Just wanting to start dating May asked her mom what should have been a normal question.The answer she got sent her whole into a spiral.

Water can shape the Earth,
Earth can imprison the Fire, 
Fire can forge the Metal, 
Metal can cut the Wood, 
and Wood can surpass the Water.

Achieve mastery over all. The heavens shall not tolerate. That's why...

Before Li Du could say anything, Sayder's eyes were drawn to the cigars lying around Li Du. "The Royal Danish Cigar?"
"Yes, seems like you know a lot about cigars. This brand of cigar isn't well-known in America."
The main patrons of Royal Danish Cigars were mainly the rich, including leaders in the Middle East, China, Japan, Korea and some African countries.
In addition, the countries in which it had entered the civilian market were concentrated in northern Europe, such as Denmark, Switzerland, Finland and so on.
"Of course, I do," said Sayder. "I like cigars, I like their charming aroma. This is a good cigar, isn't it?"
Hans wasted no time in asking, "Can these be put on auction too?"
Sayder shook his head. "Royal Danish Cigars may be relatively a rare sight in the United States, but one can get this thing easily via the internet. The profit from putting them on auction will be small."
He had come specifically for the giant gun, which was both handmade and custom made. He had never seen anything like that before. None of the weapon factories had launched anything similar, so it would certainly grab the attention of many firearm enthusiasts.
Hoffman's Old Hoods Market was willing to waive the commission fees and help auction the gun to create more awareness for the old goods market as well as increase its popularity. Firearms had a huge market with the general public.
Of course, for the old goods market, once they had a good reputation and were popular with the general public, earning money would be much easier as well.
Seeing that Sayder was interested in the cigars, he handed him one, and said, "This is for you. Try it to see how the taste is?
Sayder smiled and waved his hand, refusing the offer. "No, this cigar is too expensive. You should sell it, don't give it away. In fact, I'm also not that interested in it. What I'm interested in are the cigar boxes. I'd like to collect them."
As he said so, his eyes rested on the cigar humidors that were lying on the ground.
Collecting cigar boxes in the United States was rather common. In the early days, cigars were a luxury good for the nobles and aristocrats. The cigar boxes used to preserve the cigars were generally beautifully made.
Li Du was also sunning the cigar boxes. These humidors tried to create the ideal tropical environment for the cigar. They were slightly damaged due to the long period of time they'd maintained a higher temperature and withstood a higher level of humidity.
An intact cigar humidor was considered an asset. It could provide an ideal environment for cigars in storage so the original flavor of the cigars would be retained—regardless of whether it was stationary or in-transit.
Therefore, if the cigar box were in good condition, it could be sold for a good sum of money even if it was not sold to a collector.
They had ten boxes with two different styles. Eight of them were the same: three-hinged cigar boxes with the Dunhill logo on them.
Dunhill was a renowned luxury brand for men, dedicated to delight male luxury-goods consumers from start to finish. It had more than 220 boutique stores all around the world.
The other two boxes only had a large DM logo on them, unlike the eight boxes which had the Dunhill logo as well as the DM logo. These two boxes probably both belonged to the same series.
The eight similar boxes were all made of brownish-yellow cedar wood. Their shape was traditional—just like a bread toaster.
The two boxes were designed differently from the other eight. Both boxes had adopted the unconventional design.
The tops of the boxes were embedded with big steely skull heads with some metallic ornaments along the edges. The material of the box was unknown, but Li Du was sure it was different from the cedar wood.
Sayder's eyes glistened when he saw the two special cigar boxes with different designs. He tried hard, however, to make sure that his eyes were on the Dunhill cigar boxes, and to avoid looking at the boxes—especially the one with the skull design.
But Sayder's true desires couldn't escape Li Du's sharp powers of observation. He had taken only a glance at the box with the skull design, and Li Du had noticed his fondness for the item from his eyes.
There was no need to expose Sayder for that. Li decided to wait and see how he would try to negotiate for the item.
True enough, when Sayder turned to the boxes, he said, "All the boxes are beautiful—are they from the famous brand Dunhill? Let's make a switch. What do you think?"
"'Make a switch?'" asked a confused Li Du. "'What do we think?'"
Hans laughed at Li's reaction. "He wants to barter. And he wants to know what we would exchange them for."
Li Du nodded as Hans explained this to him. You could have just said you wanted to barter, he thought.
"My apologies," replied Li Du, "but these boxes can't be exchanged as we need them to hold the cigars. Look, there are 224 cigars and eight boxes, with each box holding 28 cigars. It's just right."
Sayder looked disappointed. "Oh, what a pity. I really like them. There are two extra boxes, right? They look handmade. They don't have cigars inside them, right?"
It was easy to tell if a cigar humidor had contained any cigars recently as there would be obvious traces that suggested that.
"These two are empty," said Hans. "Why? Do you like them?"
"I've never seen such boxes before," replied Sayder. "I might want to add something new to my collection, but I only want one. What item do you want in exchange to make a deal?"
Hans looked at Li Du, who laughed. "Don't look at me. Our pal here wants to get these two boxes from us. He's wanted those the whole time."
"No, no," Sayder hurriedly denied, "you've misunderstood—"
"Okay, take it that I've misunderstood then. I've changed my mind. I'll keep these two boxes with skull designs and offer you two Dunhill ones. How's that?"
Sayder looked at him blankly, and then said, "You're sure? They're Dunhill boxes!"
"Cut the pretenses, pal," Li Du said. "Your little tricks won't work here. Maybe Big Fox didn't tell you before that my observational skills are very sharp compared to ordinary folks. Your real thoughts have been revealed to me."
"So you're eyeing these two boxes?" laughed Hans. "Come on, pal, tell us the truth. What's up with these two boxes?"
Sayder still wanted to deny his knowledge. "I don't know, Li. You deduced incorrectly. This is the first time I've seen them. I swear, it's really the first time I see them!"
"We like honest friends, pal," said Li Du. "If you don't want to tell us the truth then we can't entrust our giant gun to you. We can't trust you if you're dishonest."
Sayder gave in hearing this. He raised his hands and said, "Okay, I surrender—you're a scary rogue! Fine, I admit I might know them—"
"Might?" Hans interrupted.
"Like what I said just now, this is really the first time I've seen these boxes," explained Sayder. "The first time in real life."
"So, what are they?"
"Do you two know Daniel Marshall?" He asked a question instead of answering them.
Hans looked at Li Du. Li rolled his eyes. "I'm f*cking Chinese, how would I know about Americans?"
"No, Daniel Marshall is not an American," said Sayder. "He is an Englishman. His father is an avocado farmer. He had worked with wood since his childhood and his earliest dream was to build a ship. When he grew up, he made cigar boxes, which become a huge success for him."


