Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters - Chapter 764 - 59 Counting Stoves

Bad news: Xu Yanmiao traveled back to ancient times, but he himself is lazy and uninterested in anything but internet cybersecurity, which is useless in ancient times.Good news: He’s bound to a system.Bad news: The system is called the Gossip System, not the fortune-telling kind, but the kind that contains other people’s private information and scandals. Utterly useless.More bad news: This system is also glitchy, and the extent of the bugs is unknown.Even more bad news: This body is that of a minor official who can attend court meetings, while Xu, the time traveler… doesn’t understand the classics, can’t write with a brush, and is at risk of being exposed for cheating in the imperial exams.Xu Yanmiao: “…”Forget it, just lie low, wait to die, maybe dying quickly could lead to another time travel.…In the court, the emperor was furious about state affairs, and the courtiers trembled in fear.Xu Yanmiao pretended to listen attentively but was actually focused on browsing the Gossip System.[Wow, the emperor just took in a 16-year-old noblewoman yesterday! A beautiful addition! He’s getting stronger with age! And he was tossing and turning in bed all night but still has such a powerful voice now! Amazing!] [This noblewoman used to be the crown prince’s concubine! And the crown prince even knows how to write passionate love letters!] [Wow wow wow! The crown prince sneaked into the grandpa’s harem… hiss—got intimate while the old emperor was attending court! Do it quickly! Why isn’t there any video…] [Huh? Why is there no sound?]Xu Yanmiao cautiously raised his head and glanced around.[What happened? Why is everyone kneeling? Where’s the emperor?]—The emperor went to catch adultery in the harem.The “imperial exam cheating” bomb finally exploded.Xu Yanmiao couldn’t explain why his handwriting on the exam paper didn’t match his usual handwriting, nor could he answer why he didn’t understand the classics.The evidence prepared by the ousted crown prince of the emperor hit the nail on the head, and his personal bodyguard was ready to drag Xu Yanmiao away to the prison, awaiting execution in the autumn.Xu Yanmiao held onto the gossip that proved his innocence but was in a quandary:How do I explain the source of my information…[Say that I secretly met with the Chief Examiner, the Minister of Rites, three nights before the exam? Impossible, that night, the Minister of Rites was dressed as a woman, spent the night at the General’s Mansion, with the general…]The general’s body shook, and he interjected: “Your Majesty!!!!”“Although the evidence of exam cheating is solid, I believe there’s still something fishy about this. It should be re-investigated! Especially Xu… Xu… Xu Yanmiao’s attire is neat and tidy! Someone who cares so much about their appearance, how could they tarnish their reputation!”The crown prince, who couldn’t hear his thoughts: ??[Also, what’s with saying that the examiner faking yawning and tiredness was intentionally leaving me a gap for cheating? He spent the night before the exam in the pigsty without sleeping, how could he not be tired the next day? But, surprisingly, the Imperial Academy lecturer actually believed in pig’s milk…]The Imperial Academy lecturer’s face went pale, and he burst out: “Your Majesty!!!!”“I… I agree with the General’s words! How could Xu Lang cheat in the exam! He… he… he deliberately drank a glass of pure water before the exam, believing that only good-hearted people can use pure things, such a kind-hearted person, how could he cheat in the exam!”Thinking he had everything under control, the crown prince: ??Xu Yanmiao was deeply moved.[They’re all good people, even if their brains don’t work well, they’re trying their best to find reasons and excuses for me.] [But I really have no way to turn the tables, alas, it’s a pity that I haven’t finished watching the TV series I’ve been following. The old emperor angered the empress last night and got kicked out of the bedchamber, and now I’m going to die before seeing the ending. He seems to be planning to paint his face with ink and pretend to be a cat to cheer up the empress…]“Bang—”The old emperor slammed the table, forcibly interrupting the continuous stream of thoughts: “I believe Xu Yanmiao did not cheat in the exam! Release him, innocent!”The civil and military officials couldn’t wait to echo, fearing that if they were too slow, Xu Yanmiao might spill more gossip.“Yes yes yes! Release him innocent!”“Long live Your Majesty!”“Your Majesty, please end the court session! Let Xu Lang go home and rest! You’ve tired him out by making him stand for so long!”The crown prince: ??Did Xu Yanmiao drug them with hallucinogens or something?

This question every one kept asking themselves...“When we die, where do we go?”No living soul can answer.And the dead... are never given the chance.— — —Callum Drey lost everything in a single day.His beloved grandmother passed away just as he was about to gather the money for her life-saving surgery. Then came the cruelest betrayal: the girlfriend he sacrificed everything for abandoned him for another man. Broken, furious, and devastated, Callum picked a fight with the one who stole his love—only to meet a tragic end.But death... was just the beginning.When Callum opened his eyes, he uncovered a truth far darker than anyone could imagine.The afterlife was nothing like the world's religions preached.The Christians, the Muslims, the Buddhists... They were all wrong.The universe was not ruled by gods of mercy or enlightenment, but by the bizarre, cruel and pathetic God of Fun.In this twisted afterlife, every soul stands upon the Curtain Call, judged by how much they entertained the God of Fun during their mortal lives.Those who were amusing enough ascended to the realm of gods.Those who weren't? Erased into oblivion.Yet for a few, there was a second chance...A chance to prove their worth in a brutal new world.Callum Drey was one of them.Vowing never to be betrayed or helpless again, Callum was thrust into Glory Expanse—a savage world where magic, technology, and monsters collided.And though the odds were stacked against him, fate had other plans.[You have obtained Three SSS-Ranked Talents!][SSS-Ranked Gacha System!][SSS-Ranked Soulmancy!][SSS-Ranked Bloodline Talent: Blood of the Flamborne!]Armed with unprecedented powers, Callum’s legend began:— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Taren of Chaos, the Lost Spear!— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Nerissa, the Banished Daughter of the Gods, Bow of Balance!— Soulmancy Panel Activated: Soul Bank and Soul Lab Unlocked!—Crafted Weapon: Souls of Broodmother and Red Widow has been used to craft the red dagger: Broodwidow’s Kiss!With his Triple SSS-Ranked Talents, Callum would rise against a world far crueler than Earth—but soon, a greater calling would awaken...A destiny that even the God of Fun could not predict.

In order to be reborn, Shen Mubai took up the task of saving the male lead from the path of suffering. Xuanzang struggled through eighty-one trials before he finally obtained the true Buddhist scripture, and yet she, Shen Mubai, had to toss in her entire self.

Shen Mubai: Are all male leads this strange? Thanks. I want to make a complaint.

System: What does him being strange have to do with me?

Note: Xuanzang is a character in Journey to the West based on the historical buddhist monk Xuanzang. He journeys to obtain the Sanzangjing, “Three Collections of Scriptures”.

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