It's Year 2025 & not only has the Earth technologically advanced but humans have advanced as well. A genetic gene has developed from all the supernatural encounters all around the world called 'Abilities.' The government has limited the usage of these Abilities from the public except for certain people who are involved in organizations.

Omiki Habana is searching for her older brother who went missing after he joined a Detective Agency called SYZYGY Agency. She knows he wouldn't just up and leave her with her alcoholic mother so she needs to find answers.

This leads her to the troublesome Detective Agency, Lunar Literature. Time to not only find answers but to ask some questions as well.

A big one would be: Why the hell did she become a clerk there!?

ᴡᴇʙɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ  © ᴋᴇʏᴏᴋᴀʜ / ᴋᴇʏᴏᴋᴀʜʜ__ [ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ/ᴛᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ]

being rewritten!

ᴡᴇʙɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ: ᴋᴇʏᴏᴋᴀʜ / ᴋᴇʏᴏᴋᴀʜʜ__ [ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ/ᴛᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ]

I actually found my way to Lit class by myself. Okay, so it was just on the other side of Neferet's room, but still I felt a little more confident when I didn't have to ask to be led around like the helpless idiot new kid.

"Zoey! We saved a desk for ya!" Stevie Rae yelled the instant I got to class. She was sitting beside Damien, and practically hopping up and down with excitement. She looked like a happy puppy again, which made me smile. I was really glad to see her. "So, so, so! Tell me everything! How was Drama? Did you like it? Do you like Professor Nolan? Isn't her tattoo cool? It reminds me of a mask—kinda."

Damien grabbed Stevie Rae's arm. "Breathe and let the girl answer."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I guess Nolan's tattoos are cool," I said.

"You guess?"

"Well, I was distracted."

"What?" she said. Then her eyes narrowed. "Did someone embarrass you about your Mark? I swear people are just plain rude."

"No, that wasn't it. Actually that Elizabeth No Last Name girl said she thought it was cool. I was distracted because, well..." I was feeling my face get hot again. I'd decided that I was going to ask them about Erik, but now that I'd started talking I wondered whether I should say anything. Should I tell them about the hall?

Damien perked up. "I feel a juicy tidbit coming on. Come on, Zoey. You were distracted becauuuuse?" He drew the word out into a question.

"Okay, okay. I can sum it up in two words: Erik Night."

Stevie Rae's mouth dropped open and Damien did a little pretend swoon, which he had to straighten up from right away because at that moment the bell rang and Professor Penthesilea swept into the room.

"Later!" Stevie Rae whispered.

"Absolutely!" Damien mouthed.

I smiled innocently. If nothing else I was sure that I would love the fact that mentioning Erik would drive them crazy all hour.

Lit class was an experience. First of all, the classroom itself was totally different than any I'd ever seen. There were bizarrely interesting posters and paintings and what looked like original art work filling every inch of wall space. And hanging from the ceiling were wind chimes and crystals—lots of them. Professor Penthesilea (whose name I now recognized from Vamp Soc class as belonging to the most revered of all the Amazons, and who everyone called Prof P) was like something out of the movies (well, the ones on the Sci-Fi Channel). She had seriously long reddish-blond hair, big hazel eyes, and a curvy body that probably made all the guys drool (not that it's very hard to make teenage boys drool). Her tattoos were thin, pretty Celtic knots that traced their way down her face and around her cheekbones, making them look high and dramatic. She was wearing expensive-looking black slacks and a moss-colored silk cardigan sweater set that had the same goddess figure embroidered over her breast as Neferet had been wearing. And, now that I thought about it (and not Erik), I realized Prof Nolan's blouse had the goddess embroidered on the breast pocket of her blouse, too. Hmmm...

"I was born in April of year 1902," Professor Penthesilea said, instantly grabbing our attention. I mean, please, she barely looked thirty. "So I was ten years old in April of 1912, and I remember the tragedy very well. About what am I speaking? Do any of you have any idea?"

Okay, I knew exactly what she was talking about, but it wasn't because I'm a hopeless history nerd. It's because when I was younger I thought I was in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, and my mom got me the entire DVD collection of his movies for my twelfth birthday. This particular movie I watched so many times I still have most of it memorized (and I can not tell you how many times I snot cried when he slipped off that board and floated away like an adorable Popsicle).

I looked around. No one else seemed to have a clue, so I sighed and raised my hand.

Prof P smiled and called on me, "Yes, Miss Redbird."

"The Titanic sank in April of 1912. It was struck by the iceberg late on Sunday night, the fourteenth, and sank just a few hours later on the fifteenth."

I heard Damien suck air beside me, and Stevie Rae's little huh. Jeesh, had I really been acting so stupid that they were shocked to hear me answer a question correctly?

"I do love it when a new fledgling knows something?" Professor Penthesilea said. "Absolutely correct, Miss Redbird. I was living in Chicago at the time of the tragedy, and I will never forget the newsies shouting the tragic headlines from the street corners. It was a horrid event, especially because the loss of lives was so preventable. It also signaled the end of one age and the beginning of another, as well as bringing about many much-needed changes in shipping laws. We are going to study all of this, plus the deliciously melodramatic events of the night, in our next piece of literature, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book, A Night to Remember. Although Lord was not a vampyre—and it's really a shame he wasn't," she added under her breath, "I still find his take on the night compelling and his writing style and tone interesting and very readable. Okay, let's get started! The last person in each row, get books for the people in your row from the long cabinet in the back of the room."

