Chapter Thirty-Nine: Preservation
On that day, Fan Bei, together with Da Bai and Xiao Bai, worked through the night, meticulously cleaning the residential area designed to accommodate five hundred people—forty two-story buildings in total. The mechanical repair center was also cleared out, though he had no time to handle part processing or repairs himself. Still, this would have to be dealt with eventually; otherwise, the shelter would inevitably grind to a halt.
After tallying everything, forty-five Ash-White Cores had been collected. He noticed something peculiar: whenever Da Bai killed an ash-white creature—unless it was exceptionally small, anything larger than a fist would always yield a core. When he practiced on a few himself, the drop rate was much lower. Clearly, the system’s upgrade and point options weren’t given freely; gaining experience and materials from defeating monsters was an essential attribute. The essence of the evil creatures automatically condensed upon their defeat, which made sense within the logic of his world. Of course, dropping money or equipment was too far-fetched, unless it was issued from his own “Father of Systems” storage space—which would require both immense wealth and a willingness to indulge such a host.
He checked his reserve of mental power—3,449.45 in total—on July 12. These forty-five cores should yield another two thousand or so, ensuring a decent stockpile. He needed to create a new system, though he couldn’t neglect the maintenance of the two old ones, especially the Good Person system. It was wasteful to squander a slot; with only three available, he had to maximize their utility.
He resolved to consider these matters carefully upon returning. So, man and dog, joyous and spirited, brought the iron sphere back to the duty room in the agricultural district.
Before he could even push open the door, Fan Bei felt the iron sphere in his hand shudder, then settle. He entered without betraying any emotion.
“Mr. Fan, dinner is ready,” Chef He said with a calm face, as if nothing had happened.
Fan Bei was about to speak when Da Bai barked at him.
“Master, Xiao Bai says the old man wants to become a good person again—he’s asking us to give him a chance.”
Hearing this, Fan Bei smiled at Chef He and said, “I’ll go to the bedroom and play with the dogs for a bit. You carry on.”
“Please, Mr. Fan,” Chef He replied respectfully, bowing his head.
Fan Bei took Da Bai by one hand and carried the iron sphere into the master bedroom. After closing the door, he asked in surprise, “What’s going on? Xiao Bai just said this guy was untrustworthy and should be put on menial tasks. That’s quite a sudden change.”
Da Bai barked twice at the iron sphere, expressing dissatisfaction.
“What’s with you? Changing your mind so quickly? Or rather, breaking your own word.”
After a moment, it finally spoke to Fan Bei.
“Master, Xiao Bai says the old man has deeply realized his mistakes—he was mumbling to himself, and Xiao Bai overheard. Rather than replacing him with another unreliable person, better to give him a chance.”
Fan Bei was silent for a while. After Chef He’s ordeal, he understood how difficult it was to build trust—especially in this wasteland world, without the constraints of peaceful society and its invisible deterrents. Of the three living beings beside him, only Da Bai, whom he had rescued and who had followed him for over seven years, was fully trustworthy. Even in his small domain, things were complicated; other places would be even more so, and this was the very reason for the demand for puppet servants. Yet he couldn’t trust even those. As a veteran who had tinkered with sanctuary systems for years, he knew how easy it was to engineer back doors.
He admitted he wasn’t skilled at winning hearts, but now he faced the necessity to expand his workforce. The urgency for a new system was growing.
Thinking this over, he smiled faintly. “Alright, everyone deserves a chance.”
“Master is so magnanimous,” Da Bai barked in response. “Xiao Bai says it will keep a close watch on the old man, even during meals. He may have some tricks, but there’s no way he could hide anything from Xiao Bai’s senses.”
“Well, in that case, Xiao Bai will have a lot of work. We can’t let it work for nothing,” Fan Bei said seriously. “It deserves a salary—let’s say, one mental core per week.”
“Master, you are so considerate,” Da Bai nodded eagerly.
