ăSee, see! What did I say?ă
System 12345 gleefully exclaimed when it saw Asudoâs loyalty level rising to the maximum. It looked at the fluctuations in the data, and the trend was the same as ever.
ăNervousness, fear, and a convulsing body⊠Heh, my host sure knows how to play!ă
It imagined the adorable trap putting on a brave front, hoping that he would back off, but he suddenly went berserk and forced a potion down his throat.
The next moment, the trap turned into a real woman.
Shocked and flustered, she fled and hid in a corner to escape from him. Little did she know that he was watching her every move. There was nowhere for her to hide.
She sobbed uncontrollably as he tore down all her defenses. She weakly pleaded for mercy, but he turned a blind eye to her words. In the end, she passed out amidst intense convulsions.
By the time she woke up, she realized, to her despair, that she was no longer able to disobey his commands.
ăEhehe, that gets me all pumped up.ă
While System 12345âs thoughts ran wild, it suddenly received a message.
ăHowâs your internship going?ă
Ooh, itâs Senior Legend!
Overjoyed, System 12345 immediately replied with absolute confidence:
ăDonât worry, senior! I have metamorphosed under your guidance. My host has conquered multiple targets, and all of them are now completely devoted to him!ă
ăThatâs good to hear.ăSystem 1915 breathed a sigh of relief.
ăAnother consciousness of the world reported an error in their worldâs operation, and the corruption appears to be widespread. Itâs currently suspected to be an otherworld calamity, possibly a demon invasion. They are currently investigating which world it is.ă
ăI was shocked when I heard the news. I thought that something went wrong with your internship.ă
ăSenior, I appreciate your concern, but everything is going fine here. ă
ăThatâs good to hear. Iâll go deal with other stuff now. Remember to clear your communication logs, else our conversation may put you under the suspicion of cheating.ă
ăAll right, senior.ă
They terminated their communication here.
ăSounds like a mess.ă System 12345 mumbled.
ăI wonder which world is so unlucky⊠Oh well, it has nothing to do with me. Now, letâs see which capture target I should set for my host next. Should I⊠raise the difficulty?ă
ăHold on, whatâs going on there?ă
âŠ
Over on the Tibetan Plateauâs Holy City, LhasaâŠ
âTsenpo.â (T/N: Tsenpo means king in Tibet.)
In an extravagant palace, a mage respectfully bowed to the young woman seated on the throne.
The young woman on the throne was dressed in a dignified robe. She had a dour face that made her look cold and lofty. It drove in the fact that she was the ruler of a massive empire despite her young age.
She didnât address the mage right away despite being the one who summoned the latter, instead eyeing the latter with spirited eyes that were at odds with her cold and lofty aura.
She was secretly peeking behind the mage.
The mage chuckled.
âTsenpo Ling, Iâm the only one who came.
âWhat?! Big sister Ners, youâre doing it on purpose!â
The young womanâs air of regality crumbled away, and she puffed up her cheeks. With a few swift movements, she took off her outerwear, revealing the thin mage robe she wore beneath. Then, she pressed a button on the throne, and the throne reclined into a bed.
âAhhh!â
The woman lay down on the bed and rolled all over it. She happily nuzzled her fair legs against the soft silk material like a cat.
âTsenpo Ling, I am Weryomahners, not Ners.â The speechless mage walked up to Tsenpo Ling and squeezed her little cheeks. âYou should at least remember my name.â
âWuuu!â Tsenpo Ling whimpered. âBig sister Ners, stop pulling my cheeks. It hurts!â
âWhatâs my name again?â
Weryomahners didnât let go. It felt good pulling Tsenpo Lingâs cheeks.
âWuu!â Tsenpo Ling begged for mercy. âBig sister Ners, please spare me.â
âThat wonât do. You arenât sincere enough.â
The two of them argued for a while more before Weryomahners finally let go of Tsenpo Ling.
âSo, what happened? Why did you call me? What mess did you get into this time?â
The previous emperor had passed away without any warning, and the other princes and princesses died while fighting for the throne. As a result, the crown fell in the hands of the inexperienced Ling instead.
Governing the country had not been easy for Ling, but luckily she had a good head, not to mention that she was the disciple of a legendary archmage, which meant that she could enlist the help of her master and her seniors.