Well, cool! This was definitely more interesting than reading Great Expectations (Pip, Estella, who cares?!). I settled in with A Night to Remember and my notebook opened to take, well, notes. Prof P started to read Chapter One aloud to us, and she was actually a good reader. Three class hours almost over and I'd liked all of them. Was it possible that this vamp school would actually be more than a boring place I went to every day because I had to and, besides that, all my friends were there? Not that all of the classes at SIHS had been boring, but we didn't get to study the Amazons and the Titanic (from a teacher who'd been alive when it sank!). I glanced around at the other kids while Prof P read. There were about fifteen of us, which seemed about the average in my other classes, too. All of them had their books open and were paying attention.

Then my eye was caught by something red and bushy on the other side of the room near the rear of the class. I'd spoken too soon—not all of the kids were paying attention. This one had his head down on his arms and he was sound asleep, which I knew because his chubby, way-too-white-and-freckled face was turned in my direction. His mouth was open, and I think he might have been drooling a little. I wondered what Prof P would do to the kid. She didn't seem like the kind of teacher who would be cool with some slug sleeping in the back of the room, but she just kept on with her reading, interspersed with interesting firsthand facts about the early twentieth century, which I really liked (I loved hearing about the flappers—I would definitely have been a flapper if I'd lived in the 1920s). It wasn't until the bell was about to ring and Prof P had assigned the next chapter as homework, and then told us we could talk quietly among ourselves, that she acted as if she noticed the sleeping kid at all. He'd started to stir, finally lifting up his head to display the bright red sleeping circle that was on the side of his forehead and looked bizarrely out of place beside his Mark.

"Elliott, I need to see you," Prof P said from behind her desk. The kid took his time getting up and then dragged his feet, scuffing his untied shoes, over to her desk.

"Yeah?"

"Elliott, you are, of course, failing Lit. But what's more important, you're failing life. Vampyre males are strong, honorable, and unique. They have been our warriors and protectors for countless generations. How do you expect to make the Change into a being who is more warrior than man if you do not practice the discipline it takes even to stay awake in class?"

He shrugged his soft-looking shoulders.

Her expression hardened. "I shall give you one opportunity to make up the zero for class participation you received today by writing a short paper on any issue that was important in America in the early twentieth century. The paper is due tomorrow."

Without saying anything, he started to turn away.

"Elliott," Prof P's voice had dropped and, thick with irritation, it made her sound way scarier than she'd seemed while she had been reading and lecturing. I could feel the power radiating from her, and it made me wonder why she would ever need a male anything to protect her. The kid stopped and turned back to face her.

"I did not excuse you. What is your decision about doing the work to make up today's zero?"

The kid just stood there without saying anything.

"That question calls for an answer, Elliott. Now!" The air around her crackled with the command, making the skin on my arms tingle.

Seemingly unaffected, he shrugged again. "I probably won't do it."

"That says something about your character, Elliott, and it's not something good. You're not only letting yourself down, but you're letting down your mentor, too."

He shrugged again and absently picked his nose. "The Dragon already knows how I am."

The bell rang and Prof P, with a disgusted look on her face, motioned for Elliott to leave the room. Damien, Stevie Rae, and I had just stood up and were starting to walk out the door when Elliott slouched by us, moving more quickly than I believed possible for someone so sloth-like. He bumped into Damien, who was ahead of us. Damien made an oops sound and stumbled a little.

"Fucking faggot, get outta my way," the loser kid snarled, pushing Damien with his shoulder so he could get through the door before him.

"I should smack the crap out of that jerk!" Stevie Rae said, hurrying up to Damien, who was waiting for us.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. That Elliott kid has major problems."

"Yeah, like having poopie for brains," I said, staring down the hall at the slug's back. His hair was certainly unattractive.

"Poopie for brains?" Damien laughed and linked one arm though mine and one through Stevie Rae's, leading us down the hall Wizard of Oz fashion. "That's what I like about our Zoey," he said. "She has such a way with vulgar language."

"Poopie's not vulgar," I said defensively.

"I think that's his point, honey," Stevie Rae laughed.

"Oh." I laughed, too, and I really, really liked how it sounded when he'd said "our" Zoey . like I belonged... like I might be home.

I have chosen the Dao of badge collecting & here's an Easter Egg Surprise for you.

The cheongsam dress had a pure style which matched the 1920s' old Shanghai dance hall style.
This gown, however, was not the traditional cheongsam but a fusion of the Chinese and Western elements.
She looked astoundingly splendid in it.
With it retaining the traditional elements—mandarin collar, slit, hem, expensive fabric, and embroidered floor-length skirt, this version of the cheongsam was one of a kind. While the knee-length slit diminished much of its provocativeness, it made the gown look more majestic.
Its hollow design, adopted between the neck and clavicle, allowed her fair skin and sexy collarbones to peek through the fabric, which fully brought out the allure of Oriental beauty.
Her fair shoulders and slim arms were also accentuated by this gown's sleeveless design.
Every stitch of the gown's embroidery was handmade and brimming with aristocratic magnificence.
The knee-length slits were somewhat modest since they only vaguely revealed her fair legs, yet this was enough to send people's hearts fluttering!
The form-fitting dress perfectly showed off her excellent body lines, making her appear more exquisite and stunning from afar.
Not every woman could bring out the beauty of the cheongsam.
While this gown made her look less youthful, nonetheless, it enhanced her elegance, magnificence and timeless charm.
Women could be likened to flowers; they were similar to the winter plum blossoms, aloofly appreciating themselves but also haughtily and elegantly watching time passing by.
In lieu of her inherent purity, this outfit made her appear more mature and possess a seemingly timeless charm.
Her manager was frustrated at himself for making the wrong judgment!
This outfit was not at all inferior to Mr. Gong's ink-and-wash gown in any way!
Beautiful!