They love gold, and they love silver. Even more so, they love gems that dazzle, like stars across the skies. 
Firearms, jewelleries, and precious metals; A collector’s world will not be complete without antiques.  
Storage auctions, old goods trade, re-estate sales and gold-digging. But the truth is, if one wants to make money, then the supreme way is through searching for the legendary treasures. 
Holding the fort, there’s an ocelot, a wolf, and an Andes condor. At the side, there’s a loyal hound, an irascible ape, and an African honey badger. Who said that you can only rely on humans when treasure hunting?! 

On Saturday, Wen Xinya agreed to meet Yan Shaoqing and Li Mengjie at the office building of Lanxin Cosmetics with the purpose of discussing and settling on a suitable packaging design and logo for her products. Si Yiyan decided to send her there since he did not have anything scheduled for the day. Wen Xinya gladly agreed because she did not mind letting Si Yiyan know about her affairs.
"Si Yiyan, how long will you stay this time?" she asked, hoping that he would stay longer this time because he often only stayed for a short while before leaving again. 
"I came back this time to discuss an oil mine contract. I haven't settled on a return date yet, but I might be staying for quite some time," he said smilingly while driving.
Wen Xinya's heard slipped a beat. She recalled Gu Junling's words about Si Yiyan owning a large oil mine in the Central region. Could it be…
Not wishing to hide it from her, Si Yiyan said, "I know what you're thinking. Indeed, Xiasi Group has always been closely connected to the government here, and cooperation has been established ten years ago. Actually, 70% of our oil projects involve the local government." 
After receiving a great shock, Wen Xinya chuckled and asked, "Are you indirectly showing your patriotism?"
Knowing that she was just mocking him, he said, "Of course. The Xiasi Group is known to be a part of the Huaxia Corporation. Of course I have to be patriotic."
Wen Xinya burst into laughter.
Ignoring her laughter, Si Yiyan said, "The focus of this project is the development of new oil-mining techniques. This new technique that we've found can be used to extract up to 90% of the oil in the oil field. It's almost as flawless as the latest oil-mining technique in M Nation."
Wen Xinya nodded.
Lanxin Cosmetics was right beside an investment company. Yan Shaoqing and Li Mengjie were both present. Upon sight of Si Yiyan, the two of them gasped in shock.
He stood beside Wen Xinya composedly, exuding a posh and classy aura. 
He was born to be looked up to.
Li Mengjie quickly looked away, not daring to make eye contact with him at all. She frantically suppressed her anxiousness and pulled Wen Xinya onto the couch. "You said that the design of the packaging and logo have already been completed. Hurry and show us!" 
Wen Xinya nodded and took out a file from her bag. All of a sudden, a piece of A4-sized paper slipped out of the file. Wen Xinya panicked and hurriedly reached out to grab it…
However, Si Yiyan beat her to it and picked up the piece of paper. His lips curled into a smile the moment he saw the sketch.
Wen Xinya extended her arm and exclaimed, "Give me the design sketch!"
Si Yiyan chuckled and said, "But this is not the sketch of your design."
Wen Xinya placed the other sketches of her designs onto the coffee table and said, "This is the design for the inner packaging. I opted for an embroidered fabric box that's similar to those used by wealthy ladies during ancient times. It's rustically beautiful, classy, and posh."
Every one of her sketches was exquisite, intricate, and beautiful. The box that she had designed was circular and had a plethora of embroidery designs. She had also colored the sketches with vibrant colors.
The sketches had managed to captivate Si Yiyan's attention as well. He looked at Wen Xinya and remarked, "What a well thought design."
Yan Shaoqing said, "We're running a luxury cosmetic business. We must ensure that the boxes are as close to the authentic pieces as possible. Since the industry for porcelain ornament replicas is extremely small and sensitive, it might be difficult to find a supplier for the long term."
"You don't have to worry about this. I have a supplier," said Wen Xinya smilingly.
Yan Shaoqing was shocked but not surprised, for he had always known Wen Xinya to be a capable person who could solve almost anything.
"Is this the design for the exterior packaging?" Si Yiyan asked while flipping through the other stack of sketches. The exterior packaging was a thick and heavy wooden box that was burgundy in color. It had streaks of gold and a carving of a dragon and a phoenix. There were also carvings of flowers and birds on the other boxes that she had sketched.
Wen Xinya explained, "These designs were inspired by different kinds of woods and textures. They'll look elegant and classy. I'm planning to use a hybrid of natural and synthetic wood. We'll have to test if the products can fit into the packaging."
"Great concept. It matches our shop's decor and theme as well!" Si Yiyan exclaimed in awe. He couldn't help but find that she never failed to outdo herself.
Wen Xinya raised her brows smugly.
Li Mengjie took a deep breath and asked, "Why have you decided to use wood instead of paper? If we use paper, we can reduce the manufacturing costs, and it'd be much lighter as well."
Wen Xinya was the pioneer of wooden packaging in the makeup industry.
Wen Xinya explained, "Wood will add on to the elegance of the product and give it a vintage vibe. Since we're a prestigious brand known for selling luxury cosmetic products, we shouldn't have to worry about minimizing the manufacturing costs. Besides, most people would usually leave their skincare products at home, especially wealthy customers who'd leave the entire set at home and at the beauty salon. Hence, we don't need the packaging to be lightweight, either. We can collect the used packaging and recycle them as well."
Yan Shaoqing said, "I think this is a brilliant idea. The wooden packaging is going to make our products look posher!" 
In order to make a cosmetic product look posh, three to four layers of packaging would usually be needed. Thus, it would definitely cost more to produce more packaging. Although the wooden packaging might be costly, they could save on manpower and reduce the types of packaging needed. Hence, the total costs would still be reasonable.
Staring at Yan Shaoqing, Wen Xinya said, "I'll leave the packaging matters to you, then." 
Yan Shaoqing agreed with a nod. "Sure!"
Handing Si Yiyan another sketch, Wen Xinya said, "This is the product logo."
Si Yiyan took a close look at it to see that the design was simple. It was a white orchid which had beautiful petals. He did not expect her to be able to come up with such a spiritual and surreal art piece. "Not bad. Well done!"
He then handed the sketch to Li Mengjie, who was taken aback even further. "Just tell me, is there anything you're not good at!?!"
She used to learn jewelry design. Hence, coming up with such a simple design sketch was only a stroll in the park for her. She teased. "Yeah, I'm bad at committing arson and rape…"
"Screw you!" Li Mengjie clipped, glaring at her. 
Wen Xinya couldn't help but burst into laughter.


Originally born from a wealthy family, she ends up leading a vagrant life for fifteen years. However, when she is eventually found by her family, she falls into another devious plot and eventually dies tragically. 

Fifteen years after her rebirth, ravenously raging for revenge, she tears down the hypocritical mask of the foster daughter who had taken her place, and reduces her greedy stepmother and stepsister back to their original sorry states. 

To the jerk's profession of his deep love for her, she only has one thing to say, "Get the hell out of my life. The love you speak of humiliates love!" 

Regardless of the appearances of you monsters, I’ll take in it my stride with my capability, building a business dynasty of my own, sitting in the depths of my riches, bathing in the glistening limelight of the world. 

