1 This is Elo Musk.

===Page Break=== A/N: Uh, I forgot to write this part yet again. This part was supposed to be a mandatory introduction. I'll write this part later.

---his name was Elo Musk.

He was a reincarnated person.

"Rise and shine, sweetie." A voice gently nudged his ears yet to no avail. "Come on, wake up."

After continuing to ignore the voice as he snuggled in his dreams, an electric current suddenly rushed through his body, jolting him awake. "There, did that wake you up?"

He sat up straight, stiffened by the unexpected lightning shock. Upon looking around, he realized he had fallen asleep inside the library.

"You know I'd rather not have to do this, but you had such a nice look while you were sleeping that it was practically begging for it... Hehe." The librarian teased before donning an uncharacteristic stern look on her face. "I'm not one to pry... However, I must warn you, sweetie. Knowledge is a valuable asset, but uninhibited erudition might one day lead to something you would regret."

"Sometimes, there ought to be a discovery that is best left unknown... for your own sake." She smiled wistfully, her words seemed to be derived from experience, but he decided not to prod her about it nor was he interested enough to know.

"Got it." Elo simply nodded and got up from his seat.

"Since it's this late, you should head home for today. Don't try to keep your sister worried, it's bad for the health," she added.

"Late?" Elo did a double take before it dawned on him. "---Miss Lisa, why didn't you wake me up earlier!?"

He heard the librarian let out a word in the background, but he was too preoccupied organizing the books he has borrowed to pay attention to her. As he peeked outside the window, a pitch-black expanse riddled with shimmering stars unfolded in front his eyes.

Spurned by the sense of urgency, he began to pick up the pace, stacking the books in an orderly fashion one after the other.

Just as his hand grabbed the next one, a rectangular screen suddenly appeared right in from of him, blocking his entire view.

『System installation complete.』

"Wha---"

'What the hell!?' Elo barely suppressed himself from shouting out in the open when he remembered that he was still inside the library.

'I swear the mushroom soup I had was non-toxic...' He thought before reading the lines of texts inscribed on the panel.

『The Silk Road System』

「Welcome, host.」「Congratulations for unlocking the Silk Road System!」

「This system is an assistive tool for reincarnated travelers to help them adapt and conquer their new world through the power of capitalism! It provides multiple benefits, which are primarily granted by completing tasks that are assigned to the host. New features and other related upgrades will be unlocked as the system levels up from accomplishing said tasks.」

「The system also offers other useful functions, such as Status, Inventory, and Shop.」

「Now seize this chance to become the next big CEO!」

"CEO...?" Elo snapped back into reality and turned to the librarian with a questioning look.

"Is there something you want to say, sweetie?"

"You... You don't see the screen right in front of me?" he asked.

"Oh my, did I perhaps cut your sleep too short? Then you better hurry up and catch some z's, the library is about to approach its closing hours." Lisa smiled darkly, not taking his words seriously. Evidently, her patience was running thin.

Elo panicked and quickly dropped the subject, resuming from where he left off.

Soon, the table was almost cleared of everything, including the mess he was not originally responsible of. But by the time he came to realize this, there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, he did not have the courage to stand up against the terrifying librarian...

Of course, Lisa knew but chose not bring it up. Being the lazy person that she was, it worked in her favor if someone willingly did the chores for her.

"Hah... all done..." Finally, Elo breathed in exhaustion after a while.

However, he did not have time to relax. When he looked outside the window once more, the night sky was already a shade deeper. Thinking how angry his sister would get, he wanted to rush back home as fast as he could.

"Miss Lisa, I'm going now!" he shouted as he began to move his feet.

"Thanks for the help, sweetie!"

Elo flinched on the way out. For some reason, he couldn't but feel as though he was cheated.

"Take care on the way home," Lisa bid farewell.

He waved goodbye to the librarian then bowed to the knight on duty as he made his way to the exit. As his hand turned the knob, a familiar shadow cast over him, prompting Elo to think of one person as he turned around.

It was a tall girl with pale complexion and a gradient dark purple eyes that fades into yellow. She has a short, light-blue sidecut, which was decorated by a black lacey hairband with an ornament tied to its left hand side.

She sports a white and black one-piece with a belt clinging under her bodice. Her pants extend just a little longer than her crotch, exposing her milky-white thighs whilst a long stylish boots adorned her feet.

"Oh, Eula!" Elo exclaimed with a mirthful tone. "Fancy meeting you here at this hour. Are you going out on patrol?"

"Hmm... So it's you." Eula quickly recognizes him before folding her arms, almost as if she was trying to scrutinize him.

However, Elo was unconcerned by this gesture. He knew what kind of girl she was, a fallen aristocrat hailing from a condemned family with history of tyranny and corruption. However, he also knew better than to associate her with all of that. Eula was her own person, and far as he was concerned, she was a good person.

Too good, in fact, that it was a pity.

