Where I write my poems whenever inspirations strike, or when I'm procrastinating.

Special thanks to Lonelytree for the cover design.

Just how terrible is my luck? I didn't let anyone see my card, that's for sure. So this pairing must be a coincidence, right? I turned my head forward again when I saw my opponent for Round 1.


The guy earlier who was wearing formal clothing, coal black hair and white skin, was my opponent. Even I can tell that he's a veteran at this.


I just released a heavy sigh in front of this dilemma I'm facing right now. 


"I guess we could struggle for a bit. But I have to tell Ayano Katachi that our chances of winning is very slim."

I reached my hands to my pocket and pulled out my card. 

"I guess, this is useless now."

I stood up, walked towards the trash can and dropped the card there. When I dropped it, the back cover of the card was shown. It was pretty, but I think It's very showy. As expected of the rich guys.

For some reason, I can't get my eyes off that back cover. Somethings not really right! 

"I see!"

At that time, I realized. I was fooled!

To confirm my hypothesis, I ran towards a beginner, and asked them to see their card. The card number is 18, but I don't care about that! I flipped the card and saw the back cover, and like I thought! This is rigged!

For further confirmation, I asked a random rich guy to let me see their card. He's so arrogant and was I about to give up but in the end, he let me see his card. I flipped the card again to the back cover. I just clicked my tongue because of my anger and clenched my fist.

It's confirmed! This lottery is rigged!

+++++

When the moment I was about to go to the platform, I noticed that the light is bright. It's not the normal brightness you'll see at an event room. The room was dark, so It's practical to use a bulb that's not really bright.

The reason for the bright light is for the announcer to see the back of our cards. For some reason, there are different kinds of designs at the back cover. 

Why would they bother to create different designs to each cards for beginners while the veterans don't have any designs at all? For creativity? I doubt that.

I checked my card again and compared it to the card of the other beginner that I borrowed earlier. My card has a yellow background design and a black main design, forming curves and other kinds of lines.

While this card that I borrowed has a light green background design and a black main design. I noticed that the background designs is a light colored, I confirmed at the other beginners. I asked them to let me see their cards for a while. Out of 10 people that I asked, there are exactly 10 people who has a light colored background design.

I don't think It's a coincidence. While the background design is indeed light colored, the main design is all black. I think they made it black so that It will stand out. 

Normally, a dark color will stand out more if It was paired with light colors. That means that there's something hidden at the black design.

So that the announcer will easily see the number of our cards, they made the light brighter, and made some kind of signal with the black design, so he can know our numbers.

But what kind of signal could this back covers possess? Directly writing numbers on it would be too obvious, but If they came up with something too hard, the announcer would have a hard time deciphering it.


As if our numbers can be written as a bunch of lines. Wait, a bunch of lines? I looked at the back cover again, but this time, I focused my eyes to the curve lines.


After I discovered the truth, I crumpled my own card and mixed up feelings was welling inside me. Anger, Regret, and more! 


The numbers could be converted to lines. The curve lines was our numbers all along, since their light is bright and the background color is light colored, he could easily see it. 

If our numbers would be converted to lines, It would be... The Roman Numerals! At first glance, the curve lines looks like a normal design. But that's where everyone's wrong!

The number 26 was written at the back of the card, but instead of the numerical form, they made it like this XII VI! With this, they can convert the number 26 to a bunch of curve lines.

It's not easily noticeable, for two reasons. No one really suspected this lottery to be rigged so there's no reason for them to suspect the back design! Second, even if someone would suspect it like me, they wouldn't look at the back of the card. Why?

Because he's too focused to the number and protecting the number he got! And if he looked at the back of the card, the announcer will see his number! I just clenched my fist because of the regret and anger that I'm feeling right now.

I'm so stupid! Checking the back of the card didn't even crossed my mind! Now that I already raised my hand, I can't just complain and demand that the lottery should be restarted.

In the first place, I don't have any solid proof. Even if I show them this card, they can just feign ignorance and say, "That's only a design."

I just looked at the ceiling, accepting the fact that I'm completely cornered. So this is utter defeat, huh? 

"Round 1, Ryota Kaneshiro's group, Sunflowers V.S Araragi Hideki's group, Cherry Blossoms. May you have a fair match with no regrets."




                  

                   END OF CHAPTER 11

Araragi Hideki is an ordinary high school boy and he attends a prestigious high school called Ahogane High School. But his normal life all changed when he was asked by the popular girl called Ayano Katachi, to be their school idol manager. With that, Araragi Hideki enters the world of Idol Managing.

Their group took the truck to their fortress and started to extract the sap. Out of six water tanks, one is half filled with mana milk, one is filled with mana water, and on which is filled with mana grains.

Lucas took two water tanks to use as the sap container.   Because of its size, manual extracting is pretty troublesome. They can only extract one carcass at a time. They only have a pair of shrink glove, so, they let Lucas and Hugo lift the carcass while Ranrem, Della and Rita will make a shifting in making a cut on its body and make the sap drip inside the tank.

After three hours, they finally extracted every single drop of sap from the first carcass. Lucas was surprised with the result. 'So once they mutated into a treetan, trees will automatically dry when the sap was extracted?'

The sap is not the only good part of the mahogany borrowed, but also its body. He made his ax shrink and use it as a sculpting knife. He chopped its back limbs and observe its sharpness. The limbs are so amazing that it takes a form of a screw, suitable for digging the land like a drill.

He decided to store the drill like limbs inside his so-called 'Underworld' for future use.

The limbs are just the smallest part of its body, on his front is a gigantic carcass half the size of its leader. 'I remember a game from my world, the game build defense towers and cannons to fend of enemies. But the best thing I build in that game is the automatic crossbow that shoots arrows continuously. An X-bow huh? Maybe I can create something like that! But I don't know how to make it automatic. 'Hwacha' needs gunpowder, and this world has given up on firearms in front of treetans. Right now, I need to think of a way to fend of human forces. The guild can provide me their adventurers, building archer tower is the best defense we can make.'

He first draws the main parts of his defensive tower, a five-meter tall tower, the ladder behind the tower, and a cover to protect the archer. One of the archer tower's weakness is the lack of defense for the archers, the cover he draws is like like a sphere cut in half the upper cover is lifted and separates from the lower part like a p*keball. The upper cover and lower cover are separated with a thick pole that serves as the core of the tower.

The whole design looks like a p*keb*ll trophy. The thickness of the cover and the balance of the tower is the most important part. The upper cover is designed to deflect nonexplosive projectiles, the body of the tower is protected with several layers of thick wood, the core of the tower must be rooted in the ground for five meters.

'I need to ask Buckler to make eight sphere glass added to the defensive tower for the coconut cannons. I also need a lot of woods. The pine thrower's carcasses are not enough, they can serve as ammunition of the archers but not defense. I need to send an exploration team in a nearby forest to search for suitable wood for the body.'

He started to draw the weapon that will be used on defense. A gigantic crossbow that is larger than a normal crossbow. The size of the crossbow is not possible if it's in Earth since the size doesn't match a manual crossbow, but in Hearth, the body of the mahogany burrowers are the best material and the adventurers are trained to fight.

It was midnight and everyone in the dome is already asleep. The Underworld might be the best, but the fortress defense is not that right, and a raid is possible from time to time.

Lucas went out with the mahogany burrower's carcass. With his shrank Ax as the sculpting blade, he makes the most important parts of a crossbow for two hours. The design is bland since it's only made out of wood which doesn't have any other color other than brown. But every part has its use, the cocking stirrup, the barrel, the trigger, the limbs, etc. He used a screw made of wood to splice every part of the crossbow and leave him the most important part, the strings.

'The strings don't need to be rubber, that's rubbish. The limbs flexibility will be the one that will produce the piercing force. I only have to make the string strong enough to handle the pressure. I don't have any materials to make a suitable string, I will be making the other parts for now.'

