EXP Generator, simply add to your library as a quick and easy way to get experience through rating, comments, replies, daily chapter readings. New chapter will be posted Daily.
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Space flight is a very subjective topic when it comes to comfort.

Some people can calmly take the emptiness of space and enjoy it for the beauty it holds, while others suffer from shock when confronted by the infinite vastness of the cosmos, and how small and insignificant it makes them feel. Truly, an existential dilemma for those with weaker stomachs.

As for myself, I enjoy all the aspects of space flight, with the unique exception of coming out of FTL level speeds. For whatever reason, the transition from the beige color of light speed to an immediate smash-cut to the infinite stars taking up my view makes me want to violently vomit. It is for this reason that I am glad I blacked out after entering the blind FTL jump, because it meant I could avoid having to consciously witness coming out of it.

Waking up in the cockpit, I immediately noticed that my back had hurt immensely, and this probably stemmed from the fact that I had somehow transitioned from my command chair onto the solid floor. Fortunately, I had placed a gauche yet functional shag carpet at the base of command chair (I sometimes didn't wear shoes, so it was for comfort), so at least I was splayed out on the floor in relative comfort.

Slowly picking myself off the floor, I viewed the grey walls of the cockpit and noticed that there was a lack of light in the command room save for the emergency lights that had energy supplied from a separate power generator I kept beneath the frame of the ship, right beneath my quarters, which fortunately I was smart enough to also routed to power the emergency oxygen circulator and reserves. This probably meant that I had lost a large amount of power exiting FTL, or that the main generator was fried. 

The problem was the gravity. If the main generator was off, then I should not be on the floor. The backup generator I had set up only supplied power to comms, oxygen, emergency lights, and my personal workstation computer in case I needed to create and send more sophisticated messages over the comms. I had to get to the bottom of this, and quickly.

"Alfred!" I called out expecting no reply. Sure enough, no sound came out of the ships speakers, and tilting my head over to his monitor I noticed that his personal screen was powered down and emitting no lights in response to my query. 

This was to be expected of course, Alfred was tied to the main generator. Fortunately, Alfred was loaded onto an internal drive that could be removed (with some effort) and could be hooked up to my personal workstation. Since he tends to autosave himself every minute or so to his drive, he should be able to recount what happened after I blacked out.

Heading over to his monitor, I look below screen to see his external shielding panel. Opening the panel, I see his external drive which I had helpfully labelled "Alfred" using duct tape, which I then proceed to pull out of the wall rather forcefully. Satisfied with the removal of the drive, I turn around and head towards the main hallway to head towards my room to plug in Alfred, when I stop dead in my tracks.

Looking all the way towards the back of the Argo's cargo bay, right where the bay doors should be, I see a large mound of dirt that should not have been there, next to "Seizer" that had somehow broken through the restraining harness and was now splayed on the ground in a similar pose to how I woke up.

If I was a betting man, I would say that I had somehow crashed, and judging from the small granular texture the dirt seemed to have from the distance I was looking at it from, it looked like it was dirt from planet side, not from an asteroid or like object.

This dirt was not a random pile that came out of nowhere. No, looking at where the dirt connected to the hull of the ship, the metal looked like it had been sheared off, and the dirt had been there to fill in where the cargo bay doors were, like a cave in. I could not see if the dirt was covering perhaps broken off sections of the ship, but the cleanness of the tear of the metal gave me a bad feeling in my stomach, as though I would not find the missing end of the ship.

The back end of my ship had literally been broken or torn off. 

I had no back end of my ship. 

"Well shit" I say to myself, knowing that this was perhaps the worst possible outcome from a blind jump, barring death of course. 

The portions that were either missing or being obscured by the dirt was where the main generator, rear lift thrusters (for lifting the ship off planets), and exterior FTL thrusters for entering FTL speeds were located. If I could not find the generator or other parts under that mound of dirt or nearby, then I could not power the rest of my ship, exit into orbit, or enter FTL speeds if I did go to orbit. I was grounded.

I had to plug in Alfred to find out what had happened.

Taking a sharp right into my personal quarters, I head over to my personal work station which housed a tower desktop with a lovely high definition monitor on top with a standard keyboard attached below that also had an external drive reader installed by to the tower connected by a cable that was a bit too long. This drive reader was installed on the off chance that I had to take Alfred out of the main system which doesn't happen that often (he gets suspicious I am trying to deactivate him permanently), but space malware can be tricky sometimes and infect entire ships through comm channels alone when I search the web through my personal computer in my room.

What can I say? I always get curious on how I can lose 20 pounds in a single day. 

At any rate, I boot up the computer and wait the agonizing 5 seconds it takes to get to the desktop (so slow, I need a new computer soon), and plug Alfred in to my external reader. A few seconds later, the monitor dims from the myriad icons and desktop wallpaper to a black screen, followed by the words "Alfred" being displayed in the center of the screen in Arial font.

Arial is how I know a serious discussion is about to occur.

Looking below the monitor, I grab the keyboard and begin to type to Alfred since my personal computer does not have input speakers. Fortunately, the monitor itself houses normal speakers, so I will be able to hear Alfred's responses when he speaks.

"Alfred, are you okay?"

As I finish typing my query, Alfred surprisingly takes some time to respond, leaving me to agonize and ponder about what he could possibly say. After a full minute, I get my response.

"I AM ALRIGHT, I ASSUME I AM CONNECTED TO YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER?"

"Correct."

A few more seconds.

"I AM GOING TO TAKE A GUESS HERE AND ASSUMED WE CRASHED."

I was quite impressed he was able to guess it so quickly, even though I really shouldn't have been. Alfred was basically a super computer, so he should have been able to guess this in a few attempts. Not that I would give him the satisfaction of being right so easily.

"Well no shit we crashed! There is dirt all over my cargo dock, the main generator is either buried or missing, and the FTL thrusters as well. Give me the details and log information about the crash, I happened to black out and remember nothing after the jump initiated".

Another pause from Alfred. I wonder if the computer is actively delaying his response time, it is not as strong of a processor as the ships main system after all.

"UNDERSTOOD, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT YOU AFTER THE JUMP AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE, SO BEING INCAPACITATED MAKES LOGICAL SENSE. BEFORE WE JUMPED, WE WERE FIRED UPON BY AN ENEMY BATTLESHIP…"

"I remember that part."

"…AND THEN WE TRAVELLED FOR 28 MINUTES AFTER THE JUMP. THE LASER FIRED ON THE ARGO FRIED THE EXTERNAL SENSORS AND COMMUNICATION DEVICES, AND I WAS UNABLE TO SEND A REQUEST TO THE PRIMARY ENGINE BECAUSE OF THIS TO EXIT FTL TRAVEL. WE ESSENTIALLY KEPT GOING UNTIL THE FTL DRIVE BURNED OUT."

Earlier when I was thinking that it was bad that I didn't have a main generator, this somehow made it worse. 28 minutes of FTL travel could potentially be half way across the galaxy from where we originally started (It is widely recognized to take an hour of FTL travel to go straight from the opposite side of the galaxy to the other, though you would most likely hit something and die along the way) and seeing as how the laser fried our systems in some way, I could not even guarantee that our travel was even in a straight line. 

