Seized by the System

Fang Ning had never thought that his hard-earned treasure, the Suspiration of the Origin which he had played through the civilization game for more than a thousand times in order to obtain — the one he had kept hidden for many years — would eventually be confiscated by Sir System. In the end, it could not escape his memory.

He thought it over and decided to make a trip to the Tower of Babel. He wanted to fetch some design paper and gather some talents to lead the progress of this era.

He could not always remain an armchair strategist; he should also get his head in the game of constructing an era of the industrial revolution.

Thus, he shouted out from his own room, “Lil Wu, come over for a bit.”

At this time, a handsome young man came over in small, hurried steps. He looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years of age. After entering the room, he meekly stood in front of Fang Ning.

Fang Ning knew that this young man was a native soul and no longer one of those ancient humans reincarnated, so he was very respectful towards him.

“What orders do you have for me, Mister?”

Fang Ning held a feather fan. As he fanned himself, he looked like a worldly noble character. He spoke evenly, “Head to the Tower of Babel.”

Lil Wu nodded and pushed his wheelchair towards the outside.

Once they exited the room and arrived in the courtyard, Lil Wu called for a palanquin and carried him along with the wheelchair into it.

The Tower of Babel was more than three hundred miles away from the messuage, and they could take the waterway.

Thus, the four carriers, along with Lil Wu, departed steadily towards the pier.

Once he had arrived at the docks, he was met with two familiar faces.

“Hey, Brother Fang, is the sun rising out from the west? You, a lord who has never taken a step outside for thousands of years is willingly to travel so far out today?” a scholar exclaimed in fake surprise.

“Brother Wang, do lower your voice. Councilor Liu was one of the first batches of people to arrive after the creation of the world. We should be more courteous towards Brother Fang.

Although he was adopted by Councilor Liu, they both came from the same era, unlike us, natives who have failed to catch up with the golden age of the past. It is truly regrettable.”

Another older scholar shook his head and said.

“Scholar Wang, if you dare criticize me to my face, you’ve surely lost your virtue. Do you still want your soul to be reincarnated in the future?” Fang Ning was not angry as he chided playfully.

“Oh, if it is to be in life, then it will; if it isn’t, then it won’t. We don’t hold expectations, wouldn’t you say so, Brother Feng?” Scholar Wang sighed and said.

However, the older scholar spoke encouragingly, “Brother Wang is a few years younger than me. This is the prime time for you to be making progress. We’re also aware of the methods that the predecessors have concluded. It may not be entirely impossible for us to acquire a future for our souls to be reincarnated.”

“It’s one thing to know, but how difficult it is to do?” Scholar Wang heaved a sigh.

Scholar Feng and Scholar Wang were the earliest peers Fang Ning had become acquainted within this world. They came from poor families and often visited Councillor Liu’s home to borrow books. Over time, they grew familiar with each other.

However, they certainly did not know of Fang Ning’s true identity. They had also treated Fang Ning just like any other ordinary person and were completely unaware that they had missed a huge opportunity.

As long as they were able to butter up this dragon, not only immortal souls but even nirvana may not be entirely impossible.

Fang Ning gave a slight smile as he waved his fan and said, “It’s actually not that difficult. You’ll have something to gain if you frequent the Tower of Babel more often.”

“Hey, anyone can say this except for you,” Scholar Wang said dismissively. “At least we go there twice a year, but you haven’t even been there once.”

“Oh, the Tower of Babel is also fated. It’s like marriage interviews. Some people have been there countless times, yet they are still unsuccessful. Yet some have only gone once, and baskets full of flowers have been thrown at them,” Fang Ning calmly preached.

“You say it like you’ve been to a marriage interview before.” Scholar Wang shook his head and said, “However, from the sound of it, you’re going to the Tower of Babel today?”

“Yes, have you heard of an allusion? There are birds in the south, crouching in the forest. They do not often cry, but when they do, it is a spectacular feat. They are still when they choose not to fly, but when they do, they soar into the skies with a single leap,” Fang Ning said with a shake of his head.

