Chapter 72: Masterful Control

"It's alright, I won't force any of you to sign a contract; everything will be according to your own wishes. Starting tomorrow, those who do sign will be considered members of the Wang family, and I'll provide for you as I do for my own kin. Of course, if you prefer not to, I won't demand the return of any food either. Our meeting is fate—let's part on good terms," Wang Keyue said, entrusting all matters to Hongyi and Chengyi, instructing them not to coerce or persuade anyone, but simply to let things unfold naturally.

Such scenes of selling oneself into servitude were common to them; in years of famine, many wealthy families would buy large numbers of slaves at meager prices. The newly arrived refugees had not expected the host to be so accommodating. They had thought she would be furious, berate them, and then they would weep and plead for sympathy, hoping to secure better terms. Their goal was simple: to bargain for more favorable conditions—such as a one-time payment of five taels of silver, ten for able-bodied adults, several sets of clothing each quarter, three meals a day, and a few days of family leave each month. The conditions were, frankly, outrageous—far better than those of previous years.

But none of them had anticipated this outcome. The moment they saw Wang Keyue turn and leave without hesitation, it was as if a sudden cold wave jolted them awake from their recent dream. What on earth had they been thinking? In a year of famine, to entertain such naive hopes—had a few days of comfort made them forget the darkness of their journey here? Human life was worth less than grass! And yet, they had the audacity to try to bargain with their own worthless lives against their benefactor. How gravely mistaken they had been!

Those who came to their senses stood silently beside Old Zhang, lining up of their own accord before Hongyi to press their fingerprints on the contract. As for those clamoring for Hongyi to reveal the contract’s terms and demanding five taels of silver, Hongyi simply ignored them, leaving Chengyi, Chengsan, and the Zhou family members to shoo them aside.

Back in her tent, Wang Keyue saw that her compulsory task was nearly due. She submitted it at once, and a mechanical voice sounded in her mind: "Congratulations, host of System 9538. You have exceeded your compulsory task, curing 1,050 plague patients. The main program is calculating your reward; please wait."

The robotic voice was utterly devoid of emotion, so different from her own System 9538. For a moment, Wang Keyue actually found herself missing 9538.

Listening to the commotion outside, Wang Keyue simply crawled into her sleeping bag. She wanted nothing more than to relax completely and rest for a while.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she sensed a presence in her mind, calling her name over and over. "Host, wake up! It's morning, host!"

Wang Keyue jolted awake. The voice sounded again: "Host, it's already dawn. Hongyi came to check on you twice just now." It was System 9538’s voice, and Wang Keyue was delighted.

"9538, you've been gone so long. Did you find any solutions?" she asked.

"Don't worry, host! It's all taken care of. I requested a support mission from the main program. As long as you complete this mission, you can bring back one item from the mission world for free—of any level," 9538 replied excitedly.

Wang Keyue was a bit confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well... It means we need to travel to another world again and complete a side mission. There, we need to find a treasure that allows for one body with multiple souls," 9538 explained.

"What kind of treasure?" she asked eagerly.

"I did some research and found a high-level magical artifact in the marketplace—a Soul Fixation Array. According to the description, it can extract a living soul and temporarily house it in another body. But it's a high-grade artifact, and we don’t have the qualifications to buy it. So, we’ll have to use a roundabout strategy—go directly to the mission world, and with some luck, maybe we’ll get our hands on it!" 9538 said, already dreaming of a bright future.

"9538, do you really think I could survive to chapter two in a high-level cultivation world with my current abilities?" After pondering 9538’s words, Wang Keyue couldn’t help but pour cold water on 9538’s enthusiasm.

Let alone completing the mission—just surviving would be nearly impossible. In a world where mountains could be moved and seas parted on a whim, where a single misstep could mean utter annihilation, Wang Keyue thought she was better off staying in her lower-level world. As for the Soul Fixation Array, she felt she was hardly worthy of it.

System 9538 seemed a bit discouraged, its energy fading. "Host, then what should we do? What if the main program..."

"Don’t worry, 9538. Just because I won't go now doesn’t mean I’ll never go. I’m simply too weak at the moment. Even if we went to that cultivation world, completing the mission would be impossible. Rather than waste time, it’s better to start training and strive to become the strongest in this world," Wang Keyue reassured it. There was also one thing she didn’t mention—Xiao Hongyu’s own wishes.

She realized she still needed to find the right opportunity to ask Xiao Hongyu what he wanted. If he preferred this world and didn’t wish to return to the ancient kingdom, that had to be considered as well.

Earlier, in the panic and confusion, neither she nor 9538 had considered things from his perspective. Now that she was calmer, her thoughts were much clearer. She couldn’t impose her own desires on another person, so even if it came to using the Soul Fixation Array, she would have to explain the stakes to him.

Ah! Why did everything feel more complicated than ever?