There was one question that plagued both Detective Westly Le and the current leader of Ouroboros Jian Wang. Why? Two years ago, two lives that were so desperately different collided with one another when they both lost the most important people in their lives. Good cop gone dirty. Mob boss becomes snitch. So many rumors and speculations, the truth and a lie melding into one. The evidence spoke one thing, but Westly knew deep down that there was more. That what happened that night was not as simple as black and white. If he was going to discover the real truth of the incident two years ago, he was going to have to figure out why his superior was meeting with the head of one of the most prominent mobs in the district. The first step to that why? Ouroboros’ new successor: Jian Wang.

Updates Every Friday!
*maybe sooner, depending on my time :D

Sesuatu yang terlihat dekat namun sangat jauh untuk diraih. Bagaimanakah nasib seorang Asher Kim menjalani hidupnya yang sedikit berbeda dari orang-orang disekitarnya?
Bagaimana juga Asher Kim mengatasi sesuatu dalam dirinya?




Cast :
Sehun as Sean Willis
Kai as Asher Kim a.k.a Kim Jongin
Baekhyun as Dylan Warren
Chanyeol as Keenan Harris
Luhan as Xian Liu
Ten (WayV) as Kevin Liu


-----------



With love, 
©Otaku_Xolarmy©

Copyright © 2019
KheyNocQend Present

Before sunset, the huge airboat had landed at an airport in Huanzhou Province near the foot of Helan Mountain Range.
This airport was very large. It was one of the largest airports in the east of Helan Mountain Range and an important logistics base in the theater of operations. Being 300-350 miles long and over 200 miles wide, the base was even larger than a class A city. Having a bird's-eye view from the sky, the entire airport was absolutely a small plain in the east of Helan Mountain Range. Being barren and plain, it was covered with sandstone within 600 square miles. There were only some short bushes and thorns on the ground.
After the vanguard of demons invaded Taixia Country, a professional army corps of 500,000 engineers only spent 2 months in renovating this place into a huge logistic base for aircraft based on its topography. 
Over 3 million people of 7 field corps within over 60 square miles were depending on this logistic base. 
After Zhang Tie's airboat landed there, those huge transport airships also started to land there by batches with the guidance of ground light signal, together with batches of airplanes which landed in the surrounding airports...
Before the hatch door was opened, a strong wind had arrived, causing banners and sands flying. As a result, everything was covered by the shallow sand in the blink of an eye...
After passing by the open land around the airboat, the fine sands hit the steel helmets and armors of those officers, which was aggressive and metallic like that when saber and sword slid over the surface of hone.
Being influenced by the strong wind, some nearby airships slightly deviated due to the unstable center of gravity. As a result, those ground logistics personnel soon rushed into the windy sands while an officer's hoarse voice sounded, "Hurry...No. 3 berth...start steam capstan to fasten the mooring lines of the airboat..."
In the strong wind and sands, the hatch door of the airboat was opened while Zhang Tie walked out in white.
"General!"
At the sight of Zhang Tie, all the armored marshals cupped their hands, causing clatters between pieces of metal armor. 
"Marshals, take it easy!" Zhang Tie bowed towards them too. After that, he looked around and watched the sands in the strong wind as he sighed with feeling, "This place is a wind gap of Helan Mountain Range. It's wise to select the airport here. We could put this base in use as fast as possible. However, the garrisons have to suffer from such bad weather..."
"As soldiers of Taixia Country, it's normal for us to fight to death on the battlefields. By contrast, such weather is nothing serious!" Fang Hui grinned as he watched Zhang Tie, "As long as the general brings us some good weaponry for killing demons, our soldiers would feel worth staying here..."
Besides Fang Hui and Peng Yulin whom Zhang Tie had long acquainted with in Xiangshan City, there were 5 more black iron knights in armors of corps leaders standing in front of the team. All the leaders of the surrounding 7 field corps had arrived. 
Followed by the 7 corps leaders were senior officers of each corps. In total, there were over 100 people, making it an armored team of officers. 
Fang Hui and Peng Yulin were old friends that Zhang Tie made in Xiangshan City who killed demons together with Zhang Tie. Later on, they escorted the Wuzhou Provincial Army to return from Xiangshan City together while all the dangers on the way back had been cleared by Zhang Tie.
Fang Hui then introduced the other 5 corps leaders to Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie also introduced Lu Yanyu and some officers of the agricultural administration to the 7 corps leaders. They then became familiar with each other. 
Zhang Tie came here with the first batch of Fiery Oil weapons that had been produced in the rear end. On the way here, Zhang Tie inspected the construction of airports, airplanes and training of pilots in each province and prefecture. He was very satisfied with the result. Over the past half a year, the bumper harvest of grains could cater to the production of Fiery Oil. Production of Fiery Oil airplanes and weapons, training of pilots and the construction of airports which Zhang Tie treasured most had been on track and gained pleasant achievements. 
"Old Fang, we're friends. No need to be so constrained in front of me. As you're all here, I will cut the crap. I will find a proper place to show the latest weapons and their usage to you. After that, you, corps leaders, could have people take away your own weaponry. The earlier troops are matched with such weaponry, the more confident would our soldiers be when facing demons..."
"Haha, frank guy..." Fang Hui burst out into laughter as he threw a glance at the other 6 corps leaders and asked, "What do you think?"
"Hahaha, we would benefit from the association with Old Fang and Yulin this time. In the past half a year, I've heard that Fiery Oil weapons were especially powerful. However, it's said that only a small part of frontline troops and special forces of the top 4 armies are matched with some weaponry. They all treat weaponry as treasures. Whereas, most of the troops in the theater of operations have no chance to get such equipment. Many people have not even seen them before. I've long been desiring for them!" A knight with whiskers said straightforwardly. 
As Zhang Tie's words satisfied these corps leaders' tastes very much, their attention was aroused at once. 
"Well, there's a training ground not far from here, which is used for training garrisons of the base in normal days. How about showing us the power of these Fiery Oil weaponry over there?" Another corps leader suggested while all the others nodded. Therefore, they came to a training ground near the place where Zhang Tie's airboat had landed. Although those marshals didn't have a chance to chime in just now, they all went there to take a look at the power of Fiery Oil weaponry. 
The training ground was right on a small undulating hillside which covered a few square miles. As there were some mountain slopes and ravines over there, airships couldn't land there. To fill and level up that place, it meant a great quantity of work. Therefore, they kept it as a training ground for the garrisons of the airport. Usually, it was used for training fighters in the base. Taking a broad view, Zhang Tie found a lot of training facilities on the training ground such as obstacles, trenches, water pools, marshy land and high slopes which were indeed convenient for training. 
When they arrived there, the strong wind gradually stopped. As a result, the visibility grew increasingly greater. Many Hua fighters were rolling, crawling and fighting on the training ground while the air was filled with their hoarse roars. Right on the hillside, 5,000-6,000 people with red strips of cloth on their arms were fighting another 5,000-6,000 people with blue strips of cloth on their arms at their full efforts, bared to their waists. The fierce scene looked like that they were really having a fight at the risk of their lives. While rolling and wrestling on the ground, those fighters' sweat, blood and mud combined into bizarre muddy strips and mottled regions on their skin...
Zhang Tie was moved by such a tough training as he felt the same qi of Hua fighters in Iron-Blood Camp from them. They were really training at the risk of losing their lives. Many people were severely beaten that even their faces were covered with blood; whereas, they still roared and rushed towards the opponents; instead of moving a step backward...
"Where does the garrison corps of this base come from?" Zhang Tie asked those marshals on his sides. 
"This garrison corps is rearranged from the original Wuzhou provincial army!" A corps leader said in a muffled voice, "Many relatives of these people have been killed by demons or collapsed in the areas occupied by demons. Therefore, they all want to avenge demons. They all know that their opponents are at least LV 9 fighters in demons corps. Most of the people among them are below LV 6. Although they're clear that they might not be able to kill those demon b*stards, they still strengthen their training and expect to kill one demon so as to not live in vain..."
"Not only them, those fighters of corps in the theater of operations even brothers of top four armies of Taixia Country think that they would not live in vain by killing one demon and win by killing two..." Fang Hui also sighed with emotions, "We're afraid that it'd be useless even if they sacrificed themselves. That would be really despairing..."
After watching the training on the training ground for a couple of seconds, Zhang Tie said, "Gather them, they should see what I've brought for them to fight demons..."
After Zhang Tie's words, the mort had reverberated around the training ground. After hearing the mort, all the Hua fighters stopped their training immediately as they gathered up in terms of 1,000 people matrix on both sides of the hillside beside the training ground solemnly...
Almost the moment those fighters gathered up, Zhang Tie's subordinates had already carried crates to the graining ground. At the sight of the items inside those crates, all the corps leaders' and officers' eyes lit up like bulbs...
　　


