"...Why is it moving?"
The smile on Lián Xù's face slowly disappeared.
The room was silent.
Moonlight poured through the high windows, bathing the polished floor in silver. Ancient dragon carvings stretched across pillars like sleeping serpents watching from the shadows.
Before him floated ten reward chests.
Most were still.
One was not.
The divine chest trembled again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A faint thump echoed from within.
Lián Xù froze.
The divine chest froze too.
The young emperor and the chest stared at each other.
Several seconds passed.
The divine chest trembled once more.
A dull thump echoed from within.
Not loud.
Not violent.
Yet the sound seemed strangely clear inside the vast room.
Moonlight spilled through the high windows, casting silver pools across polished stone. Ancient dragon carvings coiled around the pillars, their shadows stretching across the floor like silent observers.
Lián Xù slowly sat straighter.
The chest froze.
For one bizarre moment, emperor and chest simply stared at one another.
Several breaths passed.
The chest moved first.
THUMP.
This time the entire container jumped.
Lián Xù immediately slid farther back on the Quanyi.
"System."
The chest answered with another muffled impact.
Thump.
"System…"
THUMP.
His expression gradually became complicated.
"What exactly did you give me? What exactly is inside that thing?"
The system answered almost instantly.
[Unknown.]
"Unknown?"
[Designation concealed.]
[Host realm insufficient.]
Lián Xù stared.
"What does that mean?"
[The question marks represent information beyond current comprehension.]
Silence.
"..."
"...You're telling me it's so high-level that I can't even read the name?"
[Correct.]
The answer somehow made things worse.
A cold uneasiness crawled up his spine.
Lián Xù slowly leaned back.
That was not comforting.
At all.
The chest trembled again.
Something inside seemed to push against the lid.
A faint golden glow escaped through the cracks.
The pressure wasn't dangerous.
Yet it carried an ancient feeling.
A feeling that made the surrounding spiritual energy instinctively retreat.
Lián Xù looked at the chest.
Then at the system.
Then back at the chest.
"It's not going to break out, right?"
A pause.
Then—
[Negative.]
[System reward containers cannot be damaged.]
Lián Xù narrowed his eyes.
"Cannot?"
[Cannot.]
"What if whatever is inside is stronger than me?"
[Irrelevant.]
"What if it's stronger than the kingdom?"
[Irrelevant.]
"What if it's stronger than you?"
[...]
[Irrelevant.]
Lián Xù immediately became suspicious.
That pause was very suspicious.
Very.
The chest suddenly jumped slightly.
Thump.
Lián Xù almost jumped too.
"...And it can't open itself?"
[Negative.]
[System rewards only open according to host will.]
Silence.
Moonlight shifted across the emperor's private study room.
The chest stopped moving.
As though waiting.
Lián Xù looked at it.
The chest looked back.
Well.
As much as a chest could look back.
Curiosity and self-preservation engaged in a fierce internal battle.
Curiosity was winning.
Unfortunately, it usually won.
Every terrible decision in history probably began with the same thought.
"I wonder what happens if..."
A moment later came disaster.
Then regret.
Then usually a funeral.
Yet this was the system.
The same strange prototype that kept throwing impossible rewards at him.
The same system that had never directly harmed him.
Annoyed him?
Yes.
Emotionally damaged him?
Frequently.
Threatened his lifespan?
Constantly.
But harmed him?
Not yet.
Lián Xù slowly exhaled.
"Fine."
The chest immediately trembled.
Excitedly.
"That somehow makes me even more nervous."
Lián Xù stared at the chest for a long time.
After a brief hesitation, Lián Xù reached forward and willed the chest to open.
The moment his fingers brushed the chest, the lid slowly lifted on its own.
Golden light poured outward like a rising tide, washing across the throne room and climbing the ancient pillars.
Ancient runes drifted through the air.
Mountains rose and fell.
Rivers flowed backward through the heavens.
Countless scenes flickered past like fragments of forgotten ages.
For an instant, Lián Xù felt impossibly small.
As though he stood beneath a sky that existed before history itself.
The brilliance gradually folded inward.
Layer after layer collapsed toward the center.
The vast radiance shrank into a single floating sphere no larger than a melon.
The sphere trembled.
A fine crack appeared across its surface.
Another followed.
Then another.
With a soft pop, the shell burst apart.
Something tumbled out.
Lián Xù blinked.
"Huh?"
The creature blinked back.
Tiny.
Round.
Golden.
Adorable.
It sat inside the opened chest looking utterly confused.
Two bright eyes.
Soft golden fur.
One elegant horn protruding from its forehead.
Tiny claws.
Tiny wings.
Tiny everything.
It could comfortably fit inside both of Lián Xù's hands.
Silence.
"..."
"..."
"That's it?"
The tiny creature tilted its head.
Then sneezed.
