blithely.

The young minister bowed to the ground at once, his expression one of utmost loyalty.

“I will do my best to serve my clan.”

“Alright, you stay behind. The others may be excused.” Bai Shixin said calmly.

A while later, under the envious and pitiful gazes of the others, the young minister received words of advice from the King.

“If you wish to stay safe as you remain outside, you must be sure to try your best to earn that person’s good graces. You must remember to give offerings and pray to him on the three important festive days, no exceptions. Visit him and pray to him frequently when you have the time, doing so will keep you safe.” Bai Shixin told him.

“Understood, I am grateful for Your Majesty’s advice.” the young minister listened carefully and respectfully.

Unlike modern humans, Greater Rat Demons abided by the rule of the strong dominating the weak, unless the weak had the fortitude to overthrow the strong.

That explained why this young minister held no thoughts of discontent; had it been a young human who had been promoted, they might have turned against them by now, such as the character Ma Su ¹ .

After all, what Bai Shixin had said was too depressing for the morale of the clan, anyone would feel vexed if they had to bend their knees to a stronger, foreign clan.

…

Three days later, Vigilante A received three billion Dan units worth of magical energy crystals, authorized by the two Magical Energy Bank organizations.

These days, as Sir System patrolled in the sky, he would use the other 11 spare threads to fully absorb and convert these magical energy crystals. As he absorbed some of it, he would infuse part of it into the black bubbles given by Death.

There was also a thread that is a standing supervisor thread that could not be used at any time.

Aside from this, there was also a thread specifically used for surveillance purposes that could not be moved at any given time.

The same thread that was also being used to ensure that Fang Ning was also working.

“Damn it, I don’t know even know how to use the “Nine Transformation Golden Core Technique”, why do I have to convert the magical energy in these crystals too?” Fang Ning griped.

“Nonsense, you can learn, can’t you. You and I share the same body. It’s easy to pick up this skill, and the more hands on deck, the better the efficiency, and the sooner we’ll be able to banish the Shadow Spirit General.” Sir System stated convincingly.

“What a tragic life I have…isn’t this just like asking Zhuge Liang to carry rocks?” bemoaned Fang Ning as he looked at the “Nine Transformation Golden Core Technique” skill book.

However, it was just as Sir System had said. With a brief glance, he had already picked up the skill and within less than three hours, reached the fourth transformation stage as a crystal clear bead hovered in his soul.

Seeing as this skill was meant for regular humans; with Fang Ning’s potential, he could not even pretend to be unable to master it even if he tried…

Once he had mastered it, he had begun extracting the magical energy from the crystals, gradually purifying them till they were good enough to satisfy Death’s requirements.

This was something that not many others could achieve, aside from those who had reached the seventh transformation stage and their presence was akin to buddhas and immortals.

Only a person like him who shared the same body as Sir System could be able to extract magical energy like the Gods whilst only reaching the fourth transformation stage.

From this perspective, the System was a bug to be feared for sure.

After spending a long time busy at work, Fang Ning could not resist the urge to slack off a bit as he turned his attention to the scenery outside by peeking through the System View.

Beneath his foot lied a silent, desolate city.

The roads were barren except for the occasional vagrants scavenging in the shops on the streets.

All the public amenities, the once bustling, prosperous streets, crowded shops, crowded squares, and pedestrian streets were now wasted, leaving behind only a state of destitute.

Fallen leaves and dust flooded the ground as the whole city was briskly wasting away to its demise.

Stray cats and dogs divided territories and fought incessantly. From time to time, rats could be seen dashing dauntlessly across the streets.

Without anyone to contain them, some of the mutated plants on the green belts along the roadside had even begun to grow unscrupulously, crawling around and proclaiming their own territory.

Without question, it would not be long before the city would become a steel jungle, submerged in green forests and beasts.

“Sigh, the once color-glazed sight of multifoliate splendor seems to be a distant memory now from this scene of dilapidation. Oh, bright the morn, lovely the scene…” Fang Ning bemoaned.

