Master of the System

The first thing Eula did when she walked into Boss Smith’s restaurant was look at the blackboard. On the menu, there wasn’t any new addition. “Boss Smith,” Eula said, raising her voice. She glared at the chef. “You said there’d be a new menu item after selling ten thousand bowls of egg fried rice.” She had hypnotized fifteen thousand people, so she knew the chef had served way more than ten thousand bowls. “Did you lie to me?”

“I learned a new recipe,” Smith Jr. said and scratched his head. “However, I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had time to practice it much at all. I’m still a long way to go from mastering it.”

Eula stared at Boss Smith, glad she was wearing her veil because she didn’t want the man to see her expression. Wasn’t the overflowing number of customers due to her hypnotism? It was her own actions that had been thwarting her goal of tasting a new dish. She’d have to dismiss the hypnosis set upon her citizens. Luckily, it was much easier to dismiss a hypnosis than it was to start it. Eula reached into her interspacial ring and shattered a jade slip. Essentially, the hypnosis technique was a formation, and the jade slip was the core. By breaking it, she undid her control over the citizens.

The few people who were sitting down and eating egged fried rice froze. A moment later, they chowed down with even more gusto. Just because they were hypnotized to eat the meal didn’t mean the meal wasn’t enjoyable. It was delicious! Although they were a bit confused as to why they were eating egg fried rice, it didn’t matter. Since they already ate half of it, they might as well go all the way. Once eaten, the food couldn’t be given back.

Smith Jr. seemed to have sensed the change in atmosphere. He turned his head, but all he saw was his customers enjoying their meal. With a shrug, he turned back towards Eula. “The usual?”

“Of course.”

***

Max raised his hand and placed it on the hypnotized citizen’s head. Ever since his vision was invaded by the weird line of text, he had been listening to its orders. It wasn’t voluntary. Every time he disobeyed or did something not in line with the orders, his vision would turn completely white, rendering him blind and unable to do his job. How was a blind guard going to inspect caravans entering the city? He could mistake a tiger for a donkey and have his hand bitten off if he wasn’t careful. Thus, to preserve his normal life, he had to become a crazy person.

[You are not crazy.]

Despite the floating words’ reassurances, Max still felt certifiably insane. If it weren’t for the fact he had already used his insurance plan’s free yearly doctor’s visit on a strange mole growing on his butt, he would’ve gone to see the doctor again. Unless he wanted to spend half a month’s salary, he’d have to wait another four months before he could get diagnosed. Luckily, other than going up to hypnotized people, the words didn’t ask much of him. All he had to do was place his hand on their head and insert a little bit of his spiritual energy inside of them. Once that was done, they’d return to normal. Not only did he free his fellow citizens from whatever spell was controlling them, but he also got a little bit stronger every time he did.

[Mission: Cleanse the Controlled]

[An evil sect has hypnotized the people of this empire. In the name of justice, undo what evil has wrought. Free one thousand citizens.]

[Reward: Advancement in cultivation]

Max left his hand on the hypnotized citizen’s head, waiting for the familiar increase in strength. Even after inserting twice the usual amount of spiritual energy, the boost still didn’t happen. Should he add a little more? Max frowned and pulled his hand back. The hypnotized citizen was staring at him in complete confusion instead of complete disorientation. “E-excuse me?” the citizen asked. “Guard? What are you doing?”

“You looked unwell, so I was checking to see if you had a fever,” Max said. It was the excuse he had given dozens of other citizens, and it always worked despite it being a lie. “Do you feel better now?”

“I think so….” The man looked around before glancing at the spirit stone in his hand. His eyes widened, and he quickly stuffed the stone into his pocket. “I-is there anything else?”

Max shook his head. “No. You’re free to go.” This citizen’s response was a bit different after being saved: the other citizens would faint; he’d feel a sense of power; then he’d prop them up against a wall and wait for them to wake up. This time, it felt like the hypnosis was canceled before he could remove it. “Before you go, have you been in contact with any strange people lately?”

The citizen turned back around. “No. I—actually…, my neighbor’s cousin came up to me telling me about a store that sold egg fried rice. It’s weird because she always avoided me after she caught me peeking at her while she was in the bath.”

Max wondered how shameless a person had to be to admit something like that out loud in front of a guard. Did he look like a guard that did those kinds of things? Was that why this citizen was comfortable telling him about it? Just because it was true, that didn’t mean other people knew about it. A dark expression appeared on Max’s face. “Get out of here.” He shook his head. This was what he got for trying to get to the bottom of the hypnotism case. He wasn’t even sure why he tried. What could someone at the second stage of qi condensation do against evil sects? Perhaps he could stall them for half a second before being beheaded.

[Don’t sell yourself short, Max. As long as you continue to pursue justice, your strength shall grow by leaps and bounds.]

Max nodded. Right. He had the magical words in his vision. With its help, perhaps he could stall the evil sect for two seconds before being beheaded.

[Max. Max, Max, Max, Max, Max. You have to be more optimistic. What if I you’re given an easy-to-complete mission? Would that boost your spirits?]

What was wrong with being a realist? Optimists were always disappointed when things didn’t turn out the way they wanted them to, but a realist? A realist would never be disappointed, only pleasantly surprised. Well, they could be unpleasantly surprised as well. Max shook his head. An easy mission wouldn’t boost his spirits. A cold beer and a warm fireplace, however, now that would do wonders.

[Drinking is bad for you, Max. It may lead you down the path of evil. Come, bring justice to this corrupt city with me, Max. I know you want to. If you didn’t, why would you ask that citizen investigative questions?]

[New Mission: Observe the Source]

[All the hypnotized citizens have gone to buy egg fried rice. Find the restaurant they’ve been going to and meet the owner.]

[Reward: Sword of Justice]

Max sighed. The words never listened to what he said. No, that wasn’t right. They listened to what he said, invalidated his response, and imposed their will on him. Was this really how justice worked? Instead of receiving an answer, Max’s vision went white, obscuring everything from view. “Alright, alright. I’ll go.”

[For justice!]

Max stifled his sigh. “Woo, yay, for justice.”