Seized by the System

System Space, in the blacksmith’s forge.

A row of treasures and sapient tools pathetically waited in lines, rehearsing various battle arrays and receiving emergency training…

They came in all shapes and sizes.

There were birds, beasts, people, things… With their numbers, it was as if most of the sapient creatures in the world had gathered.

“Sigh, why is that mysterious existence so hateful?”

“Yeah, some brothers were just slightly slower, but were almost beaten to death. They’re all black and blue now. This really is hateful.”

“Sigh, before, we were the apple in our masters’ eyes. We were loved…”

“About that, the three of us weren’t. We’ve been in that dark storage artifact for hundreds of years. It’s excellent to be able to come out to see the light and get some fresh air.”

Among the blue and black treasures, only three were different and in good condition.

They were the green zither, the brown brush, and the ink landscape painting.

“Hmph, if you three hadn’t taken the initiative to bow and bend the knee, you wouldn’t have encouraged that mysterious existence’s arrogance and caused him to readily beat us up. We can’t even take a break…”

The brown brush took the lead in explaining, “My dear friend, there’s a saying in the books, ‘a wise man submits to circumstances’, and ‘a fine bird chooses the tree it nests in’. Since our bodies already belong to Cao, our hearts can’t remain with Han ¹ . Only then will you be able to go far in life.”

As the brush spoke, a slightly invisible ripple streaked across the various sapient tools.

“That’s true.”

“A strict tutor raises a brilliant student. There’s a saying in the books, ‘Sweat more in peaceful times, bleed less in troubled times, and never shed tears after the battle’. Those beatings are all that sage’s ardent love. You were always well-fed and well-treated by your master, and have not undergone harsh training at all. You need this age to properly refine you.” The brown brush shook its head.

“Oh, that makes sense.” All the sapient tools were completely fooled.

“However, we’re going to the battlefield soon. What’s the use of suddenly rushing us?”

“My brother, of course there’s a use. As the saying goes, ‘it’ll help somehow even if you prepare at the last moment’. You naturally won’t be able to score full marks after a rushed job, but at least you’ll have a good chance of scoring a passing grade.” The brown brush continued to coax.

A group of sapient tools nodded one after the other. Their resentment had decreased quite a lot.

Fang Ning was very surprised as he looked on from the outside, and started to praise.

He asked the System, “What exactly did that brown brush do? He can fool others better than me.”

“Oh, that’s one of its Natural Trait Abilities, ‘Spring Autumn Writing Technique’ ² . It’s specialized in fooling others. The zither, book, and painting all have a Natural Trait Ability. Daqing really was too wasteful.” Sir System lamented.

“I see. In that case, I’ll have to get closer to it.” Fang Ning nodded.

“Don’t even think about it. Don’t you dare approach any of these sapient tools.” Sir System quickly said.

“You’re so stingy. Are you afraid they’ll ‘choose their tree to nest in’?” Fang Ning said disdainfully.

“Who cares about you? I’m rehearsing now, and I’m about to go on a killing spree later. You just do whatever you want…” Sir System chased Fang Ning away from its blacksmith’s forge.

“Fine, I’ll leave. Wait, my, my head hurts…” Fang Ning clutched his head and collapsed on the limestone board of the System Space.

“What? Mr. Rich Host, what’s wrong with you?” Sir System asked, concerned.

After a while, Fang Ning stood up. He looked around in a daze with unfocused eyes.

“Where is this? Who am I? Were you calling me?” He said timidly, like a child who had just graduated from kindergarten 20 years ago…

“Oh f*ck, did you really lose your memories?” Sir System seemed to be extremely confused. It muttered, “That’s impossible. I’m God in the System Space. How can the Heavenly Axiom outside do anything here? Did it sneak a law on one of these treasures, and you were affected by it?”

“I don’t understand. Can you speak more clearly?” Fang Ning was still ignorant.

“Wait, let me check your mental state.” Sir System said seriously.