He started to collect the five to eight-meter tall carcasses of pine throwers and started to craft the stick he will use for the bolts (arrows). The crossbow is one meter long and the bolts needed for this weapon is at least 80% of the crossbow length, which is 80 centimeters while the thickness is ten centimeters.

But there's something strange with his bolts, he made his bolts five times the length and thickness of what he needed. And every carcass could only make ten to sixteen bolts.

The five hundred pine throwers carcasses aren't perfect, they are sometimes cut in half or a lot of cracks. But until the morning he is able to make 3,800 bolts. Every tip was craft like a drill, he did not bother making bolts head instead, he sculpted it to be larger than the shaft. The fletching that stabilizes the arrows is made of pine throwers that are not suitable for making a bolt. The fletchings are also strange, it forms a spiral design that will make the bolt spin in the mid-air.

5:00 am

Neil and the rest woke up and continue their everyday routine except for Hugo, Lucas, and Rita. They are in charge of extracting the sap, so until twelve noon, they are busy and unable to tend other chores.

In front of the dining table, after everyone has eaten their share Neil started a conversation. "Lucas, I saw the crossbow you made, and it looks great and boring... But, something's bothering me. How can you load a FOUR METER long bolts on your ONE METER long crossbow!?"

"Woah, grandpa, we just ate and you're already mad. Of course, there's a way, right, Ranrem?" Lucas said as he throws a look to Ranrem.

Ranrem was silent at first, but she raised her eyebrow as she remembers something, "Shrink Gloves?"

"That's right! Shrink gloves aren't suitable for archery, it gets in the way. But because we have this stock of mahogany burrower's sap, we can make our own shrink equipment!" He stood up to the table and started to speak like an inventor trying to convince his investors. "Think of it, we make fingerless gloves or archery gloves that could shrink every non-living thing. We can craft a string that could hold this crazy bolts like a normal bolt, and make the bolt have more power to penetrate the defense of our enemies! We can craft a quiver that could store this crazy bolts! And we can build a catapult that could throw a gigantic stone to the enemy!"

Neil and rest were shocked on what he said, their eyes pop out to the thought of making such crazy ideas. But Lucas isn't done yet, put a stronger force on his voice like a leader of the country, "Think of it guys! What kind of planteros this bolts can't penetrate? MCdame Rhinos? The hardest planteros in the world? Don't joke around, they have their own weaknesses! Fuck the nobles, fuck the treetans, fuck the world organizations who will go against our will! They want a war, a war it is! Our fortress will stand until the end. If we are able to use this sap to its fullest, who will be able to stand in front of us?"

Bang! Neil slam the table and laugh so hard, "Hahaha! Great! Great! You are able to think this crazy thing, unlike the leaders who only think of this sap as storage! I can finally take my revenge!"

The rest gripped their first and started to smile maniacally, it shocks him to think the people around him was seeking a revenge, especially Ranrem. 'To think that she could make a scary face, what kind of thing these nobles did to make them angry? I want to know.'

Neil was able to tell what he was thinking, he calmed himself and started to explain, "All of us, we can only watch our family as this noble kill them. Not only us but those who are trying to fight against them. Redford and Rita lost a wife and a mother, Ranrem lost everything, Hugo lost his childhood friend, and Della who lost her parents!"

Della cries as she hears Neil story, she gritted her teeth as she tries her best to speak, "The death- of my father-hik and mother. They can't pay it with just mana grains! Mom, Dad!"

'What the fuck, the atmosphere becomes awkward for me!' Lucas thought as he regrets what he did he shook his head and look at Viola and Violet, "Eh, how about the two of you? What with that scary face?"

When the twins heard him say 'Scary' they felt embarrassed, "A-actually, we are family of slaves before, grandpa and grandma died fighting for our rights to live as a normal family."

"Oh... These nobles sound crazy. Looks like I have a greater reason to fight them." Lucas said as he steps down the table, "Okay, brother Hugo, please tell Redford to come here and bring his most trusted men. I will leave later and talk to Grandpa Buckler about my requests."

The rest where suddenly motivated and started to work. Viola and Violet who could do nothing but cook started to train how to use Bow and Arrow under Ranrem. Hugo drives his trucks without grumbling. Della and Rita started to train with their sword while Neil was left to tend the planteros Lucas is raising.

Lucas left the dome afterward and ask Buckler for a new project. He also asked for a good string for a now, and he was pointed on a store near the workshop.

"Hello?" He said as he enters the store. Outside the store, he could not tell that it was a store, but when he entered the door, he saw a row of materials he is unfamiliar with.

"Hello, is there something you need?" An old lady who sitting stealthily in the corner of the room spoke.

Lucas was shocked when he heard her speaking, he never thought that there's a person on that corner, "H-hello Grandma. I was recommended here by Grandpa Buckler, I am looking for strings."

"Oh, you are recommended by that greedy old hag?" She asks in surprise and approaches Lucas. When she stepped out of the shadow, it revealed her appearance. Even though she was old her hair is still black, and her face has fewer wrinkles.

"Yes, Gr- Madam. Actually, I want a string, the best string this store have!" He said as he bows to pay respect.

"Oh! A great spender?" She exclaimed, "I'm Suma, I'm an adventurer too so you don't have to bow in front of me unless I'm your master. Come over here, this is the best I can offer for a newcomer."

Lucas nodded as he follows her to the table, "Here's the best string I can offer. It's made up of Corn Dog's hair, but don't look down on them, this hair came from a second pace General Corn Dog!"

Lucas reaches out his hand to check the quality of the string. It is indeed good quality, it can even stretch a little but he felt unsatisfied with its durability, "Grandma Suma, I know it's late, but I'm Lucas Rankin. I was here with Grandpa Neil's order, this string... It is not good enough for my Crossbow. Money is not a problem, please offer me the best you can give me."

Suma looks at him a surprise, 'To think that Neil also knows him. Haist, what a greedy youngster.' She nodded her head as she smiled bitterly. She went inside her storage and was gone for a while.

Lucas was left behind waiting for her. 'Sorry Grandpa, I don't to use your name, but I really need a better string!'

Note: Before you read the synopsis, please read my announcement on my reviews^~^ I don't want to disappoint you^~^

Also, every time I can't update, I will update twice the next day!!! Also, please write in the comments if there's mistakes in editing! Someone offer editing for free^~^

What will happen if a human from earth pick up a hoe that could allow him to travel to another world?

Lucas was fond of farming since he was young. When he left his work, he decided to make a living out of farming. He was about to start when he tumbles into the Gods' Hoe and decided to leave his world for a world that will satisfy his pleasure.

But he did not expect that it will be more than pleasure. "Treetans, Planteros, Plantons, and Thumy. I already decided I want to conquer this world!"

