The world is nothing short of feisty bosses, exploring around their love lives let's accompany some tales of strange ones.


THE FIRST IS......⏬

The feisty sole heiress of Hudson group proposes a farce to a random guy who pops up in her life with some intentions.
While the Husband-to-be, a suitor selected by her father is persistent to dot onto her even if she rejects him or married.

Sensing a Love triangle  ?
Whom will she chose ?
NOT ❌ the typical contractual marriage cliches.

(If you're here for an exaggerated family drama, bitchy sister and bastard brother or trashy ex kinda thing then it's certainly not the place. Why adding a third party and placing him/her under limelight that much when one can focus on the couple only.)

**Every story is connected to previous one at a certain point.**

(Discord Aysel Inara #9449)

The world is full of mysteries, murders, and deeply disturbing true stories. Most of us have at least one good horror story to share at a party or on a dark night around the campfire. The good people of the internet are no different. Thousands of people around the world have been sharing their most terrifying real-life horror stories on Reddit, Facebook, Instagram  . From strange tales of ghostly encounters to abductions, serial killers, and stalkers that can’t let go. The horror is real. And if it happened to them, it could happen to you, right?



WARNING - story published in this book are based on real life incident

"Have you heard about the transfer student?"
"Apparently she just moved into the huge estate on the north end of the city!"
"You mean the one that's HAUNTED?"
"Yeah. And that's her. Takumi Saeo."
Takumi looked through her ankle-length, wet-sand hair, her piercing forest green eye making the people talking about her flinch away.
"H-hey... your name is T-Takumi, right?"
Takumi looked at the girl with that piercing green eye. The eye slid to the small group if girls looking at then and laughing. "Did they make you come over here? To see if the 'new kid' was safe to talk to?" she asked, turning that eye back on the girl in front of her, her voice faint, whispy, as if she wasn't fully there.
"O-of course not. T-they're my f-friends," the girl stuttered, and she felt as though there was someone looking into her soul as the green eye searched her brown ones. "M-my name is Lily. I just wanted to get to know you. I-is it true that you moved into the Phantom Manor? And alone? What did you mean when you said you transferred due to 'family circumstances?'"
"Are you done blathering?" Takumi whispered. She stood, drawing the attention of the group of giggling girls. Takumi was 178 centimeters, making her taller than the girls, making them take a step back as that green eye swung to them.
Takumi walked past the girl, moving to where the girls were huddled by the door. "Nosy girls like you are typically the first ones to die. Keep out of my business and you'll live longer."
"Who the bloody he'll do you think you are?!" one of the girls demanded.
"Someone's in trouble," another taunted. 
But as Takumi walked by them, her left eye faced them. And the girls stumbled over themselves as the bright yellow eye blinked, the cat-slit pupil narrowing.
The students watched as Takumi walked through the halls, and out through the front door.
.
London had a large manor in the north of the city, one that had been empty for decades, one that the people still heard growls and snarls from.
"Haunted..."
"Totally spooky," they would say.
But for some reason, the Phantomhive Estate was the building Takumi was to go to, the building that would serve as her new house, though London was so far from Kyoto.
"Welcome home," Takumi muttered to herself as she opened the door, the hinges creaking, giving her an idea of just how long the place had been empty.
The inside was worse than the outside, papers strewn across the floor, tables and chairs and automans upturned and thrown across the rooms, even wallpaper hanging in ribbons from the walls, and the chandelier raining down dust as a breeze swept through the room.
Takumi had seen worse.
She closed the door, long, slender fingers fumbling for the light switch she'd noted was to the left of the door. She flipped it, and a dulled light from the dust-enveloped chandelier filled the room, illuminating half of another room leading off to the side.
Takumi took a step into the room, but froze almost immediately, her ears straining.
There was someone talking, calling from the sound of it.
"I shall like to be as beautiful and fair as the sun..."
Takumi started following the sound of the voice, her footsteps quiet, muffled by the layer of dust covering the carpet. Who could be in here?
"Then I should like to have a purse of money which would never grow empty..."
A thick wooden door stood in front of Takumi, and she pushed it open, unsure of the emotions coursing through her. Curiosity, unease, tension... And, for reasons unknown, a kind of dark anticipation with a hint of an almost-joy.
"I desire, after my death, to inhabit the eternal kingdom of Heaven."
The steps creaked as Takumi stepped down, ears straining for the voice. Takumi couldn't decide whether the voice was male or female, only that it was gentle, with an undertone she couldn't put her finger on.
But something was strange. Something about the words... seemed familiar, like she had heard them before.
Takumi's foot hit concrete, and her right eye strained to adjust to the pitch black, her left eye's vertically slit pupil dilating almost immediately, giving her something to go off of in the alien environment. With the help of that eye, she could make out the slightly denser shadow of something rectangular laying on the floor. Something solid.
Takumi's pulse raced as she inched closer, until her heartbeat was all she could hear as she bent down, and picked up an old, dusty book.
As soon as her finger touched the cover, several things happened at once.
First, the book snapped open, pages hissing as they flipped to a page close to the middle, a page that was blank.
Second, the lights blinked on, blinding Takumi and revealing something big in the corner.
Third, the voice was back, this time screaming. "You! You did this to me! You have to pay for what you have done! Die, GRIMM!"
Takumi stumbled back as the shadow sprang at her. The book seemed glued to her hand, though, as she tried to cast it away.
So Takumi ran back up the stairs, clumsy now that her hands were impared by the book.
The stairs shattered under her, spilling her across the carpet of the living room. She scrambled to her feet as the bulging shadow tried to force itself through the door.
"Think, think, Takumi. Where have you heard those words..." she muttered, pushing herself back as the door frame groaned and splinters flew.
The room vanished, a soft, warm voice and a warm, bright fire filling her instead. "The next night she came again and put the same questions, and the third night also. Then the kitchen-boy could bear it no longer, and went to the King and told all to him."
"Mommy, why did the King take the Black Bride instead of the good one?"
"Because his senses were tricked by the evil stepmother, who was a witch."
"I'm happy I don't have a stepmother. All I need is Mommy."
"And all I need is my w...te...ri..."
Takumi snapped out of her reverie as the door frame gave way, and Takumi saw what was chasing her. A huge, pitch black duck, with nails poking from its skin and a crown of what looked like barrel rings and more nails resting on its head.
"Grimm must die!"
Takumi dodged the first attack, rolling, managing to kick it in the head.
And then it hit her.
As the duck's bill snapped around her leg, Takumi shouted, "The King, however, wanted to see it for himself, and the next evening went, and when the duck stuck out her head from the sink, he took his sword and cut off her head, and suddenly she changed into a most beautiful maiden, exactly like the picture which her brother had made her. The White Bride!"
There was a great flash of light and the duck squealed as it dissolved into. stream of black particles that flowed into the book.
Startled, Takumi slammed the book shut, the rest of the particles falling to the floor before just... vanishing.
Takumi panted as she held the shut book against her chest, convincing herself that want had just happened was real, even as her ankle throbbed horribly where the duck had essentially bitten her.
Carefully, warily, she opened the book, gaping at the once-empty page. Instead, was two halves of a beautiful maiden, one bright, and one black. "The White Bride and the Black Bride," she whispered. The image suddenly vanished, and Takumi scrambles back as a figure appeared in front of her.
Long, golden hair that dragged on the ground, fair gold eyes, slender form, white skin... And SO tall.
Takumi's mouth fell open and she craned her neck to meet those brilliant gold eyes. He must have been a hundred ninety-eight centimeters!
But what surprised her most was the fact that this person, the White Bride... was a man!
"Grimm?" he asked, head tilting delicately. His clothes were elegant, white and gold, and a rapier was sheathed at his side, the ornate guard sparkling. He dropped to one knee. "Master Grimm, welcome home. And thank you for releasing me from the Restorer's control."
"What in God's name are you talking about?" Takumi asked, pushing herself a little further away with her arms. "And my name is Takumi. My last name is Saeo."
He blinked. "What you have in your hands is the only thing that can return the Grimm Tales to their world. Called the Grimmoire. Only Grimm or descendants of Grimm can use it. You are now my master."
Takumi just stared at him, left pupil slitted in skepticism. Was this person kidding? But she didn't have time to fully process before a roar shook the house, along with a hiss that sounded suspiciously like "Grimmmmmmm..."
"Oh, dear. It looks like I wasn't alone. There are more Grimm Tales in the mansion." He swooped down, grabbing her in his arms. "Come, Master. We must defeat the Grimm Tale!"
Takumi couldn't force the word out quick enough before this person, the White Bride, ran to the stairs.
Takumi just sighed.
And her journeys to purify the Grimm Tales... had just begun.

