Having received a silent answer, she shrugged and headed towards her destination.
The capital of the Crystalless Empire is called Yuandu. It is filled with the empire's latest technological achievements, its best talents, its finest military academies, and everything else you can imagine. You could even say that this city is the place that everyone in the entire Red Cloud Galaxy yearns for.
Of course, this place also boasts the most upscale entertainment clubs.
The main entrance was equipped with an intelligent scanner that automatically identified visitors. Even so, two rows of well-mannered and smiling guides stood guard. Qin Muge had barely reached the entrance when the guide at the back immediately came forward. He seemed quite familiar with her identity, his smile warm yet not overly familiar. "Welcome to Shengshi Entertainment. Please proceed to VIP Room 4 this way."
Qin Muge continued walking towards his usual room, his gaze sweeping over the hall as if out of habit.
Her gaze inadvertently swept over the back of a black-haired girl sitting in the center of the bar, but her eyes returned to the road ahead without hesitation. Just then, the girl over there seemed to notice her gaze and looked in her direction.
Normally, Qin Muge would ignore the gazes of others, but he subconsciously met those eyes. After a half-second of stunned silence, he realized what was happening and started walking back the way he came.
Reaching out and pressing the identification device on booth number 4, Qin Muge asked casually, "Who was that black-haired girl sitting at the bar just now?"
However, the usually unquestionable reception manager now looked somewhat troubled, a hint of hesitation appearing on her beautiful face. Seeing Qin Muge still tilting his head, waiting for her answer, she had no choice but to squeeze out a reply: "I'm sorry, the guest's status is the same as yours. Due to the rules of authority, we cannot inform you."
The rules of access control stipulate that citizens can only view personal information on the AI that is below their own level of access. This rule is also followed in the operation of large entertainment venues to prevent troublesome customers from causing problems.
Qin Muge was now completely intrigued. How could they be on the same level as the Min family?
Which one could it be?
Qin Muge turned her head, took off one glove, pressed her index finger on the reader, entered a sixteen-digit password, and then casually replied, "Okay, you can go now."
The woman immediately bowed to her, smiled, and took several steps back before turning and leaving. At the same time, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief; what a mess this was!
As soon as he stepped into the private room, Qin Muge closed the door with one hand behind his back and whispered, "Memory Material Number Twenty's auxiliary function is activated. Connect to Ling Tianshu's personal video."
A 14-inch holographic projection appeared out of thin air in front of her. Opposite her sat a man in a dark blue military uniform, his sharp eyes hidden in the shadow of his military cap.
After bowing towards the screen, his voice rang out from the other end of the screen, "General."
Qin Muge gave a light "hmm," and as if remembering something interesting, his red eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly said, "The intergalactic war has just ended, and you're probably busy with the cleanup work, right? While you're organizing the data, please send me a copy of the information on the Yan family and the Yan family in the military."
She said it was just a matter of convenience, but Ling Tianchu wouldn't dare to actually do it casually while working. He nodded upon hearing this, his hands continuing their work, and his voice was standard as he replied, "Yes, it will be sent to your AI in one minute."
Qin Muge reached out and ended the video call. He closed his eyes and leaned against the door behind him. The cold temperature was blocked by his clothes, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, with no sound from outside reaching him.
After a long while, she opened her eyes in the darkness, her red pupils gleaming with intense interest, like a hunter spotting his prized prey. A soft laugh escaped her lips: "Heh." The sound vanished into thin air the instant it left her lips, leaving only the intensely pleased smile lingering around her for a long time.
☆ Chapter 3: The Third Evaluation of General Qin
Chaoge certainly didn't come to this place without a reason.
After reading the system's tasks and the Yan family's background, Chaoge felt that the original owner of this body she had transmigrated into was quite someone important. However, after carefully learning about this person's background, all the sense of security she had previously felt about having a powerful background vanished.
The reason is simple: as one of the three major powers on par with the Yan and Ling families, the Yan family naturally possesses unique advantages—the military's technology research and development department is directly under the Yan family. Controlling the most advanced technology department in the entire empire, the Yan family can be considered, to some extent, a backbone force of the Crystalless Empire.
But even in this seemingly prestigious family on Tianzixing, despite its small size, the dramatic events that unfold are no less numerous than those in prime-time soap operas. The Yan family has only two daughters: Yan Xi and Yan Chaoge. For some unknown reason, the original owner of this body had been living with her grandparents on a subsidiary planet of Tianzixing since she was five years old. She only returned to the main family this year after being admitted to the Yuandu Military Academy.