What an angelic voice!
Zhuang Nainai turned and saw Ji Chen behind her, showing a warm smile. She cheered up instantly. 
On their way to the human resources department, Ji Chen inquired, "Madam, which department would you like to work in?"
Which department?
She had a degree in design and had worked in the area of wedding planning and venue set up after graduation. However, she had a broad-based curriculum in university and was exposed to a wide range of design topics. 
She did not want to hang around and do nothing in the Imperial Group. It would be great if she could do something she liked.
Zhuang Nainai thought for a second before asking, "Do you have a design department here?"
Ji Chen smiled. "Yes, we do."
"Right, then can I go there?"
Ji Chen smiled. "Of course, but we have a strict procedure for employee promotion. Everyone has to go through it, even Mr. Si himself. He had to work slowly from the bottom up to where he is today."
Slowly?
Si Zhengting was only twenty-four now. How "slow" could that be?
But she understood what he had intended to say. "Executive Ji Chen, I get it."
Ji Chen led her into the employee lift. "The design department is the biggest department in our company. It takes up the entire tenth to the eighteenth floor. We cover many different domains, including venue design, project planning, and our prominent fashion designer labels. Each domain is further split into a few teams."
The lift stopped at the eighteenth floor.
It was crowded on the eighteenth floor. All the employees were busy at work at one glance.
Ji Chen brought her in front of a large office. The label on the door read "Director of Design."
Ji Chen knocked on the door and a pleasant lady's voice sounded from inside the room. "Come in."
The office was huge, and the lighting in the room was great.
A young lady in her early twenties sat behind the desk. She looked up at the sound of them entering the room. She was dressed in a white pantsuit, and her long, straight hair framed her delicate face. She looked puzzled when she saw Ji Chen and stood up hurriedly. "Executive Ji, what brought you here?" 
"I am inducting a new employee." Ji Chen turned and introduced her to Zhuang Nainai. "This is the Director of the design department, Mi Nuo. She is a world-renowned fashion designer."
Zhuang Nainai's eyes brightened at the sight of Mi Nuo.
Of course, she had heard of the name Mi Nuo. She was about her age but she had already shown great talent in university and was asked to join the Imperial Group design team before her graduation. She displayed even greater potential at work and was quickly promoted to be the youngest director in the Imperial Group!
Ji Chen proceeded to introduce Zhuang Nainai to Mi Nuo. "Mi Nuo, this is…"
"Zhuang Nainai." Zhuang Nainai blurted out her name before he could finish. 
Since she had to start from the bottom, why should she reveal her identity and make herself uncomfortable here? Besides, Si Zhengting never mentioned what identity she should assume here. She would not dare to introduce herself as his wife.
Mi Nuo laughed softly. "It's you!"
She reached out to shake Zhuang Nainai's hand. "Hi! Welcome to the Imperial Group."
Oh?
Mi Nuo knew her?
Why would she say that?


He's the heir of the Imperial Group, ruthless and calculating. Yet, he dotes on his wife so much. 

"Hubby, I'm thinking of getting a pet. What do you think is good?"

"You are the pet."

"…"

"Hubby, is a rose or peony prettier?"

"You are the prettiest."

"…"

Zhuang Nainai: …Can you say something constructive?

One day, someone asks him, "Why are you always the one bowing your head first when you quarrel with her?"

Si Zhengting: "Because I'm 185 cm, and she's 165 cm. When am I not the first to bow my head?"

In short, this is a black-bellied CEO who dotes on his wife in every way you could think of and tries his best to build a family after marriage by baking a little bun baby.
 


In the interview room, Tang Mo'er had spotted Gu Mohan at first glance. He was seated right in the middle of the panel of interviewers.
He didn't lift his eyes to look over at her, but rather, his head was lowered and he was focused on looking through the design sketches.
Tang Mo'er was a little dejected, but she straightened her back and gathered her confidence. She needed to nail this interview.
"Miss Tang, please have a seat."
Tang Mo'er sat down and the clerk submitted her design sketch to the panel of interviewers. The higher-ups were all pretty satisfied with her design, they nodded their heads in approval and handed the design sketch over to Gu Mohan for him to have a look.
"Miss Tang, we've just taken a look at your design. May I know where you get your design inspiration from?" a higher-up asked.
Tang Mo'er gave it some thought before replying, "I…"
"This is your design?" A magnetic voice resounded in her ears, interrupting her answer. Tang Mo'er rapidly lifted her head, glancing at Gu Mohan.
Gu Mohan narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on her ravishing beauty. "This is your design? It's totally subpar, so mainstream yet tacky. How dare you even apply for the position of an interning designer at the Gu Corporation?"
Mainstream yet tacky.
How dare she.
Color drained from Tang Mo'er's face, she looked at Gu Mohan in shock.
The other higher-ups were also observing Gu Mohan, not daring to utter a single word. But they just couldn't figure out, why did President even use such strong words? Was her design that bad in his eyes? 
Gu Mohan narrowed his eyes and gave a cynical laugh, he picked up her design and continued, "We have many capable candidates applying to join us here. With your standards, you're just here to fill the vacancy though you're don't have the capabilities to perform well. I'll give you a piece of advice, you should put in more effort in improving your designs instead of using unscrupulous ways and trying to take shortcuts." 
He then let go of the sketch and with a gust of wind, her sketch flew up in mid-air. He announced ruthlessly, "Miss Tang, you don't make the cut. Don't appear before me ever again."
Don't appear before me ever again.
His words were repeatedly played over in Tang Mo'er's ear, putting her into a light trance.
A greater gust of wind blew her sketch out of the windows.
Her sketch!
Tang Mo'er quickly got up and ran outside.
… 
Once Tang Mo'er left, the atmosphere in the interview room plummeted to an icy coldness. Gu Mohan didn't seem to be happy, his facial muscles were tense and gloomy.
One of the interviewers asked, "President, why did you say that? Though Miss Tang's design is a little amateurish, it is creative and quite novel. We've interviewed many candidates and she has the best design by far."
Before the interviewer could even finish his words, he could sense Gu Mohan giving him a cold-eyed stare.
The interviewers quickly learned to shut up and gulped.
Gu Mohan stood up. "I'm leaving first. The rest of you can interview the rest of the candidates."
He then stretched out his long legs and left.
… 
President's office. 
Gu Mohan pushed the door open and entered his office, making his way in front of the windows. He looked downstairs.
Along the busy streets downstairs, Tang Mo'er had chased outside of the building, hoping to get her design sketch back.
The sketch had drifted through the wind and ended up opposite the street, she sprinted over with all of her might in order to get her sketch back.
There was a loud screech as the brakes were activated, it turned out that a vehicle had almost knocked into Tang Mo'er. The driver wound down his window and started scolding her, "Hey, are you blind?! Why aren't you looking out for cars while crossing the road, are you courting death?"
"Sorry, I'm really sorry." Tang Mo'er apologized twice before crossing the road in a hurry.
By now, the design sketch was already filthy and run over by car tires. Tang Mo'er squatted down and picked up her sketch with her dainty fingers.
This was her first jewelry design sketch ever, but he had criticized her so badly, that her design was devoid of any merit. 
She was aware of his silver tongue but it was her first time trying it out for herself. She wasn't dumb and could tell that he was being sarcastic and humiliating her with his words.
He had announced that she didn't make the cut.
He wanted her to never appear before him ever again.
Tang Mo'er's eyes were instantly red and watery, her eyelashes fluttered like delicate butterfly wings as she lifted her head, looking at the windows of his office on the opposite building. 
This was the company her mother had founded, she really wished that she could perform well in jewelry design and continue her mother's legacy, but she didn't have any confidence in herself. This was the first time she had tried jewelry design in the 21 years of her life. She was really nervous and didn't know what to expect. He didn't need to do anything for her, her only wish was for him to give her some words of encouragement, to cheer her on.
It was such an important milestone in her life and he had missed it.
… 
Gu Mohan noticed that Tang Mo'er was looking in his direction though she was very far away from him. He blamed himself for having perfect vision at that moment. He was able to see that she was teary-eyed and truly pitiful.
He turned around and stood in front of his desk, wanting to ignore her.
She must have been confident that he would fall for her tricks right?
He removed his blazer and threw it on the desk. How could this girl whom he didn't know for long affect him so much?
It didn't help with his condition even after he had chased her away.
He wanted to bury himself in work so that he could distract himself. He wanted to forget about her but when he picked up a document, there was a magazine right beside it and he spotted her winsome face on the cover of it. 
It was an old pictorial of Tang Mo'er's. She was dressed in a retro outfit with light makeup on. She was blowing bubbles and laughing while posing for the camera. 
He stretched out his thumb and ran it over her eyes.
Her eyes were beautiful, as though they were able to convey words and one couldn't help but fall for her. 
He flipped open the magazine and noticed she had filled the pages. Though she had already left the entertainment industry for quite a long time, she still had a great following of a hundred million followers. She didn't need to be active in the industry to stay relevant, her legend was already ingrained.
The magazine was filled with her photographs, be it paparazzi shots or official press released photographs. Fans were crazy over emulating her look and any piece of clothing that she wore would often become a sensation and get sold out in no time.
Netizens had even given her the title of the "Queen Who Causes A Shopping Frenzy".
Gu Mohan recalled the outfit she was sporting today. It was a simple yet refreshing look. A white knit sweater with black, slim-fit pants and a denim belt, she was indescribably attractive.
She had great fashion sense, even a simple look like that could bring out her beauty. Indeed, she was a charming woman who knew how to make her beauty stand out.
Someone knocked on the door, it was Jun Xiyan.
"Come in." 
Jun Xiyan entered his office and walked in front of him and smiled beautifully. "I heard about someone lashing out at a girl today. Mohan, you're not being like your usual self. Where's your gentlemanly manner?"
Gu Mohan pursed his lips. "Who told you that?"
Jun Xiyan had placed a design sketch on his desk. "I've taken a look at it, although Tang Mo'er is inexperienced and amateurish, it is a novel design. She has great potential and even the top student that the A University is recommending to us, Li Fei'fei, is miles beneath her. All Tang Mo'er needs is some time and encouragement." 