A certain rich empire's CEO: "Don't mind me. I'm just leaving my mark here to declaring my possession rights; I’ll wait patiently for you to grow up!" The queen's mighty return with commercial warfare fully within her grasp, she navigates the power struggles with skill and verve. When it comes to scheming conspiracies, all she has to say is, "Who are you again? Don’t even bother!"

I have already described the outside, now the rest of my house. Like I mentioned earlier there is a wall. On our floor(since each floor is one house) The wall is made of oak wood. in front of the elevator there is glass on either side of the wall, between the glass were fake bamboo sticks which look exactly like the real fresh ones their height ends just 2 inches from the top. there were lights in there which when turned on caused the wall to look inexplicably beautiful.

Once we enter there is a comfortable room(called it the drawing room) with a swing whose base was also oak wood which was polished hung to intricate metal links and was long enough for Lissa, who was a little taller than 5ft and 2 inches, to sleep on.

There is a sliding in this room which we use to enter the living room. This room has comfortable furniture like couch and pillows from Ikea. Sorry it's just I love their furniture. Please spare my life. To this room there is a smaller sliding door to enter Lissa's room. It has black walls with hints of purple, silver and gold spots here and there, right above her headboard is the logo of the star darlings. she has a bookshelf filled with all books of the star darlings, keeper of the lost cities, the only Thea Stilton books, and all Creepella Von Cacklefur books there are some recipe books and all the books of Garfield written by Jim Davis , she also has the books she took from gammy the series of Hunter games. Her bathroom is spacious and follows the wet and dry concept with the walls and tiles in a light blue shade.

Next to the living room is the dining area which connects to her parents and also gammy and gaffy's bedroom. PS gammy and gaffy are her maternal grandparents who are quite modern. The kitchen also has an oak wood sliding door, It has the mordern microwave and oven which is the size of a dishwasher. Their laundry was done in their colony's laundry area.

The daily fun life of a stubborn teenager is soon about to change. Let’s start from the beginning to understand them better

"Alright," Gafgar said and stomped the ground. A dunlord soon appeared, and he rode on it then coursed through the forest in Dave's territory.
Dave followed after Gafgar. Soon he heard the sound of water. There was a stream next to them. After following along it, the stream converged into a wide-raging river.
They continued moving through the forest and following after the river until they exited. In front of Dave was an enormous raging sea. It was pitch black like if the water was made of ink. The broken moon hung close to the water; its reflection was hard to see among the raging waves.
At the end of the river was a large dock that had dozens of undead moving about. Logs and metal were placed neatly around the doc in stocks.
Looking into the sea Dave saw a ship that didn't budge even though the waves of the sea raged. But calling it just a boat would degrade the enormity and beauty of such a vessel.
It was made entirely of wood and had a reinforced hull that ended with the head of a draconic creature. It had three masts that were dozens of meters long. It was at least a hundred meter in length and was heavily fortified.
There were dozens of cannon muzzles peaking from the side of the ship.
"How is it?!" Gafgar asked in all pride.
"It's huge!" Dave replied as he got closer, but the closer he got, the more imposing the ship looked.
"We'll need to take the row-boats to get there," Gafgar said. There were a few row-boats that were tied to the harbor.
Gafgar called two undead and turned to Dave and said, "Let's take her for a ride!"
"I've never driven a ship before," Dave smiled.
"I'll show you how to. It's not easy but not too hard," Gafgar said and hopped into the boat.
Dave unsummoned Grumpy and jumped into the boat.
The two undead rowed the boat through the raging sea and approached the floating ship.
Slowly they made their way through the waves and stopped in front of the ship. It looked like it could reach the sky and was as wide as the horizon.
"Lower the ropes!" Gafgar called.
Several undead threw ropes form on top of the ship's deck.
Gafgar and the two undead tightened the ropes on the row-boat and called for the ones on the Leviathan to pull.
Moments later Dave was on top of the ship.
Dozens of undead saluted him, and Gafgar opened his hands wide shouting, "Isn't she lovely!" pride could be seen shining from his hazy eyes. It seemed that Gafgar grew an enormous attachment to this structural miracle.
Dave's gaze wandered; the ship was beautifully made. The sales were folded and black as the night. The deck was clean and shiny. It was recently mopped and polished. Kegs and crates were neatly stacked to the side. These must be the supplies for the ship. A large portion of the boat was built in the back. There was a steering wheel on it. When Gafgar saw Dave looking at it, he smiled and said, "That's the Wheel-Deck. I've built you your stay under it. It's called the Stern-Castle or the captain's quarters for a simpler term."
"Thanks," Dave said. he wasn't too familiar with the ship terms, but Gafgar was an excellent help.
"Come, come, let's get this beauty moving."
Gafgar walked up a staircase that led to the Wheel Deck while Dave followed after him.
Dave stood and stared at the wheel, it had a skull in the middle, and its handles were made of bones. It looked frightening yet fascinating at the same time.
"Before we go, we need a flag," Gafgar said.
A notification window appeared in front of Dave.
***
 Please personalize your ship-flag. It will be a way to identify your ship.
***
 The panel in front of Dave had several options. There were ready-made flags, some had skulls like pirates and some had the logo of the four kingdoms. But Dave wanted something unique.
He chose to make a personal logo, he opened his browser and looked for the CCN logo of his smiling draugr face. He copied the logo and added it to the flag. It showed a smirking bearded dragur.
Another notification appeared in front of Dave.
***
 Your flag contains an element related to death.
Skulls, Undead are symbols of pirates.
Choosing these flags will make neutral ships hostile toward you!
Do you still wish to continue?
***
Dave smiled and pressed, Yes. With a ship this big, he wasn't afraid of anyone.
"HA! What a fine flag!" Gafgar said as the flag with the draugr's face appeared in his hand.
He handed the flag to one of the undead and said, "Climb the crow's nest and put this up! make the world know that the undead is coming!"
The undead took the flag and climbed up the middle mast like an agile monkey. He entered through a small opening into the Crow's Nest and placed the flag in place.
The wind made the flag flutter in the dark skies of the underworld.
"WEIGH THE ANCHOR!" Gafgar bellowed out.
Four undead went to the mainmast, and each pulled a steel pole down. The steel poles looked like a wheel that was attached to the mast.
Then the undead began pushing all the poles in one direction. The sound of chains crackling echoed as the undead pushed the pols. Soon the anchor was hoisted, and the ship was free to move.
"HOIST THE SAILS!"
Other undead began pulling at ropes. These ropes hastily drew up the black sails of the ship. The wind blew into the sails and began pushing the vessel forward.
"Commander, take the wheel," Gafgar said and went behind Dave.
Dave hesitated for a moment then took the wheel in hand.
"Turn it starboard."
"What's that?" Dave asked.
"Starboard means turn the ship to the right," Gafgar said in a smile.
"Then why not just say that?" Dave asked as he turned the wheel to the right.
"Ha, you'll know when we are in the deep sea. Sometimes left and right becomes confusing. So we use Starboard or Portside to indicate right and left respectfully based on the ship's hull." Gafgar explained.
"Ah," Dave nodded. He was still unconvinced, though.
"So how do we get this ship to the overworld."
"His majesty ordered the building of the naval teleportation gate, so we go through it," Gafgar said.
"Uh, I don't see any gate," Dave replied as he kept his hands firm on the wheel.
"Well, of course, because it's underwater.
"Huh? Say that again?" Dave asked.
"Yes, the naval gate is underwater, so we'll dive," Gafgar said.
"I think you're mistaking something. Ships weren't made to dive underwater."
"Yes, but those are human ships. Use the power of your ring lord Kis'Shtiengbrah," Gafgar said.
Dave looked at his ring then remembered that he had obtained a new ability.
"Dead Men Tell My Tale, huh."
As he spoke the words, a dark aura spread from his ring and seeped into the ship's wood. It ate at it and made it decay. The brand new ship began to corrode and rot. Even the sails became torn in many places, but instead of the vessel decelerating, Dave noticed that the boat was actually picking up speed.
The ship became dark and slowly almost ethereal, mixing between physical and nonphysical.
"Push the wheel!" Gafgar said.
Dave pushed the wheel, and the whole ship released a groaning sound as the bow dove into the water. The seawater climbed up the boat like a hungry beast and covered all the undead. Yet not a single undead was moved from his spot. Even when the water blasted into Dave, it just went through him. The ship was actually diving into the depth of the water.
"That's the gate!" Gafgar said, his sound clear even through the water.
Looking in front, Dave saw an enormous teleportation gate that was placed in the depth of the sea. A bright light was coming out from the gate. Dave guided the ship through the gate and exited from the other side.
The black seawater was changed to blue, and the sun could be seen from the depth of the sea.
Dave looked at his mini-map and saw that he was in the Southern Sea.
"Now pull the wheel," Gafgar said.
Dave pulled the wheel, and the ship began rising. The old boat broke through the sea surface and was out.
The bright light of the world shone upon the ship.
"How is it!" Gafgar asked.
"This is wonderful," Dave said as he gazed at the calm sea.
Turning his head, Dave saw land. There was a small hamlet in the distance.
Dave saw the name of the hamlet was Sisili. Dave called Lone, telling her to come there.
Moments later, all of Dave's party were staring mouth agape at the ship from the hamlet's dock. The NPCs, however, weren't too happy with the sight of the ghost-ship in the distance. Most of them escaped and hid in their homes closing their doors and windows.
"Get someone to bring my friends over," Dave said.
"As you command captain," Gafgar turned and ordered a few undead to take the row-boats and bring his friends over.
When the party climbed up, flanker commented, "Man, this is a rusty old ship. Should this ship have like…less holes? How the heck is it even afloat, man there's a big ass hole in the hull!" Flanker said, pointing at the hull from above the deck.
Dave smiled and disabled the ship's ghost ability. He couldn't use it anyway with his friends, if he dove into the water, though he won't be affected they would drown.
The ship returned to its magnificent shape, making a gob-smacked priest shut up.
"Alright, let's get them treasures!" Dave said and spun the wheel, guiding the ship toward the marker's location.


