Now only one thing remained to be done, the knife was in her hand in seconds, the need to sign her work was overpowering. Within a few hours Chanella was home, showered and feeling proud of herself, while James hung, like criminals used to be, a beautiful, red C clearly visible on his naked chest, after all, who leaves someone a present without signing the card. That’s just poor manners. 

criminals have been slipping between the governments finger tips for far too long, Chanella Foreska decided her town needed someone to clean the streets like the police should. The local cleaner was a vigilante that was well known and talked about, they were someone that caught the people that never paid the price for the unjust actions they committed. But what happens when someone finds out exact what shes doing, will she follow her vigilante philosophy in her own life ?

The farm, which had been quiet all winter, was animated with the appearance of Park Jongil. With his natural charisma, he had quickly developed a close camaraderie with Gerhardt's family, exchanging jokes with them all the time. He had been kissing up to Gerhardt's father, who was Karajan's uncle, in such an obvious way that it made Youngho cringe whenever he saw them together. In order to earn Karajan's affection, he was targeting her family. The Fatima siblings also favored him.
 
His fun and naïve character caused the farm to be filled with laughter. His key strategy to pull everyone on his side was to make them smile. Within five days, he made everyone on the farm his friends, and now he started to flirt with the female employees in Youngho's stores. However, strangely he became stiff in front of Karajan. He seemed to be nervous in front of a person he really liked, which surprised Youngho as he witnessed his friend's new side.
 
Jongil should have been an English Literature major instead of Youngho. His English, which was learned in barely over a year, was fluent enough for him to be considered a person who lived in a native country for a long time. He was even teaching English to the Fatima siblings now. Even though he stopped after Youngho's scolding, he was still a hopeless guy who was looking around to find the second Fatima. After Jongil came to the farm, Youngho experienced not-so-boring days. Although he was like a troublesome little brother, being with him felt reassuring. After all, he was a bodyguard and a current drill instructor with a great, well-built body; he even bragged that he had not been beaten up by anyone in his entire life.
 
When Youngho introduced Jongil to the director, they became close like brothers in short time. Jongil was a people magnet. Youngho thought of working with some of his friends, who were currently working as drill instructors for the militia, after they quit working for the militia, and Park Jongil was the perfect fit because his irresistible charisma could be a huge plus as a businessman.
 
***
 
Sumqayit, an industrial city, was located thirty kilometers northwest of Baku. It was a distance of a thirty to forty minute drive for a roundtrip. Petroleum refineries and many different factories were crowdedly built, so much so that the environment was devastating enough to be called one of the most crowded places in the world. The local laborers were paid high, so the consumption rate was also high. In this city, Chunho Merchant's third direct store was finally opened. On a Saturday, they held a grand opening event and started the store's regular sales.
Most people in Sumqayit usually shopped in Baku. When Chunho Merchant's store was opened in the region, it became the center of people's attention. The store was decorated to look classy and high quality, just like other Baku's luxury stores. The local people already knew that the four-leaf clover design of Chunho Merchant's label was well-known in Baku, and it quickly became popular.
The store was the same size as Baku's direct store, which was about 3560 sq. ft. It had a little resting area where free Korean tea was served for its customers. In a week, the store became such a hot spot for the rich ladies of the town that all of them had visited the store at least once.
The weekly sales added up to ten million won, which meant that it could rise up to forty million won of profit monthly. The net profit for each clothing was 60% of its sales price. After deducting the rent fee, trade taxes, store maintenance fee, and employee payments, it would still leave fifteen million won as a net profit. After hearing the amount of the profit, the director could not close his mouth in surprise. It was almost three times the wage of a regular government official.
In a big city like Baku, newly opened stores were not noticeable, but in a city like Sumqayit, word spread fast. Now that people knew Chunho Merchant's store was increasing its sales, it became very popular to its customers and other uninvited guests. Youngho received an urgent call from Karajan.
"Boss, there were some visitors in the store. They wanted to see you, but the atmosphere was rather unusual."
"Karajan, calm down and speak slowly. Why did they want to see me?"
"You know, it was just strange. They said they want to be a business partner and invest in this store."
At her words, Youngho shut his eyes, realizing that something he was worried about had finally happened.
It could have been a mafia organization active in local small towns. There were various oil factories in Sumqayit. Because of an abundance of interest, mafias with huge funds invested in the legal oil industry. From the CIA, Youngho heard that the mafias that were arrested in Baku were only the tip of the iceberg, and the bigger mafias who were related to the political sphere were still safe and active. Forcing their way into becoming a business partner where the business was already established was their way to threaten the common businessmen. They would overtake the business after investing some of their money and finding any faults in the business system.
Although the director said he would contact the police department in Sumqayit when Youngho called him, Youngho could not just trust policemen to take care of his business. He was considering making some agreements about his business with the mafias. Not because he did not have power, but because there an order among the local businesses, which outsiders did not know of. If he did not react carefully, it might also affect the stores in Baku, which were doing great. Mafias could bring trouble because they were obsessive over their targets. Youngho had to make a decision on whether he should make a business arrangement with them or not. He decided to meet them in person.
If he did not bring some kind of conclusion to the mafias, they would keep bothering him and the customers in the stores. They might burn down Youngho's stores in the dark or scare his employees, so that they would not work for Youngho. There were so many risk factors for Youngho's businesses.
 
