System launched
[The Cat Savior System is now available!]
A strange voice echoed in Yan Qing's mind. She didn't pay much attention to it in her daze and turned over, intending to stay in bed a little longer. Suddenly, she remembered that it was her turn to open the shop today. She reluctantly sat up after a few moments of hesitation and slowly woke up.
As the scene before her eyes became clearer, Yan Qing felt as if she were dreaming.
A strong sense of antiquity greets you from every angle. The small space is fully equipped and shows signs of life. The problem is that Yan Qing has never seen this place before.
She decisively collapsed, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep, praying that she could end this dream within a dream before the cat cafe opened.
[Hello host, I am the chief customer service representative of the Cat Savior System. I will now be at your service.]
The mechanical sound started again, and Yan Qing suddenly opened her eyes. She looked around and, after confirming that the sound was not coming from her surroundings, threw off the covers, stood up, and began to explore the room.
Sight, hearing, touch—this dream felt far too real.
[Host, host, you're not dreaming!]
"What the hell? Where did that sound come from?" Yan Qing blurted out, then quickly looked around to make sure there were no talking creatures nearby. He slowly swallowed, a hint of fear in his eyes.
[It's me, the chief customer service representative of the Cat Savior System. Just call me Cat Number One.]
The footsteps outside the door gave Yan Qing no chance to process the situation. Instinctively, she quickly walked to the door, squatted down, and used her back to brace against the vermilion wooden door, her heart pounding wildly.
Two figures were projected onto the peach blossom paper. The door was knocked twice, the vibration reaching Yan Qing, followed by a clear female voice.
"Aunt Congjin and Aunt Congqiao asked us to call you. The Imperial Concubine wants to have a new winter dress made and is looking for you."
Yan Qing held her breath, as if frozen in place, afraid of making a sound that would alert the people outside.
After a while without a response, the conversation between the two people outside the door resumed.
"Strange, why is there no sound?"
"Perhaps it's not inside. Let's look elsewhere."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief, got up and sat back on the bed. Remembering there was a strange cat, Number One, she tried calling its name in her mind.
After all, talking to yourself is a bit too awkward.
[Cat Number One?]
[Yes, yes, host, is there a problem?]
More than that, her mind was filled with questions.
Having read many novels, Yan Qing realized that she had most likely transmigrated into a book or traveled through time. However, when the voice of the self-proclaimed Cat Savior System rang in her mind, she was still somewhat dazed, wondering if she had developed a mental illness.
[What's going on? How did I get here?]
A long explanation entered her mind.
In short, Yan Qing was very lucky to be chosen by the Cat Savior System and transmigrated to this ancient world to save the world.
Ah, me?
Yan Qing couldn't understand how he could be related to saving the world, and couldn't help but doubt the system's selection criteria.
The Cat Savior System selects users through a rigorous process. First, users must be seasoned cat lovers; second, their names must match the original body's name if they meet the transmigration criteria. This increases the success rate.
[Then you should find someone else. I'm really not interested in saving the world.]
Unfortunately, once selected, the host cannot return to their original world until the mission is completed.
[Fine, you can stay here. Saving the world is out of the question; you've kidnapped the wrong person.]
Yan Qing is an orphan who has been used to being alone since childhood. She runs a cat café with her partner, who is also a cat lover. Apart from business, the two don't interact much in their personal lives.
In the original world, there were only two silly cats to care about, but opening a cat cafe is to prevent unexpected situations, such as suddenly disappearing like now.
The two silly cat partners will take care of her, so life will be quite comfortable from now on. As for her, it doesn't matter where she lives.
[If you don't accept the mission, this body will die in two weeks. According to the established trajectory of this world, the original owner will die in a court intrigue in two weeks; in layman's terms, she'll be cannon fodder. Soon after, this world will also be destroyed because the happiness level of its people falls below 10%.]
Cat Number One reminded me.
Yan Qing still didn't intend to accept this damn mission. She had already struggled and fought her way up for the past twenty-odd years. Why would she obediently die according to the script in this world? It didn't matter if this world was going to be destroyed; she wouldn't be the only one to die.
No one can control her actions.
Wait, wait, aren't you curious about what the reward will be after completing the task?
Yan Qing rolled her eyes, threw herself onto the bed, and lay flat.
[What reward? Does it mean I can go back to my original world?]
Cat Number One sounded furious, his mechanical voice accompanied by crackling electrical noises.
[How could that be! This cat-themed system is the most considerate system out there; how could it let its host make a wasted trip? Rewards for completing the task include, but are not limited to, the ability to communicate seamlessly with the kitten. If the host has other desired rewards related to the kitten, they can also be granted based on the task completion status.]
Hearing this, Yan Qingqing finally showed a hint of interest.
[What does that mean? Does it mean you can understand what the kitten is saying?]
[That's not all! Not only can the host understand the kitten's meaning, but the kitten can also completely understand the host.]
The mechanical vocal cords emitted some foul odor.
But it must be admitted that this was a great temptation for Yan Qing.
If this was just enough to make Yan Qing's heart flutter, what followed would immediately make Yan Qing retract her statement that she would not be manipulated by others.
