Bags of salt, spices and sugar stacked from inside the shop all the way out into the streets. Merchants loaded with goods going flooded the streets with their carriages.
The air was filled with fragrances emanating from all manner of spices. It was a prosperous, lively city at the side of the oasis. Sounds of metals being hammered and threads being woven were heard all over the place, as smiths and craftsmen were busy at work in their respective workshops.
The banner of the successor of the Kingdom of Swadia—Baron Kant—was hanging on the city gates. The citizens lived peaceful, happy lives, revering their lord from the bottom of their hearts.
Soldiers on the city walls armed with crossbows stood guard over the city, and footmen wearing mail armor patrolled the streets.  The place was one of peace and security.

Morning came and the trenches were being dug all across the walls of the capitol. The generals woke up with the sound of the bells of the Carabian capitol, alongside the hitting of the pickaxes and the digging of the sand.
Ixander oversaw the massive trench centre near the gates of Khatanabat. However, his face was filled with discontent. It was because the expected output of the tools were not met on the very first day the workshops changed production. The tools that were produced on that day was meager.
"I've been too optimistic on my estimates. There were only four hundred and seventy tools produced, as opposed to the expected seven hundred. This might be a problem that may hinder our progress" informed Farkan.
"And the remaining tools were only covered by the supplies the city already has…which only lasts until tomorrow, or the work will be halted" added Farkan.
Ixander then thought what the problem of the workshops could be. So he went to one of the workshops. He saw that the men working are around the clock, but was never able to meet the tools demand. Some were also inexperienced as they were apprentices.
Ixander then walked to the master blacksmith, and asked him. "What could be the problem? Why was not the demands for the tools met in this workshop?" asked Ixander.
"The men…well some died off the last war. Some however, are in the army. These rookies are working 'round the clock, they are yet to meet the demand!" said the master, making sure he is heard amongst the pounding of hot iron, heating of the blanks, and sharpening of the tools.
Ixander then thanked the master blacksmith. "Very well, I will act upon it."
Ixander then left the premises. One of the apprentices approached the master blacksmith and said "Whoa, was that the great Ixander? I only heard his name from stories, I never knew he was real."
"Well, yeah, I also thought he was also a myth. They said he could save Carab" the blacksmith said.
"I wonder how though, with all these tools?" added him as he laughed in a short while. "Ye, go back to work! We've got more of the shovels and pickaxes to mold…" ordered the blacksmith in a rusty, but friendly voice. "Make sure to haft them properly!"
Ixander then went quickly to the meeting of Generals, accompanied by his aides-de-camp and Farkan. The door was opened by the Carabian soldiers, and the retinue marched towards the room.
Ixander whispered to Farkan "Who commands the Militia?"
"Gabgor, he's on the side of that general who spitted on you."
"I forgot his name as well" said Ixander.
"That one, sir, is Harkab" said Farkan.
Ixander sighed, then said "I wonder how many names I am going to memorize my entire life…"
Ixander then asked the generals "Which one of you is Gabgor?"
"I am" said the general who was immediately beside Harkab.
Ixander looked at him, then at the table and ordered "Do a census among your men, and which one of them are toolsmiths."
"And why should I follow you?" asked Gabgor.
"Do you want me to lick and shine your boots for me to order you to save your country?" asked Ixander.
Ixander then continued "I've talked to the men who were working at the trenches. None of them were militiamen. Most of them were regulars who are willing to fight and die for their country with or without my command. Shame on you, and each and every one of you!"
He was about to march out of the room to enforce the command himself, but suddenly he stopped and looked back at Harkab and Gabgor.
Suddenly, a messenger from the queen arrived. "Good morning sir, a message from the majesty."
Farkan opened the message. He then read the message out loud. "The majesty announces that all the civil and military officials gather at the ballroom of the palace this afternoon. The majesty will announce officially some points."
Farkan then closed the letter, and threw it on the table. Ixander, with a sour face, went outside the room and oversaw the census of the militia being done.
In fact, he joined the census takers.
The tables were set up in front of the barracks to census the militia of their job, and to have quite a friendly talk with them.
"Name?"
"Yulijus sir."
"Occupation?"
"Well, I'm a soldier now, but I would be a shoemaker if I wished it. They call me a man with a jack on all trades!"
Ixander then looked up, then asked "Jack of all trades, so you know how to make tools from scratch as well then."
"Not only that, I almost became a master, if not of course for the foolishness I've done!" the soldier then laughed, then coughed, then tried to calm himself. "Haa… sorry, sorry, I just can't forget it. I sold all of the tools to a fur merchant for five carthres, and damn! The master held his head with both hands in frustration and said 'AYAYAAAAAAYYYY! You're going to kill my shop!' then he ran to me with his cleaver!" then he laughed so hard that his toothless gums were showing.
Ixander laughed as well, whilst holding his head in temples and shaking his head simultaneously. "B-but you would be willing to work at a shop again, just for the sake…"
"Ay! Ay! No no, if I went to the same master I'm dead!" then Yulijus laughed briefly.
"Tell me the name of the master, and I will show you away from him, to another shop."
Ixander then asked for the next man. The stream of interesting stories are not yet over for Ixander.
"Name?"
"Bambaro."
"Occupation?"
"Cuckold."
Ixander was writing his name and details, but then appeared unbelieving and confused. He stopped writing and raised his head. A dark skinned man is before him. "Sorry what did you say?"
"I do cuckolding."
Not only did Ixander hear the words for the first time as if it was a joke or not, the man in front of him repeated it!
"Cuckolding? Are you serious?"
"This is a census sir, I wouldn't lie like when I told the last lonely wife that she's the only one I have in mind."
Ixander's eyes widened. He shook his head in surprise. "S-so you earn from what you do?"
"So much sir. A single month of cuckolding with just one of the lonely wife earns me the entire year of a laborer."
Ixander's eyebrows raised and does not ask for more.
He then finished listing Bambaro's details, scoots over to another census taker and said "These men are quite interesting…"
"Not as interesting as I, if you may ask sir" said the census taker.
Ixander appeared curious and confused. The census taker then said "I was a smuggler going to Fortland, on the north. We drank so much that we trashed an entire in, and almost lit the gunpowder barrels at the neighboring gun shop."
Ixander scooted back at his table, appearing much more surprised. "I never knew some other's life were more interesting than I."
And so for the next few days of preparing trenches, getting back the smiths to their workshops to increase production of tools, they are now prepared for what hell the Albanese men will give them.
Farkan then went into Ixander's bureau. He then opened the door and entered. 
"The rations, are they enough?" asked Ixander.
"They are, and there are supposed to be more. But I have more reports from the harbor" said Farkan.
"I'm guessing the Albanese steamed fleet is going north and the Carabian navy is freaking out?" said Ixander.
Farkan remained in his position and steadied in there.
Ixander then stopped writing and stood. He wore his hat and said to Farkan "Come follow me…"
"To where?" asked Farkan.
"I heard the capital is best at silk weaving, so we will go there…" said Ixander.
So they went to the silk weavers. Most of the workers there were women, and so Ixander went to the owner's office and he drew something like a large sac.
"I would like you to form such. I advise you do not ask the purpose of it."
"I do not worry of this, if it is to save the city, but unless we know the dimension of the thing on this will be put, we will not be able to predict how this would work out" said the owner.
Ixander then pointed out what was necessary, not giving away what is to be done.
He then went to the carpenters, who were asked to make wooden fan-like light wood and a basket that is able to fit five people. Afterwards, he went to the gas lamp makers, then requested they make a burner.
Farkan was then curious as to what Ixander is planning to build.
"What are you planning to do?"
"You will know. I've also requested a workshop to make hooks, while the hemp shops were to make rope."
Then, the day finally came when everything was finished. The materials were sent out the field, and Ixander oversaw his plan in motion. It was none other than a hot air balloon which is able to propel.
He lit the flames above then asked Farkan and two aides to propel the balloon.
It was the first time that Farkan saw such device. He was impressed, and the people of Khatanabat looked at the sky. Some were panicked at what they saw, but some were admiring the view.
For Carab, it was a dawn of a new era. For Ixander, it was a success, a work well done which he did not expect to be a success.
Farkan smiled at the feeling of seeing the world below being so small. He then talked to Ixander. "The afternoon seven days ago, the majesty asked for a meeting. We were shocked that she showed herself finally to the grand audience, they never expected it. She announced that she will be crowned officially once the invaders are defeated, and will name someone to have a hand in her marriage."
"Her majesty said that?" asked Ixander.
"What I'm trying to say is, ever since you came to Carab…no…ever since you came to this world, you were a blessing of ration and humility…"
And so, they noticed the sun set from the horizon they are at.