The real drama unfolded after the great battle in the Red Cloud Galaxy. Spaceships between Planet M1 and Tianzi Star resumed service, but upon arriving at Tianzi Star, she nearly died on the way to her own doorstep. When Chaoge transmigrated, the original body was experiencing a flare-up of toxins; if the system hadn't promptly removed the remaining toxins, she would have been the one to die.
Needing a calm place to think about the sequence of events, Chaoge took a walk along a certain road and looked up to see a club called Shengshi Entertainment. After the scanner at the entrance obtained her basic information about her AI, the receptionist originally wanted to take her to the VIP area, but received her very honest reply: "Sorry, I don't have any money with me."
Receptionist: "..."
Chaoge belatedly realized that she shouldn't be so self-righteous in this situation, so she reached out and brushed her bangs aside, smiling as she asked, "Can I just sit in the hall?" Although it was unlikely, she still tried to struggle on, unwilling to give up.
The unexpected reply was: "Okay, please feel free to do as you please."
Completely unaware that she had benefited from her background, Chaoge sat down at the most conspicuous bar in the lobby of Shengshi Entertainment, and even remarked to the system, "This store is truly a conscientious one, the service is top-notch."
The system seemed keen on changing voice timbres, and now it had switched to a burly man's voice, roaring in her ear, "[Before you utter those words, do you even dare to consider your own status?!]"
"Yes, yes, don't get excited, I'll go deaf." Chao Ge, dressed casually, sat on the bar. After discovering that lemonade was free, she shamelessly asked for a glass. At this moment, she reached out and rubbed her ears, looking somewhat distressed.
The system remained silent for a long time. Just as Chaoge thought it had crashed and was performing a self-test, an extremely calm voice replied, "[I entered your mind through mental fluctuations, so it does not affect your hearing.]"
Chaoge gave an "oh," picked up the cup in front of her, took a sip of the delicious lemonade, and then casually added, "Creating internal noise is also wrong. System, could you please download and install a quality package?"
The system has stopped working; it needs to cool down.
When Qin Muge saw Chaoge in the prosperous era, she was idly poking at the lemon slices on the edge of her lemonade with a straw, pushing the floating lemon slices back to the bottom, watching them float up again, and repeating the process. If Chaoge knew how expensive fruit was on Tianzi Star at that moment, she would definitely have slapped herself in the face for such a wasteful act—unfortunately, she was still too young.
This gives a glimpse into the wealth of a prosperous era.
The waiter who initially served her lemonade turned out to be a part-timer. After that, he never looked at her again, filled with contempt for the powerful and wealthy, and disgusted by the way people born into rich families squander things.
Chaoge, who would normally be completely unaware of Qin Muge's gaze, suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if an inexplicable force was pulling her in a certain direction. She turned to look in that direction. Before her stood a tall woman with long, black hair reaching her waist. A fringe swept across her forehead, obscuring half her face. The crimson eye visible on her fair skin was like a glass of red wine, captivating all who looked upon it.
She wore a simple white dress embroidered with delicate patterns in silver thread. The dress cast varying shadows in the dim light of the hall, outlining her beautiful S-curve. The skirt, ending ten centimeters above the knee, perfectly accentuated her long, slender, and fair legs. When Chaoge saw this beauty, she found that only one word remained in her mind: beautiful.
Completely captivated by the woman's perfect appearance, Chaoge naturally ignored the fleeting surprise in her eyes upon seeing her. Her gaze lingered on the woman without any attempt to conceal it, and Chaoge discovered that her beauty wasn't the kind that immediately wows you, the kind that quickly becomes tiresome and loses its appeal.
Upon closer inspection, she could only marvel at how exquisite every inch of his skin was, perfectly matching her aesthetic standards—not a bit more, not a bit less. From the facial features and jawline to the length of his black hair and the color of his eyes, everything about him captivated her.
The goddess didn't stand there being spied on for long before disappearing into the dark corridor, leaving her gaze fixed on the end of the VIP passage, as if the person she had glimpsed was just an illusion.
She let go of the straw she was using to poke the lemon slices, picked up the slightly cloudy glass of her drink, took a sip, and successfully scrunched up her face from the tangy taste. Then she shook her left wrist and said, "Stop playing dead. Can I have a copy of that pretty girl's information?"