After the Catastrophe, every rule in the world was rewritten.
In the Age of Black Iron, steel, iron, steam engines and fighting force became the crux in which human beings depended on to survive.
A commoner boy by the name Zhang Tie was selected by the gods of fortune and was gifted a small tree which could constantly produce various marvelous fruits. At the same time, Zhang Tie was thrown into the flames of war, a three-hundred-year war between humans and demons on the vacant continent. Using crystals to tap into the potentials of the human body, one must cultivate to become stronger.
The thrilling legends of mysterious clans, secrets of Oriental fantasies, numerous treasures and legacies in the underground world — All in the Castle of Black Iron!
Written by Drunk Tiger, this novel is a prime example of fantasy steampunk. Let us journey through the world of limitless possibilities and inventions together!
------
**Warning: This novel contains mature content**


The plane was arriving an hour late due to the air traffic congestion at the main airport in the country's capital city of Malen. Flight delays have been the norm lately, thought Jon Aster as he looked around the crowded terminal. He had been travelling extensively in the past three years since he took on this job. He liked the mobility and the freedom it gave him, but the constant delays in the airports were starting to make it less and less enjoyable. Already, he missed Lisa and remembered her face and her tender gaze as he left her that morning. He would have stayed longer with her if not for this business trip that his manager said could last a few days.

The steady buzz of conversation and noise that accompanied human activity inside the terminal was drowned by the pleasant voice of an airline staff. With a light tone that sounded like the female host of a radio morning show, she spoke the words as if announcing something delightful rather than another hour of delay. There were groans of disappointment from waiting passengers and a woman spoke loudly to her companion that she would not fly with the perennially late airline again.

Jon had heard such protests before and could understand the dismay from the waiting passengers. He knew as well that the delayed flights were mainly due to the inadequate capacity of the existing airport and the increase of flights using the international hub. There were plans to build two new airports in the outskirts of the capital (perhaps a decade too late, he thought), but until these were finished, there was not much that the passengers nor the airlines could do. That is, except wait as patiently as possible.

Jon looked around and saw a family of three rising from where they were seated. The father was carrying a baby girl who was sleeping peacefully in his arm. His wife held on to him as she pulled their luggage from behind. After hearing the announcement, the young family was probably walking to the food court.