Fourteen Years after the Kingdom of Alban's Fall before the Republicans, the Albanese state is now under the reins of Willemus and is soon going to form a nation with the newly powerful East Alban Confederacy. How will Ixander then live while these are all happening  knowing that he is Albanese in a Foreign Land? Ixander did not know that there holds more secret to who he really is... and his name.

Suddenly however, a man from our world died in a bar brawl, and.. VOILA! He is transported to this land primitive compared to the world he was in.

Follow Ixander in his journey to knowing his destiny and his duty to his homeland, the state of Alban.

yesterday I couldn't post the chapter because I was busy with some workshops and homework in my studies, so I apologize for that.
also because I've been looking for information about Soulland on their Wiki to try not to make any mistakes at the time of writing.
and I have realized that I could not find (or I am blind) information on the whole subject related to the divine rings.
So if any of you know any information, I appreciate his comment, which would help me write the future chapters I have planned.
Thanks for everything.
----------------------------------------------

Caim, someone who lived two past lives, is now reincarnated in a third life as another race in an unknown world.

---------------------
The first world centers on (Douluo Dalu 1) 200,000 ago, where beasts were at their peak and humans had just received the grace of the gods allowing them to cultivate and block beasts so they cannot become beast gods.
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I will only make a small harem of two or three women that I have already selected. I do not plan to add more in the future.
Caim will also travel to other worlds but with other purposes besides living in them.
---------------------
English is not my native language, so I am supporting myself with translators.
sorry for the grammar.

