As Gray takes his final breath he thinks to himself. What was my purpose in life? As he slowly fades in to unconsciousness. Just as he was about to truly die he hears a ding a message appears in his head Loading.... Ultimate Mercenary System 1%....50% ....70%....100% completed. This is a tale of Gray The Undying Mercenary see how fate and the mysteries of life unravels before him.






First novel lol. Doing this cause I’m bored

[ Coming, James, System is coming. ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: A Quick One ]
[ In order to appease you, System has used it's own hard-earned savings from centuries of blood, sweat, and toil to skip the next two missions. System is broke now. Hope you're happy. ]
[ Reward: Auto-Completion of next two missions. ]
---
"That's much better," said James.
---
[ Mission Completed: Second Base. ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: A Feel For This Now ]
[ Now that you've gotten a few hands on you, you're really starting to get a good grasp of this. ]
[ Reward: Hand History. ]
[ Perk Unlocked: Hand History - You can now review your historical gambling actions and have System critique and share some advice. ]
[ Sometimes replaying those hands in your mind can give you a good feeling. ]
[ Mission Unlocked: Third Base - Spend $100 on the system to unlock the final step of the tutorial. ]
---
James rolled his eyes. These names and descriptions...
---
[ Mission Completed: Third Base. ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: Getting a Head ... of Steam. ]
[ You're starting to feel warm and comfortable as you bob along on your journey to the finish line. ]
[ Reward: Active Participation ]
[ Perk Unlocked: Active Participation - Active skills are now available to unlock. System can now also give you more live help beyond probabilities, rules, and slang. ]
[ It's like having a partner with great skills. Much better than solo play. ]
[ Mission Unlocked: The Final Frontier - Spend $1000 on the system to complete the tutorial. ]
---
James was flabbergasted. Although the benefits were great, he could not help but feel a little bit dirty. He was beginning to suspect that the system had been programmed or created by someone with a mind not just halfway in, but completely in the gutter.
"Active skills and history review, huh. That's much better than a lame stat upgrade. We're finally getting into the good stuff," James commented.
"Let's try the history review. Something felt a bit fishy about how Mr Lee handled his wager."
A virtual screen appeared in front of James' eyes and started to replay the events that had happened earlier that day.
Mr Lee turning around and scribbling on a small piece of paper before folding it and putting it into his left pants pocket....
Mr Lee turning back to face James and the class and asking James a couple of questions...
James thinking about and delivering the answers to the class...
Mr Lee's face changing and a couple of sweat drops appearing on his forehead...
Finally, Mr Lee reaching his hand into his right pants pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper before slowly unfolding it and announcing the result to the rest of the class.
"Wait a minute. He put the first paper into his left pocket but took another piece of paper out from the right pocket. What a dirty rat! He cheated!"
James felt all of his prior respect and gratefulness to Mr Lee disappear. He should have won the hundred dollars!
---
[ Achievement Unlocked: Cheated On ]
[ Once bitten, twice shy. Now that you've experienced being cheated on, maybe it's time for you to turn the tables in the future. ]
[ Reward: Peek ]
[ Active Skill Unlocked: Peek - Allows you to look at a player's hidden cards. Consumes 1 charge per use. Gains 1 charge every time you find someone cheating against you. 1 charge currently available. ]
[ Almost like being able to see through someone's clothes. A highly voyeuristic skill. ]
---
James reined in his anger. Despite being cheated against, and after all of the events, he had come out ahead.
If Mr Lee had not cheated, he would still be ten dollars shy of completing the third base mission, and he would not have unlocked this active skill. With this skill, he now had even higher hopes about being able to perform at Phil's game this weekend.
"Going forward, I'll have to be more careful and aware." James reminded himself.
---
Now that James had spent all his winnings and progressed as far as he could in unlocking the system, he turned his attention back to the letter that his dad had left him.
After reading it a few more times and wallowing in his feelings, James decided to pen a quick reply.
"Dad. I don't know when I will next see you. I hope it is soon, and that this will all blow over. Regardless, I will dominate the game this weekend and follow your path to the end. I promise to you that I will make you proud."
James finished his short note and left it under the keyboard on the desk with a small corner peeking out. Even if his father never got to read it, James knew that, in the future, he would be able to look at it and remember the inspiration and determination that he held at that moment...
---
The rest of the week passed routinely, and soon it was noon on Saturday.
James cleaned up the safe room as he prepared to go to battle. The "Texas Hold'em for Dummies" book that had held his dad's legacy to him was laid out neatly on the desk next to the keyboard.
He had gone to the bank to empty his savings account and had even snuck upstairs to collect the spilled coins from his broken little piggy bank. The apartment looked just the way it had when James left it. It was clear that no one had made an effort to clean it up.
After exchanging the coins for bills, all of James' life savings fit comfortably into a small envelope the bank had given him. It was just a dollar short of five hundred. This envelope rested in the front pocket of his backpack and represented all the hope and ammunition that he had to pursue his new goal.
From the address that Phil had given him, James knew that Phil lived in the rich man's neighborhood on the other side of town.
It was about one and the half times the distance from his safe room to school in the other direction. James also knew that it would take at least two and a half hours to get there. Not daring to be late, James decided to leave then. It was important for him to not to give Phil any more reason than he already had to make his life difficult. After all, the next day could very well determine his and possibly his parents' fate.
---
Meanwhile, as James was walking towards his uncertain future, a much less optimistic scene was taking place in an abandoned warehouse unit on the far edges of the city...
A disembodied voice came from the shadowed corners of the warehouse.
"Well Mr Jones, I'm glad you finally decided to show up."
The target of those words sat trussed up in a cheap looking metal chair bolted to the ground in the middle of the warehouse unit. The floor surrounding him was bare concrete, and above him lay a naked light bulb connected by a thin wire running up to and across the ceiling.
Seated next to him, equally bound in an identically set up metal chair, was a middle-aged woman who had clearly seen better days. Despite her best efforts to sit with dignity, she was leaning forward against her bounds, clearly on the edge of exhaustion. Dark streaks of dirt and grime covered her face, except for two thin reedy lighter streams of gray where her past tears had worn some purchase. Her eyes were dead and hopeless.
Unlike the person being addressed, she had also been gagged.
These were James' parents. Mr and Mrs Jones of unit #07-07.
"What do you want? Let my wife go. She's innocent. She knows nothing." James' father said quickly.
"I want some answers from you," came the droll reply. "But first, let me show you the penalty of lying."
A gunshot came from the direction of the voice. From the flash, Mr Jones noted that his assailant was wearing what looked like a business suit, and had cold, emotionless eyes.
Mr Jones flicked his eyes down, noting with surprise the lack of blood on his body.
Then, he heard a slightly muffled high-pitched scream. With a sense of panic, he turned to look at his wife. She was now leaning fully forward, with only the tape binding her as her support, screaming against the gag in her mouth. Fresh tears had formed, filled, and left her hollowed eyes, creating new channels of lighter gray against the mottled shades on her face. A rapidly spreading crimson stain could be seen on the lower right leg of her pants, just below the crease of the knee.
"I am very disappointed in how long it took you to come to us, Mr Jones. The next bullet will take the left leg. If you still need convincing after that, the third bullet will be centered and nine inches higher."
"I'll tell you everything. Please. I swear I will. Don't hurt my wife, take me instead." Mr Jones blubbered.
"Oh, I will. Eventually. Now, where is the card?"
"It's in the book. I left it hidden in the Dummies book. Texas Hold'em for Dummies."
"Oh I'm disappointed, Mr Jones. There was no book by that title in your apartment. I thought you would be past trying to deceive me by now."
A second gunshot sounded, and the scream rose in pitch by another octave, now accompanied by muffled choking and coughing.
"I swear it's true! Maybe it's in my safe room. Same building, Apartment #02-05. Code 1116. Please, please, please don't hurt my wife. I'll do anything, just save her."
"Let me step outside and make a quick call to my associates. If you cooperate, I don't see why there's a reason to continue this little... exercise."

