224: Ancient Ruins (Part Two)

After several minutes of angry "buffed" output, You Lin couldn't help but whimper softly for a while.

It seemed he was feeling sorry for himself.

Seeing this, You Yu, who was standing nearby, hurriedly shook his head like a rattle.

It was as if he didn't know this "ghost" You Lin at all.

[I can't watch this; it's a total eyesore.]

A grumble echoed in the sea of consciousness, feeling that You Lin's Underworld methods were simply beneath contempt.

Shang Wan Ning looked at You Lin's pitiful state and felt a splitting headache.

Helplessly, she covered her forehead and waved her hand, signaling You Yu to quickly take this attention-seeker You Lin away before he embarrassed himself further.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

As if granted a grand reprieve, You Yu hurriedly dragged You Lin out of the hall.

While being dragged away by You Yu, You Lin muttered under his breath, "I was just worried that the tech signals would be jammed by that powerful pressure..."

You Yu's face was as cold as water, his eyes glaring like knives as he snorted coldly, "Stop the nonsense and go back to reflect on your actions in solitude."

He paused, then continued, "When you have the time, you should spend more time at the Research Institute jointly established by the Underworld and the Special Affairs Bureau."

"Take a good look at how those truly capable researchers get things done."

At this point, You Yu softened slightly, and his tone involuntarily relaxed. "Buddy, you're like a frog at the bottom of a well, only ever seeing that tiny patch of sky above."

"If you keep this up, you'll eventually be weeded out by the changing times."

"Also, don't be so full of yourself. With your current abilities, Ling Qi wouldn't even need to personally remove you from the inner circle."

"When working under Her Majesty, there are only two options: either you're capable, or you're not."

"And you clearly belong to the latter."

You Lin's face instantly turned pale. He gritted his teeth, and only after a long moment did he squeeze out a sentence, "Thank... thanks for the reminder, Brother Yu. Brother... I know I was wrong."

Seeing this, You Yu nodded slightly.

"It's good that you know you were wrong."

"After all, we're 'plastic brothers.' I don't want to see you drop the ball halfway through."

A hint of calculation flashed through his light-colored eyes.

The old schemer You Yu decided that once You Lin went to the Research Institute, he would allocate some quotas for him to receive the newly developed advanced weapons.

Compensation and experimental data—he would take both.

[Her Majesty should agree, right!]

...On the surface, Shang Wan Ning pretended to be deep in thought, as if she couldn't figure it out, but in reality, she had long since made her plans.

She began to reflect: had she set her expectations too high for the hundred squads of Ghost Messengers she had summoned for the first time?

Was it because she had held such high expectations from the start that she now felt they were each more troublesome than the last?

At this thought, Shang Wan Ning couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

[So frustrating!]

She grumbled indignantly to Xiao Si, "I want to retract the five-star review I gave before. They're worth four stars at most."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Si's eyes widened instantly, forgetting even the trashy drama she was watching.

With a "whoosh," she floated out of the system space and, with a "waah," hugged Shang Wan Ning's leg.

The scene was truly quite comical.

Shang Wan Ning looked at Xiao Si's exaggerated expression, the corners of her lips curling upward.

However, a certain naive system was in no mood to notice Shang Wan Ning's subtle expression.

Her survival instinct was through the roof, her mind racing for ways to convince Shang Wan Ning not to give a four-star rating.

"great host, Host~ please don't give four stars! Good reviews are tied to my performance; Xiao Si already owes so much to Xi-Bei."

"If I can't pay it back this month, the Master Brain will cross dimensions to find me..."

Xiao Si spoke while sobbing, continuously shaking Shang Wan Ning's leg.

She looked as pitiful as could be.

Shang Wan Ning sighed helplessly, lowered her eyelashes, and quietly looked back at the drama queen Xiao Si.

It was as if she were saying, "Woman, I'll just watch you keep acting."

Xiao Si looked up eagerly at the Empress and advised, "The system's starter pack actually has hidden benefits; every Ghost Messenger has one-in-a-million potential. Plus, with the massive supply of incense offerings to your inner circle, their advancement is very fast."

"But they aren't data; they just have different personalities. To this era, they are like blank sheets of paper, needing the Host to paint them in the colors you like."

"Some flaws aren't intolerable."

"In the end, they are loyal to you."

A hint of surprise flashed through Shang Wan Ning's eyes, but she quickly hid it.

She said coldly, "I am not a nanny."

"Spiritual Energy Revival is inherently an era of great conflict. Even though I have the system, I cannot predict the path ahead. A single step back, and what awaits me might be a bottomless abyss."

"Furthermore, after all this time, I still know nothing about the system's origin or the purpose of our binding."

"System missions have been pushing me forward the entire time. Are you all using me, or is it simply..."

Shang Wan Ning didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

She had become suspicious of the motives of Xiao Si and the other systems, wondering what their goal was—they were so desperate for power.

"Everything over the past few years has been like looking at flowers through a fog; right and wrong, true and false, it's hard to distinguish!"

Shang Wan Ning rubbed her fingertips, letting the point stand.

After a few seconds of dead silence, she smoothed her brow and said with a smile, "Even gods can be afraid, including me, the 'tool god' that was pushed forward."

Xiao Si didn't respond; for the first time, her face was crumpled like a steamed bun.

She stuck out her rear, buried her head, and gave Shang Wan Ning an apologetic hug.

Then, she quickly hid back in the system space.

For a while, she probably didn't want to face a certain someone.

Shang Wan Ning smiled somewhat awkwardly, her face full of the guilt of bullying the little system.

After a brief silence, she pointed at the contract on the table.

"Having a naive system is actually quite nice. A little test and she retreats into her shell."

"It's a pity I made a mountain out of a molehill and used You Lin as a pretext today; I'll have to have the Research Institute give him some compensation."

"But You Yu is so smart, he must have guessed my abnormal behavior."

The candlelight in the hall flickered slightly in the wind, as if casting a few shadows of gloom over the Empress's pretty face.

Before long, the Hour of Hai was approaching.

Shang Wan Ning looked down at the leg Xiao Si had hugged before leaving; it seemed to be stained with some unknown liquid.

Instantly, a bolt of lightning struck her sea of consciousness!!!

She stared blankly for a long time.

She couldn't help but clench her fists, using her wrists to rub her temples. "Tsk, what a messy little system."

She silently cast a Cleaning Spell, and her clothes were instantly refreshed.

But after a few more glances, Shang Wan Ning's germophobia erupted like a volcano.