I skipped down the front steps of Town Hall with a stack of binders and my oversized handbag filled to the brim. My grant for the year's day camps and three-week summer camp had just been renewed. The taxes had also been paid and I was, for the first time in weeks, without a to-do list. It was quite exhilarating after the long weeks I'd had, confirming registrations and catering and if there were enough tents and extra sleeping bags incase a child forgot theirs and a hundred other tiny details. 
I had started a small story-telling and writing workshop in her small hometown of Turnstead a few years back, and it had become so popular, among both children and adults that parents from the nearby towns and city had also started sending their children. When a city newspaper wrote an article on my workshops, an eccentric old man- Philip McIntyre had wanted to invest and expand my business. I had been overjoyed and surprised that my small workshops could become something so big and bring joy to so many children. 
This year "FolkTales: Story-Telling and Writing Camp " had started workshops and day-camps in four new locations with over thirty children between the ages of 8-16 registering, over a hundred employees and the headquarters were located right here in Turnstead.
This year they were initiating an adult writing program and I had managed to rope in my friends from around town along with my siblings and the bingo club headed by Fiona Sheere, the town gossip. The workshop was free and taught the attendees how to make their content more engaging, more concise. Most of the people who had registered were business owners or just looking for a way to fill up their free time and catch up with friends.
"Is that you Hope dear?" A voice asked causing me to lift her eyes to the speaker.
"Mrs Sheere, How have you been? I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Ah, you know me, I am a flitting butterfly; never satisfied with just one flower." I nodded knowingly. Fiona Sheere had always been a free soul, even when she had been married. It was also probably the reason why she had divorced her husband of forty years and had only one son. "Anyways, how have you been?" At hope's puzzled expression she raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, "You don't know? Marcus Pearce? You two were joint at the hip in high school. Pity you guys never dated, I always thought you would make a good couple and h-"
"-Mark Pearce?  Why would you bring him up?" I asked, her mouth dry.
"Oh, yes; He and his siblings are at last moving back to Turnstead,"
"What about their company?"
"They are moving their headquarters here. They have even bought office space in the business sector."
My brain stopped working after that. My ears stopped listening as Fiona went on and on about some bingo hall drama as I just dumbly nodded my head all the while a million questions running through my head.
Why the fuck had Tarryn not informed her of this?
How the hell had she kept something so huge secret?
Especially when it concerned Mark?
How could she not tell her that she was moving back home?
How could she not warn her that Marcus was coming home?
"- And then Martha just walked right out screaming obscenities… Say Hope darling, are you doing alright? You look a little pale."
I shook myself out of my trance as I stood up a little more upright.
"Yes, I am fine Mrs Sheere; just tired."
"Oh, poor dear! Now you go on home and have a good lie-in. God knows you need it after working so hard all these years."
"Thank you Mrs Sheere. That means a lot. See you soon?"
"Yes my dear, bye!"
I waved her goodbye as I quickly walked down Main Stead Avenue. 
My head was spinning with everything that was going on and I couldn't wait to get home and ream out my best-friend while sipping apple soda with another best-friend.
"Hello? Tara?"
"Well, who the else fuck do you think it would be? It's my number, is it not?" A raspy voice snapped into the phone.
I laughed out loud at that.
Tara Mehmet was one of my many best-friends, including Tarryn Pearce and Sarah Heaton. She was a spit-fire that was equal parts rude and polite, provocative and conservative, soft and hard, calm and chaos.  She had moved to town in my Junior year of high school. She had been a senior then and quickly included in Tarryn's circle which meant our circle. She was the most loyal friend you could have and the most responsible.
"What is the matter today Tara? Another fight in the break room about sexism and Misandry?"
"You are so hilarious hope. You should try out stand-up if the camp doesn't work out," She dead-panned.
"What happened Tar?" I asked in a softer tone.
"It's the stupid promotion. I am goddamn amazing at my job but my "cultural clothing and background" is a turn-off for my clients. My boss thinks I won't be considered for the portfolio manager job."
My blood burned hot at that.
Tara was raised by her mom's brother- Ravi mamu and was raised with her uncle's Indian values. Tara wore rich tunics in demure colours with wide-legged pants and her signature red lipstick and dark kohl. She was the definition of elegant yet sexy. It broke my heart when people made comments like these. Being cast out from your own family for being illegitimate and being raised by an Indian gay uncle was also another reason why Tara was like a magnet. Her strength attracting and repelling at the same time.
"What assholes!" I almost yelled.
Tara laughed at that.
"Anyways, why did you call me?" I groaned at that.
"I ran into Mrs Sheere on my way out of Townhall and guess what she told me."
"What?"
"Tarryn, Zack and... Him are moving back. To Turnstead." I waited for her loud response but al I heard was a resigned sigh.
"Hope-"
"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?" I yelled into the phone. People around me looked up so I lowered my voice and repeated," You fucking knew about this?"
"We were going to tell you tonight," Tara answered with no guilt in her voice, only regret. Probably at being caught.
"Oh, you are going to be telling me alright, in detail as to why the fuck I wasn't the first one to know that my best friends and their brother who broke my heart are moving back," I said in one breath, panting a little at the end.
"Fine. I will tell you everything tonight. Don't forget to get the chocolate cake from Sarah's,"
"Fine." I grouched out through gritted teeth.
After saying our goodbyes and hanging up I made a beeline into 'Heaton's Bakes'; Sarah's Bakery that she had inherited from her mom. She made the best chocolate cakes in the world with a fluffy sponge and dark chocolate icing and melted chocolate chips. She also made them into shakes and then served them with fresh strawberries that she grew in her garden.
"Sarah Heaton! Where are you?" I yelled at the top of my voice. It was a good thing that the store was empty or Sarah would have eaten my head off.
"Geez Hope! What went up your ass?" Sarah teased as she walked out the kitchen with a floral bandana on her blonde head and batter stains on her matching apron. She was wiping her hands on a towel.
"How could you not tell me that Tarryn and Zack and Mark were moving back to town?"
Sarah's eyes grew wide and then narrowed.
"You said his full name!" She said accusingly, pointed finger and all.
"That's not the point Sarah!"
"Okay, okay, I didn't tell you because I knew you would freak out and go crazy and probably do something crazy."
She was right but I was still pissed off.
"Come on Hopy, let's get some yummy cake in you and turn that frown upside down," She cooed in a baby voice which made me want to laugh and scowl at the same time.
"Fine." I snapped with crossed arms.
Sarah just shook her head before shouldering her leather handbag and handing me a huge jute bag that smelt like chocolate heaven in my hand. She locked up the store and then we walked the short distance to my house two blocks over.
My house was a fairytale dream. It was a bit isolated from the neighbouring houses and surrounded by tall pines. It was built at an angle, therefore facing the edge of the plateau that the town is built on. It was not small but not big either and had three bedrooms and four baths, one of which was an outdoor shower area with pebble walls and copper fixtures with seashell tiling. It was the ultimate dream. There was also a small stream behind the house that babbled over a few stones before falling over the edge and into the lake in the natural basin between the surrounding mountains and plateaus.
The roof was slated with a grey colour and the walls were made of stone. The bottom windows were arched and the upper two rooms opened up to a common balcony. The entire house had been redone by her younger and older brothers who owned a contracting business. 
"Looks like Tara is already here."
I looked through my windows and sure enough, Tara was at the breakfast nook with the glow from a computer illuminating her face.
"Let's go in." Sarah declared before walking into my house with her set of keys.
My house was kind of like Monica's apartment in 'Friends'. All my close friends and siblings had the keys to my house and went in and out as they pleased.
I could hear Tarryn's cheery voice as I walked in through my oak front door and my anger almost melted before remembering that the boy who had broken my heart was coming back in town. I heard squeals and greetings and laughter as Sarah joined them and I took a deep breath in as I hung up my coat.
Time to face the music.

