Chapter 230: Managing

"Managing?"

Cheng Shuili interrupted her endless chatter, pointed to the headless portrait beside her, and couldn't help but ask: "Is this also part of managing?"

"Miss... please don't tease me."

The advisor lowered her head; from Cheng Shuili's angle, she just happened to see two unbelievable crimson patches on her cheeks.

Cheng Shuili: "......"

She has a beauty untainted by modern internet, a primitive beauty.

Cheng Shuili's habitual sharpness softened a bit, and she patiently asked: "What went wrong?"

The advisor is talkative, which is one of her few strengths; therefore, when explaining things, she always speaks very clearly.

Cheng Shuili not only learned the full story, but also saw through the system's little schemes.

"At first it was managing, but later it was prohibited, saying we couldn't provide so much convenience. Actually I don't really understand this phrase, but back then I still signed a dozens‑page thick agreement; I don't recognize the characters, the other party translated it for me, and I feared doing anything that would violate the agreement, so I memorized it well. Including not being allowed to clean, not allowed to water the grapevines, not allowed to…"

Cheng Shuili pretended not to hear her endless chatter, lowered her gaze, and pondered those few useful sentences.

Cannot provide so much convenience.

This sentence is clearly missing an object.

But who else could the system be targeting? Of course, the players.

Cheng Shuili looked around the messy surroundings, then imagined a clean and tidy manor.

The system sure manages a lot…

This advisor sure talks a lot…

Cheng Shuili softly interrupted her, indicating she should talk about something else.

The advisor nodded obediently and began to explain the reason for her pretending to be mystical.

"This manor originally had only me, but starting one day, the owners began to change frequently. At first I warmly received them, fulfilling my duty as a guide. I found these people usually lasted at most a month, but in fact most would die within a week or otherwise lose the manor, so I lost my enthusiasm to assist."

The advisor sighed helplessly and continued: "Every time the owner changes, this place reverts to its original state; rather than waste time and effort, it's better to keep it as it is from the start."

"The manor before was just a bit damaged, not nearly this horrible; all this I set up myself to reduce trouble!"

This sentence suddenly sounded proud.

"The footsteps you heard were also deliberately produced by me! This is actually a recording sent by my three other friends; luckily it can be looped, otherwise it would be too much trouble for them!"

"Friends?"

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow.

Based on what we know so far, this advisor is definitely an NPC.

NPCs even have friends?

The advisor nodded earnestly: "There are four advisors like me; we four, having signed the same agreements, naturally became good friends."

So that's how it is.

That means there are four manors in total?

Cheng Shuili lowered her gaze and suddenly realized the territory slots are also only four. One or two being a coincidence, but many coincidences become a deliberate design.

Can gathering four territories summon a divine dragon?

Cheng Shuili twitched the corner of her mouth, reined in her wild imagination, looked at the advisor and asked: "So, you stirred up all this commotion just to scare away the manor's owner?"

In Cheng Shuili's doubtful gaze, the advisor suddenly stood up again, inhaled, stepped back, and with Cheng Shuili staring wide‑eyed, she plopped down on her knees and knocked her head three times.

"Miss! I really know I was wrong; please don't drive me out, please don't kill me!"

Cheng Shuili: "......"

Feudal society really does great harm.

Cheng Shuili was a bit angry, but still immediately told the advisor to get up.

She is essentially a new‑era educated youth; although she usually lacks a bit of quality, she hasn't reached the point of being able to watch an old thing kowtow to her without changing expression.

Just now the advisor personally said the system claimed she is a fortunate NPC from several centuries ago.

Such a figure, several hundred years old and possibly even a thousand years old...

Cheng Shuili didn't continue thinking; frankly, how does the system keep abducting people everywhere?

Beastmen count as one! Normal humans count as one! Now these antiques from several centuries ago have appeared, and they appear in fours.

Yes, Cheng Shuili already clarified that the four of them came together, so they signed the same things, can still chat, and thus became good friends.

As for this advisor's method of pretending to be mystical, someone who constantly kneels and kowtows could hardly have thought of it.

This method matches what Cheng Shuili guessed; it was thought up by her friends, and indeed by those several people together.

Well, that also counts as strength in numbers.

According to the advisor, this method really drove away several manor owners.

Until today, when she encountered Cheng Shuili, this even more ghost‑like fellow...

"Why does the owner have no footsteps, not even a sign of life?"

The advisor blinked her eyes, looking utterly innocent.

Cheng Shuili had no interest in explaining to her, she frowned and asked: "Since you're the advisor, you should know the manor's general situation, right? Please introduce it to me."

"Miss... do you also want to renovate the manor?"

The advisor's voice sounded somewhat resigned; after all, in her view each owner's term is only a short thirty days, and that's already the longest case.

Compared to her long solitary life in the manor, this brief thirty days doesn't even occupy the length of an ant.

Since any changes made would be pointless, why bother doing them?

If Cheng Shuili were a monarch, she would definitely be that kind of dictatorial queen, at least in the advisor's view.

Cheng Shuili didn't explain to her, merely repeating her own question.

The advisor has lived this long; although she hasn't interacted with many humans, she still has a talent for reading expressions, otherwise she couldn't have pretended to be mystical so successfully, right?

This manor's greatest wealth is the endless fields outside. Speaking in terms of area, those fields outside cover about 3,500 hectares, but now they are all abandoned. Behind this castle there is also a residential area; when the manor was prosperous, most workers lived there, but now it too is abandoned, and due to wind and sun exposure, its condition is not as good as here; if we want to reuse it, we will definitely have to rebuild it.

The advisor cautiously glanced at Cheng Shuili's expression, seeing that she didn't show much emotion before continuing: "That thing, as I mentioned earlier, said that what's here is normal; if we want to farm, the crops can grow normally."