Three years ago Conquest was released, redefining virtual reality and gaming. 
‘An entire world on a server. Dive in and play the RPG to end all others; explore, create, conquer. LIVE!’ 
It became an overnight phenomena worldwide. 
Dave Ruster grew up without a family to speak of, he had few friends and fewer prospects. He lives in the same small town where he graduated from high school, and works long hours at a low-paying job that barely pays for rent and the food on his table. He can’t afford college, but at least he is not out on the streets. 
His life is going nowhere, stuck on a treadmill. 
Until chance, karma, or providence, call it whatever you believe in, intervenes. Suddenly, David’s circumstances change. 
Injured and unable to work, he’s about to lose what little he has. His fate balances where crisis and opportunity go hand in hand.
He can risk it all, seizing the opportunity to make circumstances work for him, potentially going further and higher than he ever dreamed. Or he can accept his fate and watch life from the sidelines 
Join Dave as he puts all his aspirations and hopes, all that he is, into the game he always wanted to play, Conquest!  
It will be a journey of adventure and discovery, victory and loss, as he strives to create a new future for himself, in-the-game and In Real Life.


**** Story is currently being proofed by our Lord Sambraga! (chapters 54+) so please bear with the mediocre quality of writing in the first chaps, it gets much better later on!****

Setelah paruh pertama pertandingan, skor masih imbang 0:0. Tang En merasa sangat puas. Suasana hatinya menjadi lebih baik setelah dia melihat Coppell mengernyit.
Di ruang ganti, dia tidak memuji pemain individu secara spesifik, tapi dia memuji semua orang di tim. Dia ingin memberi tahu mereka bahwa pertandingan sepak bola dimainkan oleh sebuah tim, dan tidak dimaksudkan sebagai panggung bagi stu orang pemain. Tidak ada satu pemain pun yang posisinya di atas tim.
Ada kutipan bagus dari film "Goal!" yang sangat menyentuh hati Tang En saat dia pertama kali menontonnya.
Di dalam film itu, manajer Newcastle menunjuk logo tim di kaus jersey si karakter utama, menepuk pundak belakang si pemain, dan berkata, "Ingat, nama di bagian depan jersey lebih penting daripada nama di belakang."
Karena itu, meskipun penampilan Wood luar biasa, Tang En sama sekali tak memujinya. Selain itu, dia juga tahu bahwa sanjungan semacam itu sama sekali takkan efektif bagi George Wood. Sebaliknya, Wood, yang mewakili tim dewasa untuk pertama kalinya, menerima pujian dan dorongan dari rekan satu timnya yang lain. Rekan sesama gelandangnya, Gunnarsson, duduk disamping Wood dan sambil menepuk pundaknya berkata, "Bagus sekali, anak muda! Kau jauh lebih baik dari yang kuharapkan!"
Morgan, yang pernah bermain dengan Wood sebelum ini di tim pemuda, berkata dengan nada bercanda, "Brynjar, apa yang baru saja kau katakan tak ada gunanya! George selalu luar biasa."
"Hah?" Gunnarsson tak mengerti kenapa Morgan mengatakannya seperti itu.
"Apa kalian tahu pria Spanyol dari Arsenal itu?" Morgan melihat semua orang tampak sama tertariknya dengan Gunnarsson, dan memutuskan untuk mulai pamer, berdiri di tengah ruang ganti. Tang En dan Walker tak menghentikannya, karena tak banyak yang bisa dia katakan selama sisa waktu istirahat. Waktu ini lebih baik diserahkan kepada para pemain sendiri.
Sebagian besar pemain tidak tahu siapa yang dirujuk Morgan. Hanya Huth, gelandang Jerman yang baru saja masuk ke tim, menganggukkan kepalanya dan berkata, "Namanya Fabregas."
Morgan senang melihat ada orang lain yang tahu siapa yang dimaksud olehnya. Kalau tidak, dia hanya akan mempermalukan dirinya sendiri. "Benar, dia! Kudengar dia sudah bermain untuk tim utama Arsenal! Apa kalian tahu berapa usianya?"
Huth mengangguk lagi. "Dia baru enam belas tahun."
"Wow, kau benar-benar tahu segalanya!" Morgan sangat menyukai rekan lini tengahnya. Mereka memiliki banyak chemistry di antara mereka, dan dia yakin mereka akan menjadi partner yang hebat.
"Saat aku masih di Chelsea," kata Huth, "Aku sering mendengar pemain lain membahas pemuda yang baru saja dibeli Arsenal."
"Hah? Apa? Apa yang mereka katakan tentang dia?" Para pemain segera mengalihkan perhatian mereka. Kisah-kisah yang tak terungkap dari dalam ruang ganti Liga Utama Inggris adalah hal yang selalu ingin didengar oleh banyak orang. Bahkan Tang En, yang wajahnya menunjukkan kalau dia tidak tertarik, sebenarnya mendengarkan semua ini dengan penuh perhatian.
Huth adalah pria yang jujur. Melihat ketertarikan semua orang, dia memberi tahu mereka tentang semua hal yang diketahuinya. "Anak muda itu baru masuk Arsenal di bulan Oktober, dan mewakili tim pertama dalam pertandingan sebelum Natal. Meskipun orang luar masih tak terlalu menganggapnya bagus, semua orang di tim berpikir bahwa dia jenius. Dia sangat ... um, sangat matang, dan sama sekali tak terlihat seperti berusia enam belas tahun. Dan terus terang saja, aku juga merasa kalau gelandang Chelsea pun tak sebanding dengan bakatnya."