A picture immediately appeared on the smart screen in front of her. It is worth mentioning that it was no different from the information about General Qin that she had wanted to see before. Except that the name was a member of the Min family, the rest of the information was still full of question marks.
Chaoge finally understood; it turned out that this guy knew nothing except for information about his original owner.
Sensing Chaoge's disdain, the system immediately became enraged. After displaying General Qin's information, in order not to make Chaoge feel that it was too useless, it had already connected with Chaoge's mind on its own.
[I can search for information on everyone on this planet except for the supreme ruler!] The system is very angry, and the consequences will be severe.
Chaoge exclaimed "Wow!" and gave a "lucky" smile. She turned her head and glanced at the spot where the goddess had just disappeared. She had actually seen the face of the ruler that so many people from Tianzixing had tried to see, even though it might not be real.
It's best to admire the goddess from afar; never get too close. Having made up her mind, Chaoge glanced at the little lemonade left in her glass, abandoned the idea of testing the acidity, and picked up the straw again to start poking.
"How bizarre must the Yan family be to favor the older daughter and ignore the younger one when they already have two daughters?" Chaoge asked the system, unable to reach a conclusion from any angle.
[That wristband is just a formality. I've already connected to your brain's wavelength. Please don't look down at the wristband like an idiot. Refer to how the people around you use the AI. Also, please think about the Yan family's information on your own. This system does not provide analysis tasks.] The system couldn't stand watching her talk to her wrist. She seemed completely unaware of her stupid behavior, but it dared not revoke the shielding function, fearing she might say something shocking.
To others, the girl seemed to be constantly looking at her wristband and talking to herself, sometimes with exaggerated expressions. Although they couldn't hear what she was saying, the sight of this mentally ill person having so much fun was so beautiful that they couldn't bear to look at her.
Chaoge's imagination had already wandered to the possibility that the original owner of this body was not her biological child. Ever since she discovered that she could communicate with the system in her brain, she had become particularly quiet—of course, this was only on the surface.
"Don't you think my analysis is the only reasonable one? Apart from the fact that I'm not Yan's father's biological daughter, I can't find any other reason why they don't love me." Such a self-righteous statement appeared in Chaoge's mind.
Even the system was forced into mocking mode by her: [I really don't know where your confidence comes from.]
Just as Chaoge and the system were arguing in her mind, she felt that familiar feeling again. She turned her head and saw Qin Muge smiling as he asked the bartender for a glass of lemonade.
[Wow, I didn't expect the goddess to be so stingy. Shouldn't the highest ruler of the empire be someone who possesses global wealth and spends money like water?] Chaoge was admiring her beautiful profile while cheerfully complaining to the system in his mind.
System: [The focus right now shouldn't be on why she suddenly became interested in you!]
Oh, is that so?
Chaoge found it strange. Although General Qin was the most handsome man she had ever seen, a strange feeling in her heart made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Even after seeing General Qin smile at that young man, staring at the curve of her lips, a thought involuntarily popped into her mind: she didn't seem to want to smile; she should have kept a blank expression.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Chaoge was startled, and alarm bells rang in her mind: [System, have you infected me with a virus?! Scan me now!]
System: ...Is it too late to kill this unreliable guy now?
☆ Chapter 4: The Fourth Evaluation of General Qin
Qin Muge wore elbow-length black gloves that fit her arms perfectly. She placed the book with the bookmark on it on the bar, took the lemonade from the bartender, raised the glass to Chaoge, and smiled. Her red lips touched the transparent glass, but instead of taking a polite sip, she tilted her head back and drank the lemonade all at once before placing the glass back on the bar.
Qin Muge stepped forward and approached Chaoge, placing her hand on the bar counter. Her height advantage allowed her to lean slightly to meet Chaoge's gaze. When she saw the confusion flash in Chaoge's brown eyes, the corners of her lips slowly curved into a smile. She moved very close to Chaoge, her breath lightly brushing against Chaoge's face: "You seem quite troubled. Do you need any help?"
#How a goddess can turn into a rogue in a second#
↑↑↑This sentence kept playing on repeat in Chaoge's mind.
But! It's still embarrassing to see a goddess acting like a rogue!
Chaoge was almost completely disoriented. If it weren't for the system frantically telling her to "wake up" in her mind, she would have been completely captivated by the beauty she was seeing.