Jon thought again of Lisa and imagined how they could be that small family. He remembered how he hurriedly said his goodbyes because he was running late for this flight. Not that it mattered now, but he could have waited another hour, or two.

Jon took out his laptop and opened his default search engine. He  typed 'Orsica' and pressed 'search'. I might as well know where I am going, he thought. Immediately, the screen filled with amazing scenery of turquoise waters and white sand beaches as well as rocky mountainsides and a pictureque coastal village in the Mediterranean. Jon frowned as he realized that the search engine's algorithm suggested the French island of Corsica instead of his original query. 

He next typed 'Cardena', his port of destination, and from which he would be travelling by boat to the island of Orsica. He clicked on the topmost link given by the search engine and was taken to the tourism web page of the island province. Instead of the Mediterranean, he saw the tropical beaches of the Pacific with coconut trees casting shadows on white pristine sand. 

Cardena was one of the biggest provinces south of the capital and going there and visiting its many amazing islands had been one of the items on Jon's bucket list. As his clients were mostly located in the capital and the mountainous northern regions, he felt elated when he was told by his manager that he finally got an assignment to the south.

With renewed enthusiasm, Jon thought of inviting Lisa to fly over to him after a few weeks when he had already finished his work. She did say she had a cousin in Cardena and had been planning to visit.

Not finding any information on Orsica from the web, Jon clicked on the file explorer icon and opened the brief sent to him by his manager to find out more about his destination.

Orsica is an isolated island sixty-six kilometers from the mainland,  Jon read. Getting there would require travelling a few hours to a small dock and another three hours by ferry. Jon groaned as he felt his stomach sink. He gets extremely dizzy and nauseous when travelling by sea and three hours of tossing around while on a small ferry did not bode well. He remembered his last ferry ride a year ago and how he felt nauseous all throughout the trip.

An email notification popped up from below the screen telling Jon that an email had arrived from his client.


Dear Mr. Aster,

Thank you for agreeing to come to my beautiful island to meet me in person. The matter we are going to discuss is too important and confidential that I could not talk to you about it on the phone. I hope that you will be most comfortable on your trip. My staff will be meeting you when you arrive at the airport and he will take you to the dock to board my private boat. 

Your friend,
Dante


Jon closed his laptop and heaved a sigh. At least there will be someone to meet him at the airport when he arrives and… a private boat! Jon tried to recall the contents of the dossier that his boss handed him just a week ago. Jon remembered reading the client's net worth and whistling at the huge amount. His client had a vast property on the western coast of Orsica with an enormous house on top of a mountain that was accessible mainly through cable car. Of course, he can afford a private boat!

Taking off his glasses, Jon stood up and approached a large LED screen near the center of the terminal. Jon hoped to see the updated time of departure. He found his flight near the bottom, but instead of the new ETD, there were only red capital letters indicating DELAYED.

Jon decided to stretch his legs and walked to a nearby bookstand where he looked for a travel guide on Orsica. Finding nothing, he asked the store clerk if there were any brochures or maps, but the clerk merely gave him a shrug and turned away to serve another customer.

Giving up, Jon decided to buy himself a cup of cappuccino from one of the coffee shops and sat at an empty table. He brushed off with his hand the crumbs left by the previous customer. Jon then rested his elbow on the table's polished wooden surface. If Orsica really were a beautiful island, I wonder why it's not too well known, Jon thought. 

After taking one sip of the hot beverage, Jon then took out his phone to look at the weather at his destination. He frowned as his phone returned a 'no connection' message. He looked at the wifi strength indicator at the top of his phone's screen - all bars were shaded, indicating very strong signal. Pocketing his phone, he wondered if the airport's wifi network was as congested as the air traffic. 

Jon recalled the short email he got from his client and thought it curious how the client closed his message - 'your friend'. Jon knew that they had not met before. He had no idea what his client looked like, much less remember talking to him.

"Dante… Dante…" Jon murmured as he recalled the 14th century Italian writer and his Divine Comedy. There were three parts to the epic poem, but for some reason, Jon only thought of the first one – Inferno. The images of hell flooded his mind – tormented souls that reside in the nine circles of hell. For a moment, he thought he could hear cries of anguish and pain as well as see writhing bodies amidst the red flames and scorching heat. 

Suddenly, he felt as if his hands were burning and he was back in the airport holding his hot cup of coffee. He sighed and drank the rest of his cappuccino. He tried to clear his mind of hellish images and decided to think again of Lisa and how it would be like living with her when they get married. Jon had not asked her yet, but the thought had already crossed his mind hundreds of times in the past few weeks. 

Jon remembered Lisa holding his hand as he kissed her cheek that morning before he left. Lisa did not show it, but he was sure that she missed him during these long business travels as much as he missed her. He wondered what she was doing that very moment and how she thought about where their relationship was going. Nowhere, she would probably tell herself, as Jon's work always came first. 

Jon took his empty cup and threw it into the recycle bin. Perhaps this should be his last assignment before he transfers to a new job, Jon thought. What if he just leaves the terminal now and go back to Lisa? Forget the flight… forget his work… forget his client… forget Dante…

Jon would think of this moment a few days later and regret deeply that he decided to board that plane and made the choice that led him to the path of disaster and ruin.

Stories tell of the vampire that was vanquished a century ago, but unknown to everyone, he survived to exact vengeance on the society that wanted him destroyed. Severely weakened, he sailed across the oceans until he reached a paradise island where he stayed to regain his strength until it was time to return to an unsuspecting modern world.

Jae worked fast to bring the ball to the enemy's court but two players blocked his way before he could cross the midline. He tossed the ball overhead. The players' fingers brushed against the ball but Logan's hands caught it.