After facing her fiancé's betrayal, things take an unexpected turn after Tang Mo’er inadvertently gets involved with the Capital’s preeminent magnate, Gu Mohan.

Fast-forwarding, Tang Mo’er clenches on a pregnancy test kit with two red lines—testing positive—and confronts him. “Young Master Gu, why did you make me pregnant?”

Gu Mohan hands a baby over into her arms. “My dearest wife, be good. That’s our second child.”

And so Tang Mo’er can only hustle and take care of her two children, but unbeknownst to her, Young Master Gu has also been coveting her love and affection…

This is a face-smacking, sweet-love novel set in the entertainment industry.


No one appreciated a light mech except for light mech enthusiasts. It took a special kind of mech pilot to truly enjoy the rush of speed, even if it meant sacrificing a lot of personal protection.

The reason why Ves stuck to a medium weight class for his Crystal Lord design was because he did not wish to narrow its potential audience any further. An overly narrow mech design might not face much competition in its niche, but it would also be destined to obscurity.

The main issue at play with the light skirmisher archetype was that its effectiveness drastically different on land, air and space.

Light melee mechs saw the most use in landbound mech combat. Combat took place in smaller areas and mechs on land moved slower and their weapons exhibited many restrictions in range. This allowed light mechs to approach their landbound prey with ease by taking advantage of the natural cover of the terrain.

Spaceborn combat stripped most of those advantages. Terrain on land was often complex, while space was literally and empty void. Light mechs would be as bare as as they were born if they flew through this completely open space as they approached their targets.

The effectiveness of this mode of combat could be imagined.

Granted, many battles in space occurred in slightly more complex environment. Only rarely would two enemy forces meet in the middle of empty space. Most of the time, a mobile force attacked a static position, such as a mine or a space station. These fixed features afforded light mechs with sparse but effective cover.

Nevertheless, it would usually be the defenders taking advantage of available cover. This protected them from ranged fire and forced the attacking force to enter their kill zones.

Reading through the summaries of the various battles the 6th Flagrant Vandals had fought, most Inheritors met their end in this way. "Shot down in the process of closing the distance."

It was an ignoble end to any mech. Sometimes, the Vandals were obligated to attack a well-defended position. They possessed a number of knights that could absorb a decent amount of blows, the Hellcat being the most prominent one, but a charge needed to be supplemented by as many mech frames as possible in order to spread the incoming fire.

In these cases, the mech commander in charge of the assault would always accompany the knights with a horde of Inheritors. Despite being one of the most fragile punching bags in space, the Vandals evidently had no qualms in employing them as cannon fodder.

When Ves met with Laida again during lunch and told her his conclusions, she shook her head in sadness.

"It's horrendous." She spoke with a whisper. "The longer I stay in the Inheritor design team, the more I realize that none of them care. The only mech designer who still cares a bit is the temp from Rittersberg and myself, but we are growing number every day. It's hard to prioritize decency when we are faced with constant demands to increase its cost-effectiveness."

"I thought your design team isn't making much progress these past few years."

"That's not exactly right. It's true that we haven't been able to increase the Inheritor's performance parameters, but we did manage to shave off ten percent of its manufacturing cost in that time. Most of our efforts are spent on achieving as much cost savings as possible as opposed to actually improving the design in battle."

That sounded really crazy to Ves. The Vandals spent an enormous amount of money and resources keeping everything running. He could certainly understand if they needed to be frugal with their spending, but cheapening an already barebone mech design even further was basically starving their own hunting dogs.

"That sounds like your design team is trying to creatively cut as much corners as possible. There's no way the structural integrity of the Inheritor design can be maintained."

Laida nodded grimly. "It's a tradeoff. If you can reduce the cost of the frame by one percent by substituting one material for another, you would accept it as long as it won't weaken the mech too much. In this case, as long as the mech won't weaken more than a tenth of a percent, the design team will accept the change with open arms."

In other words, the Inheritor design had most likely weakened over time. A performance decrease of a tenth of a percent didn't sound so bad, but its design team constantly applied new solutions.

A tenth of a percent turned into a half percent. A half percent turned into one percent. One percent turned into two percent.

This slide in performance didn't happen fast enough for the mech pilots to notice, but that didn't mean it was negligible. The effectiveness of the Inheritors would continue to decline and their mech pilots risked dying even faster.

The Vandals was like an abusive parent to the Inheritor design. Even as they made use of it, they constantly talked it down or starved it in order to save on costs.

Although Ves did not understand the priorities of the higher ups, he believed that their entire approach to the Inheritor design should be upended from the ground up. Rather than approach it from a perspective of reducing its burdens, they should instead seek to increase its value.

When Ves laid out his suggestion to Laida, she did not seem very hopeful at his suggestion.

"The Inheritor design doesn't have much of a future in my eyes. All the low-hanging fruit has been plucked, so it's nearly impossible to increase its parameters without increasing its cost or adding more weight and space."

"I think a change in perspective is still necessary. Your design team has been seeking ways to cut its cost for so long that they forgot to do anything else. If it were up to me, I would have expanded the cost allowance by five percent or so in order to get them to start thinking into the other direction again."

Laida remained skeptical. She believed that the Vandals couldn't  be shaken out of their established impressions of the Inheritor design.

Ves wasn't willing to settle this issue like that. So when he returned to his office, he compiled a report and sent it to Professor Velten. He also scheduled a meeting with her in order to explain his thoughts in person.

He got to meet her later in the day. As he entered her office and sat down on the other side of the desk, he looked at Velten and tried to figure out if most of the demands on the Inheritor had been imposed by the Senior Mech Designer.

Though she looked like an old lady and her mind wasn't as agile as before, she still radiated a faint sensation of solidity. It was as if Ves faced a slab of compressed armor instead of a fragile human being.

The Senior Mech Designer took no note of Ves when he entered. Instead, she fixated her attention on an unknown component design projected from her desk terminal.

Ves curiously glanced at the part and tried to figure out what it did. It did not resemble any of the standard mech parts such as an engine or power reactor. His long-buried Signals and Communications Skill started to rouse itself from its sleep after he tentatively identified some sub-components that had to do with sending and receiving signals.

If he had to make a guess, Professor Velten was working on a supersized transceiver customized for a very specific design. At this power and size, the transceiver should have no problem communicating through long distances and strong jamming.

He guessed that Velten was preparing this transceiver for the upcoming grand raid on the Imodris Duchy.

"Ah. Mr. Larkinson. You are here now. Good." She spoke as her head abruptly shifted upwards. She waved a hand which winked the projection out. "I have been anxiously waiting for you to report back on your progress. To my surprise, after an entire week, the only points of note in your reports are rehashes of old problems and a rather ludicrous suggestion that we should shift our paradigms concerning the Inheritor design."