In a casino, there is a Blacklist. If you cheat, steal, or win too many times, then chances are you will find yourself invited to exit the premises and placed on the Blacklist.

Above the Blacklist, lies the Circle. Six mysterious individuals with incredulous tales attached to them. Millions and billions of dollars won in a single night.

Finally, above the Circle, lives a enigma. The enigma comprises only of a single word. Sanjay. He who is known as the God of Gamblers.

--
Work in progress. I am a new writer just beginning to explore this world. Thank you for your patience.

Disclaimer: Gambling is for entertainment only. If you choose to bet, bet only what you can afford to lose.

For WPC #126.

This special announcement is dedicated to all my fans wide and beyond. 
I have previously written this chapter as an auxiliary volume but figured you might not find it there so I decided to write it as a chapter. 
I am positive you would have been expecting another chapter,sorry to burst your bubble but here it goes:
Fifty shades of blood will now be updated weekly. To allow further concentration on this book,I have decided to suspend "Babe's Diary". Show some love by reading the book though and pls leave a review. 
Hurray! I am writing another book titled"The arranged Marriage:The Heir CEO". It's also for the WSA but is on the theme love (arranged Marriage),juicy right? I know. 
What does this mean?
This means that I cannot keep up with daily updates of both books BUT I will be updating during the weekends. 
This also means that I am having two entries for the contest, giving you more reason to show some love. I trust you will. 
If I get enough time and encouragement,I will be writing two other books too. I have started drafting them but it isn't ready for showcase yet. They are titled "Spitfire in love" and "Pretend love". 
Blockbuster thriller sci-fi novel "Skai:The legend" is coming soon to Webnovel by the end of the year. (Am giving something to read for Christmas,isn't that cute). 
Anyways,thank you so much for your time. 
Please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please leave a review. Send power stones too and rate the chapters you love. Your encouragement is all I need. 
______________

What do you think about this special announcement? Comment below 👇. Drop a like emoji too👍

It's been thirty years since it happened but it feels like yesterday....... maybe that's what happens when you've just found out that you can live “FOREVER". 
I can't tell you my name or where am from,I can't disclose where I live......or at least used to live. I am monster yet the disgrace of my clan,I don't drink what they drink. I don't want to be like them,......I want to "die". Isn't that what human beings do? That will never happen,I know for sure. I AM NEVER GOING TO DIE. Maybe I will but this monster in me never will. 
Vampires are strong,scary and practically invincible but not this vampire! She does not like the taste of blood,mirrors, garlic,loves being in the sun and is the disgrace of her entire clan. What will happen to the young vampire who doesn't want to be a vampire.....