Logan spun around and threw the ball towards the basket.

It flew all the way to the other side and hit the backboard. It hit the ring and finally went in the basket.

The clocked stopped running and the horn rang throughout the gym. 

The signal that the game had ended.

Woodland's chipmunks won two consecutive games and qualified for the championship.
Their supporters stood up and screamed at the top of their lungs.

Teammates jumped in triumph.

The mascot rose up and down the sign board in its hands, bouncing on its heels.

The cheerleaders sprang to life and chanted their victory.

Logan patted Max in the back when he came up to him for a hug. All the while, Logan's eyes scanned the bleachers. He had done it a number of times throughout the two games but his face remained unhappy.

When Jae clapped his shoulder, he shrugged it off with a side smile.

Unable to bring himself to the spirit, he jogged towards the cooler to get some water but it turned out to be empty so he glanced over at Jae to tell him that he was going to look for some water.

==

The one locker Logan had to own... it had to have a code.

Alex had been ready to pick the lock. One of her dad's friends was locksmith who taught her how to lock pick, much to her father's dismay. It had been a thrilling skill she developed. 

But luck just wasn't on her side, was it? She groaned in her mind. What could possibly be Logan's combination? She didn't even have a good guess—not even his birthdate!

She shook the lock in frustration. It rattled against the metal. 

The, the door to the locker room creaked open. 

Alex froze. 

She could hear someone grumbled under their breath as they walked. She looked at her surroundings and found no place to hide. Damn, what should she do? She wasn't supposed to be here! Not to mention, who'd want to stay in a stinky locker room?

The wall near the corner had a whiteboard and a cork board on it. The whiteboard contained the team's strategy/discussion while the corkboard contained several photos from throughout the years. It also had motivational quotes, some bought and some handmade, and had random things pinned out with labels like "A piece of the winning ball from 2000s championship game." 

Alex stood before this wall with her arms crossed and stared at its contents as if completely invested in their worth, deciding not to hide at all.

She had a backup plan anyway.

"I can't believe—" Logan began to say once he passed the corner when he noticed someone else was in the locker room. His hands stayed on the towel he head wrapped around his neck.

"So..." Alex glanced at his direction, pointing at the cork board, "Is this where your infamous lucky socks will be after you graduate?"

Logan's wide eyes focused on her. She wore their gym uniform and a pair of white sneakers.  Her stance and demeanor seemed as if it wasn't weird for her to be in the locker room. Logan opened his mouth several times to speak but words just couldn't find their way out of his throat.

"Ho-how—?"

Alex smiled teasingly, "Unless you plan to have my phone up on this corkboard, can I please have it back?"

She outstretched a hand towards his direction but Logan didn't move from his spot. The sight of her caused his heart to race and his brain to disconnect from his body. Against the grimmy locker room, she glowed like a night light. 

At least in Logan's eyes.

Alex snapped her fingers, "Earth to Logan?"

"Xa-Xandra! Hey!" He finally said, clearing his throat. Slowly the signal from his brain to the rest of his nerves reconnected. 

"Yes, that's my name." Alex licked her lips and tucked a loose strand of blonde wig hair behind her ear, "I came as you asked so can I have my phone now?"

"What are you doing in the lockers? The gym is way over there." Logan pointed behind him. Connection to arms and hands was a success.

Alex bowed her head and shuffled her feet a little. Peeking through her lashes, she confessed softly, "I kind of got lost from going to the bathroom. The door here looked like the one near the gym so I opened it. I realized I entered the wrong door but these kind of caught my attention."

She tilted her head towards the corkboard which Logan seemed to notice only now.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, "Oh, I see. Well... uh... yeah that's our motivational wall."

Logan walked over to one of the benches. His legs and feet seemed to work now. He sat and wiped the sweat off the side of his face. Then, he smelled the towel, instantly regretting it. Where was a cologne when he needed one? Or even just a deodorant. 

"I figured." Alex chuckled and tapped a finger on a particular picture, " You had Justin Bieber hair, huh?'

Did he have any body spray in his bag? Logan wondered in his mind, barely registering what she said, "Yeah, I—wait, what? Don't tell anyone about that!"

Alex smirked, "Why not? I'm sure everyone had that phase."

Logan groaned, ruffling his hair a bit, "Maybe but your brother won't let me hear the end of it."

Alex blinked in surprise and realized he must have meant her comment about his vomit session at the carousel. She pressed her lips together, thinking if she actually crossed a line with one. She happened to be at that amusement park with Emily. Emily came to stay at Aunt Lilly's place who forced them to go out and have fun. She didn't even knew the guy was Logan until she saw him in school and recognized him from that park. 

"How is Alex?" She asked him, watching his expression.

Logan stared at the floor with a scrunch on his eyebrows, "Well, he does his best to not make any friends I give you that. We didn't necessarily get along in the beginning but eventually... yeah, we still don't get along that well."

He reached for a bottle of water from the reserved cooler next to the bench. He twisted off the cap and drank almost all of it in one gulp. It had been an unexpected week. 

"Giving up?"

Alex Carter lives with her aunt and he has been attending Woodlands Academy for three years now.

Wait. 'Her'? 'He'? What? Is this a grammar mistake? 

Well... to tell you the truth,

Alex Carter is not just the only heiress to one of the biggest companies in the world but also she's pretending to be a guy at school much to her parents' dismay. 

Fortunately, this normal and somewhat boring new life leaves her off the hook from the school's notorious playboys, unecessary dramas and juicy scandals. It was going pretty smoothly.

That is...

