Chapter 235 Cooperation
He Ling was taken aback by the question and quickly asked the system in her mind.
[System, did you hear me? Answer me now.]
The system was silent for a few seconds before speaking: "Host permissions are insufficient; some advanced items are not unlocked. Previewable items include tomato seeds, watermelon seeds, shampoo..."
The system presented another list, and this time the contents clearly caught Jiang Huan's eye.
That's more like it.
No problem if there's no fruit available; you can plant your own and harvest it yourself, which is even more rewarding!
"That's more like it."
She nodded and looked at He Ling with a smile: "You see, we can definitely cooperate."
"Cooperation?" He Ling repeated blankly.
“Yes, cooperation.” Jiang Huan leaned forward slightly, her voice seductive. “Your system requires points to redeem items, and those points are exchanged for favorability points, right?”
“And this favorability value…” Jiang Huan pointed to herself, then to He Ling, “I can help you increase your favorability value; you should have already felt it just now.”
"In exchange, you'll use your favorability points to redeem what I want from the shop."
Jiang Huan smiled and extended an olive branch.
"That way you'll be free from the constraints of that lousy mission, and you won't have to worry about winning over Huo Lin anymore, while I can get what I want."
She picked up a pastry and took a delicious bite.
"Win-win".
He Ling: ...
system:"……"
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
He Ling's mouth was agape, her eyes glazed over, as if her brain had stopped functioning.
The subtle electrical noise from the system completely disappeared, as if the power had been cut off.
[To...cooperate?]
[It sounds like I don't have to die?]
"Beep! Alarm! Alarm!"
The silent system, like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, suddenly burst into a sharp, piercing alarm.
"A serious violation request has been detected. The source of favorability points must be Huo Lin; Jiang Huan's favorability points are invalid!"
"Unable to redeem points! Unable to redeem items! Request rejected!"
The system's electronic voice was full of stubbornness, frantically flooding He Ling's mind.
Why is it invalid? Whose favorability score isn't considered a favorability score?
He Ling became anxious.
I don't care what you think, I care what I think.
Jiang Huan spoke up, interrupting He Ling's argument with the system.
"Rules are rigid, systems are flexible, or rather..."
Jiang Huan's gaze carried a chilling, all-knowing intensity, as if she could see right through He Ling and into the system.
"Is it that you don't want to change, or that you can't change?"
She paused, her eyes suddenly becoming incredibly sharp.
"If your host is eliminated by the world's rules because she is unable to complete your mission, can you, the system that depends on her, still survive?"
"Sizzle—!!!"
A sharp, almost ear-piercing electrical noise exploded in He Ling's mind, abruptly stopping all the system alarms and leaving only the near-collapse of electrical noise.
[System! Are you about to explode!?]
He Ling felt as if her head was about to explode, and she painfully covered her forehead.
Jiang Huan sat calmly, her fingertips lightly tapping the table, as if she were enjoying a good show.
A few seconds later, the chaotic static gradually subsided, eventually fading into a deathly silence.
He Ling recovered and looked up blankly at Jiang Huan.
Jiang Huan smiled slightly at her, her eyes encouraging, "It seems your system needs some time to think, or perhaps you should apply for one?"
He Ling suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Yes, let it apply.
[Your Majesty is truly clever.]
She instantly came back to life, filled with hope.
[System, you need to apply, or we're all doomed.]
Don't play dead, I know you can hear me.
[Hurry! Otherwise I'll... I'll jump into Taiye Pond again, and we'll all be doomed!]
system:"……"
The system silence lasted for a full ten seconds. Just when He Ling thought the system had completely crashed, the system voice sounded again.
"Beep, host request received, attempting to connect to main system, connected..."
"Application submitted, awaiting approval from the main system."
"Estimated processing time: one hour."
[One hour?!]
【So long?!】
He Ling was a little anxious.
[System! Can you hurry up?]
System: "Processing, please wait patiently."
The electronic voice conveys a sense of resignation that nothing you do can change.
Helpless, He Ling could only look at Jiang Huan and say somewhat embarrassedly, "Your Majesty, the system says it has applied and we will have to wait an hour."
"It's alright, it's only an hour." Jiang Huan waved her hand, gesturing for He Ling to sit down. "Perfect timing, let's chat."
She had the palace maids bring out hot tea and snacks again.
"Here, have some hot tea to warm yourself up. Were you startled by me just now?"
"No, no." He Ling accepted the teacup, flattered, and sipped the tea.
After drinking the warm tea, the atmosphere gradually eased.
Looking at Jiang Huan's gentle smile and feeling her kindness, He Ling's tense nerves gradually relaxed.
Thinking of the days she had lived before, her face fell, and she began to complain to Jiang Huan in a long, drawn-out voice.
"Your Majesty, you have no idea how much of a rip-off that system is."
"They kidnapped me and, without saying a word, ordered me to seduce the emperor, saying that if I failed the mission, I would be eliminated."
"The Emperor's aura is so intimidating that I don't even dare to get close to him, yet he wants me to try and win his favor."
"Last time in the Imperial Garden, I finally mustered up the courage to say a word to the Emperor, but when the Emperor glanced at me, my legs went weak and I couldn't even speak properly."
"It keeps screaming in my head all day long, saying this is dangerous and that is a threat, making me very nervous."
"Today was even worse, I was almost assaulted by an old eunuch..."
As He Ling spoke, her voice trembled with tears, and her eyes reddened again.
"If it weren't for a palace servant passing by and saving me, I...I..."
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and tears streamed down her face.
Jiang Huan listened quietly, occasionally handing her a snack or patting her hand to comfort her.
Tsk, He Ling really got screwed over.
This broken system is a real piece of work.
As she passed the money around, He Ling's face grew increasingly red.
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