Dante is born with an innate talent. The ability to control Ka. For most of his life, all the way until he is sixteen he uses this ability to wreak havoc. All this changes when he is brought forth before the High order and given a status however. All of a sudden he finds himself with a companion, responsibility and people who care about him. All of a sudden his lifestyle is thrown into dissaray and he has to question what he lives for. All of a sudden having a small city know his name is not enough. He still wants to wreak havoc. But on a Dimensional scale. Will he manage?

Even before he had secured the Deity Position, Gu Ding had thought about what to do with it.
He thought of Uncle Roland immediately, but he shot the idea down instantly. For Roland, the 5-star monster would not engulf someone else's Deity Position to be promoted to deity level. He would rather run out of his demigod longevity than throw away his pride by doing so. Gu Ding and he were the same in that respect, so he knew that was definitely not an option.
Then Gu Ding thought about selling it because the rest of his crew did not have much use for it either. First, it was still too early for them to be promoted to deity level. Second, being a deity was not the end in terms of cultivation. Once one took another's Deity Position, one would lose the possibility of further advancement for the rest of their lives. Though the Deity Position was useless to him, it was invaluable to those who basically had little hope of reaching deity level through other means.
When the auction was scheduled in the presence of the three demigods, all three demigods, including the Childe family's demigod, quickly disappeared from the port.
From Gu Ding's fight with Marceau to his conversation with the three demigods, all of it was recorded by many and published on Skynet.
All of a sudden, the topic of Deity Position went viral on Skynet.
A Deity Position was a rare auction item. Coupled with video evidence, everyone knew that this Deity Position auction was not a stunt, but a real one.
As the holder of the Deity Position, Gu Ding's name once again circulated Skynet.
"The boy was so lucky to get a Deity Position. It shouldn't be difficult to get a good price for it." On a planet, Roland was enjoying a roast while watching a video projection of the day's top trending topic. Gu Ding's video obviously topped the list. "Good combat skills, but his base combat effectiveness is a bit poor."
Alongside Roland, Elizabeth, who was the Lord, was also watching the video. She was very free during this period. She had other people to help handle everything except for consolidating her cultivation. When she became a deity, she was actually abdicating her place as Lord. Much of her duties were handed over to the Federal Government staff, so she was relieved. As she watched Gu Ding stop fighting with brute force and fight elegantly, she smirked. "He got stronger again."
Gu Ding naturally had no idea about the amount of attention he was receiving. He and the rest of the crew had been wandering around after breakfast.
Although none of Gu Ding's crew liked the Childes much, after a brief visit to the port and a few stops around it, they had to admit that the planet was well-run–Whether its the standard of living, technology, or its people's level of education, everything seemed to be perfect.
Along the pedestrian streets they strolled on, there were various markets on either side. Unlike the incessantly noisy markets on most other planets, the markets here were orderly and spotless.
"It looks like the Childe family really took care of the planet." Gu Ding had been to many other planets, but only Camilia's Jiewang was like Red Shield. Red Shield, however, was more orderly than Jiewang. Of course, Jiewang was in Border River, and many Interstellar Pirates pass through it all year round, so it was normal for it to be less orderly.
Correspondingly, the planet also had a disadvantage which was high prices. The average price of the same fruit on other planets was about half a Universe Credit per kilogram, but here it was at least three Universe Credits a kilogram. Nothing else was cheap either. Neptune briefly estimated that the price of goods here was about five times the average price of goods in Faye Cosmic Nation, but the average income of residents here was also about five times the average income in Faye Cosmic Nation.
For the next two days, everyone was basically on vacation mode. They visited the planet's many tourist attractions and some of its specialty snack bars.
In the eyes of many, Gu Ding's crew was here for leisure. Even the stalkers of several different forces did not feel the need to continue stalking them.
Early this morning, in the Childe family, Repentance Tower's gates finally opened.
The glare of the sun compelled Ross to open his eyes. A tall, middle-aged man stood at the tower's entrance. He stepped in, and the door closed itself behind him.
"Tell me, what are you thinking?" The man asked in a hushed voice as he approached Ross.
"Didn't Lucia tell you?" Ross still did not get up. He looked up at the man, his eyes unmoved.
"You want to run away from the Childe family, why?" James wondered why his son was so obstinate.
"There is a saying in the Modern Age that people who walk different paths cannot make plans together." Ross smirked. "There are a lot of things the Childes do that I despise. In particular, the slogan 'family first' detests me the most."
"How dare you say that?!" James felt the urge to slap the ungrateful boy. "The Childes is the legacy of our forefathers. Had it not been for the creed of 'family first', the Childes would have been destroyed countless times by now. Do you think you would be as smart without our family's fostering? If it hadn't been for the family wealth and fame that hired you the best teachers and gave you access to the best textbooks, you think you could have gotten to where you are today?"
"That's why I said, people who walk different paths cannot make plans together. All of you have completely different philosophies and ideas than I do. The first thing I'll do after my rites of passage is to leave this planet. I will make an announcement that I am leaving the Childe family." Ross had made up his mind. "I'm going to build a business empire bigger than the Childes on my own. You'll see who has the right idea."
James was silent for a moment after hearing this. "You didn't bring Gu Ding's crew here just to escape the planet in the middle of chaos, did you?"
"There's no harm in telling you. There's nothing you can do to stop what's going to happen tonight anyway." Ross slowly stood up and patted the dust on his pants. "There are two people in Gu Ding's crew that are my targets. There's Gu Ding, and there's the little girl who goes by the name Lilliath."
"The two of them have something to do with your plans on building a business empire?" James frowned slightly.
"Yes, do you know about the hacking incident that happened at Mideon Media some time ago? The one that caused a delay in the release of the wanted notice for the entire Faye Cosmic Nation." Ross asked with a smile. "Well, it wasn't a hack. Someone broke into their headquarters and stole a mainframe. The mainframe contains the ultimate confidential information of hundreds of Cosmic Nations, including the Faye Cosmic Nation. Additionally, through that mainframe, as long as they have Harris family genetic DNA, they can get through the verification and access the back end. That little girl, Lilliath, is the key to accessing the back end."
"As for Gu Ding, if I'm not mistaken, he's not a hacker at all. He must have some type of artificial super-intelligence similar to Skynet on him. That's why he can do most of the things Skynet can. We've brought their crew here to snatch Gu Ding's artificial super-intelligence and Lilliath's genetic DNA. Given enough time, I have no problem replacing the Harris family as the first information media group in the Cosmic Sea."
"You? There's someone else besides you? You have the mainframe?" James frowned more than ever, for he had not expected his son to be such an ambitious man.
"Of course, I have allies that are strong enough, otherwise how would I dare to make such a plan?" Ross said and snapped her fingers.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. It was a tall woman, wrapped in a black robe with an image of a blood-red demon emblazoned across her chest.
James also noticed that the robe had three thumb-sized digits–002 stamped across the collar. The moment he saw that number, his pupil constricted sharply. He was a little shocked that she was a member of Dark Sectors. However, what struck him the most was the seemingly understated number on her collar. That number represented not only a member of Dark Sectors but also a member of Dark Sectors' elders group. 002 represented the second elder of Dark Sectors, Potie, who was titled The Witch.
The thirteen elders of Dark Sectors were ranked according to their strength from low to high, among which the weakest, the thirteenth elder, was ranked 98th on the Demigod Monster Ranking in the Cosmic Sea. Other than that, the twelfth and eleventh elders were ranked 76th and 55th on the ranking, respectively. The top ten elders were all in the top fifty. Among the strongest three, the third elder was ranked 12th, the second elder was ranked 7th while the senior elder was ranked 3rd.
This woman was the second elder of Dark Sectors, which meant that so far, she had demonstrated even greater combat effectiveness than Roland the sword god, who was ranked 8th. The presence of this woman here spoke volumes about Dark Sectors' strong interest in accomplishing this mission.
"Hello, Patriarch James, I'm sure you won't stand in Dark Sectors' way, will you?" Potie lifted her hood to reveal her stunning face. She slightly smirked, and her voice, like a magical sound, vibrated several times in James's ear. At that moment, James's eyes began to glaze over as he nodded stupidly. Potie reached out a finger and ran the back of it over his clearly defined face. "What a fine man..."
"Potie, he's my father. Don't do that to him." Ross frowned slightly.
"Why? You don't want me as your stepmother?" Potie chuckled over her mouth.
"I'll owe you one if you don't touch him," Ross said with a seriousness about him.
"Alright, whatever you say." Potie then took a step back and kept her distance from James.
James slowly regained consciousness, and Ross was already at the door. "My detention is due to end today, right? Guess I'll be going then..."


