1 001. The Late System_1

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[Soul characteristics detected, verification complete]

[Welcome to being the 233rd Silent Chosen One]

[System loading...]

[System has loaded]

[The purpose of this System is to improve the host's living conditions, enhance the level of spiritual entertainment, and enrich a perfect life]

[All functions of this System are free to use, with no need for recharge. Please be vigilant against any form of fraud related to recharge]

[Arrange your time reasonably, enjoy a healthy life]

[Wish you a happy life]

Standing outside the studio, Lu Ban, who had just had his script rejected for the sixth time, was stunned.

The words on the screenplay from another world, which had been passed around as a classic, suddenly twisted into a string of text with the beautiful typography of a typewriter.

... A typewriter clacked on its own without a breeze, tap-tapping away a series of regular text: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy... Huh?

Lu Ban's attention was pulled away from the screenplay he "wrote," and he looked up at the text written above it.

People walked back and forth around the studio, with extras dressed in various costumes passing by incessantly, but the words on the screenplay remained undissipated.

It wasn't an illusion.

Three months after crossing over to this world, Lu Ban finally got his golden finger.

Whether before or after crossing over, Lu Ban considered himself an average person.

He had no girlfriend, didn't smoke, drank only in moderation, diligently completed his studies, methodically lived his life, maintained inner peace, wasn't obsessed with winning or losing, didn't fret over troubles, and didn't set up enemies that would keep him awake at night.

Lu Ban thought there was nothing unusual about himself.

His only hobby was probably watching movies.

The protagonists in the movies were all extraordinary, even the common folk had their own [Stories].

Lu Ban, as an average person, envied them.

This was a world that was somehow similar but not quite the same as the previous one, where certain literary works were nonexistent, while others were transformed. In Lu Ban's words, it was a "standard copy-paste world."

Unfortunately, he didn't have a golden finger.

Using his knowledge of drama and film from college in his previous life and the memories that remained, he wrote several screenplays that had been hugely successful in the old world, not because he was full of ambition, ready to show off his skills and reach the pinnacle of the arts.

It was purely because Lu Ban liked movies.

He thought it would be a pity if those classic movies couldn't be seen in this world.

However, his plagiarism hit a wall early on.

Firstly, the screenplays were written from memory and were not exactly the same.

Secondly, what was popular in the other world was not necessarily well-received in this one.

Lastly, he was just an ordinary graduate.

In the film industry, where even the masterpieces of famous online authors were being dismantled and adapted by scriptwriters, a newbie like Lu Ban found it hard to even get started.

After a few attempts, in the end, Lu Ban chose a script for a classic thriller and supernatural film, hoping to catch a director's attention.

He failed.

Should he try some other strategy?

With a decent appearance, maybe find a wealthy woman to play around with, and then get her to invest in his own film?

It seemed like a viable option.

It was while this thought emerged that Lu Ban awakened the System.

What a stroke of luck.

Lu Ban exclaimed internally at his good fortune.

He found a spot out of the sun to sit down, spread the screenplay in front of him, pretending to read it while focusing again on those rigid and inflexible words.

These words felt icy cold. Though written in a proper typeface, they conveyed a chill.

Just like in the novels, with a thought from Lu Ban, the text changed.

There was no attribute panel, just a line of text.

[Start setting]

"Does this System have a newbie guide?"

Lu Ban wondered to himself as he gently touched the text with his index finger.

Like fog swirling around, the text morphed.

[Choose a profession]

After these four characters, an extensive cluster of text suddenly exploded from the screenplay in Lu Ban's hands.

He instinctively leaned back, feeling the cold reality of the wall behind him.

Lu Ban scrutinized the text carefully, finding names of various professions.

There were ordinary ones like [Actor], [Programmer], and [Journalist], less common ones like [Private Detective], [Librarian], and [Archaeologist], and even some odd jobs like [Folklore Scholar], [Fraudster], and [Mortician].

As his gaze swept over these names, they shifted, with synonymous or similar profession names sprouting beside them, jostling the adjacent professional texts as if with their own will, persuading Lu Ban to choose.

Was he to choose his own profession?

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With no explanation at all, Lu Ban could only act on his own understanding.

After pondering for a moment, he chose the profession of [Director], because it included professions like screenwriter, author, and creator. From the perspective of literal reproduction, surely this one was the best.

No sooner had his thoughts touched upon this profession, than Lu Ban saw the dazzling text vanish, replaced by something similar to an attribute panel on a script.

[Name: Lu Ban]

[Profession: Director]

[Education: Bachelor's Degree]

...

[Strength: 55]

[Constitution: 65]

[Build: 60]

[Agility: 70]

[Appearance: 90]

[Intelligence: 65]

[Will: 80]

[Education: 70]

[Luck: 20]

[Sanity: 80]

Beneath a bunch of ordinary personal information was the kind of attribute panel often found in novels.

Only... this attribute panel seemed a bit off?

Shouldn't it normally show skills related to music, art, literature, and so on?

This system had an issue.

Lu Ban continued to scroll down but couldn't find those essential elements of a literary reproduction system. All he found at the bottom of all the attributes was a confirmation sign.

Yes, there was no exit, no redo, only confirmation.

He gently massaged the sign.

[Settings successful]

[Chosen by Gods, welcome to the Silent Lands]

[Initiating beginner's guide mission...]

[Loading...]

[Loading complete]

[As a creator, drawing inspiration is a vital step. Before you start your creation, please make contact with the broader world.]

[Please complete the beginner's guide mission to receive the newcomer's reward.]

With the dark letters crisscrossing into visibility, suddenly there appeared three side-by-side doors crafted in oil paintings within the script Lu Ban held.

"!"

These doors, as if made of bronze, were heavy, rusted, frosty, exuding an ancient aura. Half-open, it seemed that one could push them open with just a hand.

This was only on paper!

Through the gaps of those doors, Lu Ban saw colorful mists, the profound obscurity of darkness, and the chaos that twisted everything.

At this moment, Lu Ban felt the hustle and bustle of the movie studio drifting away from him. The surroundings, like a dream, grew silent, and only those three doors captured all his attention.

He watched closely as three inscriptions appeared above the doors.

[Travelers]

[When you tread the path home at night, do you ever feel lonely? Don't be afraid, I'm here with you.]

These words were inscribed on the far-left door, which was deep in color and heavy shadows oozed from its cracks, the inky darkness lapping against the door like tide.

Lu Ban turned his gaze to the middle door, which gave off a twisted, odd sensation. Just looking at it made it seem like the door's disordered and intricate decorations were writhing.

[Under-bed Friend]

[You've lived together for so many years, so greet your good neighbor, the one beneath the bed.]

That's what it read.

As for the last door, it was wrapped in grey mist, yet the half-open door spilled forth a rainbow's brilliance, paradoxically making it the most normal-looking one among them.

"No-return Alley"

[It's said there's an alley in the noisy district where you cannot turn back, dare to pass through it!]

"?"

A question mark hung over Lu Ban's head.

This system of yours is not quite right, is it?

*

New author, new book, please collect and recommend!