She stood by a wall,her shadow resting against the floor. She was about seventeen years old....or was she? She stood six feet tall,red hair, blue eyes and and lush red lips. She was wearing a black net blouse and black tights with black boots. Her whole demeanor was intimidating yet she was harmless. 
Most of her clan drank what she would never drink and do what she would never do. How much she hates the sight of red....used to be her favorite color but now...? How far can she run away from red or the sight and memory of it? She is red headed and her name means red and even her zodiac sign signifies red. This can't be a coincidence or can it? Is this where she really belongs? Is this the life she is made for. Can she really go back to her past life? How much she hates being stuck in two worlds?
She is a rebel in both her worlds,she will hunt you down if need be. But now she can't be so sure,she is weak and starving. She hasn't fed in years and it's wearing her out. She knows she can't stay long without blood but she is determined to starve herself to death. Too bad Vampires can't die....or don't die. How did things go wrong for the red haired Aodh Scarlett Flynn?
____________
She was born on the 21st of March,an Aries. She is Irish and American. She was born a twin. Her sister Ambrosia Tuesday Flynn was killed by an occult group during Halloween. Strange things aren't strange anymore as even the word is engraved in her story. All this... being a vampire and all. It all started thirty years ago.

Flashback,thirty years ago. 
.........This can't be happening to me-no,not at all. I had my whole life planned out in front of me,I was a rebel-yes but that didn't mean I didn't want a life. A life with Ian,I hadn't gotten my revenge with Arianna. I haven't avenged my sister's death. Too bad am about to join her. Too bad am getting crushed between two walls. The bricks fell and made a wall with a small crevice. I walked through the wall in an attempt to be with the others but it was too late, useless. The wall closed. I was trapped. Forever. 
_______________
This book is written to contest in the Webnovel spirity awards 2020. Pls vote and leave a review. Gift and send power stones too.
Love you all.
WhatsApp:08090241648 if you want to support me, pay for my stories or publish my book. 
© Copyright is owned by me and no one but me. No plagiarism!

Hello, Wizards and witches!

We got the second rank in the competition! Yay!

To celebrate the success— thanks to you all, I will give away the 500 Spirit Stone I received as a prize as I said earlier.

I don't want to decide how to give it away, so I will leave it to you all for suggestions.


In this chapter in the comment section, please express your view on how to do it, as there are lots of reader of the book, while only 5 coupons (each with 100 SS). 


I will select 4 interesting ways of competitions from the comments and let you know again.


The competition you mention in the comments should be easy, doable, and fair for everyone. I will let you guys know in the next chapters about other competitions whatever I will select from comment sections.


As for the last/first one, I have something in mind.


First competition:

Write a review of this book.

I noticed that there aren't many reviews, while there were many before we changed to this book, so let's give the best review together for the book for future-to-be-readers.


Time period: 1 week


Description: All you have to do is give the best review you can to the book.


Winning criteria: After 1 week, who had the most likes on the review (50%) and which I think is best(50%) would be the winner! (Review should be book related.)

Let the reviews begin!

 Mean while, Power Stones for the Harem Lord!

"What if the Harry Potter world was not just for children and teenagers, but of an adults?"


Beautiful witches wearing short miniskirts, and hiding her legs with erotic stockings (Due to school's stupid rule), and looking for a strong and compatible wizard(in a magic sense), where Harem lord will go to conquer the heart of every one of them!


Then this is the novel for you!


Sexuality and harem are everywhere, but Harry wants to become Harem Lord. Harry wants to have all beauties for himself, even if he has to steal from others!


Harry's ultimate goal is to become the Harem Lord, with help of the system, he will join the school, the first year of Hogwarts, this year.



Join the adventure of Harem Lord to discover the changed wizard world!


Even if you haven't read a previous book, you can easily enjoy this one!


The provisos book: 
System: Harry The Harem lord

https://www.webnovel.com/book/12286043505200605/System%3A-Harry-The-Harem-lord

I love colors. I'll say it over and over again: I love colors! They're beautiful. They're stimulating. Sometimes I even think they're magical. I love everything about them, from the power they have to evoke emotions to the subtle yet distinct differences they make in a work of art. But my favorite thing about colors is their symbolism, the way they can be used to hide secrets and hint at details of a bigger picture without drawing focus away from the story at hand.

It's simple enough to use colors in visual art, but what about in writing? Challenging as it may seem, I believe it is possible to create symbolism with words, such as when describing color schemes of character outfits and settings. Color symbolism has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and while it would take an entire book (or series of books) to get into it all, I'd like to at least scratch the surface today with some of the basics I've picked up throughout my experience researching and implementing meaningful colors in my stories. You may want to consider these tips the next time you set a scene; they can help add a vivid new layer to your story! Enjoy!
Red – Red is a bold and passionate color, often symbolizing such strong ideas and images as courage, fire, power, and violence. It's a color that demands attention, which is why it's commonly used to signify danger. Use red for passionate or aggressive characters, or for any sort of intense scene, whether it's the heat of love or the violence of war.

￼Orange – Not quite passionate and not quite joyful, orange is a middle ground between red and yellow. It symbolizes energy and creativity, and is used in psychology to stimulate enthusiasm and determination. Use orange for adventurous or creative characters, or when you want to paint some vibrant warmth into a scene.

￼Yellow – Yellow is the two-sided coin of colors. On the one hand, it symbolizes happiness, optimism, sunshine, and friendship. On the other hand, it can also stand for cowardice, illness, hazard, and deceit. Golden shades represent wealth and luxury. Use yellow when you want to add hints of joy or caution to a scene. For the best effect, I recommend using yellow ambiguously, such as for characters who seem jubilant and optimistic on the outside but who are fearful or deceitful on the inside.