[Anything related to kittens, this system can handle, like extending a kitten's lifespan—it's a piece of cake!]
Who could refuse that? As a system-certified veteran cat lover, Yan Qing certainly couldn't.
Moreover, this so-called cat system isn't even human, so Yan Qing is quite willing to be manipulated by the cat.
The ultimate qualities of a seasoned cat lover!
[Tell me, tell me, how do you plan to save the world? Let me confirm again: after the mission is complete, send me back to my original world, let me communicate with all the kittens without any problems, and will my kittens live to the same age as me?]
[Bingo! If the host decides to stay, the cat can also be teleported to this world. The mission is very simple: as long as the happiness level of the people in this world reaches 80%, the mission is complete!]
[So what exactly do I need to do? Are there any specific task steps?]
[This system cannot provide a method to complete the task. The Cat Savior System is an auxiliary system that can only provide assistance related to kittens. The task needs to be explored and completed by the host on their own.]
[What kind of help can you offer, please be more specific?]
The assistance that can be provided is related to the happiness level of the population. Currently, the happiness level is 15%, which allows the provider to offer the host items for the kitten to eat or use.
Yan Qing sat up abruptly.
[15%! If it drops another five points, the world will be finished?]
[Here's the thing, host, you have a long and arduous journey ahead. Please begin the mission as soon as possible!]
Yan Qing hadn't quite figured out what kind of help Cat Number One could provide, so she just made a casual request.
[Give me a bag of dried fish.]
[Cat No. 1 received, distribution in progress.]
As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Qing had a bag of crispy dried fish in her hand. She was stunned for two seconds, and when she realized what was happening, she already had a dried fish in her mouth. It smelled pretty good.
Give me a gun.
Sorry, this item is unrelated to kittens; the system has rejected it.
As Yan Qing devoured the tasty dried fish, he questioned the system's decision.
[If a cat can be a system, why can't it be a secret agent? Giving it a gun isn't unreasonable, is it?]
Currently, no cat agents are detected within the system's detection range.
Yan Qing put the empty packaging aside. Finding no convenient place to wash her hands, she clapped her hands, shook off the remaining crumbs, and spoke to the system.
[Support cats' freedom of career choice.]
Yan Qing didn't take it to heart that she didn't get the gun, since she wouldn't know how to use it even if she did.
Having formally accepted the mission, Yan Qing became serious and inquired about the system, the world, and her current situation.
Based on Cat No. 1's reply, Yan Qing also gained a general understanding.
It is currently the twelfth month of the twenty-sixth year of the Jianyuan era.
The original owner of this body shared the same name as Yan Qing and was a female official in the Bureau of Imperial Works, holding the rank of fifth-grade official in charge of imperial embroidery. She was renowned for her embroidery skills and the strictness of her administration. After entering the palace, she was given the name Congjin, and thereafter the name "Yan Qing" faded into obscurity, known to few, leaving only Yan Congjin, the Imperial Inspector.
And she, with a bright future ahead of her, in the prime of her youth, will die at the New Year's Eve banquet not long from now.
Yan Qing is currently at a critical juncture; she has just been approached by the Crown Prince. According to the original plan, Yan Congjin would have followed the Crown Prince's orders to frame Consort Shu for plotting against the Empress at the New Year's banquet, and would subsequently be sentenced to death.
After sorting through everything, Yan Qing realized something was wrong and asked about Yan Congjin, who should have been alive.
[What about Yan Congjin? Isn't she still alive?]
[The original game has a death ending and is currently in a closed state. The final ending will vary depending on the host's mission completion and choices. If the mission fails, the host will die according to the original ending.]
[What about her memories? Could you share them with me?]
Cat Number One started to hesitate a bit, as if it was embarrassed.
Currently, the system is in its initial stage, and some functions are not yet complete.
Yan Qing was speechless. It turned out to be a makeshift operation, and he was the first unlucky one to fall victim.
[However, host, don't worry, the assistance function is already very sophisticated and there will be absolutely no abnormalities! As the first host, you will receive even richer rewards.]
Yan Qing ignored Cat Number One's self-praise and tried to find a way to break the deadlock based on the limited information available to her.
She couldn't embroider, didn't understand the complicated rules of the palace, and had no memories of the original owner of the body. She definitely couldn't continue as the head of the Imperial Household Department, not to mention that there was a Crown Prince eyeing her covetously from behind.
Staying in the palace would mean certain death; no matter what happens in the future, we must leave this palace city first.
As for the days before leaving, playing Yan Congjin was undoubtedly a poor choice.
Imitation without understanding will eventually be exposed, so Yan Qing asked for leave on the grounds of catching a cold, during which time he would occasionally sneak out to look for a way to escape from the palace.
Fortunately, Yan Congjin was usually aloof, and his subordinates did not bother him. During his leave, only Cong Qiao, who was also a supervisor in the Shanggong Bureau, would visit him often, but Yan Qing would always send her away on the grounds that he was not feeling well.
Five days later, with the right timing, location, and people, Yan Qing began to implement her plan to escape the palace.
[Let's go, Cat Number One!]
【Set off! 】
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