A girl who can't be lied to, and a mission full of things she thought never existed.
Takumi Saeo, a 15 year old transfer student from Kyoto to London, must purify the Grimm Tales from their Restored state the Handler put them in.
However, if only a descendant of Grimm can Purify the Tales, wouldn't it stand that only a descendant of Grimm can Restore them...?
Lies, betrayal, broken vows, and battles to save the world from darkness.
Which side of Grimm will win?

Since they had decided to attack Mt. Guan to lure the Mt. Dingyuan bandits out of their lair, they would have to quietly sneak into the valley in case their movements were discovered.
The Zong Consortium had spies all over the Northwest. Fortress 178 was planning to eliminate the bandits in the valley first in case they caused any trouble to the forward operating base when the real war began.
Zhang Xiaoman believed it would be harder to take Mt. Guan, but Ren Xiaosu did not think so. That was because some of the bandits had already died in the terrible earthquake when Yan Liuyuan's curse hit them. He was guessing those bandits must have come from Mt. Guan.
At that time, they were in the vicinity of Mt. Kaolei, and the nearest bandit lairs were at Mt. Tangwang and Mt. Guan. However, the bandits at Mt. Tangwang had already been recruited by Wang Congyang. So the only possibility was that those bandits were from Mt. Guan.
However, Ren Xiaosu did not mention a word about this. It seemed that Fortress 178 did not know about the battle in the wilderness yet, as the Zong Consortium was still locking out the news.
Fortress 178 was between 5 and 600 kilometers away from that battlefield at that time. No matter how massive the explosions and firepower were, no one would hear anything if they were in the fortress.
But Ren Xiaosu knew that if it were really as he had guessed, Mt. Guan was definitely not going to be as difficult to overcome as they had thought. Instead, it would be much easier to attack than Mt. Dingyuan.
The Razor Sharp Company started behaving like mice when they suddenly abandoned their trucks and moved in the gullies with their guns and artillery supplies. By lying low in the daytime and only becoming active at night, they were trying their best not to get discovered by the enemy.
When they were resting in the shadows of the gullies during the day, Zhang Xiaoman said to Ren Xiaosu, "Although I don't know what your superpower is, I'll still believe you since you said you could put pressure on Mt. Guan. But you better not tell me that you can't do it when we get there. If you can't do it, I'll be sure to shoot you regardless of who you are."
Ren Xiaosu did not reply to him as he cradled his automatic rifle and lay against the gully with his eyes closed.
Everyone was slowly eating their field rations. As they were now secretly trying to enter the valley, they were not allowed to set up cooking fires.
But Zhang Xiaoman and the others were surprised by how Ren Xiaosu could bear more hardship than they could. While everyone was resting, they would always require rotations for sentry duty. The other soldiers were so sleepy they kept complaining, but Ren Xiaosu never once grumbled about anything. If he was asked to perform his sentry duty, he would just do it. He was also fine with it when he had to perform his duty for a little longer.
Zhang Xiaoman observed and realized that Ren Xiaosu was really serious and responsible when he was on sentry duty.
The Razor Sharp Company's commander muttered, "As expected of someone chosen by the commander."
Everyone was expecting something more from Ren Xiaosu, not because they had something against him, but because when they found out he could become the next commander, they wondered, 'In what way is he better than me? Why should he be considered as a candidate for the role of commander?'
Meanwhile, Ren Xiaosu not only had to perform sentry duty, but he also took turns with everyone to carry the heavy machine guns and mortars during their march. The machine guns were really burdensome, and the mortars were only slightly lighter at about 15 kilograms each. Although it was very uncomfortable to carry them for long distances, it was still within acceptable limits.
Meanwhile, the 12.7 mm heavy machine guns weighed 25 kilograms each, and they even had to carry their own rucksacks too. The route they had to take to get to Mt. Guan and Mt. Dingyuan was still at least another 100 kilometers away, and the terrain was difficult to traverse. Some soldiers even got abrasions on their shoulders after carrying the weapons.
But Ren Xiaosu never once complained.
Ren Xiaosu looked very skinny at the moment because his Strength and Dexterity were balanced. At the beginning, Zhang Xiaoman deliberately made things difficult for Ren Xiaosu by making him suffer.
But to Zhang Xiaoman's surprise, Ren Xiaosu was not careless at all when carrying the machine gun even though he looked thinner than all of them. He even volunteered to shoulder some of the burden for his comrades.
This was just how it was in the army. If you were tough and capable, you would get respected. If you were a weakling, you would get looked down on.
In just these few days of their march through the wilderness, everyone's impression of Ren Xiaosu changed for the better. This kid was really tough and capable!
The soldiers of the Razor Sharp Company vaguely thought to themselves, 'He's too not bad after all.'
But it did not mean he had fully been accepted. Whether he was qualified to be the next commander would not depend only on physical strength and perseverance.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoman did some calculations and said, "Mt. Guan is around 30 kilometers away from Mt. Dingyuan. If the bandits on Mt. Guan seek reinforcements from Mt. Dingyuan, those bandits will probably arrive in about half an hour. We have to dig trenches and set up an ambush on the road in advance. Or else we might not be able to defeat those fucking bandits."
Ren Xiaosu said, "This gully is already a natural trench."
"That's true." Zhang Xiaoman suddenly asked, "Are you really confident in putting pressure on Mt. Guan and forcing them to call for reinforcements?"
Ren Xiaosu said calmly, "I already pledged to do so."
The signalers from the Razor Sharp Company were constantly in touch with the Forward Strike Battalion behind them. The Forward Strike Battalion had set off the day after the Razor Sharp Company had departed. At this moment, they should be 60 kilometers behind them.
However, the Forward Strike Battalion's target was neither Mt. Guan nor Mt. Dingyuan. They had to set up a defensive line in the north to prevent the Zong Consortium's counterattack on the south after they successfully took Mt. Guan and Mt. Dingyuan.
Of Fortress 178's military corps, other than a full brigade that was tasked with staying behind to defend the fortress, the rest were preparing to head out to the battlefield.
Ren Xiaosu asked, "Captain, does the Zong Consortium really have 200,000 soldiers?"
Zhang Xiaoman said with a sneer, "How dare the Zong Consortium claim to have 200,000 soldiers when their territory is so small? Oh, wait, if we include the refugees and private troops they recruited into their forces, it seems there might really be 200,000 of them. But our Fortress 178 can fight down to our last soldier. The Zong Consortium's so-called brigade would probably lose all their morale once a few hundred of their soldiers get killed."
Only then did it dawn on Ren Xiaosu that the Zong Consortium was just like the Li Consortium. Not only did they draft the incapable refugees, but they recruited the incompetent private troops into their forces as well.
If the Qing Consortium did the same, Ren Xiaosu estimated they could come up with more than 400,000 troops.
But what was the use of such troops?
Ren Xiaosu asked, "Then how many real troops does the Zong Consortium have?"
"About 90,000." Zhang Xiaoman said, "But this was intel from last year."
Ren Xiaosu nodded. He suddenly felt that this battle was no longer that difficult to fight even though Fortress 178 only had 75,000 troops on the battlefield.
But why did it feel like Fortress 178 was not that strong? Was he getting a false impression?
Ren Xiaosu felt that there was something strange about this. If Fortress 178 only had these fighting forces, even if they could remain standing here in the Northwest, it would definitely not be enough to awe a real consortium.
Besides, Luo Lan had wanted to kill Zhang Jinglin, but Qing Zhen refused.
Did Qing Zhen allow Zhang Jinglin to return to the Northwest so he could keep the Zong Consortium in check, or was it because he wanted Zhang Jinglin to continue keeping guard for the humans in the interior and prevent another foreign war from breaking out?
Perhaps it could be for both reasons too. Ren Xiaosu felt that Qing Zhen might not be that fanatic who was only obsessed with fighting wars.


This is a brand new story.
Survive the darkness, see the light
There is no right or wrong, it just depends on which side you are standing on.
To be a god, or to be a man.
To be good, or to be evil.
Just what is...the highest order of weapon that humanity has?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a great catastrophe struck, the world was set back many years and humanity started living in anarchy.
With time, society started building up again and people were now living in walled strongholds and fringe towns across the land.
Humans have also become distrustful and ruthless in an unforgiving society where the strong survive and the weak are eliminated.
Growing up in such an era, Ren Xiaosu had to fend for himself.
After an incident, he gained supernatural powers...