Until on a Monday late afternoon when Logan Parker stops by Alex's house just in time for him to catch her with extensions in her hair, make-up on her face, heels on her feet and boobs in her dress. 

So...

Now, she has to make a difficult decision. She could tell him that she had a twin sister or she could tell him truth and shatter what little peace she once had.


One thing is for sure, things were about to change. Despite all of Alex' precautions, someone slipped inside her walls and became part of her world. Will she be able to keep her true identity a secret? Or is her borrowed time over? 

Join in and discover the biggest secret in this fiction world.

==============

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All Rights for the final cover belong to WN users, CailinMatthews and CookieJiyen, for the exclusive use of the novel "Trust in Love." 

> Credit for the cover's character art goes to IG user, jjiyenn. 
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If you have a very kind soul and want to boost my Cai-ffeine spirit, you can go here:
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Navarre duchy's capital, Avignon, got flipped over due to the monster wave. 

The monsters frequently flocked to the border fortresses and threatened the soldiers' stationed there, but it was the first time in Navarre's history that tens of thousands of monsters attacked them in unison.

In the capital, was a fierce debate among the nobility over who would be taking responsibility over the current situation. 

"What the hell is the military doing not being able to know the massive monsters attacking us?"

The army general, who was standing on the other side of the nobles' conference table, answered the nobles who asked him, "We weren't able to know? And wasn't it the very nobles seated here who ignored our request for assistance at the border fortresses every time we asked?"

"No, when did we…"

"Count Cork did! It was why our Baron Caseron had died. Wasn't it you all, you constantly refused to grant the request of the Commander of the border fortress?"

The nobles were very embarrassed by the general's rebuke and condemnation, which made them make random excuses. 

"Uhm, Count Cork is a royal and not a noble."

"That was all ten years ago. Wasn't it because of your men that he changed into a noble ten years ago?" The general asked.

"What? My men? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why? Do you feel like drawing your sword?" Instigated the general. 

"Hung, once I pull it out, I would do a lot of things. Just the number of monsters that I've…"

"All of you shut up!!" King Henry III, who was seated at the table, seeing the nobles blame each other back and forth, could no longer endure it and shouted.

"What is the situation, and you're crying over who should take the responsibility? Shouldn't we be talking about what measures we need to be taking right away?" King Henry asked.

Dozens of fortresses that were guarding the west border were all captured by the monsters. 

Not just that. 

The region of Cork and the other western territories were devastated, and with the endless march of the monster legion, they were now just four days away from Avignon.

If things went like the way they were, Avignon was bound to fall. 

However, the crazy high-headed nobles had no countermeasures, nor could they come up with one. 

The only thing they knew was the reinforcements would arrive from the empire, and the monster wave would slowly subside. 

As the nobles kept on dotting one after the other, Henry III sighed. 

"So, none of you has a solution," Henry said out loud.

"We are looking for one, your majesty."

"Aing, I don't feel like seeing anyone of you. Get out!"

As Henry III pushed away his noblemen, he went out of the palace to cool his head and think of something. 

It was then that he found someone which made his eyes shine. 

A girl with a red braided hair. 

Looking as cute as a doll, she was slender yet had curves which wasn't common in the region. 

She didn't know that the king was near her. She kept intently looking at something that was on the ground. 

"Uhm, what are you doing here?"

"Appa, mama is here."

As the king approached and talked to her, the girl looked back at the man and bowed. 

"Oh my, what are you looking at so intently, princess?"

The girl was princess Margareta, the daughter of Henry III.

By looking at her eyes, she looked like a girl in her late teens, but she was almost 30 years old. 

It wasn't like she was old, she had already been married twice, but her husband died early and had no children. 

And due to that, there were numerous words that went around the palace. 

But she was young, broken and clever, she would always give the proper advice wherever the king was struggling.

"I was watching the ants fight."

"Ants?"

The king, not understanding, looked at the ground where Margareta pointed to. 

In that spot, black and red ants were fighting one another. 

The red ants seemed huge and they seemed to have the advantage, but surprisingly, the black ants were the ones winning.

As the King watched it, Margareta explained, "The reason why the black ants are winning is because they have a queen ant which the red ants don't have. They are moving in unison and command of the queen ant and pushing the red ants away."

Margareta stopped for a moment and killed the queen of the black ants. 

"But once the queen disappears, they have no choice but to fight for themselves."

When the commanding entity disappeared, the swarm of black ants eventually ran away from the battle. 

Margareta turned to her father, who had a dark expression and asked, "Things don't seem to be working well?"

"Phew, I had meetings with the nobles the entire day, and they are all trying to get on my good side."

At the words of Henry III, Margareta talked with a very narrow smile. 

"I have one measure, would you like to listen to it?"

"Oh my, I would."

At the end of the king's words, the thing which happened not once or twice, Margareta began to explain the plan, "Turn away the reinforcements from the empire."

"And then?"

"I heard that there are a lot of reinforcements from the empire, but they don't really have a lot of power. They won't be able to stop the monster legion. So, the girl thinks that we should attract the Volga."

"That, that can't happen!"

At the words of Margareta, Henry III jumped out. The involvement of Volga meant betrayal to the Baroque empire. 

Moreover, these people didn't acknowledge monarchy. 

Just to avoid a crisis, he couldn't ruin the future. 

At the words of Henry, Margareta responded with a firm and cold look. 

"Right now, the state of our country is at stake. We are in a situation with the Baroque Empire, we are the slave country, and it doesn't support us properly. Once we live, can't we plan for the future?"

"Kuhm."

"And the empire seems like it is strong, but the sun will soon have to set. You have seen it in their war with the Volga Republic which happened a few months back."