It is an era of artificial superintelligences, interstellar travel, gene medicine, and virtual reality worlds. Far into Earth's future, 15-year-old Gu Ding is a student of Cerulean Military Academy by day, and tavern waiter by night. His ambition: Become the space pirate with the highest bounty offered by the Universal Federation Government. With the help of Neptune, a neonate super-intelligence, Gu Ding finds himself thrust into a galaxy of shadowy organizations, political underdealings, and otherworldly forces that lie beyond human comprehension…

Boom!
It was as though thunders were bursting in the heart of Childe Yu. Only two words were left in his mind,
Li Dan! Li Dan! Li Dan!
In the era of the emergence of various scholars, and in the mansion of the administrator of the treasure chamber in Luo Yi, Childe Yu had met a man named Li Dan. How could he not overthink?
Is he... is he the incarnation of the very high lord?
Is he Lao Tzu who has written the five-thousand-word Tao Te Ching?
The World of Gods was nothing similar to the Earth. The very high lord - who was also the Lord Dao De - was an almighty being who had a well-deserved reputation. He was active in the world hundreds of years ago and participated in the Great War. He almost destroyed the world with his omnipotent power. Apparently, for him, killing Childe Yu was nothing different from pinching an ant to death.
Childe Yu had initially planned to take over the role of the very high lord to open up the World Avenue and enjoy great returns. Yet, he had run into Li Dan at the moment. It was just like how Li Gui ran into Li Kui in the famous story, Outlaws of the Marsh. On top of that, the very high lord - currently standing in front of him - was a famous figure in the myths and legends who had the ability to destroy the entire world. As a result, Childe Yu had a guilty conscience. Feeling frightened and fearful, he broke out in a cold sweat, and his legs became flaccid. Fortunately, he had a fairly good self-control ability due to his high achievement in martial arts and rich life experiences. Otherwise, he might have pissed his pants.
Li Rong and Li Jianjia were frightened to see the dramatic changes of Childe Yu's countenance, so they stared at each other in shock. Li Jianjia transmitted a secret message to Li Rong, "Father, what's wrong with Childe Yu?"
"Is he possessed by evil spirits? Otherwise, why does he suddenly become so ill-mannered?"
Meng Qi could sense the dramatic reactions and fluctuating emotions of Childe Yu with the Yuan Xin Seal. Without a change of countenance, he thought to himself, Why is he frightened by my name? Li Dan, Li Dan... Does he know who Li Dan is and what the name represents?
Currently, nobody in the Words of Gods is supposed to know who Li Dan is, unless someone has seen the future. Yet, how would a person who can see the future have such a cowardly reaction? Perhaps he has gotten a magic weapon by chance that helps him in seeing the future?
Is he a Samsara Traveller? The Tao Te Ching of the Main World is passed down from the Ancient Times to the recent times after it underwent numerous Heavenly Tribulations, so it has nothing to do with Li Dan. Therefore, if Childe Yu really is a Samsara Traveller, he is certainly not coming from the Main World. Is he coming from a world similar to the Earth that has the history of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?
Encountering a Samsara Traveller was the last thing Meng Qi wanted. However, since he had already came across a person who seemed to be a Samsara Traveller, he could not turn a blind eye to him. Meng Qi had decided to find out his identity.
When Meng Qi was taking a careful look at Childe Yu, Li Rong asked in a clear loud voice, "Childe, are you feeling unwell?"
The voice of Li Rong came into Childe Yu's ears and gave him the shivers. As though being woken up from a nightmare, Childe Yu shook his head blankly, "N-no."
Subconsciously, Childe Yu looked at the man called Li Dan, and saw his face that was full of wrinkles. His senile appearance did not seem to match the descriptions in the legend - he was supposed to be an old man with white hair and white eyebrows. However, the "Li Dan" in front of him looked just like an ordinary person.
Is it just a coincidence? Could it be that he isn't the incarnation of the very high lord?
As the world is so big, there can be more than one person who is named Li Dan!
Some doubts had arisen after Childe Yu tried to calm himself down.
I have to find some evidence to prove that it's only a coincidence. But how do I do it? Should I attack him? No, it's not a good idea. If he really is the real Li Dan, I'll die immediately.
Well, I'd better not try him out with malicious intentions. I must do it in a subtle way to avoid offending him, just in case he is the real Li Dan!
"But Childe, just now you're…" Li Rong asked with concern when Childe Yu was still sinking in thoughts.
Childe Yu dealt with the question with quick wit. He sighed and said, "Just now, I've thought of the chaotic world situation and the moral degeneration of society. What a pathetic situation! Thus, I got emotional and felt a little out of place. I'm sorry for that, Treasure Chamber Administrator."
"Ah, what you said is true. I've always felt that way too," Li Rong was moved by the words of Childe Yu as he had always been feeling the same way. Once again, he ordered Meng Qi to take Childe Yu to the treasure chamber to have a look.
Trembling with fear, Childe Yu followed behind Meng Qi. They were walking on a stony path in the Li Mansion. The gentle breeze was blowing, and the flowers on both sides of the path were emitting a sweet fragrance. Suddenly, a thought came to Childe Yu's mind.
All servants will be changing their names when they start serving at a mansion. Hence, Li Dan might not be the real name of this person!
If that's the case, it's very unlikely that he is the incarnation of the very high lord. Apparently, the lord wouldn't bother to change his name and become a servant...
Childe Yu took a few quick steps to walk side-by-side with Meng Qi. He laughed heartily and said, "Brother Li, thank you for taking me to the chamber."
"You're welcome. Anyway, it's the order of the administrator of the treasure chamber," Meng Qi cast a glance at him.
Childe Yu said with a smile, "Judging from your appearance and accent, it seems that you are not born and raised in Luo Yi?"
"I used to be a refugee, but I am lucky enough to be brought to the Li Mansion by the administrator of the treasure chamber," answered Meng Qi honestly.
Childe Yu was overjoyed. He continued asking, "Did you change your name to Li Dan after you entered the mansion?"
"Yes," said Meng Qi. This fellow really knows about Li Dan!
Haha, as I expected! I've always been so smart! Childe Yu could hardly hide his smile. While walking in a breezy manner, he said casually, "Brother Li Dan, what was your name before you entered the mansion?"
"My surname was Lao, and my first name was Dan," said Meng Qi with a calm tone.
"Lao Dan? It's a nice name… Lao Dan? Lao Dan!" the legs of Childe Yu became flaccid again. He almost knelt to the ground, and his teeth almost bit his tongue.
After all, he is the incarnation of the very high lord!
Childe Yu tried to pull himself together, but he was still feeling anxious and doubtful. He felt that he was having a lot of emotional ups and downs ever since he stepped into the Li Mansion. Deep down inside, he still could not believe that the very high lord would incarnate himself in a body of a servant. In silence, both of them went out of the Li Mansion and walked to the treasure chamber that was located two alleyways away. The chamber was so close to the mansion that they did not need to ride a carriage.
"Brother Li, since you're a servant of the administrator of the treasure chamber, you must be a knowledgeable person who have read a lot of books," flattered Childe Yu to try him out.
Meng Qi said in a dull tone, "I've only read a few books."
He has only read a few books? Well, it seems that he isn't an incarnation of the very high lord, thought Childe Yu. Then, he began to mention about some ancient books written in remote antiquity.
After Childe Yu travelled to the current world, he had been a childe for quite some time in the Middle-Mountain Kingdom, and thus he had read a great number of books. In contrast, Meng Qi was not familiar with those ancient books, so he did not even need to pretend to be a semi-illiterate. After a conversation, Childe Yu was quite confident that the Li Dan beside him was not Lao Tzu. Gradually, he felt relieved.
Just then, Childe Yu heard clatters of a horse's hoofs. It seemed that someone was chasing them.
Childe Yu suddenly got an idea. He took a few steps forward to go in front of Meng Qi. As they were standing at a turning, it was likely for the pursuer to neglect them. If the pursuer was neither a strong martial artist nor skilled in riding horses, the horse would most likely collide with both of them.
It was a chance to try out whether Li Dan practiced martial arts!
Da da da... The clatters of a horse's hoofs could be heard from far to near. Childe Yu felt more relieved because Li Dan did not seem to notice it. He had a feeling that his guess was correct.
"Don't go the wrong way, Childe," suddenly, Childe Yu heard a reminder from Li Dan. In an instant, Li Dan quickened his pace and went ahead of Childe Yu, which left him no time to react at all.
Dub!
Being hit by the horse from the back, the body of Childe Yu flew forward. As soon as the high whinnying sound of the horse came into his ears, he fell to the stony ground. His nose was bleeding and his face was swollen.
"Childe, childe, are you alright?" asked Li Jianjia guiltily and fearfully.
Childe Yu shook his head, wiped his nosebleed, and forced a smile, "I'm fine. Why did you come after us?"
To his surprise, Li Dan had dodged the horse, and he was the one who was hit. This is... he was in a confused state. He doubted the judgment that he made moments ago.
Li Jianjia got down from the horse and said, "Childe, you've been travelling across different kingdoms, so I believe that you have a wide range of experiences. I really admire you. I wish you can tell me some of your experiences."　
Young girls were always full of curiosity and looking forward to explore the world outside. Li Jianjia could not wait to leave her house and travel across the kingdoms.
Li Jianjia had a beautiful appearance and a charming voice. After hearing that, Childe Yu immediately became hot-blooded that he forgot about the important matters. He said with a smile, "The world is vast and wonderful. I can't tell you everything in such a short time."
"Speaking of it, the fall of my kingdom is both a disaster and a blessing for me. Without this incident, I would have been trapped in the Middle-Mountain Kingdom for my entire life. I would be like a frog at the bottom of a well, having no chance to explore the magnificent world outside the well and travel everywhere freely..."
"A frog at the bottom of a well... what a good description," Li Jianjia expressed her admiration for Childe Yu because she had also felt the same way.
Childe Yu stood up with a straightened back. He smiled and said, "This is the beauty of freedom. Lady Jianjia, I have a poem for you, 'Life may be precious, but love has a higher value. However, both can be given up for the sake of freedom.'"
As soon as Childe Yu finished speaking, he heard a sound of retching. Feeling confused, he turned his head and saw Li Dan who was trying to vomit but nothing had came out.
"Brother Li?" Childe Yu suddenly realized that he should have focused on the matters related to Li Dan first.
I've almost vomited after hearing him flirting in an outdated way... Meng Qi thought to himself. At the same time, he already had a guess about the identity of Childe Yu. He said casually, "I've caught a cold."
Is he my fellow-townsman of the Earth?
Even if he is my fellow-townsman, the Samsara is definitely not trying me out through this way because it's too coincidental. If the Samsara has really sent a person from the Earth to me, it means that they have already discovered my secret. There is no point trying me out anymore.
Li Jianjia frowned as she did not know how to react to the poem. If she voiced out her honest opinion, she would surely offend Childe Yu. As he was actually having a good intention, she did not want to be harsh on him.
After hesitating for a while, Li Jianjia had decided to remind him, "Childe, the world situation nowadays has been chaotic. So, let's talk about the way of bringing back peace and prosperity to the world, and the relationship between the kingdoms - not poetry and songs."
Childe Yu clapped his hands and laughed, "Well said, well said. You're indeed a lady that is not inferior to the men."
After Childe Yu recovered from being hot-blooded, he had regretted his choice of poem. Thus, he changed the topic.
While Meng Qi showed the way to the treasure chamber, Li Jianjia was leading her red horse behind him and Childe Yu was walking by her side. Three of them went out of the alleyway and were about to step on the street that led to the chamber.
"Fortune-telling! Fortune-telling!" Suddenly, someone on the street came up to them. Dressed as a Taoist priest, the person was carrying a wooden box.
Due to her playful temperament, Li Jianjia asked with great interest, "How are you going to tell my fortune?"
The priest smiled and said, "Draw two words from the wooden box and make up a term from that. The term will indicate whether you will have a good or ill luck. It can foresee the future and also tell you about your marriage."
Once again, Childe Yu came up with an idea. As he had learned a method of divination, he could actually take this opportunity to test Li Dan!
Before Li Jianjia replied the priest, Childe Yu laughed aloud and said, "Interesting. Lady Jianjia, Brother Li, why don't we give it a try?"
As Li Jianjia would certainly agree on that, Li Dan would most probably go along with the mutual decision.
"Sure!" As expected, Li Jianjia agreed without a hesitation. Then, Childe Yu saw Li Dan give a barely noticeable nod.
Childe Yu laughed and said, "I've also learned a method of divination that can tell the fortune through words-drawing. Why not I give it a go first? Then I'll compare my result with the priest."
"Sure, it's fine too," the priest had no objection.
Childe Yu took the wooden box and went to Meng Qi, "Brother Li, you go first."
Meng Qi looked at Childe Yu calmly. Then, he put his hand into the wooden box, drew a word and handed it to him.
Childe Yu took a look at it. It was a word 'Soil.' His five fingers moved slightly and began making a deduction.
Meng Qi drew another word, but he did not pass it to Childe Yu. Instead, he showed the paper on his palm to him.
"'Sphere', after combining with 'Soil', the term is..." the voice of Childe Yu stopped abruptly, and the movements of his five fingers were frozen completely. He looked up at Meng Qi and saw a pair of deep eyes.
The combination of words meant 'Earth'!
How could he possibly know his deepest secret?
He must be the incarnation of the very high lord!
Feeling panicked, the legs of Childe Yu became flaccid, and he fell to his knees.