Lu Sheng wiped his free hand on his clothes. Then, with sugar cake in hand, he sauntered into a teahouse.
An old man with white beard was performing pingshu[1. Sort of artistic storytelling from what I saw on wiki. Google it for more details.] on the first floor. He was telling the story of the bottle gourd demon saving the pangolin.
"What rubbish is this?" Lu Sheng could tell that something was wrong after listening to the story for a short while.
He shook his head speechlessly. He brought the two subordinates to the second floor and sat at a desk by the window, just like he always did.
"We'll have two pots of sparrow tongue tea." Lu Sheng glanced at the screen pulled over the nearby wall. The prices of various tea were listed on it. They even served some snacks.
"Very well, sir." The waiter smiled and went to fetch his tea.
Lu Sheng used this opportunity to size up the customers of the teahouse.
"If you want information, the best places to be in Great Song are the teahouses and taverns." He smiled as he projected his voice to his subordinates.
"The two of us don't know anything anyways. We'll follow your orders, Master," said Li Dong as he cupped his fists.
Beside him, Li Xi nodded as well.
"The two of you are actually old ancestors of your respective clans. That's part of the reason I chose the two of you—you are experienced in dealing with the outside world. So, from this moment on, we'll split up from this teahouse to look for the whereabouts of the Three Sacred Gates," Lu Sheng explained.
Li Dong and Li Xi exchanged glances. They felt much more at ease now. Although this Taoist lord was much powerful than they were, they were still much older than he was. They could not shake off the uncomfortable feeling of following him around.
For instance, when they were strolling in the streets before this, these two old men felt as if they were wasting time.
Lu Sheng could see that they were uncomfortable. Hence, he decided to put it out in the open.
"That's a sensible arrangement. We'll do as you command, Taoist Lord," said Li Xi solemnly.
At this moment, tea was served. Lu Sheng raised the teapot and poured a cup.
The faint green tea leaves entered the cup and swirled clockwise.
Lu Sheng wet the tip of his finger with the tea and gave it a flick.
A drop of tea shot out and split into two drops in the air. The droplets fell precisely on the backs of Li Dong's and Li Xi's hands. They formed two light green tear-shaped marks.
"If you run into any trouble, smudge the mark with your competence. I'll be able to sense it," said Lu Sheng with a smile.
"Thank you, Taoist Lord!" The two of them felt happy. They knew that this was a life-saving gift from the Taoist lord. Their hearts lightened immediately.
After all, they were deep within enemy territory. They would easily lose their lives if they exposed themselves.
"Alright, off you go." Lu Sheng waved his hand.
The two of them nodded. Then, they quickly stood up and cupped their fists at him before bounding down the staircase, out of sight.
Lu Sheng was left alone to pour his own tea and drink it.
It was just ordinary tea, yet he seemed to be enjoying the finest wine.
When the other customers saw his antics, they became interested in him.
"Quite a drinker, dear brother!" A young man could not help but joke from the other table.
Lu Sheng made no reply. He merely raised his cup to the others around him and continued drinking.
The young man mimicked Lu Sheng's actions. He raised his teacup and downed it. He immediately felt satisfied.
When he finished his own pot of tea, he glanced at the other table again. However, the other customer was already gone. Several notes were left on the table.
"That was fun!" He chortled. He did not mind this at all. He sat for a while more and stood up to get home.
On the second day, the young man was extremely bored. He came to the teahouse to pass the time again. Coincidentally, the teahouse owner brought his own seven-leafed purple tangerine for his customers to look at.
The young man had just sat down when he noticed the other young man whom he met yesterday sitting on the second floor. The other young man was carefully listening to the teahouse owner introducing his seven-leafed tangerine.
After observing the exotic plant, and having nothing better to do, the young man enjoyed his tea as he zoned out.
This continued for no less than 10 days. He saw that young man at the same table, with the same pot of tea, and drinking with the same grand actions.
He had frequented this teahouse for some time. He had never seen such a strange man before.
When he came here to drink tea and space out, he would at least switch between the different varieties of tea. He would also chat with some of his friends about any strange happenings in the area. However, this person did not budge from his spot.
Feeling curious, the young man took a pot of tea and went over to chat with the other man.
Lu Sheng was also bored. When he saw that the young man had no ulterior motive, he began chatting with him.
Surprisingly, they found each other quite likeable.
The young man was Feng Zhongzheng. He was a scholar, but had no intention of taking the imperial examinations. He spent his days loafing around, and liked to indulge himself in the strange stories and folktales that people talked about.
Besides that, he could not seem to find any passion to do anything else.
Lu Sheng would have like to hear about more of the various strange happenings as well. When the two of them spoke, they just clicked.
Feng Zhongzheng had a whole load of rumors and nobody to share them with. He was itching to do so for a long time. When he found Lu Sheng, he was overjoyed. The two of them chatted from the morning to the evening until the teahouse closed for the day.
With the information he obtained from Feng Zhongzheng, and as he was a local who had some network here, Lu Sheng's pace of gathering information became quicker.
In truth, if he did not worry about frightening the snake by beating at the grass, he would use his psychological guidance art and swiftly obtain the information he needed.
However, he was in no hurry at the moment. The Three Sacred Gates' whereabouts remained unknown, while the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates and the Green Branch Sect were making preparations for a large-scale war.
The Three Sacred Spiritual Gates initially decided to wait for the Green Branch Sect and the Mother of Pain to both suffer great losses before coming out to salvage what was left.
However, the strength of the two warring parties surprisingly swelled, with the power of their upper echelons becoming stronger than the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates. This was especially true on the Mother of Pain's side, where a group of Void Underworld beings mysteriously appeared.
This instantly tipped the scales of the power balance. Feeling helpless, the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates could only work together with the Green Branch Sect. They intended to defeat the Mother of Pain with their joined forces.
Hence, Lu Sheng's presence here was not only to investigate and contact the Three Sacred Gates, he was also waiting for the Green Branch Sect and the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates to make their preparations.
He would not use his strength if he could help it. Lu Sheng seemed to have completely forgotten about his own abilities. He truly behaved like a mere mortal as he chatted with Feng Zhongzheng. He was having a great time.
"By the way, something strange has just happened in the Nine Springs County to the west." After returning home one day, Feng Zhongzheng went back to the teahouse at noon, and told Lu Sheng about the strange tale he heard from his relatives.
"Something strange? Don't tell me it's another tale of a fox offering treasures or a cat saving its master?" After listening to many of his tales, Lu Sheng was starting to see some patterns in Feng Zhongzheng's stories.
"Those don't count!" Feng Zhongzheng waved his hand. "Brother Lu, have you heard of the Misty Gardens?"
"Misty Gardens?" Lu Sheng was slightly moved. He had been hearing many tales lately. However, he had never heard such a name before.
The tales Feng Zhongzheng had told him before this were folktales and legends of ancient origins. However, this tale seemed different.
"That's right. It's said that someone ran into something strange in the Nine Springs County nearby." Feng Zhongzheng drank some tea to moisten his throat.
"It's said that if one goes out at dusk while it's foggy outside, there's a possibility that they would encounter the Misty Gardens. No one who has entered the Misty Gardens ever made it back out."
"If no one's made it back out, how did this rumor spread in the first place?" Lu Sheng asked.
"I heard that someone managed to refrain from entering the garden. Then, someone heard this story from that person who nearly entered the garden. It seems that only certain people can see the Misty Gardens. The others would not even be able to see it even if it's staring them in the face," Feng Zhongzheng replied swiftly.
"Oh?" Lu Sheng had some guesses in his mind.
"Brother Feng, if you're really interested in this, what do you say to verifying this yourself?" Lu Sheng suddenly said.
Feng Zhongzheng was happily sharing about the rumors and guesses other people had when he heard this. His expression froze for a moment.
He did like these strange tales, but that did not mean that he would like to experience one for himself.
"Don't tell me you're content with listening to rumors all your life? Rumors, legends, folktales, someone told me, my friend told me, my brother told me, my distant relative, a classmate of my relative, the friend of my younger sister's friend… Your sources are all over the place. Who can tell if they're true or fake?" Lu Sheng said while shaking his head.
Feng Zhongzheng was slightly taken aback. Lu Sheng seemed to have struck close to home.
He was curious about that unknown and mysterious world. He liked to listen to various legends and rumors, but he could not determine their authenticity. Currently, Lu Sheng's words were like a lightning strike which instantly broke the façade he put up to conceal his helplessness and worries.
After a long time, he sighed slowly with his head lowered, and said, "But… But I'm only a scholar with barely enough strength to truss a chicken…" 
"So what if you're a scholar? Are you telling me that a scholar can't do great things or carry out great feats?" Lu Sheng retorted. "To tell you the truth, I'm also a scholar with barely enough strength to truss a chicken. However, we'll all die one day. Rather than regretting it, we should focus on what we want to do. Brother Feng, I'm sure that you're not willing to squander your days like this, right? Your family runs a business, and you won't have to worry about clothes, food, or shelter. You have your siblings, and you won't have to worry about nobody taking care of your parents. With nothing to worry about, what're you hesitating for?" Lu Sheng asked as he shook his head.
To put it bluntly, this Feng Zhongzheng was a hedonistic son of rich parents, albeit with a good moral conduct.
However, the other hedonistic sons usually dabbled in booze and women. Feng Zhongzheng, on the other hand, liked strange tales and tea.
There were many like him in this small city. The various strange tales were bound to pique the curiosity of the others, and they were drawn to find out the truth behind these tales.
Pugilistic warriors and cultivators went about dishing out justice to the wicked and ridding the land of evil spirits. Tales of them being in trouble someone turned into tales of strange encounters.
Put those two together, and it now gave rise to the popularity of the strange tales.
"You have a point, Brother Lu." Feng Zhongzheng was still hesitating.
"You and I are brothers who met by chance. I'm not in want of money, so I won't possibly be wanting something from you." Lu Sheng produced a gold ingot and waved it before himself. Feng Zhongzheng stared at it, bewildered.
This gold ingot would have been enough for him to spend six months in luxury.
"Brother Lu, you're saying…" He maintained some rationality. He would not let his tongue slip before determining Lu Sheng's intentions.