￼Green – Think of green and you're sure to picture beautiful scenes of nature, complete with lush vegetation as far as the eye can see. Indeed, green is the color of the environment, and it represents such ideas as youth, fertility, health, and rebirth. Abstractly, it also symbolizes jealousy and good luck. Use green for characters associated with natural themes such as environmentalism or the practice of healing, or to hint at fortune or envy in relationships.

￼Blue – Blue is my favorite color because it represents all my favorite things. It's a color that symbolizes intelligence, tranquility, trust, and loyalty. In nature, it's associated with the sky and the sea, and different shades from turquoise to navy can be used to signify sophistication, knowledge, and integrity. Use blue for characters who are more intellectual than emotional, and for settings fitting an atmosphere of calm and authority.

￼Purple – Purple is the color of royalty, and has long represented such themes as nobility, wisdom, honor, and extravagance. Being a relatively rare color in nature, it is often associated with mystery and magic. Lighter shades such as lavender also convey grace and elegance. Use purple as a motif for regal or arrogant characters, mysterious settings, and storylines brimming with fantasy.

￼Pink – A soft complement to the bold red, pink is the color that most famously signifies love and romance. Strongly associated with femininity, it represents tenderness, caring, and acceptance. I myself tend to associate the color pink with flowers. Use pink to add a soothing or feminine quality to a scene, or to signify elements of a romantic subplot.

￼Brown – Brown is well known as an earth tone, and as such tends to represent stability. Common ideas associated with the color brown include simplicity, comfort, and endurance. Use brown when you want to convey a sense of plainness or tenacity in a scene without having to resort to the blatant dullness of gray.

￼Gray – The dull middle ground between white and black, gray is most commonly associated with boredom and depression. On the positive side, it also stands for security, modesty, practicality, and reliability. Use gray for conservative characters or when you want to create a colorless air for a particular setting.

￼White – White is the international color of peace, and is often regarded as a symbol of light, purity, and faith. Some even go as far as to associate it with perfection. Note that white takes on a different meaning in Eastern cultures, where it's associated with death and mourning. Use white when you want to convey innocence in your characters and cleanliness in your settings, or when you want to create strong religious symbolism in your scenes.

￼Black – The exact opposite of white, black represents everything that its counterpart doesn't. Darkness, evil, and death are themes commonly associated with black, but it can also stand for austerity, formality, style, and sexuality. Arguably the most powerful color of all, black has a long history of symbolizing strongly opposed ideas on the spectrum of good and evil. Use black to convey depth in your characters or to add dark themes to a scene. For best results, combine it with other colors to create interesting contrasts of ideas in your stories.

