Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The three editors tactfully left, closing the door behind them.

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Yi Shi lowered his voice and reported the truth.

"The master sent word that he has been feeling mentally and physically exhausted and has a dry mouth lately. So he specifically instructed his subordinates to make sure you finish this bowl of soup."

Gu Mingli felt a little guilty.

Could it be that I've been working overtime every night for the newspaper lately, which is why Xiao Ye is also feeling tired and thirsty?

Although he found it hard to believe, just in case, he picked up the jade bowl, took a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

The warm and sweet white fungus soup slid down my throat, carrying a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

Gu Mingli slowly finished the bowl of sweet soup, feeling a warmth in his heart.

As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate.

Since Xiao Ye is so caring, I can't just leave without showing my appreciation.

Why not take advantage of this less busy period and make Xiao Ye a short-barreled musket for self-defense?

From now on, if anyone dares to attempt a close-range assassination, Xiao Ye will simply blow their head off with a single shot!

Night falls in the backyard of the Dayongmin Newspaper Office.

The newspaper staff had long since left, leaving only the night shift guard in the front warehouse and a lone lamp still lit in the back wing.

Gu Mingli was hunched over the desk, on which lay a three-foot square sheet of white Xuan paper.

He used charcoal pencils and wooden rulers to meticulously sketch cross-sectional diagrams of the internal structure of the musket.

Barrel, chamber, trigger linkage, hammer spring... every part is designed to be as precise as possible.

After Gu Mingli finished drawing the cross-sectional diagram of the gun barrel, he put down his pen and rubbed his sore eyes vigorously.

Now, he faces a crucial problem.

The most fundamental difference between modern and ancient handguns does not lie in the accuracy of the barrel.

Instead, it was on something the size of a fingernail called a "fire cap".

The percussion cap of modern handguns is filled with mercuric fulminate.

The hammer strikes, impacting the mercury fulminate and detonating it, instantly igniting the gunpowder in the chamber and propelling the projectile out of the barrel.

The whole process took less than the blink of an eye; it was fast, accurate, and ruthless.

But since this thing didn't exist in ancient times, we could only use the old methods.

Before each shot, the fuse was manually lit, and the fuse would burn for a long time before a shot could be fired.

Not only is it ridiculously slow, but a single spit from an enemy or a gust of wind could render it unusable.

In actual combat, using something like this is practically handing over a kill to the enemy.

How could he possibly give Xiao Ye a deadly item that would fail him at a crucial moment?

Gu Mingli put down the charcoal pencil, closed his eyes, and silently recited, "System."

[Ding! What are your needs, host?]

"Could you check if mercuric fulminate is included in the favorability exchange program?"

Okay! Searching...

[Exchange item found: Mercuric fulminate (fire cap grade purity)]

[Exchange Cost: 10 Affection Points]

"Ten points of favorability?! Why don't you just steal it?!"

Gu Mingli slammed his hand on the table and jumped up.

"I used to work so hard on quests and only get 2 points at a time. Your inflation is outrageous!"

[Haven't you been reaping considerable rewards lately, host? And... this is the price for the exchange! You don't want it anymore? Then this system will...]

"Oh, oh, oh, I want it! Save it for me!"

Gu Mingli gritted his teeth.

It's just ten points of favorability; at worst, I can find a way to shamelessly pester Xiao Ye to get them back.

"Then let's exchange it."

[Ding! Mercuric fulminate has been redeemed for you, deducting 10 points of favorability.]

Gu Mingli stood up impatiently, respectfully holding the items in front of him with both hands, eagerly waiting to receive the exchange items.

They didn't see a single hair.

"Where's the stuff? Did you swallow it?"

[Host, the item has been added to your system inventory.]

However, given that this involves highly dangerous items, a specific task must be completed before it can be unlocked and retrieved.

Gu Mingli: "..."

He knows it!

He shouldn't have believed that this damn system would give it to him so easily!

Gu Mingli suppressed the urge to curse and opened the task panel to check.

[Unlock Quest: 10 points of Reverence can be redeemed for one item.]

[Time Limit: The item is valid for one hour after redemption; otherwise, it will be reclaimed.]

Current worship level: 0/10

[Countdown: 119 minutes 58 seconds... 119 minutes 57 seconds...]

Gu Mingli stared at the constantly changing countdown numbers, his temples throbbing.

"System, what are the rules for acquiring worship points?"

Each individual contributes 1 point of worship value when they develop genuine feelings of admiration for the host. Only one point can be contributed by the same individual. Worship cannot be calculated repeatedly.

One hour.

Ten points of worship value.

It's late at night, all the newspaper staff have left, and there isn't even a dog on the street.

Where is he going to find ten people to worship him?

Gu Mingli suppressed the urge to dismantle the system and glanced at the empty courtyard.

Forget it, we still need to bring out the shadow guards to make up the numbers.

Yi Shi was his close follower, while the other four were positioned around the courtyard walls and rooftops.

Although these people are usually like invisible people, they are still five living people.

Five people, five points of admiration, let's get them first.

The problem is, how do you get five shadow guards, who are used to the bloodshed of the martial world, to worship him in a short period of time?

Should I teach them calculus?

Gu Mingli rubbed his temples and paced back and forth, then suddenly stopped.

"System, can you provide temporary items?"

[Sure! The host can temporarily borrow items from the system's inventory by consuming favorability points, and must return them after use. Borrowing does not consume favorability points, but to keep them permanently, an additional exchange is required.]

What musical instruments are in your inventory?

[Piano x1, Harmonica x1, Triangle x1, Erhu x1...]

Gu Mingli: "..."

"Is the piano a joke? Give me a guitar!"

[Ding! Item lent: Folk guitar. Please return it after the mission.]

A natural wood-colored folk guitar appeared out of nowhere in Gu Mingli's hands.

He plucked the string twice, and the pitch was perfect.

Okay, we have the instruments, the audience, and the venue.

Gu Mingli walked into the courtyard, looked up and clapped his hands twice towards the roof.

"Brothers, get down here, I have something to say."

Five dark figures landed almost simultaneously and stood in a row without making a sound.

Yi Shi stood at the front, his round eyes staring curiously at the wooden stringed instrument he had never seen before in Gu Mingli's arms.

"Young master, what is this?"

"Guitar. Would you like to hear some guitar music?"

Er Si looked indifferent and was about to shake his head.

Gu Mingli spoke again.

"Alright! No need to answer! I know you all want to hear. Go and bring six chairs over; I'm having a concert tonight, and you'll be the first audience members."

"Very good!"

Yi Shi clapped excitedly.

"Come on, let's get some chairs. The young master sings so beautifully! He usually only sneaks into the palace to sing for His Majesty. We're in for a treat this time."

Gu Mingli: "..."

Where did this rumor come from?!