Demons, devils, ghosts and monsters
Plunge the mortals weak in horrors;
Arms of gods and blades of devils,
Shroud the world in untold evils.

Lu Sheng was an ordinary civil servant in the modern world. After waking from a drunken stupor one day, he found himself trapped in a dangerous world where demons, ghosts and supernatural monsters terrorize the land. 

In this world, ordinary mortals live in dark fear and helplessness, without any means to fight against the supernatural. 

As Lu Sheng struggles desperately for survival, he stumbles upon a game mod he had designed for a mobile phone app in his previous life. It unexpectedly becomes his special ability, which enables him to instantly level up any skill he learns, albeit at a cost.

Thus, Lu Sheng begins his journey, striving for power beyond the reach of a mortal as he treads the way of the Devil…  

Sated by a delicious dinner of Thom Kha Gai soup and Pad Thai, Erin, Olivier, and Charlotte returned to their cozy little home where Erin helped Charlotte lay a fire. The weather was beginning to turn from the warm ends of an Indian Summer to the crisp notes of autumn. Once they'd gotten the fire started, the trio took up the overstuffed chair and faded, but comfortable couch and began chatting. They talked about anything and everything; the rapport they'd established online thankfully translated to real life and it was like they'd all been friends for years.

"What do you think of Ireland so far?" Charlotte asked the pair in a friendly manner. 

Olivier responded first, "It's fantastic when we're not getting lost in magical fairy forests," with a chuckle. 

"Wait, what *did* happen to you two yesterday, surely you didn't get lost in little old Galway--it's nowhere near the size of Paris!" Charlotte said in jest, in obvious disbelief--not even touching the fairy forest quip. 

"Actually, we did, and it was very strange. We still don't know what quite happened to us yesterday," Erin responded warily. She and Olivier had talked about what they'd tell Charlotte about what happened the day before and they'd agreed to play it by ear--both still uncertain about what had actually happened to them. 

Olivier asked without pausing, "Is it common to have sudden fogs arise from nowhere in this city?" 

Charlotte quickly replied, "Occasionally but not really in the summertime like now. What exactly *did* happen to the pair of ye' yesterday?" Charlotte peered at them, the soft lilt of her Irish accent becoming a bit more heavy with the curiosity. 

Olivier looked at Erin with a bit of apprehension, but then began recalling their harrowing ordeal in minute detail, figuring if they were going to be living together for the next year, she'd best be honest. As she recounted their experience with the fog and came to the details of her encounter with the mysterious Danu, she sounded incredulous to herself, but she continued to tell the story and bit by bit, Charlotte absorbed what she'd been told. 

"Very strange, very very strange," Charlotte remarked, though she didn't seem as incredulous as Olivier and Erin had expected. "You know, growing up here we have stories about strange happenings. I've never had anything remotely like this happen to me, but I've heard of others 'seeing through the veil' and other tales of the like. I always thought it was a bit of a lark when I'd heard the stories before."

"I'm still not sure what I was seeing, it was like I was dreaming and yet I could see everything as clearly as I can see you now," Erin said cautiously, not wanting to sound like she was touched in the head. 

"What worries me is the message Danu gave you. It certainly didn't sound like good news, if you know what I mean? We're a country that knows magic in our lives, we live with the legends that most people hear in fairy tales as children. I won't say that I've heard anyone having quite as interesting experience as yours," Charlotte spoke in a gentle manner. She appeared to be deeply thoughtful about the situation and like she understood that Erin and Olivier had experienced something deeply unsettling and clearly they were not telling tall tales. The looks on their faces made it clear that what they had been through had disquieted them intensely.

"I've got a professor you need to speak with--don't worry, he is a believer in the supernatural and he won't think you're crazy. I had him last year and he always spoke of how these stories he told may sound unbelievable but that there was truth to every fable he relayed to us," Charlotte continued reassuringly. "If there's anyone who can help us find out what's going on, it's him," she said encouragingly.

With that, the three of them realized how tired they were from the busy day of moving in and unpacking, and the filling Thai meal. Olivier was the first to break up their little huddle stretching and yawning, "Well ladies, I don't know about the two of you, but I'm exhausted. Once we've had a full night of sleep in actual beds we'll be able to think more clearly," and with that, he took himself off to the restroom to get ready for bed.

Charlotte leaned in and gently hugged Erin, "Don't worry, Erin, I've had my own strange encounters-- nothing quite like what you've told me, but I'll tell you all about my stories, and the stories I've heard growing up after you've had a chance to get a proper rest." Charlotte rose and went to make herself a restoring cup of tea and Erin gathered her scattered thoughts and scooped them up and made her way to her bedroom with them.

A young American girl follows her heart to Ireland where she discovers deeply hidden and unique connections to the island that she had never dreamed of. Upon arriving in Ireland to study, Erin feels something awaken in her she never imagined could be real.

en una extraña sala médica llena de equipos futuristas, un joven con mejillas regordetas yacía inconsciente sobre una camilla, tenía el cabello sumamente oscuro mientras que su piel era tan clara y tersa que muchas mujeres morirían de envidia, todo su rostro parecía delicado y con facciones femeninas, sin embargo, sus cejas proyectaban una fuerte masculinidad.
en cuanto a su cuerpo, debido a que no se ejercitaba constantemente tenía una complexión regordeta pero no excesivamente.
habían pasado varios días desde que el joven cayó inconsciente, desde entonces, había sido llevado a esta sala medica donde su estado era monitoreado las 24 horas.
mientras las diversas máquinas de soporte vital registraban el estado del joven, el rostro de este último comenzó a retorcerse en muecas de sufrimiento, al mismo tiempo el ceño fruncido en su frente indicaba que el joven tenía un sueño poco agradable y que estaba por despertar, poco a poco los párpados del joven comenzaron a abrirse revelando un par de ojos completamente negros cuando el joven recupero la conciencia.
después de despertar, el joven miro alrededor de la sala con confusión.
" dónde estoy?" murmuró él joven mientras trataba de incorporarse, justo en ese momento un terrible dolor envolvió su cuerpo haciéndole sentir que su cuerpo hubiese sido cortado por miles de navajas diminutas
" aarrgg" el joven no pudo evitar gemir por el dolor mientras caía sin fuerza sobre la cama.

