SPOILER ALERT. Information beyond this point is a reference to be used DURING NOT BEFORE reading.

Items:
1. Cargo Crates
• Small Standard Crate = 1 cubic meter (1x1x1, cube Shaped)
• Medium Standard Crate = 8 cubic meters (2x2x2, cube shaped)
• Large Standard Crate = 27 Cubic meters (3x3x3, cube shaped)
• Small Long Crate = 2 cubic meters (1x1x2, rectangular shaped)
• Medium Long Crate = 16 cubic meters (2x2x4, rectangular shaped)
• Large Long Crate = 54 cubic meters (3x3x6, rectangular shaped)
2. Rare materials
• Erethrium crystals = main component of shield generators, found only on magma planets that orbit close to type G stars
• Inanisite = primary material of stealth armor, main component of stealth components, only found on asteroids in a binary star system where the two stars are different types
• Diatitanite = primary material of grade 1-2 armors, only found on planets orbiting type O stars
• Hydroclaric gas = material that is refined into self-oxidizing ship grade fuel used for the propulsion of space craft, can be found on gas giants orbiting type K and M stars (rarely on planets orbiting type G stars)
• Hyper-Conducting Qualite crystal = main component in F.T.L. drives, only found on frozen planets orbiting White Dwarf Stars, Neutron Stars, and Pulsar Stars
• Mallacalite = primary material of grade 3-5 armors, only found on asteroids and planets orbiting Supergiant Stars
3. Clothing
• Under suit = skin tight "underwear" that covers the entire person except the hands, feet, and head
• Outer suit = loos fitting, air tight suit designed to keep the wearer alive in the void of space
• Armored suit = a modified Outer Suit with strategically placed armor plates so as to provide protection from the dangers of space while still allowing unrestrained movement
• Exoskeleton suit = light weight framework with motorized joints and fully covered with armor plating, air tightness varies with models
• Utility backpack = standard backpack woven from high durability synthetic fibers
• Armored backpack = standard backpack made fully out of metal plating


Tools:
• Standard multy tool = hand held (single hand) multy tool capable of material composition scanning, mining, and sealing/unsealing of crates
• Engineers multy tool = handheld (single hand) multy tool capable of damage scanning, welding, cutting, and general repair tasks 
• Medical multy tool = hand held (two hands) multy tool capable of injury scanning, closing of wounds, removal of toxins, and administering medication
• Military multy tool = arm mounted (both arms) multy tool capable of all action other multy tools are capable of


Weapons:
1. Weapon types
• Hand gun = small weapon that can fit in one hand, semi-automatic, clip size 2, can be laser
• Sub-machine gun = small weapon that can fit in one hand (recommended to use two), fully-automatic, clip size 3, can't be laser
• Shotgun = medium weapon held by two hands, semi-automatic, unique clip size (varies by weapon), can't be laser
• Standard rifle = medium weapon held by two hands, semi-automatic, clip size 3(can be swapped for clip size 4), can be laser
• Assault rifle = upgrade to the standard rifle to make it fully-automatic, can't be laser
• Light machine gun = large weapon held in two hands, fully-automatic, clip size 5, can't be laser
• Sniper rifle = large weapon held by two hands (possible use of bipod in prone position), semi-automatic, clip size 1, can be laser
• "Launcher" = large weapon held on the shoulder, fires one shot before each reload, projectiles do not explode, projectile size = ship size 1, can be laser (clip size 5)
2. Ammunition types
• Ballistic = Physical projectiles fired from an Electromagnetic Rail Gun, long range, high accuracy, low damage, clip size 1 = 5 projectiles, clip size 2 = 9 projectiles, clip size 3 = 15 projectiles, clip size 4 = 50 projectiles, clip size 5 = 100 projectiles
• Energy = Bolts of condensed energy fired from an energy weapon, medium range, medium accuracy, high damage, clip size 1 = 10 projectiles, clip size 2 = 20 projectiles, clip size 3 = 50 projectiles, clip size 4 = 100 projectiles, clip size 5 = 200 projectiles
• Laser = Sustained (will persist if the trigger is held down) laser beam fired from a laser weapon, short range, perfect accuracy (no drop), medium damage, clip size 1 = 10 seconds, clip size 2 = 30 seconds, clip size 3 = 60 seconds, clip size 4 = 120 seconds, clip size 5 = 300 seconds


Components:
1. Base components = consists of the crafts frame, wiring, piping, internal hull, active scanners (weaker scanner component that is always active), crew surfaces (anything the crew will directly interact with)
2. Size
• The size of components ranges from 1 to 10, 1 being the smallest, 10 being the largest, components follow the rule of three (three size 1 equals one size 2, three size 2 equals one size 3, etcetera…)
3. Types
• Engine = consumes uranium to generate power for the craft
• Shield generator = consumes power to surround the craft in an invisible one way barrier
• F.T.L. drive = consumes power to propel the craft at a speed faster than the speed of light in a single direction, range limited by size, must enter a cooldown sycle after every use, must be spooled for (sixe 1-2 = 3 seconds, size 3-4 = 5 seconds, size 5-7 = 7 seconds, size 8-10 = 10 seconds)
• Armor = the outer hull of the crat, size equals thickness ( size 1-3 X 2cm = thickness) (size 4-6 X 3cm = thickness) (size 7-10 X 4cm = thickness)
• Primary thrusters = thrusters on the craft that point towards the rear in order to propel the craft forwards, consumes ship grade fuel to provide propulsion
• Maneuvering thrusters = thrusters placed strategically in the hull of the craft that control the pitch, yaw, and roll of the craft, consumes ship grade fuel to provide propulsion, will always be at least one size smaller than the primary thrusters
• Scanner = a component that when used (not always active) will give information about the crafts surroundings, consumes power on use,  range and depth of detail of the scan determined by size of component
• Targeting system = multy function system with different functions depending on the type of weapons on the craft, if weapons are fixed = shows aim assist reticle that leads the selected target, if weapons are gimbaled = auto aims the weapons at selected target, it weapons are turreted = controls auto turrets to fire at selected target
• Battery = stores power equal to one fourth of the total output of an equivalent sized engine
• Stealth system = consumes power to constantly mask the emissions of the craft making it harder for systems no notice the crafts presence
• Stealth armor = modified standard armor by adding Inanisite during the armors production there by reducing its durability but greatly reducing the crafts ability to be detected
• Fixed weapons = weapons attached to the craft directly, the on way to aim the weapons is to move the ship accordingly, will match the crafts weapon size
• Gimbaled weapons = weapons attached to the craft through moving joints, can move in a fixed arc (depending on the craft and placement on said craft), will be one size lower than the crafts weapon size 
• Turreted weapons = weapons mounted on a turret, comes in two variants = maned, auto, auto turrets require Targeting system to function
• S.S.C.N.H. = Sub-Space Communications Network Hub allows for long range coms use in non-controlled star systems and during F.T.L. travel, only available in sizes 3,5,7,10
3. Grades
• Basic = the base components that come equipped to a ship, can be purchased after market, three needed to equal one larger size component, average price equivalent to $10,000 X size
• Advanced = aftermarket parts created with higher grade processes, two needed to equal one larger size component, average price equivalent to $20,000 X size
• Military = parts recovered from old humanity military ships, sold only by players, one needed to equal one larger size component, average price equivalent to $30,000 X size
• Stealth = upgrade to a Basic part to mask its emissions making it harder to detect, can be purchased after market, three needed to equal one larger size component, average price equivalent to $15,000 X size
• Advanced stealth = upgrade to a Military part to mask its emissions making it harder to detect, only sold by players, one needed to equal one larger size component, average price equivalent to $35,000 X size
4. Weapons
• "Gun" = standard weapon mounted on a craft, can use any ammo type, average fire rate of 60-120 rounds per minute (1-1.5 rounds per second)
• Cannon = high powered version of the Standard Gun, ballistic and energy only, average fire rate of 30-60 rounds per minute (.5-1 rounds per second)
• Mini-gun = multy barreled version of the Standard Gun, ballistic and energy only, average fire rate of 180-300 rounds per minute (3-5 rounds per second)


Ship Types:
Size 1:
1. Fighters
• Light = Single person, enters cockpit from exterior of craft (cockpit opens like a hatch), no interior space, components accessed from craft exterior, size 1-2 components (size 2 thrusters occasionally), size 1 weapons, price = $30,000-$50,000
• Medium = 1-2 Persons, enters cockpit from exterior of craft (cockpit opens like a hatch), no interior space, components accessed from craft exterior, size 1-2 components, size 1-3 weapons, price = $50,000-$75,000
• Heavy = 1-2 persons, enters cockpit from exterior of craft (cockpit opens like a hatch), no interior space, components accessed from craft exterior, size 1-2 components (size 3 occasionally), size 2-3 weapons,  price = $80,000-$110,000
Size 2:
1. "Ships"
• Small = 1-3 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew not required), components accessed from interior/exterior of ship, size 1-3 components, size 2-3 weapons, price = $100,000-$400,000
• Medium = 1-5 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew not required), components accessed from interior/exterior of ship, size 2-3 components, size 2-3 weapons, price = $500,000-$800,000
• Large = 3-5 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew not required), components accessed from interior/exterior of ship, size 2-4 components, size 2-3 weapons, price = $750,000-$1,200,000
Size 3:
1. Corvettes
• 5-12 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew not required but common), components accessed from interior of ship, size 3-5 components, size 2-4 weapons, price = $1,000,000-$10,000,000
Size 4:
1. Frigates
• 10-25 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew required), components accessed from interior of ship, size 4-6 components, size 3-6 weapons (size 5 maximum for turrets), price = $7,000,000-$30,000,000
Size 5:
1. Cruisers
• 15-50 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew required), components accessed from interior of ship, size 4-7 components, size 4-7 weapons, price = $20,000,000-$90,000,000
Size 6:
1. Capital Ships
• 30-100 persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew required), components accessed from interior of ship, size 5-9 components, size 3-9 weapons, price = $50,000,000-$500,000,000
Size 7:
1. Dreadnaughts
• 100+ persons, interior space for crew (living quarters for crew required), components accessed from interior of ship, size 7-10 components, size 5-10 weapons, price = $500,000,000-$10,000,000,000

Elves and magic, fancy swords and shiny armor, and the most over used tropes seem to make up every MMO game on the market today. Humanities Homecoming: Retaking Earth is not like all those games. Terrans are on the brink of extinction and Kevin Yore, just like all the other VRMMO players out there, are diving in to do their best to reverse this fate and save their kind. 