It was a rocky road, but she could grow to fit into those shoes in due time. The only problem was that she had no interest in governance whatsoever.
Thus, Weryomahners was already prepared to clean up after her juniorâs mess.
I wonder what it is this time.
âHey!â Tsenpo Ling puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction. âSenior, am I that bad? Iâm eighteen this year; Iâm already an adult! Why do all of you still treat me like a child?â
âWhy else?â
Shaking her head, Weryomahners took out a mirror and showed Ling her silly face.
ââŠâ Ling was silenced by what she saw, but seconds later, she started rolling angrily around the bed and throwing a tantrum.
âYou didnât see anything! I donât care, senior! That woman in the mirror isnât me!â
âFine, fine.â Weryomahners laughed.
She wondered if her master and the other disciples had protected this girl too well, to the point where she didnât look like an empress at all.
âI nearly forgot. Hurry up and tell me what happened for you to urgently summon me.â
âIâm not the one who summoned you.â Ling buried her face into the silk. âItâs our master.â
âOur master?â Weryomahners was surprised to hear that. âIsnât she researching spells in the Mage Tower? It has been a long time since I last met her. Why did she suddenly come out?â
It had been years since she last talked to her master. Even if they met, they simply exchanged greetings before parting ways.
The only one whom their master frequently met was her disciple she doted the most on, Ling, though this was understandable.
Their master might be a legendary archmage of the Tibetan Empire, capable of rivaling a nation on her own, but she was ultimately still mortal. She had already reached the limit of her lifespan, so she was probably doing everything she could to achieve longevity.
It was only normal for her to hole herself up in her Mage Tower.
âIâm not sure either,â Tsenpo Ling replied. âShe just left a couple of words behind before returning to the Mage Tower.â
âWhat did she say?â Weryomahners grimly asked.
A matter that prompted their master to specially make a trip out of her mage tower was bound to be anything but minor.
âMaster told me that her eyes in Shule had died. Before her eyes died, she saw a fluttering flag, the deceased souls of the Anxi army, and hundreds of thousands of skeletons. Eternal night has encroached on Shule, bringing a massive army of undead to flood the city.â
Tsenpo Ling imitated their masterâs icy tone for the last sentence.
For a brief moment, Weryomahners saw her masterâs shadow.
âMaster said that she must know the reason behind that.â
âHer eyes had died?â Weryomahners was taken aback. âIn Shule, at that?â
She only knew one disciple who resided in the Western Region and had a beholder implanted inside them. âAsudo is dead? Hah, that disgusting crossdresser got away lightly!â
Despite being from the same lineage, Asudo wasnât on good terms with his seniors.
Updated from freewŃbnoÎœel.com.
On the one hand, it could be because he was talented, but their master had imparted to him quite a few good things. That induced the other disciplesâ jealousy.
On the other hand, he was in an awkward position. Their master, advanced in age, was suffering from poor eyesight and took him in by mistake. Thus, his existence was an insult to their master as it served as evidence of the infallible archmageâs vulnerability.
Other than teaching him spells, the archmage didnât treat him too warmly. She neither introduced him to the other disciples nor instructed the other disciples to take care of him.
This made Asudo an easy target of animosity for the others.
Some mages were even considering taking him apart and using him to make artifacts after he completely lost favor with the archmage.
So, Weryomahners gloated over Asudoâs death.
But personal feelings aside, Asudo was still their masterâs disciple. His death needed an explanation. Someone had to pay the price for it! freewŃbnoÎœel.com
FurthermoreâŠ
âThe deceased souls of the Anxi army? Skeletons flooded Shule? Eternal blight?â Weryomahners murmured those key phrases. âThat sounds like a huge calamity.â
As much as the other disciples hated Asudo, they had to admit that he was the real deal. Whatever that took him down was worth paying attention to.
Weryomahners finally understood why their master called her here. This was a matter that only she could deal with.
âRest assured, Ling. Leave this matter to me.â
Weryomahners confidently walked out of the palace.
The moment she left the imperial palace, the childish smile on Tsenpo Lingâs face vanished without a trace. A cold aura seeped out from her very presence. It was as if her earlier childish appearance was the act instead.