[ se ha detectado actividad por parte del paciente...iniciando interacción con el sujeto...]
mientras el joven trataba de recuperarse del terrible dolor, una voz robótica resonó en la sala, momentos después, un extraño holograma con forma de huevo flotaba frente a él.
[bienvenido al área de atención de emergencia, se informa que el procedimiento quirúrgico ha sido un éxito, sin embargo, se recomienda que permanezca en reposo hasta que se adapte por completo a los cambios en su cuerpo] dijo el extraño huevo haciendo que el joven lo mirase atónito
" que carajos es esto?" dijo el joven confundido.
[ informando al director... soy el sistema autónomo a cargo de operar y controlar todo el equipo en el laboratorio, en este momento su cuerpo se encuentra en estado débil por lo que le sugiero que permanezca en reposo mientras le informo el estado de las instalaciones] dijo la voz robótica haciendo que el joven lo mirase aún más confundido.
" instalaciones? ¿director?" murmuro el joven.
"cierto!! estaba a punto de ser enviado a través de un portal cuando hubo una enorme explosión…" dijo el joven en un tono bastante tranquilo.
" dime, ¿qué fue lo que paso con el experimento?, que era esa explosión y como sobreviví?... y por qué me llamas director?" cuestiono el joven al extraño huevo con una expresión sorpresivamente tranquila.
[ informando al director, de acuerdo con los registros, uno de los miembros del personal sufrió un ataque cardiaco durante la ejecución del experimento esp-2643k cayendo sobre los controles de la maquina encargada de controlar el portal y alterando los valores predeterminados, como resultado se desencadenó una enorme explosión.  este evento causo que el 78% de la estructura del laboratorio fuera transportado, debido a su caso particular, usted es el único sobreviviente en la base, por lo tanto, el miembro del personal humano con mayor rango, por lo que, siguiendo el protocolo, se le ha declarado director interino hasta que la sede envíe a alguien con mayor autoridad] explico el huevo.
" espera, dijiste transporte?  entonces al final si funciono? ¿puedes decirme la ubicación actual?" pregunto el joven.
[negativo, el sistema no ha podido establecer conexión con la base desde el momento que llegamos a este lugar, sin embargo, según los registros del experimento, la ubicación actual puede ser una dimensión alternativa o un momento desconocido dentro de la línea temporal] dijo el sistema
" dimensión alternativa? ¿línea temporal?  quieres decir que ya no estamos en el planeta?" pregunto el chico.
[ al menos no estamos en la época original] dijo el sistema.
"eh? ¿entonces como regresamos?" dijo el chico.
[ es imposible regresar a la ubicación original debido a que durante la explosión se ha destruido la maquinaria necesaria para generar el portal, así como la mayor parte de la información del proyecto] explico el sistema.
"espera, no puedes solo construir una maquina nueva?"  pregunto el chico.
[ debido a que se ha perdido la mayor parte de la información y registros del proyecto, es imposible replicar el experimento] dijo el sistema
" y no puedes simplemente volver a investigarlo?" pregunto el joven.
[ es posible, sin embargo, debido a que el sistema está diseñado para brindar soporte y no para la investigación autónoma, tomara aproximadamente 190 a 200 años en poder recuperar la investigación hasta el nivel anterior donde se podrán abrir portales inestables y al azar, y aproximadamente 300 años más hasta lograr desarrollar dicha tecnología lo suficiente como para ser utilizable] dijo el sistema.
" así que básicamente estoy atrapado en este lugar desconocido sin forma de regresar?" pregunto el chico aun en calma
[ a excepción de que en este lugar exista una raza avanzada que haya logrado dominar dicha tecnología, es básicamente imposible] agrego el sistema.
"espera, estás diciendo que hay vida en este lugar?" dijo el joven.
[ afirmativo, después de la exploración inicial se han detectado especímenes de flora y fauna similares a los terrestres, del mismo modo, la atmosfera es 99% idéntica a la atmosfera de la tierra por lo que es perfectamente respirable, además, uno de los drones ha encontrado lo que parece ser una carretera rustica a aproximadamente 20 kilómetros de aquí.] dijo el sistema
" una carretera? ¿eso quiere decir que hay humanos en este lugar?" Pregunto el joven
" esa información es desconocida, sin embargo, la raza humana puede no ser la única especie inteligente en el universo por lo que puede tratarse de una especie completamente distinta] explicó el sistema
"por cierto sistema, tengo otra pregunta, ¿por qué he estado tan tranquilo desde que me desperté?" cuestiono el chico.
[esto se debe a que actualmente el sistema ha alterado su producción hormonal suprimiendo así las emociones que puedan afectar el proceso de pensamiento del director tales como el pánico o psicosis, sin embargo, este procedimiento solo es temporal y no tiene ningún efecto secundario, en el momento en que el estado mental del director se estabilice, el sistema detendrá el procedimiento] dijo el sistema
" así que básicamente apagaste mis emociones ¿he?" murmuro el chico sin saber cómo sentirse al respecto, después de todo, estaba seguro que, de no ser por la supresión emocional, definitivamente habría caído presa del pánico en este momento. 
"dime que es esta cosa de las nanomáquinas? "el joven cuestiono
[el proceso de inyección de nanomáquinas, se trata de un proceso experimental que consiste en inyectar nano robots biosintéticos del tamaño de células en el torrente sanguíneo, estas nanomáquinas se integrarán con el resto de las células del paciente eliminando aquellos defectos genéticos y reforzando su estructura celular, como resultado las funciones corporales del paciente serán llevadas hasta su máximo potencial] informo el sistema.
"máximo potencial? ¿así que soy una especie de super hombre?" pregunto el chico
[ negativo, la mejora que brindan las nanomáquinas no otorga habilidades especiales, a pesar de que las nanomáquinas cuentan con una pseudo inteligencia artificial, solo tienen capacidades limitadas como monitorear el estado del cuerpo del anfitrión, reparar defectos genéticos, eliminar sustancias nocivas en el cuerpo, regular la producción hormonal y acelerar el proceso de recuperación natural del anfitrión aumentando su vida útil y realzando la capacidad de sanación.
cualquier aumento en las capacidades físicas del anfitrión deberá ser obtenido mediante entrenamiento, además, el  número de nanomáquinas debe reponerse periódicamente ya que serán consumidas durante el proceso de reparación celular, por este motivo el proyecto fue considerado un fracaso y se detuvo su investigación, la única razón por la que el proyecto no ha sido descartado  es porque permite la instalación de una interfaz visual de realidad aumentada, facilitando la interacción remota con el sistema central y la conexión con la red] explico el sistema.
" he? ¿qué es esta interfaz de realidad aumentada?" pregunto el joven
[ se trataba de un sistema de simulación conectado directamente a sus nervios visuales que permite la conexión remota con cualquier red informática, así como la proyección de imágenes en su campo de visión, esto facilita la entrega y manejo de información visual mejorando la interacción con el sistema central] dijo el sistema.
" valla, eso parece interés ante, dime sistema, como se activa?" pregunto el chico.
[ el sistema ya se ha instalado automáticamente en el momento en que se completó la asimilación de las nanomáquinas, únicamente requiere su permiso para ser activado; ¿desea activar el sistema de interfaz visual de realidad aumentada?] pregunto el sistema.
"está bien" dijo el chico, momentos después una extraña voz robótica resonó en su cabeza
[iniciando proceso de activación para la interfaz de realidad aumentada...
[accediendo al sistema nervioso central...
[iniciando sincronización nerviosa con el host...
[instalando controladores de la interfaz visual….
[ comprobando funcionamiento
[interfaz visual instalada]
en ese momento una serie de letras apareció ante los ojos del joven.
[ felicidades al host por activar exitosamente la interfaz visual a partir de este momento el sistema podrá brindarle asistencia visual sobre los procedimientos a realizar. se recomienda que el host se tome unos segundos para asimilar la carga a la que han sido sometidos sus nervios] dijo el sistema dejando fascinado al joven mientras veía la interfaz computarizada frente a él.
" sistema, ¿cuáles son los usos de la interfaz visual?" dijo el joven aun fascinado por el nivel de tecnología del laboratorio.
[ la interfaz visual está diseñada para brindarle asistencia visual al anfitrión, así mismo facilita la entrega de información por parte de la red central. entre las funciones básicas de la interfaz esta la reproducción, grabación de archivos visuales tales como videos fotografías o documentos.] dijo el sistema mientras comenzaba a mostrar imágenes, videos y documentos almacenados en la base de datos del laboratorio. 
[la interfaz también permite brindar asistencia guiada al host facilitando el manejo de equipo o maquinaria desconocida, ayudando al host a realizar cálculos matemáticos avanzados, o mostrando la forma correcta de ejecutar movimientos especializados] agregó mientras la imagen frente a los ojos de el joven cambiaba y comenzaba a mostrar imágenes holográficas de la operación de diversas maquinas mientras realizaba diferentes cálculos matemáticos y los mostraba frente al joven.
[además, permite el análisis de la información visual del host ayudándolo a identificar y etiquetar los objetos en el campo visual] dijo el sistema una vez más mientras la imagen frente a los ojos del joven cambiaba mostrando diversas etiquetas adheridas a los objetos frente a él, en ellas se mostraba el nombre de dicho objeto, así como la información básica sobre su uso.
[por último, el sistema puede mostrar el estado físico del host basado en un escaneo constante por parte de las nanomáquinas en su cuerpo.] informo el sistema mientras una extraña ventana de estado aparecía frente a joven.