"It's so nice to know you're all right, sir!" 
Whether it was true or not, when Zhang Tie caught sight of Pi Ping's slippery expression, he really felt warm inside and not hostile toward him. Zhang Tie was very good at making contact with these kind of people when he was in Donder's grocery store, so when he saw Second Lieutenant Pi Ping, he was not modest to him either. He instead hooked his hand around Second Lieutenant Pi Ping's shoulders and brought him into his office. 
Since he became the director of the logistics administration two weeks ago, it was Zhang Tie's first time entering the director's office of this vehicle maintenance plant.
The office featured a military style—a desk, a sofa, a filing cabinet, some drawings on the structures of steam-driven engines and vehicles hanging on the wall. No more decoration besides these items. However, although Zhang Tie hadn't come here these days, the office was still well cleaned. 
Entering the office, Zhang Tie instantly threw himself onto the sofa with eyes fixed on Second Lieutenant Pi Ping.
"Well, no crap, I know you're well-informed. Tell me what happened last night..."
Second Lieutenant Pi Ping had already realized that this military officer retired from the Iron-Blood Camp was different from others as he was more easygoing. However, actually, he was more complicated. As his subordinate, Pi Ping actually liked this kind of military officer. What Second Lieutenant Pi Ping feared most were those eccentric guys who didn't know anything but wanted to manage everything. If such a director came to the No. 9 Equipment Administration, that would be the nightmare of everybody here.
What Zhang Tie didn't know was that during the past two weeks, his indifferent attitude was even praised by people here. They all felt that he was a good officer and a good director.
Before telling Zhang Tie the news, Second Lieutenant Pi Ping glanced outside the office. After ensuring that nobody was there, he closed the door himself before moving close to Zhang Tie like a thief.
"I have a friend in the air-defense camp. He said many people were killed last night. One important warehouse of our Logistics Department was exploded by the airship of the Brilliant Feathers!" Second Lieutenant Pi Ping said, his voice low.
Zhang Tie became curious. "Was that really an explosive?" 
"Really!" Second Lieutenant Pi Ping nodded. "It's said that this was Sun Dynasty's revenge. Because a couple of days ago, our Mad Shark Airship threw some heavy-type white phosphorous gel combustion bombs at the battle castle where their headquarters was located in the evening. Many people were killed there. The morale of Sun Dynasty was also weakened. Therefore, their move last night was to avenge themselves!" 
Zhang Tie only felt frustrated. More revenge?
Sometimes, wars between two countries and between two armies were no different from brawls between 3-5 year old kids. When you give me a fist, I will give you a kick. No one wanted to suffer a loss. However, compared to brawls between kids, this revenge was more terrifying and bloody and would cause more people to lose their lives. 
After the heads of the people of the Iron-Horn Army were chopped off, the people of the Iron-Blood Camp had to chop off their enemy's heads in revenge. As the Iron-Horn Army's air troop threw heavy-type white phosphorous gel combustion bombs towards the battle castle where the opponent's headquarters was located, the opponent drove an airship into the air territory of Blapei and threw off explosives onto a logistics base of the Iron-Horn Army,  
Zhang Tie felt that perhaps, the battle castle in the frontline had long prepared for the sneak attack from the Brilliant Feathers. Then, since they couldn't find a chance to launch a sneak attack in there, the Brilliant Feathers extended the battle line to the back of the Iron-Horn Army and directly hit the most important part Due to the limited transportation capabilities, the logistics guarantee was truly one of the most essential parts of the Iron-Horn Army.
"Have their airship been brought down?"
After asking this question, Zhang Tie felt like an idiot. If the opponent's airship could casually drop off bombs onto the Iron-Horn Army's logistics base in Blapei which was more than 100 km away from the frontline and leave without sustaining any damage, the war would not have lasted this long.
"Done, that's what the trouble is!"
"Why?"
"It's said that our air-defense troop had truly hit their airship, so it crashed in a location over 20 km away to the south of Blapei. However, when our troop arrived there, with the exception of some dead people in the airship, all the rest had disappeared. This is the biggest trouble. Now, nobody knows where the rest people from the airship had gone."
Second Lieutenant Pi Ping let out a sigh.
"We didn't find many corpses on the airship, which means that all the others had left. This is big trouble since nobody knows whether those guys escaped back to their zone or are staying here. If some intelligence agents of the opponent who were lurking in Blapei take action together with those people who had fled, nobody can know what may happen next. If those guys have another bomb, they might even directly rush into the parliament house of Blapei as suicide bombers!" 
Hearing Pi Ping's words, Zhang Tie understood why the atmosphere in Blapei suddenly became tense. This was not only because of the explosion that occurred last night but that it had been confirmed that the dangerous opponents were lurking somewhere in Blapei. Even in his military uniform, Zhang Tie had still been requested to present his military officer's certificate three times on the way from his residence to the maintenance plant of the Ninth Equipment Administration of the Comprehensive Logistics Relief Department.
In order to catch those fleeing people, all the soldiers of the division stationed in Blapei walked through the streets. They started to set checking points to investigate all the passers-by. By doing this, although they could not immediately catch those potential dangerous people, they could at least limit their movements to a degree. Before finally catching or killing them, this was the only method to deal with those people.
"Does the Iron-Horn Army have explosives?" 
The word bomb reminded Zhang Tie of a question that he was interested in. 
"Yes, they have. But the explosives of the army are the most important strategic material. Because they're very rare and precious, all the explosives's assignments and use had to be approved and signed by the commander of the Iron-Horn Army. In the entire Norman Empire, all the explosives are controlled by the imperial households. The only two alchemist masters who can produce explosives in the Norman Empire are both members of the royal seniors cabinet!"
Zhang Tie had only heard of the alchemist profession in legends. It was mentioned in the book "Initial Exploration about the Special Professions of Human Beings in the Black Iron Age" a couple of days ago. Whether in legends or reality, alchemists were ten times more rare than medicinal pharmacists. It was regarded as the most mysterious, wealthy, and terrifying profession in the Black Iron Age.
Although many cities of the former Andaman Alliance had medicinal pharmacists like Abyan, in the entire Andaman Alliance, there were no alchemists at all. Alchemists would spend their whole lives  dealing with various weird stones and crystals. As long as they had a stone or a crystal, they would be able to turn it into a treasure that could be used to fight, cultivate, cure diseases, even to improve the attributes of a number of metals and machines. 
After being processed by alchemists, many common crystals and stones could become ten thousand times more valuable, even more expensive than gold. As these people were truly able to touch a stone and turn it into gold, they were called alchemists. It was not only a description of their profession but people's obvious admiration for it.
Alchemists were the only group of people who could produce explosives. A person, once he became an alchemist, would never care about money any more. If one took the Norman Empire as an example, once any alchemist in this country was found to be able to produce explosives, he could instantly marry a royal offspring. Through kinship, that person would then benefit the Norman Empire on a military aspect.
Alchemists had many nicknames like "treasure producers", "mobile vaults", "human bombs", and "thermal weapon time-travelers in cold weapons era". It seemed that because of the last nickname which mentioned both science and technology before the catastrophe, many countries in the Blackson Human Clan Corridor would take owning an alchemist who could produce explosives as the symbol of powerful national strength and status. 
The former Andaman Alliance had once intended to attract an alchemist with the chief position and a great amount of benefits. Unluckily, they failed.