How beautiful!
For a moment, he was at a loss on how to describe her beauty!
Not even Mu Yazhe expected his woman to suit this gown so well. She was so beautiful in it that he could not take his eyes off her.
Her alluring and glamorous beauty assaulted him.
He felt, right there and then, his body tingling hot.
He could not help letting his imagination roam at the sight.
Men actually loved women with vicissitudes and forbidden allures!
However, he preferred that this beauty was his to enjoy alone!
Sensing his increasingly burning gaze on her, Yun Shishi shyly fiddled with her skirt and asked the man out of curiosity, "What do you think of my outfit?"
He came back to his senses at once and advanced closer to her.
"What do you think?"
The man leaned over and extended his arms to her, trapping her in his embrace. His thin lips then whispered into her ear, "My body has gotten hot and bothered just from looking at you, so do you think it's nice?"
Her face instantly flushed. "…Hey!"
She could not resist pushing him. "Stop messing around; can you answer my question seriously?"
"I'm answering you in a very serious manner."
"?"
With a burning gaze, he enunciated, "You look good in it."


She became a surrogate mother in exchange for over a million yuan.

As the esteemed CEO of the most powerful Empire in the capital, he holds absolute power, while she is just an adopted daughter to a family of lowly status. She agreed to bear him his offspring, simply because her adoptive father's business was failing.
 
On the day of her delivery, the elder brother was born healthy, but the younger one was stillborn. Having fulfilled the contract, she disappeared from his sight along with the astronomical sum of money. 


Six years later, he is still that arrogant and high-profile CEO. When she accidentally gets embroiled with him again – like a canary trapped in his cage, he closes in on her. “Woman, do you think you can escape from my clutches?!" 

However, he does not expect a little kid to interfere; the boy pompously points his little finger at him and warns, “Mu Yazhe, you’d better leave her alone! She's mine – this baby's woman!” 

The man is alarmed, simply because the little kid's facial features are identical to his...

Tags: Adorable Child, CEO, Sweet Romance, Scheming, Wealthy Aristocrats, Fluff, Two-faced, Child, Rich and Powerful, Treachery

The historian said that you need to dig treasures near or along the roads, merchants, merchants, oins, robbers, travelers went along them ... you can find a lot of interesting things. We have almost no forests, but many roads. Since the time of the 8th century BC ...

... now I've been living here for 20 years ... and I found a lot of interesting things ...

it seems clear why he stayed here in the village, flashed through my head ...

Here are my findings and he casually showed his hand on the shelf where some old coins were lying in plastic bottles with ...

I found copper coins of Alexander the Great, Chinese coins of the eras of Xia, Sha, Tan, Qing, Han ... and many others, Persian, Turkish, Russian, German, French, 16-19 centuries.

There were ours - gold and silver, copper ... imperial, two empires ...

I found arrowheads, lead bullets, fragments of swords, and even twice ... an almost complete Lewis machine gun. Visibly remained since the 1920s and 30s of the last century.

I found finds in the ruins of old fortresses, caravanserais, abandoned houses on the slopes of the mountains. The finds are different ... from old books written in Arabic, to indications of silver, medals of the tsarist era, World War I ... aluminum spoons, sometimes fragments of sabers, swords ...

In general, this is our story ... I'm not a black digger, so I keep everything for the opening of the Light Mountains Museum of Local Lore. I am collecting history piece by piece, both material and non-material. I preserve the cultural heritage that young people so easily sell to foreigners for a penny. Money is not the main thing ?! Money is only a means, you need to be able to maintain your identity, culture, heritage inherited from the ancestors ...

What is interesting, the Light mountains were at one time part of the Boss empire, then the Tang empire, after which the border of the Arab caliphate ... the Turkic Khaganate passed ... then the border between the kingdom of Small-An and Tsarist Russia ... and then ... the mountains ceased to play any kind of importance ... they became inland ... for now ... once ...

... they were not found in them again ... forgotten mines ... walled up from the 13th century ... gold, silver ... and ... uranium ... then a second life began at the mountains ... until one day found a more convenient deposit in the desert ... and then the mountains forgot again ... only individual diggers, prospectors worked in mountain gorges ...

They remembered the mountains again when they began to think about ecology ... and tourism. These mountains deserve a separate book, encyclopedia, memory ... until now, these mountains remain unexplored until the end ... The "white spot" in history.

But for now, we are studying ... looking, finding!

And then you can get a great museum of local lore! Showing that these mountains have never been on the outskirts of the world, and in all ages actively participated in the trading life of Asia, Europe and Africa ...

Chinese travelers and monks passed through them in the 5th, 6th, 9th, 12th centuries ... they saw Genghis Khan ... maybe Alexander the Great, but not one hundred percent, although legends go about it. But the legends ... they have part of the truth and part of the fiction ...