Henry III, he heard about the war with the Volga Republic and the Baroque Empire.

The empire stated that they deployed the troops right after they got the information and took over the Volga, but the truth was it was the Volga who won. 

They invaded the lands of the North, defeated the imperial army and destroyed numerous regions on their way. 

Some of the empire's troops eventually managed to win and invaded the Republic from another way, but the damage the empire took was far worse. 

In addition, with that war, the disruption between the emperor and the noblemen worsened. 

'Just as Margareta said, the empire could be losing. But in reality, the sun is still in the sky.'

The king couldn't make an immediate judgment. 

After contemplating for a while, he said, "Fine. I will do what you want. But the Baroque reinforcements commander, will he stand still watching us join hands with the Volga Republic?"

"A deceptive trick. It will be good to hide it with beauty."

"You mean yourself?"

At the question of the king, Margareta nodded with a grin. 

"Trust me as I have good helpers."

Navarre princess, Margareta. 

She was the successor of the magic tower, unknown to the continent. 

The magic tower consisting of only female wizards who inherited magic and not the magic used in the continent. 

The magic was something she learned since childhood, and it now fully bloomed. Margareta was confident in trying to imprison the Imperial reinforcements commander. 

'It doesn't matter if it's the Baroque or the Volga, they are all going to be my stepping stones. Once the Orc Hero is finished, then next would be… huhu.'

An ambitious smile crept to her lips.

Shaymon, the man who has achieved the apex of dark magic, is framed as being a Demon King and is killed.

'I will not let it end like this!'

He finally achieves new life but reality was cruel. Being born after 500 years, he was born as the descendent of his rival, the Sword Emperor!

Defi gently washed Lar and placed it in the basket full of zaziphos with the rest of its brethren. He patted the blue-colored slime. "A bit more than usual today, good work."

He poured the slime extract from the bucket into the collection barrel. Sarel had given him four quartel-size barrels per slime this month at Defi's request. He wanted to know how much he could push production without impacting the health of the slimes, when imbuing a bit of the Current into the zaziphos fruits. The fruit did not hold energy well, and he did not want to push the Current directly into a living being.

Healing with the Current was an advanced technique, one taught only after passing the Trials. He did not know it, so he could only increase the vital energy of the fruits a little.

So far, there were seemingly no bad effects to the slimes. But Defi took meticulous notes.

Outside, the sun fully breached the horizon and the rosy clouds of dawn melted away. The farmers and fishermen were probably already hard at work, and in town, the shops were starting to open their doors while the taverns closed theirs.

Defi needed to buy food for today, didn't he?

He went to wash up. He'd bought some Ascharon clothing recently. The northern-style breeches were just too tight for him. They chafed on his skin. He was thankful that there was a southern style that was looser, baggier, closer to the pantaloons that he was used to. Would it kill them to extend the hems all the way to the ankles thought? It was a good thing emblems could be embroidered or death by freezing wind would be more common.

He liked the tight coats however, how they cradled the upper body securely. The materials were all thick and double-lined, which he was grateful for.

He put on his boots, which he was assured were cork-soled, which apparently made the boots more comfortable. Certainly the soles were flexible, even if he didn't know what 'cork' was. Whatever it was, the boots protected his feet from water and cold. He did not miss his sandals in this chill.

"Turq, we're going out." He scooped Turq up, grabbed the travelsack, and jogged out the door.

He made it to the town in fifteen minutes, a third the usual time, after poling enthusiastically down the river and edging daringly near the faster currents. His confidence in navigating the river had only grown in the last months.

"Oi, Defi," called out one of the dockworkers as he tied his scow off in the area for personal boats. "Not enough workers today, so if you're delivering later, you have to port it yourself."

This had happened several times already, so he wasn't surprised. He was only one scow, so most of the workers were set on the fishing boats that needed quick unloading and transport. "Can I get a pullcart set aside, though?"

The man snorted. "Boss likes you. Sure."

"Thank you, Jerac!" He waved as he jogged off. 

Because of Natan, the dockworker boss, his docking fees had been waived since the smuggler attack. The man came by once in a while to see Turq. He'd even offered to teach Defi the sword once. He didn't know what his face looked like at that, because then the man had gently thumped his shoulder instead of offering to teach him again.

The docks were busy, as always. He weaved between pullcarts and basins full of wares, to the central square and the shop street. The morning rush at the nearest bakery to the docks had abated, somewhat. He still needed to get in line however.

The kilogar-sized steamed bread loaves were twelve ronds each, slightly cheaper than the baked loaves. An Ontrean warrior would eat half a loaf in a sitting, with meats and side dishes. Eight loaves would be enough for Karles and the workers, probably.

"Eight?" Dyene lifted a brow as she slid his loaves into individual bags. 

Typical of Ascharon, even the paper sacks were painted with emblems. Waterproof, cleanliness, freshness, and warmth, in the case of the bakery. He had only looked through the book called 𝐺𝑙𝑦𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑠 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑘 that he bought from Orain but the prevalence of emblems in town meant he was easily coming to recognize the most common ones.

He started carefully packing the bread into the travelsack. "I have people coming over later."

"You're making friends? That's great, Defi," she grinned, then her tone turned teasing. "They are your age, aren't they?"

He gave her a dry look. It was not his fault that all the people he knew in town, with the exception of Erlaen, were so much older than him or so much younger. "Do you know where I could get good smoked fish?"

The food in the house had all been gifted to him.

"Bad luck," said the customer behind him. "The best is sold by the Widow Bendis. It goes fast, but you just missed her." He pointed toward a corner of the square. A middle-aged woman was packing her stool and baskets.

