Chapter 25: Listening

"What exactly is the point of this Good Person System of yours? Because of you, I've nearly alienated all my core supporters. Judging by their attitudes, the second uprising isn't far off..." In the office of the Copper Fortress's leader, Lang Sheng sat with his head in his hands, deeply troubled.

He hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. Glancing at the calendar, he saw the date: July 11th. The next wave of the evil tide was approaching, precisely the moment when manpower and resources were most needed. Yet for the sake of activating that Good Person System, he’d paid a steep price: he could have reaped a fortune from that wretched shelter—one hundred kilograms of gold, but in the end, he’d only brought back twenty. He'd even parted with his most treasured cultivation manual.

With the extra eighty kilograms of gold and the sub-leaders who weren’t lost to internal strife, they wouldn’t have had to hold the fortress to the death against the coming evil tide. They could have ventured out to make a killing. Now, all they could do was brace for a desperate defense, and after that, a second rebellion was all but certain. The losses, in and out, were incalculable.

No wonder more than seventy thousand people had failed. Who could afford the cost of activating the Good Person System? It was no easy thing to be a good person, and activating the system was even more of an ordeal.

Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears.

"Wolf Might, what troubles you now?"

That was the voice he’d once forced himself to listen to, an experience so harrowing he’d never wished to hear it again, nor tried to communicate further. After that first time, he’d felt he was on the verge of madness. If not for cultivating the Bronze-Grade Meditation Technique taught to him by the voice, he doubted he’d have survived three more days.

Even though the being had left him contact information—simply call its name and he could reach it—he refused to even think of the name, let alone remember it. After all, who could recall such an awkward, un-Earthly name?

He’d all but shouted in madness, "If I ever contact you or call your name again, may I turn into a good person!"

Now, as the voice returned, Lang Sheng instinctively cradled his head, just as he had as a child when punished by his mother. If his subordinates saw him like this, they’d see their leader in an entirely new light.

"Wolf Might, what are you evading?"

"You’re evading wisdom. You’re evading your destiny."

"Eh? This time it doesn’t hurt at all!" Lang Sheng exclaimed with surprise.

He didn’t credit the Bronze-Grade Meditation Technique, though it must have helped somewhat. But it couldn’t be this dramatic; after all, even after practicing it, he would sometimes wake in the night with a splitting headache from stray voices.

Wait—come to think of it, his head hadn’t ached for days. When had that started? Right—July 7th, the day he obtained the Good Person System!

I knew it! The system is useful, even unactivated. It’s a system, after all—the supreme authority in the multiverse, created by the most mysterious, unknowable existence, transcending all things, the ultimate golden finger.

His thoughts raced further. During meditation, that mysterious rule binding his soul—because of it, he could resist the mental influence of these unknown entities, converse with them as if they were ordinary people. At most, their voices were nagging, but never painful, nor did he risk madness like others.

Alas, I was wrong. The Good Person System isn’t an unreasonable trial. It’s just that those before me never discovered the proper way to use it!

Then again, perhaps not—after all, these unknown entities only started attempting to communicate with humanity in recent years.

The more Lang Sheng pondered, the more he felt he might indeed be the protagonist of this era.

So he immediately pleaded, "Great Being, I will no longer evade you. Please, transmit all your wisdom to me..."

But the voice never returned. Perhaps, after his long silence, it had given up on him.

Damn it, could you not have had a bit more patience? Couldn’t you have learned from those Western missionaries, so relentless in civilizing the barbarians?

What was that fellow’s name again? The last two syllables were "tos" or was it "stoth"...?

How frustrating—why not take a local name, since you’re a foreigner here? Does only a foreign name sound suitably mysterious and grand?

A foolish being, truly. If you'd called yourself the Monkey King, I’d never have forgotten...

Forget it. I’ll try listening to another entity. With the system now, I don’t fear madness.

With this comforting thought, Lang Sheng soon dozed off in his office chair...

In the haze of dreams, sure enough, he heard a new unknown being call out to him.

"Hello, I’m the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Monkey King, currently trapped beneath Five Finger Mountain. If you top up 500 points of spiritual energy, once I’m free and storm the Celestial Palace, I’ll send the Seven Fairies to be your wives."

This was obviously a scam—reaching even into his dreams! Outrageous!

Besides, as if I don’t know, several of the Seven Fairies are already married!

I, Lang Sheng, want to be a good person, not a fool!

Lang Sheng felt no trace of a headache and continued to sleep soundly.

…

While the Good Person System’s host, Lang Sheng, was lost in his daydreams, the "Father of Systems," Fan Bei, was already prepared to set out again with Big White.

This time, Big White had the little wooden dog firmly bound to his tail, which wagged with great satisfaction. Originally, he’d tried to tie it to his back, but his master’s suggestion changed his mind.

"Big White, if you must drag along a burden, why not tie it to your tail? That way, if there’s danger like last time, it can shield you," Fan Bei suggested sincerely.

Big White, ignoring the wooden dog’s protests, obediently tied it there.

The wooden dog, surprisingly, endured without complaint or seeking retribution from Fan Bei. This made Fan Bei regard it with newfound respect.

This creature has real patience, and perhaps some depth—not just a fool for comic relief.

After these preparations, Fan Bei led Big White out of the living room and into the agricultural sector. Instead of heading south, he first went east to the generator room.

"Master, aren’t we going to clear out the spoiled food area?" Big White asked in surprise.

"Well, I thought about it and decided you should level up first. Since you mentioned you have a miraculous being called ‘System’ in your mind, you should make good use of it," Fan Bei said gravely, as if he had no idea where the Dog System actually came from.

"Yes, Little White repeatedly warned me not to tell anyone else. But you’re the first to know, Master, and it’s the second. If you had said so, it wouldn’t know," Big White replied earnestly.

"Enough, we agreed that what I tell you, you’re not to share with your master or anyone else," the wooden dog finally broke its silence, immediately interjecting.

"Mind your own business..." Big White clearly still resented its attack on his master, raising his head in defiance.

Fan Bei understood well enough by now and said, "It’s right. You’re smart enough already; what you need now is more stamina."

"Yes, Master," Big White nodded obediently and, full of spirit, strode into the open doorway.