Kevin might not be the smartest, strongest, fastest, or even luckiest person. In fact, he might just be an average person. No System. No Fortunate encounter. No memories of a past life. Just an average guy making a mark on the world with the only thing he believes himself to be good at, video games. 

Will you join him in his adventures of the Milky Way Galaxy? Will you curse him when he makes a stupid mistake? Will you cheer for him when he survives that harrowing brush with death? Or as Kevin would say “will you sit on your pampered a** and watch a great experience pass you by?”

I banged on the door of a discreet looking building. Though it looked like a shady area that people rarely visited, that was precisely the reason that the occupant had chosen this place as a hiding spot.
As I was about to give up, thinking that no one was there, a soft click came from the door. Behind it, a figure in a crumpled robe poked out.
"Oh, it's you, Claude. Come in."
I wondered how she could tell it was me, as a hood had mostly covered her face. After stepping inside, she removed the hood. Hair disheveled, glasses tilted, and a trail of drool still on the corner of her lips, it had appeared that she had fallen asleep in the middle of something. Quite surprising that someone as important as a princess would be seen in such a state.
"It's early afternoon…you look like you just woke up or something."
"I guess I did…early afternoon you say? That's what I get for pulling an all-nighter," Katsys said with a yawn.
"Eh? All night? Won't someone cause a ruckus if the princess is missing from the castle?" The image of a certain Italian plumber came to mind.
"Oh, it's fine. Even here, there's someone watching over me."
Katsys looked around for a moment before yelling. "Gerard, you can come out now."
"Yes, your highness." A soft voice called next to me, causing me to jump.
A man wearing dark clothing had literally popped up out of nowhere. He had the aura of a reserved servant that spoke only when commanded. While the muscle tone on his bare arms suggested that he was a fighter, the sullen look on his face and grayish hair made him older than his body suggested.
"Ahh….Hi?" I was still on guard due to his sudden entrance, but since Katsys had called him out, I resisted the urge to defend myself from his cold, almost hostile stare.
"Don't mind Gerard. He's just doing his job guarding me. Did you think that I would be able to truly roam free on the streets?"
For a moment, I felt like an idiot for not having thought more about the strange feeling I caught before.
"You may go now." Katsys dismissed her guard with a wave of the hand.
The man bowed with a hand over his chest before his figure blurred into the background.
"What?" I froze, shocked that he had disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.
"Illusion magic. Designed to hide his presence. Come now, what are you here for?"
I didn't know why I was so surprised. Eryn could cast 'Mirage' after all. However, you could tell she was there if you got close. This man had been literally right next to me, and I didn't even notice. Ninja…it must have been a ninja. Clearing my head of these thoughts, for now, I turned to Katsys.
"I need a bit of advice."
Explaining my situation to her, Katsys nodded in response.
"A gift for your master, I see. Very well. I can take you to a few places." Katsys moved over to put away something she was working on.
"Oh? What's that you're making?" I pointed to it, since it looked very out of place.
Katsys looked back at me before lifting the object in the air. It had the distinct appearance of a small firearm. As if aligning with my guess, Katsys pointed at the back wall and pulled the trigger. A small light whizzed out of the 'gun' and impacted the wall. The light then dispersed, revealing a small bead that dropped to the ground.
Though the effect was rather neat, there was hardly any blemish on the wall. I tilted my head in question.
"It's a failure…I was looking into a device that could launch pellets of magical power at targets. By imbuing the pellets with elemental power, I had hoped to create a new method of magic-based attacks. Yet, this was the result."
She turned to me and aimed the gun at my chest. Before I could move, I felt a small impact there. A slight shock was felt as if my chest had touched a 9V battery, but I was surprised by how little power it had.
"The problem is that the pellets cannot hold much mana, and other mediums that are more effective are too expensive. Physically, the pellets can't do much damage either, as only those with high Atk can wield it with any effectiveness. But enough about that, let's take care of your problem." Katsys tossed the gun into a pile of random junk.
"It would be a neat toy for children, though," I said trying to cheer her up as we both left the workshop.
I decided to ignore the weird pressure on my back that I now noticed. Things would be okay if I behaved, right?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katsys led me to a number of shops located in a more upscale part of the capital. I had never considered coming here as I didn't have a reason to before, but I questioned if it was just me being lazy when it came to traveling an unbeaten path.
A trip to a clothing shop ended up fruitless, as Katsys couldn't serve as a good model, refusing to take her robe off. I was rather lacking in fashion sense, so I kept turning to Katsys at every moment.
"Sorry, my maids choose my clothes."
My head dropped in disappointment. We weren't getting anywhere here.
Next, we visited a fancy sweet shop. However, being a chef that often created confections for Eryn, I kept comparing the goods present with my own. Since I knew Eryn's tastes, it seemed like everything inherently had a flaw, which I could solve by making it myself.
This drew the ire of the baker working the counter, as I unintentionally dissected his recipes while inquiring about his products. Sensing that things would just get sour, Katsys grabbed me by the scarf and led me out of the shop.
Weapons and armor were no good either, as ones good enough to replace Eryn's current equipment appeared to be out of my budget. Grimm looked at me skeptically, as if hinting 'You're going to give a girl THAT as a gift?'
Needless to say, I ended up leaving rather quickly after that.
"You're quite picky, aren't you?" Katsys sighed as she played with her hair under the hood. "I'm sure she'll be fine with whatever you get her."
"I guess…I just had it in mind that I should get something that she would actually use."
"Then…what about a magic-imbued accessory?"
Of course! If there were magic tools, there were likely accessories that gave off some kind of effect in battle!
I grabbed Katsys by the shoulders and nodded in affirmation.
Minutes later, we found ourselves in a chic shop with shelves lined with accessories. One by one, I picked them up, activating a small window that showed the effect it gave.
There were ones that gave status boosts, ones that aided in mana or health recovery, and even ones that contained spells that one would normally not be able to use.
However, none of them had much visual impact. I continued looking throughout the whole store, as if waiting for a particular accessory to call out to me. As I looked, a sudden question came to mind.
"Hey Katsys, how come I don't see any accessories with skills that increase base stats?"
I was used to seeing things like Atk +10 or Mag +10 on equips in games, so I had hoped there would be something to compensate for my personal issue.
She took a moment to process what I meant before answering. "Base stats? You mean how a weapon gives you more attack and armor more defense? Those are inherent to the properties of the material, so you should be able to see them if you equip it. But the skills you are referring to are simply magical effects that are temporary. Both, however, require a conscious effort to be made to take effect."
As she continued explaining, I learned a bit more about the system of this world. Just because someone had equipped a weapon, the attack boost didn't take effect unless they consciously wielded said weapon to attack. But once that was established, it didn't matter that you were attacking with your free hand or the weapon, the attack bonus still applied. Conversely, armor gave defense to the entire body, but one would have to actively guard for it to take effect. This meant that surprise attacks were effective even on heavily-armed people. I had wondered about that during the fighting tournament but was too occupied in the moment to dive further.
"Here, it would be easier to show you." Katsys pulled up her stat window.
Picking up a bracelet nearby, she slipped it on. I instantly saw her defense value increase by a few points. Opening up my own window, I picked up various accessories, seeing my numbers jump up and down a small amount. However, nothing I picked up seemed to show any impact on my Atk and Mag.
That's strange. Did nothing here give a boost in those stats?
Taking my chef knife and setting it aside, I expected the number to drop. Yet, the single digit value remained unchanged after I had unequipped it.
"What? It didn't change?"
Katsys came over and picked up my knife. She focused for a bit, creating a glow around the weapon.
"Atk increase +5. That's what I'm seeing," She said handing it back to me.
This time, we both saw that my Atk value remained unchanged despite holding the knife once again in my hand. I had no idea what was going on. Was I cursed?
Also confused, Katsys checked my stats for a bit until what she saw made her freeze with an "Ah!"
A page called 'Proficiency' was displayed, a section that I had never seen before. Granted, I never felt like looking at my menu because I had stopped caring about the reality of my stats soon after I first discovered them. No doubt there were features I probably missed.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Atk – 0%
Mag – 0%
Def – 100%
MgDef – 100%
Agl – 100%
Dex– 100%
Lck – 100%
Crit – 100%
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Huh? What did that mean? 0%? Was that my growth rate or something? But I did gain a few points from leveling, so it shouldn't be zero…
Katsys, on the other hand, had no idea what to say. Proficiency was a measure of how much stats transferred from equipment to the user. 100% was the standard value for the typical person. If one was particularly gifted, then his or her proficiency would be higher, drawing out more from the equipment. In contrast, someone with a natural disability or conflicting personality may lead to a significantly reduced proficiency in some areas. Due to her sheltered upbringing, her physical parameters (namely Atk, Def, Spd) were a bit lower. However, her mental keenness and constant tinkering led to above-average proficiency in the other stats.
Still, this usually only differed by 10-30%. How was it possible for anyone seemingly normal to have a 0% proficiency?
Hesitantly explaining all this to me, my jaw dropped.
"That's it! It's confirmed that the gods hate me! Why else would they drop me here under such circumstances?"
Based on this, there would be no point in getting stronger weapons as none of the advantages would transfer to me. This world had taken not only the easy way out by power leveling, but now also the joy of finding new, more powerful weapons.
Wait, I was like this from the start, so it's not like I lost anything now…But that wasn't the point!
Katsys waited patiently with a stiff expression as my internal monologue ended.
"Well…you've gotten this far without it. I'm rather impressed that you've done so much while lacking the basics…"
Hearing that, I could only blame my tendency to skip out on reading the manual before starting something. 'I'll just learn as I go', I would often think. Though, it's not like I was provided with something that convenient upon arriving here. All I had to rely on was Eryn's coaching, so I often just followed what suggestions she had to offer.
Looking to steer the topic away from my depressing state, Katsys spied something on the shelf next to me.
"Hey Claude, what about that?" She pointed.
Tracing her finger, I saw a beautiful hair-clip that contained a single gem. Picking it up, the hairclip brushed against a sunbeam shining through the adjacent window. Immediately, the light scattered as it hit the gem's surface, creating a visual fire of sparkling around the ornament.
"Sunfire Hairpiece – Imbued with the ability to resist negative status effects." I read the description. "100 silvers?"
The price tag initially made me look upon it with reluctance. But thinking back on my travels, it seemed like Eryn's worst moments had been due to being affected by some kind of ailment. I questioned whether being drugged counted within that range of status prevention.
"The effect is known to guard against irregularities in your body, such as illness or poisoning. Highly prized amongst the wealthy. Don't worry, it has been confirmed through analysis magic." Katsys reassured me.
Somehow, my eyes couldn't stop staring as I gently rotated the piece, causing the fire to dance in my vision. That settled it. This would be my gift to Eryn.
Taking the item to the counter, I made my purchase and thanked Katsys, hurriedly running out of the shop to deliver it.
My eyes didn't catch the hand reaching for my back. The words leaving her mouth fell on deaf ears as I departed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, I presented the gift to Eryn when I found her training in the courtyard.
Momentarily stunned, Eryn gently took the box.
"You…remembered my birthday? I don't remember ever telling you…"
"Birthday? Ah…no…but it can be for your birthday, I guess?" Caught off guard, I started rambling.
As Eryn looked at me with confusion, I decided that it was best to just tell her the truth. Explaining the holiday in my world, she nodded with understanding.
"I see…gifts thanking those close to you…," Eryn said with a far-off look.
"But that aside, happy birthday! You turned 17, right?"
Eryn smiled and started opening the box. As she pulled out the hairpiece, the gem glistened in the sunlight creating the visual fire that I saw before.
A single tear fell from Eryn's eyes.
"…Mother." She softly whispered as she clutched the piece.
Unknown to me, the shimmering light reminded her of her mother's glistening form as she trained with her Radiant Light.
Seeing her outward reaction, I started panicking as I had no idea what just transpired. My mind feared the worst until I heard her next words, spoken barely above a whisper.
"Thank you."
Eryn carefully pulled her hair taut before inserting the clip in. Turning to me, she offered a suggestion.
"How about we celebrate? You can tell me more about this 'Christmas' of yours, and we can invite our friends. Make sure to serve up your best dishes for the occasion," she said with a smile.
"Of course," I replied with a cordial bow.
The two of us went to find Pietro and Carina, and together, we created a small party to celebrate that evening. While it was still a bit early for Christmas, Eryn didn't mind the themed dishes for her birthday celebration.
I looked around at the people gathered around our small family – Cornelius, Roland and his staff, and a few others I didn't recognize. We raised our glasses in salute, wishing Eryn a great upcoming year and good tidings for all.
The warm glow of the atmosphere didn't die down until late into the night.


