Yue Fuguang was a bit puzzled. Wasn't the system she had bound supposed to be a disabled system? How could it have such formidable capabilities?
"System, be honest. Is it only you who has this ability, or do other systems have it too?"
The system was momentarily bewildered, but ultimately replied with conviction, [Host, this system believes that systems with this kind of ability, like me, number no more than the fingers on one hand!]
It was a very special existence. Although it didn't know exactly where its specialness lay, the system just had that feeling.
Sensing the atmosphere was a bit tense and serious, which wasn't conducive to the following 'chat,' Yue Fuguang deliberately joked, "The 'hand' you mentioned, is it a human hand?"
As she spoke, she raised her own fair, plump little hand before her eyes, which even had four distinct dimples on it.
[Naturally. The human form is the most perfect construct in this world. When this system reaches level eight, it will also create a human body for itself.]
"Tell me truthfully, how many times have you stolen data from the system mall?"
Yue Fuguang was rather afraid of being discovered by the main system and getting herself implicated.
[Host~, you know me. You are this system's first host. Since becoming a Virtue System, this system hasn't stolen anything yet.]
Ignoring its attempt to act cute, Yue Fuguang pressed on, "So, you're saying you did steal when you were a Gossip System? And your formatting, was it not because of data theft?"
The two of them spent their days feasting on those explosive pieces of gossip. If the system hadn't brought it up, she would have almost forgotten they were supposed to be a Virtue System.
A Virtue System, by its very nature, should morally stand a head above other systems, or rather, should be the pinnacle of morality in the system realm.
But encountering a pair like them...
The system quickly shook its head, [Of course not! The main system would never format this system over such a trivial matter!]
"Then what kind of huge trouble did you cause before, to make the main system format and restart you!"
She was increasingly getting the feeling that the relationship between her system and the main system wasn't simple.
The sentence 'You wouldn't happen to be the main system's illegitimate child, would you?' swirled in her mouth several times but ultimately wasn't spoken aloud.
Could silicon-based lifeforms even have offspring?
Hearing the word 'trouble,' the system's data stream jumped unusually fast for a moment. It replied somewhat sheepishly, [This system doesn't know either. The main system cleaned my memory data very thoroughly. To recover the data, I'll have to wait until I reach a higher level to slowly retrieve it.]
"You can actually recover data deleted by the main system?" Impressive, my system! Not only can it repair, but it can also retrieve!
[Of course I can! Hehehe! But that all requires points and energy!]
Mention of points and energy reminded Yue Fuguang that their conversation had strayed off topic. She hurriedly steered it back, "Is it because you're short on points that you want to resell data from the mall?"
A system, and a Virtue System at that, actually thinking of making a quick buck through shady means!
She was more and more convinced that her system's sense of morality was definitely the lowest point in the entire Virtue System spectrum.
Was it that the system took after its host and had been corrupted by her?
Yue Fuguang decisively shook her head. She couldn't take the blame for this. She preferred to believe it was the system slowly revealing its true nature.
[I am a bit short. I've been repairing the Gossip System recently. Wanting to access more gossip sooner, I repaired it a bit too vigorously, which consumed more energy, so...]
"You're only repairing the Gossip System and not tending to the Virtue System at all?"
Had the system forgotten it was fundamentally a Virtue System? Only with more complete Virtue System data would its own system be more stable.
[The Virtue System? The Virtue System... can wait until we have a few more points before repairing it. All our current tasks rely on gossip, so this system believes we should prioritize repairing some gossip data first.]
Hearing this, Yue Fuguang seriously suspected that the system's two systems were developing unevenly, causing a slight shift in its system nature.
Could the Gossip System be the absolute moral low ground of the entire system realm?
Then how did her system jump from one extreme to the other?
Yue Fuguang pulled up the system panel. After her shopping spree, she still had 25,800 points left. Over the past few days, thanks to minor gossip, it had increased by over a thousand.
The 20,000 points for the 'escape fund' couldn't be touched. She also needed to keep three or four thousand for emergencies. That left less than three thousand points. She said, "I'll lend you two thousand points to tide you over. Is that enough?"
It wasn't that Yue Fuguang didn't want to give more, but she was mainly afraid that if the system's 'specialization' became too severe, what if it accidentally reverted to its 'old ways'?
She always felt there was something more to this formatting incident. Hmm... a Virtue System should still focus on virtue.
Therefore, after attending classes for another day, Yue Fuguang arrived at the day of the court assembly.
Gazing at the hall full of officials, they were all potential sources of her virtue points!
Who should she start with... whom to 'rescue' first?
"Little Pearl, I'm bored. Give me a minor piece of gossip to liven things up!"
Emperor Mingxi and his ministers instinctively felt their skin tighten. Many quickly bent over and lowered their heads, their reaction eerily similar to that of struggling students when a teacher calls on someone in class.
Yue Fuguang saw her past self in them and suddenly felt a sense of triumphant satisfaction.
[Master, let me see who down there looks disagreeable, and we'll feast on their gossip.]
Emperor Mingxi's expression changed slightly. The Divine Artifact seemed to enjoy calling him out the most!
Just as he was mentally preparing himself, he suddenly heard the Divine Artifact's voice, heavenly music to his ears, say, [Master, look at the person standing two positions behind the Right Vice Minister of Revenue, Lord Zheng Ziling. The one with the dark complexion, high cheekbones, and slightly thinning hair.]
Zheng Ziling: So he had become the anchor point for the two ancestors? Using him for positioning, was it because, among those in front, behind, left, and right, he and the Little Immortal Lord were the most familiar?
Glancing at Yu Shuchun standing in front of him, Zheng Ziling secretly smiled.
"I see him. Who is that?"
[Director Gao Ming of the Revenue Bureau. If your second uncle hadn't been parachuted into the Revenue Bureau, this position that Gao Ming holds now would have been within his grasp.
Master, do you know why he dislikes you?]
"He dislikes me? Whether an insignificant person likes me or not matters less to me than this cup of tea in front of me. What's there to guess?"
[Because this man has looked down on women since childhood. Master, a mere girl, sits high in the court hall, while he, who considers himself brimming with talent and learning, has to stand during assemblies. It's enough to make him vomit blood in frustration.
Later, when your second uncle was promoted by the emperor to the Revenue Bureau, taking the vice minister position he always thought would be his, his resentment towards you grew even stronger.
Because he believes your second uncle advanced through favoritism, and because of your influence.]
Yu Shuchun's eyelid twitched. He glanced sideways with his peripheral vision. Although he couldn't see Gao Ming at that moment, he mentally noted this colleague, who always appeared respectful and polite when meeting him.
"He's just sour grapes. Tell me, isn't my second uncle's ability stronger than his?"
[Your second uncle now holds the accounting methods you gave him. Who in the Revenue Bureau would dare say his ability is lacking?
Although this Gao Ming secretly resents you, uncle and niece, and covertly tries to learn this skill, on the surface, in daily interactions, he remains quite respectful towards your second uncle.]
"Does he even need to learn it covertly? Didn't my second uncle already teach some of the accounting methods to colleagues in various departments?"