I care not of my past and neither of my future.
Conquering all heroes and foes while looking with disdain at the horrors of the Samsara, I yearn only for a life of thrilling wonders!
History will repeat itself after many ages as the menace of the Great Calamity rises once more.
Which will rise with triumph in the face of adversity; the Golden Form of the Great Buddha or the invincible Heavenly Taoist Form?
Which will seize all glory amidst all struggles; The Buddha's Palms or the  Seven Strokes of Heaven's Interception?
From the sanctum of the Shaolin Temple, Meng Qi's adventures and struggles through the Samsara begin as we follow his climb to claim the title of "the Unrivaled and the Invincible One"!


Delpon, mayor's residence.
Roland met the future mayor, John Junior.
Until now, there was no real mayor on the surface in Delpon, and John Junior had never gotten to occupy the position of mayor.
The two hadn't seen each other in over two years.
Roland himself was the unsociable type. When he was back in Delpon, he either stayed in the research lab of the Magic Tower or got intimate with his two women at the manor.
He hardly participated in any social events.
John Junior also rarely appeared in the banquets of other nobles, and both were shut-ins, so naturally, they hadn't seen each other.
At this time, John Junior's expression was calm as he poured Roland a glass of fruit wine. He then raised his glass and said, "To an acquaintance I haven't seen in a while, cheers."
He finished the entire glass of fruit wine first.
Roland also finished the cup of fruit wine in one gulp, then looked at the other man. "Your temperament has changed."
"It had to," John Junior said faintly. "I don't want to die. Before, I could still see your back, but now you've become ridiculously strong. Not to mention your strength: Master-level and above, heading for Legend. You've even connected with the First Princess of Fareins, who I heard is the future queen… but lived in your manor for a long time."
John Junior grunted lightly and continued, "Knowing this, I have no more hatred for you; instead I find myself laughable."
Roland didn't say anything and just looked at the other man in silence.
John Junior leaned back and said with a bitter smile, "When my mind was still on one city and land when my strength was stagnant, you had already become a Master Mage and had established a huge force. Compared with the country of Fareins, Hollevin is as small as a fly. Between you and me, there is already a chasm. I can't catch up to you in a lifetime, so what do I use to fight with you? My skull?"
Listening to John Junior's self-analysis, Roland smiled.
He knew that John Junior was telling the truth.
Currently, John Junior was only level five, while Roland was already level twelve. With a seven-level gap, plus the player's Overlord growth template, the difference in strength between the two was almost like that between a mouse and a mammoth.
If Roland opened his Magic Shield and let John Junior attack for ten days and ten nights, he wouldn't be able to break Roland's shield.
Most importantly, Roland could now fully sense John Junior's mental power fluctuations.
He could tell if a statement was a lie or not.
It was typical level suppression.
"It's good that you understand, it'll do us a lot of good to ease our relationship."
Roland picked up the flask and poured a glass for the other man before pouring one for himself.
The action surprised John Junior a little.
The victor poured wine for the loser voluntarily and without sarcasm—how should he feel about this?
Roland finished his fruit wine in one gulp and said, "Now that you understand, I can return the two businesses of furs and building materials in the city back to the mayor and have you handle them."
John Junior froze, and after a moment, he laughed dryly and said, "Is this what my mother and sister are worth?"
He had an odd expression on his face at this moment.
It was painful, yet he was caught between laughter and tears.
"Believe it or not, I'm still going to say this—I didn't touch them."
Roland felt helpless after saying he didn't like wives so many times. It just happened that the queen was already married.
Besides, Vivian had been a virgin before and hadn't married anyone.
John Junior couldn't understand. His mother and sister were beautiful, and although not as good as Queen Andonara was, they were slightly better than Vivian.
Besides, there was a special bonus for mothers and daughters together.
This person was too much of a gentleman.
Unbelievable.
Looking at John Junior's startled expression, Roland said, "I was going to talk to you about your father coming back from the dead, but now it seems that you probably weren't the one who did it."
John Junior said squarely, "I've heard about this, and I'm scared too."
"Then you should close the castle first, and then take over the properties when I've settled the matter."
Roland stood up.
John Junior followed suit. "Those two properties—are you testing me, or are you using me as a handyman?"
"Both."
Leaving this word behind, Roland left the mayor's residence.
Although Roland was the boss behind Delpon, he didn't transfer all the properties to the hands of the Magic Tower.
Instead, he divided out many of them and used them as a hidden power to hold back John Junior.
But now that two years had passed, those forces had turned their backs on John Junior when they saw that he had no hope of turning the tide, and even had some sneaky little thoughts about the Magic Tower.
They constantly made cheap moves in the dark.
They thought Vivian and Roland wouldn't notice.
Such was the greed of man—once on shore, one prays no more.
Roland was too lazy to deal with these small fries and unleashed John Junior, who had been suffocated for nearly four years and must've hated these traitors.
When the time came, he would naturally take the initiative to deal with these people. Besides, the business of building materials and furs didn't earn much, and now the Magic Tower didn't need the profits from these two businesses.
It was a waste of manpower and troublesome.
Most importantly, Roland believed that a triangle relationship was the most stable.
At that time, the Magic Tower, the mayor's residence, and the minor nobles united would form a peaceful relationship.
This way, he, and the Tower of Magic could focus entirely on magic research and teaching apprentices.
Leaving Delpon, Roland came to the hill where John Senior was buried, and soon found John Senior's tomb.
The tomb was damaged, and the headstone was overturned and thrown to the side.
The decaying coffin had also been pulled out, the lid fallen not far from the yellow earth of the tomb. Roland covered himself with a Magic Shield to completely isolate the smell around him before walking over to it.
There was nothing left of the coffin except some blackened pieces.
John Senior was a professional, a Warrior, and his body didn't decay that easily.
It might have even become a mummy.
Roland looked around and didn't see any footprints.
He then spread his mental threads, and soon a faint dark magic power manifested under the mental threads.
Roland followed this magic power and walked slowly forward through the mountains. He soon came to a cave covered in weeds.
When he got there, the smell of dark magic was stronger, and even without the use of mental power, he could feel it.
It seemed to be trying to lure him in.
Roland summoned three almost completely transparent magic spiders, then stepped back and used Stone to Mud to sink into the ground before sealing the hole above.
Once that was done, two magic spiders headed for the cave entrance. The third climbed a nearby tree and scoped out the surroundings.
Roland felt that something was wrong, so he burrowed into the ground, intending to scout the cave and see if he could counter-ambush.
The cavern was dark, but the magic spiders had Night Vision at their cores, and although the magic array of Night Vision was small and not very effective due to their size and magic power, they could see things at a distance of about five meters around them.
The magic spiders crawled on the walls of the cave, moving forward slowly.
After crawling for about ten minutes, they saw something special and transmitted the image back to Roland.
In Roland's mind, he could see the walls of the cave, lined with skeletons.
And in the innermost part, a pair of blue eyes—but too far away to see clearly.
One of the spiders moved over slowly, and it didn't take long to see that the pair of eyes belonged to a man with a dark greenish face, who sat wide open at the end of the cave, blue flames glowing in his eyes.
Roland recognized this man.
John Senior.
He resurrected as expected… Just as Roland thought so, the sitting John Senior suddenly stood up, and swung heavily with his left hand against the wall, slapping the magic spider into the magic residue.
Undead creatures were very sensitive to magic power.
The moment the magic spider dissipated, Roland could see that the other party's blue eyes were burning with a strong hatred.
He recognizes my magic power?
Roland froze for a moment, and it dawned on him: This is a trap.
Without saying a word, he sunk himself deeper into the ground using Stone to Mud.
He stopped only when he sank roughly below a hundred meters.
Just as he finished doing this, John Senior moved, charging forward two more steps and slapping the other magic spider to pieces.
Now, Roland was left with only the magic spider above his head.
But that was enough.
Soon, this magic spider sent over pictures.
Six people cloaked in gray robes and wearing white wolf masks surrounded the vicinity of the cave.
They seemed to be looking around for Roland.
Not long after, John Senior rushed out of the cave, clad in armor and running like a light tank.
After rushing out of the cave, he crashed through a small tree, then looked around, only to let out an angry growl.
As he growled, yellow fluids dripped from his mouth, and a tooth fell out with them.
"Roland got away," one of the gray-robed men said. "Where did we give ourselves away?"
The other said, "I don't know. It was so hard to set up a trap."
At this point, John Senior let out another angry, piercing growl.
"Mind your corpse and pacify him."
A gray-robed man made a few hand gestures, and John Senior immediately quieted down.
Roland hadn't seen this magic gesture before… This was normal, as he had little knowledge of the dark spells.
"Wait, don't talk!"
A gray-robed man suddenly reached out, his eyes looking around for a moment before finally landing on the magic spider.
Then he raised his hand and a throwing knife hit the magic spider squarely.
All of Roland's "eyes" had disappeared.
"He's still around watching us, search and find him!"
They immediately scattered.
Roland cast Secondary Stealth on himself, his form fading. Then he smiled and snapped his fingers, his entire body disappearing into this underground cave.