Given her complicated relationship with the Knights of Favonius in relation to her own clan, she had to put up a "front". But past that cold exterior and demeaning facade, she was quite the tender person.

"Yeah, it's me. Haha..." Elo awkwardly replied, then cursed himself inwardly. 'Shit, that was definitely more than awkward.'

But from the looks of it, Eula didn't seem to mind. "Good. As to answer your question, no. I am off-duty today, so I am free of any such responsibility for the time being. If you're free as well, I wouldn't mind having you accompany me in this, uh, walk..."

"I think..." she trailed.

"Of course! I'd be glad to!" Elo accepted without hesitation.

This man was all too eager to please.

Eula then took a few steps forward, facing her back against Elo. Unbeknownst to him, a small arch was forming on the side of her lips.

"Shall we go then?" Eula commanded, a hint of joy oozing from her back.

"Yeah, but where to? Did you have anything on mind beforehand?"

"Of course." Eula succinctly nodded. "I've been practicing- I mean, I recently got into cooking as a hobby, and I suppose I don't mind having you as a taste test. Anyway, I already informed the owner earlier this afternoon. We can borrow the kitchen from Good Hunter."

"Sweet!" Elo cheered.

Even if she served him poison, he would be glad to consume whatever it was if it came from her hands.

"Be forewarned though, this is my first time having someone else taste my cooking, so... um... please be gentle with your critique..." Eula was almost whispering by the time she was done speaking.

Seeing the knight acting so bashful, Elo felt his face turned hot.

'Damn, how can someone be this cute,' Elo thought to himself before wandering to the piece of parchment tucked behind Eula's left cheek.

The paper was neatly folded making it difficult to make out the letters, but from what seemed like bullet points of ingredients allowed him to deduce that it was a recipe.

As to what kind of recipe it was in specific, he did not know enough about cooking to make a guess. But considering what she mentioned earlier, he got into thinking. "Is this what she was practicing?"

Noticing where his gaze was directed, Eula looked at her rear and instantly blushed. She swiped the paper out in fluster and crumpled it with her fist.

"D-did you see?" She stuttered.

As a gentleman, he chose to take the high road. "No, my eyes are blind."

"Huh?"

"Anyways, we should get going while the night is still young!"

Ignoring the erroneous remark...

Elo promptly grabbed her arm as he broke into a sprint, earning himself a cute yelp from the Spindrift Knight.

As they ran past the streets of houses, the statue of the anemo archon was smiling at the couple as they basked themselves in the moment.

Before long, the two reached Good Hunter just before the clock hit midnight, only to find the place almost barren.

Naturally, since it was already late at night, the restaurant was empty. Save for a small group besides them who were still out drinking, there was no one else left in sight. Even the main street, which were the busiest in the entire city, barely had a handful of people left teeming here and there at this hour.

But in all honesty, Elo actually did not mind the lack of company, it only meant that they get to spend more time alone with each other.

"I'm looking forward to your cooking." Elo helped himself to one of the vacant seats then beckoned for her to come over.

"Hmph!" Eula looked away with a huff, but that did not do much to hide her reddening ear. "As you should."

"So what are we having for dinner?"

"Patience. I'll serve it in a moment, wait right here." Eula then left without giving further explanation.

"Okay, I..." Elo attempted to speak.

But she was already gone.

Left alone without anything to do, he began to fiddle with a bunch of stones he found on the floor.

'I wonder what she prepared.' His thoughts began to wander as he continued to wait. 'It can't be that weird aristocratic dish, right? After all, it was somethingnshe had to practice cooking, so it can't be a familiar dish...'

'Oh, I just remembered my sister. I hope she doesn't grill me when I get back home.' Elo thought gravely.

'Scoring a dinner date is more important.' He nodded sagely. 'My sister will have to understand.'

'But it's taking Eula so long. Should I go look for her?'

Antsy, he was about to get up to look for her, but just then Eula came back with a bold smile on her face.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

However, the moment she approached their table with the plate in tow, a figure suddenly bumped into her.

"Hey, mind where you're going!" Eula chastised one of the drunken men.

Luckily, she was nimble enough to save the dish from spilling and managed to put it down safely before confronting the unknown figure.

"Ah, sorry..." The man seemed like he was going to apologize, but as soon as he realized who the person he was talking with, his attitude instantly went a 180 degree. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the oh-so-glorious Spindrift Knight. Strutting around as if she owned the place, does our little missy here thinks she can continue sitting on her family's laurels?"

"How egregious! My standing has nothing to do with this, so does my hard-earned achievements, and even if it does, this is no way for the lower class to hold an audience with us nobility."

"Hah, so you actually think we're peasants? Listen here, missy, just one word of advice. This city will never have a place for you tyrants, no matter what you do!" The man glared as he points a finger at her before facing his entire group. "Isn't that right, boys!?"

""That's right! That's right!""