[ nombre: William Mars 
[edad: 17 años
[ genero: masculino
[ puesto: director interino (temporal)
[ estado:   saludable (en recuperación) (bajo supresión emocional)
[peso:65 kg
[altura:178
[tipo de sangre: ab+
[habilidades: políglota (ingles / ruso / alemán)
[ información adicional: sometido a proceso de inyección de nanomáquinas.

William Mars was a pitiful 19 years-old boy, he had lost his parents two years ago, and his aunt had taken away his home and inheritance.
Will had finally get take revenge of his aunt when a strange meteorite hit him in the head and take his life, the next thing he knew was that he had transmigrated into the body of a 15-year-old boy with the same name who had apparently been unconscious for a week due to a car accident.

Having inherited his last memories, William knew he was the sole survivor of the family and now he has inherited the wealth of his parents, what was the 11% of... OSCORP shares?

Just as Will was trying to put his thoughts in order, a report was broadcast on the tv about the latest scandals by... Tony Stark?
at the same time a strange voice sounded inside his head:
[synchronization process completed, welcome to the ninja system ...]

[Anna POV]

My sister and I live happily with our mother in a nomadic gypsy community, we never stay long in a town so we cannot make friends, the children of our community refuse to be our friends without any apparent reason, although I suspect that It is because of their parents, they look at us in a strange way, but it doesn't matter much to me as long as I have my little sister and mother with me, I will not be discouraged, we must face life and not be discouraged, or that is what I believed until little, sick mom and every day worsens, devour keep optimistic, we can not let this down.

[Liz POV]

I have realized that people in the community are afraid of mom, although I cannot understand why ?, but that is why they stay away from us until they need breast skills, talking about mom these days seems decay maybe sick, she and my sister are always like that, they try not to show deviliness and stay optimistic, although that's not how they really feel.

At last mom told us she was sick, and every day that passes she looks worse, mom says not to worry, but we know she is filmy, my sister tries to stay optimistic for my sake, even if you need to get rid of it, she doesn't, at times As these would like someone we can trust, not like those fairy tales, no, someone real that we can go to for help, but there are only the three of us.

Mama called us today for an important discussion, she told us that she is a witch, that magic exists and everything supernatural, only that she is hidden from the worldly world, she showed us a bit of her magic by levitating some things to her doctor when she finished she seemed terribly tired, she had to lie down, to continue talking about the supernatural, witches, barriers, magic, etc. At that moment I could not help but think about those tales of magic and fantasy that could now become reality, I could not help but get excited, my sister was also excited, she is always very excited, I ask Mom if she could do magic with us, she He told us that we did not have the ability to do magic with a sad face, he told us that the supernatural world was dangerous and that we did not get involved in it, we believed him, he had no reason to lie about it.

[Anna POV]

After mama died, the community members did not expect anything to kick us out, we buried mama in a beautiful field of flowers within a forest, that same day we left the community with our few things, I was really sad at that time but I could not cry, not now, my sister needs me, we had to go down and ask for loins to eat, I did not know how long we could be like this, so I suggested to my sister that we look for the supernatural world, she told me that it would not be easy find it because normal people could not see it, I told her that being daughters of witches maybe we could, she reminded me that it was dangerous, but I told her that it would be better than wandering, she reluctantly accepted, we were looking for days to weeks with supposed witches who turned out to be just a scam, we went to esoteric stalls, until one day we heard the rumor of a man selling real potions, we follow the source of the rumors until we found a man selling potion to the boys of the town, the man gave us a bad feeling so we only kept seeing him all day until he left that alley, he went to the outskirts of town until under a bridge, there he met some strange ugly women and rare, we learned that they were renegade witches because of what mama told us, their appearance is due to their use of black magic, we waited for the man to leave to approach them, at first they seemed on guard but we told them that we were the daughters of a witch, without revealing mama's name, we told them that we were looking for a job, whatever it was was better than living on the street i thought, what a big mistake, the moment they found out that we couldn't do magic they treated us like slaves, i must stay optimistic for my sister.

[Liz POV]

Our situation is terrible, this is not a fairy tale, it is a nightmare, I thought every day we spent with those witches, they were not at all like mom, today will be another terrible night, I thought until out of nowhere a group of Indibiduos who preceded themselves as MYTH, now I realize that it is illuminating considering that myths existed, that group was destroying witches, I immediately thought that in the supernatural groups that maintain order, suddenly we began to levitate towards hooded person of the group, I thought he would attack us, hold my sister tightly expecting the worst but the hooded man only levitated us towards the man of the group who was fighting with the leading witch, he was somewhat imprecise for his fight, but he was still somewhat scared , suddenly the broja rushed towards us and grabbed my neck and threatened the man, I was afraid until he assured me that he would be fine with a serious look on his face as if it were a fact, of a force Strange I separated from the witch, the man immediately shot her, she was terrified, it is the first time she saw that someone was killed so close, but she did not feel guilt or regret, after all she was bad, even so my sister and I could not contain the tears, with mixed feelings, fear and happiness, we were finally free, the people of the group were not happy to calm us down, there we knew that they did not want to harm us.

The man who shot the witch did not approach and spoke kindly to me, I could not help remembering the knight or the prince in shining armor who saved the princess from fairy tales, he saved me, I could see him up close, he seemed young as from My brother's age or maybe nineteen, a beautiful face with a kind smile, a little long black hair that protruded from his hat, he wore a strange suit but he looked good in it, the parts that could be seen of his body showed a body side but well built, quickly shook his head to get those thoughts, hoping that he does not notice my blush, the seguente I knew is that he led us to a strange door, that transported us to a strange room which I knew was part of his home because of the behavior of the rest of the group, he asked us to tell our story to know what to do with us, the sincere and kind paresis so we told him the story, hoping that he would not reject us as the boys of the community, at the end of the story did not hug, and consoled us, finally my sister was able to let out her tears and let them console her, I was totally blushing at the moment, after I released the girl from the group with her teasing that they only made us blush from the varguenza after the strange act of Alex and Red, he told us that we could stay with them, although with some work, we would not be slaves but family, we immediately agreed. Maybe the supernatural world is dangerous but we can overcome it with the support of our family.

There are beings who are responsible for keeping the common world separate from the supernatural. A group is a legend among those beings, known for their efiscience. He accompanies Alex and his team in their daily lives, convincing creatures, monsters, and supernatural beings.

