『Host! You're awake already?』
Lin Qiuyue's thoughts were interrupted by the bright voice of her system but she wasn't angry. She had grown quite fond of it, in just a few days it had truly ingratiated its way into her life and plus, she had been waiting for it anyways, she couldn't start her task without it.
『Sorry I was a little slow to wake Host! This was my first time bringing a host into a plane, I didn't want any accident to happen to you, where would I find another host like you? I know you're going to do great things, I can't wait to see them and I'm so glad you choose me in the end! I'm so happy—』
She wasn't looking for an explanation for such a simple thing but the little system continued rambling on and on, when it was done with reminiscing, it moved on to praising her. She could almost taste the sugar in her mouth as she listened to it.
It was such a big flatterer, its honey-filled words left her stunned once again. She really wasn't sure why it liked her so much and when she had asked it before, it didn't have an answer either, it told her that they were fated as host and system, how it could tell at first sight that she was intelligent and outstanding, how it didn't want her to be snatched away by another system.
It was all high praise but she could tell that everything it said was genuine. She had always been good at sensing others' emotions and it seemed to work on nonhuman entities too, considering she could read both her little system and the main system without seeing their forms.
When she was a soul out in the void, there were no physical senses, she couldn't see or touch anything but she could "hear" what the systems told her. The words seemed to appear directly in her mind even now when her system spoke, there was no physical voice, no sound waves reaching her ears. She wondered if she could communicate with it just using her mind, just as she did in the void without a physical body.
『Yes, Host! You can communicate with me in your mind!』
"Oh? Like this?" Lin Qiuyue responded with a small smile, it was easier than she thought, 'Also, I haven't seen you at all, do you have a physical form?'
『Right, you couldn't see me in the void! Here I am, Host! Do you like my form?』
"Yes...you're very unique." When the little system appeared in front of her she was quite surprised, it looked like a ball of white light with two small black dots for eyes and a downturn mouth •^•.
Wasn't this a popular internet emoticon? The more she looked at it, the more it reminded her of a cutesy Japanese cartoon character. She could already imagine the large line of merch surrounding it, plushies, keychains, backpacks, clothing, and more. If she promoted it as a mascot with its already kawaii mannerisms, she could make a hefty profit. She could even expand it further with product collabs and—
『Host...do you really not like it? I can change! Just tell me what you want, I can change!』
Her system's panicked voice bought her back to reality while the company that she had built in her head crumbled in an instant, she wasn't sure what world she was even in and what her mission was, there was no way for her to promote such a mascot and build a chain in time to profit. She let out a soft sigh, sure enough, there were no easy lunches in this world. Either way, she wasn't truly serious about it, she could do experimental stuff after she completed her side of the contract.
The poor system couldn't read her thoughts so its mind went wild with speculations, it could tell that she was disappointed but it couldn't tell which part of its appearance she was disappointed about. At that moment, it truly regretted not researching her world's aesthetic sense even more. It had gone with this type of kawaii character appearance because it saw many girls from her world liked it. It should have known that its great host would have unique preferences, better than those regular girls.
It didn't know what to do now so in its frantic state it cycled through dozens of appearances at once, there were too many to count but of those appearances, there was a small bamboo mouse, a white horse, cotton candy, and a round ball of fur. This brilliant scene happened while Lin Qiuyue was distracted but once she spoke, the little system snapped back to its original appearance.
"You don't need to change, I like your appearance. Your light can be pretty useful too, can you increase the brightness?"
『I-I can increase it!』
The system was shocked at her response, was it overthinking too much just now? Its host was truly happy with this appearance? It wanted to jump for joy! Before it could, it was reminded of its host's disappointed expression previously, why did she sigh before? Was she lying to it, was its host just trying to be nice?
Lin Qiuyue could sense her little system's rapid change in emotions, the way its little face scrunched up and its light flickered spelled out its feelings clearly.
"I was thinking about something else just now, I really do like your appearance. It's very cute," she said with a gentle smile but they had daddled around long enough, they should get down to business, there was still a whole task they hadn't started. "Let's not forget the task at hand now, send me the memories of the original owner."
『I forgot about that, sorry, here you go Host!』
Just as her system finished its sentence, she received the memories of Su Liling, which confirmed her suspicion, this world truly resembled Ancient China. Though the light was sparse in her room and she couldn't move much due to the lingering numbness in her limbs, she could see the outline of her bedframe and the other large pieces of furniture in the room.
