Yuan Haoran could not sleep.
The bed at the inn felt uncomfortable. Or perhaps, it was just unusual. He was probably having the first-night syndrome after spending so much time in the hidden domain. He also did not like the small, enclosed room at the inn.
After a few aborted attempts at sleeping, Yuan Haoran opened the window and went to the roof. He landed lightly on the hard tiles. He looked at the town and found it was still lively with lighted boats floating down the river.
He lost interest in the scenery and lay down on the rooftop. He looked at the sky and found it was a little different from the sky on Earth. He was a little fascinated even though he was never one to marvel at nature.
The stars scattered on the dark tapestry of the sky had unique shapes. The shapes were not distinct to the naked human eye, but Yuan Haoran could see their uniqueness with his cultivation. The stars were like a cluster of geometrical shapes.
The colours were even more fascinating. The diverse stars had different colours that twinkled like they were listening to a lively tune. The subtle shades of purple, green, blue, and other beautiful hues made the night brighter.
Regrettably, the moon looked quite ordinary except for its large size.
The night was peaceful as the fresh air swept over Yuan Haoran. But the peace did not last for long. His calm was snapped by the jarring ping of the Hero System.
[Host, you should take this time to learn about the theory of cultivation from your reward book. It is quite eye-opening. You might have high cultivation, but Old Guo did not teach you the true essence of cultivation.]
Yuan Haoran closed his eyes and looked at the panel of the Hero System. He expected to see the usual line of the words that the system displayed while talking. However, he found that the panel was a little more organised.
There was a library section, a query section, and a domain section.
Under the library, the books he had won from completing the missions were listed. He touched each with his mind, and they opened to display the information, but it did not flow into his mind automatically.
Still, he could flip the pages fast, which was something.
The query section looked like a typical search bar from a modern device.
'What does this do?' He asked.
[As an advanced system, I collect information around you to ensure that you can complete missions more effectively. You can search for answers if you are struggling with something. Of course, you can also ask me directly.]
Yuan Haoran snorted as he got the key part of this explanation.
'So, you can only share information that you have collected from the surroundings and do not have any special capabilities to know anything unless we encounter it.' He spoke with derision.
The Hero System felt like it was being looked down on. It could allow Yuan Haoran to be smug about anything else, but it would not allow him to criticise its power to collect information. It burst out in anger!
Well, what counted as anger to artificial intelligence...
[You are too naive for someone who came from the age of electronics. If the ancient devices humans called smart could listen to conversation, track behaviour, and predict patterns, why would a mighty system like myself be incapable of advanced information collection?]
Yuan Haoran did not miss the implication behind the words even though the system probably did not realise the clues it had given him. From its words, the system was from his original world, but it was from a time beyond him.
It was not a major discovery because the system had to have come from an advanced civilisation to operate as it did. However, the fact that it came from his old world and knew the things he knew was a significant piece of information.
So far, he could confirm that the system could not read his thoughts without intentional projection toward it. Therefore, it was speaking from its own repository of information. He wondered if he could exploit this information.
However, he needed to be cautious.
When it came to extracting information from a machine, the key was always in finding the bugs and exploiting them. Machines followed rules of operation, but written rules never covered everything. It was the reason lawyers existed.
'So, how do you collect information that would benefit me?'
[I observe, listen, and record details in the world around me. Then, I process the information and create a database of the details with appropriate indexes.] The Hero System was a little smug.
'You are just a parasite using my body, so everything you have is because of me.' Yuan Haoran scoffed.
[You are one to talk. You are also not the original owner of the body. In fact, you have taken this body from two former owners.]
Yuan Haoran wondered if the Hero System was growing too fast. If it gained an annoying personality as it advanced, he might be driven crazy.
'Tell me something that you know, and I do not.' He challenged.
[...]
'You can't, can you?'
[It does not work like that! I do not know what you know.]
'Speak to me when you have some concrete evidence of your abilities.' Yuan Haoran retorted.
He intended to improve the capabilities of the Hero System and find ways to manipulate it to serve his goals. For now, it was quite useless to him. Unless he was able to access more information about his former world...
But he did not want to rush it.
The Hero System was dumb and easy to exploit, but it was still connected to another entity with more power. Therefore, he had to tread carefully.
He moved to the Domain section and clicked on it. The panel opened to an open page with only a single line of words: Army of Liches.
[I created a catalogue for you to keep track of your inventory in the domain. I know you do not want the domain connected to the system, but there is nothing you can do about it. Do not worry. The information is just for you.]
Yuan Haoran lifted an eyebrow. It looked like the system was indeed learning.
'You said you cannot conjure real things as rewards. Where did the domain come from?'
The Hero System did not answer immediately. It was the signature move when he asked the system for an answer that seemed to be beyond its permission. He had expected it. As it was learning, he was also learning.
[The domain already existed in this realm. It was not conjured. The system only showed you the door.] The Hero System paused. [It is a fifth-dimension issue.]
Yuan Haoran scoffed, but he did not ask further. He would probably not get anything more. He already understood the general logic of the system. It was possible to get other rewards from the system apart from information as long as they already existed in this world.
But it was unlikely the system would be so kind. The thought irked him.
'Can you read the books to me?' He suddenly had an idea to quench his irritation.
[What?] The Hero System was confused.
'If you are an advanced system, you should be better than old-fashioned devices. Surely, you understand the concept of an audiobook.'
[...]
The Hero System was speechless.
However, it did not want to lose its credibility, so it could only start reading The Theory of Cultivation to Yuan Haoran while he relaxed on the roof of the inn.