The System Creator, Chapter 20

"Mm, I'm fine, I must have misheard, Sister Nanoha..." Alicia shook her head.

Then, Arya's eyes darted around as she immersed her consciousness into the system.

Alicia tested the waters with a question: "Administrator... Brother?"

From the voice, Alicia thought it sounded male.

[That's right... My name is Chu Chen. I've come to your world now. Do you want to go see your mother? I can take you to her...]

"Emmmmmm..."

Just as Alicia was about to speak, the system suddenly cut in—

[Ding! A choice has begun! Time limit: 1 minute]

[A certain administrator who once kidnapped a loli is now trying to bamboozle this system's host. Host, your options are:]

[1. As this system's host, how could you be so easily fooled? Shout back at them, "You damn loli kidnapper, get as far away from me as possible! This loli won't be tricked by you!"]

[2. As this system's host, you naturally must show utmost respect to the loli-kidnapping System Network Administrator. Shout back at them, "Loli kidnapper, this loli will reluctantly go see Mom with you! But remember, I can't get married yet—three years minimum, death penalty maximum!"]

[Rewards: Choice 1: Skill: The Poor's Insight: EX (Instantly see through a target's personality and attributes; no verbal confusion, excuses, or deception can affect the host.)]

[Choice 2: Title: Loli Charm (Anyone who sees you will have their Affection Points greatly increased. Even enemies have a certain chance of being charmed by the host, unable to strike at you!)]

Alicia: "..."

Chu Chen: "...I swear I'm going to scrap this smart-mouthed system and rebuild it from scratch!"

PS2: Still seven chapters today, two of which are bonus chapters. The big shots are way too generous—woke up this morning to more tips and another two thousand flowers. Today's update times are 8:00, 12:00, 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:00 PM, and 11:00 PM. Since these are manual updates and not scheduled posts, there might be a five-to-ten-minute margin of error.

Chapter 39: Blonde Enthusiast, Terrifying Beyond Belief!

At this moment, Chu Chen and the Takamachi family were staring at each other, while Alicia silently sat down beside Chu Chen.

The reason things had turned out this way was that after Chu Chen arrived at the Takamachi house, he claimed to be there to pick up Alicia.

On top of that, when Alicia had moved in with the Takamachis, she hadn't really brought up much about her family situation.

So the Takamachis had no idea whether Chu Chen was really Alicia's brother or not...

But all they had to do was call Alicia out, and Chu Chen had already briefed her beforehand.

So when Alicia saw Chu Chen, she wasn't all that surprised. On the contrary, the moment she spotted him, she threw herself at him, calling out "Brother Chu Chen" with great affection, leaving Chu Chen blinking in bewilderment.

Tsk tsk tsk... Girls really do learn to act from a young age... Even a girl like Alicia...

Chu Chen now seriously suspected that Alicia had been corrupted by his system.

With such an eccentric system, this kid Alicia probably wasn't going to turn out straight-laced either.

When I see Precia later, she won't blame me for leading her daughter astray, will she?

Chu Chen wanted to complain about that in his head, but instead quietly started chatting with the Takamachi family.

Mm... The entire Takamachi household was on the level of monsters among humans. Chu Chen could tell at a glance that some mages in this world might even get taken down by these Takamachis if they weren't careful.

"I'm really grateful for how you've taken care of Alicia. Her family has been looking for her all this time... I'll take it from here! Of course, if I have time later, I'll bring Alicia by to visit!"

The role Chu Chen had set for himself wasn't that of a biological brother—after all, there was no resemblance between him and Alicia in appearance or anything else... So he went with a distant relative.

Since Alicia's mother was often away for work, Alicia would get bored alone and wander off.

Honestly, the setup Chu Chen gave wasn't wrong. Alicia's mom, Precia, really did work outside a lot—though that was a setting from twenty-six years ago. These days, Precia's body couldn't handle such grueling work anymore.

Currently, Precia suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, similar to tuberculosis, and often coughed up blood. This cough had set in after Alicia's death. Of course, it might also have been caused by the drugs Precia used during the Fate Project damaging her respiratory organs. Either way, it started after Alicia died. Chu Chen didn't know the exact details.