Some locals pointing to the cave paintings indicate that alien ships landed in the mountains ... and point to strange drawings ... a man in a spacesuit ... although this could be anything ... how to interpret cave paintings ... few know for sure, one hundred percent. One can only guess ...

There is a tree that is at least 1500-2000 years old. Since this tree is considered ancient, and among the locals it is holy, because of their mixing of beliefs to monotheistic ... nobody will allow to explore the tree. One can only speculate ...

There is also an ancient mountain lake with the name "Tangri" .... there are many ancient ruins of fortresses and there ... how many interesting things are hidden underground? !!!!!

It's a pity that you can't use drones ... it would be easier, it's a pity that you can't use metal detectors ... well, I can, I have permission ... but I haven't received any drones yet. I sent a request, I'm already waiting for the second year ...

COMPLETED

The Silk Road ... it is inevitable the emergence of wells, caravanserais, guard fortresses, postal stations, local bazaars, regional bazaars, the emergence of new jobs:
- robbers (there were whole settlements)
- caravan guards
- changed
- merchants

Just about them and will be discussed.


About their life, tricks.

Alas, English is still the same ... there are mistakes, I am sure of it.

I hope over time I will be able to fix them.

I just wanted to share information about such an interesting topic as the history of the development of the Silk Road.

----
And also a series of stories about treasures, treasure hunters.

--------------------------------
This is a work of art. Any resemblance to real people or real events is purely coincidental.

Chapter 8. Literature club (2)

"You don't have those books here."

"Yeah, we didn't have the books you are looking for."

Ren sighed as he looked at the library committee member.

He was currently in the library trying to find some of the novels he wanted to read.

As he was short on money, he thought that he could borrow the novels from the library.

That's why he visited the library after school but the result was unexpected.

The books he was looking for had either been taken away by someone or they are not available in the library.

"Why don't you have those famous novels?"

When Ren asked that question, the library committee member just shrugged his hands and said.

"Do you think the library would have all the books?"

"Didn't the library should at least have some famous novels?"

"I am only responsible for taking care of books, not buying them and we do have some novels if you want to read them."

Ren just sighed hearing the answer. He knew that the library have some novels but he had already read those. 

As Ren was about to leave the library, the library committee member said.

"If you really want to read those novels, I knew the place where you can find them."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you could find those books in the literature club."

"Literature club!"

Ren hadn't heard of the literature club but from its name, he can tell what kind of club it was.

"Many people don't know but there are many novels in the literature club. The teacher in charge of that club like to collect books. You could even find some light novels there."

"Can you tell me where I could find the literature club?"

"Go to the third floor. The last room there is the literature club."

The library committee member said as he started reading his book. Ren just thanked him and left. He didn't wanted to disturb him more.

* * *

"It really has many books."

Ren muttered as he entered the literature club. There were many bookshelves full of books in the room. 

Many papers were also scattered on the floor and the room wasn't very tidy but Ren didn't care about it.

His eyes were on the books. 

'There really are all kinds of novels here.'

There were almost all of the famous novels in the bookshelves. There were also novels of his favourite authors.

"Why are there light novels in the literature club?"

Ren muttered as he noticed some volumes of light novels. He was confused as to why there were light novels in the literature club but he didn't think about it much.

He was here to find some novels to read not to figure out why there were light novels in the literature club.

'Ah, here it is.'

As Ren was looking around, he finally found the book he was looking for. 

«Undeserving»

It was a book that was written by Nagami Yuu, one of his favourite authors. He was looking for that book to find some inspiration for his story.

As the setting of his book and «Undeserving» was same, Ren thought he could gain some inspiration from it.

Although the setting of both the books were the same as they were both the stories of geniuses, the plot was vastly different.

"Can I take it without asking anyone?"

Although Ren had found the book, he was hesitant to take it back as it will be considered theft If he took it without asking anyone.

'Slide!'

As he was thinking of whether to take the book or not, the door suddenly opened.

"Ah, what are you doing here….Amano-kun?"

"Nakai sensei?!"

It was Nakai sensei and a glasses wearing boy who entered the room. 

"Why is that book in your hand Amano-kun?"

Nakai sensei asked as he glanced towards the book in Ren's hand.

"Ah, no, I was just thinking of borrowing it for a bit?"

Ren answered hurriedly. He was in a awkward situation as he was seen taking the book.

He knew he had not done something wrong but the timing of the situation made him feel like he was caught stealing.

"Oh, you are just borrowing the book?"

Nakai sensei said as he came close to Ren and put a hand on his shoulder. His face was smiling but Ren felt that it was a devil smiling in front of him.

"Yes, I was just borrowing it for a bit?"

"Really? You are sure you aren't stealing instead of borrowing?"

"Yeah, I am sure."

"But you know the books in the literature club can't be 'borrowed' without the permission of the teacher in charge and that would be me."

"Huh?!"

Ren was surprised when he heard Nakai sensei's words. He really didn't knew that Nakai sensei was in charge of the literature club.

When he think about it, it also made sense, Nakai sensei was the literature teacher. It made sense for him to be in charge of the literature club.

"If I think about it, I hadn't gave you any permission to borrow a book, right."

"Ahh?!"

Ren just groaned instead of any response. He can't think of any response.

"Um, can you tell me what is going in?"

As they were talking among themselves, the bespectacled boy spoke.

"Oh, It isn't much Himuro-kun, Amano here is our newest member "

"Huhhh?!"