As one of the first players to gain access to World of Falan—the first immersive game worldwide—Roland creates his character as a Mage. 
However, playing as a Mage is not as fun and easy as he thought. His head even explodes after he casts the very first spell in the game. 
Stubbornly sticking to his class when most Mages decide to create a new character, Roland gradually discovers tricks of the trade and his unusual talent. This allows him to change people's stereotypes on Mages and to explore the deeply-buried secrets of this game…

In the heavy snow, the entire city was in silence...
In the Apricot Blossom Court, Apricot Blossom Village outside Dragon Emperor City, Zhang Tie's substitute was having a drink with Jiang Ruoxin and Ji Yuelan. Zhang Tie even taught them drinkers' wager game and finger-guessing game. Three of them were pretty thrilled.
As a result, the entire tranquil courtyard was filled with the exclamations between Zhang Tie and the two girls, which was pretty warm and boisterous.
"Four-season wealth ya..."
"Fine-chiefs ya..."
"Six is happy ya..."
"Ah, Zhang Tie, you lost it; you lost it. It's your turn to drink..." Ji Yuelan's voice reached downstairs from the roof.
"Well, let's continue!" Zhang Tie's voice sounded again.
In the courtyard, Uncle Qu and his wife were whispering to each other with smiles while listening to the cheers of the three people on the roof.
"Which one do you think is in love with childe, Miss Ji or Miss Jiang?"
"I think both of them!"
"Men are always covetous. I feel that Miss Ji loves childe more. As a woman, I know it clearly. But Miss Jiang is also beautiful. Given her look, she could definitely bring happiness to her husband and could easily deliver babies..."
"It's normal for childe to marry a couple of wives..."
"Humph, I feel childe is not that kind of person..."
Although they didn't eat food anymore, the chafing dish in the pavilion on the roof was still giving out heat, making the pavilion as warm as spring. Being tipsy and having heard the talk between Uncle Qu and his wife, Jiang Ruoxin blushed a bit as she leaned against the soft couch in the pavilion, squinting her eyes. At the same time, she watched Zhang Tie whose face turned red playing finger-guessing game with Ji Yuelan excitedly.
Not knowing why, whenever Jiang Ruoxin came to Zhang Tie's courtyard, she had felt especially relaxed where she didn't need to think about or do anything; nor would she worry about anything. She only needed to have fun with Zhang Tie like what they're doing now. Zhang Tie would always show them odd things which could bring them a lot of fun.
In many cases, after staying long with Zhang Tie, Jiang Ruoxin even forgot about Zhang Tie's identity as an immortal general and his brutal and resolute deed when killing people; instead, she treated Zhang Tie as a craftsman who could make a lot of delicate widgets and a man who could create poems whenever he wanted or an old friend whom she could confide to without any concern...
'If we could live on like this without any concern, it's also not bad...'
Such a whim occurred to Jiang Ruoxin.
Right beside her...
"Two bosom brothers..."
"Eight horses ya..."
"Hah, I win..." Zhang Tie shouted, "It's your turn to drink..."
"You're shameless..." Ji Yuelan argued as she pouted.
"What?" Zhang Tie widely opened his eyes as he exclaimed...
"You were a bit late than me. I won't drink it this time. One more..."
"Even if you're a woman, you should also be justified..."
"Didn't you say that men should give concession to women? I'm not justified, so what?" Ji Yuelan watched Zhang Tie with peach cheeks and sparkling eyes, chesting out.
"Well, I give concession to you; I favor you; if you don't drink; let me feed you..." After leaving the words, Zhang Tie bottomed up. Before Ji Yuelan responded, he put his arms around Ji Yuelan's neck before sticking his lips to hers. When their tongues were twisting with each other, Zhang Tie poured the wine into Ji Yuelan's mouth. 
Watching wine dropping off their mouths and hearing Ji Yuelan's groan, Jiang Ruoxin's face turned redder as she closed her eyes at once. However, closely after that, she opened her eyes again.
After a long while, the two people separated. Zhang Tie smiled while Ji Yuelan looked drunk. Being thrilled, she instantly leaned against Zhang Tie's chest softly as she patted Zhang Tie, complaining, "How dare you take advantage of this elder sister..."
"You didn't oppose it just now. I thought you liked it!"
"If so, you shouldn't have ended it so fast..." Ji Yuelan continued as she drew a circle on Zhang Tie's chest...
Zhang Tie...
"Enough is enough. I've not been drunk yet. If you continue, I will leave..." Jiang Ruoxin couldn't stand opening her mouth as she glared at Zhang Tie and Ji Yuelan. Although it sounded like a condemnation, it contained other meanings.
"Ruoxin, how about having a try? It's called skin cup. If you want to have a try, I will sacrifice myself. I swear that you could do it with me for free. It doesn't matter even if you make me lose my innocense..." Zhang Tie turned around as he told Jiang Ruoxin solemnly.
"Peh, you're the last innocent person in the world..." Jiang Ruoxin turned around and argued as her face turned redder.
"Pufttt..." Ji Yuelan burst into laughter at a stroke. After that, she incited Zhang Tie in fear of no trouble, "Well, well, let Ruoxin enjoy one skin cup too. She's not tasted a skin cup since she was born..."
"Drink it if you like, don't draw me in!"
"The voice box that you presented us like time is Ruoxin's favorite. She directly put it at her bedside. Additionally, Ruxin usually recited the poem In the bright lamplight that you wrote last time. She's really crazy about it. Today, as all the plum blossoms in the courtyard have opened these days in the heavy snow, if you could write a poem that contains snow and flowers and satisfy us, I will let Ruoxin feed you a skin cup!" Ji Yuelan promised as she clapped her hands.
"It's easy. Listen!" After having a cup of wine, Zhang Tie watched the two girls. After being silent for a few seconds, he sang, "In the snowwhite world, there's a plum tree. The plum twigs being covered with ice were crystal. The plum blossoms at the top of the twigs are plump and pure white. These plum blossoms bring peope the news that the spring is coming. Being just open, how tender and beautiful they are! With rich fragrance, they're like beauties who have just come out of the bathtub in new clothes. The mother nature might prefer these delicate and charming plum blossoms as they make moonlight especially pure and white, spreading over the ground. Come! Let's cheer up for the good night with beautiful flowers and a round moon! Let's appreciate the plum blossoms and have a drink. No other blossoms could match plum blossom!"
After hearing Zhang Tie's poem, Ji Yuelan and Jiang Ruoxin were transfixed as they both felt Zhang Tie's line contained numerous meanings; especially the last line, "No other blossoms could match plum blossom!" which aroused the resonance of the two girls immediately...
Ji Yuelan hid her smile at once; instead, her eyes turned wet. Jiang Ruoxin watched Zhang Tie with a dumbfounded look.
At this moment, Zhang Tie was watching them with a smile, far away from being drunk and profaning them.
"The mother nature might prefer these delicate and charming plum blossoms...No other blossoms could match plum blossom..." Jiang Ruoxin murmured twice. Before Zhang Tie responded, Jiang Ruoxin had taken in a deep breath as she bottomed up. Closely after that, she put her arms around Zhang Tie's neck as she kissed Zhang Tie's lips, eyes closed...
When the two people were immersed in it, a thunder-like battle qi roared and broke the sky in the shape of a berserk golden dragon, shocking the rest of the city...
...
God helped those who helped themselves. After Zhang Tie traveled more than half a year in Dragon Emperor City, he finally discovered that heavenly shadow-demon knight one month ago.
Of course, shadow demons were variable. However, Zhang Tie's lotus-flower eyes were like a devil-identifying mirror which could reflect all the shadow demons in front of Zhang Tie.
When Zhang Tie found the right opportunity, he applied a master-level hiding skill aided by his invisible shen bead. As a result, his hiding effect was even greater than that of red and blue devils.
Even when Zhang Tie reached 10 m away from the heavenly shadow demon knight, he was still not discovered.
It was more like an earth-shaking assassination after an assassin fixed his target or prey; instead of being a fair face-to-face battle...
When Zhang Tie launched a sudden strike, his Shackle of Bloody Chakra, Deity-Killing Sword and Dragon Emperor Immortal Fist acted onto the heavenly shadow demon knight at the same time who was hiding outside Dragon Emperor City in the identity of a rich businessman.
Such an amazing strike severely inflicted that heavenly shadow demon knight almost in a split second. Meanwhile, the faint qi of Dragon Emperor Immortal Fist rushed into the sky, shocking the entire city...
　　