***
 
Youngho went to his store in Sumqayit, taking Park Jongil with him. Having fifteen days of the break left, Jongil, who was getting bored at the moment, followed him excitedly at the thought of crushing them, even wanting to overtake their organization. Youngho regretted bringing him along. Even though Jongil was a smart guy, he was ill-tempered, so he might act recklessly in an unexpected circumstance. He would make the situation worse since the mafias could be a big problem if they became his enemy. Youngho planned to act carefully since he did not know what the mafias were up to just yet.
The business card he received from Karajan belonged to Rodion, the manager of an oil manufacturer in Sumqayit. His name was the same as a main character's name from a Russian writer, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. To Youngho's knowledge, the main character was a murderer. It could not possibly be his real name. Youngho thought that he probably was a psychopath with an evil character. It was already frustrating to meet this unknown guy with an unlikeable name.
After setting up the contact location and time, Youngho ended up in a café with a shady and damp atmosphere. They seemed to have decided to use dirty tricks to intimidate Youngho by putting him in a dreary atmosphere in an unknown place. Youngho smirked at their strategy. A giant guy with tattoos all over his face worked as a bartender. The café was full of unpleasant cigarette smoke, and the mixed smell of alcohol and foods, that Youngho frowned as soon as he stepped in. Even the floor was even muddy with water.
However, Youngho was not intimidated by their strategy. Youngho thought about where to draw the line. He could just use force to drive them away from his stores, but it would be only a temporary solution. However, he could not give up his stores either. Youngho had to make them walk away on their own, but he could not think of a way. He glanced at Jongil, who was standing next to him with his face just full of a competitive spirit. Knowing that his friend would not be the solution, Youngho decided to just face them for now.

Empire of the Ring is a Korean modern fantasy epic adventure novel that sets in the nations of the Caucasus mountain range which separates Europe and Asia. The nations of Caucasus are regions of many conflicts over territories, ethnicities, and religions. The story begins as Lee Youngho, a warm-hearted Korean merchandiser, takes a business trip to a disputed territory of the Caucasus nations to sell Korean unmanned security systems only to get misconstrued as a spy and caught by Armenian militia. Youngho eventually gets involved with the militia and CIA to help out people of the regions from conflicts and works toward a birth of a new empire in Caucasus.

This is an ongoing novel from Korea with more than 750 chapters as of today. The pace can feel a little bit slow in the beginning but as the story unfolds, you will be drawn into the world of Caucasus. If you are a modern fantasy/adventure lover, you will enjoy learning about different regions and cultures in Eurasia and Eastern Europe as Youngho travels around the places. Happy reading! 

*Disclaimer: The following contains depictions of religion and ethnic disputes. We do not support the author's views, we are only translating and editing the novel. This fictional novel is inspired by real-world people, places, and events — the author has taken these people, places, and events and embellished them as characters with conversations and backgrounds as done in fiction.

Common people were taken by surprise by the overwhelming advertising, the franchise stores that sprouted like bamboos after the rain, the giant posters in all municipalities, and all the news reported by the fashion media.
The L’Oréal agencies in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore were ordered to expand as soon as possible. They were determined to get a share of the large Chinese market, which was their final destination in Asia.
After his harsh previous presence in China, Qin Guan returned to his home country with L’Oréal like a king.
There were overwhelming advertisements of L’Oréal on TV, which made Chinese men survey themselves carefully. They had been taught that gentlemen should also pay attention to their appearance. Large pores, blackheads and oily skin were not a symbol of masculinity, but a skin problem.
More and more men felt compelled to buy professional cleansing lotion. They didn’t want to share their products with their wives anymore.
Even the fragrance of cologne could result in more invitations from their female colleagues. Everyone had the same reaction to the advertisement.
We could date foreign girls if we looked neat enough. Men also have the right to be beauty-conscious.
The counters at shopping malls couldn’t meet the demands of ordinary people, while the cosmetics shelves at large chain supermarkets like Carrefour and Wal-mart were decorated. 
Smaller shelves were filled with household products. The familiar foreign brand had conquered them.
To satisfy Chinese customers, they developed more and more products targeted at Asian women. As the trend spread, people remembered Qin Guan.
"He is Xuzhu, I remember him! He is still as handsome as ever!"
"It's said that he is studying abroad."
"He has captivated foreigners! He is an honor to us all. I’ll buy something to support him!"
Although L’Oréal products were much more expensive than domestic products, some people still felt inclined to buy them.
After advertising non-stop for one month, the sales report finally reached the L’Oréal headquarters in China.
With 853 million RMB, the Chinese market had achieved the second highest L’Oréal sales all over the world. The consuming potential of the Chinese market was terrifying!
The sales of a single product for men ranked eighth in the total sales volume, which took the management team by surprise.
"The person in charge of the advertisement should be rewarded for their good vision!"
"It was wise to choose Gong Li and Qin Guan as the brand ambassadors. Ask the PR Department to pay more attention to local Chinese actors."
"Yes, the market is large enough, so we can just focus on Chinese stars when choosing representatives in Asia."
"Agreed!"
Their objective for choosing Asian ambassadors had been achieved after that shocking sales report. If other Asian stars found out about this, they would get annoyed. This could be just blamed on the other countries’ smaller population though.
Unlike L’Oréal’s mass-oriented promotion, Tiffany adopted a more royal style. By cooperating with the Chinese Jewellery Association, the Chinese Brand Development Promotion Organization and a local diamond tycoon, it began its business in China in a very high-end manner. They only opened flagship stores in a few big cities in China.
 They opened luxury stores in the most prosperous shopping centers. The glass walls, uniform decorating style, large halls and considerate assistants of the stores showed the company’s determination to take over the Chinese market.
As the economic center of China, Shanghai became the first choice of the high-end jewellery brand. They opened six stores there and five stores in Beijing, which had a very large population. The fact that it was a political and cultural center also played a role.
Two stores opened in Tianjin, the port city in Northern China, which enjoyed a remarkable geographic location.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen got a store each. The two neighboring cities were in the lead when it came to rising trends in Southern China.
There were also stores in Chongqing, Shenyang, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Xi’an, Qingdao, Jinan, Harbin and Kunming, which were all important provincial capitals.
This was the first time Chinese people were getting in touch with foreign jewellery and concepts, such as miniature limited designer jewellery.
This amused the jade-carving masters, as well as traditional jade accessory brands. In their opinion, this was the trite expression of Chinese ancestors. In ancient China, people strived to turn waste into treasure.
It was such a stereotype!