To be honest, seeing some strange variations in the course of reading his life biographies wasn't outside of Gawain's expectations. Seven hundred years of time transition was enough for those imaginative scholars of unofficial history to bizarrely make up things about any ancient figure. And Gawain Cecil was a well-established name that the entire continent knew of. Anything related to this pioneer hero's 35 years of legendary life could be said to be an everlasting topic in the talk of people of all classes. As the saying went —— a highly meritorious and famed person dies an early death. Where would one go to find such a great theme? 
At this point, Gawain was even a little glad about the backwardness of this world, glad that the cultural industry of this world had yet to be able to welcome an explosion-like development as it was still controlled by the upper class. If this place was as advanced as Earth, there would be the possibility of him seeing the pioneer forefathers from 700 years ago taking turns to get their character portraits changed and hung in the in-game stores. Charlie I would be gifted once you log in… Duke Wilder would require seven days of logging in, and Gawain Cecil would be inside the first recharge package…
And there would be new skins launched for this bunch of people every month. Those two granddaughters of his were extremely likely to throw all their money at the game just to admire their ancestor's new character portrait —— and he, the party involved who rose from his coffin, would remain awkward and embarrassed++ (with more than 200 '+' signs), wishing he could destroy his whole family… 
Gawain slapped his own forehead hard, forcefully gathering his thoughts that were starting to run reckless. He sighed and looked at the "popular reading material" full of absurd fabrications. ——Everyone knew the stories in here were fake, but it was the favorite escape literature of the madams and young ladies in the central and southern regions of the kingdom. This sufficiently proved the thriving vitality of popular literature, as well as how boring the daily lives of people in this era were. 
However, as the party involved, Gawain caught some implicit truths in those carelessly concocted love stories. ——The stories in here weren't completely false. 
Apart from those female soulmates who were forcibly added in, this book mentioned many adventure tales related to Gawain Cecil. These tales did not appear in any official biographies. Outsiders might, after reading them, group them with those female soulmates as the wonderful imagination of a certain second-rate novelist, but Gawain knew —— at least half of those unknown adventures were real.
Searching for the ruins of an ancient tomb in the Gondor Wasteland; finding clues about the Spirit of Elements; leading a small number of soldiers to look for a safe passageway when cutting across the "magic scorch mark" and stumbling upon the Gondor Master Mage group that had become crystals; going deep into the mountains during the establishment of the Cecil territory and then communicating with the elements and receiving blessings. 
These were another aspect of Gawain Cecil as a pioneer. It could be seen from these experiences that he'd indeed lived like a hacker with a halo… Of course, it wasn't important whether he was a hacker or not. What was important was that these unknown stories had actually appeared in an absurd Knight novel. This provided much food for thought. 
This novel had been circulating for a long time. The original author could no longer be identified. Probably because he had worried about getting beaten up when he was writing the book, the only clue this author left behind was his pen name, "Wandering Minstrel Mr. C". Gawain had no idea how Mr. C knew about these stories, but that was definitely a fellow who was patient and had enough contacts. He interviewed countless people who had interacted to some extent with Gawain Cecil or their descendants before he could put in order this information. And in all of these adventure tales, one mentioned the story of Gawain Cecil challenging the deep sea. 
It was written like this: After Gawain Cecil assisted the great founding king, Charlie I, to establish the kingdom, he was deeply worried about the monsters that ceaselessly wandered out from the Gondor Wasteland, as well as corrosion from the Dark Wave that was still spreading. Therefore, he asked for help from the earth, water, fire, and wind Spirit of Elements. The four princesses of the four elemental planes (those things had princesses too?) were convinced by the young heroic Knight; thus, they offered suggestions to him. Gawain Cecil ultimately accepted the water element's enlightenment and set off towards the ocean to search for answers. 
Although he did not have a Storm Cleric as a guide on the sea, Gawain Cecil received the help of sea elves (of course, under the pen of Mr. C, another princess appeared within the sea elves in this process). The sea elves helped the fleet of ships pass through the storms surrounding the continent and pointed the fleet towards the east. 
After countless days and nights of sailing, the sea elves suddenly got into a panic and urged Gawain to stop going forward because the sea area further east was the territory of the "sea demons", and it was impossible for any terrestrial species to contend against the powerful sea demons in the ocean. However, Gawain Cecil did not fear. He insisted on continuing to move forward, thus the sea elves had no choice but to leave the party. Most of the ships in the fleet also left with the sea elves; only Gawain and a few loyal guards continued to drive the ship forward. And soon after, they met the sea demons. 
The clever reader Gawain immediately expected —— there was definitely also a princess amongst the sea demons…
But this story was a little anticlimactic here. Mr. C only sloppily recorded that Gawain Cecil gained the trust of the sea demons and was guided to a "sacred and beautiful" place. The party drank good wine to their fill for three days and three nights and then was directly tossed back to the Loren Continent by a storm. 
This was clearly bluffing the readers.
Intuition told Gawain that this story was the record of the deep-sea navigation that was missing from Gawain Cecil's memories. 
But a peculiar race appeared in here: sea demons. 
Gawain was very unfamiliar with the name of this race. The memories that he inherited also only contained that little bit of impression, but all it pointed to were strange and unusual myths and weird tales, completely insufficient to obtain facts from. 
Just then, a knock sounded on the door of the study. After the door opened, the Druid Pittman walked in. "Lord, I heard from Amber that you were looking for me?"
Gawain nodded. After telling the Druid to come in, he got straight to the point. "Have you heard about sea demons before?" 
"Sea demons?" Pittman touched his chin. "I've heard a little about the legends related to them." 
Gawain's eyes instantly lit up. The Druids were indeed the occupation that knew the most about the races in the world. Even if what Pittman knew were merely legends and tales regarding the sea demons, the level of detail would certainly be much higher than that of the average person's knowledge! 
"Tell me about it!"
Pittman twiddled his beard and began unhurriedly. "The legends of the sea demons are mostly concentrated in the east and south of the continent. There is rarely anyone who mentions it here on Anzu's side. Even if they do, it will only appear in horror stories or similar thrilling, weird tales. It is said that sea demons are one of the oldest intelligent beings in this world. Their history is highly likely to go as far back as the gigantic dragons'. Long before the rise of humankind, they'd ruled the oceans for tens of thousands of years. 
"Sea demons are a race with only females. They live in the depths of the ocean in the far east, almost never interacting with the intelligent races on the continent. They have beautiful looks, but only their upper bodies have the appearance of a human. Their lower bodies are all kinds of sea monsters… 
"Other than these, there are also legends mentioning that it is actually not that sea demons do not interact with humankind, but because they possess the ability to transform into human appearances. After they go ashore, they immediately blend into the crowd… Yes, transformation ability. Many legends pointed out that the sea demons have a myriad of forms. They are born without a fixed form like water. Thus, they are able to turn into various forms. A good half of the tales about sea monsters in the open sea is their work. 
"In addition, legends have been written about how sea demons make plans to visit land. As they have long lifespans, they treat the observation of the development of short-lived civilizations like humankind as a pleasure. Every time human civilization undergoes twists and turns, rises and falls, they would curiously come to watch. There are also people who believe that sea demons visit land to search for certain things. There are records of interaction with sea demons that someone had left behind in all sincerity and seriousness in certain ancient books of the silver elves. And it claimed that sea demons would interact peacefully with the intelligent beings on land. They would sometimes seek help from 'land people', and as long as the 'land person' was able to fulfill their wishes, they would receive extremely generous rewards —— sometimes it was rare pearls and jewels from the deep sea, sometimes it was strange, inconceivable magical equipment. It is said that the royal clan of the sea elves have a trident that can release thunder and lightning. It was a gift to them from the sea demons a thousand years ago.
"However, there have also been legends indicating that the sea demons seemed to have no idea about the value of the gifts they give out. They merely gift some things to land people according to their fancy. Sometimes, when you show them the way, they would give you a whole chest of pearls. At other times, when you've been a great help to them, they would only gift you a piece of fish ——and there'd be bite marks on the fish. The records in this aspect were also left behind by the silver elves."
Gawain interrupted Pittman's narration. "If a person encounters the sea demons while sailing in the ocean, how would they treat people who 'invade the ocean'?"
Pittman lifted a brow. "You've touched my blind spot of my knowledge —— but according to the accounts in most legends, it is extremely, extremely dangerous to encounter sea demons in the deep-sea areas." 
"Extremely dangerous?" Gawain frowned. "Weren't there many legends that mentioned sea demons interacting peacefully with people on land? They even gave gifts and whatnot…"
"But that was on land." Pittman's expression was very serious. "In the ocean, it seems they would be very aggressive. Especially when lost navigators enter some sea areas that they shouldn't, sea demons would immediately turn into terrifying sea monsters to expel them, even pursuing and attacking. They are the family clan of the ocean, possessing unthinkable powers in the sea. Even the thunder and lightning summoned by the strongest Master Mage are no match for their storms. ——There are so many horror stories about deep-sea navigation. Not all of them are groundless tales." 
Gawain frowned. "Is that so…?"
...…
At the same time, in the eastern deep sea far from the Loren Continent, some elegant and graceful figures were swiftly going past the dark seabed. Their snake tails or fishtails flapped in the seawater, allowing these beautiful and elegant creatures to move quickly like phantoms in the deep sea, subtle and elusive. 
They were completely unaware that they'd become a topic of discussion for two humans on the faraway continent. For these deep-sea saltwater fishes, there was still very important work for them to complete.
A sea demon crossed a "ridge" on the seabed and looked at the sight ahead that snaked and sprawled out following the shape of the seabed. The special "deep-sea vision" allowed her to look out to an extremely far spot even in this dark bottom of the sea. 
A startlingly huge cirrus laid across the seabed in front. Layers of corals and deep-sea vegetation covered the cirrus. Large amounts of tattered bits of flesh were scattered around the cirrus. They'd completely lost their vitality, but not the slightest sign of decomposition could be seen. 
And in a place even farther, at the end of the cirrus that extended out like a small-scale mountain range, an even more massive shadow could indistinctly be perceived. That was the even larger main body of flesh, where the "first excavation-site" was. 
The long snake tail of the excavation team leader slapped on the seabed; then the tail was raised up high, rapidly swinging in the seawater like a flag. She gave orders to her team members in a loud voice. "We'll dig here today! Come on, everyone!"
The sea demons responded in unison. "Come on, everybody!" 
"Don't play too much with the 'squid'. Don't waste time!"
"Don't waste time!"
"No eating engine fuel in secret!" 
"No eating engine fuel in secret!" 
"Start digging!"
"Start digging!"