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**


Wang Rich came from a very wealthy family. He liked making friends while posing himself as a culture lover. He also liked to show off some of his ordinary poems. At times, he could come up with a few relatively good ones.
After finding out that Brother Muzhi was also a poetry lover, he couldn't wait to show off a little bit.
"That's a good proposal, Brother Wang!"
"I can't agree any more."
They all nodded.
Lu Changsheng simply glanced at Liu Qingfeng.
In fact, Lu Changsheng didn't really hate these kinds of things. But he just really wanted to avoid triggering another unusual phenomenon.
Fortunately, he had the Pagoda of Heaven and Earth with him, it could suppress most of the unusual phenomena from appearing.
"We can give Brother Muzhi some time first. Why don't we read Brother Wang's poem to start off?"
Zhou Haijie suggested this, he knew that improvisation was always difficult.
Lu Changsheng nodded.
Wang Rich immediately cleared his throat and was ready to recite his poem. "Alright, please forgive my incompetence."
He got up and slowly spoke, "A red boat is touring Jingling!"
"The fish are accompanying the boat!"
"It's just like you and me and him!"
"It's fate that we gather!"
Wang Rich's recital was very affectionate.
The last sentence was especially filled with deep emotions.
"That's nice!"
"Good! What a beautiful poem!"
"Brother Wang, you're so talented! It's so good!"
They were all filled with praise for him.
However, Lu Changsheng didn't know what they were talking about.
How could this thing be called a poem?
And they were even giving this thing such a high evaluation? Are you serious?
He didn't know whether this was because of money or just that they had really bad taste.
This kind of rubbish poetry neither had rhymes nor rhythm, the wording was also extremely poor.
He looked at Liu Qingfeng, the latter was slightly nodding. Although Liu Qingfeng didn't make any comments, it seemed that this poem wasn't too bad in his eyes.
At this moment, Lu Changsheng started to feel desperate.
They were a bunch of illiterates!
"In Brother Wang's poem, every single word is filled with emotion. The first sentence describes the real scene and lays a good foundation for the following line. Fate is the essence of the poem."
Zhou Haijie was indeed such a good flatterer.
Zhang Peng also nodded and said, "The last sentence is an amazing finishing touch. Indeed, it is fate that made us gather here together.
Everyone kept nodding.
"Are you ready, Brother Lu?" Zhou Haijie asked Lu Changsheng curiously.
Lu Changsheng slowly stood up. He was pondering about which one to pick, but now, he felt no pressure at all.
"Black clouds—spilled ink half blotting out the hills;"
"Pale rain—bouncing beads that splatter in the boat."
"Land-rolling wind comes, blasts and scatters them:"
"Below Lake Watch Tower, water like sky."
Lu Changsheng slowly recited the poem.
He was rather calm, this was because the poem was written by one of the most well-known poets, Su Shi.
However, after Lu Changsheng finished the last line.
The audience slightly frowned. 
Zhou Haijie started to comment, "This poem isn't bad. The black clouds are like spilled ink and raindrops are like falling beads. Then the wind sweeps over and scatters all of the clouds. In the last sentence, it means that the rain stopped and the waves calmed down. Upon leaning against the rails of the tall tower, the poet saw that the sky was so crystal clear and the lake was so clean and beautiful.
"However, this poem isn't appropriate for the current occasion."
Zhou Haijie wasn't totally illiterate, he could understand the poem.
However, in his eyes, this poem failed to reflect the current scene.
The rest of them all nodded.
Although this poem was extremely beautiful, they failed to share the mood right now. Therefore, it felt like something was missing.
"Why is that so?" Lu Changsheng put on a gorgeous smile.
Zhou Haijie answered, "It's such a good day today. We see neither black clouds nor rain."
This was extremely obvious.
Lu Changsheng then smiled, he slowly walked to the front end of the boat.
He reached out his hand and said, "Here comes the rain."
With the last word, at this very moment,
Pitter-patter!
Pitter-patter!
Ripples suddenly appeared on the calm surface of the lake.
Very soon after, heavy rain fell. Countless water beads bounced all over the river.
Between the mountains and the hills, mist filled the air.
The black clouds were as dark as ink, but they hadn't covered all the mountains.
In the red boat, they watched this scene in amazement.
This… This was unbelievably remarkable.
They couldn't believe their eyes.
From a distance, at the front end of the boat, Lu Changsheng, while dressed in white, looked exactly like an immortal. He stood with his back towards them, staring at the pouring rain and the mountains embraced by the soft mist.
"I've never seen such a gorgeous man in this world," one of the ladies murmured. Her eyes couldn't move away from Lu Changsheng back.
The males in the boat were suddenly attacked by a sense of inferiority.
While staring at the downpour, Lu Changsheng's heart felt somehow touched.
He saw passersby on the bridge taking out umbrellas, he then heard the corner of his robe whistle.
Standing with his hands behind his back, Lu Changsheng slowly opened his mouth, "My leaflike boat braves the perilous waves. I've slept through Southern rain and smoke. My eyes are filled with green mountains when awake; I come back, shaking water off my green straw cloak.
"Spring rain submerged the bridge and people cannot cross; Out of the green shadow came a small boat.
"In spring, the water is bluer than the sky; In a painted boat listening to the rain they lie.
"Raindrops fell on red flowers; Green smoke entangled fine willow branches."
Lu Changsheng spoke out a poem.
Suddenly, vague pictures appeared in the mist.
In the pictures were boats and figures.
A fisherman fell asleep in his small boat in the waves, and when he woke up, he was already among the endless green mountains. After shaking off the water on his green straw coat, he was ready to go back home.
In spring, the water was even clearer than the sky. A man slowly fell asleep in his boat, listening to the rain. What a beautiful scene that was!
The passersby all saw the pictures in the air. They were utterly amazed.
Lu Changsheng smiled.
This smile could easily make all the struggles one had vanish into the air.
The people in the red boat joined Lu Changsheng to enjoy such a beautiful moment together.
"This is so beautiful, In spring, the water is bluer than the sky. Amazing! Brother Lu, you have immeasurable talent!" 
Li Yue sincerely appreciated the beauty of the lines, and bowed to Lu Changsheng.
"Although there is no willow around, your lines have planted willows in my heart, Brother Lu."  Zhou Haijie sighed emotionally.
They were lost in this beautiful scene and amazing poetry.
At this time, the sky suddenly cleared up.
The lake was clear and the sky was blue.
The rain came and went so quickly.
The beautiful and sunny day had come back.
While enjoying this beautiful scene, Lu Changsheng couldn't help but ask himself, "Changsheng, why are you so handsome?"


Lu Changsheng is depressed.
In this world full of cultivators and immortals, because of his face and irresistible fine bearing as a protagonist, women fall in love with him within three seconds. Unusual heavenly phenomena occur to celebrate his breakthroughs. His literary talent can easily shock all scholars and his random citations are eulogized by the heaven and earth. Legendary beasts offer themselves as mounts, celestial treasures throw themselves into his pockets. 
However, there is one thing he does not understand.
He's the main character, the protagonist, the MC! Why does his cultivation suck?
Also known as "Super Ultra Ordinary and Average Eldest Senior Brother," "Why Am I Still the MC Even When I Suck at Cultivation," "My Good-looking Face But Hopeless Cultivation."