Qin Guan was reborn and sent back to his final semester in High School 18 years ago. Getting a second chance at life, he works hard to turn things around and eventually become a Prince Charming. What will his life be like the second time around? What will he have to go through? How will he succeed in turning from a loser into a Prince Charming? Read this story carefully and find out!

It took a surprisingly long time for me to explain what a Heads-Up Display was, along with common features of one. As for why it took so long, I think the AI realized what it had been doing—reading the lower layers past my surface thoughts—was not really polite or at the least made me uncomfortable and consequently stopped pilfering my brain.

Only by the time I was stuffed back into my root ball prison did 37 (would it be rude to give him a nickname? Or should I just wait until he decides to name himself?) finally conclude that it would require time to assemble one.

Finally having the chance to check my phone, I saw the new interface and realized why an HUD was a difficult concept for the AI.

Neither one of us were all that artistically inclined. My basic knowledge of art and graphic design could be summed up with "Ooh, pretty!" or "There are drawing and 3D software for making things." As for the actual process or hows, I was basically clueless.

While the alien AI tried to figure out how to set up an HUD for the times it was inconvenient for me to pull out my phone, I rehashed what happened in the emergency tribunal. 

[Nori still got most of the meeting?]

Dismissing 37's surprise, I just sighed as I got acquainted with the revamped Terminal. 'I'm used to reading while sitting at lectures.'

It was convenient that none of the elves addressed the human directly even once, though it didn't really say anything good about my situation. The AI was right that I needed to escape or I'd be stuck in this root ball for a very long time.

[Will we escape tonight then?]

'Not yet.' 

The homescreen now basically had the profile picture I had on Facebook looking back at me. There was Level, HP/MP, EXP, along with status and money (which was set at zero). Very simple. There were text links for Inventory and Settings.

'Do I have a bag of holding by any chance?' I asked only partially hopeful. Escaping with what I had on hand was pretty difficult, along with the after of trying not to get caught. I wasn't even sure what direction to head other than "out of elven territory."

[… There is a subspace pocket dimension I was planning to connect to the Terminal. At the moment, only I have access to it. Initial access will be five slots, restricted to your bodyweight and dimensions you can carry.]

Alright, that was more than I had before. I thought about the mostly empty waterskin and the golden apple that was probably bruised from being in my pocket.

[I will manually access it for now until your access is set up in the Terminal.]

'Alright, thanks. Now, about those stores…'

[There are three stores available: The Market is available for local items. The Mall is for filtered items from your home. The Bazaar will not be available until Level 25. You cannot access the stores until Level 5.

[… Considering the difficulty level of our situation due to unfavorable conditions of the starting point, I am allowed to enact Emergency Protocols. In exchange for the currency you have access to from your Earth, I can procure limited items from the Mall. 

[I can also exchange currencies to the local one to get items from the Market, though you are limited to what can be accessed on hand with effort.]

Did he mean my wallet or my e-wallet? Because I rarely carried cash on me.

[You have $20,234.48 saved. Exchanging to local currency would make it 200 small gold coins, 4 half-gold coins, 3 silver, and 8 coppers.]

'Is the exchange rate fifty cents to a copper coin?'

[Yes]

Well, I could figure out what the worth of each coin was approximately worth based on the numbers given, not that it really told me what I could buy with it.

I suppose it didn't hurt to ask though.

'About those limited items from the Mall, I don't suppose flashbangs are included?'

[No, weapons are restricted.]

Somewhat having known the answer as there were multiple scenarios in fiction of what would happen if medieval societies were placed against modern-day weapons, I was still a bit disappointed. What I really needed was a distraction, because I was already on the outskirts of Aure City but there were guards around the Banyan Prison.