During Gawain transmigration, a little problem occurs.
After hovering in the sky above the land of a strange world for over hundreds of thousands of years, he realizes that perhaps his transmigration is completed by acquiring a physical body.
Never did he imagine that he would have to guide the body out of a coffin after going through great difficulties to obtain it, only to come face-to-face with his two extremely shocked great-great-great-great... great-granddaughters, and also—
Be thrust into a world that's the verge of its era’s end.

CHAPTER 483

TEMPEST FERMENTS

 

Redstone pillars pierced the ground, over a hundred of them, crisscrossing over a winding road that led up a slight slope. Each was rectangular in shape, the signs of time's wear lighting their surfaces. There was a strange pattern to them, one that an untrained eye was unable to see -- but one that even the trained ones would have some difficulty with.

Lux and Ard, both clad in their respective colors -- silver and black-crimson -- were walking up the path, occasionally stopping and inspecting the pillars. They had rather flattened expressions, their brows occasionally scrounging up, though otherwise remaining straight.

The two were currently four or so miles into the Arid Expanse, a stretch of the burning desert with only a few break-ups of terrain -- such as this one. Though their job was to locate the headquarters of the Great Descent, rumored to be someplace in the Arid Expanse, it was also to map out all the landmarks so it would be easier to orient in the desert.

"... what do you think?" Lux asked, her voice strangely melodic. "Natural or manmade?"

"... hmm, hard to say," Ard mumbled, his voice rough and low. "Their texture and rate of erosion seem natural, but shape and positioning... not as much."

"Chart it, either way," Lux nodded, taking out a wide canvas and letting it float in front of her, scribbling the section near the border and indicating the distance with a flat line. "What should we name it?"

"Red Pillars."

"Haii, your sense of naming should really be improved..."

"Why?" Ard frowned. "They're pillar-like, and they are red. Hence, Red Pillars."

"... Red Pillars it is," Lux chuckled lightly, inscribing the name onto the canvas and putting it away. "That's the fourth one. I didn't expect the border regions to be as diverse."

"We should be more careful," Ard added. "Move less during the day."

"The world is too occupied at the moment to care about us," Lux rolled her eyes at her companion's paranoia. "We should hurry up instead. How's your status?"

"... still the same," Ard replied, sighing. "If I don't exert myself too much, I should be able to keep the Curse at bay for another hundred years or so."

"It's not a curse," Lux said. "Not really."

"Whatever it is, it's debilitating nonetheless. We can only hope Empyrean's research yields good results."

"It will," Lux said optimistically as the two began moving toward the exit. "His army is strained as it is, he knows it. Losing us would cripple him too much."

"... hm," Ard nodded, glancing toward the high-skies that were currently lit up in a stretch of colors, forming a Formation. "I can't believe he managed to actually kill the Devil. We may have underestimated him still, despite all."

"... let's get a move on," Lux said after pausing and glancing up at the sky as well. "Lots of ground to cover."

**

Ty was currently standing in a barely-lit room, four walls darkened in the shade, windowless. There was a pungent smell permeating the air, one that nearly caused his own innards to flip out. Strewn across the floor, fourteen corpses lay still, drowned in the massive pool of crimson blood. Fourteen reported rebels, all dead. Not killed -- all committed suicide by slitting their throats with ordinary knives. All belonging to the Eight of Descent.

There was a deep frown on Ty's face as he contemplated, eventually turning sideways to his companion, an elderly man, seeming in his forties, pale-faced as he had just stopped retching in the corner.

"It's impossible to confirm their movements following until today?"

"Yes, Lord," the elderly man replied, shaking still, refusing to look at the floor. "The moment we'd gotten your report to lock them up, we tried all we could to track them down -- but it was as though all traces of them vanished."

"..." Ty's frown deepened even further as the tried to make sense of the situation. Yet, no matter how he looked at it, it didn't make much sense.

If the cause was to rebel, why not at least stir up more problems instead of hiding and committing suicide? It was the last part that complicates everything -- they'd died without achieving anything worthwhile, at least as far as Ty could tell.

"Lock up the city," Ty said in the end. "Only allow trustworthy merchants to come and go. On my authority, continue recruiting Peacekeepers and posting them around various sights throughout the city. If anyone voices opposition, don't do anything before first letting me know."

"Y-yes, Lord!"

"You're free to go." the man bowed in gratitude and quickly left, ensuring he didn't step into the massive pool of blood polluting the floor.

Ty remained standing in the room, his eyes contemplative. Though he was tempted to contact Lucky, he decided against it; this was one of the few occasions where he was given an opportunity to prove himself, and he decided to at least try and take it. If things went awry too much, however, he wouldn't hesitate. They were at war, and incidents like these shouldn't be happening.

He left the room shortly after, stepping out into a wide-open wheat farm. The grains stretched for over two miles on the flat field, fenced off toward the edge in a curve. Glancing up above, the color of the sky formation bounced off his eyes, resplendent. He smiled, faintly, before vanishing into a puff of smoke, as though he was never there.

**

 A young, teen boy sat behind a hardwood desk, the top surface stacked with books and papers -- as was the rest of the room -- his expression somber, the light of the nearby gem embedded in the wall casting a strange shadow over his face. Cae read the old-looking tome with deep intensity, his focus seemingly unbreakable. Runic characters were strange, unlike any of the modern languages, to the point that it took even him several seconds per word to translate properly.

Mythian Folklore was a fascinating read, yet also eerily reminiscent of some historical records that Cae had uncovered while buried deep in the halls of the library. Though overtly exaggerated and embellished in most cases, the folk tales in the book quite often coincided with real historical events, retold in a metaphorical fashion.

It took the young boy nearly two hundred pages of thorough reading to connect the dots, the 'hallelujah' moment happening during the read of a simply named tale Spearmasters. It was a direct retelling of the famous Order of Spearknights, one of the most elite soldiers of the Skyhaven Dynasty, and their rise to fame and eventual downfall due to the corruption.

Once he realized the connections, he slowly began drawing from each tale he'd read in the book, trying to link it to a real historical event. Some still stumped him, but he managed to tie the most to one or another, causing him to frown. The book wasn't old, perhaps a relic of the last Era at the oldest, and it wasn't remarkably well written, but its accuracy was terrifying. Even the entire Library of the Empyrion lacked some information he'd found in the book, which effectively shouldn't be possible. Yet, it was.

The author was unknown, and Cae hadn't recognized the style of writing. However, as it was written in the Old Paehlis, the pool of authors couldn't have been that large. The language itself has been dead for a long, long time, though it nonetheless somehow managed to endure the test of time, being passed on either in some obscure village or through some authors who relished the language's poetic structure.

While fascinating, none of this would have truly startled Cae as the world was large and full of various wonders. What did startle him, however, were the few last tales in the book -- the first one, titleless, depicting the beginning of a 'bear lineage' -- the beginning of the entire species. It was certainly a metaphor, a massive one at that, though Cae was uncertain of what. The beginnings of the species were beyond distant past, of which no records survive. Just a conjecture? No, he immediately discarded the idea, shaking his head. It doesn't align...

The remaining four tales that stumped him were similar -- inception of one or another beast told in a very different fashion. There's more to it all, Cae was certain, yet without distinct points of reference, he would be guessing blindly.

"... I should show it to mom, or maybe brother," he mumbled lowly into his jaw, fixing his spectacles. "It's too precise to be a coincidence. Aah, I need to figure out who wrote the damn thing. Though writing is not good, the metaphors are expertly crafted. Perhaps limited knowledge of Paehlis? Ugh, that's going to expand the pool of potential authors considerably... aah, doesn't matter. I'll just hire a few assistants to sift through the least likely ones." after gathering his thoughts by speaking them aloud, he turned back to the first page and began reading again, hoping there might be a thread that connects all the tales that may show him the true reality of them all. Maybe.

COMPLETED

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An orphaned boy with dreams of making it big through being a blacksmith is given a once in a lifetime chance to succeed when he's taken in by an odd pair - Eggor and Ella. While former teaches him the arts of craft, the latter teaches him the mysticism of cultivation, granting him two paths to tread in this life. 

He slowly makes his way up from being a nobody in the middle of nowhere to being someone who can change the fabric of the whole world!

Glossary (incomplete; updated once in a while): https://www.patreon.com/posts/glossary-23250721

strange tales 178

STRANGE BOSSES

Dark Tales

GRIMM Purification

The First Order

Way of the Devil

Her Irish Soul

Apocalypse feather

The hidden side

Sword of Dawnbreaker

Legend of the Empyrean Blacksmith

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