Both Ren and the bespectacled boy named Himuro shrieked loudly at Nakai sensei's words.

"What are you saying? When did I joined the literature club?"

"Do you want me to report to the discipline committee that you were stealing books?"

"Ah! Are you blackmailing me?"

"No, I will not use those petty methods. It is a equivalent exchange. You can borrow those books without any permission if you joined the literature club. Don't you think it is a good thing for you."

"Huh!"

Ren fell in  thoughts at Nakai sensei words, it was true that he will be able to borrow books from the literature club if he joined it but he had to give up his free time if he really did that.

"Is it really worth it?"

Ren thought about it for some time and after thinking about the prices of novels in the market, he finally made up his mind to join the club.

It wasn't like he had to give up something valuable for it, it will only take his free time.

"So, what do you think about it?"

"Ah, I will join the club."

Ren said as he softly sighed and Nakai sensei had a huge smile on his face when he heard Ren's response.

"Haha, that's the answer I was looking for. Now, clean up the literature club room as your first task."

"What?!"

"Didn't you heard me. I said to clean the room. Don't you think it is too dirty for a room. As a club member, it's your duty to clean it. Himuro-kun, here will help you."

Nakai sensei said as he left the club room with a smile on his face.

"Nakai sensei is somewhat weird but he's good at teaching and he is very knowledgeable about literature. By the way, Nice to meet you, I am Himuro Kouji."

"Amano Ren, it's nice to meet you too."

Ren said with a smile but he was frowning inwardly thinking about his future days with the devil teacher.

Fame, wealth, prestige, genius, destruction, despair, loss and failure.

Those are the eight words which describes Ren's life completely.

He was hailed as a genius but his arrogance led him to despair. From a genius, he became a failure.

He was just struggling with his life when fate gave him a second chance.

Now, what will he do after he found himself waking up in another world.

Chapter 2388 - Evolution Effects
Suspended in mid-air, the Ancient God's Literature Fragment radiated a golden light as it hungrily devoured the purple-blue smoke.
As the Literature Fragment absorbed more of the smoke, the engraved divine runes sharpened. The surrounding Mana began to flow toward the Literature Fragment, as well.
After 10 seconds of this, the divine runes on the Ancient God's Literature Fragment had completed, fully repaired, and it radiated far stronger Divine Might than before.
What a powerful aura! Shi Feng began to grow excited as he sensed the Literature Fragment's Divine Might.
The strength of the Divine Might meant the Literature Fragment had been upgraded, and the process was a success.
Eagerly, Shi Feng clicked to inspect the Ancient God's Literature Fragment.
…
[Ancient God's Literature Fragment - Page V] (Epic Rank Item)
An ancient parchment that has undergone the baptism of time. The divine runes have been fully restored by the Holy Grail and contain unbelievable power.
Skill 1-
Summon Heroic Spirit: Sacrifice a portion of the user's soul to summon 18 ancient Heroic Warriors to do battle. The summoned Heroic Warriors will be one tier higher than the user up to Tier 3.
Duration: 12 hours
Cooldown: 3 natural days
(A Weakened Soul cannot conduct the summoning.)
Skill 2-
Soul Absorption: Absorbs the souls of half-dead creatures for a high chance to generate a drop of Soul Essence.
Cooldown: 3 hours
(Stronger targeted creatures increase the chances of generating Soul Essence.)
Skill 3-
Soul Strengthening: Consume Soul Essence to strengthen a creature's soul.
Cooldown: 3 hours
(Stronger targeted creatures require more Soul Essence for Soul Strengthening.)
Skill 4-
Divine Resonance: Automatically detects any Ancient God's Literature Fragments within a 1,000-yard radius.
This item is bound to the owner's soul and cannot be traded or stored in a warehouse. This Fragment also has a chance of dropping on death. (Drops on death if in a Weakened Soul state.)
…
Why is it still Epic rank? Shi Feng was confused when he saw the Ancient God's Literature Fragment's statistics.
In terms of abilities, the upgraded Ancient God's Literature Fragment was stronger than some of the Fragmented Legendary items Shi Feng had seen. In fact, if the various superpowers found out about the Literature Fragment's current abilities, they'd likely offer to trade several Fragmented Legendary items for it.
Yet, despite such abilities, the Ancient God's Literature Fragment was still an Epic item. It was unbelievable.
Sure enough, I'll need to collect more fragments if I want to upgrade its rank, Shi Feng concluded.
The Ancient God's Literature was a divine tome, which numerous Ancient Gods had written. It had the power to decimate the heavens and earth. Trying to upgrade a single fragment to Fragmented Legendary rank was simply unrealistic.
However, Shi Feng was satisfied with the results.
With the minor strengthening, the Literature Fragment's Summon Heroic Spirit Skill had massively improved. The Skill was enough to make him a one-man army. Furthermore, Soul Absorption and Soul Strengthing's Cooldowns had shortened significantly. Every one of the changes had exceeded Shi Feng's expectations.
Most importantly, his Ancient God's Literature Fragment now had the ability to locate other fragments within range. This effect would make it much easier to compile the fragments. If he could complete the tome, the Ancient God's Literature would benefit the Guild far more than four or five more Fragmented Legendary items.