Maybe I could improvise something if I had access to the ingredients—


KClO4 or KNO3. Al is needed, of course.

[…]

Considering what I want to use it for… 3 KClO4 + 8 Al → 3 KCl + 4 Al2O3—

[Chemicals are restricted.]

Not even bleach and—

[Nori, no.]

I was mostly kidding about that last one.

Yo. Name's Nori. I'm just an ordinary twenty-year-old university student—really—that woke up transported to this world called Gaellia one day. On my first day, I find myself thrown in jail and met my partner that will travel with me: an AI that I have a telepathic bond with.

[Nori, there are monsters attacking the city.]

Not my problem.

"Big Sis! I bought this dress for you!"

"Bro! Let's head to the gate to see who would get a higher kill count!"

[Nori, if you do this mission, you can read 50,000 words of a new title—]

Ah! Alright already, I get it!


**On hiatus for volume compilation**
***Volume Two being roughed out***
{Note: Written in 1st Person POV. Nori is nonbinary. Romance-free for Nori but lots of misunderstandings happen.}

2016 May 03

Embraced on 3 sides by mountains resides the simple yet advanced Lan Kong Town. The main roads connecting to the train station are bustling with life, as people scurry along their busy daily lives.

Clothing outlets, bento eateries, telecommunication stores, and all sorts of shops from A to Z line the streets, serving all the local residents and tourists traveling through.

If the opportunity to visit Lan Kong Town ever arises, don't forget to savor the local delicacy: Bu meat, as it's unique processing grants it a distinct taste that'll make you come back for more.

Listen to our voice!
Chelsea, a girl who wholeheartedly loves baking and singing. Due to an unexpected event, she and her Lan Kong High School classmates decided to pursue their mutual dream, leading to the birth of their band VOEZ. Over time they face obstacles and fight hardships together, completely devoting themselves to band practice so the world may hear their voices.

Sowell Georgia is the type of town seen in movie pictures.  It may be bigger than others, but it has its peace and cheer and basks in the warmth of the bright yellow sun.  It's the type of place where you can walk the streets and visit every family run business around the block; from restaurants to antique shops, from grocery stores to auto shops.  People will greet each other with a smile, always having the time, never rushing.  Despite it being large, most people pretty much know each other.  

Kids can be seen riding their bikes or climbing trees in the park.  Their joyful laughter filling the air.  School bells ringing around 3:30 pm as students are loaded onto the bus.  On Saturdays, husbands mow their lawns as wives tend to their gardens.  College kids collect at the mall.  Maybe a local library to study, or attend the local museums.  Sunday mornings are spent at church where the local pastors greet each and every face with a friendly hello.  You'll even find a church around any corner.  Then come Mondays, it's back to school with kids and back to work with parents.

You'll cruise through the streets as the radio plays jazz; seeing memorials of past civil rights members painted on the sides of buildings.  A smile will form on your face with the misses by your side.  The man who takes your order will smile as you walk through the restaurant door.  You may strike up a conversation with the man next to you at the bar as you both enjoy a nice burger.  You'll even make a friend with a smiling melatonin face you meet.  

That's Sowell in a nutshell.  Yep, it sounds like a pretty great place right?  It's a tight knit community, a very friendly place.  After reading this, you may want to go there yourself.  I wouldn't blame you.
Just north of Sowell is the little suburban town of Vito.  There isn't much to it.  Farm lands stretch for miles as cows graze in the fields.  Roads are eclipsed by the shadows of trees as the sun shines through the rustling leaves.  Horse stables can be seen quite commonly.

Most of Vito is pretty much residential.  Large two story houses are seen in cul-de-sacs with acres of land to themselves.  Still, as one goes further into town, they'll see the busy business district.  There's a large area with shops and restaurants, mostly franchise.  Bits of trash scatter across the parking lot.  Customers shout at the employees at a name brand store.  Bored teens will drink and smoke behind convenience stores.  They'll get into trouble for the fun of it when they can.  You may find a church every so often.

Don't let Vito's size full you.  Its economy is going great.  Its home to various corporations that pay its employees a good wage.  Even the local farmers do pretty well.  Despite this, it lacks a friendly attitude.  Most of the inhabitance tend to be rude.  Kids tend to spend their times playing video games.  Adults frequent local bars and drown themselves in alcohol.  Petty crime is rampant as there's little entertainment.  Cops tend to be kept busy.  

I wouldn't recommend visiting Vito.  It's really nothing but trouble.  There's nothing that attracts visitors, and plenty of reasons to stay away.  When the people of Vito want something different, they usually go elsewhere.  It's not uncommon for them to get into trouble.  I'd stay away from Vito is I were you.  It's not a place you'd want to be.

On South Street in Sowell's residential area, in a small house there lives the Gordon family.  They're an average family in Sowell.  Desean, the father and husband, works as a chef in a popular diner, feeding the hungry people of Sowell.  His wife, Judy, is involved with various projects, taking care of her community.  

Plastered across the wall are family pictures throughout the years.  In these pictures, you'll see their two beautiful children.  The eldest is Gerome Gordon, a young kid now studying economics in college.  In high school, Gerome played for his school's basketball team.  Now he plays for his college.  Though, his main interest is hiphop, and he dreams of being a famous artist.  