Though she sounded harsh in her judgement of his work, Ves did not immediately concede. He did not wish for his report to be filed away and forgotten by all. He strongly believed that the problems he documented and the solutions he proposed would measurably strengthen the Vandals.

"Professor, forgive me for being somewhat blunt, but the Inheritor mech has long been stagnant as an actively developed design. Hardly anything improved except for its cost efficiency, and you know as well as I do that these cost savings came at a cost. The war we are waging against the Vesia Kingdom won't end until a few years later. If the Flagrant Vandals intend to depend on the Inheritor design to carry them through the next five years, they should invest in making it stronger, not weakening it any further."

The professor looked at Ves with a small frown. She tutted at Ves and knocked her desk with a finger. "Let me ask you something. Do you know how much credits it takes to support an entire mech regiment?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't have a clue."

"There are many costs associated with running a force of over two-thousand mechs and all the logistics necessary to maintain them and to convey them across the stars. Fuel, salary, maintenance, replacements and more all form a persistent drain on our finances."

"Yet the Hellcat and Akkara designs are both expensive and extravagant in terms of features. From my time in the Hellcat design team, I've noticed that everyone is constantly working on squeezing out more performance out of the hybrid knight. They might not always succeed, but they always strove to climb the stairs. It's entirely different for the Inheritor. Everyone is walking backwards, going lower and lower until eventually they reach the ground."

The analogy succinctly illustrated his point. Ves just hoped that Professor Velten would be swayed by his argument.

Unfortunately, her face remained impassive. "The Hellcat and Akkara designs fulfill a very different role in our mech lineup. These mechs carry a substantial amount of armor and their longevity is great."

In other words, even the professor treated the Inheritor like dog poop.

"I think it's a disservice to the Inheritor design if we think of it as a burden." Ves emphasized. "I am aware of the costs involved with improving the quality of this design, but I really think it is necessary to do so, ma'am. Just give it a chance."

"No."

"Uhm, pardon me?"

"Nothing of the sort will be done." Velten spoke with finality. "Though I can see the merits in your unique perspective, that doesn't outweigh the priorities of the Vandals and the mech Corps. There is no leeway in this matter."

Ves continued his attempts at persuasion, but got rebuffed by the professor each time. He started to believe that Velten did not hold any decision-making power on this matter. She never relented on the expectations she had set on the designs she surpervised.

The issue ended without any changes to the policies set by the Vandals. Ves was deeply disappointed at this outcome. It made him feel as if he wasted the entire week.

"Perhaps it is a mistake to assign the Inheritor under your supervision. It is a very complex design that is bound to many goals." She thought of something else. "Perhaps you could need a break. It just so happens to be that we will soon be transitioning out of FTL to meet with a delegation of the Vesian Revolutionary Front. One of the terms of our deal with them is that they commit their own mechs to our forces. I'd like you to join Alloc as he studies their designs."

His eyes began to shine. "I'll do my best, ma'am."

After wasting his time on the Inheritor, Ves deeply wished to experience something else. Meeting the Vesians and studying their mechs up close sounded just the right kind of thing to distract him from his failures.

He also wanted to see for himself how chummy the Flagrant Vandals and the Vesians rebels acted in each other's presence. Did they consider their cooperation a necessary evil, or was there something more behind this scheme?

Humanity has conquered half the galaxy and the Age of Mechs reigns supreme!

Ves Larkinson lacked the genetic aptitude to become a famed mech pilot. Fighting against his fate, he studied mech design in order to express his love for mechs as a builder instead of a soldier.

When Ves graduated from college, he returned to a new but empty boutique. Left with a small, newly founded mech workshop that his father painstakingly built with a mountain of debt, Ves somehow needs to make ends meet with the bank breathing down his neck.

In the midst of his despair, he found salvation from another legacy his father had left.

"Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design your new mech."

--Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU

Stone Platform somewhere in the Starry Sky

A man in cyan robes sat in the lotus position with a large book in his hands. This book was too large with numerous pages bound in a thick leather cover. It had no title but instead numerous symbols seemed to move mysteriously on the cover. The man observed the book quietly with a profound gaze completely unaffected by his surroundings. It should be said that the Great Dark was an extremely unforgiving environment for living creatures. Yet this man continued to go through this large book like nothing was amiss. After a long moment, he slowly closed the book shut, and then stood up while tucking it under his right arm. 

"Let's begin." he said, whilst taking a few steps forward to be in the exact centre of the platform. 
With the large book under his right arm, he raised up his left hand and quickly started making rapid gestures. As if in response, the entire platform started to rumble in sync with the gestures. A golden glow then started to gather in the man's hand, increasingly growing brighter as he made more and more gestures. When the brightness became almost blinding, he rapidly bent on one knee and slapped his palm onto the platform. Immediately, the rumbling stopped and the golden light seemed to have been swallowed by the centre of the platform like water on a poured on a parched land. 

Then as if out of nothing, golden symbols started appearing one after the other on the edge of the circular platform until they formed a ring of symbols. It did not end there, as after a loud rumble another set of symbols appeared below the first set to make a second inner ring of symbols. Then, following more rumbles, more rings of symbols appeared until finally, the whole platform was filed with golden symbols, with the centre where the man was standing having only one central symbol. All the symbols glowed with a golden light, illuminating the entire platform and the man in a golden hue. The man broke into a smile, seemingly satisfied with the effect. He knelt down with his other knee and sat back on his legs, before slowly placing the large book on top of the central golden symbol. the mysterious symbols on the cover of the book seemed to sense the golden symbol they had been placed on and moved to align with it. In this manner the symbol on the back cover matched the one on the platform, and it also started to glow in a golden light. The light slowly spread along the patterns on the spine of the book, and to the ones on the front cover. Eventually, the mysterious symbols on the book cover all glowed golden, and had stopped moving about, having gathered into a single design on the front cover. 

The man seated in front of the book let out a sigh, which was then quickly replaced with a serious and decisive gaze. He lifted up his hands and started rapidly making hand gestures. His robes shockingly flapped with no wind and his hair blew back, as the speed of his gestures rapidly increased. A golden glow enveloped his robes and body and even his hands became unrecognisable as his gestures reached unimaginable speeds. His gaze sharpened even more and he shouted loudly 
"Formation!"
As if in response to his shout, the entire platform rumbled and then shockingly, stated to tilt from one end. Even more strangely, though the platform was in a tilt, the man in cyan robes remained perfectly seated where he was, not dislodged in the slightest. After tilting almost to a vertical position, the platform rumbled to a stop. The whole time the man continued making gestures without pause and a small vortex even seemed to be generated by the fast speed of his hand movements. When the platform stopped, the man slapped both hand on the book in front of him, not disoriented in the least from sitting perpendicularly and shouted 
"Chaos"
The golden glow around him rapidly changed colour into a black glow, but if one looked closely they would actually see it was a dark shade of violet that was almost black. the dark glow intensified until it became a blinding dark light, and then it was all absorbed into the cover of the book. The man on the platform vanished with the light! The symbol on the cover rapidly darkened and turned violet, then the effect spread on the spine and back cover of the book. Like an ink stain on paper the violet hue spread into the centre symbol on the platform, then outwards into the other symbols ring by ring. Soon the entire platform and the book were glowing a dark light. 

Nothing remained on the platform except a book, and many symbols. Mysteriously, rumbling sounds began again from the platform and one symbol after another began to lose their glow in the outermost ring. When all the many symbols dimmed out, that section began to crack, then completely collapsed off the platform into debris. Immediately after the collapse, rumbles began again from the platform and the outermost ring of symbols began to dim one by one. Like a predetermined pattern, the platform continued to collapse in an orderly fashion until only the central symbol was left. By this point the rumbles had become loud roars and the platform had massively reduced in size. Only the symbol and the book above it remained. At this point, the book glowed brightly, and slowly sank into the symbol. As it disappeared into the symbol, the dark glow increased rapidly in brightness, becoming like a small sun of dark light. All that was visible was a sphere of dark light floating there in the Great Dark. Moments passed, and then with a loud boom, the sphere shot into the distance in a streak of dark light!