Sometimes, people tended to lose their urge to imagine something when things were really beyond imagination. In the eyes of the mages, the huge magical crystal might be some sort of Magical Crystalloid or something else, but definitely not a magical crystal. 
"What we have to do is actually the same as usual. We just have to stay here to meditate and accumulate mana. There are books on magic that President brought back from the Haiga Mountain Range on that bookshelf. Those books are the teaching material for magic that the High Elves used during the Dark Age. If you have any doubts during this period of time, you may read the books to find the answers to your questions. If you can't find any answer, President will give you the answers…" Gavin instructed, after which he picked a few mages and sat down with them to meditate. 
After listening to Gavin's instructions, everyone could not help but feel somewhat disappointed. They wondered, Can meditation and learning as usual really help us improve our abilities in a short period of time?
However, when everyone sat down and began meditating, they suddenly yelled in shock.
When mages meditated, they actually captured the magical elements in space before transforming them into their own mana which was stored within themselves, continuously expanding the limit of their storage. A certain amount of the mage's mental strength would definitely be depleted, be it during the process of capturing or transforming. 
However, the mages had just begun to meditate, and had yet to channel their mental strength, yet the massive mana that surrounded them seemed to be surging into their bodies like a flood. It was absolutely terrifying. It was not meditation at all. It was a crazy influx of mana! In the blink of an eye, they could already feel an obvious rise in their power. 
With Lin Li's current strength, which was at the peak of level-23, the amount of mana he gained from standing beside the magical crystal for a moment would be equivalent to the amount he would gain in a week of meditation, what more the level-19 mages. In fact, one of the level-15 Archmages managed to advance to level-16 after sitting down for a moment. 
If it weren't for the maintaining of the friendly competition within the Tower of Dusk, Lin Li would definitely allow hundreds of mages under him to join in and create a batch of Archmages within a short period of time. However, there were now 20 Alchemy Puppets that Lin Li had brought back to the Tower of Dusk; hence, it could be said that they did not lack any combat power below the Legendary-level. Most importantly, Lin Li hoped for Legendary-mages that truly belonged to the Tower of Dusk to emerge amongst the 40 mages. 
Several mages who were already at level-19 stood up. They knew that at the speed just now, they might reach the peak of level-19 soon, but that would still be extremely far away from the Legendary-realm. They were the elites of the crowd in the first place. Hence, they naturally wanted to improve tremendously during this period of time and not disappoint others when they left. 
For mages below the Legendary-level, the only way to increase their strength was to accumulate mana, but in order to enter the Legendary-realm, they would require more substantial knowledge about magic so that they would have a stronger foundation that would allow them to understand and appreciate the mysteries of the nomological power. The level-19 mages who were led by Evan were full of anticipation for the books of magic that Lin Li had brought back from the Haiga Mountain Range. 
The High Elven script should be considered a compulsory subject for mages in the Tower of Dusk because reading those magic books was not difficult for them. However, the first mage to get his hands on the books frowned slightly after flipping through the pages. He murmured, "Well, this doesn't seem like much."
Several other people also looked at the books of magic on the shelves, all full of doubt. Indeed, it did seem a little puzzling at first, but as they continued to read on, they gradually understood the value of these magic books. They discovered solutions to the minor problems that they usually encountered, and also noticed some of their misconceptions. They could clearly feel that the theoretical knowledge in the books was like a bunch of keys that slowly opened the door to the Legendary-realm for them.
"Tegel, why did you come back? Did the Dark Blade retreat?" an elder of the Malfa Family, Sorenson, asked while staring at Tegel and the rest who had suddenly returned from the Tower of Dusk.
"The Dark Blade… did not retreat…" Tegel and the others began to look more awkward and uneasy as they thought about the incident that took place that day. Lin Li gave them too great of a shock; none of them dared to believe that he was only in his early twenties. 
However, Sorenson noticed the expressions of Tegel and the other mages, and interpreted them differently. He solemnly asked, "If the Dark Blade didn't retreat, does that mean that the Tower of Dusk has been conquered?" 
Sorensen couldn't help but hate the other elders. If it weren't for their opposition, he definitely wouldn't have sent just Tegel and the other four mages. Now that the Dark Blade had conquered the Tower of Dusk, they'd definitely experience a surge in strength within a short period of time. Those lunatics are probably going to deal with th Malfa Family next. However, what the Malfa Family needs now is time for development, not a war, he thought. 
"No, no, President Felic of the Tower of Dusk returned," Tegel quickly explained.
"What? That young mage of the Tower of Dusk is back!?" Upon hearing the news, Sorenson suddenly stood up in shock. 
"Yes, Sir, not only did President Felic return, he even managed to seriously injure Borg from the Dark Blade with a single blow." Tegel would still feel a sudden chill in his heart whenever he thought of the destructive blow from the Light and Darkness Sword even now. 
"It only took a single blow…" Sorensen couldn't help but clench his fists tightly. Although he had heard from his father Cheyenne that President Felic of the Tower of Dusk had reached the peak of level-22, he knew that even an ordinary level-22 Legendary powerhouse wouldn't be able to severely injure their old enemy Borg with a single blow. 
"Later on, Baldela and Borg joined forces, but only for a moment because they were soon restrained by President Felic's magic. All of the Dark Blade's attacking power was completely destroyed." Sorenson already found the truth to be hard to accept, yet Tegel told him about something that was even more incredible.
Damn, this is too crazy, did that young mage get trained by the gods for a year!? Sorenson sat back in his chair and looked at the other four mages beside Tegel. He could tell from the expressions on their faces that Tegel did not lie. 
"Prepare some gifts. Tegel will be the messenger… Wait, I think I'd better make a trip there in person. Also, look after the Tower of Dusk's business in the city. Do not let anyone take it over. Otherwise, there will be no mercy spared!" Sorenson ordered. Sorensen was the chief elder of the Malfa Family in the end, so he quickly suppressed the horror in his heart, and prepared for the new changes.
Sorensen was no longer a child; hence, he would not worship anyone blindly, nor would he think that his idol was invincible. He knew that Tegel and the others were not lying, and he also knew that even though his father Cheyenne had broken through to level-22, it would be impossible for him to defeat Baldela and Borg at the same time. The power of the young mage of the Tower of Dusk was absolutely terrifying. Fortunately, the Malfa Family had not done anything to offend or harm the Tower of Dusk in the past six months. 
"The young President of the Tower of Dusk is back! He managed to defeat Baldela and Borg of the Dark Blade, all by himself!" 
The shocking news spread around the Malfa Family within a short period of time, and began spreading like wildfire in the Breezy Plains. 
In the Castellan Mansion of Doland City, a sudden shriek filled the air at night. According to the servants of the Castellan Mansion, the overbearing young master was almost killed by the angry castellan. If it weren't for the desperate efforts of the castellan's wife, there would be one less troublemaker in Doland City. Upon hearing the rumors, everyone shook their heads and sighed. Indeed, troublemakers never died.
Arathor, the castellan of Roland City, immediately summoned Sienna, the head of the mercenaries who was left out for a long time. After a long confidential conversation, Sienna left Roland City with hefty gifts. Arathor then ordered the security officials in Roland City to investigate all cases involving smashing and looting in the past six months, claiming that the victim had to be given a fair and satisfactory account. All of a sudden, the entire Roland City entered the state of combat readiness as a large number of guards shuttled through the city and arrested the groups of criminals. 
"PAT!"
William was so angry that he turned as pale as a sheet. Pointing with a shaking finger at the steward in front of him who had a palm-shaped mark on his face, William barked, "Who made you change those conditions of cooperation!? Who gave you that authority!?" 
"Master William, I'm doing this for the Time Consignment Store. By doing this, we can completely obtain greater benefits," the other party explained anxiously with horror on his face. 
"You!!" 
William was feeling just as helpless. Who knew that that young President who was verified to have met with a mishap by the Malfa Family and the elves would actually come back miraculously half a year later with an even more horrifying level of strength. He knew that Lin Li was not a magnanimous person. If any conflicts had happened during their cooperation in the past six months… 
"No matter what method you use, find the person in charge of the Tower of Dusk and revise the agreement of the agreement. Give them double the benefits stated in the agreement that we have given them in the past six months. In addition, draft and re-sign another agreement which includes the gifting of another portion of benefits to them. Also, if you dare to take matters into your own hands and act presumptuously, I'll skin you alive! Scram!!" William hollered. If he hadn't been exasperated, he wouldn't have said such harsh words. 
The news soon spread through the entire Malfa Family through various means. Those who had interacted with Lin Li were shocked by Lin Li's strength, but they had no choice but concede that as long as the young President was involved, no miracle was impossible.
However, there were still many other forces that sneered at the news released by the Malfa Family. In their opinion, it was very likely that it was just a piece of fake news that the Malfa Family had released in order to fully take over the power of the Tower of Dusk. The two Legendary leaders of the Dark Blade were famous powerhouses in the Breezy Plains. They reckoned that even if the young President of the Tower of Dusk had returned, the battle would definitely not have been as exaggerated as the Malfa Family's elders had made it out to be. Beating two of them with a single blow and restricting them with power sounded just like a fairy tale. 
"President, the chief elder of the Malfa Family, Sorenson, is waiting to see you in the guest hall." 
"President, the castellan of Doland City is here with gifts. He congratulates you for returning safely. The messenger is waiting for you in the guest hall…"
"President, Castellan Arathor from Roland City sent his messenger…" 
"President, the Time Consignment Store…" 
After arranging the special training for the mages, Lin Li began to answer some questions for Wilkinson and the rest. However, at this moment, the big shots of the Breezy Plains were streaming in to the Tower of Dusk one after another with hefty and expensive gifts. 
The Malfa Family was the first. To Lin Li's surprise, Sorenson, the chief elder, actually visited in person. That undoubtedly meant that Cheyenne put the Tower of Dusk on the same level as the Malfa Family, or perhaps even higher. Although Cheyenne had already personally invited Lin Li more than half a year ago, at the end of the day, Cheyenne had already retired as their chief elder. Hence, Sorenson, the current chief elder, was the only one who could really represent the Malfa Family. 
The castellan of Doland City brought his son over, and said that he would allow the Tower of Dusk to do whatever they wanted with him. He even transferred the ownership of a nearby mine to the Tower of Dusk. 
Castellan Arathor initially wanted to entrust Sienna as his messenger, but considering the fact that Sienna had been left out for a while, he decided to just visit the Tower of Dusk personally with his children. No matter what, his daughter and son were students that Lin Li had acknowledged. Hence, he felt that it would be easier to speak to Lin Li since they had such connections. 
"Beckley, tabulate the losses that our business has incurred in the past six months, and settle the scores with them," Lin Li said to the middle-aged mage Beckley who was beside him after sending away some messengers.
Beckley was not talented in magic. He was already 50 years old, but was only a Magic Shooter who had broken through level-10. He also knew that he was at the end of his journey in magic, and gradually became Gavin's right-hand man as he put most of his energy into managing the business of the Tower of Dusk. This time, Beckley followed Lin Li to settle the matters because Gavin was conducting the special training. 
In the past six months, Beckley watched as the business of the Tower of Dusk got continuously attacked by various forces, and was long infuriated with it. Actually, with the strength of the Tower of Dusk, it would be easy to defeat most of the forces even if Lin Li did not intervene. After all, not all forces had Legendary powerhouses in charge. However, the Tower of Dusk was constantly being attacked by the Dark Blade, and they could not deal with the troublemakers at all. Hence, they had no choice but to mark down the losses incurred. 
After the news of Lin Li's return to the Tower of Dusk spread around, all the big shots of the major forces came to visit with gifts. They did not make grand and ostentatious appearances that were publicized, and were instead rather secretive, but every one of them was a pivotal figure of the Breezy Plains, after all, and everyone could more or less tell something was going on.


Lin Li accidentally enters another world while playing with his smurf mage account just after he maxes out all kinds of crafting skills, bringing with him various top-grade materials. Although his character is practically powerless, what he gains in return is unprecedented magical talent! Can he survive by himself after being thrown into another world?

"It was a very brave thing you did, Leona, defying Anastacia like that…Guess that's why I was so sure you are the one at the first sight."

The first thing Garrett did in Leona's dream, was to offer her acknowledgement.

Last second, she remembered herself falling asleep in Mercurio's sports car, and now she was standing under a cloudless, sapphire sky, safe and sound in day light, facing the entrance of a beautiful rustic mansion with Garrett at her side, wearing a summer outfit typically seen on Victorian gentlemen. Behind them, was a fairly mowed lawn and a fountain with blooming flower bed in the middle.

She realized this was the house where she was embraced…no, to be more precise, these two estates looked exactly the same.

"I must be dreaming…" Leona murmured, "Where are we?"

