Chapter 518
“Use someone else’s shell, just like me?”
【Yes!】
“My case is legal. I signed a contract with the System Group! Is its situation legal?”
【That…】
Yue Fuguang’s heart sank. She thought bitterly, I’m still so young, yet I’ve already had to experience death and be reborn once. Now I even have to worry about being scammed by my system.
What on earth had she done in her previous lives to deserve this?
The hand holding her teacup trembled almost imperceptibly, but she continued asking in a casual tone, “Let’s put that aside for now. Is the task contract it signed with its host legal?
“Is its host-tasker status legitimate and compliant? Were its tasks authorized by the Main System?”
【There definitely shouldn’t be any problems with those. The system my friend recently moved into was legally manufactured and compliant. Only a small portion of its data was edited into that system.
“Although it found the host itself, the employment contract was signed with the Main System, and the tasks were issued by the Main System.”】
In the end, the system concluded firmly, 【Everything is reasonable, compliant, and legal!】 Except for the system itself.
Only then did Yue Fuguang’s worried heart finally settle. As for that small portion of data, it was probably the Gossip System.
The system had seemed perfectly normal before. Yue Fuguang had even suspected at one point that it possessed some extraordinary identity, especially since the Main System treated it rather differently.
It had only started acting strangely in the past few months. Could it really be related to absorbing too much incense power and repairing its data too quickly?
“Since that’s the case, the problem shouldn’t be too serious, right?” At least there shouldn’t be much of a problem with her status as a tasker.
【Not too serious?】 Most of the Gossip System’s functions had been locked. It couldn’t recover as it had expected—not even to seventy or eighty percent of its original state.
“There’s something else. Seventh, you said your friend borrowed a shell like I did. But I only took over this body after its original owner had completely died.
“What happened to the system whose shell your friend borrowed?”
The Gossip System had occupied the Merit System, but what had happened to the original Merit System? These systems were intelligent systems with thoughts and consciousness of their own. From Yue Fuguang’s perspective, systems were practically half-human.
【Host, systems like us are different from humans. In the beginning, we’re all controlled by our data cores. My friend has completely fused with the original system core.】
“Completely fused? So they’ve become one? Then what is it afraid of? Can the Main System discover that something is different?”
Her understanding was that the two sets of data had devoured each other and become one entity, with the Gossip System’s data merely occupying the dominant consciousness.
【That… It isn’t entirely sure either. But my friend has only just begun to slowly remember some of the original system’s affairs. Because its share of the data was too small at the beginning of the fusion, it was in a state of complete amnesia, much like a human being reincarnated!】
I see, Yue Fuguang thought, now that she understood the situation.
Her system couldn’t exactly be considered completely illegal. It was merely… not entirely legal.
“If the Main System discovers a situation like this, what will happen?”
【Uh… Maybe, possibly, it’ll be sent back to the factory and reformatted?】 Still, the system had a feeling that, in this case, the Main System hadn’t remained completely unaware.
After all, how had such a small amount of Gossip data managed to survive within the vast sea of data, then successfully fuse with the data of a newly created system? Although its functions had been suppressed, it was obvious that its control over the data had taken the dominant position.
This system’s thoughts and actions were still primarily guided by it.
“Since that’s the case, my advice is for your friend to keep itself hidden and avoid letting the Main System discover any clues.
“As for its host, it’s best not to tell her for now.”
【Why?】
“Have you never heard that the more you know, the more dangerous it is? Even if the Main System discovers everything one day, an uninformed tasker cannot be accused of covering anything up. Keeping her in the dark is also a way of protecting her.
“Since her identity is legitimate, she only needs to focus on completing her tasks. There’s no need to say anything until all of you have grown stronger.”
At the very least, they should wait until she had rebuilt her own body. If things went wrong then, she could still run.
It seemed that she would have to complete this world’s tasks as perfectly as possible. The higher the task rating, the more generous the points would be.
【That makes sense. Then I’ll… I’ll go talk to my friend!】
The system left, then returned again. Only a few minutes had passed. Clearly, it had put on an act, but not entirely committed to it.
【Master, I have some fresh gossip for you.】
Hearing that the system was ready to get to work, Yue Fuguang immediately perked up. “What is it? Hurry up and tell me.”
【Master, do you remember Chancellor Wei? Wei Qingyi’s father.】
“Of course I remember him. What happened?”
【Have you forgotten? Chancellor Wei’s beloved from his youth was the Empress of Nanzhao. Now that the Empress is dead, the old man learned of the news and is making a fuss about going to Nanzhao to pay his respects.】
“Pay his respects? Leaving aside whether he can even get there with the heavy rains and flooding in Nanzhao, even if he does make it, aren’t the Empress’s funeral rites being kept as simple as possible?
“By the time he arrives, the Empress will have been buried long ago.”
Wei Qingyi’s mother seemed to still be alive. If the old man pulled a stunt like this, where would that leave his legitimate wife’s dignity?
“Besides, would that old Emperor of Northern Ji agree?”
【Of course he wouldn’t. He’s jealous! The army originally assembled at the border was supposed to be commanded by members of the Zhuang family. But now, because Chancellor Wei wanted to go see his beloved from the past, Northern Ji’s emperor became so furious that he temporarily replaced the commanding general with Wei Qingyi.
“With a battle about to break out at the front, Chancellor Wei doesn’t dare leave now—not with his son’s life at stake.】
“Wei Qingyi? Wasn’t he a civil official? Why would they put him in command? Does Northern Li have a tradition of sending civil officials to lead armies as well?”
Northern Li was clearly determined to bring about its own destruction.
It wasn’t that civil officials could never command troops. The problem was that civil officials with the talent to serve as true military commanders were exceedingly rare.
【He is indeed a civil official, but the Wei family was once involved in the military as well. After Northern Ji’s emperor came to power, their influence gradually withdrew from the armed forces, but their connections remained. Wei Qingyi himself is quite capable, so there’s no problem with him taking command.】
“How many troops does Wei Qingyi have under his control?”
【A force of one hundred and fifty thousand!】
“Does Bei Ye know that his old flame has become the commander of an army?”
【That’s precisely what I wanted to tell you. Bei Ye has already received the news and has secretly left the capital, heading for the border between the two countries.】
“He found out quickly. It seems he planted quite a few people in Northern Li. And what does ‘secretly’ mean? Northern Ji didn’t stop him or Beiyue from returning home. Why does he need to sneak back into his own country?”
【Master, guess why he’s doing that!】
“He’s planning something? Is it for the one hundred and fifty thousand troops under Wei Qingyi’s command?”
【Correct! That was also the result of a discussion he and Beiyue had throughout the night. Bei Ye is secretly returning to Northern Li. He plans to find a way to stay by Wei Qingyi’s side and seize control of the army when the opportunity arises.】
“The two brothers have joined forces?”