Chapter 23: A Sleepless Night

Chapter 23: A Sleepless Night

【Oh oh oh! My host, I think you stumbled upon another important figure!】

System 12345 was yawning when it suddenly yelped in shock.

【Let me take a look. Pasha Baltoghlu, the Ottoman Empire’s admiral, one of Momoana’s most trusted aides. My host, what are you waiting for? Go and score some brownie points!】

“Looks like we have a big fish on our hands,” Shu Yichao murmured when the Grassland Horse Archers dragged Baltoghlu before him.

It was not hard to figure that out when Baltoghlu was dressed in high-quality armor and an exquisite robe.

“Hmph!” Baltoghlu harrumphed. He stiffened his neck and spat, “Khitans, don’t think that you have won just yet! You merely exploited our Sultana’s misstep to clinch an insignificant victory.

“Our vast army can fill a sea with just our soldiers’ spit, whereas your people are numbered. You don’t stand a chance against our Sultana’s forces! Realize your place and obediently surrender, and our benevolent Sultana may consider sparing you!”

“What is he rambling about?” Shu Yichao expressed that he didn’t understand Ottomain words. “Oi, are your people going to pay your ransom?”

【My host, I noticed a crucial problem.】

System 12345 worriedly spoke up.

【I think Baltoghlu doesn’t have a high opinion of you. That doesn’t bode well. He’s the Ottomain’s admiral, an important official of Momoana’s court. If he doesn’t approve of you...】

System 12345 shuddered.

【My host, you must be careful! People like him have no scruples. A misstep here could spell your death, especially on a moonless night like this... Argh! The more I think about it, the more unnerved I get!】

【You need to flee right now!】

System 12345 howled.

【You’re in a lot of danger!】

“Tsk, this one is a miser.” There might be a language barrier, but Shu Yichao could tell from Baltoghlu’s complexion that he wasn’t interested in paying the ransom. “You wouldn’t even spend money to buy your life. Even Scrooge is more generous than you.”

Shu Yichao waved his hands. “Kill him.”

Kacha!

【GAHHH!!!】

“...” The envoy continued prostrating on the ground, not daring to move.

“I said leave,” Momoana repeated herself. “I need to rest.”

The envoy rushed out of the tent, looking as if he had been saved.

Momoana slowly rose up and slowly returned to her tent. She lay on the bed without taking off her clothes and shoes.

“A single setback means nothing,” she murmured, “Momoana, you should take a good rest and bide your time in the upcoming war. True wisdom means seeing through the facade to peer at the truth. You have more than 100,000 soldiers, whereas the Romains’ reinforcements won’t be arriving any time soon. The odds remain in your favor.

“Rest, Momoana. Forget about the Khitans and whatnot.”

Slowly, the Sultana drifted off into deep sleep.

Two hours later, Momoana suddenly opened her blood-red eyes and roared, “Khitans! Those damned Khitans! I’ll rip you into shreds!”

【My host, you’re getting further away from Baltoghlu. Whew! You’re finally out of danger.】

【Hm? This is weird.】

System 12345 sensed something amiss.

【Somehow, Momoana couldn’t sleep because of you. My host, how did you do it? Could it be...】

System 12345 fathomed a guess.

【...she noticed Baltoghlu’s movements and is worried about you?】

【Argh, I can’t make sense of it!!! What’s with this damned program? Black screen, black screen! All I see is the black screen! I’m practically doing this blind!】

—

Author’s Note:

Just to explain a few issues

Shu Yichao can’t understand the System’s words because the language translation software wasn’t properly installed, so all he hears is static.Shu Yichao can’t hear the System anymore because he turned down the volume after getting irritated by the static.Shu Yichao cannot see the messages sent by the host, as the language translation software wasn’t properly installed, so the writings appear as random characters to him.The System can’t see Shu Yichao’s situation because the program’s installation was a mess, so all it sees is a black screen.The System can, to some extent, sense what’s happening around Shu Yichao. It primarily relies on that, together with lots of deduction, to figure out what’s happening.The timeline is set in the future, where full immersion VR games exist. Shu Yichao has been transmigrated into another world, but he thinks that he’s playing a well-made game mod, since a lot of the game mechanics are still present.The System lost a lot of its authority over the program, which is why Shu Yichao is able to circumvent the System to access the program functions straight.There are cannons in this era, though huge cannons are rare. Constantinople does have smaller cannons for its defenses too.

Starve’s Translation Notes:

For those not familiar with the notion of game mod, it’s similar to how in Minecraft, Roblox, or Warcraft III, players are able to use their Map Creator to create their own games. One example of that is the older DotA hosted on Warcraft III.