Chronicles of the Hidden Crown: The System's Gentle Tyrant - Chapter 14: The Sorting and House Allegiances

Isabella was supposed to be sipping champagne at a luxury spa, not waking up in the middle of a forest. Worse, a SYSTEM had attached itself to her like some clingy ex, spouting nonsense about survival, quests, and—oh, hell no—manual labor.“System, I was NOT built for the wilderness! My ideal ‘roughing it’ experience involves a five-star hotel with bad WiFi!”Now, instead of lounging in silk robes, she’s being ordered to farm? To hunt?“A farming quest? You want me—a city girl—to grow food? System, I once killed a cactus by overwatering it. This is NOT my calling!”And don’t even get her started on the hygiene situation.“You want me to bathe in a cold river? Darling, I require warm water, scented oils, and an ambience! What do I look like—some barbarian?!”Unfortunately, the locals—big, muscular beastmen—don’t seem to understand the concept of self-care. The women? Neglecting their skin like it’s a crime to be radiant. The men? Walking hygiene disasters.“Ladies, if your man can smell you before he sees you, we have a problem.”“You see this? This is lotion. It exists so you don’t look like a dried-up leaf. Use it.”“A beard should be majestic, not tragic. Let me fix it.”And the beastmen? They don’t just stare at her like she’s an oddity. No, they hover. They smirk. They lean in too close, fangs flashing with amusement.“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she huffed, crossing her arms.The panther grinned, his tail flicking. “Because you’re fascinating when you’re annoyed.”No, absolutely not. She was not here for this nonsense.“If you have time to stare, you have time to moisturize.”She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t ask to be their savior. But if she has to suffer through this world, she’s making everyone around her suffer less—through skincare, style, and some serious attitude.“If I hear one more ‘We don’t season our food here,’ I’m launching a war.”“If you have time to gossip, you have time to do squats.”“You want to impress a woman? Start with not smelling like the battlefield.”Survival isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about looking good while doing it. So what if the System keeps throwing impossible quests her way?“What do you mean ‘you can’t skip quests’?! Since when?! Where is the skip button?! I demand a skip button!”But somewhere between dodging ridiculous quests and fixing these people’s tragic grooming habits, Isabella found herself in situations. Uncomfortable, heart-racing situations.Like being trapped against a tree by the red python, his red eyes half-lidded as he murmured, “You talk too much, little star. Should I silence you?”Like waking up with the lion lord’s fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, his deep voice gruff, “You shiver in your sleep. I’ll fix that.”Like the phoenix watching her every move, his burning gaze searing into her skin as he mused,“You cause chaos wherever you go, but I find that I don’t mind.”Oh, hell. No. She was not about to fall for four beastmen. She was too pretty for this much stress.“If you insult me again, I’ll make sure your soul needs a beauty upgrade.”“I refuse to be disrespected by anyone who dresses like an unwashed tree branch.”And yet, when a rival tribe came to challenge her, when danger lurked too close, those same beastmen stood beside her—smirking, taunting, fighting for her.“A beastman growled at me today. I growled back. He ran. I am the alpha now.”Isabella isn’t just surviving. She’s thriving. And this world better keep up.

In the tribal farming era, the world was vast and unknown. Upon continuous exploration, the people of ancient times were appalled to discover that in this world, where the sky was round and the earth was square, all sorts of miracles had befallen them. There were even figures like an ultra-big ten-thousand-foot giant, as well as huge intelligent beasts that had mysteriously appeared, trampling upon the mountains and rivers, and shattering the earth. Hundreds of years later, in such a dangerous environment, people fought against the huge beasts and finally established the glorious Sumerian civilization. On this day, a wise giant suddenly made a complete descension on earth, trampling on all the mountains and rivers, and wiping out the entire nation. The world crumbled, and city-states collapsed; had the gods descended to condemn the people?

“I’m sorry, you’re all just ants living in the orchard of my yard and you are just scrambling all over the place. If I were to accidentally pass you by, I might just accidentally trample you all to death. That’s it for you.” So first, I’ll set up a sandbox in my own yard, a base area for plotting farmland. Then, I will shepherd the human race and various worlds in my sandbox.

Initially, the four elder brothers of the affluent Sang family disapproved of everything about their biological sister, their hearts and eyes solely focused on their foster sister.The eldest brother said, 'Stop embarrassing yourself with your acting, just retire from the industry.'The second brother remarked, 'Your life is less significant than Jiaojiao's movie premiere.'The third brother declared, 'Didn't buy you a gift, you are an outsider after all.'The fourth brother insisted, 'Don't come to my game, Jiaojiao will be there.'After repeated disappointments, Sang Qiao carried her bag and left, not only setting up her own company to make money but also participating in a dating show with her ex-fiance as her partner. Just when she finished the show diligently, thinking she could gracefully retire from it, she suddenly felt a pair of large hands encircling her waist, and a man's voice murmured deeply: 'Where do you think you're going, naughty girl? Were you just leading me on this whole time? Hmm?'Sang Qiao: '!' I was taking the dating show seriously, and you actually fell in love???'From then on, she gained a powerful supporter, reaping the rewards of both a flourishing career and a love life.However, the four brothers, betrayed by their foster sister and realizing how wrong they were in their treatment of Sang Qiao, deeply regretted their past actions, attempting every means to reconcile.Facing the eldest brother she said: 'Stop squatting at my doorstep begging, you're affecting the city's appearance.'To the second brother she said: 'You've only lost a leg, if I take care of you, I'd be losing five million!'Confronting the third brother: 'Keep dumping trash at my doorstep and watch how unpleasant I can be.'And to the fourth brother: 'Tomorrow I'm going to visit a friend's dog, so I have no time for your competition.'

In the Kunlun Snow Palace, a sage once said, those who pass away wander, while the living cannot let go.Once the soul departs, it will wither like the autumn grass.Those who are reborn from the dead, existing apart from the mortal realm, shall be shunned by all celestial sects and smitten as undead demons.On this day, a youth awakens from within a coffin, his blood dry and his bones chilled, to find himself a century old upon opening his eyes.A single tear from a sage awaited, a constant companion, may unravel the dreams of the past.Seeking not immortality but a mundane death, not to lament with the ages over lost love and resentment, but only wishing to grow old with tenderness in this lifetime, beneath the white clouds that hold no envy for the heavenly realms.