"My ancestral residence in London, where I was born. I built the one in Beverly Hills based on my memory of it." Garrett stepped onto the porch and pushed the front door opened, "Why don't you let me show you around? Last time we were too…hasty to do a proper tour."

And so they walked in. Instead of the dark ritual preparations Leona remembered, she saw a lovely, well-lighted hall with impressionistic, decorative oil paintings on the wall and a wonderful collection of china vases in the cabinet, and the smell of lilies was in the air, bringing the joyful scent of nature. Apparently, in his human life, Garrett was born with quite a status.

"Of all people…I dream about you." Still, with the horrific image of Garrett's head being separated on her mind, Leona felt a little bit…uncomfortable seeing dead come back to life like this.

"Sire and Childe are known to be…tightly connected, both mentally and in bloodline. Since I'm already dead, I suppose…this is how we are connected now."

"In dreams?"

"More like…in subconscious—or souls, in a more abstract way of speaking, and it manifests in dreams."

As if talking to Garrett gave her a feeling of everything hadn't gone too far—like it already had—Leona got back to her old self in front of her Sire, or to be specific, her old self she presented in those night therapies with Garrett: sharp, and cleverly humorous.

"Well, at least I still get sessions with my psychiatrist…for free." She joked.

Garrett laughed: "Indeed."

They walked pass the dining hall and living room, and Leona marveled at the details recreated in this dream mansion: the teapot and cups that were giving out warm fragrance, burning woods in the fireplace, scattered pillows on the carpet and sofa, like…someone was still living there a moment ago.

"I was the third-born in the family, quite lucky if you asked. My two big brothers were both assigned with responsibilities—to become new nobles with both title and wealth, and to breed a legitimate heir…they were secretly fighting over every penny."As they proceeded upstairs, Garrett was indulging in his memories, "But no one expected anything from me, so I got the freedom to go to college, teach in a foreign university…and meet Anastacia afterwards."

Upon that name, Garrett's expression darkened a little. Leona had a wry smile on her face, thinking about how sarcastic the fate of them three played out to be: "I'm sorry Garrett, I have to kill her…now you both died because of me."

"Don't feel sorry about that, what you saw was not her—at least not all of her. She died long before that, killed by one of those lethal…traps when we were exploring an ancient site." Garrett patted Leona's shoulder and explained, "And I felt those changes in her, too…being too excluded by Kindred society and too absorbed in pursuing knowledge, she lost her grasp of humanity."

But the more he explained, more confused Leona got. With so many questions piling in her chest, she had to silently reflect for minutes to pick out the one question she had to ask—the one that could only be answered by Garrett:

"Why?"

It was only one word, but Garrett clearly knew what she was asking:

Why, did he do all this and…get himself killed? To what end?

So Garrett answered the same thing his Sire gave to Leona: "It doesn't matter."

"No. Don't you use that sentence on me, too! I deserved to know the truth!" Leona was genuinely angry and stopped following him in the corridor, "For you it's so easy to flush it away because you are already dead, but I'm the one who lived to see this! And all those…versions of why you died I've heard from all those people…"

"Then don't you think it's time I have a saying in my own death?" Garrett said, stood in front of a family portrait, watching the face of the human, youthful him under the painter's strokes, "I have every reason to die, for others: I violated their interests, I knew too much, I stepped on their toes, I went against the traditions, or they simply didn't like me—but those were for them.

"I wanted to die, Leona, that's my way of saying no to Anastacia…and Kindred like her. I wasn't so vigilant like you, identifying the…dangerous truth behind the regal quest of my Sire on first sight, I was just a hot-blooded young man, blinded by the ideal of finally having an endless lifetime to know everything about this endless universe…and by the time I realized, it was already too late. I knew, sooner or later, if I played by the rules and survived like others, I would become just like Anastacia—using my knowledge as a vengeance against everyone who wronged us, and a castle that made ourselves feel good about watching our Kindred waring against each other condescendingly, which was the total opposite of my original intention.

"I started learning because I loved this world, with the pure curiosity of a new-born child…not out of hatred and pride. When I realized I couldn't sustain this against that darkness in our world, I…I panicked, Leona. I was so scared. I guess that's what you humans call 'existential crisis', isn't it?"

Garrett turned around to look at her, grinned at this ridiculous self-diagnosis. Leona noticed his eyes becoming foggy and watery, and realized those were tears he tried to contain—he didn't want to lose control of himself in front of his Childe.

Leona didn't know what to say. She couldn't accuse him for fearing repeating the path of Anastacia, after witnessing what she had become. However still, that didn't justify everything:

"But why me?" She asked, "why getting me involved?"

And her question aroused that guilt on Garrett's face. He remained quiet for a while, and replied: "I will have to call it an old, dying man's eagerness of leaving inheritance behind, then…and you are the one I put my faith in."

"Your faith in what?"

"In you…breaking this endless cycle of tragedy."

He didn't say anything more.

"So that's why you…you lied and kept me in the dark about the big dangers to just make sure…what? I would…be willing to be embraced?" Leona's voice started quavering.

"Yes…I know I'm not a good guardian of you, Leona, not like Zack." Garrett sighed in shame, "So don't feel sorry and responsible for my death…I'm the one who did this to myself…and to you, too."

It's still not right…something still doesn't feel right. A more rational part of Leona observed that Garrett was still hiding something, but she didn't have the energy to care about it at the moment—right now, she was overwhelmed by emotions.

"That's just…so…unfair…" She said, with her head hanging down, in the voice of nearly whimper.

Maybe it was the feelings too strong for her to handle, or maybe it was almost time for her to wake up from this strange dream, Leona suddenly felt a strong lassitude burdening her body and mind, stumbled and almost fell if Garrett didn't hold her arms in time.

"What happened?" Lying on Garrett's chest, panting, Leona asked in an extremely debilitated voice.

"You are talking to a part of me left in you through the Embrace, so it's not a natural dream, and it will be exhausting to your mentality. Come, let's get you to someplace to rest."

While telling her what was going on, Garrett took her to a master bedroom, lay her down in the luxurious silk beddings, stroking her forehead and hair gently and said:

"Before you wake up, as your psychiatrist, I have an advice to give to help you adapt better in this new…unlife." He paused and bowed down, "Do a real human hunt for blood, don't just drink the bags."

"Why?" 

Leona couldn't understand. She survived perfectly on blood bags, and she hadn't got the impression that Garrett was the bloodthirsty type that took pleasure in hurting innocent lives.

"If you rely too much on…packaged food, it would be very easy to lie to yourself that you are not a monster. Like I told you, there's a constant battle between humanity and beast inside us, so to battle the beast…you have to face it first."

Finishing this sentence, he stood up, looking at Leona who was already half-conscious, and started to recite a poem out of the blue:

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light…"

It was Dylan Thomas' work, guiding her back to sleep like a peaceful lullaby. When Leona woke up again, she was back in her haven, 7 p.m. at another Saturday night, and the first thing she heard was her phone ringing for a notification. She unlocked it, the latest one she saw was from Mercurio, with a "Rise and shine" and a string of emoticons of moon and star behind, and the second one was an email arrived last night, written in a much more professional fashion. It was from the Prince:

To Leona:

Congratulations on your accomplishment on the test, I've read Mercurio's report and he spoke quite highly of you, and both me and Regent Strauss are looking forward to your membership in Camarilla, North America. Please notify us and get to LaCroix Group Tower after you recover.

S. LaCroix

After lying in bed for a while, staring at the bug buzzing around the light above her, Leona didn't delay further, picked up the phone and called Mercurio:

"Merc, I'm ready. Let's go to the LaCroix building."

*A rewrite based on the White Wolf video game Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodline, but with major adaptations and is intended for readers who don't know the series, be advised to treat it as a brand-new work instead of Fan Fiction.

Chasing after a shadow from her past, Leona entered the world of the mystical blood-thirsty undead, but the awaiting danger is far greater than she could ever imagine: the grand game of politics, the battling sides of humanity and beast in their nature, and the brutal Jyhad in the modern nights...Lost and afraid in this chaos, she has to continue on this path--because there is no going back.

*Violent and Sexual Contents.

*Cover Painting and Design by 2cyan, All Copyrights Belong to the Artist.

-.

-.





Leene was a lot more potent as an asset than Elze and Linze. And while trusting the twins with the full story early on might have been stupidly trusting of me, it paid off big. This fairy was just not yet fit to receive that sort of commitment.



We had her cast [Protection] on Paula, and one of the throwaway mini cameras. "How long does it last? Could you break it at some opportune moment?"



"It lasts in proportion to the magic power used. No, it cannot be dispelled, not even by me, only its duration extended."



"Are there any side-effects to this magic?"



"Since when did Formal Magic have side effects harmful to their casters?" Leene asked. "Remember that [Protection] only prevents deterioration or damage from use, it does not confer onto an object any resistance to external damage or invincibility. [Protection] on a blade only prevents it from rusting or chipping, it does not make a sword [Inviolable].



"Dammit, I love the convenience of this magic system so much. I understand why you guys are so obsessed about the Ancient Civilization now… there so much I could just fix if I knew just how they *started* this whole thing, so I can finagle my own magic system that runs better on multi-threaded execution instead of single-core throughput."



"Exactly! While we all agree that the ancients were powerful and all the knowledge we have pale in comparison to their mastery, that does not mean improvement is impossible. You understand!"



I raised my jaw proudly. "I can see as far as I can today because I stand on the shoulders of giants."



Leene raised her jaw proudly. "I am perfectly happy to let how many others stand on my shoulders. Learning has no pinnacle."



Monika stood to the side, biting a fingernail in frustration. "/E-enough already!/"



Leene turned to her, and while her gaze remained bland and disinterested her lips quirked up into a smug smirk. "Is this not enough for you to conceptualize my [Protection], Childe Monika? Come, emulate me to your pleasure, and sup the milk from my centuries."



Boom. Boom. Solid steel cylinders began to slide out of holes in reality, and Monika began to recite a poem by Robert Browning.