"No need to be so polite. A cute kid like Alicia could stay with us every day and we wouldn't mind at all! Isn't that right, Nanoha..." Takamachi Momoko said with a smile, looking at Chu Chen and Alicia.

"Mm-hm!" Nanoha quickly nodded in agreement.

Shirou Takamachi—well aware of his wife's blonde obsession—shot a rather speechless glance at his wife and Nanoha.

Even Miyuki Takamachi and Kyoya Takamachi couldn't help but roll their eyes at their mother and little sister.

Everyone in the house knew those two were Blonde Enthusiasts...

The fact that Nanoha got along so well with her classmate Alisa was partly due to Nanoha's Blonde Enthusiast tendencies.

Alicia quietly edged away from Takamachi Momoko. She didn't dislike their goodwill, but the enthusiasm was a bit much... Even Alicia found such exaggerated warmth a little hard to handle.

Still, come to think of it, even her own mother wasn't this over-the-top...

"I'll bring Alicia by often to visit. I hope Aunt Momoko won't mind!"

"Of course not... I really like this child, Alicia..."

On the side, Nanoha and Alicia were also saying their goodbyes, with a certain ferret perched on Nanoha's shoulder.

"Alicia, make sure to call me, okay..."

"Mm-hm... Take care, Yuno..."

And so, Chu Chen left the Takamachi house with Alicia. As for their destination...

"Brother Chu Chen, do you know where Fate is?" Alicia asked curiously, looking at Chu Chen.

"Of course I don't, but I know Fate is looking for the Seeds of the Holy Stone... I grabbed one along the way!" With that, Chu Chen pulled out a diamond-shaped, pebble-like stone of a deep blue from somewhere.

Within this stone was a shocking amount of magical power, enough to make even Chu Chen frown slightly when he picked it up.

The magic on it would gradually cause the holder to lose themselves according to their desires, transforming them in the direction their heart wished. Chu Chen had no means to seal this thing, so...

When he took it, he was extremely careful, afraid that some desire within him might cause him to stumble.

According to Yuno, the Seed of the Holy Stone was a magical stone that could fulfill its owner's wishes. In essence, it was somewhat similar to the Holy Grail, but the power of the Seed of the Holy Stone was too unstable. If humans or animals used it incorrectly, they would be fused with its power and lose their reason.

"So Brother Chu Chen plans to use this as bait?"

Alicia looked curiously at the Seed of the Holy Stone in Chu Chen's hand.

"That's right. Once the power of the Seed of the Holy Stone erupts, Fate will definitely come! Then we can use Fate's power to reach the Time Garden where your mother Precia is... Alicia, stand behind me..."

To release the power of the Seed of the Holy Stone, Chu Chen had deliberately chosen a place far from the city.

If the Seed of the Holy Stone went berserk, destroying a city would be a matter of minutes. Chu Chen had to be careful too.

Although this thing going wild wouldn't do much harm to Chu Chen, the aftermath would be troublesome!

"I understand..." Alicia obediently stood behind Chu Chen.

The next moment, Chu Chen slowly extended his right hand, and vast magical power began to converge on the Seed of the Holy Stone.

The instant he released the magic, Chu Chen severed his connection to it.

At the moment this magic merged with the Seed of the Holy Stone, a massive pillar of light pierced through heaven and earth!

In an instant, the Seed of the Holy Stone erupted with power enough to shake the entire world... but fortunately, Chu Chen had restrained it well. The reason for unleashing such an exaggerated display was to better attract attention.

As expected, both Nanoha and Fate sensed the magic erupting from the Seed of the Holy Stone.

Alicia felt a little nervous, her small hand instinctively grabbing Chu Chen's clothes.

Taking in Alicia's expression, Chu Chen smiled inwardly, and then—

Chu Chen pressed a certain button, and a voice suddenly echoed in Alicia's mind.

[Alicia Testarossa has successfully entered the System Network!]

Chapter 40: Ai, You Have Absolutely No Shame!

[Alicia Testarossa has successfully entered the System Network!]

Haibara Ai: "Welcome, newbie!"

Yukino Yukinoshita: "Welcome, newbie!"