So, I had the possibility of being anywhere in the galaxy, literally.

"WHEN FTL TRAVEL CEASED THE SHIP CONTINUED FOR ONE MINUTE BEFORE MY LAST AUTO-SAVE, SO I BELIEVE SHORTLY AFTER THAT WAS WHEN I WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE ENGINE."

"Were you able to track where our flight took us?"

"NO."

"Any indication of potential things that may have knocked off or disabled the engines before you were taken offline, such as a planet or space debris?"

"NOT BEFORE THE AUTO-SAVE WAS RECORDED."

Now it was my turn to pause a bit before sending a new question to Alfred. The ship is crashed on an unknown object that has granular dirt, so most likely a planet. While I do not have all the (or any really) information about the crash, I am going to assume that the generator and thrusters are either covered by the dirt or broke off and are far away or broken without repair. Fortunately, the dirt seems to have sealed the ship shut, so I have not lost any circulating oxygen and can still breathe. Or, perhaps by some miracle, I have landed on a planet that has an oxygen rich atmosphere, which is incredibly rare, but not impossible. 

There was only one way to find out for sure, and that was to dig through the dirt.

"Alfred, any thoughts on digging through the dirt to potentially find the generator?"

"IT IS AN IDEA, JUST MAKE SURE TO WHERE A SPACE SUIT IN CASE YOU BREAK THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE AND IT IS HARMFUL TO YOU. ALSO, SEAL AND PRESSURIZE THE ROOMS OF THE SHIP SO THE OXYGEN DOES NOT BLEED OUT SHOULD YOU BREACH THE SURFACE."

"Solid plan so far, any other suggestions?"

"RUN A CABLE FROM THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR TO THE MATTER RECYCLER. WHILE IT MAY PUT A STRAIN ON THE GENARATOR OUTPUT, BY DOING THIS YOU CAN STOCKPILE THE DIRT YOU ARE DIGGING UP BY DUMPING IT INTO THE RECYCLER TO LEARN OF ITS COMPOSITION, AND PERHAPS USE IT LATER TO CREATE OTHER SUPPLIES THAT YOU MIGHT NEED."

I didn't even think of that. While it may take a little more effort to go back and forth from the dirt pile to the recycler, it would save me time if I for some reason needed to move the dirt out of my way again in the future. Besides, I would prefer not having useless dirt taking up space in my now half a hangar.

With a temporary plan in mind, I prepare myself to open the floor and get ready to run that cable.

And grab a shovel.

Update- September 2019

Due to long and arduous health issues preventing the writing of this story for many months causing me to lose interest and admittedly the initial plot of the story, it is officially on indefinite hiatus, and is mostly here for archival purposes.

Thank you for those who kept the story in their library the whole time, I apologize for the broken promises, but hope to see some people again for a new story.

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

Jacob Mercer is not a hero. 

A household name in the Milky Way Galaxy, Jacob, also referred to as Jak "the Bandit", was commonly known for his various thefts, heists and smuggling runs throughout the galaxy, with the enormous bounty on his head confirming his skill.

However, even the most skilled and lucky can have a bad day. 

After receiving false intel leading to his near capture by the Galactic Police Force, Jacob decides to take a blind FTL  jump in his spaceship into the unexplored reaches of the galaxy in an attempt to escape capture.
 
Waking up after the jump an indeterminate amount of time later, Jacob finds that his ship has crash landed on an unknown planet lacking in technology but filled with magic. 

Follow Jacob as he investigates this new planet with what remains of his spaceship the Argo, the ship's quirky rogue AI named Alfred and his personal heavy tonnage combat mech, the Julius class assault mech "SEIZER". 

Will Jacob find his way home, or will he pillage the planet and take the plunder for himself?

The void, a dark and silent existence where time seems minuscule. Many stars can be seen within the void, at least that's what they appear to be when viewed from afar. In reality every single star is a soul, and the void which holds them is known as Limbo.

One particular day, a flash was suddenly seen within the void, when the light receded all that was visible was yet another soul, added to the seemingly infinite amount already in sight.

"Wh.. What? Everything is so dark, am I blind? I can't feel my body either *sigh*, I must be dead right? The last thing I remember was that curved dagger piercing into my heart."

*DING* "That is correct"

Hmm? What was that, I swear I heard something just then, "Hello? Can anyone hear me? Who is out there?!" I try with all my might to shout, forgetting for a moment that I don't even really have a mouth to speak.

*DING* "Affirmative, you can be heard simply by thinking, and I am the Demonic System, a gift granted by Lord ******* to his successor."

Lord who? I couldn't quite catch that, but what? A system?! How could such a cliche setting possibly exist, I don't even remember encountering Truck-Kun, this can't be real...

"Hey... system, if you are actually real and not a figment of my imagination, born from my distress at the situation that I'm in, then I guess you could do something like show me my status right?"

*DING* "Showing Status to Host"

- Name: Unknown
- Race: Unknown (Soul Form)
- Age: 109 Seconds
- Level 0
- Strength (STR): 0
- Endurance (END): 0 - Health (HP): 0
- Agility (AGI): 0
- Intelligence (INT): 10 - Mana (MP): 100
- Wisdom (WIS): 10 - MP Regen: 1
- System Points (SP): 0

Okay... First of all it's weird to see a floating screen in my head, if I even have a head, but secondly what the hell is with these figures? "System is there a mistake? How could I have no name or race, and what's with my age, I could've sworn I was... wait how old was I? System could you explain these stats to me?"

*DING* "Host currently is in a state of non existence, almost all souls go to Limbo before being wiped and broken down to create new souls for newborns, this explains the lack of name and race, as you technically do not exist, however you also exist thanks to interference from the System, hence the current situation. Your age is relative as if you check your status again you could be over 1000 years old, there is no concept of time within the void and hence it is impossible to calculate correctly, at least for now. 

Concerning your physical traits, they are non existent as you are only a consciousness, but Strength affects your physical strength, for example how hard you can hit and how high you can jump. Endurance is your bodies capability to take a hit, as well as minor things such as weather resistance and disease immunity, your HP is calculated using ENDx10, however do note that being decapitated will kill you instantly no matter how much HP you have. Agility involves how well you can move your body, as well as reaction times and your dexterity, trained to high enough levels it also gives you a certain level of 'Instinct' to avoid unseen attacks or detect killing intent.

Intelligence includes your cognitive thinking skills, as well as memory, it also affects how well you can manipulate Mana, as well as determines your maximum MP using the formula INTx10. Wisdom shows your general knowledge as well your ability to think outside of the box and how quickly you can recover your MP using the formula WIS/10 every minute, currently you recover 1MP per minute. Finally the system points are granted by me depending on actions you take, and can be used in various situations."

Haaah, this is too much info to take in at the moment, I guess I'm gonna be here for a while... "Hey System, do you have a name? It gets tiring calling out System all the time."

*DING* "My previous host gave me the name Ezra, but host is free to choose another to his liking"

Ezra huh, it's a pretty nice name so I guess i'll keep it. "So Ezra, what functions do you have and what's your purpose? also I don't suppose you have a way to get us out of this situation do you?"