"I'll be sure to be earlier next time."

"She comes by once a week, no regular day. She's more likely to be here on the day of Seers, however." Dyene told him. "As for the next best…the shop near the eels?"

"That one's gone bad," one of the women in the line snorted, indignant. "The daughter took over. Go to the one with the red circle flag, just across the tea seller."

"What are you saying, your tongue's been pickled too much," retorted another. "That one tastes like ash and it's hard as wood. Young man, go to the seller that usually sets up in front of the wall with the diamond pattern."

The line devolved into arguments.

"There's a lot of shops for smoked fish, isn't there…" Defi turned to the baker, who smiled wryly as she pushed the last loaf at him.

She discreetly pointed to a blue-painted building, leaned closer. "Just go to the shop between that and the woodshop. There's a good selection, and they choose their suppliers well."

He smiled in thanks, shouldered the travel sack, and slipped away to get a good distance first. "Thanks for the advice," he hollered back at the line and then ran.  

He heard Dyene and the customer that was next in the line snicker as several of them called out: "Wait, which one are you going to?"

He slid out of sight behind another line of people. It was slightly more chaotic than the arguments at the bakery. But at least he had nothing to do with it.

 "Fresh savras, fresh and selling now. Savras! Cure for wounds, and coughs, and ills, cure for nearly everything! Fresh savras! Fresh and cheap savras! Twelve bronze klaud for a kilogar, fresh and cheap! Three klaud for a quarter-kilogar! Fresh savras for sale! Get it now! Fresh stock only twice a month, twice a month!" 

He stepped closer to the front, curious. 

There were several large barrels propped up against a wagon. Out of them, two women and a man were selling packets of green leaves, while a second man kept up the sales talk. Were they mystic herbs?

"Is it really cheap?" The green leaves only looked average. He'd found out that in the Current, there was a faint difference between mystic ingredients and ordinary ingredients.

"Savras usually sells for fifteen klaud a kilogar," said one of the people in line. "It's the cheapest healing herb in the world. Looks like the usual caravan has a surplus this time."

"The problem is," added his friend, who grinned at Defi, "the efficacy starts to wane once it's picked. In a week, they'll be nothing but common grass."

"Cheap medicine?" Defi said doubtfully. There was such a thing? He knew that most medicines in Ascharon were ingested as delicious food, but they were all mystic ingredients and they were worth their weight in silver coin.

He briefly immersed in the Current and reached his senses to the green leaves. It was only slightly higher in vitality than the silver-blue carp that Marmocha and Sarel cooked. And the carp was not a mystic animal.

Possibly the standard for mystic plants was different from the standard for mystic animals?

A woman laughed. "You must be thinking of the more effective healing ingredients. This one… minor wounds, rashes, minor coughs and illnesses, headaches and such, just things like that. It may be weak, but illnesses can grow slowly, you know. Best always deal with small problems before they grow bigger."

"The best part? It's so weak compared to other mystic ingredients that the rich don't hoard it, don't mind the commoners monopolizing it. It's a weed that grows everywhere near a blessed land. They don't even cultivate it, it just grows." There was a hint of envy in the words.

Defi could understand the envy. He too, would like to gain profit without working. It was currently impossible, so he had other concerns than a blessed land. "How do they transport it when it loses potency in one week?"

"Don't you know anything?" snorted a teenager.

"Shut up, Harke, not everyone is a merchant." A girl nearby shot at the speaker. She looked at him. "It's the one-year casks they're using. Preserves the contents for an average of one year's time, depending on what's stored. Savras grass, it won't reach more than six months probably."

Defi's brows lifted. "Do they sell these casks in town?"

They sounded massively useful.

A couple of people laughed, the others smiling. "Give up, boy. Even a quartel-size one-year cask costs at least a thousand klaud."

"The woodworks would have them."

"What's the use of telling him? He didn't even know what they were."

"Hm." Defi ambled away, lifting a hand in farewell.

Cheap medicine. It was just the kind of thing he'd been looking for. If he fed a slime with savras until the grass saturated its body or it split, would the slime extract produced be some kind of medicine?

He wanted to try it.

He could not let himself be known as his sister did. That meant his only way to close the gap between their power right now was to gather resources in relative obscurity, and find allies he could rely on. 

The savras was what he was hoping for with the hybrid herbs he was planning on planting. Something that a slime could produce that would be in demand but needed little cost to produce. 

As for Defi's production, he just needed the right kind of slime food.

He smiled.

He was definitely buying all the savras he could get.

Desislaf Rimet finds that his father plotted to make him fail the Sacred Trials.

He decides: if this world will not accept him, then he will leave the world! 

In another world full of wonders, moving forward determinedly, he becomes a farmer of slimes.




***
Desislaf Rimet is the eleventh son of the Lord of Rimet, the sixteenth child. He has failed the Trials that would make his family proud and cement his station as a noble worthy of his family's name. 

He discovers that his father plotted to deliberately make him fail and it is the end of all he knows.

He cannot be happy in his father's court, and leaves.

After all, there's a World Gate conveniently in his father's territory, isn't there? He will leave to see the wonders that await him in another world!

Only...the world beyond is more complicated than he imagined.

Also, what is this slime? An animal, a vegetable, or some mystery being?

*****
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After breakfast, Justine volunteered to clear the table and washed the dishes while Auntie Aida helped me take a bath. She boiled a big pot of water with guava leaves and told me to rinse with the infusion. Auntie Anita used to do that with me when I was little. I smiled at the recollection. 