Regardless whether it was spurned by the influence of alcohol or a deep-seethed hatred, their behavior was simply inexcusable. Elo found himself gritting his teeth, but held on to a sliver of restraint.

"You...! Mark my words, vengeance will be mine!" Eula yelled her signature catchphrase.

"Yeah, yeah, tell us something new." One of them only laughs at her.

"Is that all? Ooh, we're scared!" Another also jeers at her.

It was a known fact that Eula typically did not mean any harm despite initially coming off as vindictive. That was partly the reason why people did not take her seriously whenever she uttered the exact same phrase. But even then, Elo could not simply turn a blind eye as they ridiculed her. She may have the patience, but he was no saint like her.

Right as they got up to leave, Elo drew out his courage to shout out at them. "Take that back!"

"What did you say?" The main turned around in response.

"I said take that back!" Elo stood his ground, facing the man headfirst.

The air became tense as the two stared off at one another. No one said anything, but they were keenly prepared to put up a fight.

However, before the situation could escalate any further, a chill ran down their spine. As soon as they came to their senses, everyone was drawn to Eula, who was emitting an aura of cryo beneath her feet.

Seeing the power of her vision, the man was perturbed. The look in his eyes were alternating between him and her.

"Fine." In the end, the man could only click his tongue in annoyance and back down. "Let's go boys."

After everything was said and done, he was no match for a certified knight.

However, Elo was far from satisfied with the outcome. At the very least, he felt that they owed her an apology.

"Enough." Eula patted his shoulder when he decided to pursue them. "I appreciate you being angry on my behalf, but there's no need for you to get involved in my personal matters. From here on out, it would be best if we see each other less often."

Without even giving him the chance to reason, she turned her back against him and returned to the direction where they came from.

"Eula..." Elo called out to her distant back and felt helpless. It was clear that she was drawing a line between them.

"Damn it! Why is it so hard for them to understand!" he lashed out to the air as he crutched his chest. "Eula works harder than everyone else, but why are they so blind to see that..."

Elo dropped down to one of the chairs and looked up at the starry sky that night by his lonesome.

Suddenly, he remembered something. "The system from earlier..."

'With this... With this, it should be possible...' Elo thought, finally, realizing the potential he had.

'A system is one of the best things I could hope for, well, besides being reincarnated as Anos Voldigoad...'

Naturally, he knew what a system was about as a reincarnated person. It was a common plot device in a lot of novels he used to read online in his past life. Oftentimes, it drives the protagonist to become stronger by rewarding them with substantial boons for accomplishing tasks it provides. That, he understood.

On the other hand, the title of the system confused him. If he remembered right, the term "silk road" refers to a network of ancient trade routes between the Han Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire back in his previous world. In another words, the system aims to help him establish a large business.

However, that was precisely the problem. Although he had a marketing degree in his past life, his previous profession had nothing to do with sales. Marketing was a program he arbitrarily took in college just so he could have something to fill another line in his resume.

In any case, he was far from being suitable as a merchant.

"But it should also have that, right?" Elo mumbled to himself.

Even though his system has a unique take, in the novels he read before, the system also often comes with an initial bonus to help kickstart everything.

『Correct!』

「Would you like to open the Beginner Package now?」

「Yes」「No」

"So I was right..." Elo was a bit taken aback, but nodded decisively. "Yes, I'm certain."

He tapped the button without hesitation and awaited for the magic to happen.

In response, the screen blinked before transitioning into a panorama of a sky with circling clouds. Then, from the center of the ring, a comet streaked past the ether as it left a glowing trail in the sky, breaking into the ten smaller pieces before losing its momentum...

Suddenly, a flash of light burst from the screen, enveloping his field of vision as it dyed everything in a brilliant white color.

As the light gradually subsided, which vanished as soon as it appeared, the result began to pop up one by one.

______________________________________________

『3*』「Black Tassel」

『3*』「Magic Guide」

『3*』「Black Tassel」

『3*』「Black Tassel」

『3*』「Debate Club」

『3*』「Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers」

『3*』「Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers」

『4*』「Narberal Gamma」

『4*』「The Widsith」

______________________________________________

On the final roll, a burst of golden light showered the screen, followed by a mysterious template with a depiction of a man.

An image of a man with blond hair and blue eyes with unnerving glint behind them.

『Congratulations!』

「One of the fundamental characteristics of a CEO is that they are often psychopaths.」

「Johan Liebert (5*) is a genius killer and the titular "monster" of his series. He is charismatic, intelligent, and above all, a master manipulator with a keen understanding of human emotion and intention, using it as a means to exploit his victims.」

「Assimilation Rate: 0.01%」

"Johan... Liebert?" Elo muttered absentmindedly. "I see... I know what I must do now."

The light in his eyes all but vanishes.

A/N: What a simp.

Also, for some strange Webnovel magic, the fic doesn't show up on my profile so I reposted it again.