*DING* "My functions include Status, Shop, Inventory, Quest, more will become available as host becomes stronger, the purpose of the Demonic System is to create a being capable of succeeding the position of Lord *******, and I suggest host looks in the Inventory and checks out the current Quests."

Okay, so how do I access these? Hmm, "Inventory."

*DING* "Showing Inventory"
- Random points generator (basic - grants anywhere from 1-100 SP)

"And now Quests."

*DING* "Showing Quests"
Main Quests:
1. Escape the void. (Reward 1000 system points, +1 Level)
Sub Quests:
1. Use the shop. (Reward 100 system points)
2. Absorb some Mana. (Reward 100 system points, 1 Random spell)

*DING* "I suggest using the random points generator to begin getting out of this current situation"

Okay, let's do this, "Use the random points generator then access the shop"

*DING* Random Points Generator (Basic) + 45 SP
*DING* Side Quest complete, + 100 SP
*DING* Shop Opened, Categories available, ITEMS, SKILLS, MISC

"So I have 145 SP now, Ezra what's the best option to escape the void using what I have?"

*DING* "I suggest host to buy the MISC option of 'Random Teleport' for 100 SP, but before you do so, you must acquire a corporeal body, as when exiting the void you will cease to exist without a shell for your soul."

"Okay then, show me all bodies I can buy for 45 SP as well as their costs."

*DING*
- Minor Ghost (45 SP)
- Minor Wisp (30 SP)
- Poison Fly (15 SP)
- Fly (5 SP)

"I don't really want to be a fly and wisps I always thought were just balls of light... so I guess ghost it is, Ezra, purchase the 'Minor Ghost' body and the 'Random Teleport', it's time to get out of here.

*DING* "Confirmed, gathering nearby Death Energy and forming a shell to hold your soul... process complete, Minor Ghost body formed, initiating Random Teleport in 5..4..3..2....Teleport complete, scanning new environment... Data gathered." 

"Welcome host, to the Nether Realm."

"What happens after you die?

This is the age old question which cannot be answered scientifically, no proof exists of any continuation after death, whether it's Heaven, Paradise, Shangri-la, or even reincarnation. 

That is until I died. The answers I discovered, the truths I found, was any of it worth it... I don't know, all I know is I lost my everything for those so called answers, and all I got in return was a guide, a so called SYSTEM."

Follow the story of our protagonist as he tries to discover his past while also fighting for his new future, how will he cope with being designated as a powerful Lords successor, will he crumble under the pressure or rise to greatness?

—————

Have a kind soul? Well then why don't you buy me some fuel (food) <3

PayPal.me/ckcrazy

*Disclaimer - Cover image is not owned by me, any and all credit goes to the creator of it.

~ Training Room 232, Moments before the Testing ~

Major Eli Amersen entered the room for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, although it had only been just over a hundred. The testing wasn't just intensive for the one being tested but also demanded something of the one performing it. Regardless he put his best smile in place as he greeted the young man within, as while he was likely just one more in a long line of hopeful students he could appreciate how he was feeling. After all, he too had sat where this young man had, once upon a time.

Things proceeded much as they always did, with a simple obscure introduction and the required asking of permission. Technically a student could opt to choose not to be tested, it was a choice after all. Only attendance was mandatory. The Kingdom neither needed nor wanted people running around with the Gift who had been forced into it. Nothing good would come of that.

The young man, Matthew he reminded himself, seemed a little braver than most but didn't seem to stand out in any real way. He was a little short for human standards at his age, with mopey brown hair and those little spots the humans called 'freckles' faintly visible on his face and arms. He wore glasses and had lazy blue eyes. Neither overly handsome nor worse for wear, by his worlds standards Matthew seemed as honest and regular as a boy his age could be.

Confirmation received Eli nodded and proceeded to open the case on the table extracting the small smooth stone within. The stone was a prop, it served no purpose at all except as a mental trigger. The moment the boy focused on the stone Eli had already begun his work.

The boys mind was easily infiltrated by Eli, his own well trained Gift quickly used to isolate that mind from the body it inhabited. The boys heart still beat, his lungs drew air and let it out. Only the conscious part of the mind was affected. Moments passed and when Eli felt the conscious mind of Matthew was stimulated he acted. Eli pressed a sliver of his Gift against the mind he held trapped... and the world seemed to end.

Eli had long had his personal defences ready and the room, seemingly ordinary, was actually supported by a powerful field generator. Even Eli himself would be hard pressed to damage the room unless he put in some actual effort. Yet a Gift as it awoke could be a dangerous thing, like a animal in dark lashing in terror at the new world in which it found itself. Primal.

In nearly every case the defences were easily enough, nearly every kind of Gift awoke a little stronger than at the level it would settle at but not by much. And most of the time the Gift would start small and grow with effort. Matthew proved one of the exceptions.

Eli barely understood what happened, he felt his carefully arranged defences crack like a pane of class. The room filled with a sharp font of light that scorched the ceiling black and a shocking tremor knocked him from his feet even as the walls cracked. The wine of a failed generator stuttered in the background but Eli heard nothing except a sharp tone from bleeding ears. 

He, however, was well trained. The Gift in him rose immediately and he never even hit the floor, hovering instead. Power wrapped around him and washing his ears, his hearing beginning to heal in a rapid fashion. A new barrier of his will wrapped the room with all its strength, sealing it from further harm. And when the light faded the room was revealed.

No table, no chair. A black ceiling, plaster having given way to a heated metal framework. Cracks ran the length of the walls and the reinforced doors had bent outwards. A young man lay in the corner twitching, completely unharmed, barely a ruffle in his clothes.

{"..."}

Even as Eli recovered his footing the young man grudgingly opened his eyes, winced sharply and curled up. A moment later one of the doors was torn away by two Alati who rushed in.

[Alati]: "Eli! What in the... damn~"

The first in was a man similar to Eli, uniform and all but a little taller and wearing a few more years. He paused, shook by the sight of the room. The second figure rushed immediately to the young boy to check his condition. This time a female and the oldest of the three, with an extra stripe on the uniform to indicate seniority. The room had still shocked her, but experience helped her set it aside faster.

[Female Alati]: "He seems well enough, though the side effect of awakening seems particularly severe. I'm going to deepen his rest cycle a little, let him ride out most of it. Otherwise I'm afraid he'd be in an out."

She acted quickly and within moments Matthew seemed to un-clench and relax a little. Only then did she truly take in the room.

[Female Alati]: "I've never seen an awakening this powerful before. The field didn't just fail, it was exterminated. Most of it seemed to be directed upwards.. otherwise..."

As the woman glanced at Eli, he swallowed hard. He knew exactly what would have happened otherwise... he would probably have been killed before he could muster a proper response. All three turned back to the young man, now lying on the floor without a clue.

[Male Alati]: "Guess we can report a new Gifted."

~ Sector 4, Gifted Resting Area, Two Days Later ~

The wristCom call closed and Matthew let out a long breath. Nothing felt real anymore, not the expensive room he was sat in or the call with his parents just now. Everything was had changed.