I felt refreshed but sleepy after my bath. I was ready to take a nap when I remembered that Justine was in the house. I regretted that I had not chosen a cuter set of pajamas. I was wearing a white tank top and a worn out PE uniform pants. I felt so ordinary in my OOTD.  I couldn't  change my outfit anymore because he was already in my room when I entered. Auntie Aida made a quick clean-up of my room. She reminded Justine and I of my father's no-closed-door policy as she exited my bedroom. She also added that she'd be just downstairs. 

Justine took my hand and looked at me from head to toe. "Nice pj's," he said teasing. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Do that again and I'll kiss you." Justine threatened. I did it again but pointed downstairs to remind him of Auntie Aida's presence. He took a deep breath and wagged his index finger at me. I giggled softly.

"Your room is nice," Justine said, admiring my room. 

I liked my room too. It was not as big as the bedrooms in the White House but was roomy enough.It was painted in ivory white.  It had two wide windows. A big white table was tucked against the window facing west. I put my desktop computer and printer there because I like to work while I admire the view from my window. On the walls between the two windows was a framed cork board. Photos of various landscapes and people and post-it notes peppered the board. My twin bed was made of wood painted white too.White linens covered the bed mattress and the different sizes of pillows. Fairy lights hang casually above the headboard. I clipped photos of my parents on the fairy lights. They were like my guardian angels watching over me while I sleep. 

"Hey, I know who owns these." He said, noticing the two polo shirts that were hang on my wall. 

"Tell the owner I am not giving them back." I said and went to the shirts to hug them.

"Keep them, they're yours." Justine said, feigning nonchalance. I mouthed the words 'thank you'.

He continued his room inspection. He browsed the photos on the cork board. He pointed at random people asking who they were. I had many photos with Karlo. His arms were always wrapped around me just like Alexis.

Something occurred to me: "How come you're not jealous of Karlo?" 

"I asked him if he liked you but he said you're just like a little sister to him. That you're just the best of friends. I believed him. I made it clear to him though that I like you." 

I was flabbergasted by his answer. I was a bit angry that he confronted Karlo but at the same time, I was thrilled that he was staking his claim on me. No one has done that before. 

"When did you talk to Karlo?" I asked curious.

"When we went to the river." He answered. It was only his second day on the farm and he already made clear to my best friend of his intentions. 'Whoa'

"Meeting you in the forest was not a coincidence, right?" I probed further.

"You mean our Secret Garden?" he reminded me. "No. I followed you when I saw you heeding out to the forest. I kind of have an inkling where you will go because Karlo have already told me about your hide out. But my confession was spontaneous, Nina. I can't believe you gave me a golden opportunity. And the rest they say is history." He took my hand and made a curtsy. I smiled at his explanation. 

"Can you give Alexis some slack too? He's just like a little brother to me," I appealed. 

He looked at me tenderly. "Do you have a hair dryer?" he asked, avoiding my question.

"Don't change the subject please." I pleaded.

"I'll answer after I dry your hair." He said. 

I pointed to the bathroom. Justine found the hair dryer and proceeded to dry my hair. I feel sleepy every time somebody does my hair be it in the hair salon or at home. Justine took his time blow-drying my hair. He finger-combed my hair gently untangling unruly ones. He was careful not to put the  blow dryer near my face. My eyelids are heavy with sleep but I fought the drowsiness. I wanted to hear his answer on my appeal. 

After he was done with my hair. He helped me to my bed. He propped up the pillows so I can sit comfortably. He also sat down on the bed, facing me. 

"Nina, let's tell everyone that we're a couple now. That's the only way I can make my brother behave. Alex is used to having his way. When he was young, he was sickly.  Our parents thought that he inherited our grandmother's weak heart. Although doctors declared that he does not  have a weak heart, everyone in our family spoiled him already, including me. I always give way to his whims no matter how silly they were. When he showed you his fondness, I thought of dismissing my own growing fondness for you too. But I can't do it. My feelings for you grew every day. And I find myself resenting Alex's fixation with you. It tortured me that you seem to want it too." Justine explained. 

"I won't deny that I enjoyed Alexis' attention. But there's nothing more to it. He's just a little brother to me even though we're the same age. Also, I treat all my friends the same way. Look at those pictures on the wall, that's how I've always been." I explained back.

"I'm learning about that. But can I please make an appeal? I get jealous Nina. I can't help it. Sometimes, I'm frightened by my own emotions. Please be a little bit considerate. I'm not asking you to stop being friends with anyone or to stop being fond of Alex, just don't get too physically close. PLEASE?" He pleaded. 

He was so tortured, I touched his face to comfort him. He put his hand over my hand. We looked at each other intently. He looked at my lips. I absentmindedly caressed them. He smiled. I felt a great sense of comfort, I fell asleep!

“What about you? Do you like someone?” he mimicked my question.

“Hey, I asked first!” I protested. 

“You first,” he said.

No, you go first!” I countered. 

“Ladies first,” he continued. 

I pinched his arm and gave him a sharp look. He held up his hand  and moved to face me. We laughed. 

“You,” he said. 

“No, you go first!’ I said almost shouting. 

“You,” he repeated. “Nina, I like you.”

Sparks flew when a 17-year-old New Yorker Justine met a 15-year-old farm girl Nina on a hot summer day. What followed was a summer of delicious firsts: first love, first kiss, first sip of alcohol, and the inevitable first heartbreak. 

A summer filled with all the beautiful moments we’ve dreamed of—watching sunsets, dancing in the rain, counting stars, and playing games all night. It was a summer of forging friendships and building bonds that were unbreakable. Then something happened and it was not summer anymore. And we grew up.

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