A young boy in a small village had a wish to become the strongest. A Cultivator wishes to achieve the peak of cultivation and become a Divinity. But is divinity really the peak? The path of cultivation is ruthless. His path is the most difficult. A path with no obstacles is not worth walking, and their two paths collide.

Qing Ming City.
A shop in the bustling city.
Lu Ming held the Card Creating Pen in his hands. He was drawing conscientiously.
There was a design plan in front of him—"One-star Energy Card Lines Creation Template". This was the standard design plan for creating cards. 
This was a Base Card.
Thirty-six strokes!
Every stroke was a basic line!
As long as he drew the lines according to the design plan, he would be able to create an Energy Card. This was the first card that all Card Creators had to learn, but it was also the only card that Lu Ming knew how to create.
Whoosh!
He put the Card Creating Pen aside.
Lu Ming could clearly feel that the energy in his body slowly flowed into the card along with the tip of the pen, eventually turning into dark lines.
It turned out that…
…This was the process of creating a card!
"Such a familiar feeling…"
Lu Ming was deep in his thoughts.
He had a strange feeling.
The patterns on the back of the card seemed similar to the programming language.
He could not understand the principle behind them.
However…
If he compared the cards to programs, everything seemed to be very clear.
In his previous life, he wrote complex programs using simple programming language and right now he used lines to draw cards.
"An Energy Card is equivalent to a simple small program. It is like the small addition, subtraction, multiplication and division programs that programming beginners learn. It is very simple.
Therefore, the lines are simple and very easy to draw! Lines. They are the core of creating a card. If I learn to draw the lines, I will have mastered the basics of creating a card. At least for me. Creating cards is equivalent to programming in the alternate world!"
Lu Ming was excited.
The feeling was really great.
After integrating Little Lu Ming's memory, he started out fairly steady. The Energy Card that he had drawn countless times gradually took shape in Lu Ming's hands.
Very soon…
Lu Ming drew the last stroke on the back of the blank card.
Buzz——
A touch of brilliance flashed.
All the lines surfaced at that moment. They became partly visible. The front of the card that used to be blank had a diamond spar pattern.
That was the Energy Stone.
The blank card had become a brand new Energy Card.
"One-star Energy Card!"
Lu Ming was thrilled.
Although Little Lu Ming had many memories of successfully creating cards, this was the first time that he had succeeded by himself. This feeling, after all, was still very magical.
Of course.
He succeeded with the help of a design plan. What if he had not had a design plan?
He would then need the Original Card.
The Original Card could seal all sorts of abilities and turn them into a card. One could then draw according to the lines on the back of the Original Card, creating a new card!
This was the power of the Card Creator!
"Original Card."
Lu Ming raised his hand.
Whoosh!
Lights flashed.
A card appeared on his hand, It was a card that was full of energy. 
Buzz——
Lights shimmered.
A crystal clear card rotated in front of him. There was a faint light on the card. It was sparkling. This was his Original Card, and this was the basis of the Card Creator!
Theoretically.
One could make use of the Original Card to seal abilities.
Then, the back of the card would show lines. As long as one drew according to the lines, one could create new cards and one would become very powerful. Unfortunately…
Little Lu Ming had zero use of the Original Card.
The reason was simple—his energy level was too low!
The minimum requirements of the Original Card sealing ability were that the energy contained in the Original Card must be higher than the energy that one wanted to seal. This was the only way to succeed!
If one tried to use an Original Card that contained an energy level of one hundred to seal an energy level of two hundred…
…One would definitely die!
The energy level of Lu Ming's Original Card was only at forty-eight points!
An Energy Card contained one hundred points. That was to say if Lu Ming did not have the design plan, he would not be able to create the Energy Card!
He only had a miserable forty-eight points of energy!
For every Energy Card that he created, he needed an Energy Stone to help him to create the card!
To put it bluntly, his work now was simple conversion. He was responsible for converting the Energy Stone into an Energy Card. That was all. His task was the most menial work. He was the top among the menial gang. 
That was what he remembered.
At least from Lu Ming's limited memory.
One time he asked a low-ranking classmate like him to cast a Fireball on him, while he tried to seal it. In the end, he had to lay in the sickbay for a month before he could get up. 
He failed to seal the energy and the Fireball exploded on him.
The Fireball was one of the lowest skills, but it required fifty points of energy.
He was unable to seal it.
In simple terms, his capacity was not enough.
It was impossible to record a 8G romance action movie onto a 4G disc! He could purchase the design plan for the Fireball and make use of the Energy Stone to make up for the low energy level to draw…
But he could not afford it!
Of course, the most important thing was that the Fireball was one of the most basic skills. There was an abundance of sealed cards. Any shop would have lots of Fireball cards. 
It was useless to buy them!
There were at least ten shops that sold them on his street!
Earning money?
There was simply no way of doing that.
So…
The pitiful Little Lu Ming decided to earn money through Energy Cards.
He could mass create Energy Cards. On the one hand, he could earn some meager money and on the other hand, he could increase his level. As his energy increased, he would be able to seal more abilities and create the cards to make money.
In fact, his decision made sense.
It was a pity…
He was unable to pay the interests of his debts.
"Loan…"
Lu Ming stared at the countdown at the top right corner. "Fifteen days."
If he did not repay the debts within fifteen days, he might really be forced to sing "Chrysanthemum Terrace" [1. Chrysanthemum Terrace is a famous Mandopop song sung by Jay Chou, that depicts melancholic and sorrowful feelings.] As for contacting his parents and older sister…
Well…
Forget it.
It would be worse if they found out the truth.
Lu Ming would never do it unless he was left with no choice.
"One hundred thousand yuan."
Lu Ming looked at the small account book on the table.
The shop was meant to dupe his elder sister. He only rented it for two months. In addition to the cards that he bought to keep up appearances, he spent a total of twenty thousand yuan. 
If he worked hard, he should be able to pay his debts.
However, the problem lay with the interest, particularly the loan's interest. Hehe… when the debtors had come the previous time, the twenty thousand yuan that he owed them had snowballed into fifty thousand yuan.
Oh.
When they came the next time, it might become one hundred thousand yuan.
"This is troublesome."
Lu Ming sighed.
The local tyrants were indeed vicious, particularly to Lu Ming who had no fighting prowess. It was not his first option to retaliate by force.
At least not for now.
So…
His biggest problem was finding out how he to come up with one hundred thousand yuan within fifteen days.
"Earn money…"
"Cards…"
Lu Ming was deep in thoughts.
The only skill that he had was creating cards. Furthermore, he only had the basic Energy Card. He was not qualified to deal with other cards.
Even if he could use them, they were not worth much.
Or perhaps…
Lu Ming scanned the shop.
Back then he bought a lot of cards to keep up appearances and they had yet to be sold. Many of them were low-level Attack Cards. But he was not qualified to duplicate them.
He did not have enough energy.
In the end…
Lu Ming's gaze rested on one of the cards.
"Illusion Card…"
There was a sparkle in Lu Ming's eyes.
There were all sorts of cards.
Since the cards could seal all sorts of characteristics, therefore, theoretically, as long as the card could seal the energy, it could become another card!
Therefore, one card could cover almost all vocations and all abilities!
The Illusion Card was the card that was created after sealing an illusion. The Illusion Card contained a fully built illusion!
For example…
The card in front of him.
It was a one-star Illusion Card. It could be used to create an illusion cage to trap the enemy. The authenticity was low and the stability was bad. This was one of the most basic Illusion Cards. 
The energy level was sixty points.
One needed to have at least sixty points of energy level to duplicate this card.
He did not intend to duplicate this card. He did not have enough energy, and even if he duplicated the card, it was worthless! There was an abundance of such lowest-level cards. 
He just thought of something.
According to Little Lu Ming's memory, the stability of the illusion was related to the energy. The more powerful the illusions were, the higher the energy they had and the higher the stability, and therefore the more powerful they would be. 
However…
What if he did not have any energy?
What if he could create a simple and basic illusion? If he only created some facilities that did not have any energy? The energy that would be needed would be so much lower!
This was basic knowledge and theory. In that case… What illusion could he create that did not require energy?
"It's worth a try."
Lu Ming was deep in his thoughts.
He was not worried about finding an Illusionist. There were many illusions students from the technical college. Lu Ming felt that he could get one easily. 
At the thought of this, Lu Ming took out his cell phone.
This world did not put much focus on the development of technology. But even so, due to the existence of energy, developments were still very advanced.
In general, the technology was much more advanced than in his previous life. 
"Zhang Xiaopang, I have a job for you. Do you want to take it or not?" Lu Ming asked.
Zhang Xiaopang was one of his classmates.
Lu Ming chose him for a simple reason. Out of all the Illusionists that he knew, this guy was the worst and the cheapest.
"What job is it?" Zhang Xiaopang raised his voice by three octaves.
"A simple illusion. You create it while I seal it. Eight hundred yuan." Lu Ming continued.
"Too low." Zhang Xiaopang disagreed with the price. "The price is not enough to cover the energy consumed."
"Alright, forget it." Lu Ming hung up the cell phone.
The cell phone rang one second later. Zhang Xiaopang's voice could be heard over the phone. "Bro, where are you? I will come right over. You should reimburse me for the two yuan of transport fees."
"Scram!" Lu Ming did not treat him nicely.
If he gave in at this time, he would ask for a higher price.
"I am at the shop." Lu Ming replied brusquely.
To him, eight hundred yuan was extra income. After all, even if he was not paid for it, he should take it as a chance to cultivate. 
In that case… 
He should check whether his plans could work.
Lu Ming thought about it, taking out a pen and paper and began to draft out his thoughts.
Very soon…
Zhang Xiaopang arrived panting heavily.
"What illusions do you want? Super sister or Lolita? Queen series or air stewardess?"
Zhang Xiaopang seemed to know a lot about illusions.
Lu Ming: "??? What have you people from the illusions faculty been doing as part-time jobs?!!!"


