5: Wang Mang's Gold

After the short film "The Foundation Pillar" was uploaded, the data showed no signs of movement.

Aside from a few comments from old fans, the view count was moving as slow as a snail.

Lin Feng gripped his phone, his knuckles turning white, as he refreshed again and again, but the numbers barely changed.

Wang Dalong patted him: "What's the rush, Brother Feng? Let the bullets fly for a bit!"

Lin Feng didn't say a word; he just wanted to know if Zheng Wenzhao's story could be seen by this era.

Fermentation indeed required time.

The flashpoint occurred during this midnight hour when most people were already fast asleep.

A history-category uploader with millions of followers, "Historian Old Qian," reposted "The Foundation Pillar" at 3:30 AM.

Old Qian's fans were instantly drawn out.

Before clicking on the video, they were merely curious; eight minutes later, the comment section exploded like a nuclear bomb.

Old Qian's repost caption added fuel to the fire: "A shocking short film... I'm not teaching today, just recommending a story that deserves to be seen by everyone. Highly recommended."

The traffic-driving power of a million-follower influencer was terrifying.

The backend data for "The Foundation Pillar" began to skyrocket out of control!

One hundred thousand!

Five hundred thousand!

One million!

Wang Dalong took a look at his phone while using the bathroom in the middle of the night, froze on the toilet, and rushed out with his bare butt!

"Brother Feng! Wake up! Holy crap! It's a hit! Our video is a massive hit!"

He pulled Lin Feng out of bed like he was crazed.

Lin Feng was shaken until his head spun before being pressed down in front of the computer.

"Look! Look!"

On the screen, the view count was a number he hadn't dared to imagine even in his dreams.

Three million!

And it was still growing at a rate of tens of thousands per minute!

On the right side of the video, a fiery red "Trending" tag appeared—seventh on the overall site-wide trending list!

Comments and bullet chats were so dense they completely obscured the screen.

"Holy crap! Isn't this that exploration streamer?!"

"Stop exploring and go make movies! I'll crowdfund it!"

"The narration voice is incredible! It gave me goosebumps!"

"This quality—you're telling me an individual uploader made this? I don't believe it!"

"The six words 'Content is purely fictional' are the stroke of genius! It tells you it's fake, but that sense of historical weight makes you wish it were real!"

"Don't talk nonsense upstairs; there really was a prominent Zheng family that declined at the end of the Ming Dynasty. It's chilling when you think about it!"

Overnight, the follower count surged from a few hundred to two hundred thousand!

Lin Feng's private message inbox was paralyzed by '99+', filled with advertising collaborations, interviews, and even film companies wanting to buy the script rights.

Lin Feng looked at all this, completely stunned.

Just like that... it went viral?

The happiness came so suddenly he could hardly handle it.

He just wanted to tell a story; he hadn't expected to cause such a huge stir.

"Hahahaha!" Wang Dalong threw an arm around him, his excitement making his fat tremble, "Brother Feng! We're famous! We've made it!!"

He laughed until tears came out, pointing at the screen with a shaking voice: "Two hundred thousand followers, Brother Feng! We're not bottom-tier little uploaders anymore!"

Lin Feng snapped out of it, looking at the scrolling comments, feeling a sense of unreality.

At that moment, the top-rated comment caught his attention.

"Since Brother Feng knows history so well, can you do an episode on Wang Mang's gold? It's the greatest unsolved treasure mystery in Chinese history! Please, Brother Feng!"

This comment instantly ignited the replies.

"Holy crap! Wang Mang! The man recognized by the historical community as a 'time traveler'!"

"Historical records say Wang Mang plundered the world's wealth to cast into gold, making him as rich as a nation. After his defeat, the treasure's whereabouts became unknown. This theme is too cool!"

"Brother Feng, set it up! I want to see it!"

Looking at these fanatical requests, Lin Feng gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Wang Mang's gold? You've got to be kidding.

That was a mystery that had troubled the historical community for nearly two thousand years with pitifully few clues. It wasn't something he could just find because he wanted to.

He was just about to have Wang Dalong post an update to politely decline.

But at the very moment that thought arose—

[Ding!]

A cold, emotionless mechanical voice rang out deep in his mind!

Lin Feng's whole body stiffened, and the bit of color that had just returned to his face drained away completely.

Here it comes again!

[Detected a massive amount of audience prestige pointing towards a specific target: 'Wang Mang's Gold'.]

[System Main Quest generated!]

The next second, a blue virtual panel that only he could see unfolded before his eyes.

[Quest Name: The Lost National Treasury]

[Quest Objective: Find the specific burial location of Wang Mang's treasure.]

[Quest Reward: 50,000 Prestige points, unlock 'Intermediate Treasure Detection', System Mall opened.]

[Quest Restriction: This is a mandatory quest; the host must accept. If the quest is not initiated within thirty days, the system will automatically enter a long-term hibernation state.]

Mandatory quest?! Hibernation?!

Lin Feng was completely numb.

This system... even comes with predatory clauses and KPIs? Thanks a lot!

Before he could process it, another prompt popped up on the system interface.

[Detected host over-completed the novice quest, prestige points being settled...]

[The short film 'The Foundation Pillar' triggered S-rank social influence. Comprehensive evaluation: S-rank.]

[Reward Prestige: 10,000 points.]

[Novice Perk Added: Unlock primary skill 'Ancient Text Comprehension'.]

There are novice perks too?

What use are ten thousand prestige points?

He subconsciously looked at the photocopied edition of "Records of the Grand Historian" propping up his monitor.

The next second, those complex traditional vertical characters, which usually looked like gibberish, were automatically translated into plain language in his head.

Clear, easy to understand, and without any obstacles.

This... the system's power once again refreshed his understanding.

But following that was the mandatory quest he couldn't refuse.

"Brother Feng, what's up? Dazing out again?" Seeing no reaction for a long time, Wang Dalong waved a hand in front of his eyes, "Are you stupid with joy?"

Lin Feng slowly turned his head, looked at the excited Wang Dalong, and let out a breath.

"Fatty," his voice was dry, "we... might need to take a trip to Xi'an."

Wang Dalong was stunned: "Huh? Go to Xi'an? For what? Holy crap, a trip on the company's dime? Sounds good, Brother Feng!"

"No."

Lin Feng stood up, walked to the window, and watched the sky gradually brightening outside.

His tone was mixed with helplessness, a bitter smile, and a hint of excitement at being pushed by fate that even he hadn't noticed.

"To hunt for treasure."

He had already made up his mind.

The system only required him to "find" the location, not "take" it.

This was a national treasury, a hot potato.

As soon as he found it, he would immediately contact the cultural relics department.

Leave professional matters to the national team; he didn't want to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Wang Dalong froze for over ten seconds before processing the words "treasure hunt."

He jumped up on the spot, grabbed Lin Feng's arm, his voice cracking.

"Treasure... treasure hunt?! Brother Feng, you're not joking, right? We're really going to find Wang Mang's gold?!"

Lin Feng didn't answer, silently opening a ticket-booking app to search for flights to Xi'an.

Action was the best answer.