price of a name

Synopsis: The Bastion of the Twelve (The Final Descent) ​The Bastion of the Twelve is a metaphysical epic tracing the journey of Haoran and Yuxiao as they lead a sanctuary of outcasts through the Forbidden Deep. The Archive, a divine machine of absolute order, treats their existence as a "narrative error" that must be corrected through total erasure. ​The heart of the story lies in the sanctuary’s Metallurgical Metamorphosis, where the city’s physical shell transforms through periodic elements to counter divine protocols. From the Tellurium Logic-Engines to the Thorium Nuclear Hearts, each transformation is a desperate attempt to stay written on the page of existence. ​The Tragedy of the Twin-Logic ​The core conflict is not just between the sanctuary and the Archive, but within the "Lattice of Will" that binds Haoran and Yuxiao. To protect the refugees, they must merge their souls into the city’s core, becoming the very syntax that holds the world together. However, the Archive’s final protocol—the Absolute Paradox—is designed to turn the two pillars of the sanctuary against one another. ​The Climax: The 5,000th Gate ​As the sanctuary reaches the final threshold of the 5,000th chapter, the Archive forces a "Resolution." The divine logic dictates that for the refugees to transition into a new, safe universe, the "Authors" of the rebellion—Haoran and Yuxiao—must be purged to balance the cosmic scales. ​The story concludes in a devastating Zero-Sum Strike: ​The Final Betrayal: Under the weight of the Archive’s corruption, the two protagonists are forced into a terminal duel. Their powers, which once resonated in perfect harmony, become polar opposites—one of absolute density and the other of absolute void. ​The Mutual Sacrifice: Realizing that the only way to break the Archive’s cycle is to leave the narrative entirely, they choose to kill each other simultaneously. By dying at each other’s hands, they create a "Logical Void" that the Creator God cannot fill. ​The Legacy: Their blood fuels the final transformation of the sanctuary into a Trans-Finite Realm, a world without a master. The refugees survive, but the book closes on the image of Haoran and Yuxiao’s armor drifting in the deep, locked in a final, lethal embrace. ​The book ends not with a victory, but with a Final Punctuation—the protagonists become the martyrs of their own story, ensuring that while they perish, their words remain unerasable.

[The pampering story has ended] For a hundred million, he bought her. "From today onward, you're mine, in body and soul." The man held her, declaring dominantly like an emperor. ... ... Lucas Walker: Xiaoye, you are the rib that God took out of me. Xiaoye: I spit, it is you who is the rib, your whole family is the rib. Baby A: Mommy, is a rib the same as a spare rib? Baby B: I like sweet and sour flavor.

=== WSA 2025 - Silver Prize Winner === Discord: https://discord.gg/3q2GJdk27D ============================ Way before I was even born, my world was invaded. Actually, not just my world, my entire damn universe was overrun by another, led by a single race that called themselves the Eternals. And they were prepared. Very prepared. Every life we lost in the war against them was used by them. They didn’t just kill people, they captured their souls, forged them into Phantoms, and used the souls to twist beasts into Abominations. Our dead became their army. Three hundred years later, I was born. A guy with way too much energy. Sitting still? Impossible. Taking it slow? Not happening. I was always moving, always ready to burst into action. Then I awakened, and got a talent too. My Talent's Name Was Generator. Because of it I never ran out of energy. Ever. My muscles? Supercharged. My healing? Faster. My stamina? Please, I had no idea what being tired even felt like. So if the universe wanted to throw an endless war at me? Fine. I’d throw everything I had right back. I wasn’t born a hero. Never wanted to be one. But this war? It wasn’t just my universe’s fight anymore. It was mine. The Eternals made sure of that when they took my parents' souls.

Roland awakens with the memories of the life before his transmigration and gets a soul-bound card which makes him a good writer. He takes part in a national writing contest and submits his writing. But after hearing that the old king has died and there will be a new empress, he is overwhelmed by a wave of panic. Because the title of his work is Oh My, the Empress Is Pregnant, Who's the Father?