Penilaiannya sangat bagus, dan para pemain di sekitarnya, yang bermain di liga tingkat bawah, bahkan tak berani memikirkannya. Liga Utama Inggris ... Bagi sebagian besar pemain, itu seperti mimpi. Bisa bermain di Liga Utama Inggris pada usia enam belas bukanlah prestasi biasa. Apalagi, ia berada di klub top: Arsenal yang sangat kompetitif.
Eastwood tak setuju dengan Huth, karena ia berada di kompleks latihan West Ham United bersama dengan Joe Cole. "Joe Cole juga di Chelsea, kan?"
Huth mengangguk dan berkata, "Ya, tapi kupikir bahkan dia juga tak sebanding dengan pemuda Spanyol itu."
"Kenapa?"
"Yah ... aku tidak tahu. Kalau kau bersikeras menginginkan alasan, aku tak bisa menjelaskannya. Tapi aku hanya merasa kalau pemuda itu memiliki masa depan yang sangat cerah di depannya," kata Huth, sambil menggaruk kepalanya dan mengerutkan kening. Dia tampak berkata jujur.
Melihat pria Jerman yang jujur itu, Eastwood tak bisa berkata apa-apa lagi. Dia percaya bahwa Huth telah mengatakan yang sebenarnya.
Morgan, yang telah sepenuhnya dilupakan, kembali bersemangat. "Itu benar! Pria Spanyol itu luar biasa! Tapi tahukah kalian semua, ada satu orang yang bisa menjaganya dengan sangat baik sampai ia tak bisa berkutik!"
Dia telah berhasil merebut kembali perhatian rekan setimnya.
Tang En tahu siapa yang dibicarakan Morgan. Dia memandang Wood; ekspresinya tenang. Dia bahkan terlihat agak heran. Dia tidak dipenuhi antisipasi, juga tidak merasa malu. Seolah-olah orang yang akan disebutkan Morgan bukan dia.
Oleh karena itu, Morgan terus menggambarkan pertandingan FA Youth Cup yang dimainkan di lapangan berlumpur. ".... Meskipun kami memimpin, Arsenal, di bawah pimpinan pemain Spanyol itu, meluncurkan gelombang demi gelombang serangan ke tiang gawang kami. Aku bahkan menyelamatkan bola di garis tiang gawang. Tapi kami semua tahu betul bahwa situasi tak boleh dibiarkan seperti ini. Pak Kepala Pelatih juga tahu tentang ini!" Mendengar ini, semua orang menoleh ke arah Tang En, yang berdiri di dekat pintu.
Melihat semua orang menatapnya, Tang En hanya tersenyum dan melanjutkan ceritanya. "Benar, aku memasukkan George." Dia membuat semua orang mengalihkan perhatian mereka ke arah Wood.
Morgan melanjutkan, "Aku berada di lapangan, jadi aku tidak tahu apa yang dikatakan Pak Kepala pada Wood. Tapi aku ingat dengan jelas kalau Pak Kepala menunjuk pemuda Spanyol itu dan mengatakan sesuatu. Setelah itu, Wood masuk ke lapangan dan berdiri di depannya. Kemudian, pemain Spanyol berbakat itu tak lagi bisa memberikan ancaman bagi kami selama sisa pertandingan!"
Setelah cerita itu selesai, semua orang masih memandang Wood. Tapi, sorot mata mereka kali ini benar-benar berbeda. Termasuk juga Gunnarsson, yang telah memberikan semangat dan dorongan bagi Wood beberapa saat yang lalu. Bahkan Eastwood, yang tadinya tak tertarik padanya, menjadi terpesona oleh rekan setimnya yang pendiam itu.
Tidak ada yang mengucapkan sepatah kata pun; ruang ganti jatuh ke dalam keheningan total.
Tang En menepukkan tangannya dan mengingatkan semua orang untuk kembali dari pikiran mereka. "Baiklah, baiklah, guys. Kalian melakukannya dengan sangat baik di babak pertama. Teruslah bermain seperti itu di babak kedua! Tak ada banyak waktu tersisa, jadi bersiaplah untuk kembali ke lapangan!"
Dengan perasaan bercampur aduk, para pemain kembali berdiri, membuka pintu, dan menuju ke lapangan. Wood berada di belakang mereka, dan dihentikan oleh Tang En.
"George, apa kau punya pendapat tentang cerita itu?" Kadang-kadang, Tang En benar-benar ingin tahu hati anak ini terbuat dari apa. Dia sama sekali tidak bertindak seperti anak berusia delapan belas tahun.
Wood menggelengkan kepalanya dan menjawab, "Tidak ada."
"Kau tidak merasa bersemangat? Atau senang?"
Wood terus menggelengkan kepalanya. "Tidak. Hari itu, kau memberitahuku untuk menjaga nomor 25 dengan semua kekuatanku, jadi aku melakukannya. Apa ada yang salah dengan itu?"
Tang En menatap Wood, sebelum kemudian tertawa dan menggelengkan kepalanya. "Kau melakukannya dengan baik, dengan sangat baik. George, ibumu melihatmu dari suite VIP. Apa kau tahu kalau ketua klub juga ada disana? Kalau kau menunjukkan penampilan yang sangat bagus dan membuatnya tertarik, dia akan membiarkanku memberimu kontrak baru. Sebuah kontrak untuk bergabung dengan tim dewasa."
Mendengar Tang En mengatakan ini, secercah cahaya melintas di mata Wood.
"Aku bisa menghasilkan banyak uang, kan?" tanya Wood.
Tang En mengangguk. "Semakin baik penampilanmu di babak kedua, semakin tinggi gaji mingguanmu di kontrak itu."
Wood menatap Tang En dan bertanya, "Apa yang harus kulakukan di babak kedua?"
Melihat tujuannya tercapai, Tang En hanya mengangkat bahu. "Persis seperti yang sudah kau lakukan di babak pertama. Kau adalah gelandang bertahan, jadi daerah di depan area penalti dan daerah setelah garis tengah adalah wilayahmu. Jangan biarkan lawan melewati wilayahmu dan mengancam tiang gawang kita tanpa perlawanan. Setiap lawan yang ingin melintasi wilayahmu... singkirkan mereka." Tang En membuat gerakan mengiris leher sebelum kemudian menambahkan, "Berhati-hatilah agar kau tak mendapat kartu lagi."


