Laying the Foundation (3)
Status: 500
Code: 500
Error Message: Invalid access.
I stared at the floating red window in front of me, the words burning themselves into my retinas like a brand. My fingers twitched with barely contained irritation. Just when I thought I had finally carved out a moment of peace to solidify my position in this chaotic era, the damn System decided to throw another obstacle in my path.
This isn't funny anymore. The corner of my mouth curled into a bitter smile. After everything I'd gone through to reach this point, after bending the wills of those powerful women to my desires and securing my first real foothold, an error like this was the last thing I needed.
The air in the dimly lit chamber felt heavier than usual. Outside, the distant sounds of soldiers training drifted through the wooden walls—reminders that the world of the Three Kingdoms waited for no one, especially not for a man trying to rewrite history through a combination of strategy, seduction, and supernatural manipulation.
I closed my eyes and took a slow breath, forcing my racing thoughts to settle. The foundation I'd begun building wasn't going to crumble over a simple access denial. If the System wanted to play games, I'd find a way around it. I always did.
With a deliberate motion, I reopened my eyes and focused on the error message again. The glowing text flickered once, almost mockingly, before stabilizing. "Invalid access," it read in crisp translated characters. As if I didn't already know that.
Maybe it's a test, I thought. Or maybe someone's interfering with my connection to the System. The idea sent a cold ripple down my spine. In this world where beautiful warlords like Cao Cao and Sun Quan walked as women of breathtaking allure and deadly ambition, any weakness could be fatal.
I pushed myself up from the low wooden bench, the fabric of my robes whispering against my skin. The recent memories of warm flesh and whispered submission still lingered in my mind—those moments of conquest that had strengthened both my power and my resolve. But pleasure had to wait. Right now, I needed to fix this.
My hand moved instinctively toward the interface only I could see, fingers tracing invisible commands in the air. If brute force wouldn't work, then careful manipulation would. That's how I'd survived this long. That's how I'd turn this alternate history into my own personal empire.
The error window pulsed again, its red glow casting bloody shadows across the room. I narrowed my eyes at it, a spark of dark determination igniting in my chest.
"You won't stop me that easily," I muttered under my breath. The words hung in the air like a vow. Whatever was causing this glitch, whether it was a bug in the System or interference from an unseen enemy, I would overcome it. The foundation of my power was only beginning to take root, and no error message was going to tear it down.
I began to pace the room, mind already racing through potential solutions and workarounds. The women who had fallen under my control were waiting for my next command. The political landscape of this gender-swapped Three Kingdoms was ripe for the taking. And I refused to let a simple status code of 500 stand in my way.
With renewed focus, I reached out once more to the System, this time with a different approach. The game was far from over. In fact, it was only just beginning.