=== WSA 2025 === Lange, lange und sehr lange bevor ich überhaupt geboren wurde, wurde meine Welt überfallen. Eigentlich nicht nur meine Welt, mein gesamtes verdammtes Universum wurde von einem anderen überrannt, angeführt von einer einzigen Rasse, die sich selbst die Ewigen nannten. Und sie waren vorbereitet. Sehr gut vorbereitet. Jedes Leben, das wir im Krieg gegen sie verloren, wurde von ihnen genutzt. Sie töteten die Menschen nicht nur, sie fingen ihre Seelen ein, schmiedeten sie zu Phantomen und nutzten die Seelen, um Bestien in Abscheulichkeiten zu verwandeln. Unsere Toten wurden zu ihrer Armee. Dreihundert Jahre später wurde ich geboren. Ein Typ mit viel zu viel Energie. Stillsitzen? Unmöglich. Es langsam angehen? Nicht möglich. Ich war immer in Bewegung, immer bereit, in Aktion zu treten. Dann erwachte ich und bekam auch ein Talent. Mein Talent hieß Generator. Deswegen ging mir nie die Energie aus. Niemals. Meine Muskeln? Aufgeladen. Meine Heilung? Schneller. Meine Ausdauer? Bitte, ich hatte keine Ahnung, wie sich Müdigkeit überhaupt anfühlte. Wenn das Universum also einen endlosen Krieg auf mich werfen wollte? Fein. Ich würde alles, was ich hatte, zurückwerfen. Ich wurde nicht als Held geboren. Wollte nie einer sein. Aber dieser Krieg? Es war nicht mehr nur der Kampf meines Universums. Es war meiner. Die Ewigen stellten das sicher, als sie die Seelen meiner Eltern nahmen.

Bottom-level corporate slave Qin Gengyun crosses into a cultivation world and becomes a low-level cultivator, but he is afflicted with Pill Poison and has only a slim chance of survival by marrying and practicing cultivation. However, Qin Gengyun discovers that even in the cultivation world, getting married requires a bride price! "Taoist Friend Qin, I earn two Spirit Stones a month. If you want to marry me, you need to earn ten Spirit Stones a month, three hundred Spirit Stones as a bride price, and a Spirit Vein Immortal Mansion." "Taoist Friend Qin, I need five hundred Spirit Stones and a two-story Immortal Mansion, just to have some security." "Taoist Friend Qin, I only need two hundred Spirit Stones and a new house as a bride price, but you must treat my child as your own." After several blind dates, Qin Gengyun finally finds a female cultivator who doesn't want a bride price. However, he discovers that there is something a bit off about his wife.

Demonic beings run rampant, and cultivators revere the bizarre as the Heavenly Dao. For an ordinary mortal to embark on the path of cultivation, they must gouge out their eyes, sever their limbs, and cut off their spiritual roots… Ren Qing, who transmigrated into this world, discovers that he can bypass the gruesome costs of cultivation thanks to a Divine Ability. [Blindless Method]: By devouring eyes, he cultivates to the peak, growing one hundred and six celestial eyes all over his body. [Poison Bone Art]: Soak one's skeleton in poisonous water for thirty-six days, then reimplant it into the body. At full mastery, no life can grow for a hundred li around him. [Book of the Dead]: Seal the Lao Gong, Yong Quan, Shen Men, and Yin Tang acupoints with iron nails and bury oneself underground for three years. Upon completion, one becomes ageless, undying, and indestructible. --- Alternative Titles: Weird Way of Immortality: I Can Avoid the Price Cultivation: Tax Evasion

From a humble servant to a powerhouse who shakes the three realms, Fang Han’s life has only one goal: to break free from the shackles of life and death and reach the realm of immortality. He traverses the perilous cultivation world, refines divine artifacts, and breaks through realms—only to gradually realize that eternal life is never an unearned gift. The hunting of the Heavenly Dao, the betrayal of allies, the tearing between power and conscience—every step of advancement comes with an unbearable price. When the title of "the Unending" is branded on him, he must answer: What are you willing to give up for immortality?

