Chapter One: Is It Really This Abstract?

"I've had enough!"

Inside the battered ship cabin, Jiang Li slammed his fist hard against the floor.

"You've enjoyed everything there was to enjoy, and just when you were about to die, you dragged me into this mess. If you're going to hand over the reins, at least do it properly!"

As he spoke, Jiang Li glanced down at his tattered clothes, barely holding together, and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

From his memories, the original owner had quite an impressive background: son of Jiang Tian, the Imperial Preceptor of the Great Qian Empire. Since birth, he'd lived a life where everything was handed to him on a silver platter.

But fate was unkind. Jiang Tian had just recently passed away from illness. That alone would have been manageable, but the real problem was that Jiang Tian had commanded three hundred thousand troops, which made the Empress wary.

To prevent the original owner from forming alliances with his father's former subordinates, the Empress simply conferred upon him the governorship of an overseas prefecture, bestowing him the title of Prefect.

The original owner, naive as he was, believed her. He happily set out with a hundred or so guards and maids to take up his new post.

But the poor child was weak and unlucky—a storm struck, and he was sent straight to the underworld to meet his father.

Now, although the ship had reached Qiong Prefecture, the storm had forced it aground in wild, deserted mountains, far from the planned destination.

Jiang Li had already digested all the information about Qiong Prefecture in his mind.

Qiong Prefecture—true to its name, it was so poor it was almost frightening!

Located overseas and only recently discovered, the Great Qian Dynasty had managed to build just one small city here. As for the rest of the vast expanse, no one knew what lay within.

"A Prefect? This is nothing but a demotion in disguise—a complete exile, to put it bluntly!"

Just as Jiang Li was filled with indignation, a voice suddenly resounded in his mind.

[System loading complete...]

A surge of joy rose in Jiang Li's heart. With a cheat system, even stranded in this remote backwater, with the system's help, he could still rise to power and conquer the world!

[System loading complete. Now issuing task.]

[You are now an Emperor, but you still must ensure your people live good lives.]

[Mission: Work alongside the common folk. Time limit: three days. Failure will be regarded as voluntary abandonment.]

[Reward: Ten sprouted potatoes, suitable for planting.]

Staring at the information in his mind, Jiang Li slowly raised a finger to himself. "Emperor? Me?"

"I've already ended up in such dire straits, and you say I'm an Emperor? System, is this some kind of joke?"

"System, answer me! Am I really an Emperor? Did you bind to the wrong host?"

"Can't you give me a system for thirty years of fortune and reversal, a system that lets me rise from poverty? I really can't handle this!"

"System? Bro? Grand System?"

After a long silence, Jiang Li sat down again, defeated.

The system gave no response at all, as if it had died.

Well, that's it. With a system like this, is there any difference from having no system at all?

With his clothes full of holes, he was no different from a beggar.

No, at least a beggar has somewhere to beg for food. Here, the ship had run aground in a storm, and the supply ship had been lost to the waves. There was nowhere to beg, even if he wanted to.

"Young Master! Young Master!"

A frantic knocking sounded at the door. As it opened, a young girl, her face streaked with tears, rushed in and threw herself around Jiang Li's leg.

"Young Master, you must help me! Qin Lang—he's a beast, he tried to—woo...woo..."

Before Jiang Li could make sense of what was happening, a tall, burly youth strode in.

"Qiu Yue, give up your foolish hopes. In a place like this, no one can save you!"

"Young Master, help me!" Qiu Yue sobbed, her words barely intelligible.

"Wait a moment!" Jiang Li hurriedly raised his hand. These two had accompanied him to Qiong Prefecture as maid and guard.

After the ship ran aground yesterday, the original host, gravely ill, had stayed in the cabin while all the guards and maids went ashore to search for the small city built by Great Qian.

Why were these two not searching for a way out but instead embroiled in a struggle over a maid?

"Heh, Jiang Li, do yourself a favor and stay out of this. Don't meddle where you shouldn't," Qin Lang sneered.

Jiang Li looked down at Qiu Yue—and the sight made his blood surge.

The young maid had matured, her figure well-developed, and in the tussle with Qin Lang her collar had been torn open. With Jiang Li standing above her, a vast expanse of snowy white skin was in full view...

"Young Master, I'm afraid we're doomed. We've walked for miles and not seen a single soul, and one of the guards was killed by a tiger."

"Qin Lang says we're as good as dead, and then he tried to force himself on me," Qiu Yue choked out between sobs.

Jiang Li exhaled slowly.

So that's how it was. No wonder Qin Lang dared to attempt such a cruel act right in front of him.

"Qiu Yue is right, Jiang Li. Face the reality—there's no one here for you to command. If you don't want to die, get out of my way!" Greed flashed in Qin Lang's eyes.

Since death seemed inevitable, he might as well enjoy some pleasure before the end.

If you're going to die under the petals of the peony, at least die beautifully!

"Qin Lang, I understand you," Jiang Li said calmly. "But let's be clear—you're just one man. Killing both of us won't be that easy."

Qin Lang's expression darkened. "Jiang Li, what do you mean? Are you really going to risk your life for a maid?"

"That's right," Jiang Li replied, grabbing a vase as he spoke.

"Heh, Jiang Li, do you really think we're still in the capital of Great Qian?" Qin Lang's face twisted with malice.

Jiang Li shrugged. "So what if we're not?"

"But let me remind you—you're alone, and there are two of us. Even if we can't beat you, if we fight to the death, someone will get hurt."

"In a wild place like this, you know what happens if you're injured."

He gripped the vase tightly, his gaze fierce and unyielding.

Qin Lang's expression froze. Jiang Li had a point; in this desolate wilderness, surrounded by beasts, an injury was as good as a death sentence.

Still, Jiang Li was a pampered weakling, and the little maid beside him was hardly any better. How long could they possibly last?

Once food ran out, wouldn't the little maid throw herself at him willingly?

With that thought, Qin Lang sneered, "Fine! We'll see how long you can hold out here. Let's see who can protect that little maid then!"

With a final threat, Qin Lang turned and left the cabin.

"Young Master, are we going to die here?" Qiu Yue looked up at Jiang Li, tears streaming down her face.

"Enough, don't cry. Save your strength," Jiang Li said, helping her up.

They searched the cabin thoroughly but found only a single quilt and a dagger.

"Let's go see what the situation is," Jiang Li gestured for Qiu Yue to follow.

As they stepped out of the cabin, the ground beneath their feet, Jiang Li couldn't help but gasp.

The desolation here was worse than he'd imagined: grass taller than a man, trees so large it would take several people to encircle them, and the occasional unidentifiable beast's roar echoing through the wilderness...

All signs pointed to this being a truly forsaken, uninhabited land.

Jiang Li looked up at the sky and made a quick decision. "Qiu Yue, we need to gather some dry wood and light a fire. Otherwise, once night falls, the beasts will tear us apart."

He bent down and picked up a dry branch.

Just then, the system's voice echoed in his mind once more.

[Worked alongside the people, task complete.]

[Ten sprouted potatoes awarded.]