Cover Art by Neo and Yaoyueyi
Volume 1 -
Having been summoned to another world, Claude Evers is devastated to find out that he has no attack or magic proficiency. In a world of swords and magic, Claude endeavors to become his master's...chef? Despite this turn of events, he soon finds himself relying on his wit and strange abilities to stand by his master's side. With such fearsome enemies in this world, what solutions can Claude hope to cook up?

Volume 2 -
Defeating a terrifying monster endangering the kingdom, Claude's fame grows. With this in mind, his next goal is to...win over his master's heart? However, he soon learns that the nobility are not one to be trifled with. What can a lone chef do against the schemes of the powerful threatening his livelihood?

Volume 3 -
Welcome to the 'Certain Slice', where we are sure to serve you something that perfectly hits your tastes. This is a restaurant where you can sample our line of otherworldly food and drink, created by the one and only Demon Cleaver. Please wait here while we call a maid over to attend to your orders. The owner? I'm very sorry. He's not available at the moment. The reason? I'm afraid that he is now a wanted man, for defying kings and kidnapping princesses.

Volume 4 -
Stuck in another country, Claude and his companions happen upon abilities far different from what they had known before. With a country full of powerful warriors wielding such techniques, guided by a prophetic Oracle, new allies and enemies are around every corner. Will they find what they need to return home, or will 'destiny' swallow them up?

How Alinea's team was formed…
Alistair, King of Ritz was in his study, reading one of the new books he had acquired with the utmost difficulty when a soft tap on the door disturbed him. His forehead wrinkled as he frowned, a deep eleven formed in between his perfectly formed brows.
A glance at the horologe told him that it was already late in the evening. Who would dare disturb his personal time? Who dared to –
"Brother…"
A soft, female voice he knew all too well spoke behind the heavy oak door, interrupting his mental rage and all negative thoughts vanished from his mind in an instant.
Oh…
Of course, this little one could dare disturb him all she wanted. She could disturb him all day if she so wished. He wouldn't tell her that, though.
He cleared his throat as his amethyst orbs glanced at the mirror across the room, and set his face devoid of expression as he called out to his visitor to enter. "Come in, Ali…"
The door creaked as it slowly opened, and one raven-haired beauty popped her head in the not fully opened entrance. Her head sideways, her long hair falling to the side in Alistair's view, and the king fought hard not to break into a stupid grin as he found this little sister so adorable.
Huge silver-grey eyes locked with his, and he raised one hand to beckon her in.
Hmmmmnnn…
Judging by the way she looked at him, with those pair of determined orbs, Alistair knew this little one came here to request something. He was not wrong.
"Speak," he softly commanded her.
The princess of eleven years, wearing a ruffled gown the color of the sun was still half a child. But the expression on her face showed maturity beyond her age.
"Brother, I want to be a soldier," she declared.
Alistair tried his best not to suck in air in his lungs audibly in his shock. It took a while for him to reply, but when he did, his voice was surprisingly clear and calm.
"What do you mean Ali?"
Of course, he understood what she said. What he couldn't fathom was why.
"I want to be useful to you, brother. I want to serve our country."
Alistair sighed as he shifted on his seat. He had no idea what happened as to why this little one was suddenly saying these things, but he didn't have the heart to really clip her wings if that was what she wanted. After all, he was born to make sure her dainty hands could reach her dreams.
Still, he had to make sure she really understood what she wanted.
"Ali, as the princess of Ritz, you are already very useful to the country," Alistair told her matter-of-factly. "Your beauty alone boosts the morale of our people."
Alinea frowned, and the king wondered what he had said that made her do so.
"But brother, with your beauty, who cares about mine? You alone can boost the country's morale." Alinea told him thoughtfully, and the king nearly palmed his face.
After all, his aesthetics were indeed more distracting than this little one. With his divine power, he could barely suppress, his charms were always on cheat mode.
"Ah, but you increase their heart rates too – that's not good is it? And Nana said many women couldn't get married anymore because many men jumped over the other fence because of brother's face alone – whatever that means," Alinea continued softly in confusion, not totally understanding what her nanny meant, but Alistair could.
The King if Ritz had a beauty that led even the toughest of men astray.
He took a mental note to fire the nanny tomorrow. Seeing as Ali was totally distracted, Alistair cleared his throat loudly, taking his sister's attention again from her thoughts.
"But Ali, there are other things you can do for the country other than being a soldier," he told her again.
This time, he watched as Alinea's face fell in sadness, her huge silvery pools shrouded in disappointment as she looked at him.
"It means I can't?" she beseeched in a voice that was almost a whisper, and the big brother who got K.O.ed by that puppy look stiffened on his seat.
"Of course you can! You can be whatever you want to be," he announced abruptly, and it took a lot of self-control on his part not to jump and clap in joy with her.
When she left, Alistair realized he'd been bamboozled with no chance of winning. With a sigh, he ordered the servant who was on standby to gather five of the best warriors they had in the country. If his little one wanted to be a soldier, then she should learn from only the best.
The next day, five warriors clad in their finest gear were lined up in front of the king. Alistair scrutinized them one by one, checking if they're good enough for him to leave Ali in their care.
One was a huge blonde warrior with a battle-ax. He looked totally strong with his muscled body and weathered face. A scar ran down from his forehead across his eye to his cheek. Ali who was a demigod, of course, had more strength physically, but he looked like he had techniques that he could pass on to his little one.
Alistair nodded. Yes.
His amethyst gaze then transferred to two handsome youths. Their light gear reflected their roles, and they looked totally agile. Both were archers. The reports said these two were sharpshooters, but without arrows, they're also experts on hand to hand combat.
Alistair nodded. Yes.
Next was a middle-aged warrior with a beefy build. His silver armor indicated his role. He was a paladin, a great swordsman. He was the best among his peers, and his maturity would be beneficial to the little one. This man could be the leader of the five.
Alistair nodded. Yes.
Last but not least was another comely young man – a very tall lad who bore the most gentle of faces among the five. He wore light leather armor almost similar to the archers. In the group, he was the only one who could control elementals – an earth caster. Being one granted him the ability of healing. He would be vital to his little one's team.
Alistair nodded. Yes.
Satisfied with the warriors, he ordered the servants to call his little one.
When Alinea arrived in the throne room, her little face lit up in happiness. The smile she bestowed on her older brother made Alistair think he did the right thing. He introduced her to Horgall, Rubic, Lucius, Midas, and Sven consecutively, telling her each man's specialty and their tasks.
"When will my training start, brother?" she asked in excitement, her silver orbs dancing in delight.
"As soon as you'd like," he replied nonchalantly.
"Great! I can explore dungeons now!"Alinea declared, making his brother's eyes pop out of their sockets in shock.
"Ali, what dungeons are you talking about?" he said with a slight frown.
The little one's face fell as soon as he said that.
"I can't?" she asked softly.
"Of course you can! If that's what you truly want," was his automatic answer, and Alistair almost wanted to hit himself. He really should try to curb his sister-spoiling habit.
But, seeing her so happy as she ran to her new companions, the Ritz king decided to give in.
"Just always prioritize safety…"