Hope Dixon had been heartbroken once and she did not intend to ever fall in love again. When Mark Pearce, the subject of her heartbreak, is back in town Hope does everything to distance herself. Bit there's not much distance in a town as small as Turnstead.

Mark has never forgotten his first and only love, Hope Dixon. Now that he's back in town he will do everything to have her back.

Add in a few well-meaning old ladies and a couple of matchmaking best-friends, Hope is even more confused and shaky in her resolve of resisting Mark's handsome features and charming smiles.

Will Hope ever forgive Mark for his past mistakes or will she let it get between what they have found in each other. Are Mark's demons that caused him to run a decade ago still making appearances?

Can Turnstead's fragrant lavender fields and sea salted air help them overcome their fears and experience true love?

He is a great fighter in real life, but he is mistakenly assigned a "Mage" job class in a virtual reality game! He is someone who uses power to conquer power, so he makes the most out of the mistake and transforms into a fierce Mage, versed in close combat, in the blink of an eye! By perfectly combining strength and spells, he uncovers a new path of gaming!

Fireball? Chain Lightning? Frost Mirror… Wait just a minute; I’ve come to practice kung fu! Spells have nothing to do with me! What’s that? I’m a Mage? Oh, right! I am a Mage indeed. But… Are you certain I’m one? Alright… Feel the might of my saber! My sword! My hidden weapons! What? You’re saying I’m no Mage now? Let me prove it to you if you don’t believe me! But even if you believe me, I will still show you just how unstoppable a Mage who knows kung fu can be!

     Some days there weren't enough hours in the day.  Immediately after the interview, I got a holo from my mom asking me to pick her up at the hospital.  "They're discharging you?" I inquired.
     "Said so a few hours ago, so it should be about time," she replied.
     "I'm on my way, Mom.  Don't disconnect anything until the doctor clears you," I warned her.  I wasn't joking.  If you knew my mother, you knew Margaret Jeanne had no patience for hospitals.  When the doctors didn't subscribe to her timetable, she would disconnect herself and walk out once she started feeling well enough.  
     "Let's stop and get food on the way home," Mom suggested.  "I need something filling and tasty.  The hospital food was okay, but so bland."
     "Dad will want fried chicken, but we just had that the other day.  Do you feel like burgers?" I asked.
     "Want to get South of the Equator?  We'll pick your dad and Fred burgers up afterward."
     "Deal."  I quickly holo-ed my father to let him know why I would be late.  He was watching the holo5 and barely acknowledged me.  When I arrived at the hospital to take my mother home, the staff still had not brought around the discharge tablet.  Mom had removed all of her adhered monitoring tubes and disconnected her machines to stop their "infernal" beeping.  While I convinced her to stay put and watch the holo5 in her room, I reviewed the information from Joint Space Force Enterprises.
     Considering I went to the interviews mostly out of curiosity from the job posters, the actual job looked interesting.  If nothing else, it should really inform well for my writing in the future.  The job would basically require you to board there a majority of the time, in a currently technologically deprived area.  Could I live without my tablet?  If my mom hadn't been discharged from the hospital, I don't know if I would be leaning toward staying, but since she was coming home and could take care of my dad, I kind of wanted the adventure.
     If it didn't work out, I could always quit.  The pay would be great though as they needed you to stay on site, so effectively working.  The contract was for about six months on Earth, but would equate to three months on the newly discovered planet.  The days of the new planet appeared to have a 51 hour cycle according to the documentation on my tablet.
     Over dinner, I solicited advice from my mother.  "Did I ever tell you about the time I tubed through Europe?" my mom asked me in response.
     "No.  When did you do that?"
     "I never did.  Your dad and I will be fine.  It's not like you're leaving forever.  It will be like it was when you went away for summer college programs and leadership conferences and writing workshops.  We survived all of those times.  We even prevailed when you moved clear across to the East Coast."
     "You and dad aren't young anymore.  My biggest concern is if something happens and I'm not able to get here or even get a holo, but I am kind of looking forward to seeing how much watching the History channel has prepared me for living without tech."
     "Remember, CJ, this is just a job you are undertaking.  You can quit if things don't work out.  Don't make this opportunity one you'd regret."
     "You're right," I agreed with my mom.  Later that evening, I filled in all my data and gave the requisite blood samples to complete my onboarding.  In two days, I would be reporting to a new planet for my next job.

CJ finished her writing gig on a hit television series as a junior writer.  Not having gotten added to any new projects, she interviews for a human only exploration mission to a newly discovered planet capable of supporting biological life, like Earthlings.  What she discovers there will change her life forever.  Are you up to taking this journey with CJ?