Next to Gerome in the pictures is Ivy, Desean and Judy's lovely daughter.  Ivy is a straight A student in school and is involved with her school's student government.  She is ambitious in her studies, especially when it comes to civil rights and black history.  She dreams one day that she joins the political world, advocating for African Americans and fighting against racial violence.

Though, a new edition was added to the family recently.  And her name is Delia Gordon, Ivy and Gordon's cousin.  Both of Delia's parents were killed by a lone gunmen who got away before he could be identified.  The police are still on the search for this killer, promising to convict him to the fullest extent of the law.  Because of which, Delia now lives with her aunt and uncle.  She has become something of a sister to Ivy, due to being of the same age.

Delia has often struggled with her grades.  However, she was blessed with good looks and hangs out with the popular girls.  Unfortunately, she has also gotten into some trouble.  Three approximate times she's showed up at the door, escorted by police authorities.  Both Desean and Judy believe she acts out due to depression for her parents being killed.  They hope that one day, Ivy will help guide her along the straight path.  The two girls are very close, and 
Ivy promises that no girl should ever go through what Delia has.  And she'll make sure of it.

Running through the house is Stud, the family's pet Corgi.  Stud waits hour after hour waiting to greet the Gordons each day.  He scampers several rooms in seconds on his tiny legs.  A big wide smile to welcome them home as he delivers a dozen excited kisses.  And they reward him as they pet and rub his loath like body and scratch him between the ears.  Stud always knows how to deliver a smile on people's faces.

Sowell Georgia is the type of town seen in movie pictures.  It may be bigger than others, but it has its peace and cheer and basks in the warmth of the bright yellow sun.  It's the type of place where you can walk the streets and visit every family run business around the block; from restaurants to antique shops, from grocery stores to auto shops.  People will greet each other with a smile, always having the time, never rushing.  Despite it being large, most people pretty much know each other.  

Kids can be seen riding their bikes or climbing trees in the park.  Their joyful laughter filling the air.  School bells ringing around 3:30 pm as students are loaded onto the bus.  On Saturdays, husbands mow their lawns as wives tend to their gardens.  College kids collect at the mall.  Maybe a local library to study, or attend the local museums.  Sunday mornings are spent at church where the local pastors greet each and every face with a friendly hello.  You'll even find a church around any corner.  Then come Mondays, it's back to school with kids and back to work with parents.

You'll cruise through the streets as the radio plays jazz; seeing memorials of past civil rights members painted on the sides of buildings.  A smile will form on your face with the misses by your side.  The man who takes your order will smile as you walk through the restaurant door.  You may strike up a conversation with the man next to you at the bar as you both enjoy a nice burger.  You'll even make a friend with a smiling melatonin face you meet.  

That's Sowell in a nutshell.  Yep, it sounds like a pretty great place right?  It's a tight knit community, a very friendly place.  After reading this, you may want to go there yourself.  I wouldn't blame you.
Just north of Sowell is the little suburban town of Vito.  There isn't much to it.  Farm lands stretch for miles as cows graze in the fields.  Roads are eclipsed by the shadows of trees as the sun shines through the rustling leaves.  Horse stables can be seen quite commonly.

Most of Vito is pretty much residential.  Large two story houses are seen in cul-de-sacs with acres of land to themselves.  Still, as one goes further into town, they'll see the busy business district.  There's a large area with shops and restaurants, mostly franchise.  Bits of trash scatter across the parking lot.  Customers shout at the employees at a name brand store.  Bored teens will drink and smoke behind convenience stores.  They'll get into trouble for the fun of it when they can.  You may find a church every so often.

Don't let Vito's size full you.  Its economy is going great.  Its home to various corporations that pay its employees a good wage.  Even the local farmers do pretty well.  Despite this, it lacks a friendly attitude.  Most of the inhabitance tend to be rude.  Kids tend to spend their times playing video games.  Adults frequent local bars and drown themselves in alcohol.  Petty crime is rampant as there's little entertainment.  Cops tend to be kept busy.  

I wouldn't recommend visiting Vito.  It's really nothing but trouble.  There's nothing that attracts visitors, and plenty of reasons to stay away.  When the people of Vito want something different, they usually go elsewhere.  It's not uncommon for them to get into trouble.  I'd stay away from Vito is I were you.  It's not a place you'd want to be.

On South Street in Sowell's residential area, in a small house there lives the Gordon family.  They're an average family in Sowell.  Desean, the father and husband, works as a chef in a popular diner, feeding the hungry people of Sowell.  His wife, Judy, is involved with various projects, taking care of her community.  

Plastered across the wall are family pictures throughout the years.  In these pictures, you'll see their two beautiful children.  The eldest is Gerome Gordon, a young kid now studying economics in college.  In high school, Gerome played for his school's basketball team.  Now he plays for his college.  Though, his main interest is hiphop, and he dreams of being a famous artist.  

Next to Gerome in the pictures is Ivy, Desean and Judy's lovely daughter.  Ivy is a straight A student in school and is involved with her school's student government.  She is ambitious in her studies, especially when it comes to civil rights and black history.  She dreams one day that she joins the political world, advocating for African Americans and fighting against racial violence.