What a miser, doing so much and only getting one? He hadn’t even started to bargain, and the conversation was already blocked. Fine, I’ll endure; haggling would only lower my status.
The iron sphere turned a few times.
“Xiao Bai says it doesn’t mind. Such a noble being never cares for money, as long as it’s enough to live.”
“Truly a high-level mental life form, so lofty in spirit—we mortals are humbled in comparison,” Fan Bei said sincerely.
Man, dog, and sphere finished their discussion and left the bedroom.
Fan Bei, as usual, went to the kitchen, served food for Da Bai first. Da Bai pushed the iron sphere and gestured an “OK” with its paw, then ate heartily, tail wagging in delight.
Fan Bei tested with the thought of “detoxification,” and sure enough, there was no problem.
Earlier that day, he had felt drowsy at noon; he used the “restore state” thought, which consumed only half a unit of mental power and dispelled the sleepiness. Clearly, some common abilities could be easily accomplished with the Father of Systems.
After dinner, Da Bai exercised in the living room, then went to the agricultural hall to run and practice its claws. Chef He began cleaning, washing clothes, sweeping, industrious as ever, his eyes seeming to shine anew.
The iron sphere occasionally rolled about in the living room, then enjoyed Chef He’s attentive care—bathing, polishing—almost to the point its white underlayer was exposed.
Fan Bei, meanwhile, sat in the bedroom, contemplating the new system. He opened the first page of the Father of Systems.
He calculated silently:
“The goal is to solve the shortage of manpower and the issue of trust; I’ll call it the Steward System. The aim is to create a god-tier steward loyal to its master.”
With two experiences in system creation, he was adept now.
“Category should be wizard-type; martial arts are a bit off. Wizards have more mysterious elements, rely on intelligence, and are easier to maintain and expand in the future.”
“I can select only three system options now. Upgrade and points, no—that’s too expensive and not immediately necessary, maybe later. That leaves two: Quest Guidance and Newcomer Gift Pack.”
“Quest Guidance is essential. As for the gift pack, I’d like to give a skill to assess a servant’s loyalty—but creating something out of nothing consumes massive mental power. Let’s try first.”
Fan Bei quickly built a system template, which prompted:
“System ‘Steward’: current creation requires 110,000 units of mental power.”
Just as expected. He removed the custom ‘Assess Loyalty’ skill from the gift pack and checked again:
“System ‘Steward’: current creation requires 1,000 units of mental power.”
Da Bai’s dog system, with its two options—Quest Guidance and Upgrade and Points—had cost 9,000 units, mainly due to the core Upgrade and Points, which required 8,000 units.
He understood this was the creation cost, not the value of the option itself. If the Father of Systems lacked this feature, purchasing it would cost not 8,000, but probably eighty million or more—it was a power that transcended the rules.
A single ‘Assess Loyalty’ skill required over 100,000 units…
“If only Da Bai could comprehend it,” Fan Bei mused, then had a sudden inspiration. “Xiao Bai seems confident—otherwise, how could it guarantee like that? I’ll try to coax it out.”
He decided to act, but as he was about to close the Father of Systems, he noticed the ‘Current Daily Mental Income’ indicator had changed. Previously at 4.2, now it was 4.25—a clear improvement from practicing the Bronze-level Meditation Technique. Da Bai, meanwhile, was still at the same level.
Right, the Good Person system’s host, Lang Sheng—he hadn’t collected the daily income yet.
He’d been too poor before to maintain it; the Good Person system had only a name, not a functioning operation.
Now, with over 3,000 mental power and forty-five more in reserve, he couldn’t let it go to waste. Lang Sheng was a merchant guild leader…
If he himself had forty-five Ash-White Cores, Lang Sheng surely had hundreds, perhaps thousands in stock. If all were handed over, and he gave only five percent as commission, the prospects were excellent.
Clearly, maintaining the old systems had to come first—accumulate more income, prepare for the new system, let the old support the new, and enter a virtuous cycle.
No sooner thought than done; Fan Bei opened the Good Person system page and began maintenance.