Once again, the sun emerged east and signs of life surged through London's streets. At the port, some government ships were beginning their trip, as Merlin's dad, James, commanded the sailors. They headed south, going to an isolated island nearby to check some suspicious actions.

Merlin observed the parting ships, as he headed to the Militar District. The Royal Naval School was a military education institution, located next to the Dock District. 

Besides the enormous school building, there were large dormitories; Battle Simulation Grounds; Battle Simulation Lakes; Naval Workshops and lots of other structures.

Upon entering the school, all students would choose one of the Three Great Areas:  Commander School; Navigation School and Engineer School.

A few minutes later, Merlin arrived at the school entrance. There, lots of young brats like him waited to enter as they chatted between them. Some were sons of nobles; Major servants and Normal Servants. 

As so, each social class grouped up, excluding and bullying others. Though Merlin's father was a Major Servant, he hated to hang out with such people. Looking around for a while, he looked curiously to a specific kid.

'That fellow looks interesting.' Merlin thought as he got close to the kid.

"Good morning! Are you entering them Royal Naval School today?"

"Yeah, I was the 'lucky' one to pass the test." The kid responded in a humble tone. Upon looking his wasted clothes, it was easy to tell he was descendant of a Lesser Servant family. Probably, he passed the Geral Entrance Test, in which only the first place have the opportunity to study at the Royal Naval School.

"Cool, nice to meet you! My name's Merlin, what's yours?"

"You can call me Nicholas!" He said as they shook hands.

"By the way, what area you pretend to enter?"

"Well, I want to enter the Engineer School."

"Good! I'm going to join the Navigation School, but what about we be friends?"

"It's alright for me!"

As they were chatting, a tall blond kid walked in their direction.

"Merlin! That map of yours helped me a lot yesterday! But how are you? Prepared for school?"

"Oh... hi Leonard! Yeah, kind of I think. Here, let me present Nicholas to you! He wants to join the Engineer School, what about inviting him to our faction?"

Leonard looked at Nicholas for a while, then gave a smile. One had to know that Leonard's mom used to be a commoner too, and he hated when people treated her badly because of that.

"Sure that he can!! I was thinking..."

However, as Leonard was about to finish speaking, the giant wooden door was suddenly opened, as a tall and mighty man walked out. He was a mid-aged man, with dark hairs and a severe expression.

"Good day students!! For your information, I'm General Black and the director of the Royal Naval School."

Then he gave a murderous gaze at the crowd, as he spoke the next sentence:

"And all of you shall know that from now on your not a noble's son or a prince anymore, but a measly marine cadet; do you understand!!?"

Everybody was at a loss in what to respond, but shortly after, the man shouted again:

"Now you respond 'YES, SIR', do you understand!!?"

"YES, SIR!!!"  Everyone shouted with extreme respect and fear.

"Good! Now let's enter!"

Hence, all the kids followed General Black into the building. Inside, there was a big central yard, filled with identical uniforms. Around the yard, three gates were opened, with other men similar to General Black standing beside them.

"Okay cadets, now you shall pick up a suitable uniform and head to your chosen school where you shall pass through some tests!" General Black exclaimed, pointing to the yard in front.

Immediately, all the youngsters dashed forward, looking for a fitting uniform. Merlin, Leonard, and Nicholas said their farewells, heading into different gates after picking up the uniform.

Merlin headed to the Navigation School gate. From the three gates, Merlin's one was the least crowded. This because in society, Commander and Engineer posts were more valued that Navigator and Cartographer posts.

To Merlin, this did not mind, since he was here to change the world's opinion about cartography. After everyone chose their school and picked up their uniforms, the man at the Navigation Gate spoke:

"Good day students, you can call me Mr. Willion! By the way,  I'll the first year professor, so I hope we can work well."

"For today, we won't use the uniform, but tests will start immediately. The Navigation Shcool's selection process is divided into two parts: Battle Trial and the  Theoretical Trial since our school doesn't need weak and stupid people! "

As Mr. Willion explained, the group made a little tour through the Navigation Pavilion. At the center yard, there was a giant stone Sun Watch. Around it was lots of classrooms, libraries, training grounds, workshops, and stores. 

Merlin's group had about 20 members, mostly kids from Major and Normal families. Further on, they arrived at a huge training ground.

"Okay, kids! Now let's start the Battle Trial. Each one of you will have a fight, the winner will continue the test, and the loser will be immediately expelled!" Mr. Willion said in a serious manner.

Under such conditions, everyone that was previously friendly had bloodlust expressions on their faces. So, Mr. Willion started dividing the duos for the fights.

Merlin ended up with a tall and robust guy as his opponent but remained calm.

'Looks like teacher doesn't like me very much...' Merlin thought in a sarcastic manner.

A few moments later, Mr. WIllion gave the sign to start.

"I hope we have a..." Merlin did not even finish his sentence when the robust kid dashed in his direction, showing off a boxing pose.

"Ahhh... forget it!" Merlin said out loud.

When the kid was about to launch a hook at his left, Merlin suddenly dodged to the left in a fluid reaction. Before the kid noticed, Merlin's elbow hit his chest hard.

Stepping back a few steps, breathing difficult, the kid even tried to give a rapid jab but was received with a knee attack at his abdomen and another elbow attack at his throat.

As Merlin knocked the kid unconscious, Mr. Willion observed the fight with curious eyes. The fighting-style Merlin just performed was very peculiar. It resembled some oriental styles, rarely seen in these lands.

Such martial art was passed to Merlin by his father. James said that it was a special fight-type from his mother's family, but he never talked about the origin of Merlin's mother.

After some fierce fights, the ten winners were decided. Different from Merlin, that won the battle almost effortlessly, all the other kids had some light injuries and wounds.