His Gift wasn't stable yet, like a raw wound he had been instructed to avoid testing and trying anything for the next few days. A basic course would be given onsite purely for gaining some minimal control and everything else would be left until all the Gifted from the world had been gathered. Training would only resume once they were underway... on-board a ship bound for the Alati Home-world.

Matthew was going to be one of the first humans to leave his solar system behind.

{"I can't believe it..."}

{"I STILL can't believe it..."}

Thoughts like that had been cropping up ever since he had woken up only a few hours prior. Remembering the testing left him envying those who would forget it after failing, and yet insanely happy that he hadn't failed. Part of him wanted to roar in joy and the other part was shocked and worried about what his future now held.

He hadn't thought much about what would happen if he did have the Gift. He'd dreamt up stories upon stories about using it... but barely thought anything about next steps.

And then there was the way the Alati looked at him. He didn't remember the state of the room, or anything after he saw the small stone and the strange creeping darkness it brought. Only that at first they acted like he was a wild animal, likely to strike out. Only one of the older female Alati was calm and collected. She told him the next steps his life would take.

He would go to the Alati Home-world for training and schooling. After that many opportunities would present themselves. There was no shortage of work for Gifted, only a shortage of the Gifted themselves.

He also learned a little about those possibilities. The Gift it turned out was far more than just flying round, throwing things and shooting lasers. Much of what was possible depended on what the Gifted in question desired to specialise in. Combat? Research? Ship Navigation? Medical? Options abounded.

[Girl's Voice]: "Excuse me, but you're Matthew right?"

He was pulled from his thoughts by a confident soft voice from behind him. Some part him he couldn't yet describe knew that someone had approached and so he wasn't surprised. Turning round he saw the girl he expected. A little younger than himself by a year or so.

[Matthew]: "Yes?"

[Alice]: "I thought so, since its just us here after-all. My name is Alice Berry, I'm from Brighton, its nice to meet you."

Alice offered him her hand and after a pause he shook it.

[Matthew]: "Matthew Thompson, from up North. And same."

With the arrival of the 21st Century the Earth has begun a spiral of decline. As a rare life bearing world many eyes watch and wait.

Finally Mankind is judged. Deemed unfit in is protection of the world it calls Home. In light of this ruling new masters arrive to claim stewardship.

Years later in the former United Kingdom one such Earthling is about take his first steps to shock the Galaxy. For he will be Gifted.

The palace on the icy plain had stood here for an unknown period of time. However, despite it standing for a long period of time, the palace did not seem old. It was glistening brightly.

As Yi Yun and Lin Xintong moved closer to the palace, the palace’s large door automatically opened. And behind the door, there was a long red jade staircase.

Many of the furnishings here was carved out of jade, and they were really fitting of the phrase jade-like ethereal building.

Yi Yun and Lin Xintong walked up the staircase. And on both sides of the staircase, there were many pillars.

On one of the pillars, Yi Yun saw a line of words; "The Azure Rainbow pierces the Blood Moon, Ice Cold Seals God Abyss".

The font of the words was magnificent and they were written in an unrestrained manner. The stroke of each character was like a floating dragon.

In the words, there seemed to be the breath of gods circulating within them. It was as if a person had written them casually with a sword on a whim.

Below the words, there was a name left behind, "Stunning Rainbow Sword, Azure Yang Lord!"

"Azure Yang Lord?" Yi Yun could not help but subconsciously link the name to the azure-clothed swordsman he had seen in the disk array images.

"What a strong sword intent." Lin Xintong's weapon was a sword too, so when she saw the words, she felt her heart palpitate. However, following that, she frowned slightly, "Could this Blood Moon be the one senior Item Spirit mentioned… ?"

"It should be." Yi Yun also gave a ruminating look.

He did not know if the Blood Moon was an organization or a person.

The Azure Yang Lord, who left the words behind, had clearly fought with Blood Moon before.

However, it was not known if the Azure Yang Lord was the azure-clothed swordsman in the disk array images. The sword-like strokes of the font were familiar to Yi Yun. The azure-clothed swordsman's sword was like his person. They did things on a whim and to their own pleasure and desire.

If the azure-clothed swordsman was the Azure Yang Lord, how did his words appear here? Could it be that back when the ancient Great Empress established the Great Empress mystic realm, the azure-clothed swordsman was involved as well?

Blood Moon… be it a person or an organization, it had existed for a long time… maybe even too long.

Since the Great Empress mystic realm was established, no one knew how many tens of thousands of years had passed. This palace had quietly stood here and it had been empty for most of that time. It was unknown where the people, who had stayed in here in the past, had gone.

However, the Blood Moon had lasted from then all the way to the present. Now, it had once again appeared inside the Great Empress mystic realm.

The mystery and the hidden threat gave Yi Yun an ominous feeling.

Other than that, the words, Seal God Abyss made Yi Yun wonder… 

Could the God Abyss be the God Burial Abyss… ?

Lin Xintong knew about Yi Yun's experience in the past few levels of the God Advent Tower, so she naturally knew about the azure-clothed swordsman. She too was curious.

This palace still looked new despite all these years. And on the pillars, there was a faint energy fluctuation. Clearly, there was some array continuously maintaining this building.

After crossing the extreme frost icy plains and reaching this palace, according to the white-dressed female, this palace should be one of the highly regarded places in the Great Empress mystic realm. Yet, the Azure Yang Lord was able to leave behind his words here...

"Let's go in." Yi Yun said.

The answer to these questions could be inside the palace.

Inside the palace, there was nobody nor were there any sounds. Another door, that had been sealed shut for an unknown number of years, was slowly pushed open by Yi Yun as a cool air rushed out of the palace.

This air brought a feeling of sadness with it, causing Yi Yun and Lin Xintong to become a bit light-headed.

At the same time, there was a special energy fluctuation that was dissipating out from the palace.

Yi Yun had the Purple Crystal and Lin Xintong was a martial arts genius, so the both of them could sense this fluctuation.

Especially Yi Yun. Other than sensing the fluctuation, he could sense that there was a very sharp aura being emitting out of the palace. The aura was hidden in the fluctuations and it was locking onto the two of them.

Yi Yun's immediately raised his alertness.

The Great Empress mystic realm was strange in all manners. Even this palace was not necessarily safe.

Inside the palace, it was empty. As they walked through it, they could clearly hear the slightest sound of breathing.

Yi Yun and Lin Xintong carefully entered the palace's interior and at that moment, they heard a cold voice echo, "Congratulations, cultivator. You have stepped into the fifth level of the God Advent Tower."

Oh?

Fifth level of the God Advent Tower?

Yi Yun was stunned for a while. This was the fifth level of the God Advent Tower? Yi Yun and Lin Xintong exchanged glances as they were both momentarily surprised.

They had heard that cold voice many times before. It was not from the God Advent Tower's Item Spirit, it was the voice produced by an array.

Only when someone stepped in here would the array be triggered. At that moment, the cold voice continued, "The Great Empress vault is here. You have the qualifications to enter the three grand halls. The first hall is… Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Hall!"

Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Hall?

This strange name baffled Yi Yun. And at that moment, Yi Yun and Lin Xintong suddenly felt a transformation change in their surroundings. What was once a quiet and dark grand hall had now become a resplendent and magnificent divine palace.

The light emitted inside the divine palace was extremely blinding. The grand hall was wide and there were coiling dragon pillars erected all around the grand hall. These coiling dragon pillars collectively reached to the roof of the hall. And then, they became a dragon head that bent downwards. In the middle of the dragon head, there was a bow!

Around the bow, there were nine Suns that were extremely dazzling.

The bow's length was extremely exaggerated. On the bow’s tips, there were two carved dragons, and on the back of each dragon, there was a sharp blade. The entire bow gave off a cold metallic luster. Its base color was golden without any impurities. However, there were several blood red patterns that circled the bow.

There were four ancient font words curved on the bow, ‘Sun Shooting Nine Deaths’.

"That is the name of the bow?"

Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Bow!

Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Hall!

The name of the bow was also the name of the grand hall. This was the first grand hall that Yi Yun and Lin Xintong had the qualifications to enter. It seemed like this grand hall was prepared especially for Yi Yun!

Yi Yun knew that the God Advent Tower had intelligence. It prepared different opportunities for everyone.

Sun Shooting Nine Deaths… 

According to legends, in ancient times, there were ten Suns in the sky that scorched the earth, causing no plants to grow. There were droughts and hardships for many years.

An ancient god held a divine bow in hand and shot down nine Suns, leaving behind one. That became the present Sun.

The name of the Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Bow was likely due to this legend.

Yi Yun looked up at the bow. The faint sense of danger that had locked on to him had come from this bow. It was a bow that could make a human feel danger. The blood red patterns on it were like flowing blood, and if one took a second look, they might enter a trance-like state.

Yi Yun had no doubts that if a weaker warrior came here, just seeing the bow would make him lose his way, and he might even die from a blood surge.

"Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Hall. This grand hall is probably an opportunity prepared for me! I wonder what else there is other than the Sun Shooting Nine Deaths Bow?"


With the strongest experts from the 33 Skies the Human Emperor, Lin Ming, and his opponent, the Abyssal Demon King, were embroiled in a final battle. In the end, the Human Emperor destroyed the Abyssal World and killed the Abyssal Demon King. By then, a godly artifact, the mysterious purple card that had previously sealed the Abyssal Demon King, had long since disappeared into the space-time vortex, tunneling through infinite spacetime together with one of Lin Ming’s loved ones.

In the vast wilderness, where martial arts was still slowly growing in its infancy, several peerless masters tried to find their path in the world of martial arts. A young adult named Yi Yun from modern Earth unwittingly stumbles into such a world and begins his journey with a purple card of unknown origin. This is a magnificent yet unknown true martial world! This is the story of a normal young adult and his adventures!!    

Flora hopped through the Cetviwos to complete her daily quests.
The Library-Container worked without a hitch in the Seven Masters Dojo, though the omnipresent Coach Clowdy gave it a raised eyebrow.

When Flora came back, she emptied the Hungry Chest in a regular container. She didn't want to feed her bounty to the Riverstones printer because, in the evening, she would own one. That left her with one container filled with gear, the m-routes and plasma sword parts, two bursting with materials, one empty, and the hungry chest.

After a refreshing nap in the jacuzzi, she did a quick internet search about all the causes a Death Star had exploded in the Star Wars Movies. The first Death Star exploded because of a missile to the engine through a heat exhaust. 
Flora remembered that Jake mentioned problems with the heat management of the engine. Therefore this reason went to the top of her things-to-investigate list. 
Prep before start
Load baby pictures of Robby
Todo During
Blue Elefant scene: Get a job in the engine department
Party scene: Stop Jake from getting drunk
Attack scene: Find out where Jake works
Oh shit scene: Find out why the Doom Moon explodes

"Open the hangars. Here, the H-Fighter comes!" Jake coaxed his daughter by waving a spoon filled with mash.
"The Doom Moon sounds just lovely, Jake. I would be delighted to join you!" Flora exclaimed.
"Haha, I knew I could count on you!"

"I'm the forewoman of your shift, Elma Phen. Touch this crystal, dear."
Permission to transmit following stats to Elma Phen:
Magical regeneration: 26 OV
Mechanics: 25 OV
Electronics: 23 OV
Smithing: 0 OV
'Granted.'
"Nice stats. Have you worked on turrets before?"
"Yes, but I would like to work on the engines."
"Fat chance, Lady. When you do a good job on the turrets, I might advance you, but you are far away from qualifying for the engines."

Quest: Repair Turret S24R91N85 on the Doom Moon
Rewards: Bonus crafting XP, Advancement
Penalty: Degradation
Difficulty: C
After running the diagnosis software, she joined Clyde and Handy with the repair. 
Carefully she looked around for human witnesses, found none, and started to let the parts fly.
"Wow! Auntie, are you an Energymaster?" Clyde asked.
"Yes, but a very low-level one, just enough to know some tricks. No need to publicize it, right dears?"
"Well, as long as no-one with a higher clearance asks, I won't tell. Except, if someone offers me S-rated lube oil, but that goes without saying."
Flora rolled her eyes smiling, but continued working.
Quest: Repair Turret S24R91N85 on the Doom Moon
Rewards: Bonus crafting XP, Advancement to Shields
Difficulty: C
Completion: S

Quest: Repair Shield-Generator S24R38 on the Doom Moon
Rewards: Bonus crafting XP
Penalty: Degradation
Difficulty: B
While the datapad ran the diagnosis, Flora browsed the manual for the shield-generator.
"I know a lot more about engines than magnetic fields! Or force fields or whatever this machine generates. I hope you two are up to the task."
Fortunately, Flora didn't have to know what a machine did to repair it, just to be good at it. 
In this case, something leaked, so the crew replaced it with a piece that didn't leak.
After the final diagnosis, Flora discovered that the pressure was still slightly outside the norm. 
They had to test each part until they found a tube that seemed to be older than the whole moon. The datapad said it worked, but when Flora replaced it, the pressure normalized. 
Quest: Repair Shield-Generator S24R38 on the Doom Moon
Rewards: Bonus crafting XP
Difficulty: B
Completion: S

Quest: Replace Shield-Generator S24R1 on the Doom Moon
Rewards: Bonus crafting XP
Penalty: Degradation
Difficulty: B
Flowing Flowers to Aidan: "The first time we got only two crafting quests before the party, right?"
"Yes, Milady! I believe it is dependent on the time needed. We shaved off a lot of time with a shorter dinner scene and not taking apart the bots after recruitment."
"Remind me to analyze the times before the next scenario."
The replacement of the generator worked well, and the diagnosis at the end showed no issues, but Flora discovered the same type of ancient cable in the new generator.
While there was the wisdom "Never change a running system.", there was also the saying: "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Flora replaced it with a newer tube.
Quest: Replace Shield-Generator S24R1 on the Doom Moon
Rewards: Bonus crafting XP
Difficulty: B
Completion: S