She was the Princess who had to die…

Alinea, beloved Princess of Ritz, and celebrated heroine of the recently concluded Immortal War was betrayed and killed for political reasons.  However, death did not come. She found herself waking up in modern-day Tokyo, in the body of a girl, named, Suzuki Ara, the most hated antagonist of all.  

He was the Prince who had to live…

Homura Ryuu, heir of the most influential family in Japan was forced to be engaged to Ara since birth, due to a family curse. He could only marry and have children with the woman mentioned in the prophecy, else his bloodline would die out. 

Fated…

The Prince and Princess from different worlds, where revenge, hatred, conspiracy and strive for power prevailed, found each other in the most unexpected turn of events.  Was this a coincidence? Maybe not. For two souls destined for each other meet regardless of time and circumstance. It's called fate...


PLEASE DO NOT SPAM THIS BOOK. I REQUEST FOR EVERYONE TO SHOW RESPECT & AVOID EXP REVIEWS. 
=============================
Ara elbowed Ryuu in the rib. "Darling, you are scaring the people away. Learn how to smile."

"Darling, if I smile, they will totally forget why they exist," Ryuu countered smugly, so Ara had no choice but to sigh in defeat. There's no sense making sense with this stubborn husky anyway.

Well, he kind of had a point anyway…

Ara looked towards the nurse's station where nurses kept bumping into each other or hitting the tables and making things fall because they were busy giving Ryuu demure glances.

"See? They get distracted like that with me not smiling – what more if I do?"Ryuu told her with amusement in his voice. Then again, mischief danced in his blue gaze and he finally sent one bright smile the nurses' way.

CRASH!

BANG!

Ara watched as chaos ensued in the station and she quickly pulled the naughty husky to the side and gave him a glare.

"What? Who told me to smile?" he asked her innocently.

"I did okay? It's my fault," Ara told him as she dragged him away.

=============
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FRENCH VERSION AVAILABLE here.  Alinea (Français) 

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"What kind of distraction do you want?" Noah asked as he signaled for the check.
They had polished off their pancakes and Violet was feeling a bit better already, though she was totally embarrassed at being caught out and about in her pajamas now. It might be best going to a clothes store to pick out a new outfit first.
"Can I get something to wear that isn't pajamas before we figure that out?" she asked nonchalantly to hide her mortification.
"Sure."
Once they made it back to the car Noah drove them straight to a nearby mall. Violet ended up buying the first thing she tried on: a white spaghetti strap romper covered in sunflowers.
The state of her bedhead was still something to worry about so as they walked by an accessory store she saw exactly what she needed. It was a hair clip with a sunflower on it.
Violet excused herself to run to the bathroom and try to smooth her hair out as best she could with water. The end result was a messy braid held together by the clip but at least now she looked boho chic rather than rolled-out-of-bed.
When she came back out, Noah was shaking his head with an amused smile on his face. "No one would ever guess you ran outside in your pajamas this morning."
"That's what I was going for," Violet replied crisply, though she was relieved to hear she looked okay.
She still hadn't decided what kind of distraction would be best when Noah pulled into a parking lot close to Central Park. A small, nostalgic smile appeared on her face. They had spent a lot of time here together when they were younger.
He led her towards the playground and more specifically, towards the swings. Only one was free so he gestured for her to sit on it so he could push her.
Violet laughed. It had been years since she had been on a swing. As soon as she was old enough to stay home alone, her mom didn't drag her to the park when her little brothers went anymore.
"If you're trying to distract me by drowning me in nostalgia it's working," she informed him.
Since Noah was behind her she couldn't see his smile but she could hear it in his voice. "Good. That was definitely my plan. Plus it couldn't hurt exposing you to some sunshine. Vitamin D is important, you know."
She rolled her eyes. Everyone was always on her case about not going out enough. Wasn't the time it took to get from place to place enough exposure to sunlight? She had better things to do inside.
That being said, Violet did like reading in the hammock on the terrace at home. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to read these days. Schoolwork had only gotten more time consuming over time. Even with her speed reading skills she spent hours on it each day.
A lot of the time she ended up bringing her homework with her when she met with Noah so they could work on their separate assignments at the same time. That way she could help him if he needed it but could also get her work done.
Before her workload got heavier, Violet completed everything while still at school and had plenty of time to herself after ballet practice. Life did get crazier the older you got.
Things were so much simpler when she was younger. She didn't have to worry about her image or her twin brother or her future. Back then all that mattered was playing with Noah and Kaleb, her two favorite people in the world.
As much as she looked forward to the future and craved romantic excitement, Violet had always struggled with change. Going to new schools, trying to make new friends, having a new schedule…those things took her a while to adjust every time.
Now she had one more unpleasant change to adjust to: life without her grandpa. He had always been an important part of her life so how was she supposed to get used to a world without him?
"What are you thinking about, Vi?" Noah asked as he pushed her higher.
She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that the occasional feeling of his hands on  her back was the only indication he was still there. 
"Change," Violet said sadly. "It's going to be weird not having Grandpa around anymore. It was already hard enough when he moved into the care center and I didn't see him as much but now I can't see him at all."
"I'm not sure what to tell you," Noah replied a bit hesitantly. "When my grandma died I was sad but I only saw her a few times a year so the difference wasn't as noticeable. It was easier to feel like she was still alive out there like always."
Jennica's mother had passed away about a year ago. The funeral was all the way in Ohio so Violet wasn't able to be there to support her friend even though she wanted to go with them. Her mother told her she couldn't be a burden on the Singletons when they were already grieving.
Reluctantly, she conceded her mother had a point. Jennica shouldn't have to focus on taking care of an extra minor when she was mourning the only parent she really had.
It was obvious that Noah wanted to make her feel better but didn't have the right words. That alone nearly made her feel better. Her friend's care and consideration were better than any sage advice he might have to offer.
The little girl on the swing next to her went running back to the playground so Noah was able to join her on the swings. He sat down and rocked back and forth gently by moving his feet against the ground.
Violet continued using the momentum his pushing had given her to pump her legs and go as high as possible. Maybe if she went high enough she could leave her melancholy completely behind.
"I don't need advice. I was just getting my thoughts out. You did ask, after all," she said simply.
"Right. Sorry," Noah replied. 
"Don't apologize! I really appreciate that you're here with me right now. I don't know what I would have done if I'd been forced to stay home with all of the doom and gloom."
"Cry more?" he asked with a slight smile on his face.
Violet rolled her eyes at him. He wasn't wrong but he didn't need to know that.


Keeley, a simple plain Jane, hits the jackpot.  [No, she did not win the lottery!]  At least that's what she thinks when she marries the most eligible bachelor in New York City: Aaron, a wealthy cold-hearted heartthrob and Tycoon. 