Following which, Shi Feng stored the Holy Grail and turned to face the Secret-Silver Guards behind him.
These Secret-Silver Guards weren't like monsters like Anna and Kite. Each only needed three drops of Soul Essence for their first Soul Strengthening. Fortunately, Shi Feng had collected over 100 drops, so he could strengthen all 16 Secret-Silver Guards at least once. With 16 Fine-Gold Guards and Anna and Kite's strength, he could move through the Demonwolf Mountain Range unhindered.
Shi Feng wasted no time as he began to chant the Soul Strengthening's incantation and target the Elementalist before him.
A fivefold magic array, one far stronger than the one that had appeared when Shi Feng had strengthened Kite's soul, immediately appeared under the Elementalist's feet. The array even absorbed Mana from its surroundings and the void at least three times faster than it had with Kite.
Very quickly, a fist-sized ball of Liquid Mana appeared before the Elementalist. This ball of Mana melted into the Elementalist's forehead, and the Secret-Silver Guard released a bone-piercing howl.
Although the Elementalist was in pain, Shi Feng could clearly sense the Guard's aura rapidly growing stronger.
This excruciating process continued for five seconds. By the time the ball of Liquid Mana and the Elementalist had merged completely, the Elementalist felt like a completely different person.
To Shi Feng, the Level 103, Tier 3 Great Mage had only felt slightly threatening, but now, even he'd have to tread carefully in a fight with this NPC.
This NPC improved so drastically?! Shi Feng could not believe his eyes when he saw the Great Mage's statistics.
Previously, the Great Mage had only had 78 Growth Potential, which was considerably high for a Secret-Silver Guard. Secret-Silver Guard's Growth Potential only ranged between 71 and 80, and this Great Mage had only been three points away from Fine-Gold rank.
When Shi Feng used Soul Strengthening on Kite, the NPC's Growth Potential had only risen by two points. While Shi Feng had expected a greater increase for a Secret-Silver Guard, he had only expected a three- or four-point increase at best.
However, the Great Mage's Growth Potential had risen by five points, to 83. The Great Mage had crossed the Fine-Gold threshold and more.
Every additional point of Growth Potential was significant to Personal Guards. At 83, a Personal Guard could perfectly suppress an apex expert of the same level and tier.
Shi Feng couldn't help his growing excitement.
With the Ancient God's Literature Fragment's new strength, he could even elevate Secret-Silver Guards with 76 Growth Potential to Fine-Gold rank. Now, Zero Wing could amass a small army of Fine-Gold Guards.
Shi Feng immediately contacted Melancholic Smile and had her send him the Guild's Secret-Silver Guards with at least 76 Growth Potential to the Basic Meditation Room on the top floor.
"Guild Leader, those guards are currently protecting Silverwing Town. I'm afraid that I'll need some time to find temporary replacements and recall them all to White River City," Melancholic Smile said.
Of the Secret-Silver Guards she had found, she had ordered those that met Shi Feng's requirements to stand guard in White River City. She had sent the rest to defend Silverwing Town in the meantime. Secret-Silver Guards had incredible combat power, and once they reached Level 100, they could complete their promotion to Tier 3. They were an excellent deterrent in the chaotic Orc Empire.
"Don't worry about it. Just recall them all here," Shi Feng said. He did not mind waiting. The upgraded Soul Strengthening still had a 3-hour Cooldown, and it would take a full, natural day to strengthen the 16 Secret-Silver Guards before him.
"Alright, I'll start making the necessary arrangements," Melancholic Smile said, not giving the matter much thought. She then contacted the core members that owned the Secret-Silver Guards in question.


Starting over once more, he has entered this “living game” again in order to control his own fate.

This time, he will not be controlled by others.

Previously the Level 200 Sword King, he will rise to a higher peak in this life.

Methods to earn money! Dungeon conquering strategies! Legendary Quests! Equipment drop locations! Undiscovered battle techniques!

Even the secrets Beta Testers were unknowledgeable of, he knows of them all.

Massive wars, life advancement, entering Godhood, sword reaching to the peak; a legend of a man becoming a Sword God has begun.

*Attention all players, a new game mode will be implemented soon. All NPC employees will be moved to this new game mode. Servers are up for taking. Good luck. *

Squeam had plenty of connection routes to its mental space, and it was an almost infinite space in the first place (requiring only programming), so it wouldn't ever re-write the game with patches. 

Rather, it would simply move the game to a new place inside this space, while letting the old world behind. 

This way, the old world would keep existing, all game avatars and etc as well. The old world, by its time, could then be purchased from Squeam, piece by piece or whole. 

These old worlds were already a main sensation amongst youthful, prodigal sons, since they would become rightful owners and could do whatever they wanted there - like re-building the world from zero or something like that. 

Also, since the game would have been sold, Squeam wouldn't be in control of it at all, or responsible for what happened there. It would charge a heavy monthly fee for the usage of its mind-travelling devices and dedicated connection, so, most of the cases, people wouldn't buy the world whole, but rather pieces of it - creating bizarre places were in one side you had a futuristic city and in the other a bustling jungle. 

There were more than a few of these worlds already, as Squeam had launched 30 new versions of the game so far, but few remained in their original owners' hands. 

Once someone was seen doing criminal things on these worlds, and that happened a lot, especially with low-scale drug and vr-drug dealers, as long as the law dictated so, Squeam would cut the connection from the responsible owner and, usually, re-claim the world for itself based on Contract Policies.

Sometimes, however, the Law dictated that the perpetrators' possessions should be given to the government, specially if they didn't had enough money on hand, so the world would be given to the government.