Though, a new edition was added to the family recently.  And her name is Delia Gordon, Ivy and Gordon's cousin.  Both of Delia's parents were killed by a lone gunmen who got away before he could be identified.  The police are still on the search for this killer, promising to convict him to the fullest extent of the law.  Because of which, Delia now lives with her aunt and uncle.  She has become something of a sister to Ivy, due to being of the same age.

Delia has often struggled with her grades.  However, she was blessed with good looks and hangs out with the popular girls.  Unfortunately, she has also gotten into some trouble.  Three approximate times she's showed up at the door, escorted by police authorities.  Both Desean and Judy believe she acts out due to depression for her parents being killed.  They hope that one day, Ivy will help guide her along the straight path.  The two girls are very close, and Ivy promises that no girl should ever go through what Delia has.  And she'll make sure of it.

Running through the house is Stud, the family's pet Corgi.  Stud waits hour after hour waiting to greet the Gordons each day.  He scampers several rooms in seconds on his tiny legs.  A big wide smile to welcome them home as he delivers a dozen excited kisses.  And they reward him as they pet and rub his loath like body and scratch him between the ears.  Stud always knows how to deliver a smile on people's faces.

--Baymard-- 
.
It was a fine day!
The air was warm, and the sky was blue.
It was the perfect beach weather, as it signified summer's vibrant splendour.
Today, Baymard seemed to be in a complete uproar.
The streets had been filled with people running up and down in a frenzy.... as they tried to get to the nearest stores.
O.M.G... It was launching today!
.
The people quickly stormed the stores, as they were hurrying to get these goods before they finally sold out.
Indeed, this wild crowd had a mind of its own.
Like swarming bees..... the people hustled and bustled, as they bumped into each other here and there.
Some accidently stepped on others toes, while others had been lined outside stores for several minutes now.
And what did they want to get?
What was so damn important for them to run around like mad people?
One word.... 'Radios'.
.
Well... radio communicative devices already existed in Baymard.
But they were only used by the Baymard's security forces.
Hence civilians didn't have access to them.
Radio frequency gadgets like Walkie-Talkies were already used by the army, police, security guards, and so on.
As well as Radio communications within official cars like police cars.
Bottom line, only protective forces used them.
But today, Baymard was officially launching its first Radio which would have channels and stations on them.
.
Now... ever since Landon had come back from that mission in June, he had been training some of the slaves to be on-air radio personals.
They had been training for 2 months now, and Landon felt like they were now truly ready.
One shouldn't forget that the Radio station and towers had already been constructed way back.
In fact, Landon would've launched these radios in spring.
But with the mission at hand, he chose to launch it today.
.
As for the radio stations, for now.... there would only be 5 stations, which offered numerous talks on them.
And since Baymard had the same first letter as 'Britain'.... then instead of British Broadcasting Corporation, Landon had switched it to Baymardian Broadcasting Corporation.
In short, it was still the 'BBC'.
Did he steal it from earth?... Yup!!
Was he sorry about doing so?..... Nope!!
It was too iconic, and quite frankly... very easy going on the eyes, or should he say tongue.
.
As for these stations, their names were like so.
1) BBC Radio 1 (88-91 FM): 
▪Local News
▪International News (provided by Landon or spies)
* Of course that also includes war, policies, territories that signed treaties with Baymard, rules and so on.
2) BBC Radio 2 (90-93 FM):
▪Sports
▪Adult-oriented topics, with podcasts on love, Valentine's day, happiness and so on.
3) BBC Radio 3 (91-99 FM):
▪Everything Beauty, from how to take care of skin, teeth and so on... (of course, this station would definitely become popular with the ladies.)
▪Medical Health & Safety, and podcasts from some doctors that educate people on what they're doing wrong and so on. 
▪Food related recipes
.
4) BBC Radio 4 (92-95 FM):
▪Businesses, like Job opportunities, important concerts available, news on when public attractions like the Zoo get competed... and so on.
*important newspaper info would also be added to these segments.
5) BBC Station 5 (97-99 FM):
▪Historical, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Comedic Children's story times.
*here, children could listen to new stories anytime of the day.
Anyway, these were Baymard's current stations.
.
And within each individual station, certain time frames would be dedicated for each segment.
Take for example BBC Radio 5, which had 5 children's genres in total.
From:
•Comedic stories~ from  9 - 9:45 A.M