She wants to show the world that she deserves her position and bends over  backward to fit into his world.

One beautiful day, Aaron hands her a document asking her to sign.  A divorce paper...

"She's pregnant, and I need to take responsibility."

That is the last thing that keeps on playing in her mind before she takes her last breath.

Keeley dies, a 'hit and run'. [End of story.  Not!]

For some unexplainable reason, she wakes up as her younger self.  A young high school girl, around the time when she first meets her cheating husband.

Remembering her life with Aaron before she died, she makes a promise to herself that she will do everything in her power to avoid him at all costs.

Will she be able to keep her promise when Aaron has his own plans as well, specifically for her?  Or will she repeat history and fall for him once more...

Why not journey with me and find out the truth behind their story.


The fluorescent light of the computer was shining upon Pi's face, and its clip-on glasses were glowing from the metal, made of an unknown material.
It lightly pressed on the keys one after another on the keyboard, out of fear of disturbing the other's rest. Since its typing speed couldn't keep up with the speed of its thinking, the progress of its writing had inevitably been slowed down. But it had no other choice. 
In the dead of night, even the fan sound from the laptop was particularly harsh. From time to time, Pi tilted its head to look around the bedroom and see if it had disturbed Zhang Zian or the other elves.
After Zhang Zian and Snowy Lionet finished their argument, silence returned to the room. Because of its night blindness, Richard, who had always been nosey, couldn't participate in their conversation. 
Old Time Tea always slept soundly, like it could stay asleep even if Mount Tai were to collapse over its head. 
Galaxy looked at Pi once and closed its eyes again, lying in the crib safely and covered by the soft moonlight.
Pi and Fina looked each other in the eyes but quickly looked away.
Fina, who had slept enough during the day, didn't feel drowsy at all in the evening, and its majestic green eyes were glancing around the room.
Famous was still awake. Turning and tossing restlessly on its blanket, it was still looking forward to the grand premiere of the movie. A small night light at its spot provided a little dim light for it. 
After arriving at the pet shop, Pi had gradually become accustomed to such evenings. Almost every night before going to sleep, a certain elfin, usually Snowy Lionet or Richard, would make a scene, as if it were some kind of ritual before sleeping. 
Pi tried to ignore Fina's awe-inspiring gaze and focused on the screen in front of it, thinking about the following storyline of its novel. 
After a while, the lower right corner of the screen indicated that it was 11 pm.
Pi suddenly felt relieved. Firstly, it had almost finished writing that day's chapters. And secondly, Fina's gaze was finally gone.
Snowy Lionet started to smack its lips. Old Time Tea snored from time to time. Famous kicked like it was having a nightmare, but it didn't wake up. 
From this time on, the night had truly overtaken the pet shop.
As the only awake elfin on the second floor, Pi was extremely pleased.
It yawned, took off its clip-on glasses and rubbed its aching and sore eyes before putting the glasses back on its nose. The words on the screen looked the same because the glasses did not actually have any degrees. It wore the glasses just to clearly read the words in the untitled book. 
In fact, Pi didn't want to stay up late, but for some reason, in the dead of night, its thinking was always exceptionally smoother, and the plots that baffled it during the day made sense to it during the night. As a famous saying goes, inspiration was just like a ghost; they both liked haunting in the night.
When Pi yawned for the second time, it finished writing that day's chapters and uploaded them.
When uploading the new chapters, it was inevitable for Pi to see the number of people who had added the novel to their libraries. 58 people had. The excitement of being immersed in its past stories was suddenly wiped away, after seeing such a number. 
Some authors liked to write something and communicate with the readers at the end of the chapters, but Pi had never done so because it didn't know if anyone was actually reading its novel. Although 58 readers had added the novel to their libraries, Pi felt that these people hadn't really read it. The empty comment section was the most obvious proof.
It moved the mouse to the "Publish" button but didn't press it yet. As if it had suddenly thought of something, Pi wrote in the "Message from Author" section at the end of a chapter: I don't know if anyone is reading this novel. Can anyone who has read this message please say something in the comment section?
After writing the message, it pressed the "Publish" button quickly, as if it would regret its decision if it hesitated. 
Would anyone say anything tomorrow?
It didn't hold any hope for this. It felt like its heart had become a cold stone and was constantly falling into an endless void.
Pi closed the Word document, turned off the computer, removed its glasses, and placed it on the untitled book. Then, it jumped onto the hammock chair. 
Although it had tried to move as quiet as possible, the chair still squeaked lightly, and slightly swayed back and forth. That was how the chair was designed. 
Pi held its breath nervously, cocked its ears, and listened to the sounds of the room.
Old Time Tea's snoring paused a little bit and resumed, while the sleep of other elves seemed not to have been affected.
Pi felt relieved. Finally, it could go to sleep, and it wished it could at least have sweet dreams. 
However, reality was not what it expected. 
As soon as it closed its eyes, the Word document and the stories that it had written earlier appeared before its eyes. The events that took place before it arrived at the pet shop projected in its mind, one by one. 
How interesting!
Eyes still closed, it smiled. How nice if I could come here a little earlier.
After a while, about at 11:30 or so, Pi, who had not yet fallen asleep, suddenly heard some slight rubbing sounds from the bedroom.
Was Snowy Lionet teasing Zhang Zian again? No matter what, it was too late at this point. If they were too loud and woke Fina up, Fina would surely be furious.
Pi opened its eyes to look around the room. To its surprise, what it saw was not Snowy Lionet's blue eyes, but was the light from Zhang Zian's cell phone screen. 
Was he not asleep so late in the night? Or was he just looking at the time?
He did look at the time and then turned his neck as if looking to in the direction of the desk. Pi quickly leaned its head back into the hammock chair.
After a moment, it quietly stuck its head back out and saw that Zhang Zian was still holding his cell phone. His cell phone screen had become the main light source in the room, so he probably didn't notice that Pi was watching him in the darkness.
Zhang Zian had not fallen back asleep after lying down. On one hand, he was guarding himself against an attack from Snowy Lionet. On the other hand, he wanted to go to sleep only after Pi had fallen asleep. When he heard that the sound of the computer fan disappeared, he wanted to go to sleep, but his drowsiness had already vanished. After staying in bed for a while, he picked up his cell phone. 
He opened up the Qidian app and found some novels with 100,000 to 200,000 words, ones with better performance on the website, and quickly began to browse the beginning parts of those books. 
Honestly, he could barely immerse himself into the stories, ones where the storylines were too straightforward and had no logic. Maybe he'd passed the age of reading for these kinds of books, but he knew that if he wanted progress and success, he must focus on learning the merits from others rather than criticizing other people's defects. Therefore, he tried his best to keep reading the books with patience and perseverance.
The room was quiet, except for the breathing of the elves all around. This made Zhang Zian feel at ease.
His drowsiness came back while he was reading these books. Several times, he unknowingly started to fall asleep, and his hand that was holding the phone lowered down. Then, he would wake up abruptly and continue reading. 
The time passed slowly, and it was past one in the night.
He knew that he should go to sleep now, or he else he would be very sleepy during the day tomorrow. He repeatedly told himself that he would go to sleep after reading the next book. However, he kept reading one after the other.
He only browsed the first 100,000 words, which were the first 40 or 50 chapters of each novel, at a very rapid speed. He didn't need to interpret the plots of the books, he was just looking for the best parts among the choices of words and sentences. 
Compared to the text, he actually preferred reading the messages from the authors. Whether they were expressing gratitude or complaining, these messages documented the thoughts of the authors in the process of their writing. Although he had never met the authors whose novels didn't do well on the website, he particularly empathized with them. 
After reading another book, he was extremely sleepy. When he looked at the time on his mobile phone, it was already past two in the morning and he was only four hours away from getting up. He would be exhausted during the day. Should he go to sleep then?
But there was only one book left in his library. He hesitated for half a second and decided to sleep after reading this final book. It was probably his OCD causing himself trouble. 
This was an urban novel named Diplomats of the Underworld. The tags of the novel were hilarious, rebirth, and ghosts. Honestly speaking, this novel had nothing in common with the book written by Pi. But it was published half a month earlier than Pi's novel and had currently uploaded less than 200,000 words, but nearly 10,000 readers had added it into their libraries. It must have some perks making it so attractive. 
Since there was only one book left, he motivated himself to stay focused and opened the novel.
The plot of the novel was roughly about the protagonist being reborn for some reason. Not only had he been reborn, but he had also gained an extra system in his head that enabled him to communicate with ghosts. The system assigned him to kill the evil spirits and wicked people, and he would be rewarded with equipment if he fulfilled his tasks.
The novel's word choices and expressions were somewhat awkward and there were many typos, but at least it wasn't boring. He read the novel chapter by chapter, and when it was nearly three in the morning, he'd already read 50 chapters and about 100,000 words. Normally, he would have switched and read the next novel by the time he'd reached these many words. However, this was the only novel left in his library, so he decided to read ten more chapters. Besides, he hadn't found the highlights of the novel yet. If it had no great parts, how did it become successful?
If he still couldn't find any highlights after reading ten more chapters, he would go to sleep. He decided that he could stay up no longer.
When he read Chapter 57, the finger that had been swiping the screen to turn pages abruptly froze. 
At the end of Chapter 57, the author complained that he'd been writing the novel for a month, but the performance of his book wasn't good. One part among the writing had deeply touched Zhang Zian. 
I've been preparing this book for a long time. Having no sense of shame at all, I want to say that I have been hoping to rock the web novel community with this novel. I feel so upset that my novel has not gained any recognition or opportunities.
Zhang Zian could feel the author's resentment from this. Meanwhile, he still was curious. When the author wrote Chapter 57 of this novel, its performance was doing poorly, but currently, it was doing quite well. What had happened during this period?
He continued reading the book.
The answer was revealed two chapters later.
At the end of Chapter 59, the author wrote this:
I'm not sure how to say it, but my mood has been on a rollercoaster the whole day. To be exact, this began early in the morning yesterday. After talking with Morning Gorilla Star in the comment section, he included my novel in his reading list. Since he has so many friends, there are many people who follow his reading list. More readers have begun to notice my books. Thanks to those who have included my novel in their reading lists.
What was going on?
Zhang Zian had a flicker of interest. This was the second time he saw the term reading list. The first time he saw it was on the Wang Haige Forum. At that time, someone responded to a post and said that it was useless to advertise in the comment section, but it was useful to advertise in reading lists. 
The situation of the novel had gotten better after only two chapters?
He wasn't in the mood to read plots he wasn't interested in. He quickly scrolled to the later parts of the novel. In Chapter 84, he saw that 5,000 readers had put this novel into their libraries, while at Chapter 59, that number was less than 1,000.
Things had changed tremendously in only 25 chapters.
That was how it happened then. Reading lists could really turn something bad to good and make more people notice their novel. However, if the authors of novels wanted the creators of reading lists to notice their novels and include them in the reading lists, the authors must advertise their books in reading lists first. 
What exactly was a reading list and why was it so powerful?
So the person named Morning Gorilla Star was probably a creator of a reading list?
Zhang Zian's brain was weakened by extreme drowsiness. He stared at the dark ceiling and thought for a while, but he had no clue in the end. It would be better for him to think about the matter when he woke up in the morning.
Scared that he would forget about it when he woke up, he added a bookmark to Chapter 59. After that, he put his cell phone under his pillow, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
After the light of the mobile phone's screen went out, the room was once again filled with darkness. The only light source was the dim night light near Famous.
Zhang Zian had been very careful while reading the books, thinking that he'd better not make any noises to disturb the sleep of the elves. Still, some elves had woken up once and a certain elfin had never slept.
For a few hours, Pi watched him in the dark. Unlike Galaxy, Fina, Old Time Tea or Snowy Lionet, its eyes did not glow in the dark because it did not have tapetum lucidum behind its retinas. But it also wasn't as blind as Richard in the dark. No one had noticed its open eyes. 
From the side of the hammock chair, Pi exposed half of its head and saw that the glows of several pairs of eyes appeared and disappeared. Zhang Zian's brow furrowed and stretched in front of his cell phone screen, and the moonlight quietly changed its angle as time passed.
It's time to sleep. Many times, Pi wanted to remind Zhang Zian to go to sleep. You have to get up so early in the morning, and then you need to carry out the heavy cleaning work, apply for loans from the bank, discuss the decoration of the shoe store with the construction team, and deal with all kinds of difficult customers. If you don't sleep well, you'll be very sleepy.
But Pi didn't tell Zhang Zian this because it couldn't speak. Since the computer was turned off, it couldn't type either. But the most important reason that it did not remind Zhang Zian was because it needed to bite on its wrist to stop from crying out loud.
Why?
Why not just tell me to give up? Isn't that simpler?
There are so many more important things than my novel that you need to attend to. For example, Galaxy is still afraid of human beings, Fina is keeping its thoughts to itself, Old Time Tea is getting old, Snowy Lionet always likes to pull pranks on you, Richard doesn't want to love anymore, and Famous is still stuck in another world.
Why did you spend time on my novel that is bound to fail?
Why...did you spend time on me?
Pi's canine teeth had already left four deep teeth marks on its arm. It pulled back its head and pulled up the blanket to cover itself, crouching in the chair like a baby in the arms of its mother. 
As the chair slightly squeaked, several pairs of eyes opened and glowed. Then, the glows went out as the cat elves closed their eyes.
The dead of night.