The runaway Chen Enci, upon first meeting Qin Jie, mistook him for the landlord: "Renting your room and bed!" Chen Enci, who moved into Qin Jie's house, woke up hungry in the middle of the night and knocked on Qin Jie's door: "Renting pots and pans!" A month later, Chen Enci saw Qin Jie bring home a pretty lady. He lingered at the front door before banging on Qin Jie's door: "Renting bathroom, facial cleanser, and shower gel!" Half a year later, Chen Enci, drunk, leaned into Qin Jie’s arms under the influence: "Renting... you!" ... We have all become the people we dreamed of being. We haven’t forgotten each other. The alternate title of this book is "You Above the Milky Way".

{ COMPLETED } BOOK TWO OF THE HAMILTON SERIES WARNING: A Regency Era novel. Adult content with detailed smut…Read at you own risk Genre: Historical Romance / Smut / Enemies-to-Lovers / Mystery / Comedy / Found family [Book Two of the Hamilton Series. Can be read as a standalone, but better enjoyed after Lady Ines’ Scandalous Hobby.] To the world, Duke Rowan Hamilton is the perfect gentleman. But in the bedroom, he is a man possessed. Rowan Hamilton has it all: a Ducal title, the face of a fallen angel, and a smile that makes debutantes faint. He is the "Golden Duke"—charming, responsible, and utterly adored by society. But it’s all a lie. Beneath the coats and polite manners, Rowan is a man haunted by a ghost. For three years, he has remained faithful to the memory of a masked woman who stole a kiss, bested him at a game of chance, and vanished into the night. He doesn't want any one as his wife; he wants her. When his domineering aunt tires of his bachelorhood, she hires London’s most notorious underground matchmaker to force the issue. Enter Miss Delaney Kingsley. She is sharp-tongued, infuriatingly competent, and entirely unimpressed by his title. Her mission? To drag Rowan to the altar with the season’s "Diamond," Lady Celine, within three months to collect the juicy payment Rowan’s aunt had to offer. Rowan intends to fire the meddlesome woman. But when Delaney looks at him with those hazel, intelligent eyes and orders him around like a young lad, he feels the first spark of life he’s felt in years. He decides to play her game. He will let her find him a wife. But he has no intention of choosing anyone even Lady Celine. "You were hired to find me a Duchess, Miss Kingsley. But the only person I want in my duchy and in my bed... is you." As mysteries turn into forbidden nights and the bickering turns into scorching passion, Rowan begins to suspect that his matchmaker is hiding a secret of her own. She moves like a shadow, handles a rifle like a soldier, and tastes exactly like the ghost he’s been hunting for three years. What to Expect: * High Stake Mystery: They try to untangle themselves from the Farrington’s trap. * The Golden Retriever Duke: Who turns into a possessive Alpha behind closed doors. * The Matchmaker Trope: She’s trying to marry him off; he’s trying to take her clothes off. * High Heat: Slow burn that explodes into intense smut. * Competence Kink: He falls harder every time she bosses him around. * Cameos: Featuring the chaotic domestic life of Duchess Ines and Duke Carcel (and their baby Harry!). Excerpt: "Your Grace, please focus," Delaney snapped, adjusting his cravat with efficient, gloved hands. "Lady Celine is waiting in the ballroom. You must look at her as if she is the only woman in the world." Rowan caught her wrist, stopping her movements. He stepped into her space, backing her against the heavy oak door of the study, his "Golden Boy" mask slipping to reveal the hunger beneath. "And how, exactly, does one do that, Miss Kingsley?" he whispered, his voice rough. "Show me." "I—I cannot show you, It I s not in my place to—" "Then teach me," he growled, lowering his head until his lips brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. "Teach me how to pretend I am not burning alive every time you walk into a room."