Ini adalah kisah tentang mengejar kemenangan. Dalam sepakbola profesional, kemenangan adalah yang utama. Tanpa kemenangan, kau hanyalah pecundang.
 
Tang En adalah pemuda Cina dengan temperamen buruk yang tak pernah bermimpi akan menjadi Tony Twain, seorang manajer tim sepakbola profesional, Nottingham Forest. Dengan hanya berbekal pengalaman bermain game sepakbola, dia mulai memimpin timnya menuju kemenangan.
 
Perjalanan menuju kemenangan itu sama sekali tidak mudah. Pertandingan keras antar klub, pemain yang cedera, penggunaan taktik yang sesuai, hingga keputusan-keputusan yang diambil saat situasi genting turut mewarnai perjuangan menjadi juara liga. Tidak hanya itu, Tang En pun diuji untuk mengatasi semua insiden yang terjadi dalam kehidupan pribadinya. Dimulai dari teguran FA, penghargaan manajer terbaik, hingga beragam pekerjaan sampingan dan skandal pribadinya. Dengan semua peristiwa itu, bisakah Tang En mewujudkan mimpinya untuk mencapai kemenangan bersama timnya?


Sooner than we had expected, the novelty of two teen-agers being girlfriend/boyfriend wore off on the people around us. They pretty much left us on our own except for some adults who were unofficially assigned to look out for us. I felt as though there was always someone checking in on us but in a non-obtrusive way. I appreciated that very much and was really thankful that I had the luck of growing up with such a loving environment. 

But being teen-agers, we liked to test the limit of the adults' magnanimity. We often stole kisses when we thought no one was looking. We lingered on corridors and at the mansion's garden to hug and kiss. We held hands under the table. We often napped in our headquarters lying side by side. Alexis would playfully lie between us. Justine tolerated him better now. But I still caught his face with flashes of darkness when Alexis does what he does. I was proud of how my boyfriend was handling himself. I would often pat his back and tell him: "Thank you for being such a sport. For being such a grown up!" 

I was doing my part too. I was conscious not to encourage Alexis' physical sweetness towards me. I always tell myself that I have a boyfriend now so I must behave accordingly. Though I must admit I really didn't know how to because it was my first time to have one. But I thought like Justine, I was doing well too!

We lazily lounged in our headquarters which Karlo proceeded to name after him. It was now called Karlo's Coven. He nominated and appointed himself as our gang's leader. Justine and I were so in-loved to protest. Melody I suspected was too smitten to Karlo to say no. Alexis was game with it and the rest of the gang happily agreed. So we became Karlo's Coven. We had fun designing our logo and coat of arms. Karlo even managed to have someone carve our logo to a piece of wood. The wood craft hangs proudly in our headquarters' door. 

We are eight in the coven. Karlo Villanueva was the self appointed leader. He was like a brother to me. We grew up together on the farm. I'd trust Karlo with my life. Melody Jimeno was my best friend since grade school. She was the only one in our gang who lived in the main town. Her parents became friends with our parents too so they let her stay with us from time to time. Victor Collado was the son of the motor pool supervisor. Like her father, he was very good at fixing machines. He was our handyman. Via dela Cruz was Auntie Anita's granddaughter while Marion Tolentino was Auntie Aida's daughter. Both of these girls spent their summer vacation at the White House. Grandpa Anton often said that us three girls bring the sunshine to the mansion. He let us run around the house. He bought us toys and placed candies and cookies all over the house. The White House was our wonderland. We kind of adopted Karlo and Victor who would often tag along with their fathers for some meetings in the mansion so they were left to our care. Then came the two New Yorkers - Justine and Alexis. 

We were having a blast playing pictionary when there was a commotion in the mansion. We heard several vehicles parked. A number of people entered the house. I heard my father's voice instructing the household staff to get the dining room ready for lunch. The gang came out of our coven to check what was happening. 

I saw familiar faces. They were officers of BioFeeds, the farm's biggest feed supplier.  Once in a while the officers of the farm's partner companies do field visits and Grandpa Anton prepares a feast for them in the White House. There was someone from the group that was openly staring at us. 'Or is he staring at me? He looked somewhat familiar.'

Granda Anton motioned us to go near him. He introduced the company officers to his grandsons and us. One of the endearing qualities of Grandpa Anton was his being very inclusive. He did not look down on young people. He always had a way of making us feel important. 

The CEO of the company, Mr. Frederick Huang,  introduced a young man. He turned out to be his son Gary. Grandpa Anton requested us to let Gary join us. It was a luncheon meeting after all. So we let the adults be themselves. We trooped to the kitchen to have our own lunch. Karlo escorted Gary. Alexis also attended to our guest young man. 

The food in the kitchen was served buffet style so we lined up to get our lunch. Justine excused himself and said he'd check our headquarters. Justine was like our safety officer. He always checked our hang-out for gadgets that needed to be turned-off or trash that needed to be thrown out.  Also when we go out in the outdoors, he always checks if we brought a first-aid kit, if we had extra battery packs for cell phones, if we had  umbrellas or raincoats. He said he learned it from me.

 I got 2 plates to get food for Justine and I. I saw Gary walking towards me.

"Hi Eva." Gary greeted me. I was so surprised to be called by my other name. My full name is Evanina. I am called Nina by my family and friends. Eva was what they called me in school. I didn't remember ever meeting Gary there. My confusion was maybe written in my face because he added: "We've met in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards  (RYLA) two years ago" 

"Ah, yes! I remember now. We were partners in one of the workshops. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. You wore braces then, right?" I said, remembering.

"Yeah, you can say that again. Did I look that terrible?" He asked.

"No. I didn't mean it that way." I said defending myself.

Gary laughed. "I know what you mean. It was so nice to see you again."