1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

A group of people was sitting on the ground. The atmosphere was tense, and no one was talking. The fact that they ended up empty-handed after suffering such heavy losses dealt a huge blow to these prideful and arrogant "new Masters."
Fu Sisi was sitting on a boulder that was of half a man's height. Similarly, her facial expression did not look too good.
　　
At this point in time, they were engulfed an intense sense of failure. Their heads were hanging down dispiritedly. Only at this moment did they realize they were just a bunch of ten to twenty year old youngsters.
Master's Glory boosted their strength and allowed them to become Masters, but it couldn't increase their maturity or wisdom. When they won, they easily became arrogant. Similarly, when they lost, they easily felt dejected.
"We will split into two groups now. Gui Hu, bring 20 men with you. Your mission is to search for She Yu. The demonic girl is severely injured and definitely can't run far. Right now, she is most probably hiding somewhere. If you find her, try your best to capture her alive. If you can't capture her alive, kill her. We definitely can't let her survive."
　
Fu Sisi raised her head as her tone became firm. After witnessing the sacrifice of her father and the great changes that happened to her family, she became much more mature than the others. Due to this intrinsic quality, Madam Ye appointed her as the vice division leader of the Sky Leaf Division.
　　
Fu Sisi knew that she had to raise everyone's morale now. Failure wasn't that scary at all. It wasn't too late for them to bounce back now. After realizing the mistakes that she had made, Fu Sisi reorganized her train of thought very soon.
"The rest will follow me. Hmph, Wan Shenwei is just a spent force now, and he still dares to escape? Ye Baiyi is very important to us, so we can't afford to lose him!"
Everyone became re-energized and stood up one by one.
…..
　
Gong Peiyao looked at the distant Skyheart City as a tinge of sadness flashed across her eyes. Beside her, Han Lu was able to sense her gloominess. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He did not know how to console her.
The image of indifferent faces and the spreading pool of blood beneath their feet appeared in his mind.
Sky Leaf Division!
　　
A tinge of fear streaked across the depths of his pupils. His palm that grasped his sword hilt tightened subconsciously, causing his fingers to turn white.
They were a group of cold-blooded killing machines. In their eyes, human lives were no different from weeds.
Soon, Han Li regained his composure. After becoming a Master, his mental state became more and more cultivated with each passing day. He was no longer as rash as he was in the past. Furthermore, he knew Peiyao would be safe in Skyheart City even though she was a hostage. From his understanding of Madam Ye, he knew she would take good care of Peiyao and try her best to win Peiyao over. Madam Ye was someone who was willing to pay any price to gain talents.
　
If someone tried to harm Peiyao, they would have to step over his dead body first.
Han Li was absorbed in swordsmanship. He had no interest in politics, and all he wanted was to live a simple life. As long as Peiyao was safe, he would be at ease. Peiyao probably wouldn't be happy though. Fortunately, Peiyao always understood the big picture and had extremely strong adaptability. With regards to this aspect, Han Li might even lose out to her.
He smiled and shifted his gaze back to the distant Skyheart City. He did not know whether or not it was because he had not returned for a very long time, but he found the previously desolate and ruined Skyheart City to be prosperous now.
Gong Peiyao thought of the news that she had just received, and her spirits rose significantly. "The elementalists obtained a great victory at the front line. The God Wolf and Silver Frost Divisions were slain to the last man, and Helian Tianxiao was executed. Such an unprecedented triumph. Ai Hui and Sister Xueman are really formidable."
"That's really a great victory!" Han Li was emotionally moved.
　　
With the destruction of the God Wolf Division, the Silver Frost Blood Division, and the Ardent Flower Blood Division, this implied that one-sixth of the Blood of God's elites were annihilated. Even with the Blood of God's massive military strength, this was still considered a heavy loss for them.
"Their impressive performance is… not something good in Madam Ye's eyes." Gong Peiyao looked slightly worried now.
　
Han Li remained silent.
　　
Suddenly, Gong Peiyao asked curiously, "Let me ask you, between Ai Hui's group and the Sky Leaf Division, who do you think is more powerful?"
　
After thinking for a while, Han Li replied, "Sky Leaf Division."
"Why the Sky Leaf Division?" Gong Peiyao wasn't satisfied with Han Li's answer.
　　
"In the history of the Avalon of Five Elements, there has never been a combat division that was entirely made up of Masters. Any single member of the Sky Leaf Division is more powerful than an ordinary Master. I can't think of anyone that can defeat the Sky Leaf Division," Han Li muttered.
Gong Peiyao gave a childish snort and continued, "In any case, I believe in Ai Hui and Sister Xueman."
　
Ai Hui…
　
When Han Li thought of Ai Hui, a trace of longing flashed across his eyes. For some reason, the battle fervor within his body began to stir. His loss to Ai Hui was precisely what allowed him to pry into the profundity of swordsmanship and become a Master.
He knew he would be extremely delighted if he had another chance to fight with that fellow again!
Han Li could not help but grip the hilt of his sword tightly. After a while, he heaved a breath of air. This breath of white air was shaped like a sword and refused to dissipate. His facial expression loosened up gradually.
It was a pity there that were no swordsmanship experts in Skyheart City.
After he became a Master, a brand-new world of swordsmanship appeared before him. There were countless unknowns waiting for him to explore. Right now, he hoped that he could encounter other master swordsmen and exchange pointers with them.
Previously, he still hoped that his swordsmanship could improve with each passing day. Now, he no longer counted on it.
The success of Master's Glory had paved a bright path for all young elementalists. This was a path allowed them to obtain power, strength, status, wealth, and glory rapidly.
As a traditional elementalist, Han Li instinctively loathed Master's Glory. From his perspective, Master's Glory was no different from the Beast Venom Temple's blood refinement.
Before they reached the city gate, there was already an elementalist waiting for them.
Han Li did not know who this elementalist was and found him to be extremely unfamiliar. However, Han Li knew that he was from the Sky Leaf Division by the energy undulations around his body.
The elementalist had an indifferent look on his face. He bowed slightly and spoke with a polite tone, "Miss Peiyao and Master Han, welcome to Skyheart City. Madam knew that both of you would arrive today, and she is very happy. She even personally involved herself in finding a residence for you. If you have any requests, feel free to tell me. Madam has prepared a welcoming banquet for both of you, and various family heads are invited to it. Your luggage will be sent to your residence by the butler. Please follow me to the banquet now."
　　
 A wide smile appeared on Gong Peiyao's face as she bowed and replied gently, "Sir, thank you for leading the way."
"You're welcome."
The elementalist's face was still indifferent as usual. He turned around and led the way.
As they entered Skyheart City, Gong Peiyao and Han Li looked at each other. They could see the shock in each other's eyes. Both of them had come to Skyheart City before, so they knew what it looked like in the past. The current Skyheart City looked as though it had been reborn. There was a huge number of shops, and the streets were bustling with people and activity.
Was this… the economic climate of a free market nation?
Gong Peiyao's feelings were complicated.
　
The banquet was very grand. Those who attended it were all important figures. The seniority of many of them actually required the Gong Residence's family head to receive them. By custom, a junior like Gong Peiyao was only fit to serve them. From the atmosphere of the banquet, one would definitely not be able to tell that this banquet was prepared for a hostage.
　　
Madam Ye was cordial and warm, making one felt as though he or she was at home. She drank and laughed with everyone. Both the host and the guests were enjoying their time at the banquet.
　
Gong Peiyao knew this was Madam Ye's way of bragging about her accomplishments by displaying her benevolence and amiability.
　
When Gong Peiyao returned to her residence, she was already worn out and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
　　
Han Li looked at Gong Peiyao's cherubic sleeping appearance and sighed in his heart. Sensing that someone was outside, he stood up and walked toward the door silently. When he opened the door, he saw the Sky Leaf Division elementalist who had received them earlier.
"Madam wants to see you."
The meeting place was at a desolate, unremarkable house.
Madam Ye's appearance had not changed at all. It appeared that time did not leave any traces on her. Han Li could sense faint energy undulations coming from the shadow in a corner not far away.
He remained calm and stayed at his position like a statue.
"Han Li, have I ever mistreated you?"
Madam Ye's voice was plain and calm.
　
"No, never," Han Li replied.
