Pregnant Cultivator, Doted by Big Boss

Just a moment ago, the force aimed at her son had emanated a malevolent and wicked aura.

For a Cultivator, such malevolence was nothing and could be easily erased. But in The Mortal Realm, it was a different story. If an ordinary person was touched by it, they would be afflicted with a grave illness at best. At worst, their family would be destroyed and they would perish.

"I’d like to see just what this thing is."

She lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes peering into the distance in that direction.

At the same time, Celeste Grant’s Divine Sense spread out from her, blanketing the entirety of Atheria and precisely pinpointing the source of the malevolent energy.

It was the General’s Mansion.

Though she was physically in The Warden’s Northern Manor, her Divine Sense allowed her to clearly see a black mist shrouding the General’s Mansion, accompanied by ripples of an unknown power.

She reached out and snatched at the air. In that instant, a spherical mass of energy, shimmering with a faint light, materialized in her grasp.

Celeste Grant’s gaze fell upon the object in her hand, and she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. She brought the ball of energy closer for a better look.

"What the hell is this?"

The moment she spoke, a voice echoed in her mind. It crackled with static, like an electric current, and sounded somewhat mechanical.

"BZZT... Let me go... BZZT... Let me go."

"BZZT... Who are you?"

Hearing the voice in her mind only piqued her curiosity.

’This ball of energy in my hand is actually alive and possesses its own consciousness. How is this so similar to the methods of an Evil Cultivator?’

"Danger detected. System is attempting to identify target... BZZT... Insufficient permissions. Query failed..."

Celeste Grant stared at the energy sphere in her hand. The moment she heard the word "system," it all clicked into place. ’I can’t believe this is one of those legendary ’systems’...’

At that moment, the voice returned in her mind.

"Danger detected... System activating automatic defense. Unlocking escape function. Current target is extremely dangerous. Withdraw. Immediate withdrawal required."

Hearing this, Celeste Grant couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Haha... That’s hilarious! It even has an escape function? Too bad for you. Once you’re in my hands, there’s no running away."

The ball of energy struggled in her grasp, emitting a frantic BZZT-ing sound.

Celeste Grant glanced down at it and murmured, "Tsk, tsk. To think I could just casually snatch something out of the air and end up with a legendary ’system.’"

Just then, the system’s voice returned.

"That’s right... I am a system. No, wait... You know what a system is?"

Celeste Grant hummed in acknowledgment.

"Is it so strange that I know what a system is? Why don’t you tell me what kind of system you are?"

The system’s voice echoed in her mind again.

"I am the Imperial Exam System. I periodically issue various quests. Completing them grants rewards: wealth, status, fame, a photographic memory. As long as my host completes the quests, they can obtain anything they desire."

Before the voice could continue, Celeste Grant cut it off. "It sounds impressive, but your power carries the stench of an Evil Cultivator. You cultivate by absorbing the luck of others and the fortune of an entire nation, don’t you? How utterly depraved."

Her tone was resolute.

As her words fell, the system’s voice in her head dissolved into a series of frantic static bursts, as if it were short-circuiting.

"BZZT... Detecting power not native to this world... What are you? You’re not from this world! Let me go..."

The ball of energy thrashed in her hand, trying to escape, but it was futile. The system was completely imprisoned by her power, unable to move.

Celeste Grant fixed her gaze on the ball of energy in her hand.

After studying it for a moment, she said, "You can indeed help someone pass the imperial exams. But in doing so, you use that bond to drain an entire nation’s fortune dry. Am I wrong?"

"BZZT... BZZT..."

She sneered. "Aren’t these the exact methods of an Evil Cultivator? I wonder who created you? To use a system to descend upon Elyndra and absorb the luck of others and the fortune of a nation for their own Cultivation... Tsk, tsk. Such a depraved act is an affront to the Heavenly Dao itself."

The fortune of a nation is tied to its countless citizens. This is equivalent to using millions of ordinary people as sacrificial fuel for Cultivation. It’s utterly vile.

At this thought, a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes as she looked at the system.

’This system cannot be allowed to exist.’

’No, more accurately, I need to find the person behind this system. Innocent people should not be reduced to sacrifices for someone else’s Cultivation.’

"Target detected: Extreme danger..."

Celeste Grant’s fingers tightened around the ball of energy. The static in her mind grew louder, accompanied by a desperate cry for mercy.

"No, no! Please, spare me!"

"Let me go... I’ll leave this world immediately. I swear I won’t bother you again!"

Celeste Grant let out a dry laugh.

"Leave? Impossible."

"Who is your creator?"

"BZZT... System does not have clearance... System does not have clearance."

Celeste Grant scoffed.

"I didn’t expect you to know anyway. However..." Her tone shifted, and a soft smile graced her lips. "The person you’re bound to is the true young master of the General’s Mansion, isn’t he? What a coincidence. The ’false’ young master you all drove out and tried to have killed happens to be my son. Now, tell me, what should I do with you?"

At these words, the system was stunned speechless.

’This is impossible.’

The system’s voice stammered in Celeste Grant’s mind.

"That’s... BZZT... That’s impossible. My records on Nathan Jacobs show he’s just an ordinary person, with no background or connections whatsoever."

Celeste Grant let out a cold laugh. "Nathan Jacobs? Who said that’s my son’s name? Not that you’re worthy of knowing the truth, anyway."

She began to gather her Cultivation in her hand, originally intending to obliterate the system. But then... an interesting idea occurred to her.

’I have an idea...’

A small smile played on Celeste Grant’s lips.

Using her Magic, she began to alter the system directly. The system remained bound to Arthur Jacobs, but the quests it issued were about to be very, very different.

She realized the system was something like a product of advanced technology, a kind of program. The difference was that it was alive and self-aware. Still, a single glance told her it was a low-grade, shoddy creation.

’Celeste Grant suspected that the system’s creator might also be a transmigrator from a technological era. Or perhaps they came from a world where technology and Cultivation coexisted. After all, if she herself could cross worlds, then anything was possible.’

She shook her head slightly.

’Never mind.’

’I’ll think about that later.’

"Stop... What are you doing... BZZT... BZZT..."

The system’s panicked voice echoed in her mind as it tried to resist.

But soon, the system fell silent.

She opened her palm and, with a gentle flick of her wrist, sent the system back to Arthur Jacobs. "Now, let the show begin."

「Meanwhile, in the General’s Mansion.」

Arthur Jacobs tried to call his system, but there was only silence, as if it had abandoned him entirely. Panic began to set in.

"System... System, are you there?"