Quest: Survive a Birthday Party on the Doom Moon
Reward: not fixed
Penalty: Scenario stops
Time Limit: 1h 16 min.
Difficulty: B
Aidan to Flora's HUD: "Party scene: Stop Jake from getting drunk."
In search of Jake, Flora started to mingle.
"Hey, Flowers! Good job on the generators!" Elma slapped her on the back. Flora's real body would have crumbled, but she managed to balance her virtual body.
"Thanks! So what do I need to work on the engines?"
"Haha, I like you! Not only a good tech but strong, too!" Elma swang her trunk enthusiastically. "I'm a bit old fashioned and believe you need at least a rudimentary understanding of smithing to work on engines."
"Smithing?" Flora envisioned the engine as glowing energy gizmo and couldn't connect it to something she associated with horseshoes.
"Yeah, if it doesn't start, you have to hit it on the right spot!"
Flora laughed. "Well, I heard of this repair tactic before!" And she did, Oldtimer enthusiasts told her about it. Who would have thought that 20th-century car motors and sci-fi engines had that in common?
Finally, Flora spotted Jake. He already had a glass in hand and was in the progress of toasting. 
Flora strode over and snatched the glass from him.
"Auntie!"
"To the birthday girl! Cheers!" Flora exed the beverage.
"Auntie!"
The other technicians cheered. A second glass found its way into Jake's hand. Flora snatched it again and pulled Jake away.
"I need you sober!"
"What's up, Auntie?"
"That's my question to ask! I noticed you slinking around. What are you up to?"
Jake made distressed noises and lead Flora towards a quiet corner of the room.
"I discovered something! I don't even know how to describe it, Auntie! It's horrible." He tore at his hair. "I got the cutest video of Hope today, and I want her to grow up happy and save!"
Flora nodded.
"But how can she if there are only two ways and one is shit, and now I think the other is shit as well, you know?"
Flora nodded again. She was only able to make sense of Jake's ramblings because of the other scenarios, but she understood. 
"Hope has the gift. The Icemasters are cold, and the Energymasters are volatile."
"*Bleep*! *Bleep*! Are you a psychic?"
"No, I'm a low-level Energymaster."
"You never told me!"
"And you never told me that you have the gift, too! I believe we are even."
"What? I don't have access to the Energy."
"The probabilities of that are really low, dear. Did you do a test? Are there tests?"
Jake fidgeted. Flora could see that he wanted to say something but wasn't allowed or couldn't commit.
"It's okay not to tell me about Elena's and your situation. I won't pry."
"*Bleep*! You know about that, too?"
"I know nothing. All I know is that I have an awful feeling about today. Something ominous lies in the air!" Flora wasn't good at bullshitting but tried her best.
"Stay sober. If the shit hits the fan, call me, and we'll build a parasol!"
"Why a parasol?"
"When the shit gets fanned all over the place, we duck behind it!"
Jake scratched his head.
"Whatever, auntie. But it kind of comforts me to know that you are an Energymaster. My trust in them waned after my discovery. But you are alright!"
"Thanks for your confidence. But I taught myself, so I know nothing about the indoctrination of the regular path."
"You could teach Hope!"
"I'm old. Who knows if I even can hold a plasma sword, when Hope reaches the required age for learning.
"Then teach me, and I teach Hope! Maybe the Icemasters *bleep*ed up when they tested me!"
"Alright, we try it. Let's find a quiet room."
"I know a great place to train!"

The great place turned out to be the head shrine of Lady Mnoder. 
Anytime, Flora expected a debuff to appear on her HUD: "Eyesocket Instability. Stop rolling your eyes, or you will lose them!"
At least, they made good time after Flora got through with her argument, that they would be a lot less suspect if Jake stopped walking on the tips of his toes.
Time Limit: 51 min.
Flora shuddered when they entered the room. Even after inhuming all the heads in the first Doom Moon attempt, they still gave her the creeps. 
"We are in the trophy room of Lady Mnoder. The heads and plasma swords belong to the enemies of the empire she had slain. She recorded all of her experiences." He pointed at the statues. 
Flora nodded. She knew the mannequin-routines too well.
"Auntie Flow, do you think we are the good guys? Lady Mnoder is one of the most respected generals of the empire, and she sure as hell doesn't behave like it." Jake's big blue eyes shone with seriousness.
"All I know is that everyone should try to be a decent being. But it's not always easy."
Flora to Aidan: "Warn me 1 minute before Lady Mnoder appeared the last time."
"I'm sorry, Milady. I don't comprehend your sentence."
"I'm working under the assumption that her appearance is a fixed event and related to the quest-timer. Last time she appeared when the timer nearly ran out. Do you know the exact time, she made her entrance?"
"Yes, Milady! I will notify you."
Meanwhile, Jake had pressed a panel on the wall, and a hidden door opened. He waved her in.
The atmosphere in the room hit Flora, like leaving an air-conditioned building in the desert.  The air was crackling, and strange currents battered her body. Flora had to stop for a moment to regain her balance.
Energy-Storm: -7 OV micro-control. - 7 OV macro-control. - 10 OV use of metallic appliance. - 15 hp/minute lightning damage. - 14 hp/minute kinetic damage.
Flora stared at the debuff on her HUD. 
"That's great!" she exclaimed.
"Urg, you really are an Energymaster!" Jake had his hands on his knees and was breathing hard. "Can you teach me here?"
Flora chuckled. "I like your attitude! You can't even stand upright, but you want to learn. Go back to the statues and watch 5 times the one that looks like a monkey scratching its butt. Concentrate on the feeling Mnoder has when blasting her opponent." Flora didn't have the time to conceal her knowledge. 
"How do you know?" 
Flora attempted to look as mysterious as possible and waved him away.
While Jake went into the other room, Flora tried to locate the source of the Energy-Storm.
The room was bare with only a round platform big enough for her to stand on in the middle. It had no windows. The only illumination came from the dark red glowing ceiling and now and then tiny lightning bolts flitting through the air. 
Flora found it hard to spot any appliances on the dark walls. Therefore she walked near them to look for any kind of mechanism. 
Soon, she found an unmarked switch. 
'Odd press, even leave.'
"Aidan, give me a random number between 1 and 100."
"61, Milady."
Flora's finger shook, but she flicked the switch. 
The rumbling of motors hit her ears, and the wall rose up. Behind it, a curved panorama window showed the surface of the moon. Beneath it were controls similar to the H-Wing.
"This is a spaceship!"
This time Flora was smarter with her data security and first loaded Aidan and her firewall on her datapad. Then she tried to get access to the controls the proper way.
"Access denied. Insufficiant clearance."
"Do you think we can hack it, Aidan?"
Aidan showed her where to find the tiny badge on the lock-pick.
Name: Rising Star - Flat 5432 - Controller
Class: Security System
Level: 25.
Rating: A.
RGS: 2.
"Yes, Milady. But the probability of getting noticed is high."
"Okay, we refrain at the moment."
The effects of the Energy-Storm didn't reach to the cockpit, so Flora let down the walls again and continued her search.
Her intuition told her to look at the platform next. Sure enough, the effects of the storm were stronger at the center of the room. 
After examining it, she noticed that you could keel over the platform. Underneath it, Flora found an engine. It looked a lot like the shield generators but glowed.  
Flora opened the casing and inspected the machine, mumbling to Aidan the similarities and differences to the standard shield generator. She even recorded her investigation.
"What are you doing, Auntie?" Jake arrived.
"Industry espionage. This is the generator for the Energy-Storm."
Jake laughed and stumbled over.
"Do you want to take a look or training?"
He chose training, and Flora fetched Aidan's console and the Stehaufmaennchen.
<Magical Push>! 
The Stehaufmaenchen slid across the floor.
"That's a spell similar to the Kinetic Blast you watched. I'm most familiar with this skill, so we start with it."
Flora described the feeling of the spell and the intend while casting it. Furthermore, she ordered Aidan to show a hologram of its diagram. 
The hologram was flickering and grainy because of the Energy-Storm, but Jake was a technician. It helped him looking at charts.
"Gather some energy and push!"
"Push!"
 The tumbler was swaying because of the Energy-Storm, so Flora couldn't judge if the spell hit, but she thought she felt something.
"Great first try! Go closer and repeat it!" 
"Push!" Jake shouted.
This time the tumbler clearly moved a few centimeters backward.
You gained the ability: Teaching.
Achievement: The benefits of teaching (repeatable): You taught Magical Push: + 1 Level to Magical Push.
"Congratulation! You got it!"
Jake stared dumbly at the tumbler and then at his hands.
Meanwhile, Flora checked the timer; only 10 minutes were left.
"Let's leave. I've got one of these feelings again."
"But, but, but ..." Jake stammered. "I can use the Energy!"
"I know, dear, and I'm happy for you. But please, believe me, we have to go."
Flora saw Jake's eyeballs rolling up, and then he crumbled. Before she realized what was happening, she was moving and caught him.
"Burned Toast!"
After fetching a health potion, Flora fed it to him. He spluttered and coughed most of it up, but at least he regained consciousness.
"One minute until the estimated time of arrival, Milady."
Flora joined Jake's groaning.
Grunting, she hosted him over her shoulder and left the chamber. Her eyes darted to the elevator, calculating the time it would need to take them down. She decided against it and went to the back of the room. Her old spot was on the way to the energy-storm chamber, so she chose the other side this time.
"Jake, can you hear me? Drink this potion. It will help you!"
Now, Jake managed to keep it down, and color returned to his face.
Mumbling, he tried to sit up.
"The elevator is moving. Someone is coming. Please stay quiet."
Knowing that Jake possessed the worst timing possible, she took his hand and pushed it against the m-route. Then, she duct-taped it to the stature.
The elevator doors opened, and Flora got a Deja Vu.