　　
"Do you have anything to explain to me then?" Madam Ye snorted.
　
"No." Han Li shook his head.
　　
Madam Ye did not seem to expect that Han Li would be so stubborn, and her face darkened. A faint killing intent extended from the shadow in the corner, and the temperature of the room kept on decreasing, appearing as though it could sense Madam Ye's anger.
　
Han Li acted as if he couldn't sense this.
Suddenly, Madam Ye chuckled softly. "You indeed have the air of a Master now. Even your character has changed.
Han Li sighed in his heart. He knew his relationship with Madam Ye was completely broken. Han Li's entry into the Karakorum Sword League was personally arranged by Madam Ye. From what she said just now, she was actually giving him a chance to redeem himself. As long as he was willing to lower his head and take orders from Madam Ye, she would let bygones be bygones.
　
However, he still rejected her even though that path led to glory and magnificence.
The faint killing intent that lingered in the room disappeared, appearing as though it was Han Li's hallucination.
"You're already a master swordsman now, and you should have deep understanding of swordsmanship. It just so happens that I have a mirage clip here that I want to show you." Madam Ye smiled.
Han Li felt slightly puzzled, but he did not say anything.
　　
A ball of light suddenly blossomed in the room. Han Li's attention was immediately captured by the image before him. It was a battlefield!
　　
He could tell that the person who recorded this clip used an extremely high-grade mirage bean pod. The image was extremely clear with many details in high definition.
　　
Han Li's eyes looked as though they were about to pop out. His mouth subconsciously opened, and it did not close for a long period of time.
When Madam Ye saw his facial expression, she did not ridicule him. She still remembered how appalled she was when she first saw this image.
　
The sword gleams that descended from the sky were like a beautiful rain of light. Even the splendor of the synchronized pagoda cannon shots paled in comparison to it. In the face of the light swords, the powerful blood elementalists were weak and delicate like pieces of paper and were unable to withstand a single blow.
Rivers of blood and corpses were everywhere.
　　
What is this sword? Why are the sword gleams so unique?
　　
How many swords are there? How come he can't keep track of the number of swords?
Why is every sword shaped differently?
　
How does one control such a terrifying number of light swords?
Why are they so powerful?
What… what kind of swordsmanship is this?
Countless questions swirled in Han Li's head. He felt as though there were raging waves surging through his mind. His understanding of swordsmanship was overturned in an instant. The confidence he obtained from becoming a Master collapsed with a loud rumble at this moment.
He did not notice Madam Ye's pupils faintly dilate when Helian Tianxiao yelled in the clip, "Ai Hui, you're a blood elementalist!"
Han Li, who was immersed in the recording, suddenly realized what was going on. This clip depicted the entire process of the destruction of the God Wolf Division!
　
The dazzling and gorgeous rain of swords…
All of a sudden, a name involuntarily appeared in Han Li's mind.
　
—— Ai Hui!
Han Li couldn't believe what he had just seen.
　
When the clip ended, the room became silent once more. Han Li's heavy panting could be clearly heard. His eyes were in a daze, his face was pale-white, and his clothes were drenched in sweat.
　
Madam Ye stayed silent for a while before asking, "From your perspective, do you think swordsmanship alone can be so powerful?"


The tens of thousands of universes have merged. The disintegration of Spiritual Force led to the momentous collapse of the great Cultivation World, a mighty era that had endured through millions of years of history. In the wake of the large-scale invasion of the Wilderness, the Avalon of Five Elements has become the practitioners’ last stand.
 
After a thousand years, a lowly youth, who hailed from the Old Territory, toiled as a laborer for three years in the depths of the Wilderness. He then became an exception and obtained the opportunity to enter the Avalon Of Five Elements for further studies.
Bearing beast-like fighting capabilities and driven by the desire to take control of his life, the youth strived for greater strength and power. Little did he know that he would set off a majestic upheaval.

If I thought that suddenly people would be convinced by my little clip on the news, I learned fast enough that while some people loved the idea of a little girl tearing a strip off a school principal on the news, fewer people were interested in the background or rights of my friend Marilyn and others who didn't fit as easily into our assumptions as the rest of us.
What was interesting were the number and breadth of the people who were interested. Among them was the editor of New Economy, Phyllis Orville.
"We aren't just about money," Phyllis said. "There is also the economy of identity and relationship that is actually more important than money. I liked what you said in your clip, but I was wondering if you had a little more. I could use a fifteen hundred word article on the subject."
"That shouldn't be a problem," I said, "but I want you to credit Tuni J. Smith for it. I don't want a repeat of my civics class."
"I heard a little about that. I'm sorry that we added to your troubles in any way."
"I'll get the article to you as soon as I can."
"Great, I'll look forward to reading it."
I spent the day working on the article and fielding a few calls. Marilyn called to say ne'd watched the news and thought I did fantastic. 
"Why don't we meet for coffee tomorrow?" I said.
"Is it OK if John Wayne comes?"
"Of course."
The time crawled the next day until four and I could head over to the coffee shop. I took my mostly complete article for Marilyn to read. Just as I stepped out the door, Anita pulled up. 
"Do you have a few minutes?" she said. "I want to bring you up to date on the case."
"I'm just heading over to have coffee with some friends. Why don't you join us?"
"I could stand a cup of coffee." Anita opened the front door for me and then headed along toward the coffee shop.
"My computer genius friend scored big time on Rickard's hard drive. We were able to find a few other pictures that looked like they were taken in the school locker room. They were emailed to Rickard by the same person who used John Wayne's account to email you the porn. There were a few other emails that allowed us to identify the person involved. I believe you know her, one Chastity O'Connor."
"You're kidding," I said. "Chastity as a porn producer! I would have thought she would have been the star."
"That's always possible too," Anita said. "We arrested her today."
"No!" I said, "I wish I had been there to see that!"
"It was quite a show. It just happened that we arrived at the school just before lunch. Another female officer and I entered the locker room. I wanted to see if I could catch her with the camera in the locker room. She was in the shower, but one of the girls tripped over Miss O'Connor's stuff trying to get away from us. It turned out she had a little weed in her pocket. She did us a favor because Chastity's camera fell on the floor and since it was in plain sight I could look at it. One of the girls was even helpful enough to show me how it worked.
"Chastity tried to play it cool that it wasn't hers, but none of them were buying it. One girl said that she should get paid to have her picture posted and Chastity told her off and said that there weren't any of her. So I arrested Chastity. She thought she was being smart by refusing to get dressed. I told her she could either walk out with me dressed or naked. I think she figured I wouldn't dare carry her out naked. She just stuck her hands out at me.  So I put the cuffs on her, wrapped a towel around her and marched her through the halls to the police car. 
"It is really too bad that the bell rang just before we got out of the school..." From Anita's grin, I didn't think she looked too sorry.
We pulled up to the coffee shop and I led Anita to our table.  John Wayne scooted over beside Marilyn so we could sit and they told their version of the story. It was a blast being able to just hang out with them again. I almost missed school.
Anita left after one cup and a promise from each of us that we wouldn't spread wild stories about Chastity's arrest.
"You should come back to school," John Wayne said. "It isn't fair that you're expelled."
"I've been getting lots of work done," I said and handed the article to Marilyn. "Hey, you've shaved the beard," I said. "It looks good."
"The duct tape ruined it anyway, but I think it confused things more than they needed to be." 
"We did our presentation for Civics and got a great mark," John Wayne said. "The class really liked the bumper stickers."
"Cool," I said. "So at least you'll graduate."
"You should talk to the board," Marilyn said.
"That's a good idea," John Wayne said. "You're, like famous now, they'll have to listen to you."
"I'll give it a try."
When I got home I wrote an email to the Board saying that I didn't think I was being treated fairly. I included the emails from New Economy that confirmed that I wrote the article. I argued that I should be allowed to write the exams and finish school like all the rest of the students.
I got an email from the Chair the next day saying he thought I was being very reasonable. I would be allowed to return to school to write my exams and finish the last few courses I needed to graduate.
     