...
When Zhang Tie arrived at the logistics base in the wild, over 30 km south of Blapei, the airship which had caused great turmoil and damage was scattered on the ground in pieces. This airship which was used to launch the sneak attack was painted dark. 
Its pod was over 15 m in height. At this moment, the airship originally longer than 50 m had become a transformed rigid skeleton. For the coated fabric of the airship's air sac, besides a few remains, all the other parts were burned into solid pitch-dark carbides and were scattered around the pod and the airship's skeleton. Some corpses in aqua blue military uniforms were lying inside the wrecked pod in various shapes. 
A group of soldiers in dark red military uniform of the Norman Empire had already blocked the scene. A group of people in black windbreakers were looking for something among the dead soldiers of Sun Dynasty, accompanied by some military officers of the Norman Empire. The surrounding soldiers were glancing at the sanguine gloves of those people in black windbreakers with weird eyes. 
Those people in sanguine gloves were the main characters in all the darkest stories of the Norman Empire. They were the representatives of the cold and bloody side of the Norman Empire. If its soldiers were a group of fierce tigers, the group of people in sanguine gloves were a weird hybrid of jackals that lived on rotten meat and vipers that sprouted venom.
These people came from another powerful department of the Norman Empire besides the army—Order Review Committee. These people were "national secret police on order maintenance" under the affiliation of the Order Review Committee. 
In Nordinburg, everybody knew that the viscount Nordinton, the head of secret police, and marshal Lin Changjiang didn't like each other.
Besides their superior, nobody else liked them in the entire Norman Empire.
Because of the explosion last night, these people appeared in Blapei like flies that had smelt a stink. This event was within the governing category of the Iron-Horn Army, however, these people in sanguine gloves wanted to get involve due to two reasons. 
First, the explosion was a special event threatening national security. With the exception of explosions on the battlefield, the investigation of all the other explosions in the Norman Empire was carried out by the Order Review Committee.
Second, according to the laws of the Norman Empire, the Iron-Horn Army could only govern the area within 100 km of the frontline of Kalur's battle zone. Since Blapei was out of this area, although the victim of this explosion case was the Iron-Horn Army, the Order Review Committee still had the right to investigate this case.
Because the Order Review Committee of Nordinburg had sent a notice to the Iron-Horn Army, they expected that it would coordinate with the secret police to investigate this explosion case. So once they came to Blapei, even though unwilling, the military officers of the Iron-Horn Army were dispatched here to assist these people who accomplished their own tasks with cold expressions. Additionally, they should report the latest events and discoveries of the Iron-Horn Army to those in sanguine gloves when the latter inquired about what had happened last night.
The head of these people in red sanguine gloves and black windbreakers was a major, a 30-odd man with white hair and a pair of eyes as cruel as those of a wolf.
"Major, after our troop arrived here, we blocked the scene and it had remained unchanged. On the ground over 500 m away from the site where the airship crashed, our soldiers discovered truck tire marks which extended to the south. It's estimated that those fleeing had been picked up. We..."
The man in gray hair who was carefully checking the corpses revealed a wisp of an icy smile. At the same time, he raised his hand and interrupted the military officer who was reporting what had happened last night.
"No need to say it, I've already guessed what happened next. Your people found that truck over 10 km away with nobody inside. Then you investigated the source of that truck and learned that the truck has been stolen in Blapei several days ago. After that, you judged that those people had escaped to the south, right captain?" 
Revealing a surprised expression, the captain asked, "How do you know?"
"Congratulations, captain, you've successfully let go of a group of dangerous Sun Dynasty's people. When your were attracted by that truck driving to the south, the remaining saboteurs of the Sun Dynasty had escaped to the north. If you had changed your direction and chased after them at once, we might not be here. Those spies of the Sun Dynasty who hid in Blapei clearly knew how to trick you..."
That gray-haired major put it straightforwardly. The captain's face blushed so much that he could not even say a word, while a major who belonged to the same No. 21 Division as the captain wanted to argue more.
"Major Franca, our soldiers tried our best last night. With only one glance, how could you confirm those people on the airship had fled to the north, instead of the south?" 
"Of course I can!" Major Franca from the the Order Review Committee of Norman Empire said with an icy expression. 
He took off his gloves and stretched hi index finger. In front of the military officers of No. 21 Division, he squatted down and thrust his index finger into the hard skull of a corpse like he was thrusting it into a bean curd.
He then moved up his index finger into the cranial cavity of that corpse before pulling it out with red and white brains juice. He then directly put it into his mouth and started to carefully taste it, eyes closed, as if he was tasting a yummy food. 
Although the military officers of No. 21 Division standing nearby were used to seeing corpses, at the sight of this behavior of tasting dead people's brains, their faces turned pale at once. They felt a bit disgusted and chilled, especially by that weird smile on major Franca's face when he tasted the brains.
After a long while, Major Franca opened his eyes and licked his lips as if he had enjoyed the taste of the brains. 
"These people's brains taste like bitter Parmelia saxatilis. It's the aftereffect of Sun Dynasty's secret medicine when it was applied on people. Those who take it would trigger their physical potential for a short time. They also become very clear-minded, although they don't live too long. 
"Only dare-to-die corps would take this secret medicine. After taking it, in the troops of the Sun Dynasty, they had only one target—death instead of fleeing.  These people would also face a death penalty even if they fled back. 
"Before they arrived here, all of them had prepared not to go back alive. Therefore, they escaped to the north instead of to the south. If they escaped to the south, they would be held back by your frontline troops, however, if they escaped to the north, they could deal their damage to the greatest extent. In Blapei, they were picked up by spies of the Sun Dynasty. Additionally, their airship crashed in the south in order to cause an illusion for you that they were escaping to the south..."  
"This is still your presumption!" the major of No. 21 Division kept arguing, face turning a bit pale.
"These people on the airship had died when the airship crashed. Those fleeing had to have been wounded, some even heavily. As they could not get medical treatment when escaping, even if they had strong vitality, their wounds must be deteriorating, which led to inconvenient movement. They would encumber the whole team. Based on the style of the Sun Dynasty, in this case, those heavily wounded people would be killed. 
"Once we search all the way to the north while avoiding major routes, we will discover something..." Major Franca gazed at the officers of No. 21 Division with wolf-like sharp eyes, revealing a contemptuous smile. "You're good at fighting on the battlefield, but I'm not here to be your counter-intelligence enlightening teacher. I only hope that if what I said is true, before finding those potential saboteurs, yo won't interfere with my moves in Blapei. As my time is very precious, I don't want to waste too much time in Blapei for some trivial roles."
Forcefully holding back their fury, the military officers of No. 21 Division exchanged glances with each other before nodding. 
"Fuck, if not assigned here, nobody would want to stay with these guys in red gloves," they mumbled inside.
Twenty minutes later, in a wild ditch 5 km to the north of the crashing site, they found the first corpse. It was buried underground. However, as it had not been buried too long ago and was hurriedly dealt with in the evening, even though the people of the Sun Dynasty had covered it up, it was still discovered by Major Franca.
In another place less than 2 km away from the first one, the second corpse was discovered...