"Very well!! Those who failed, exit through the gate."

"And you two, take this unconscious kid too!"

As so, after the loser sadly went back home, Mr. Willion turned back to the remaining youngsters.

"Alright then, now let's go to the library from the next trial."

The library was a huge chamber, filled with countless books and old scrolls. They divided into multiple parts, some related to weather; map creation; political and economic geography; as some travel records left behind by elder adventurers.

"Well guys, now I'll explain the Theoretical Trial. It's very simple: You choose a theme related to Navigation, Cartography or Geography and write a text about it using all your knowledge. After your done, just pass it to me and I'll say if you pass or not."

"Was I clear?" Mr. Willion asked.

"YES, SIR!" The kids said loud. 

However, everyone had worried expressions of their faces, except Merlin. He has been reading and studying cartography since seven. He even created his own method, the Triangulation Mapping. 

As so, while the other kids were having a difficult time writing some short sentences, Merlin calmly seated there, writing down an impressive text.

He spoke about the story of the cartography methods an techniques, using all he absorbed from the books Old Man sold to him through these years. After detailing everything, Merlin passed the yellowish paper to Mr. Willion.

"You're done already?"

"Yes, Mr. Willion, please read."

Putting on a serious expression, the man began to read the text. To his surprise, he found a decent work, discussing the Ancient Measurement Method; the Eagle Vision Technique; Reflex Division Theory and so on until recent modern techniques.

Though it was not an expert work, the cartography concepts were well explained and comprehended.

"Very well, you passed." Mr. Willion said in a casual tone, as he tossed an emblem to Merlin.


After Merlin finished his test, the rest took some time until everyone finished their texts. However, besides Merlin, only six kids barely passed the test.

As so, the classmates for the next years were decided, as Mr. Willion took them into a more detailed tour through the pavilion.

See as Merlin travels worldwide, pursuing his dreams of mapping the whole globe and helping his friends to active greatness. Sea battles; merchant travels through Asia; confronts with overpowered American natives; chased by a Russian beauty; hunted down by ancient Vikings and a lot more.

Dragon Palace Home #10.

Jin Liwei arrived home late that night from work. It was already past dinner. The butler told him that both Iris and Dom were in the cat room, so he headed there.

He was about to open the door when he heard some muffled voices inside. Curious and not wanting to disturb them, he quietly opened the door just a crack to eavesdrop. He heard his baby girl and Dom talking inside. The cats meowed now and then. Well, it was actually just Popcorn asking for attention. Jin Liwei couldn't hear Ice Cream at all. She was probably sleeping like usual.

"No, boss. Your expression still looks flat. You need to harness the emotion of shame," Dom said. "Let's go through the scenario again. 'You are a teenager and you have been caught smoking at school grounds. Your teacher and the school principal scold you and call your parents. Your parents come to pick you up. They are very disappointed.' Now you have to act guilty and ashamed of yourself. Okay, boss? 3, 2, 1, action!"

"I don't like this scenario. It's so stupid. I never smoked and I don't want to try it. So I have no idea what it's like. Let's change it," Iris complained.

"But boss, this is the scenario your acting coach gave you. We have to practice it. Or if you want another scenario, we can practice the other emotions instead. Oh, here's a good one. It's for the emotion of surprise. 'You receive a letter informing you that a great-grandfather that you've never met before has died and left you 50,000 RMB in his will.' Now you have to act surprised."

"50,000 RMB? Is that supposed to be surprising? But I'm already a billionaire."

"Pft!" Jin Liwei couldn't stop the laugh from escaping from his lips.

"Meow? Meow!" Popcorn ran like an orange rocket and launched himself at his daddy.

Jin Liwei caught him and immediately started petting the needy cat.

"Darling!"

"Sir boss!"

It was Iris' turn to come running. Then she threw herself at him, hugging his waist tightly. Popcorn meowed loudly in complaint as he got squished between his mommy and daddy. 

"Sorry," Iris mumbled before quickly taking Popcorn and putting him on the floor. Then she returned to hugging Jin Liwei tightly, rubbing her face against his chest.

Jin Liwei wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. He could feel her frustration in the stiffness of her body.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked.

She didn't answer, continuing to bury her face in his chest instead.

"What happened?" Jin Liwei asked Dom instead.

"Oh. The acting coach told boss earlier today that she sucks in acting. Boss has been in a bad mood because of it."

"What?" Jin Liwei's expression turned ugly. "That acting coach is a quack. Fire her. Let's get a new one. How dare she say that to my Xiulan? That acting coach doesn't know what she's talking about."

"No, don't," Iris finally spoke. "Elder Sister Yiyi says that she's one of the best acting coaches in the industry. Apparently, many of her past students are now some of the top actors and actresses in the country."

"She's only one of the best in the country. Let's get you a better acting coach from abroad," Jin Liwei suggested.

Iris was feeling better now after hearing his words. "It's okay. There's no need to go that far. I'll stick with her. I heard that Bright Summit made a lot of effort to persuade her to take me in as a student."

He gazed down at her beautiful face. Then he stroked her soft and smooth cheek with his fingers. "So what if Bright Summit made a lot of effort? Don't force yourself to endure it if she's being mean to you." Then he asked her, "Do you even like acting?"

She tilted her head to the side and thought about it. "No, I don't think I like acting…"

"Then there's no reason for you to do it," he told her.

In all honesty, he didn't want her to go into acting. When she first informed him that she was going to take acting workshops and start working with an acting coach, he was taken aback. She said that she wanted to try acting. He didn't stop her, but he made her agree to certain conditions first.

First, she needed to consult him before accepting an acting project. They would decide together if she should accept it or not. Second, absolutely no love scenes allowed. No kissing, no hugging, and no intimate touching with the opposite sex. Third, she needed to bring her bodyguards to shoots all the time.