The Card Creator is a very ordinary profession. Simply put, the incumbent seals various kinds of abilities, illusions, images and so on in blank cards for convenience of use.
Lu Ming, who initially planned to lead an idle life, had a not-so-boring dream now — He hopes to seal the entire world in the cards.
One still needed to have dreams. What if you could realize them?

"Finally got the design right!" Yelled a boy that looked no older then thirteen, he had dull steel eyes, long black, and white tipped hair with two bangs on both side of his face and the rest of his hair put up in a pony tail.

The boy who just yelled out loud was indeed Ed, ever since the uchiha massacre three years ago, Ed had thought of the idea to create a modern day crutch but he could never design on how he wanted it as he wanted to make a personal one for him alone. For this he needed to make it so it was the right length, the grip around his wrist was nice and tight, the handle was not to thin or thick, it was sturdy and more.

The reason why he wanted to make one is so that if he was ever attacked like the uchiha, then he would need to run but the ones made in this world are to inconvenient, so he would make one him self, and pray he is never attacked by someone of itachi's level because no matter how good the crutch is then he would only be able to wait for death.

"Quit yer yapping brat." A muscular man stood next to Ed, right as he shouted the man whacked Ed at the back of the head for yelling.

"What was that for old man, no wait, never mind that. Have a look at the design I made this is what I am going to use when making my self a new crutch." Ed stood in front of his master, Hirotoko and showed him the paper with the design o it with a smug and proud look.

"Let's see, hmm it's not bad for the first time your doing this without any help, what's this why d you want a hidden blade at the end of it." Hirotoko snatched the paper out of Eds hands and had a look through the paper and design.

"In case I have to defend my self when I got out of the village, who knows what kind of bandits I might run into." 'And Ninja' Ed thought, though he could not be a ninja, and was still a civilian, he still trained in chakra techniques to enhance his body to defend himself if he was ever attacked, after all the elemental nations where never a safe place.

To defend him self even with his apparent disability, he took inspiration from a character he remembered from the show in Sunagakure, shira. Shira had managed to create his own taijutsu style because he can't use ninjutsu, or genjutsu. Ed, though no genius thought to replicate that idea, so he learnt a bit of medical ninjutsu. Though he was nowhere near creating his own style he hoped to make one before the start of act two - naruto shippuden.

With helping out at the forge, everyday since he graduated, Ed's physical body grew stronger with each passing day, increasing his physical chakra, which when mixed with his spiritual chakra, he now has the reserves of a low rank chunin, or at least that is what hirotoko said when he asked about his reserves.

"Hmmmm, hmmm, it's not, wait wait wait, what. DO YOU PLAN TO MAKE THE ENTIRE THING OUT OF CHAKRA CONDUCTIVE METAL!" Hirotoko shouted out loud in a shocked tone of voice. After all the Murakami Clan, is the one who holds monopoly over chakra metal, and the most they give out is enough for a short knife(s) like the one Asuma Sarutobi has.

"I know what your thinking, don't worry I have stockpiled enough chakra metal to forge this thing, I have been stockpiling for three years, I just didn't know what I wanted to make with it. Plus I only have enough metal to make one of these crutch's, so I can't make a mistake, when forging it."Ed explained to Hirotoko, as he took the paper design off him and looked through it all again.

Ed planed to make it look like accelerator's one from majutsu no index, but instead of having the guard only at the back he would make it cover his entire forearm only leave out the handle where he needs to grab. This is to ensure that he would not lose it if someone tries to hit it out of his hands. He would also fit in a slim rapier in the middle of it so that he has a weapon to fight with.

He was going to make the entire thing out of chakra metal, because even though it is rare, it was also the best weapon to use, when enhanced as it is light durable, and once he made it with his own chakra, it would be easier for him to input chakra then others.

"Haaah, as long as you know what you are doing kid." Hirotoko looked like he wanted to say something but stopped when seeing the expression on Eds face, he had seen the same one on may other people, not matter what he said the kid would not change his mind.
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*BANG* *BANG*

A youth of sixteen years old sat in front of a forge and kept hammering the piece of metal before him with no flicker or change in expression, which unlike the hot malleable metal in front of him was as unmoving and icy as a steel cold blade.

It was Ed as he sat there making the final piece of his new crutch, he felt with this along with all the training that he have done, that he would be able to protect himself from normal people and ninja in this world, but if he made enemies with the like of the 3rd hokage, orochimaru, naruto, itachi, pain, obito etc he would survive the first minute of the fight, he would be dead before he knew it.

"Phew" Ed released a breath of cold air that he did not know he was holding now that he finished making the final piece. Ed then sat there with all the piece's of his crutch in front of him, before he slowly started to put it together.

As he slid the last piece in he felt quite emotional, as this was the first things that he had made by himself without any ones help. He had made, kunai, shuriken, senbon needles, but he had help when he made those. This was his first ever self made piece of equipment, it felt only right that he alone have it. Hirotoko even told him that the rings that him and his wife used for there wedding was the first thing he made without any help as well. Though back then he picked up blacksmithing so that he doesn't run out of weapons on a mission, as he was a weapon freak as much as his daughter.

"I'm Home." A thirteen year old Tenten just came bursting through the door, after the academy.

"Welcome home Tenten, oh, you brought back guests have you. It's nice to see you again Lee, Neji, Guy." Ed said calmly once Tenten brought back her team, 'since she just got her team, it should be a year before canon then' Ed thought.

"IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SIR!!" - Lee

"IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU IN SUCH HIGH SPIRITS YOUNG EDWARD, THIS MUST BE THE POWER OF YOUTH!!" - Guy

""YOUTH!!!!"" - Lee & Guy

"Humph" - Neji

What is a guy from our world to do when he is thrown into the naruto world as an orphan during the nine tails attack with no meeting with god, no wishes, no cheats and a fear of death supposed to do.

MC - fuck my life.

OC Name: Edward Gates 

Non-harem.

Updates every sunday.

I do not own naruto or naruto shippuden they belong to their respective owner Masashi Kishimoto. Nor do I own any anime/manga that i may referer to their belong to their respective owner.

To the surprise for everyone, they were expecting a human, but instead what greeted them was an animal. Not just any kind, but an adorable Samoyed that makes one want to take him home.
Inu gaze at the audience with his perfectly round eyes. The enchanted forest background gave the atmosphere around him feel like he was a divine guardian amongst all beasts.
Feeling he had spent a long enough time in the mundane world, Inu stood up and turn to leave. As he turns around, the white cape that is three times his size flutters in motion to give the audience a better view of the detailed dragon.
"So beautiful! I just want to cry!"
"This is indeed a work of art. Whoever designed this piece did an amazing job. The dragon looks like it can come to life any minute."
In the audience, Grandfather did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had anticipated the opening model to be his granddaughter, yet… it turned out to be none other than Inu!
What is going to happen to the world now?
Seated beside the old man, Lu Tian felt otherwise. He stares at Inu's now departing figure and a faint smile curl on his lip. His entire expression resembles that of a proud father.
The favor his wife asked him was to help Ju Suo and Gui Zhongmin bring Inu to the show. She knew that Inu would give the two subordinates a difficult time, so she could only ask him. Which was the truth. The Samoyed was a handful that drove Ju Suo and Gui Zhongmin insane.
As Inu's beastly figure disappears from the stage, another model steps out.
This time, it was an actual human.
He wore a long white blazer that bounce with each step he took as the front opens. However, the inside of the blazer held floral patterns in gold details. Each time the blazer opens, the gold floral shines with the light.
The collar of the shirt he wore under was buttoned halfway as it reveals his masculine upper chest and a silver chain necklace.
One hand inside the pocket of his matching white pants, he proceed to walk the runway with an expressionless face.
"It's Gong Jun!!"
"No wonder he didn't appear during An Qing's turn! But why is he with this designer?"
"The design he's wearing is really something. Doesn't it make him look like a pirate lost in an enchanted forest?"
Unlike An Qing's show of presenting one design at a time, the moment Gong Jun reached the front of the runway, another model steps onto the stage, but this time a woman.
She wore something that looked like a dark cape. It covered her entire body with only her head in view.
Seeing this, the audience couldn't help but wonder if the design was supposed to look like that. A whisper amongst them quickly surface as the judges frown at the piece.
"The first two pieces were outstanding, but I'm not too sure about this third one."
"Why would someone design something like this? I could just wrap curtains around me."
Gong Jun pause in his steps for a quick second to let the judges get a better view at the details on the design he wore. He then turns around and walk in the direction he came from.
As the third model walks towards the front, the moment she passed Gong Jun's figure, both her arms raise from the open sides to cover her chest in a X.
Her right hand leisurely pulls the fabric covering her left shoulder then the same with her left hand to her right shoulder.
Opening her arms, she held the dark fabric in place like butterfly wings as the piece she wore under comes to view.
Her hips motion from side to side as the silky black dress follow in rhythm. The top part of the dress laced in silver metallic leather to her waist. From the hips down, it revealed the silky fabric used to make the dress as the bottom lace the same details as the top.
"Haa— This dress… I did not think that such a piece like this was hiding underneath!"
"I want this dress! It looks better than the dress Ning Mei wore during An Qing's opening!"
The minute the model revealed the dress, the audience erupt in comments. They had judged the dress too quickly to only be taken by surprise at the masterpiece done.
One after another, the selected models continue to appear on the stage with different designs. However, they followed in a pattern between black and white.
"Ahh!! My baby was fantastic!!"
As the show continues, Yue Ling shriek in smiles like a fangirl as she hugs Inu in the back. Her cheeks rubs against the Samoyed with lots of love and doting.
"My family's Inu is the best! No one can compare!"
Many in the industry have doubts of allowing an animal to take the stage alone, but she didn't. She knew her Inu would do a terrific job out there. He is a well trained and smart dog.
Watching from the sidelines, the models around were at a loss for words. They had all thought the aloof Lu Tian was going to be the opening model, but after the man left, he never came back.
When it was time to go on stage, Yue Ling suddenly shocked them with the announcement of who the opening model is.
None of them had expected the adorable Samoyed that was brought in to be the one to hold the highly value position and performed perfectly.
How does An Qing feel knowing that their opening competitior is not human?
"H-How can this be…."
One the opposite side, An Qing was in a chaotic mess. Chen Limei could not believe that De L'amour's designs were nothing like the designs Ming Yue gave her.
She even changed a few things, but when comparing them to De L'amour's pieces out there, hers was inferior by far.
Her expression turned uglier and uglier as the opposing models took the stage one by one. She clench her fists tightly and glares at her assistant.
"Where is that bitch Ming Yue?!"
The assistant jumped in fear, but she quickly shook her head.
"I wasn't able to get a hold of her. She didn't show up as part of our deal."
Hearing this, Chine Limei rose into rage. She smash everything she could get her hands on, even the z-racks filled of clothes were not spared.
She breathes heavily and pinch the space between her brows. Even with the many eyes in the room staring at her, she did not care if her respectable CEO image was gone. Once this event is over, she can silence whoever dares to stir unnecessary rumors.
"Find her and bring her here!"
"Yes, CEO Chen."
Chen Limei's assistant quickly replies and leaves the room. If she cannot find Ming Yue, who knows what kind of wrath the witch would unleash.
Ignoring Chen Limei's outburst rage, Ning Mei stood in front of the monitor screens and her expression was not inferior to the CEO's.
When they say people are ugly when angry, that is exactly how Ning Mei looks like at this moment.
Her high and mighty attitude from earlier was gone as both her fists clench tightly at her sides.
She cannot believe that her perfect performance was stole y a stupid dog!
No…
Ning Mei takes a deep breath and calms herself down.
The show hasn't ended, and the judges have yet to announce who the winner is. There's still a chance An Qing will take first place like every other year.
Out in the audience, the guests continue to be amazed by the designs presented by the mysterious designer. One look and one can see how much time had been put into each piece.
"This mysterious designer has spectacular skills. Each piece of design takes you into a different world."
"I'm curious to know who this designer is. I really want to meet him or her."
"Anyone can see the top quality of materials used to create each piece of work. This is by far better than An Qing's."
Listening to the good comments, Grandfather Ji couldn't help but tear up. Although his granddaughter has not appeared on the stage, he can see all the hard work the audience spoke of.
Each design may look like normal clothes to be worn, but for a fashion designer, each design meant more. They pour their heart and soul into each creation like parents showing their love for their children.
He knows that Yue Ling and her design team shed blood and sweat to perfect the pieces now being shown to the world.
Thinking this, he sighs inside and wish that Ji Jingxu was also here to witness this.
If it wasn't for the boy having to study for exams, he would have taken the boy to share this wonderful moment together.


Han Yue Ling, a peerless beauty with a great personality, but she carries a lot of secrets. 

She loved a man for 10 years, but on the day of her wedding, fate decided to play a cruel joke on her and take the man away. 

Three years later, she decides to move away. 

She stumbles upon Lu Tian, the ruthless and cold CEO of Lu Corps. Thinking it was just an accident, she stumbles upon him again and again. 

Before she knew it, the man is already living with her!

Is this an unexpected second chance at love? Will she be able to love again?

------------------

[Note to readers: 

Please be courteous towards other readers. If you don't like this novel, feel free to move on to the next one.

Thank you, author.]

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