I filled up the two plates and was balancing them in my hands looking for a place to sit. 
"Do you need help?" Gary asked. I shook my head. "Can you eat all that?" he asked. I didn't know if he was teasing me or just genuinely curious. 

"What if I can? Is that a problem?" I said defensively.

"Of course not!" He said, Then in a low voice, he added, "I like girls who love to eat."

'Whoa, is he flirting with me?' For a second, I didn't know how to react. "These are actually for me and…"

"Her boyfriend." Justine filled in. I didn't notice he got back. He took the plates from me and went to sit down with Karlo's Coven. There was a moment of tension in the air. 'Or did I just imagine it?'

Justine pulled out a chair for me. As soon as I sat down, he kissed me on my forehead and said, "Thanks, baby."

I smiled at him sweetly. Alexis made face and the rest of the gang rolled their eyes.

“What about you? Do you like someone?” he mimicked my question.

“Hey, I asked first!” I protested. 

“You first,” he said.

No, you go first!” I countered. 

“Ladies first,” he continued. 

I pinched his arm and gave him a sharp look. He held up his hand  and moved to face me. We laughed. 

“You,” he said. 

“No, you go first!’ I said almost shouting. 

“You,” he repeated. “Nina, I like you.”

Sparks flew when a 17-year-old New Yorker Justine met a 15-year-old farm girl Nina on a hot summer day. What followed was a summer of delicious firsts: first love, first kiss, first sip of alcohol, and the inevitable first heartbreak. 

A summer filled with all the beautiful moments we’ve dreamed of—watching sunsets, dancing in the rain, counting stars, and playing games all night. It was a summer of forging friendships and building bonds that were unbreakable. Then something happened and it was not summer anymore. And we grew up.

Finally after arriving in front of the building with stacks of coins as their logo. Opening the door what appears doesn't really fantasy-esque. My hope of there would be a floating person with wings or something more has been crushed at least the lobby structure is pretty neat with most of it made of wood and the floor is shiny like a bald head person in the middle of a scorching desert. 

Looking around, a middle-aged man comes to me with a smile on his face he's a bald man with an offside belly. Based on my experience the man should be on the level of the manager or equal or maybe higher in the way he exudes on. 

The man asks me what I'm looking for and said my purpose in opening a registered vault. Following the man, he led me to a room with a table and chairs made of wood with a silver lamp post on the wall. It is a simple room with no decoration except for the lamp.

"I forgot to introduce myself it seems, haha, when you were old you start to be forgetful, anyway I'm Hodwart a manager here. So you said before that you want to access a vault, yes? To access a vault you only need to enter the ID and the password after that I will give you the item inside the vault." 

A panel with ID and password shows up after inputting the ID and password fatso sends me. Hodwart smile and told me to wait for him while he goes get the item. A few minutes after that Hodwart come in with a book and said "this is the card inside the vault Mr. Vain. you can take your time I'll be tending the other customers and you can leave the card on the table after you were done." then left.

Picking up the card I see a picture of books, a weapon, and armors plus a stack of vials with red liquid inside. The card itself has a wavy gold frame at its sides and black colored at back with gold coins as the logo. That bastard didn't tell me how I can access the items inside. It's hard being a newbie I need to learn everything again. Sigh. maybe saying openly will make the item come out. I don't know, I guess I need to call him again.

Walking outside the building I felt my noob-i-ness is becoming my biggest problem here. Opening the menu I select the other option and choose the forum. Lots of sections appear and searching for tutorials and tips as the tag. I navigate around the sea of thread to search for my immediate problems and the one that catches my attention was about a warrior that finish his training on the training center and received a skill and art because his final rating is 7.8. 

So my target should be finishing the training, allocating my attributes, and hunting monsters. The training center is not that far away from the bank if I go straight I probably need only a 15-ish minute because of browsing the forum it took me 2 hours to get here.

The training center gate has this statue of a man carved out of a tree, a living tree with leaves as its hair, not ordinary leaves but a spiky one. The statue probably reaches tens plus meter with his arms crossing and the life-like eye looking down on people that want to pass the gate gives the passenger an imposing feeling. Passing the gate I saw humongous open fields with dummies, people shouting, hitting dummies, small statues made of stones, etc.

From the thread, I found they said I need to report to a 3-meter tall human to get a trainee profession and no matter from which side you are standing on you would know where he is from his lion-like roar. Speak of the devil I heard a roar from the center where people swinging their sword. 

"Mister I want to get stronger so that I may take control of my life." without greeting I talk to the big guy with the naked upper body. Showing my determination. I don't even know myself why I said that but his muscular body with his 8 packs and scarred chest trembling slightly. With him over-shadowed me I somehow can see him smile at me. It looks innocent but brutal at the same time.

"I've been here more than eighty years and it's the first time I heard that since I left my tribe in the north. I'm Ax Frostborne. What is your name lad?"

"I'm Vain"

[Your profession has been changed into Trainee.]
[Please select your job from the available jobs on the list.]
[Thief: Job that may make you rich with medium damage, low defense, and high speed. Requirement: Agi 12+
Knight: Job with medium damage and high defense their oath is to protect the weak. Requirement: Con 10+ Vit 10+
Berserker: The angrier you get the stronger you become. Have high health and damage with low defense. Requirement: Str 12+ Vit 12+
Magician: Job which controls force to bring a phenomenon to their cause with low health and high burst magic damage. Requirement: For 14+
Assassin: Job for the killer that relied on their high-speed and high-burst physical attack but with Low health and low defense. Requirement: Agi 16+
Healer: ….]

Lots of jobs show up in front of me but based on my status and items I receive from Big Rude I probably should choose assassin. Opening my status this is what I see.


Character: Vain
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Profession: Trainee
Strength: 8 (1 health, 0.5 attack power, 0.2 defense power, and influences your strength)
Agility: 15+3 (0.25 attack power, influences your ability to dodge, reflexes and dexterity)
Constitution: 5 (5 stamina, 3 health and ability to resist attacks)
Vitality: 7 (5 health, 3 stamina, and 1 life force)
Force: 10 (2 aether, influences the power and accuracy of your spells and ability to resist force attack)


Life Force: 7
Health: 58 / 58
Aether: 20 / 20
Stamina: 45 / 46
Fatigue: 98% / 100%
Satiety: 100 / 100 (+10 per level)
Attack: 8 - 20
Defense: 6 - 8


Racial Characteristics 
Kin: Obtain +10% prestige inside human territories. Raises social ability.


Bloodlines
Xsve: +3 agility and another 1 every 6 levels. Gain additional experience related to daggers. 


Profession 
Trainee: none (A trainee without redeeming feature.)


Job
Assassin: Deal 5% bonus damage when attacking from behind. (One who works in the dark and assassinate their target.) 