Fortunately, she accepted all of his conditions without any protests, even the one about the bodyguards. Then she started going to acting workshops and working with an acting coach. At first, she was very excited. But after a few days, he noticed that she was increasingly becoming downhearted.

"You're right. But I still want to try acting. I'm struggling right now and I'm starting to dislike it, but I don't believe that I can't do it. I already attended a number of acting classes, so I might as well finish what I started. I want to at least try working on an acting project. I want to take on this challenge and see how far I can go. If in the end, I still suck at it, then I'll stop and stick to music."

The corner of Jin Liwei's lips lifted into a smile. It seemed that his baby girl's competitive spirit had been ignited when the acting coach told her that she sucked at acting. Seeing her trying so hard like this even though she was bad at it, he couldn't bear to discourage her from acting anymore. 

She did say that she just wanted to try and experience it. His baby girl was still young compared to him. He should allow her to experience new things and enjoy herself before they married.

"Alright, love. Do whatever you want, but remember our agreement. Okay?"

Iris gave him a sweet smile and pulled his head for a chaste kiss on the lips. "I love you, Jin Liwei."

"I love you more, Long Xiulan. So much," he replied in a serious voice.

"Ehehehe." 

"Meow~ Meow~"

Ice Cream opened her eyes and looked at Slave #1 and her brother Popcorn spying on Mommy and Daddy. Yawning, she closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.

"Have you eaten dinner yet, darling?" Iris asked Jin Liwei.

"Not yet." 

They all headed to the kitchen. Dom, the glutton, ate dinner again with Jin Liwei even though he already ate earlier with Iris.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Iris suddenly said. "I'm writing a theme song for a TV drama. It's a love song. You're my inspiration for it, darling. I think of you whenever I'm working on it."

"Yeah?" Jin Liwei looked extremely pleased and delighted. "Can I hear it?"

"Yes, of course. It's not finished yet but I'll play it to you later in our room."

Jin Liwei nodded, a faint smile on his face.

"Oh. I also forgot to mention that it's a duet. I'm planning on inviting Brother Chonglin to sing it together with me. I think his voice will be perfect for the song," she told him.

His smile instantly disappeared.

A world-famous hacker and daughter of the most powerful criminal family who ruled the international underworld for many generations is killed when their organization is annihilated in a single night.

She is reborn into the body of Iris Long, a teenage pop singer, wild party girl, and spoiled brat. For the former princess of the underworld who lived an overprotected and shackled life, this new life is a chance to finally live the life of freedom and independence that she always wanted.

Jin Liwei is the most powerful man in the country's business world. Cold and ruthless, he is someone only a few dare offend. When the infamous Iris Long, who used to chase his younger brother, wakes up from a year-long coma, his unfeeling heart moves for the first time and he falls hard for this unexpected genius girl.

She wants to fly freely and soar high beyond the sky. He wants her everything, to tie her to himself and to never let her go.

This is her journey to super stardom. This is his journey in accompanying her. Together, they will rock the world while facing many challenges.

But what will happen when she discovers that she can never escape from the shadows of her previous life? Will she still be able to live her dream life of freedom and independence? Will he be able to protect her from the dangers?

