Jiang Zheyu continued scrolling through the messages on her system’s Light Brain. Another somewhat familiar Light Brain ID caught her attention.

She couldn’t recall who it was at first, so she just tapped on it.

J: Hello, I am Jin Yu, the Eldest Prince of the Empire. The Empire is very interested in your method for healing spiritual power. I wonder if you might be interested in joining the Imperial Research Institute?

J: If you join us, the Empire will grant you a high status and generous compensation. If you are willing, the Empire can also make you a Special-level Researcher, allowing you to enjoy the Research Institute’s highest-tier benefits and privileges.

Currently, the highest rank at the Imperial Research Institute was only First-level Researcher. But they were willing to create an even higher-tier position for her: Special-level Researcher.

Jiang Zheyu paused slightly when she saw this message. ’No wonder it’s familiar,’ she thought. ’I only just added Jin Yu’s Light Brain account. How could I not recognize it?’

She also recalled that this was how the Empire had recruited the organization the novel’s protagonist belonged to.

The protagonist’s organization was Star Investment, a fugitive Star Thief Organization. However, the Star Thieves in this group weren’t like those who pillaged entire planets.

These Star Thieves were all homeless and displaced people who had gathered together.

Others were extremely poor people who banded together to seek a fortune. The people inside weren’t vicious or wicked.

Their main business wasn’t raiding planets, but exploring the universe for Star Stones. Some special Star Stones could be sold for extremely high prices, which was how they survived.

However, because they didn’t have the Empire’s permission to mine Star Stones freely, they had to operate in the shadows.

Because the protagonist developed a reagent that could Purify Beastification Value, her organization, Star Investment, was absorbed by the Empire. Afterward, they no longer had to fear capture by the Imperial Army for mining Star Stones, and their collection activities became regulated. Every member of Star Investment even got their own house and a stable job on the Emperor Star. It was a case of the protagonist single-handedly carrying her entire organization.

In the novel, it seemed Jin Yu had made a similar exception for the protagonist, making her a Special-level Researcher. The terms Jin Yu offered were tempting enough, and his tone lacked the usual arrogance of the Imperial Family. In the end, he successfully recruited the protagonist and her entire organization.

’But the protagonist in the novel actually had real talent and skills,’ Jiang Zheyu thought. ’I don’t know how to do any research! The reagents for Purifying Beastification Value and healing spiritual power were all bought from the system.’

The only real talent she had was herself—her spiritual power, which could Purify Beastification Value and also heal a Beastman’s spiritual power.

If she went to the Research Institute as a Special-level Researcher, she wouldn’t be able to research anything.

So, Jiang Zheyu simply ignored the message, not planning to reply.

Jiang Zheyu didn’t finish scrolling through all her messages, nor did she intend to. She decided to get a good night’s sleep and prepare for an early start tomorrow.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Zheyu was lying in bed. A single panel of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows on the adjacent wall was cracked open slightly, letting a gentle night breeze drift in. It softly rustled the curtains, making them sway.

"AHHHHH!"

A piercing female shriek from the garden cut through the window and into the room.

The shrill cry startled Jiang Zheyu awake.

"Huh? What’s going on?" Jiang Zheyu sat up, groggy.

She sat on the bed for a moment, but there was no further sound.

She hesitated. Just as she was about to go back to sleep, another ghastly scream erupted from outside the window. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"AHHHHH!"

The voice sounded like it was in terrible pain.

This was followed by the sound of a whip cracking through the air and a very loud slap.

"Get out! Get out!"

"All of you, get out!"

Jiang Zheyu silently covered her ears. The sound felt like it could pierce her eardrums.

At this point, Jiang Zheyu was completely awake.

She slowly moved toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, wanting to see what was happening in the garden.

Next to a stone table in the lushly blooming garden, a young woman in a thin nightgown was brandishing a long whip. She swung it heavily, shredding all the flowers in the garden into a mess of broken stems.

The ground was littered with shattered porcelain teacups and saucers, drops of blood, and the ruined flowers.

A group of servants knelt on the ground around the young woman. A young man in a white shirt knelt at the very front, his body covered in bloody welts from a whip.

The young woman vented her anger by whipping the flowers, while the young man knelt quietly beside her, his expression numb.

’Isn’t that young man Commander Wu, the one I met last time I went to the Imperial Palace?’

If that was the case, it was self-evident who the young woman next to Commander Wu was.

The young woman was the Little Princess of the Empire, Jin Wan.

When Jiang Zheyu read the novel, the Little Princess of the Empire was portrayed as a princess with an extremely explosive temper and a very spoiled personality.

In the novel, the protagonist had only said a single sentence to Jin Wan before the Little Princess of the Empire suddenly flew into a rage and started smashing things without any explanation.

Her other impressions weren’t as strong, but she clearly remembered that the protagonist and this Little Princess did not get along at all.

Jiang Zheyu silently closed the floor-to-ceiling windows completely. ’That should make it less loud.’

’It’s better if I don’t get involved in that battlefield.’

Sure enough, after she closed the windows, the sounds from outside vanished.

She could see the young woman seemingly screaming frantically again, but with all the windows shut, she could no longer hear it.

This served as a reminder for Jiang Zheyu: next time she went to sleep, she had to make sure all the windows were closed.

Jiang Zheyu silently returned to bed to get some more sleep.

The next day, Xiao Luo arrived promptly at her door, knocking to wake Jiang Zheyu up.

"Princess Zheyu, after you have washed up and dressed, please call me in. I will help you with your hair and makeup," Xiao Luo’s voice sounded from outside.

"Okay, sure!" Jiang Zheyu replied casually, then slowly got out of bed.

Once Jiang Zheyu had washed up and dressed, she opened the door to let Xiao Luo in.

"Princess Zheyu, I will now help you with your hair and makeup." Xiao Luo first gave her a slight bow before following Jiang Zheyu inside.

Xiao Luo skillfully helped Jiang Zheyu with her hair and makeup, as if professionally trained.

The makeup was exquisitely done—elegant and beautiful. Xiao Luo also tied her hair into a high ponytail, which, paired with an exquisite and proper white suit, gave her an elegant and well-mannered look.

"Did you receive special training for this?" Jiang Zheyu asked, slightly surprised as she looked at the exquisite and beautiful makeup. "It looks amazing."

"Yes, Princess Zheyu. As a butler, applying makeup for females is a required course. We must master numerous skills to be certified and employed." Xiao Luo nodded slightly, then gave a faint smile. "You are naturally beautiful, so even a little makeup makes you look exceptionally lovely."

"Thank you," Jiang Zheyu said, her eyes curving happily into a smile.