Talents
None


Inventory...
        Bone dagger (common)
 Category: weapon (one-handed dagger)
 Requirement: none
 Damage: 3 - 7
 Durability: 16 / 16

        Hunter's boot (common)
        Category: light armor (shoes)
        Requirement: none
 Defense: 2
 Durability: 19 / 19

        Hunter's pants (common)
        Category: light armor (pants)
        Requirement: none
 Defense: 5
 Durability: 23 / 23

Stealth (uncommon • skill)
Enter an invisible state for 10 minutes. You can't be seen visually but the skill will get canceled if you attack or touch someone. 
Cost: 5 stamina and 2 aether 
Cooldown: 30 seconds 
~A/N Cooldown here is a bit different from the other games. Here it means CD only when they failed or get interrupted while doing so.

Impact (uncommon • skill)
Gather force in your palm and release it to your target. Dealing 80% damage and a small chance of knockback.
Cost: 7 aether
Cooldown: 10 seconds

Health potion (poor • T1 • consumable) x10
Heal 10 of your health for 30 seconds. (Potion resistant increase by 8% after each consumption. If the value reaches 100% you won't get any benefit from it and you will get into poisoned and weaken states. Value resistance will decrease in time. Debuff effect would be removed after the value decrease by 20%.)
Resistant: 1 minutes | 8% 

Cleanse potion (poor • T1• consumable) x1
Remove the effect of potion resistance within your body gradually for 3 minutes. (Potion resistant increase by 67% after each consumption. If the value reaches 100% you will get into extreme weaken state and chance of fainting. In extreme cases you may only take in the potion after three days or the effect may recur. Value resistance will decrease in time. Debuff effect would be removed after the value decrease by 40%.)
Resistant: 10 minutes | 67%


"Mister I chose assassin as my job and I don't think I get any stronger after choosing my job though."

"HAHA! Of course, you don't! That's not how the world works lad and call me instructor from now on." while laughing he pats my back with his gigantic arm. It hurts and even decreases my health by 5. What a dangerous back pat.

"Anyway, I'm hungry go get me 10 chicken from old man Bars farm and 5 lambs from his daughter barn as well."

『You received the quest "Hungry instructor". Quest: get 10 chicken and 5 lambs for the instructor. Reward: unknown.』

"Everyone has their own story as everyone is the Main Character of their tale. Brink is the way for you to reach what you dream of; a supervillain, a superhero, a king, a conqueror. you can be what you want in Brink." It is interconnected. It is not as simple as entertainment purposes. There is a dark secret inside and one who found the secret will hold the power one can't ever imagine.

This is a story of a man and his friend to strive for their livelihood thru the newest VR game that surpasses its predecessor in any kind of way. This is not only a story of their struggle in life but also a tale of how will they reach their dream.


-----

An amateur author here and this is my first novel that I dare to share into the community. Hopefully, I can go pro. lol. A few notes here; first, English is not my first language and I self-teach my self to learn it. second, I want to be a better writer so any critique would be welcome. Third, prob the most important thing to whom would like to read my novel I don't have a schedule yet.

You can contact me thru Telegram @van0 or https://discord.gg/XSS52PP

Speranza could feel that those two definitely did not hold any good intention toward her. They likely were even more sinister than that dark-hearted stupid elf man. She needed to find a way to flee but what could she do? This man had an arm around her waist and controlled her movement thanks to this, she did not want to beat the grass and startle the snakes.

The hydra stopped at the door and laid down she could feel it's malicious stare of the beast, giving her a chill that ran down her back. Every cell of her body screamed at the danger that it sensed.

She closed her eyes as she walked, her brain going a thousand mile per hours trying to find a way to refuse the man's offer to stay overnight. Then an idea flourished inside her mind.

"I am sorry I can not accept your offer my companion will likely look all over for me." 

His eyes meet her as she spoke a smile curled his lip giving him a perfect gentlemen face.
"I understand your concern. However, how can we find him now? Isn't the best way to reunite is in Astria? Which is your destination? Turning around and going to where you were is also a possibility but if he's not there and thinks you might have fled the enemies toward town? What then? It could cause both of you to miss one another and in this world once someone is separated there is no telling if one will meet again.
If I were you I would head toward the final destination." 
Making a cliche perfect mr.right smile while it did not reach his eyes it was enough to deceive Speranza that had very little knowledge of the world outside her village thanks to the to tight leash her parents had to keep on her.

Finally entering the mansion, Build in an old English style the heavy metal and wood door seemed to weight a lot as the servants opened the doors using two strongmen per door.

Those wood doors were made of rare redwood the metal work was fine and exquisite snakehead depicted as doorknobs and snake bodies serpenting the lower edge and the upper giving the reinforcement to the solidity of the door as well as embellishing it. 

With a heavy heart, she crossed the entrance looking at the men that were chained to the doors they could not leave their post they wore chains between there wrist and ankles with a heavy slave collar with a snake logo print. 

Those ruff men were likely men brought from Astria as a slave to use as manual labour.

She glanced to her left maids held their head low but it did not hide their slave collar
Skimpily dressed likely for the entertainment of their master the girls had barely anything to cover their bodies.

Those that had more beautiful shapes got off better and seemed to be given better articles of clothing. Loose and large pants with a tight fit at the ankle and low waist with a bra or some did not get the bras and had to walk bare-chested with some more or less fine gold or silver pieces of jewelry. 

The girls were clearly better off than the men none of the girls looked injured or mistreated aside the lack of clothing as for the men they had to do all heavy labours and walked around with chains at there feets whip marks and other torture marks visible on their backs. Although they also were clean there pants seemed old and over washed tattered beyond what someone would normally use.

He flicked his fingers to summon a bare-chested servant girl. " You take the young missus to a guest room, help her settle down and tell to the driver that tomorrow the carriage needs to be ready I have business in Astria and so those this young miss."

The girl nodded her head answering "Yes master, Miss if you would please follow this lowly one. This one will show you to your quarters.

"Thank you mister?" she paused there he had not told his own name after naming his pet. 

"Dravik, no need for titles for pretty little guests like you." Again his tone and manners were of perfect and flawless mannerism, somewhat too perfect…
 
"Hmm, thank you Dravik for the help I hope I can reunite with my companion tomorrow." saying this she followed behind the girl.

In a world where elves and monsters exist humans are not at the top of the food chain.
The strong oppress the weak. Magic is common and violence is rampant.
 
She is Speranza a normal girl of the three realms having a stronger magical bloodline, as well as, her looks being divine, her magical power being stronger than most sorcerers. Enough to label her a genius.  Fire red hair just like her temper, untamable, free-spirited and headstrong with a naive touch. A unique outlook of helping the weak people even if it's a one-way feeling

He his the underworld general. A dark elf from the abyss. Gone on a mission on the surface to mark and explore key locations. He is ruthless, heartless and has no pity for the weak and would let them die without batting an eyelash. But his blood red eyes only have her inside them. For her wither its angels, demons or dragons he will slaughter who or whatever crosses his path.

A certain annoyed girl. "You why are you not doing anything?"
A certain blackhearted general. "Because they are worthless."
A certain annoyed girl. "Fine, I don't need your help anyway."
A certain displeased general grit his teeth and follows the certain annoying girl...

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