###
Instagram: Arria Cross (@arriacross)

HGWS Discord Server: 
https://discord.gg/cSUhBdz


 
The day to buy and take over the lockup had finally come. Frank and Chris went to the entertainment district to do the deal. Chris had brought some cheap, clean clothes from the market and had been able to wash using a magical inscription. He still had long hair and a beard, but after combing them both that morning, he was looking smarter than he had in a while. As it was very early in the morning, the entertainment district was still and quiet as they walked through it. Only a few store owners, from what Chris could see, were doing maintenance work on their stores. All the colored lights on the bars and clubs were off, making them look desolate. The magical emporium or medical centers, where you could get inscriptions of all types on your body, were all closed. Chris had never had anything done himself but knew that almost anything was possible. People could get their physical strength modified, cosmetic enhancements, and all types of magical abilities scripted on parts of their bodies. 
As they approached the lockup, Chris walked down a winding alley with steel roller doors closed on both sides with some pills of rubbish blowing down the street. Frank and Chris approached an older woman and younger woman in front of a small steel roller door.
Frank greeted the two and introduced them to Chris by saying, "this is Mrs. Brown and her daughter. Now that we are all here, shall we commence with the exchange?"
Mrs. Brown nodded and walked to the roller door and opened it. This revealed one small room about five-meter-wide by ten meters deep. It was completely clean, but there were no amenities. On all of the walls were magical script indications this belonged to Mrs. Brown. 
Mrs. Brown said in a firm voice, "Three, you can see the store. We'd have agreed on the price, so if you give me the money, I will start to remove my mark, and you can put your claim for ownership up."
Chris replied in a polite voice, "I would prefer to give you half of the money now and the rest when I have put my scripts up."
The older women's daughter seemed a bit put out by this. Still, Mrs. Brown just smiled and said, "That is perfectly acceptable, and frankly, it's good for you to be so careful when dealing with anyone."
Chris gave her half the money for the lockup, and then the older woman started to remove her mark. She pulled some of her essences out of her hand for each mark and used it to erase the magical marks on the wall. After she had finished with each mark, Chris added his mark to the structure of the old lockup. Soon both of them had finished the process of exchanging the property. Now the lockup was marked as legally Chris's. He passed over the rest of the money, and the old woman left with her daughter. As she left, she had a slight look of sadness in her eyes as if she remembered the good times in this building. 
Frank soon left, saying, "I'll send over Ben when he is finished working, at my place today."
Chris gave Frank some money and commented, "Make sure he has a set of clean clothes before he comes here, or else he will get in trouble with the guys running the district. Also, please don't let him have the money as you know what he might do with it."
Frank just nodded and left Chris to his own work with his new properties. As soon as Chris had inscribed a magical light device on one of the walls, to give him some light to work by, he pulled and closed the steel roller door down. With his new money, the young man had been able to purchase a set of magical inscription tools to work with. This set was nowhere near the quality he had previously owned, but it was a massive step up from what he had been working with recently. He could do almost any of the work that he needed to do for the basic level of magical inscription with this set.
Chris first intended to start marking the walls; the first inscription was the space enhancement inscriptions. Digging in with the metal nib of the tool, he had finished the last wall's inscription. Suddenly, he found the space around him blurring. When the blurring cleared as if a misty fog was lifting, Chris smiled to see that the small lockup was now ten times bigger. It was now fifty-meter-wide by one hundred meters deep.
Smiling appreciatively, Chris took some chalk and marked out some rooms in the now large area. For the shop, he kept the original dimensions of the lockup. At the same time, for the rest of the area, the eggar young man split the volume up into workshops, a few bedrooms, a living area, and storage rooms. When Chris had marked out all of the assigned areas, he was ready to try another magical inscription he had been developing. Hopefully, this inscription would produce barriers in the fabric of space itself, not allowing anything to pass through them unless the math-a-magical programming allowed it. 
Writing the lockup shop inscriptions took all day for Chris to achieve. He followed the chalk lines with his inscriptions as they crisscrossed the open area. Some sections in the barriers had unique properties that would allow both Chris and Ben to cross like a doorway. In contrast, others allow the movement of air. On the lockup entrance, he put in a transparent barrier that he could control who entered or exited.
Finally, at the end of the day, Chris was able to activate all the barriers. Except for the entrance barrier, all the other barriers were white and opaque, preventing light from passing through and giving the whole lockup a sterile look. Chris had even produced barriers for the floors and ceiling. For the next half hour, he inscribed more light inscriptions, one in each of the rooms. Chris stopped after another hour, happy that he could produce a more natural light that offset the starkness of the all-white rooms.
Disturbing him from his work, Chris heard knocking on the rolling steel door. He went forward and opened up the front door. With a creek, the door rolled up into the brackets, he saw a street was full of people walking up and down. All the store owners were selling their wares. On one side of Chris's small lockup was an eatery that was serving hot and spicy noodles. The store seemed to be very popular, with people queuing in a line waiting to be served. On the other side was a clothing store, mainly selling magical novelty clothing.
I guess that some of the magic effects on the clothing were supposed to be funny, Chris thought. Chris saw some t-shirts that would flash up writing like 'you're beautiful or 'can I get your far-seeing contact details.' Some of the clothing was just downright rude with their suggestive nature. 
In front of Chris was Ben beaming, who said, "Great! We finally have our own place. This is a good day for us… so we should have a beer at the end of the day to celebrate. But first, let's have a look at the lockup." 
As he looked past Chris into the small shop area, Ben said, "It's minimal, isn't it? But I guess it will do for a start."
Chris indicated for Ben to come inside. As he walked in, Chris closed the front roller behind him, "Follow me, and you'll see it's not quite as small as you think."
Going to the back of the shop, Chris passed through the back doorway leading into the rest of his created space. It took a few seconds for Ben to appear, but a look of surprise was painted on his face as he did. Before he could talk, Chris said, "Let me show you around the 'building.'"
Chris then showed him around the living area and the workshops. They were all empty and lacking any sort of furnishing, but Ben was still impressed. With a happy smile on his face, he was excited to have his own living space after a long time on the streets. 
At the end of the short tour, Ben sat on the floor, stunned. Finally, he reached into his satchel and said, "I bought over some bags from Frank's place we can start selling tonight. I can do the selling while you inscribe them."
Chris nodded, "We need to start making some more money as we are almost out. The lockup cost has mostly depleted our funds."
With that, Chris and Ben went into the shop area and opened up the front roller to start doing business. Ben started to unload a large pile of bags out of a small bag and set them up on the floor. Chris started to inscribe his magical systems on the bags with his new set of magical tools. This made it so much easier than before, as he now had the right tools for the job. He still longed after his old high-quality ones, though.
When he had produced his first set of bags, Ben started to try and sell them. Chris noticed that now he was clean and well-dressed, Ben had more confidence when talking to people. He would stand in front of the store, demonstrating the effect of the bag to passers-by. Often, he would get a small crowd of curious lookers, always amazed by the presentation, as Ben was a great showman. Even with an almost empty lockup with no signs or tables, people stopped by to stare in. There would always be several sales of bags afterward. The night wore on in this manner, with Chris working on the bag's inscriptions, while Ben did a great job at selling them. Chris noticed that as soon as Ben got some money, he would immediately give it to Chris, almost as if it was too tempting to hold onto. Chris had developed an inscription at the back of the shop that did a space act like a safe. A further inscription had cleverly modified the access parameters to create a time-release. It would only let Chris access the money he put in early in the morning. This gave Chris a sense of extra security if somebody tried to rob them in the small store.
The next few weeks settled into a regular routine for Chris, of days making and inscribing bags for sale. Chris and Ben were still working on Franks bags as part of the deal, but now they had their own workshop to complete the work inside. Slowly over the few weeks, they started to get more items to make the area more comfortable, for where they were living and working. All the items they managed to purchase were from second-hand stores and were slightly damaged in one way or another. They now had facilities for food preparation and cleaning themselves and a safe place to sleep. This was a significant improvement over their previous homeless status. When he got time, Chris was also working on new developments in the ether pillar of magic.

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