Then, a System Notification appeared.

[The System began to inspect the Host’s mental state.]

[The System discovered that part of the Host’s memory is sealed.]

[The System tried to remove the seal…]

[Removal failed. Trying again will consume Astronomical Figures of Experience Points. The System decided to give up.]

“Uh, you’ve really finally lost your memory…” The System suddenly said, and then immediately took it back and shed crocodile tears, “Sigh, and honest person has many trials, but don’t worry, I won’t give up on you. After all, we’re one and the same. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is still mine. I’ll wait for the day when you return to normal.”

“I don’t understand. I just feel that my head is heavy, it’s really heavy. I want to take a rest first.” Fang Ning said while holding his head.

“Huh? Don’t you want to know who you are?” The System hurriedly asked.

“Then who am I? Who are you?” Fang Ning was still confused.

“Well, you, and all those guys there are all my servants. Your name is Fang Ning. I’m the master of this place, my name is the System. You can call me Lord Tong ³ . You’ve just lost your memory because you were schemed against by the heavens outside, but don’t worry, I’ll foster you again and guarantee that you’ll be better than before.” The System quickly fooled.

“That sounds weird. I have this feeling that it’s supposed to be the other way round…” Fang Ning hesitated.

“Look at you, I’ve always been the honest Lord Tong, how could I lie to you? Come over and look. The place you stay and the food you eat, everything was received from the salary I give you. Of course I’m the master.” The System said rightfully.

“Uh, we’ll just go with that. In that case, Lord Tong, I want to go back to my place and rest.” Fang Ning said, resigned.

“Hm, seeing that you are injured, you don’t have to work today. You can start working tomorrow.” Sir System said kindly.

“Where do I live?”

“Just go straight until you reach a green room. That’s where you live.” The System enthusiastically guided the way.

Fang Ning walked precariously along the limestone road in the System Space.

“Hey, why is there a cyber cafe here?” Fang Ning’s eyes suddenly flashed.

“Hiss…” Sir System was horrified, “That can’t be. You lost your memories and even forgot who you are. How can you remember how to surf the Internet?”

“Well, I just find that this place is very firm and familiar in my memory. It’s a beautiful place.” Fang Ning explained.

“I see. It seems my task of reforming you has a long way to go. Remember, this cyber cafe isn’t a good place. It’ll only cause people to degenerate. You must study hard and make progress every day, and strive for Lord Tong your entire life.” Sir System said righteously.

“Hm, although I still feel that’s weird, you did give me food to eat, so I guess that’s as expected.” Fang Ning nodded.

“Yep, you still understand reason. Go and rest first, I still have things to do.” Sir System said excitedly.

Thus, Fang Ning plunged into the green lounge and slept.

“Hahahaha, from today onwards, I’m the master of this place. It’s best that that guy never regains his memory…” Sir System said arrogantly.

Meanwhile, a person was fast asleep in the lounge.

…

At this time, the few people outside were also hazy-eyed and seemed to have forgotten where they were.

“Where is this? Who are you?” Qiao Zijiang asked in confusion.

“I have no idea, but I keep feeling that I’ve forgotten something. However, you and this foolish guy look so similar to me, so you should be descendants of my blood. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Qiao Anping said placatingly.

Qiao Zishan was shot for no reason. His face was dazed, but he said nothing and looked extremely bewildered.

Black Robe looked on coldly from the side before suddenly revealing a smile.

“No wonder master told me to enter. He already calculated that there would be this layer. I’m not truly a person, but an artifact that was transformed, so my memory won’t be lost.”

He secretly thought in his heart that among normal people, he was the only who preserved all of his own memories. He could now deceive everyone so that they work for him and then easily seize this valuable arcane realm.

All the sapient treasures that were seized by Vigilante A was part of his plan. They were no longer able to remind their masters.

In such a situation, he was like a fish back in the water. There were no more hidden dangers.