After the Catastrophe, every rule in the world was rewritten.
In the Age of Black Iron, steel, iron, steam engines and fighting force became the crux in which human beings depended on to survive.
A commoner boy by the name Zhang Tie was selected by the gods of fortune and was gifted a small tree which could constantly produce various marvelous fruits. At the same time, Zhang Tie was thrown into the flames of war, a three-hundred-year war between humans and demons on the vacant continent. Using crystals to tap into the potentials of the human body, one must cultivate to become stronger.
The thrilling legends of mysterious clans, secrets of Oriental fantasies, numerous treasures and legacies in the underground world — All in the Castle of Black Iron!
Written by Drunk Tiger, this novel is a prime example of fantasy steampunk. Let us journey through the world of limitless possibilities and inventions together!
------
**Warning: This novel contains mature content**


Jia Hyson finds he has hit the jackpot after he dies. 

He's got a system! He's a transmigrator! So cool! 

System: "Please help us fix the plot." 

Jia Hyson: "Of course!" 

System: "Firstly there are too many love interests." 

Jia Hyson: "Okay." 

System: "The main character is too annoying." 

Jia Hyson: "Um." 

System: "Needs more world building." 

Jia Hyson: "..."  

Oi, is he fixing the plot or is he rewriting the whole damn thing?!

(This is bl/yaoi/danmei btw)