“Oh, quit your pathetic grieving, you’re not a liberal arts student, why are you getting all sentimental now? Hurry up and get back to work.” Sir System said curtly.

“What an antipoetic System you are, how boorish.” Fang Ning scoffed as he resumed his work on converting magical energy.

“Those aren’t lines from poetry. You were clearly reciting lines from the “The Peony Pavilion”, weren’t you?” Sir System appeared to be still in sixes and sevens.

“…” Fang Ning was rendered speechless because Sir System was not mistaken.

“Eh, wait a minute, I think there’s someone here to deliver us money.” Sir System exclaimed with slight enthusiasm.

“By your tone, you don’t sound all too excited.” Fang Ning made a remark.

“Ugh, you know me too well. Here comes a little rat who’s barely even reached Pond-level, what valuables could he possibly offer? Of course, I won’t be thrilled, we’re a multi-billionaire System.” Sir System sighed.

“I’m always amazed at your ability to lie with a straight face.” Fang Ning had no other words for him.

“What lies, everything I create by the minute would be worth millions in the old market, alright?” Sir System retorted.

“That was before, things are different now, the prices of goods need to be reevaluated. No matter how expensive the cultivation resources are, they still need to be priced according to market principles.” Fang Ning said with a shake of his head.

Vigilante A swiftly returned home, his eyes saw several thousand miles afar…

…

Ou Shan stood anxiously in front of Vigilante A’s farm villa. He had been waiting for a long time but no one had come out to greet him still.

He knows that this was not because the other was belittling him, but it was just as the King had told him, all of Vigilante A’s servants had been moved as well.

This was what a true hero was like. Who else would concern themselves with the lives of their servants?

Perhaps the more tenderhearted ones would, but those were far and few.

Huge boxes towered behind him. In a distance away, stood a group of gigantic rats staring at him from afar and the boxes behind him.

In the past, he would have never dared to use these rats to deliver the gifts, but now that there was no one else to do the job, he had to let these rats carry the gifts here and then ordered them to stay further away to prevent them from accidentally offending the esteemed figure.

He waited patiently. Suddenly a person appeared before his eyes, he was overjoyed, yet at the same time somewhat fearful.

“Who are you? What is your purpose for coming here?” Vigilante A asked, already knowing the answer.

“My name is Ou Shan, I’m the Disaster Relief Minister of the Greater Rats Kingdom. I’ve come bearing gifts for you, Dragon God, as gratitude for your dedicated work in patrolling the area during these turbulent times.” Ou Shan chose his words carefully with the utmost discretion.

“Oh, and what are those gifts?” Vigilante A asked directly.

“Several hundred pounds of various rare, high-quality medicinal herbs, a few tons of the finest orbs…” Having memorized it scrupulously, he recited the gift list by heart.

“Oh, how thoughtful of you. I hadn’t expected that my efforts today would still be remembered by a demon…” Vigilante A said thoughtfully as he looked up to the sky.

Unsure of how he should respond, Ou Shan remained silent.

“Alright, I’ll accept these gifts. Is there anything else?” Vigilante A waved his hand, and all the items disappeared.

“No, I wouldn’t dare to trouble the Venerable One any further, I shall take my leave immediately.” Ou Shan bowed and excused himself.

“Oh, then do as you please.” Vigilante A replied, without bothering to try to keep him and promptly flew off into the sky.

Ou Shan felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he left in relief, the Venerable God had turned to be an approachable person who did not look down on lower-class demons, just like the rumors made of him.

He frequented the libraries inbuilt by the King, and knew that the powerhouses from the Upper Realm often had their quirks; a hybrid demon-like them would have never been allowed to come close within thousands of miles to those powerhouses’ residences, much less see them in person.

It was a good thing that there was a place with a modern civilization like the Earth for demons to be born. Unfortunately, history had repeated itself as civilization made way for barbarism and order was once again thrown into chaos.

Ou Shan took in the sight of the barren wilderness, with an order, he tunneled into the ground along with the group of rat guards.