Ilyasviel: "Welcome, newbie!"

Busujima Saeko: "Welcome, newbie!"

Miyu: "...Welcome..."

Alicia Testarossa: "???"

Administrator: "Ai, are you living in the System Network or something... I feel like you're always the first to speak every time! I've never seen you be slower than anyone... You don't go without sleep every day, do you? Take care of yourself..."

Chu Chen was genuinely worried about Ai's health. If something happened to her, not only Chu Chen but everyone in the System Network would be very concerned...

Hearing the concern in Chu Chen's tone, Ai couldn't help but curl her lips slightly.

Haibara Ai: "Don't worry, I just stay up late often. It's not like I never sleep... And I need to keep an eye on many things related to the system. You know, all my materials are stored in the system space..."

Moreover, Ai needed to constantly monitor Busujima Saeko's situation. She was now frequently traveling between two worlds.

No matter what, the matter in Busujima Saeko's world wasn't completely over yet, and Ai couldn't rest easy.

Since she had taken on this task, she had to see it through. Such a virtuous deed, Ai didn't mind doing.

So now Ai had two research projects on her hands: one was the antidote for APTX4869 in her own world, and the other was the antidote for the Zombie Virus in Busujima Saeko's world...

Alicia Testarossa: "So this is the System Network? Hello everyone, my name is Alicia Testarossa. Just call me Alicia... Are you all in different worlds?"

Ilyasviel: "Umm... Miyu and I are actually in the same world... hehehehe..."

Miyu: "Wait! Ilya! What are you doing to me! Hey... Why are you suddenly taking off my clothes..."

Haibara Ai: "!!!"

Yukino Yukinoshita: "!!!"

Busujima Saeko: "!!!"

Alicia Testarossa: "!!! Is this the kind of content you talk about in the System Network!?"

Alicia's cheeks instantly flushed red. For some reason, she felt a faint hint of excitement.

According to what Chu Chen had told her in advance, the other system holders were all girls like her. That meant... something indescribable was happening between two girls over there?

Haibara Ai: "Ilya, I never thought you were that kind of person..."

Ai's gaze instantly sharpened. She had to consider whether she should keep her distance from Ilya.

Ilyasviel: "Uh... well... actually, I just wanted Miyu, dressed in a maid outfit, to serve me a little. And it's only to the extent of helping wipe me down when we bathe. It's nothing like what you're imagining!"

Miyu: "But you pinned me down on the bed, and we weren't even in the bathroom..."

Ilyasviel: "..."

Ilyasviel was instantly knocked out by Miyu's words, unable to recover—she had only gotten a little excited!

Miyu: "And you kept making me call you master. I'm wearing a maid outfit, but right now I'm serving Luvia... Ilyasviel, your state of mind has always been a bit off..."

—Pfft!

Ilyasviel felt like she was about to spit blood. Miyu, I seriously suspect you're a black-hearted schemer!

I've already gone silent, and now you're still exposing what just happened in the System Network—what's the deal with that?!

Instantly, Ilyasviel was completely done for!

Miyu: "Eh! Ilyasviel, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly faint? Umm... what should I do now? Should I go call Sella? Or do you need some kind of first aid..."

Haibara Ai: "..."

Busujima Saeko: "..."

Alicia Testarossa: "..."

Yukino Yukinoshita: "Ilyasviel is completely done for! Carry her away!"

Administrator: "Tsk tsk tsk... Ilyasviel really has an unprecedented interest in so-called elementary school maids. Doesn't she have maids at home too? I wonder how her family raised her, to give her such a strange hobby."

Haibara Ai: "Looks like I need to be careful too... I'll add 'absolutely never wear a maid outfit in front of Ilyasviel' to my list of forbidden options. If I appeared before her like that, I'd be in danger of being pushed down by Ilyasviel!"

Even as she said such serious words, Ai's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

Clearly, she was joking...

Ilyasviel: "It's not that exaggerated!!!"

Ilyasviel suddenly "rose from the dead" with a bright red face, startling Miyu.

Busujima Saeko: "Ilyasviel, you're so amusing... Didn't you realize Ai was just joking?"