“Oh, then based on Brother Fang’s words, do you intend to say that you’re that bird?” Scholar Feng asked in surprise.

“Uh, this sounds a little strange…” Fang Ning wordlessly said, “but it’s not wrong, either.”

“Then we’ll go too, can your bird really soar into the sky with a single start?” Scholar Wang goaded.

“Not a problem. If you’re smart enough, you should hurry up and carry my wheelchair. This way, you’ll have earned a future where when a man becomes immortal, his fowls and dogs turn immortals (TN: a Chinese idiom used to refer to the relatives and followers of a high official who got promoted after him.),” Fang Ning hinted.

“Hmph, we’re not doing servant’s work.” Scholar Wang was the first to object.

Scholar Feng, on the other hand, appeared to have shown interest but was stopped only by his reserved manners.

This led Fang Ning to secretly heave a sigh as he observed. People who were obstructed by face were often difficult to succeed. Only when they pulled down that layer of face and lowered themselves would they be able to accomplish many things.

Before long, a black awning boat floated over.

“Lil Wu, carry me aboard,” Fang Ning ordered.

Lil Wu once again had the four carriers carry Fang Ning inside the cabin and then settled the payment for the palanquin service.

Scholar Wang and Scholar Feng too boarded the boat.

Fang Ning stopped talking the minute he reached the bow of the ship. He was afraid of getting seasick. After all, the subsidiary account given by Sir System was very useless.

Just as he spoke of the devil, Sir System suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, why did you simply promise those two natives?” Sir System questioned unhappily.

“What do you mean, you’re even going to interfere with something like this?” Fang Ning replied in an equally unhappy tone.

“Nonsense, you’ve always been soft-hearted. What if you develop feelings for the people around here and end up corrupted and let the souls that should not be reincarnated, wouldn’t that ruin this world?” Sir System said plausibly.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’ll only allow those who meet the standards to pass,”

Fang Ning said seriously.

“That’s more like it.”

“Right, what’s the situation outside? Those Saints haven’t come knocking on our doors yet, have they?” Fang Ning asked.

“Eh, you’re pretty good, aren’t you? I was just about to warn you that three unknown entities have entered our world and they might stir up trouble,” Sir System cautioned.

“Since you know, why don’t you just eliminate them?” Fang Ning asked confusedly.

“I want to do that, but I can’t seem to find them no matter what. It’s definitely the doing of a Saint. Otherwise, how could I have not discovered them?” Sir System said woefully.

“Looks like things are getting interesting this time,” Fang Ning commented calmly.

“You need to work harder, and ascertain their identities so that I can drop a thundershock and kill them,” urged Sir System. “If you can’t do it, then I’ll have to drag you out there and recapitulate the chaos in the world.”

“The Saints think so too. It’s no longer the data world now, but a beta version I released, reenacting it over again would consume a lot of power. They can continuously infiltrate us, but we can’t recapitulate the chaos. Otherwise, once you’re weak enough, they’ll be able to eliminate us with a single pawn, without any cause and effect,” Fang Ning said emotionally. “That’s why this final attack must not be used carelessly, we must use ordinary means.”

“Sigh, taking the easy way is out of the question after all.” Sir System said gloomily.

“Don’t worry, since they’re playing tricks and we have the home-court advantage, are you still worried that we won’t be able to deal with them?” Fang Ning calmly said, “All in all, all of their major actions is to destroy our world and prevent us from using the power of the world’s growth. Hold on to this point, and you won’t have to worry that they won’t let their tails slip.”

“That’s why these natives are useful. You carefully organized them to create your huge industry, the sooner we enter the age of information, the easier it’ll be to search for these foreign entities. I’ll send over a few lucks for you later, make sure you look out for the courier.” In the face of the external crisis, Sir System finally displayed a moment of generosity.

“That would be very good. I’ll be waiting.” Fang Ning was overjoyed.