Author:
Alex McGilvery has been reading since before he can remember, and writing almost that long. He has published 18 books and is author and editor at his imprint Celticfrog Publishing. He lives in Kamloops with his dog and the stories clawing their way out of his head.

Petunia Smith is a senior in High School. The good news is that she only has to survive one more year in the battleground of High School relationships. The bad news is that she is short, shapeless and the preferred target of the cheerleader captain. Petunia knows what she needs to do, but when Marilyn walks into their home room all bets are off. The only thing worse than being Marilyn in Punkie's Hounds High School, may be becoming Marilyn's friend, but Petunia doesn't let that stop her.

Finished dressing, Rowan and Tiffany left together as their dates were waiting for them upstairs. They'd left a blushing Regulus and awestruck Terry with Silvia and Bethanie behind in the common room. Severus had already left according to Terry to pick up his hot date.

Rowan in a gentlemen fashion accompanied Tiffany causing Tiffany to giggle all the way upstairs as she held onto the crook of Rowan's arm. The two girls came up the stairs and glanced around at the entrance. Their dates had yet to arrive as no doubt they were still climbing down from the towers.

They spotted Lily in a lovely green dress robe that matched her eyes and waved to her and her date, a cute Hufflepuff. Lily waved back before entering the Great Hall. They spotted several other couples such as Pandora and Xeno, Dirk and Dorothy Cabot, Remus and Mary, and others. They all waved at each other in passing as Tiffany let a gasp of dismay causing Rowan to glance over.

Vasco Vespucci looked quite handsome in his dark robes that clashed with those of Tiffany. Tiffany's face stiffens before a polite expression appears on her face. "You look very nice, Vasco," Tiffany muttered.

The dark-eyed boy with fair skin and light hair looks a bit bored, but still says, "The same to you, Tiffany. Your gown is lovely."

Rowan must have scowled at him because Vasco turns towards Tiffany and extends the crook of his arm. "Shall we go?" Vasco impatiently said. "We need to find some good seats."

Rowan sends Tiffany a glance that says, "I'll ditch my date, and take you instead."

Tiffany shakes her head at Rowan and flashes her a bit of a sad but determined smile. "Let's go," Tiffany said as she took the offered arm of Vasco, and the two stiffly walked away.

With a cold expression filled with a trace of pity, Rowan watches Vasco lead Tiffany into the Great Hall. It felt sad to see the tragedy unfolding in front of her eyes. They'd all been hoping for the best for Tiffany, but it would seem fate would simply not have it. And though indeed they made a lovely couple at first glance to all, but first appearances can be very deceiving.

The oak front doors loudly open as the Durmstrang students led by Professor Vulchanova begin to pour in. Igor Karkaroff was wearing a high colored velvet dress robes that made him appear like a vicar. The girl at his side was pretty enough though she didn't look happy to be there at all. She was probably a Durmstrang student that had been forced to accept Karkaroff's invitation. 

From behind them Rowan could see that the frozen lawn had been transformed into a grotto full of fairy lights. She instantly winced at the thought of hundreds of actual living fairies with very sharp teeth were lying in wait within the rosebushes that had been conjured there. While others fluttered over statuses of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.

Following after is the entourage of Madame Maxime and Hagrid and her students. Madame Maxime looked quite elegant this evening with Hagrid earning dozens of lustful glances. His pine colored robes gave him an added air of masculinity as if he was bringing the rough earthy forest with him. If Madame Maxime didn't eat Hagrid tonight, then that woman must be a saint! 

Behind them was Jean Delacour happily escorting the gorgeous Apolline, who'd one day be his wife. "Rowan?" A male voice said in disbelief from behind her causing Rowan to look away.

Rowan turned around to spot Sirius looking rather handsome in gray-blue robes and James in an olive color of robes that looked good on him. Sirius looked quite dashing with his hair streaked back, but despite James best efforts his hair was still as unruly as ever. Though what caused her to stare was his new pair of round spectacle glasses. 

Over winter break, Madam Pomfrey had declared that James eyesight had deteriorated enough for him to need to wear glasses. Which seemed rather strange to Rowan. If Pomfrey could restore severed limbs and save an eye, why couldn't eyesight be fixed? 

But then again, it might have to do with the delicate spell required to do so. Or maybe, it had never occurred to anyone to invent the d*m spell! Either way, James Potter looked an awful lot like Harry. Technically, it was the other way around, but who was counting.

"Don't I look good?" Rowan impishly teased at seeing both boys gawking at her.

"You look like a real girl!" Sirius exclaimed as James nodded in agreement.

Rowan rolls her eyes and says, "I haven't changed genders that I can recall."

"I know, but you look good!" Sirius sputtered in disbelief unable to accept the utterly alien concept.

Ignoring Sirius, Rowan asks, "So who did the both of you ask to the Yule Ball?"

"They're both Hufflepuffs," James explained as Sirius still sputtered in the background. "What about you?"

"Oh, I didn't ask anyone, I was asked," Rowan frankly replied.

"Someone asked YOU!" Sirius shrieked in incredulity.

James and Rowan both ignore Sirius as James asks, "Really? Who was it?"

"That would be, Potter," answered, the clear voice of Barrett Boone could be heard.

Both boys whirl around at seeing Barrett Boone in dark gray charcoal robes that nicely matched and contrasted with Rowan's light silver robes. Sirius's mouth flops open as his brain seems to explode. He just couldn't believe that the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain had asked, Rowan out! James reacted a lot better as he only stared in honest awe.

"Did you wait for me for long?" Barrett said in such an intimate tone that had the tip of Rowan's ears beginning to turn pink. 

Firmly reminding herself that he didn't like girls, Rowan says, "Not very long."

"Good," Barrett said as he took out a silver flower hair clip. "May I?" Rowan nods her head in answer and flushes in public for the first time as her cheeks turn a rosy pink. Barrett gently pins the hair clip in her hair as Sirius looks like he is about to faint, while James is fascinated by the never before seen sight.

"Lovely," Barrett purred causing Rowan to forcefully chant to herself over and over again, "He likes boys. He likes boys!"

"May I?" Barrett asked again as this time he offered Rowan the crook of his arm.

"Champions over here, please!" Professor McGonagall cried out from where she stood, with her date, a certain older man with a widow's peak, Elphinstone Urquart. It would appear that his courtship was finally being successful, then again, the stubborn wizard stuck it out until the end and eventually won the prickly heart of the Transfiguration Professor.

"I believe that is us!" Barrett said as he gently led the blushing Rowan away.

Sirius and James are just left behind in disbelief as Sirius says, "Can you believe that?!"

"Yeah, she looks nice," James admitted before the two of them turned away and greeted their own dates. Not that the two girls weren't pretty, but they didn't match up to Rowan's surprising standards nor were they Lily.

Before there ever was a boy that ever lived in a cupboard on Four Privet Drive, there was a similar boy in a far worse home that lived on Spinner’s End. We all know the tale of that abused boy who grew up to become a bitter spy. But not all tales end the same for in the many parallel worlds that exist in the universe there are far better endings, and equally as many worse ones. This is a tale of one such condemned universe that for better or for worse chooses to change its own fate.

(All rights to the Harry Potter world and characters belong solely to J. K. Rowling. However, I do claim creative fanfiction rights. Please do not post my fanfiction elsewhere without my express permission. This work will also be partially hosted at RoyalRoad, Wattpadd, and Archive.)

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