Online live streaming had become a hot topic recently. There were experts who criticized online broadcasters, whether to their faces or behind their backs, for using their looks or scanty attire to make money off fans, while they themselves hated that they couldn't just stand in front of a screen to give an academic lecture and make hundreds of thousands each month easily.
But not just anyone could make a living through live streaming. This was the age of beauty. For example, there were countless cases nowadays of blind dates falling flat when the reality of a person's looks didn't match expectations. If someone wanted to make a name for themselves on an online platform, they needed to have the type of face that was popular online, or at the very least, a pleasant-looking one.
But who knew, maybe someone with a blood-red figure, butterfly-blue hair, and the face of Third Young Master Tang, singing "Ah~~ five~~ rings" might be able to make it big[1]. 
At least, it would be a more festive sight.
Little Xuan had greatly inspired Father Wang; live streaming could be considered a universal subject, something which was very immersive and fun. But the thing he now had to consider was how to develop this theme and make it even more interesting.
After hearing Little Xuan's suggestion, Father Wang hurriedly expressed his thanks to everyone in the live stream, then logged off right away.
Seeing Wang Jiaomei's profile icon turn gray, the people online all immediately knew… this almighty big shot in the world of web novels was about to make his move!
This time… what kind of carnage was he going to wreck?
Father Wang was quite an efficient person, which was reflected in everything he did. For example, in the time it took to boil water, he could easily finish three things at once while he was on the toilet bowl: eating, reading the newspaper, and squabbling with trolls in the online book review section by switching between the hundreds of alternate IDs which he owned.
That evening, he burned the midnight oil finishing a basic outline and synopsis, and even finished the first chapter of his new book.
The title: The Live Streaming Life of the Immortal King
A brief introduction: This is a story about the daily life of a cultivation master who is unable to suppress the prehistoric powers inside his body, and who sells meng[2] online by live streaming his daily immortal cultivation life on earth.
"…"
Wang Ling had been looking at Father Wang's computer screen the whole time and felt an underlying sense of foreboding.
Given Father Wang's current skill level in writing, it was very quick and easy for him to write an opening chapter. After checking for spelling mistakes several times from top to bottom, Father Wang then clicked his mouse and directly sent the file to his chief editor.
Father Wang's chief editor was called Song Zikai and his editor code name was Lie Shou. People in the industry had given this big editor the nickname "Lie Mengmeng." When he had paid a visit to the house before, Wang Ling had used his supernatural Eye Ability to check out this person's name card. This was the only editor whom Father Wang had met in real life since entering the web novel industry more than ten years ago. He was a very frail youth who looked like a shou[3]; he seemed like he would tip over in a breeze, and his very neat fringe gave people the sense that he was very pure.
With the computer on, Father Wang made a cup of tea and waited in silence for a while. Very soon, he heard a ping! — Chief Editor Song had replied!
This gold star editor was also an excellent publicist. The average time he took to check a manuscript was just thirty seconds, which was an especially mystical feat to Wang Ling.
From Wang Ling's quick glance at the email reply, the theme was very attractive and Father Wang's writing was fine. But given the stunning performance of Father Wang's first book, along with his current online prestige, Lie Mengmeng decided he should write a few more chapters. After they added up to more than twenty thousand words, only then would he upload it onto the website to test the waters.
Wang Ling had heard about this website before — it was a separate VIP novel website specially set up by the Cultivation Reading Network for readers who were their highest-ranked users and had been registered with them for more than one hundred years. On this separate website, they could read the drafts of new works by top-ranked writers beforehand and leave them messages to tell them their thoughts or offer suggestions.
Gazing at the email reply, Father Wang was silent for a while, but finally he nodded in acceptance. After all, Wang Situ this pen name was a godhead that had taken him years to build and perfect. Given that he didn't know how marketable his second book could be, Father Wang really didn't dare release it casually — if it didn't pass the test, his godship would collapse! As for himself… wouldn't he become a complete joke in the industry?!
Wang Ling was speechless at this. "…" This one pen name had been able to attract three hundred thousand people to a live streaming platform that had absolutely nothing to do with web novels — how could online nobodies compare with that and f**king survive?!
...
In the morning, Mother Wang had finished preparing breakfast, which was made up of fried bread sticks, soybean milk and her specialty, rejuvenation noodles. Mother Wang untied her apron strings and shouted up the stairs. "The two of you, come down and eat!"
Wang Ling gazed at the table full of dishes and was almost moved to tears… after the torture that had been Mother Juan's black cuisine during those few days at No. 59 High School, it was perhaps only Mother Wang's personally cooked dishes that could fix his wounded heart.
As they ate, Father Wang pushed his black-rimmed glasses up and stared closely at Wang Ling for a bit before he sighed. "Tch, you seem to have grown fatter these last four days."
Wang Ling touched his face and felt that his cheeks had indeed seemed to have gotten meatier… this was probably because he had eaten Mother Juan's cooking and it was now fermenting in his stomach.
It didn't matter though, as losing weight had never been difficult for him…
Wang Ling rubbed his cheeks vigorously with both hands, and like plasticine, the fat on his face was instantly smoothed out.
 "…" Even this could f**king work?!
This was the first time that Father and Mother Wang had witnessed this ability of his.
Father Wang ate a mouthful of rejuvenation noodles. "These last four days, how was it, living in a large group?"
Wang Ling was taken aback, but in the end shook his head.
"I heard that when Ming Ming brought you the talisman seal, a lot of things happened?"
Wang Ling nodded.
Father Wang sighed. "Actually, I think you're just too nervous. Maybe if you act more naturally, nothing will happen. You should spend more time with your peers, understand?"
Wang Ling continued nodding.
"Enough! Why bring this up when we're eating!"
Mother Wang interrupted Father Wang. "But Ling Ling, don't forget to do a bit of homework revision these two days. Although you shouldn't do too well, you shouldn't be at the bottom of the class, at least. Just study whatever is necessary. I've already asked about the classes you missed, and I especially made the trip to school to pick up the review materials. It should be enough for you to take a few minutes later to have a quick look at them."
 "Okay." Concise and comprehensive, this was the first word Wang Ling had spoken after coming home.
In truth, he didn't need to review courses like Dao talismans and magical skills at all. But for courses like history and political science, he still had to spend some time memorizing the materials. Even for top students in the elite class like Feather Lin and Lotus Sun, catching up on one week's worth of classes and digesting the knowledge would still take them a whole day.
In contrast, it was a lot more convenient for Wang Ling, who could use his speed reading and memorization skills… mother never has to worry about my studies[4]!
But Wang Ling didn't want to be disturbed by anyone after he started his wonderful weekend of study, especially when he was using his quick memorization skill. If someone disturbed him at that time, it was highly possible it would result in him remembering things wrongly.
And so, to prevent this from happening, Wang Ling opened up his stationery pouch…
The monster pen and goblin eraser that he had created with magic previously could help him maintain order.
[1] Basically, the author is giving an example of someone bizarre enough who might be able to break into the live stream market. Third Young Master Tang is the pseudonym of a very famous web novelist, and "five rings" is from the popular 'Song of the Fifth Ring,' a song by Chinese rapper MC Hotdog.
[2] Adapted from the original Japanese word moe 萌え, the word 萌 or meng in pinyin can simply mean "cute," but at a deeper level, also refers to feeling fondness, devotion or excitement for someone.
[3] As a reminder, shou is used to describe the person who is the bottom in a BL relationship.
[4] This tagline is from a Chinese TV ad for an electronic device produced under BBK Electronics which helps teach children how to read.


As a cultivation genius who has achieved a new realm every two years since he was a year old, Wang Ling is a near-invincible existence with prowess far beyond his control. But now that he’s sixteen, he faces his greatest battle yet - Senior High School. With one challenge after another popping up, his plans for a low-key high school life seem further and further away...
Wang Ling: I just want to eat my crispy noodle snacks in peace...
Father Wang: If you're careless enough to destroy the country, it’s coming out of your pocket money. 
Wang Ling: It’s not my fault that the backlash from punching me kills you.
Please support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/henyeetranslationsDLIK
If we hit certain milestones, we will release more chapters in a mass release!
Tags: comedy, school, cultivation, tsundere, popular culture, almighty protagonist, action

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