Many governments had small worlds for themselves already, without even the need to pay for them upfront. They just needed to wait until a small criminal syndicate brought one and then seize it for themselves. 

Of course, that didn't mean that these governments knew how to use these little worlds. The problem with governments is how slowly they move and adapt to the times. Up until now, some kept trying to sue Squeam or charge taxes upon its products, like "pay 10 million for every minute of people being logged in this thing of yours!", but they just failed miserably all the while. 

Not only was it difficult going against Squeams' lawyer team, cutting of Squeam from a country was naught impossible. It was just too big of a corporation, with too many fingers in too many places!

Not only that, since it was quite addictive, once the governments around the world took notice of Another World Project, hundreds of thousands or even millions of its citizens where already hooked on it. 

Trying to cut it out by force would bring not only a sharp decline in popularity, but even civil unrest - just like the prohibition in the 1920s'.

Squeam had the world in a leash. So, as the governments seized small worlds to themselves, the price of one in the market kept increasing every time. 

Of course, not all worlds where used to illegal things, and some even had become separate games owned by Startup projects and the like (the fact that the 'Squeam Startup Sponsoring' subsidiary was a main investor would always be a clause under the confidentiality contract, though). 

Also, even inside the official Another World Itself, there would be some illegal things going on, like a guy hiring his Neuroset to teens, people meeting to make deals or things like this. 
Some game devs had been allocated to search for this people amongst the A.I. filter list, and even special adventuring squads, the "detective squads" had even been formed in order to catch real world criminals inside Squeams' main game. Some had Interpol people on them, while others where just common people who liked to play detective and, once a while, make a profit out of it. 

Regardless, what this meant was that Another World Project was, basically, a reinvention of the internet as it was in the 1990s´. 

A no-mans' land, but now under strict control and vigilance of a private corporation, rather than the U.S. army.

A story about lazyness and the true NEET life.

