Chapter Eighteen: Fan Bei’s Diary

Fan Bei considered everything carefully. Afraid he might forget such an important matter, he instinctively wanted to record all the thoughts he’d just had.

He leaned back against the broad white dining chair, propping his chin up as if he were about to drift off to sleep again.

That certainly wouldn’t do. Recording anything in the real world would be a tremendous risk.

At that thought, a flash of inspiration struck him. He used his mind to open the “Father of Systems.” The ethereal white tome floated in the dining room, like an entity existing apart from the entire world.

Da Bai couldn’t see it, and there was no way that unknown presence could miss it… Recording things here was the safest option. If even keeping a diary in this book could expose him, then his greatest secret would have been revealed long ago.

But what method did that unknown presence use to observe this world? It was attached to the wooden carving—what kind of existence was that?

These thoughts piled up, making him feel a greater urgency to sort everything out.

He opened the spectral white book. Each page could contain infinite content—words, pictures, even moving images… The mysterious depths of this book were far from fully explored.

The first page was the crucial “System Creation” page—he couldn’t use that to record personal information.

The second page was where Da Bai’s “Celestial Hound” system resided.

The third page, with the title “Good Person,” stood bare and functionless—a pitiful sight.

It didn’t even have the most basic system logs, nor could it collect or split spiritual power, only the simple knowledge he had given it, plus the ability to react to some things in a routine way.

Seeing this, Fan Bei had another idea—he could expand its functions later, as long as profitability was ensured.

Finally, he turned to the fourth page, focused his thoughts, and tried projecting the idea of a “private diary” to communicate with the book.

Suddenly, a line of text appeared as the first entry on page four.

“System Creator’s Diary?”

The words flickered, as if asking for his confirmation.

“Yes, exactly, and absolutely,” Fan Bei affirmed repeatedly in his mind.

The line then changed: “Fan Bei’s Diary.”

A diary template appeared below.

Date:
Weather:
Content:

Note: If the system creator does not record a diary that day, “Father of Systems” will automatically fill in the creator’s daily activities, an action that consumes only a negligible amount of spiritual power.

“It really works!” Fan Bei felt a subtle joy in his heart. He had already witnessed the wonders of this “Father of Systems,” so his excitement was no longer as intense as when he first discovered it—habit truly is a terrifying thing.

He immediately started writing with his mind.

Typing with one’s thoughts was like using speech-to-text, only it happened silently, making it far more convenient than typing and far less tiring; he’d kept diaries before, but writing by hand was so exhausting he’d eventually given up.

He began to carefully record what he’d just thought.

“July 10th, weather unknown. I discovered that the unknown presence wants to steal my advantage. As of now, I have two theories… Given that it’s essentially a grandfatherly golden-finger, quite useful, I’ve decided to feign ignorance and hide my true intentions for now. In truth, I still don’t have a way to completely eliminate it. Even though it’s very weak at the moment, once I’ve accumulated a hundred thousand—no, a million—spiritual power, then I’ll deal with it. A perfect plan.”

The first matter recorded, Fan Bei moved to the second.

“Also, I’ve realized that the ‘Good Person’ system actually has great potential. By adding system functions, it could accomplish a lot, even generate easy profit. The only issue is, I don’t have money to invest right now…”

“Da Bai has already awakened and mastered a silver-level technique. I’ve decided to send him out to work immediately. There’s no point in letting him freeload forever. The best lesson for children is to teach them how to support themselves from a young age.”

“So, these are the plans I’ve set today—long-term, medium-term, and short-term. I really do have the makings of a boss; I just never had a place to put my talents to use before.”

Having recorded all three matters, Fan Bei felt reassured. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about too many ideas causing confusion or forgetfulness.

Any successful boss ought to have the habit of recording their thoughts at all times, so as not to lose a flash of inspiration.

He reviewed what he’d written and, finding nothing missing, stood up from the dining chair and stretched, acting as if he’d simply dozed off during a meal.

He then made his way to the dog bed in the living room. Da Bai had finished eating and even washed his bowl spotless.

Now he was happily poking at the little wooden dog sculpture, never bored of playing with it.

This was the regular “dishwashing” task. Everyone washed their own dishes—rules were rules. Fan Bei would never let Da Bai wash his.

He cleared his throat, his voice full of temptation. “Da Bai, before I cooked, didn’t I tell you? As long as you clear out the food storage area, I’ll make you something delicious every day.”

Da Bai immediately dropped the wooden puppy, watching Fan Bei eagerly. Playing with friends was nothing compared to a good meal.

For him, eating came first; only after a full belly could he enjoy playing.

“Good, you’re very proactive. Let’s go now. Remember, you’ll take the lead—I’ll be behind you, cheering you on and shouting ‘awesome’,” Fan Bei said with self-awareness.

Da Bai nodded repeatedly, even patting his chest with a front paw, expressing, “Leave it all to me, Master. I’ll protect you from now on.”

Then he tried to tie the wooden puppy to himself, wanting his little friend to witness his bravery.

At this point, Fan Bei interjected at just the right moment, “Hey, this is your first battle. To be careful, don’t burden yourself with extra baggage; otherwise, you might not be able to perform at your best.”

Da Bai scratched his head and whimpered at Fan Bei:

“Master, this little friend is my canine advisor. Without him, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Fan Bei first put on a puzzled look, then nodded, “Don’t worry—your master is even smarter than your little friend. You don’t need to think too much; just do as I say.”

Hearing this, Da Bai’s face lit up with joy. He put down the wooden puppy, waved his paw at it in farewell, and got ready to leave.

“Stupid dog, did you see that? Your master’s true colors are about to be revealed. He’s going to separate us, then get rid of you.”

“Master would never do that.”

“Just wait—you’ll regret it sooner or later.”

Da Bai ignored the voice, following close behind Fan Bei, tail wagging, barking excitedly.

“All right, let’s go,” Fan Bei said, then opened the living room door and headed first to the crop hall in the agricultural section.

He led Da Bai through the long hallway on the east side of the hall and finally arrived near the copper wall on the southern end of the agricultural zone.

Here stood a silver-plated door.

Fan Bei exhaled. Whether this one was a dragon or a worm, he was about to find out.

He first pressed the light switch beside the silver door, illuminating the corridor beyond.

In other functioning areas of the shelter, the lights were usually left on. Though their effect was limited, they provided some deterrence against evil creatures. Compared to the small cost of electricity, safety always came first.

After switching on the lights, he took out a key ring, found the one labeled “Crop Transport Passage,” and prepared to open the door.

“Da Bai, once I open the door, you go in first. There’s light inside. If any evil creature comes at you, use the technique you just learned to kill it. If you see any grayish-white fruit pits, don’t eat them—they’re not edible. Give them to me. People outside will buy them, and you can get lots of fun and tasty things in exchange.”

As he turned the rusty lock, Fan Bei rambled on, acting entirely like an ordinary master.

Da Bai nodded repeatedly, paws on the door, ready to rush in the moment it opened.

A minute later, the door finally swung open.