Pchi.
Golden sparks flew everywhere.
The system immediately responded.
[Divine Beast Acquired.]
[Tianlu Pixiu]
[Male]
Lián Xù froze.
Then looked again.
Pixiu?
A real Pixiu?
Even in his previous life, he knew what that was.
One of the most famous divine beasts associated with wealth and fortune.
The tiny beast immediately climbed onto his shoulder.
Then rubbed its face against his cheek.
Warm.
Soft.
Like living silk.
Lián Xù immediately melted.
"Whoa...You're ridiculously cute."
The Pixiu chirped proudly.
As Lián Xù continued staring at the tiny Pixiu, new lines suddenly surfaced beneath its description.
More information unfolded before his eyes.
[Tianlu Pixiu]
Function:
Gather wealth.
Protect fortune.
Convert consumed treasures.
Growth requires consumption of gold, silver, spirit stones, jewels, treasures, and rare resources.
Lián Xù's smile slowly froze.
"..."
The next line appeared.
Current Diet Requirements:
100,000 Gold Monthly
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The Pixiu happily licked his cheek.
Lián Xù stared at the requirement.
Then at the Pixiu.
Then back at the requirement.
Then back at the Pixiu.
"..."
"...You eat what?"
The Pixiu chirped.
Proudly.
Lián Xù felt his soul leave his body.
One hundred thousand gold.
Monthly.
Monthly.
His kingdom wasn't rich.
It wasn't prosperous.
It wasn't flourishing.
His treasury currently resembled a dying man clutching his final copper coin.
And now—
the system had given him a divine beast that consumed money.
"System."
[Yes?]
"Why?"
The Pixiu nuzzled his neck affectionately.
Lián Xù looked upward.
"Why couldn't it be a combat beast?"
A dragon.
A phoenix.
A terrifying ancient wolf.
Anything.
Something that punched enemies.
Burned mountains.
Destroyed armies.
Normal protagonist things.
Instead—
he received a divine tax collector.
The system remained silent.
Then—
new text appeared.
[Additional Information.]
Lián Xù paused.
Then continued reading.
[All consumed resources generate returns.]
[Current Return Ratio: 10x]
Silence.
"..."
Lián Xù reread it.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Twice.
Three times.
Then—
his eyes widened.
[Example:]
Consume 100 Gold
Return: 1000 Gold
Consume 100 Spirit Stones
Return: 1000 Spirit Stones
Return ratio increases with beast growth.
The room suddenly became quiet.
Very quiet.
The Pixiu chirped happily.
Lián Xù slowly looked down.
"Could you repeat that..."
[Return ratio increases with beast growth.]
Lián Xù stood up.
"Say the return again..."
[10x Return.]
The emperor abruptly grabbed the tiny Pixiu.
The Pixiu squeaked.
Lián Xù stared at it.
The Pixiu stared back.
Then—
a grin slowly spread across his face.
A dangerous grin.
The sort of grin normally associated with discovering hidden treasure.
Or tax loopholes.
Or both.
"You."
The Pixiu chirped.
"You're beautiful. Just like the future wealth of my kingdom"
*********
The next morning.
Imperial Court.
The atmosphere was grim.
Rows of ministers stood beneath towering pillars.
Morning sunlight filtered through stained jade windows, illuminating worried faces.
At the center stood Lián Wèi.
Calm.
Composed.
Listening.
The Minister of Finance looked ready to collapse.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
Several accounting scrolls were stacked before him.
His hands trembled slightly.
"Regent..."
His voice sounded weak.
Very weak.
"The treasury is nearly empty."
Silence filled the hall.
The minister swallowed.
"We have border expenditures."
"Military expenditures."
"Infrastructure expenditures."
"Emergency expenditures."
He inhaled deeply.
"If this continues..."
Another pause.
"...there is a possibility we may enter debt."
The court became quieter.
The minister lowered his head.
"...And potentially face permanent bankruptcy."
Several officials turned pale.
Lián Wèi closed his eyes.
The situation was indeed serious.
Before Lián Wèi could respond, the palace doors exploded inward.
BOOM.
The sound echoed through the hall like thunder.
Several ministers nearly dropped their scrolls.
One elderly official visibly lost color.
A figure strode into the court at remarkable speed.
Golden Imperial robes adorned with gold thread dragon motif fluttered behind him.
His expression was unusually bright.
Alarmingly bright.
Lián Xù.
The Emperor himself.
He crossed the entire hall without slowing.
Inside his sleeve, the tiny Pixiu bounced excitedly.
Lián Wèi immediately felt danger approaching.
"Your Majesty?"
Lián Xù looked around the court.
Across the ministers.
Across the financial reports.
Across the exhausted Minister of Finance.
The realization struck him like heavenly enlightenment.
His eyes lit up.
"Give me all the wealth of the kingdom."