After Flora Fluss burns down the kitchen, her son insists she is too old to live alone. She's got two choices. Either move into a retirement home or spend the rest of her life within a virtual reality game governed by society's most advanced artificial intelligence. When you've worked a lifetime as an engineer for home appliances, naturally, you go with the option that has more toasters. 
Soon, Flora finds out that the virtual world is more familiar than she thought. Though, it takes her a while to get used to the idea that tanks don't hold water or oil but the aggro of mobs.  

Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG contains cute crafting, complicated game-mechanics plus how to exploit them, unconventional training methods, and a lot of toasters.

Release: Mondays and Thursdays

You can find the tables (stat-tables, this is LitRPG) and additional pictures, videos and information at my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/Joanninjahen
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/joanninjahen
Discord: https://discord.gg/hX8gWPE
My HP (a few pics for ATTV are there too): https://joanninjahen.com/
Glossary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G328koRfV-lxk-uSx1BYY9DMrvh349l3h8bqjA5xb1k/edit?usp=sharing

Short absence quickens love; long absence kills it.
~ Mirabeau

Jiya held her Whisper Wand in both her hand. She had no idea how the wand would look in its highest glory, but she let her imagination run wild for a little while. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the object in her hand, drawing its picture mentally. She felt her gloves turn warmer and warmer, and felt the energy flowing through them. She imagined light filling the entire room until the brightness burned one's vision. And suddenly, the energy stopped flowing.
Did something go wrong? She thought. Her hands trembled, but she held her ground firmly. She winked open an eye to check. Nothing. She slowly but surely opened her other eye. No orbs, no astral halo. But there it was. The Whisper Wand was activated, standing in its full glory.
Jiya gave the wand the once over. It was as tall as her, its wooden brown hue had changed into silver. Fronds curved and coiled in its handgrip. The upper portion ended with three gremlins holding their hands high in the air as if holding an illusory ball.
She felt the slight tremors dancing under her feet, accompanied by an electric hiss. She looked up at the tiny light bulb that was lighting up the entire chamber. Yes, there was the presence of an electric source. She walked across the room, opened the door and stepped outside. The mini wax museum was unobtrusive. A buzzing hum came fluctuating in her ears, convoyed by the slight vibrations under her feet. It gave her a ticklish feeling. She steadied her breathing and her wand in her right hand. Except for the cadenced footfalls and her breathing, the entire place was silent.
Alex! She echoed in her head and held her horses. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed. There was no riposte. Was he out of range or something? The silence in her head and her ambiences was sinister and petrifying. This time, the pulsating hiss returned, pounding in her ears, earsplitting and furious than the prior ones. It came at a standstill and then everything turned black. Jiya's steps came to a standstill. She was not exceptionally fond of the darkness, but she was not nyctophobic. She stood to catch her breath before resuming her walk in the dark. She warily moved forward, coveting for some light.
Suddenly, a glowing white orb popped up on the raised hands of the three gremlins. She was stunned but relaxed when she remembered Vladimir and Alex's words. That wand's power was fueled by the user's willpower, thoughts and determination. She grinned as the orb illuminated the way and it became easier to move ahead. She crossed the wax museum and stepped into the room of boiling flasks. The room was eerily still, devoid of any bubbling sounds as she had expected. Under the light of the orb, she saw the colourful liquids sitting still inside the flasks as if they had hardened into solid-state. Jiya took a deep breath.
She walked into the room, at a snail's pace and as cautiously as possible. Her grip tightened around the Whisper Wand making the orb glow brighter. Her breath hitched as the room was in peril of darkness. Who knew what surprises would spring up from the corners? Her breath trembled with every step she took. And along with that, the orb trembled from time to time. Keeping her eyes trained on the orb, she fought the rising panic in her heart. Now was not the time to lose against horrible panic attacks she had fought all through her life. Her lips trembled as she felt the growing agony press into her chest.
What seemed like an eternity to Jiya, she finally stepped out of the room. Her chest rose and fall with her rapid movements. She held her breath once she was outside. The entire city was bathed in darkness. It seemed as if the city was devoid of human civilization. She looked around and it seemed to her as if the time had frozen. She gulped when she felt panic fill her chest. Her vision began tunnelling. She panted for air and the familiar feeling of someone twisting her heart into a mush, set in. She shook her head. She cannot let the panic attacks defeat her.
Just then, she hard some tired grunts. It sounded human enough! But, could she trust it? It was coming from behind the building of the Fool's Inventory. Another grunt. Jiya's imagination ran wild. What if someone was doing what someone was supposed to do in a closed room? She facepalmed for she thought she was overreacting. What if some evil forces were out there in the dark that came to destroy her? She sucked in a huge breath. Another grunt. She squared her shoulders and turned towards the course of the sound. She took a careful step, one at a time. The orb glowed brighter and brighter until she reached a dead end. What she saw made her face twist with irritation.
Her eyes met with Alex and Vladimir trying to fix something in the darkness. She had a searching look in her eyes as her jaw dropped.
"What in the world are you two doing here?" she asked with a dour face.
"We were trying to add some coal here", Vladimir waved his hand sardonically.
"The generator ran out of coal", Alex smiled, "And it became dark."
Jiya gave a dark and petulant look. Alex's eyes moved towards the wand. His etched face showed surprise, "Did you activate the wand already?"
Jiya looked at her wand and gave a bleak nod, "Yes." She had really overestimated this guy.
"Well done", Vladimir said, "See if you can help with it."
After hearing the old man, she darted a dull glance at the wand as if asking, 'can you do it?'
To her surprise, an illuminated holographic head of a lion sprang up from the glowing orb. It soared a little high and swayed gently like a flying kite. She took a deep breath and carefully tilted the wand at the generator. The Leo seized the opportunity as it soared ahead. The next moment, it dominated the darkness by its own splendid light.
The lights flickered in the distance, and one by one, all the lights started glowing, as far as the eyes could see. 
"You did it", Alex exclaimed.
Jiya turned her head to look at him. She waved her hand and let out a yawn, "Whatever."
She turned on her heels and walked her chin up and chest out. Without realizing, an enigmatic smile spread across her face.