It was all antique and ornate, and...there were no lightbulbs, not a single lamp or overhead light. Either she was sleeping in a realistic "for the experience" hotel which decorated this way or it was an ongoing costume drama movie set, both of which would still have artificial lighting options for convenience.
Well, there could have been some explanations for the lack of lighting but she didn't have to think any further, Su Liling's memories told her everything she needed to know about this world. Not only was it a historical setting, it was a martial arts setting, the world of rivers and lakes. One of her favorite genres to read when she was alive, though she rarely had the time to read. It was pitiful how little free time she had back then. At least she could live her martial arts dream vicariously through Su Liling.
After all, Su Liling was the daughter of a prominent martial arts family, they weren't in the big league with the Five Great Families but they were only a bit below them, for generations they had produced talented martial artists who all had high positions in the Martial Arts Alliance. They were a well-respected part of the orthodox faction and also had the wealth to produce new talents, such a notable family was not short of children.
Su Liling was the third miss and fifth child of the household, born from the head's second wife. She was born into a high status, a legitimate daughter and from the main branch but she wasn't the only one with such a status. She had six other siblings, only one of which was her full-blooded sibling, her older brother, the first young master and second child of the Su Family.
Now with such backing, the only box she had left to fill was martial arts talent.
Unfortunately, she wasn't a great martial artist, she was only average compared to her siblings, not the best and not the worst. It was quite unlike her older brother who was the most skilled martial artist out of all their siblings, talented and accomplished for his age. His name was known throughout the jianghu as one of the noteworthy newer generation, he hadn't reached the level of earning the title of Dragon yet but Su Liling was sure that her brother would be able to achieve it soon.
Su Liling knew her own limits very well, she didn't have much interest in martial arts and had no desire for greater renown so from early on she had already made up her mind to only support her older brother. She didn't care for much else, she kept to herself and was a quiet figure in an impressive family. She would have liked for it to remain that way for her entire life but the heavens seemed to have exchanged Su Liling's lack of talent in martial arts with beauty. She was only a cute and sweet child when she was young, with an adorable but otherwise unremarkable appearance. This changed when she grew up before she knew it she had become a great beauty, the most sought-after pearl in the martial arts world.
There were many beauties but none of them could compare to her. In the words of her admirers, she had a rare temperament, she was neither fierce nor imposing and her sword was serene and educated. She was a martial artist that had scholarly merits and sensibility, a one-of-a-kind beauty.
Their words were only true in a sense. They had gotten it all backward, Su Liling was not a "martial artist with scholarly merits", she was a scholar before she was a martial artist.
Her talents in literacy subjects were undeniable, she was well-read and well-versed in the four arts. It was something she truly enjoyed, the only reprieve she had in her world that was filled with endless fighting.
Even though she had made herself unimportant and mediocre to the rest of the world, she wasn't spared from her family's internal conflict, from a young age, she faced suppression from the first wife, the bullying of her siblings, and the expectations of her strict father. Even with her brother shielding her growing up, she still had to fend for herself countless times.
The conflicts only grew with her age as her beauty forced her out of her middling status. She had to defend against the jealousy of her sisters, the repulsive lust of men, and the watchful eyes of the public. It was an exhausting life, everything was a constant balancing act for her. It was truly nothing like the chuuni martial arts fantasy that Lin Qiuyue had imagined but she did not dislike it. She wasn't expecting something so exaggerated anyways.
She rather liked Su Liling, a girl after her own heart. Someone who never stooped below her own worth and pursued her interests even against the obstruction of the society around her. They were similar in many ways and dissimilar in other ways but she admired her, even if they never had a chance to meet, she was happy to carry on her will and treat her body well.
The system still kept itself floating in front of its host, waiting for her to finish processing the information, even with the decades of memories she had to go through. It should be a breeze for its host since it had shared its processing ability with her along with its memory-enhancing capabilities, even her body's numbness should be cured soon since it had prepared a sobering pill on credit just for this mission. With this, its host should have all the tools necessary to start the mission!
『Host, have you finished going through Su Liling's memories?』
"Yes, let's start our mission, send me the prompt!"