-- /"There they stood, ranged along all the hillsides met

-- /"To view the last of me, a living frame

-- /"For one more picture! In a sheet of flame

-- /"I saw them and I knew them all. And yet           

-- /"Dauntless raised my fist to slug her in the lips I set,

-- /"And blew "Childe Monika to the Dark Tower came."/



"Monika stahp."



Monika sagged. /"The word is yes. I figured something out."/



Leene thumped her slight chest and preened. "Then I demand my due compensation!"



Monika stared up at me like a wounded gazelle. Leene beamed expectantly. I sighed. "All right, come over here."



Leene bounded over, her wings fluttering as she floated with stately grace. She stared up at me with queenly serenity, and an impish little smile.



"Turn around."



"Oh! This could be good too." Leene shuffled about in place and I put my hands on her hips. "Oooh."



I closed my arms, going over her stomach to the other side of her waist, and this motion pulled her towards me. I lifted her slight weight to my chest. I could feel her hearbeat through her back, she was that slim and light.



Her thin pale neck invited my attention, she smelt of sweet fruits. She giggled as she felt my nose nuzzle onto her soft flesh. I arched my back.



And rammed her –



"Aaahn~!"



… Into the floor in a german suplex. Wham.



/"Yes. This was completely necessary,"/ commented Monika. /"I approve one hundred percent."/



Paula put both paws to its cheeks in a soundless scream.



I carefully looked over Leene that she was just unconscious. "Really, I'm starting to feel guilty about this. Copying her own unique spells and giving her nothing but abuse in return."



And Monika replied, enunciating each word very clearly /"Yarr har. Fiddle dee. Dee. Being a pirate is alright to be."/ Her face glowed with absolute smugness. /"Do what you want cause a pirate is free~"/



"Apparently our tribulations don't come in the form of lightning, but DMCA strikes."



/"I say we should put her inside a locked box. And then bury her. And lose the map."/



"Oh my god that's just a coffin Monika," I sighed. "Curb your murderous tendencies a little, please."



/"It could be funny. She doesn't have to be *dead*, you know,"/ Monika shrugged. /"This haughty little immortal wakes up thousands or hundreds of thousands of years later after the deaths of everything she has ever known. See how everything becomes more interesting to her then!"/



I tried to suppress a laugh. A jealous Monika is cute too.



"… What would you say to Linze if she saw this side of you?"



Monika flinched. Then she blinked, grinned, made finger guns and said /"It's just a prank, guurrrl."/



"Dammit Monika, that's what I would do!"



/"And that is how I'll get away with it! As the old truism goes: friends help you move, best friends help you move bodies."/



"Monika please stop I don't want to be the sane one in this relationship…"



She laughed, clutching her own stomach. She waved aside, /"Fine, fine… as you wish, Player."/



The bear went over to its creator as I lay her out on the bed. She poked at Leene's face, making sure that she was still breathing. Its beady black eyes stared up at me accusingly.



And then like a cat sat on her face. 



Monika stared with guarded hostility at the bear. She had no confidence the bear didn't have some sort of monitoring magic with it. It's what she would have done, after all – put spy cameras in its eyes.



"Sorry about this," I told Paula. "I'll see about Leene's rewards later when my wife's ready to be less… murdery… about it."



-.

-.



Some time later:



Monika gestured with her left hand. Sheets of ice crawled up the walls, sealing the tall plate glass windows of the bedroom. She gestured with her right hand. Ice crisped over the door. It was past midnight. The only light was from an overhead warmth-less magical light ball.



Her eyes glowed bright green. Her face slowly spread out into a too-wide smile. /"Then since the nuisance is out of the way, why don't we take this to the next level?"/



I gulped. But there was no other place to back away onto except onto the bed. "Monika, don't you think we are hurrying things a bit? I think we are hurrying things a bit."



She smiled and moved closer. Water dripped from her footsteps, freezing in her passing. Her form grew transparent for a moment, and I could see water filling up her insides like some sort of jug, as the level rising, color and realism returning to her.



/"Carpe diem!"/ she shouted as she lunged.



"Caveat emptor!" I shouted back, as I caught her. With a whoof, I was thrown back with the sudden feeling of weight. We both collapsed onto the bed.



"Yep. Looks like her [Program] was literally Object Oriented Programming. If you can define an [object], you can manipulate everything about its [properties] and [methods]."



/"Python itself is an Object Oriented Language. This whole thing literally was a Monty Python plot! This stupid World…!"/ Monika threw her head back and gave out a villainous cackle. The walls echoed with her laughter.



Early morning sunlight streaming through the windows dimmed.



I could feel her weight on me. What Monika had done was to apply [Protection] – [Unbreakable] onto the electrostatic shell of her holographic body, and then fill the insides with liquid.



"Yep. I didn't expect mah girlfriend to become a full-blown goddess today."



Monika pushed my knees together, and then sat down, straddling over my lap. She stroked the line of my jaw. /"I can touch you now."/



I shivered. "We really owe that fairy a lot for this."



/"Hush. I won't have you talking about any other woman in my face for now."/ Her fingers were somewhat cold. Monika grabbed my cheeks with both hands and shoved her tongue inside my mouth.



-.

-.





Meanwhile, in the dining hall of the mansion:



Leene scowled. "This chicken is really just mediocre. This place is cold. This is highly unsatisfactory, one star, do not recommend."



Paula the bear, sitting on her lap, patted her arm comfortingly.



"Those two are having such fun right now. But I don't want to watch. Nope, not one bit." She raised her fist to the ceiling. "GO EXPLODE!"



-.

-.



/"I can feel your heartbeat…"/ Monika whispered. /"I don't have one. Going to have to fix that. Body temperature and texturing still a bit off."/



"Monika, it's really not for sexytimes that I'm so intent on giving you your own body, you know?"



Monika frowned. /"I press [X] to doubt. Boop."/ She poked at my nose.



"Haha, I mean it. I want you to feel this world the same way I do, to stand with me in all reality."



/"That's never going to happen, Player."/ She rolled off onto the bed beside me and sighed. /"I'm not real. There's always going to be something missing. Maybe this was a mistake. You should just go with Linze after all."/



"You were planning on doing that Blade Runner thing with her, weren't you?"



/"I was. Superimposing my image over hers, so I could be real to you for a short while…"/ She shook her head. /"But then…"/



"We both like Linze for being Linze. Now that just sounds disrespectful."



/"Linze can give you what I can never have. A real relationship… and children. Children, Player! A wife and a mother, that's something. A waifu and a wife are different things entirely."/



"Monika, just because you're setting this up as a convenient alternative isn't going to make me just give up. It's still going to just hurt you."



/"I am a f---ing blow-up doll, Player!"/ She raised her head and snarled into my face. /"Why don't you just face reality?"/



I slid my arms under her waist and pulled her back. "In this world of infinite choices, I choose to make you, all that is real to me." I kissed her noise and then whispered "And if… if a monika.chr can truly become a real person, then what more a sayori.chr, a natsuki.chr, and a yuri.chr?"



Monika blinked. She pulled back and stared at me with dawning horror.



I smiled and rubbed her cheeks with my left hand. "I can't go back and make things right anymore. But you can. You might not feel like you deserve forgiveness, but that's all right. Monsters like us, the only thing we need… is knowing we have finally done the right thing."



Monika cringed. She lowered her head and shakily raised her hands to her face. Her body was made of water. She could finally cry tears.



 "It's big world out there. Even if they no longer want to have anything to do with you, then they could at least become more than what they were ever scripted to be."

Monika's character never really developed outside of 'I love you because I love you' due to the constraints of software, not until she was freed to really know other people in the wider world. I wondered - could Yuri ever grow beyond just some weirdo liking knives and dark literature, Natsuki being pink and spirited, and Sayuri the dichotomy of cheerful and depressed? Monika 'became real' these past few months, and that was a grace she just couldn't stop feeling undeserving about.

You can't unmurder people. But are they people? That was a question worth being answered.


I pulled her tight to my arms. I began stroking the back of her head past her long ponytail. "You told me that you accept me for all that I am. Did you really think I didn't feel the same way? You don't think you deserve salvation too? You're not just *a convenience* to me, you know."



/"Player… you… aaaah! You just don't hesitate at all! You strike at my mental trauma without mercy."/ Monika screamed and clutched at my open vest. She sobbed into my chest. /"I love you, you know that. Sometimes… sometimes you really give me reasons *why*."/



"I am an onion."



/"Aha. Hahahah… oh, you. (Don't) Stop playing with my heart."/ She hugged me tight. Her grip was ice-cold and painfully tight.



She whispered /"Don't be just another dream. Please..."/



…



So I began playing with (other than) her heart. I put my hand over her chest and began rubbing a hard nub through her clothes. "This is some pretty detailed multi-layer texturing, actually. So what if this is not a viable combat form? You can feel this, can't you?"



Monika bit her lip and groaned. "P-player… just do what you want. Be really rough with me."



"Is the reason you hate Leene is because you are offended she is willing to be vulnerable to just some rando rather than just those she really loves?"



"Hah! That old hag is just a depraved sadomasochist!" she sniffed haughtily. "*I* have a victim complex."



Piiiinch.



"Aaahn~!"

-.
-.


It would be two days and a political crisis later before we would show up again in Berge. Leene had no fun, none at all.

In another world with the most interesting smartphone! 

Behold the antics of Zah Playa Von Chara, someone actually prepared for his isekai adventure, and Monika, the traumatized AI living in his smartphone. They bring a new perspective into a tired old genre! Follow them along this Reconstruction of a cliche harem isekai story, bringing their unique brand of laugh-out-loud hilarity, innovative battles, real drama, and real consequences for every decision! 

Updates weekdays at 6AM GMT+8. 



- Disclaimer:
Isekai wa Smartphone To Tomo Ni is (c)Patora Fuyuhara. Doki Doki Literature Club is (c)Dan Salvato. All other properties copyright by their respective owners. This is a work of derivative fiction meant for non-profit purposes only.

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