Jiya Dey, our main character has a secret. She can smell secrets from a mile! She carries this secret around like a burden, hoping that no one ever knows about it. She will rather live a normal life than to have people accuse her of plundering the secrets, they ought to hide. She thinks she is hiding it well, keeping her sense of smell in control. That is until she stumbles upon not one but two ghastly secrets. Secrets about her friends; those friends she thought she knew well enough. For a while, she keeps herself from thinking and assures herself that she would live a normal life and behave as if nothing happened. Anyways, it was not her problem! But sooner or later, she has to face reality.
What happens the night she thought she could sleep peacefully as if nothing happened? What is this strange Institute that sent her an acceptance letter in the middle of the night? What happens when she gets enrolled in the INSTITUTE OF SMELLCRAFT & SNIFFING? Will she keep those secrets in her head or will she uncover more secrets around the Institute?
~*~*~
"Jee! Jee!" a voice whispered urgently, "Vake up. Yer journey iz about to start."
"Ugh!" Jiya grunted. Her head was throbbing with extreme pain. She tried to open her eyes but could not do it.
"Jee! Are ye okay?" the voice continued as a warm hand was placed on Jiya's forehead. She felt energy and warmth spread to her body. She made a sound again before opening her eyes rather woozily. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. She nearly fell her bed at what she saw in front of her eyes.
"I did not vant to scare ye", the black cat jumped off the bed and shook its head ruefully as it sat down on its haunches. Jiya was so scared that her heart was jumping up and down the throat. She had seen this very cat roam about in their garden quite a few times for the past two months.

She read in Nelli's expression, the same question she had asked herself. "Did he sense it?" Her voice broke.
Tears dripping on the tabletop. She felt Nelli's hand on her back. No words were needed. The silent comfort was enough.
It was a world she thought she'd never set foot in. But now she couldn't get past it. It took a while for her to calm down. Lily's head was spinning. But when she calmed down, the world suddenly looked different. Yet again, she wished to continue living in her little bubble. But she had to face the truth. A message was hiding behind all these documents.
She strained her shoulders and wiped the last tears from her cheeks. Lily was already about to put the documents back into the safe deposit box when Nelli grabbed her hand. She stopped her in her movement. Asking, Lily raised her head. Their eyes met. Nelli shook her head gently. Some of her red streaks fell on her face. "Wait a minute. I want to check something out." Then the friend leaned forward. Her head lay directly in front of the entrance of the locker as she pushed her hand deep into it. She moved along the walls, along the ground and finally pulled her hand out again. In her grip she held a small black notebook.
"What's that?" Asked Lily confused. More secrets?
The girls exchanged glances. Before the book was opened, and they were wide-eyed, hanging over the notes. Actually, it wasn't really notes. Just numbers. Page after page, black numbers were written in a curved font on white pages. Lily recognized Fabien's handwriting immediately. In fact, it was totally uncharacteristic of him to keep a notebook. He always had an excellent memory. It was enough for him to take one look at something to remember it forever. He didn't need something like a notebook. Her suspicions grew stronger. "He must have suspected something."
Nelli nodded. "He sensed this and took precautions. He must have simply known that ...or it wouldn't make sense..." Flames blazed in her eyes, but her hands began to tremble.
The mere thought that it might not have been an accident did not end the discomfort. It was rather the beginning of another mountain of troubles and dangers. 
"If only he had taken precautions for his safety." Nelli snapped, tears running down her cheeks. Lily bent over to wipe some of them away.
"We mutually agree..." She stopped for a second, paused. The words wouldn't go past her lips.
"It couldn't have been an accident... but murder." Nelli finished the sentence for her. "If even Fabien knew that his family was in danger and it had forced him to take these precautions. Then we can assume, with good reason, that it was no ordinary accident."
"But then who might have been after Fabien? And more importantly...why?" Lily shook her head. She simply refused to accept it. Who was powerful enough to drive Fabien into a corner.
"Maybe your new husband." Nelli dropped the next bomb on her head.
"No...Never!" She protested with disbelief. But she could see the doubt growing in Nelli's eyes. Lily's nerves were on the verge of breaking. It made no sense. If Alexandre was behind this accident. What was his motive? She bit her lower lip. 
In the novel, it's true, he had been fighting against Fabien. But only to win Ellie's love. He would never have let anything happen to her. It would've killed him. He loved Elli too much.
And more importantly, he had never resorted to such means. Alexandre had never been such a villain as to needlessly get his hands dirty. In My loyal hubby even he had backed away from murder, because he himself had to experience in his past how terrible it was to live on as the relative of a murder victim.
Besides, Alexandre would never have harmed Elli even one hair. He loved her with all his heart. She was his sunshine!
"But what if she was... He got the most out of it. Look, all of a sudden he got the de Bourbon and de Clermont fortune! Doesn't that make him suspect number one?"

At the age of five, Lillian realized that she was cannon fodder for the rise of the main character of the novel 'My loyal hubby'.
To avoid her tragic end, she decides to make MC her new BFF.
Lillian decides to become the personal matchmaker of MC and ML. With all her strength, she defends the lovers against the remaining villains of the novel. With only one thought in mind - stay alive!
But all of a sudden when Lillian thinks she has finally escaped her tragedy, MC and ML die in a plane crash and leaving Lillian their son.
Together with ML's older brother, a cold, bossy CEO, Lillian has to take care of little Adrien.
Join Lillian on her usual journey as a mother and wife.

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