•Dramatical stories~ 10 - 10:45 A.M
•Historical stories~ 11-11:45 A.M
•Sci-Fi or Sciencey ~ 1-1:45 P.M
•Fantasy stories~ 2 - 2:45 P.M
.
And since these stations would close by 9 P.M, then the exact stories would be repeated on that same order from 3 to 8:45 P.M.
One should know that Baymard didn't have any recording or playback devices right now.
Hence they had no choice but to repeat again the same things again and again.
In doing so, those children who missed it due to school and so on... could listen to them again later in the day.
The same went for the workers who would miss news, sports and so on.
In short, these Radio Stations had to cater for everyone's needs.
.
Within the busy stores..... the people squeezed and pushed their way in, as if they were in some sort of fight club.
And in a blink of an eye, these Radios had almost sold out.
Right now, in one of the stores.... only 4 Radios remained.
.
'Dun! Dun! Dun!'
All the customers who had just managed to get in.... quickly made their way towards the shelves.
As soon as they neared the shelves, their eyes immediately turned into predator mode.
The scene immediately turned into a battlefield for them.
.
One of the customers ran as fast as he could, but when he was closing in on  the shelf... someone literally dived on top of him, pushed him down, and rolled away.
'_'
He looked up and realised that it was a woman.
She was definitely cheating!
She looked back at him, and smirked....as if saying: Who told you not to use these moves?
Unfortunately for her, in that split second when she looked back.... someone else ran with a cart, and literally hit her from her side with it, accidentally allowing her to fall into the cart.
.
From there, the man pushed the cart towards the crowd behind him... as if trying to buy himself more time.
The woman glared at him hatefully.
'Can't you see that I'm a woman?"
'Woman Shwomam.... this is equality!!'
'__'
.
Very different from the chaotic scenes within the stores.... those who had just gotten their own Radios, where excitedly listening to the news in amazement.
Santa and his gang were amongst them as well.
One had to know that they had gone undercover in disguise just to get their own as well.
And just from this experience, they had soon realized that they weren't above battling for them as well.
Damn! 
They had done all sorts of crazy stunts, just to get their Radios as well.
Was it crawling on the floors?.... they had done that!
Jumping over people?... Uhhhhh do you still need to ask?
.
At first they wanted to be civilized... but when they saw how crazy the crowd was, they quickly threw those idiotic thoughts out of the way.
F*** it!!
It was now or never!
They entered the jungle, and managed to come out victorious... with little claw marks here and there of course.
.
After reading the instructions that came with the Radio..... Carmelo plugged in the radio, and quickly pressed the tiny red dot on the device.
"Wait!.... turn it to FM 88-91.... I think that's the BBC Station 1!" Adrian said excitedly.
Carmelo turned the large extended disc on the device.... until he got to the first station.
And very quickly, they could hear someone's voice coming from the device.
.
"In other local news, Baymard's first Car show would take place 5 days from now.
We have all been taking our driving exams since last year.... and now, everyone would get the chance to own their own cars.
As for what this car show is?
Well...  you'll just have to see won't you.
I'm Karen Wimblow... and this is the BBC Radio station 1.
Well take a short 15 minutes break now... and when we resume, we'll talk about the latest political development in Arcadina... as well as that from the empire of Terique.
So stay tuned with us, because later on... we will be looking at International news."
.
As they listened on, everyone's eyes almost dropped out of their sockets.
"This is amazing!"
"Just how does that brat keep doing it?"
"Mummy, mummy, is there a person inside this tiny metal Radio?"
"I... I don't know....."
"__"
.
After a while, they switched to other stations, and were thoroughly drawn in... by what they were hearing.
The women wanted to know how to prevent wrinkles.... but the men wanted to either switch back to sports, business or news.
As for the children, they had gotten a glimpse of these stories... and had wanted to keep the channel there.
Looking at the radio, they couldn't help but feel like crying.
They had fought their way in, and had only managed to get one radio.
Now everyone was fighting for it.
The only question they had rightnow, was when the next set of radios would be placed back in stores.
.
"Are you looking to die?... Keep it at station 3!"
"Let me die.... . we'll leave it at station 2!!"
"Pui!... what do you all know?.... it'll stay at station 1, didn't you hear that international news would soon start?"
"And so what?... I want to know about my beauty regimen."
"Station 5..."
"Station 4..."
"__"
.
And just like that, Radio madness had quickly swept over the entire Baymard like a storm.
Ah!... technology.