Stroking the rim of the cup, Chao Ge forced an uneasy smile, leaned back slightly to avoid Qin Muge's breath, and said something that didn't sound like she was being swayed by his good looks: "But I feel like you don't want to help me solve my problem, you want to solve me."
Qin Muge looked at her slightly embarrassed and blushing face, his smile growing deeper. He casually raised his other hand and tucked his bangs behind his ear, revealing a pair of red eyes of the same color. The smile in his eyes made them shine like rubies. When he spoke, his lips revealed neat pearly teeth: "What should I do? Yan Chaoge, I'm starting to like you."
...The claim that the ruler of the monarchy has the highest authority is no exaggeration. How long has it been? They might have even dug up information about the Yan family's ancestors for eighteen generations.
"Um, could you tell me what you like about me? I'd like to spread the word." Strangely, Chaoge could keep up with her rambling thoughts, which covered everything except the important points. She poked her cheek and gave her a shy smile.
Qin Muge slowly straightened up, her right hand, gloved in black, grasped her left wrist, and then removed the black glove from her left hand. From her forearm to her wrist, and then to her beautiful back of her hand and slender fingers, Chaoge watched as she reached out her left hand to touch her right cheek. A slightly warm sensation spread across her cheek, and then—Qin Muge reached out and pinched her cheek.
He withdrew his hand amidst her gasp, smiling and nodding: "Feels good, keep it up." The smile in his red eyes didn't diminish at all, it even overflowed and rose to his eyebrows.
Chaoge vaguely felt that the unspoken meaning behind her words was: "You're so shameless."
After withdrawing her hand, she put the glove back on her left hand with her right hand, and put it back on in an instant. She reached out and patted Chaoge's head, leaned close to her ear and said with a smile, "Have a good time on Tianzi Star, Chaoge who has come back from the dead."
Chaoge was anything but happy. Watching her walk out the door with the book, she was almost driven mad with frustration.
[System, system, come out now! This is supposed to be part of the game's design! No NPC knows player information! This is unplayable!] Chaoge silently lay on the bar counter, this time screaming in her mind.
The system was practically begging for Chaoge's mercy. After a long pause, it helplessly said in her mind, "This isn't a game. I'm the game's system, but the world I've been transported to is a real place in the universe."
"I don't care, I don't want to hear you! You liar, you scoundrel!" Chaoge slumped against the bar, her expression one of utter despair. There really is a difference between people. What others would consider an immense honor—close contact with General Qin—felt like she'd been played for a fool.
The system, which had inexplicably tricked the user: 【…The timer for the first task starts now. Please complete it within twelve hours. Otherwise, the system will enter hibernation and will not be activated again.】
Chaoge: ...You win.
The next day.
The ubiquitous holographic projectors on the streets had automatically changed the streetscape to daytime, and even the blue sky and white clouds were so realistic that Chaoge stared at them for a while. Since Tianzi Star is a dwarf star that revolves around another, larger star, the daytime on Tianzi Star is actually similar to that on Earth.
The Yan family mansion is located in the northeast of Yuandu. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the capital's center, it is much quieter here. The holographic landscapes along the street are beautifully set up, making people feel comfortable as they walk along. You can even smell the scent of the trees, which is made of some kind of artificial material.
Chaoge spent the entire night in a daze in the prosperous world. After being reminded by the system, she finally understood that the card called the Crystalless Credit Card in the original owner's pocket was similar to a gambler in this world. After using it to pay for a small private room to sleep, she took a hovercar that functioned as a taxi to the main gate of the Yan family in the morning.
After getting off the smooth-running flying car, she stood at the entrance of the Yan family's house. The tall, European-style iron gate, made up of countless thin black pillars, was equipped with a built-in intelligent information scanner. After obtaining Chaoge's identity information, a large number of people hurriedly came out to greet her.
The iron gate opened automatically, and the butler, accompanied by a group of servants, came forward and bowed deeply to her, saying, "Second Miss, welcome home." Everyone behind her followed suit and bowed.
"Good, no key figures." Chao Ge breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at the middle-aged man who looked like a butler, took two steps to the side, revealing the hovercar that hadn't yet driven away, and asked, "Excuse me, could someone pay my fare? Maybe later when I have the money?"
All the servants: "..." What kind of life did the second young lady live before?
After the butler paid the fare for her, Chaoge was secretly relieved that this was a hovercar that could be borrowed by people with certain permissions who had their information directly entered. As long as she paid after arriving at her destination, the car would automatically return to its original location.