Though Jianghai University was not comparable to Jing University, it was still a reputable school in China. Those who attended this university were elites all around the nation. 
There were over fifty thousand students in this campus, excluding postgraduates, master degree students, doctoral candidates and postdocs. 
This hundred-year-old school never lacked tall tales, especially on prominent figures of Jianghai University. The top ten campus beauty queens were prominent personalities of Jianghai University and were reelected every year. 
It was not easy for a freshman to make it to the top ten as the popularity rating consisted of mainly the seniors, yet Ye Qingxue and Tang Yan managed to enter the ranking as freshman students, taking the number fourth and sixth spots respectively.
It was the power struggle between these two campus queens in the spotlight that ignited the most interesting basketball match at Jianghai University. Tang Yan, the coach of the basketball team challenged the literature and art club to a basketball match. 
It was the biggest joke ever to challenge the girls and sissies of the literature and art club to a basketball match. It was a war that could not be won. 
Although the basketball club proclaimed that victory was on the literature and art club as long as they didn't fall behind by more than 20 points, the disparity between their skills could not be pronounced in just that. The basketball team then said they would only be only using one forefront player while the rest were substitutes. 
Still, these substitutes from the basketball club were carefully selected elites among elites, proving a world of a difference from these effeminate sissies from the literature and art club. 
The university was buzzing with activity before the basketball even began. Many foresaw defeat on the literature and art club's part but were supporting Ye Qingxue's nonetheless. 
They condemned the basketball club, believing it was an unjust match. It was a despicable and treacherous act by the basketball club. 
Yet, no one stepped up to participate in the literature and art club's behalf because they were clear on the capabilities of the basketball team. They were not just the varsity team, they were regulars in national league basketball matches. 
"Coach, it's getting ugly. Can we cancel the match? The basketball club needs funding from the school for its activities. If they continue to raise havoc, I fear..."
"Fear what? Nothing else matters if the team produces results. Pay no concern to those voices. Has Fang Li arrived?" As the basketball team's coach and the basketball club's president, Tang Yan liaised directly with the school in anything with regard to the basketball team. 
Tang Yan was the first to assume the coach position as a freshman student, leaving many astonished as to how she achieved it. It was said that the intractable basketball star heeded her every word. 
Xia Tian and Ye Qingxue had come early to the basketball court. Judging by the looks of his teammates, Xia Tian finally understood why these spectators were on the basketball club's side. 
The bleachers were filled with people holding up banners, chanting slogans, and donning the basketball team jerseys. Xia Tian took a look around and found none of them representing the literature and art club. 
"Cousin, you're not very popular. Look at the contrast in popularity." Xia Tian shook his head at those in support of the basketball club. 
"Who says we don't have supporters? You, pick up that sign, and you two, since you can't play basketball, go put on a wig and be cheerleaders." Ye Qingxue glared at the two sissies from the literature and art club. 
Ye Qingxue had had it all planned it. There were three signs, indicating three names — Xia Tian, Hu Peng, and Yan Xu. These three were providing external support while the two left were members of the literature and art club, so there was no need to put up signs for them. 
Perhaps the literature and art club never thought they would win so they saved the cost of their own people. 
Playing second fiddle to Ye Qingxue, these two sissies from the literature and art club put on the wings and dangled the pom-poms.
"Come on, literature and art club."
The grossest cheerleading squad in history was born. Xia Tian felt the urge to throw up at the sight. 
"Cousin, change the cheerleading squad or I won't play," Xia Tian could not bear the sight of them. As a matter of fact, he would really rather not have a cheerleading squad behind him. 
"Ah! It's the basketball team."
The cheers turned everyone's attention to the entryway. In came the basketball players one by one. When they took their seats on the lounge area, the basketball drill team came running from the back. 
The presence of girls in blue and white top and mini skirts stirred an uproar amongst the male spectators. Jianghai University's basketball drill team knew how to dress their bodies up. 
The dance brought the atmosphere up to an all-time high. 
"Come on, literature and art club."
"You can do it, literature and art club
The two sissies were still there motioning the simplest routine. Xia Tian was really nauseous. 
"Cousin, I can't take it anymore. I want to go on a strike."
"Just wait, your ol' sis is gonna give you what you're due." Ye Qingxue smiled enigmatically. 
Just then, a tall guy ran in from the entrance. His appearance earned him a round of cheers. He was handsome, tall, and a skill basketball player; the star of Jianghai University's basketball team, Fang Li. 
"I live for flowers, I live for the applause, I know I'm handsome but I only wish to quietly be a handsome man." Fang Li struck a cool pose, prompting the starry-eyes girls to burst into ovation. 
"You narcissist, get your ass over here," Tang Yan shouted at Fang Li. 
"I'm coming, lady-boss. What instructions do you have for this handsome man?" Fang Li held a rose to his nose for a good sniff. 
"Fang Li, stretch the points as much as possible on today's game. You'll get a taste of my special drink if you try to be a show-off and foil my plans," Tang Yan hissed into Fang Li's ear. 
The rose in Fang Li's hand snapped into half at the mention of the special drink. Color faded from his face. 
"Lady-boss, don't you worry. How big of a difference are you looking at? Fifty or a hundred points?"
"The more the better."
There was a stark contrast on the dynamic between the basketball club and the literature and art club. With only two sissies representing the literature and art club dancing in mini-skirts, they could not compare to the basketball drill team. 
Disappointed, Xia Tian lost interest in the game. 
"Qingxue, what do you think?" Bingxin appeared from behind. Xia Tian's Insight was activated the moment he shifted his gaze to Bingxin. 
He saw it, he saw everything. 
His Insight revealed everything. 
"Xia Tian, your nose is bleeding." Ye Qingxue looked at Xia Tian with bewilderment. 
"Cousin, I'm filled with energy. Here we go," Xia Tian said in lifted spirits. During then, Bingxin began to dance. It was just an average routine, but Bingxin motioned with such poise. More importantly, she pulled off a highly difficult dance move. 
Bingxin did a 180-degree split while doing a handstand. There was nothing suggestive about the move with Bingxin wearing boxer shorts, but it was a real feast to Xia Tian and his Insight. 
Blood was spouting out of Xia Tian's nostrils. Spouting, not flowing. The spewing blood left Qingxue horrified. 
"Ye Qingxue, your guy's already wounded before the game even started. Won't that leave you with just four players? You might want to consider withdrawing from the match," Tang Yan taunted. "Why don't you just surrender and save yourself from the humiliation of falling behind by a hundred points? Our bet can't be canceled though. If you admit defeat, you better be prepared to call me Sister Yan respectably.
"Ah right, and that nose-bleeding guy has to run naked on the court."
Tang Yan was not going to let Xia Tian off the hook. She was going to teach him a lesson he would never forget for his actions at the restaurant. 
"Who says we're admitting defeat? Let's begin, I'm filled with fighting spirit." Xia Tian turned his head away from Bingxin. He was afraid he might die from blood loss. 
Both parties discussed their strategies prior to the game. 
"Hu Peng, you're the tallest, you'll make the jump. You lot just take whatever position you're good at. Remember to pass the ball to me." Yan Xu was the external help sought by Hu Peng. Hu Peng and Yan Xu were from the sports club. Hu Peng had a tall and sturdy build while Yan Xu was short but had rather deft reflexes. Rumor had it that he had quite the hand in basketball. 
He had everyone pass the ball to him in hopes he could single-handedly take down the basketball club. 
Xia Tian did not comment. He was down for whatever as long as they were able to win. He could idle away if Yan Xu was able to lead them to victory, that would save him from exposing his ability. 
"I'm turned off just looking at these nincompoops." Fang Ji helplessly shook his head. If it were not for Tang Yan, he would not bother participating in such a match. 
The game finally began. Hu Peng did not let the crowd down and smacked the ball when it was tossed up in the air. However, a blue figure made a quick snatch as the ball made its landing. The blue figure was as swift as lightning. 
Wham!
The ball made it through the hoop. It was a slam dunk. 
Basketball star, Fang Li deserved the title as the forefront player, scoring the first point, and it was a dunk. The opening dunk boosted to the basketball club's vigor and roars of cheers erupted from the bleachers. 


Xia Tian's life as a loser was forever changed when a car accident granted him Insight, a supernatural ability to see and percieve things which were previously unseen by the naked eye, such as what a person's wearing under their clothes or an enemy's weaknesses.
 
The story follows the adventures of a loser-turned-OP man with the ability to excel in every aspect. Perfect exam scores, perfect jackpots, or perfect basketball skills — his newfound dominance called women to flock to him, from the beautiful campus queen, to a domineering company president, even an adorable girl would not escape his allure. Join Xia Tian on his journey of cultivation as he discovers the ghosts in his past lurking behind his newfound harem.

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