Author here; Please make sure to check out my other book!
Thank you all for tuning in..... English is my second language... so I promise to try my best.
Again, the first few chapters may seem slow, but trust me, everything will fall into place. there's a reason for everything.
Discord: https://discord.gg/5Fk75rXXRj

Oh... and be sure to check out my other books;
•In A Cultivation World With An Entertainment Park... &
•Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?

Well, now back to the synopsis....
Er-erhmm. 
...............
.
Chu Yi dies in a car crash and becomes Landon Barn, the illegitimate son of king Barn, ruler of Arcadina. Because his mother was a maid and the king’s greatest disgrace, his father had always despised him. The same could be said for his half-siblings. 

When he turned 15, his father had announced that the city of Baymard would be given to him, and would no longer be under the empire's control. It was a well known fact that Baymard’s lands were barren, and poverty stricken.... For god’s sake, this was banishment.

His deadbeat father had indirectly banished him from the empire.

Chu Yi woke up in a carriage, on his way to Baymard with a system

"So what if my father hates me? So what if I’m banished?.... I will turn my territory into a modern society"

.


Author-san: the book is a bit fast paced. But it be really be worth it. so just give it a try and you might be surprised.

It was the first time for He Xiyan to see such a scene. Before, Chen Jiahang came alone. She had been confined at home for more than two months and could not go out. Then she refused to eat anything for two days, which frightened Chen Jiahang to tears, then he could only set her free.
She looked at a board brought by the merchant, which showed the purchase price of various agricultural products:
Local chicken: 8 yuan/jin
Local duck: 6.5 yuan/jin
Bacon: 7 yuan/jin
Local eggs: 0.3 yuan each
Local duck eggs: 0.4 yuan each
Dried chili pepper: 4.5 yuan/jin
Dried fish pieces (bullhead or grass carp): 6 yuan/jin
Fire-dried fish: 7 yuan/jin
...
What a low price! So cheap?
Looking at the price list, He Xiyan could not help sighing deeply, indeed feeling sympathy for the villagers living here. These agricultural products must be sold in the city market at least four times the purchase price, and some even more than five or six times the purchase price.
The profit was earned by the middlemen. The peasants here worked hard and ended up with a little income. Nevertheless, they had no other way. With no knowledge and a little literacy, they didn't know how to sell their products. What was worse, the traffic here was inconvenient. Living far from the city, they had been in the mountains all year round, having no way to get to know the outside world.
"Here are ours, eight old hens and seventy eggs. You calculate them for me." A woman in her fifties pushed herself into the crowd, who, appearing quite aggressive, pushed the other villagers in front of her away directly.
Then she waved her hands, motioning her son to pull everything over.
Her actions quickly aroused some people's discontent. After all, everyone was queuing in line.
"Well well, sister Li, are you going to sell all your chickens? Why don't you save a few for your new daughter-in-law?" A woman teased.
This Wang family was widely known recently. It was said that the daughter-in-law bought by his family had tried to run away several times and that she was locked up at home after being caught back, mad and insane.
Sister Li looked very unhappy with her face pulled long. "What do you care so much?" She said angrily, casting a fierce look at the meddler.
Merchants quickly did the account for Wang Zhi's family. Eight chickens totaled 27 jin, 216 yuan and 70 local eggs totaled 21 yuan. So she sold them for 237 yuan altogether.
After counting the money over and over again and making sure that there was no mistake, she put all the money into her pocket, leaving no penny to her son Wang Zhi.
It was now Chen Jiahang's turn. Because he couldn't speak, he just put everything he brought in front of the merchants, including 35 bottles of chopped pepper sauce and 2.5 kilograms of dried fish.
He Xiyan stood beside him. She went to the merchant and looked at him, who seemed to be very good at making business. She leaned down and smiled at the man in front of her.
"Brother, can you give us a more reasonable price?" She smiled and said.
The merchant, named Liu Mingdong, had been dealing local products for more than ten years and owned several stores in downtown county and provincial capital. It was the first time for him to see a sister bargaining with him. After all, in this rural area, there were few merchants coming to purchase local products, so he could keep the price down.
He looked at the sister with some doubts, who, white and pure, did not look like a rural resident at all. She also spoke standard Mandarin, unlike villagers who spoke dialect or nonstandard Mandarin.


Married rich for three years with no child born. Just when she was finally cured of infertility and ready to give him a child, he brought home his pregnant mistress in high profile. 

"Get lost if you can't get knocked up. Or do you want my son to be the last of the Mo family?" her mother-in-law viciously cursed. 

Her husband grimly shoved a divorce agreement upon her face, "I've signed. Leave when you are ready."

It was heard later that two men went physical in the city plaze of Ye City to win back the wife, with the two babies at the side fighting fiercely for their mom!

This is a story of a woman's search for a new life and bliss while abandoning her tragic past. 


This town. Grand from the outside; filled with new and exciting opportunities for anyone not looking to ask to many questions. People from all over come to escape their past for a new beginning. Each one for their own reasons; some to live and others to live free and die young. The second someone looks closer however, they may see things that cannot be unseen.
Alexander is just like anyone else who wants to live in the town; he wants to start a new life, a life he is hoping to fill with grand adventures. He wants this change as he feels lost - he doesn't know what he wants in life, so he feels the first thing to do is to move to somewhere else; a fresh start. One day, the opportunity arrives for Alexander to leave his hometown forever and set off to start on his new path in life.
It is late winter when Alexander finally arrives after months of traveling. He steps off the horse drawn carriage and surveys his new environment. Everyone as far as the eye can see huddles in torn coats hoping to escape the frost. Wanting to explore the place he now calls home; Alexander begins to wander. He first visits the local stores to see what new and exciting wares they sell.
"Did you hear?" A voice sounds behind him. Alexander stops and looks around. Peaking his head, he finds that two men are quietly talking at the back of the store.
"About what?" Alexander looks at something for one moment then turns his head towards the men the next; constantly shifting focus between the two.
"They found another body by the river." The two men walk to another part of the store whilst maintaining their conversation. Alexander stops looking at what is in his hand and moves within ear shot.
"Really?"
"Yeah." The two men exit the store leaving Alexander with questions.
He next visits the local tailors to see what they make. Once again, the shoppers were discussing the news. Alexander's hope rises as he might find out more, but it is quickly dashed as nothing new is said. Alexander leaves the tailor with an inquisitive look across his face. Wondering where the best place would be to learn more, Alexander heads towards the local bar. He opens the door and steps inside; everyone looks for a second before returning to their conversations. Alexander heads to the bar.

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