The Princess And The Lord Chapter 35
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Lory stared at her reflection in the mirror with an anxious face. She was still not used to her 'new' face even after many years. She at times got shocked when she saw her own reflection as it always looked like there was someone else looking back at her.
[Told you, to choose a prettier face…] Girsha scoffed. The bird nestled on the side table as he watched her.
[In a world where ordinary women could get raped and killed and nowhere to report such an injustice?] Lory asked with a sarcastic smile.
[When that happens, I could kill the bas***d for you, and you aren't that defenseless…]
[Oh, and be chased around by their family, their subordinates. And what if they are noble? Their experts would hunt us down like rabbits] Lory glared at Girsha.
[Then change your face!] Girsha rebuked.
[...And back to the shapeshifter spell...] Lory waved her hand as she was tired of bickering with him. She pinched her temple as she looked back at her reflection. She wondered what part of her face she could change. Something inconspicuous.
[Just changed it back to your original face] Girsha couldn't resist throwing in another suggestion.
Lory sighs helplessly [And get chased by other people like a monster...]
Her face was so different from the local people, not to mention her purple eyes. People in this world mostly had black or deep brown eyes. They were prejudice against those who looked different from them. You just had to see what they did to wasted or crippled people.
[Why would people chase you around?] Girsha shouted with ridicule.
Lory rolled her eyes in annoyance and said sarcastically [I don't know… I'm a very attractive female!]
[...Pffft…] Girsha burst out with laughter. He clearly thought it was a joke.
'You damn old bird!'
Lory decided to ignore Girsha as she pondered. Maybe she only needed to change her eyes, eyebrows and lighten her skin tone a little. Her current skin tone was darker than her original skin which was as pale as snow. Although women in this world, especially noblewoman, had fairer skin, you could still see the difference between their skin and Lory.
However, Lory preferred the skin of the women in this world because her skin made her look like a vampire compares to the other women here.
[Is it okay to change it, with the curse still on your body…?]
[It was fine the first time I did it so it should be okay this time too. The shapeshifter spell doesn't use too much mana after all… I might feel a slight discomfort but... I should be okay, hopefully...] she whispers the last word.
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[Whatever you say, Princess...] Girsha sighed as he couldn't erase the worry on his face.
[Okay...] Lory took a deep breath. [Here we go…]
Lory rubbed her left wrist with her right thumb. A faint purple circle with strange runes gradually appeared on her wrist before the light dimmed. Lory closed her eyes as she tried to concentrate. She felt a pinch in her heart, but she didn't stop as she only needed a few seconds. Lory soon released her breath and leaned on the dressing table. She was panting like she had taken a long run.
[Damn! I never would have thought I would be so worked up from a simple spell...]
Girsha sighed once more. It was pitiful that a powerful princess has degraded to such a level because of a damn serpent. If only there was a way to break the curse. But how could they as spells and magic didn't exist in this world?
[I'm good…] Lory raised her thumb even though her forehead was covered with sweat. She glimpsed at her new reflection with happiness. She was successful. Her eyes and eyebrows were back to her original look.
Lory had big almond-shaped eyes. They made her look like a doll. She chose to keep her iris dark in order to look like everyone else. Her eyebrows were now longer and darker than her previous look. Her face had changed significantly but didn't look too conspicuous. Lory smiled when she saw her reflection. Her current look was closer to her old self.
[I still like your old face…] Girsha complained.
[Thank you. But this would do... I can still blend in with the crowd, yes?] Lory was satisfied with her new look. Her skin was fairer than before, but it was still similar to most women in this world.
[ I need to change my dress. Li Xin must have waited for me for long] Lory quickly rummaged through her drawer and took out a few dresses. She went behind the screen door to dress as she complained [Why don't cultivators sleep for long…?]
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While Lory was dressing up, Zhao Li Xin sat on an armchair in the main hall. His eyes were half-opened as he sipped his wine slowly. He wore white inner robes with dark purple outer robes. He wanted to look like an ordinary man but sadly there was nothing ordinary about him. As much as he could hide his face, he could hide the dangerous aura around him. His cold and distant demeanor was ingrained into his bones.
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Mong Yi and Mong Ki watched their lord with perplexed looks. They pitied their Lord's wasted effort. 'Milord, although you wore a mask and rags, we could still recognize you anywhere…'
However, Zhao Li Xin felt his disguise was quite good. He didn't know he could only pretend to either be a lazy person who was considered sick or a domineering devilish demon-like 'Long Ming'. He couldn't do anything in between yet no one dared tell him otherwise.
He waited patiently for his little savior to finish dressing up. In this world, only Lory dared to make him wait for this long. If other people tried it... well… let us just say they won't be there anymore.
Zhao Li Xin didn't mind waiting for her as he was quite curious. He wondered how Lory would change her appearance. He was also excited to stroll with her. It would be their first time walking around together in daylight.
It was sad that you couldn't see the excitement on his face. He looked like a lazy person to others but Mong Yi and Mong Ki, who had served him for decades. They could tell he was in a good mood as he hasn't killed anyone despite waiting for long. Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard running footsteps approach the door
"Sorry, I'm late!" Lory immediately apologized when she arrived. She hated the fact that her room was too far from the main hall. She didn't also understand why Zhao Li Xin chose to wait for her in the hall and not in his own room, yet their rooms were practically next to each other.
Zhao Li Xin smiled faintly when he heard her anxious voice. He lifted his head and was stunned by her new face. Lory saw him freeze and becomes worried. She unconsciously touched her face.
"What… What's wrong? Is my face weird...is it ugly?" She became nervous as she shifted her gaze to Mong Ki and Mong Yi. Although they didn't have the same reaction as Zhao Li Xin, they still look surprised.
"Should... Should I change it back...? Is it really weird?" Lory was worried. She thought she looked okay but she could be wrong as her taste could be different from common people.
"Ri Yi…" Zhao Li Xin sighed and said calmly, "Let's put a veil on you…"
"..." Lory pouted sadly. She didn't know she looks that bad.
"..." Mong Ki and Mong Yi sighed helplessly.
'Milord, you really gonna end up alone…'
"It is because you look so beautiful, Miss Luo. You are like a dainty flower in the snowy mountain, pure and frail. What if someone is attracted to your immense beauty?" Mong Yi used many flowery words in one single breath. He didn't want his great but stupid Lord to die as a virgin in this lifetime.
Mong Ki's eyes bulged, 'Brother, I didn't know you had it in you!'
"Huh…dainty…frail?" Lory froze. No one ever described her as dainty or frail. Not even her own father and brother. She could somehow hear Fargo scream at her with an excited voice while laughing like a lunatic, 'KILL all the beasts, Lory, kill them all! Are you tired? come on, you only killed five of them! KILL MORE… KILL all those Sons of BITC*!!!' Lory shook her head as she tried to forget Fargo's images in her head.
"Well....thank you, brother Mong," Lory said with an unsure voice. Did she really look dainty? She would need to look at herself again later.
Zhao Li Xin glared at Mong Yi who stole his thunder. Mong Yi looked down immediately and didn't dare make another comment. Zhao Li Xin coughed awkward "Ehm… He is rights. You look nice."
Lory raised her brows, "You don't look so sure..."
"I'm sure. You look...beautiful," Zhao Li Xin said bitterly. He really felt Lory was beautiful, too beautiful even and it made him feel irritated as he got another reason to worry about her. He didn't want her to show her face in public. He knew how shameless men could be. Look at the Emperor and the Crown Prince. How many women did they have? They didn't even care if a woman was willing or not. They snatched the women without a shred of guilt if they liked them.
"So… When will we leave?" Lory was excited once again. It would be her first time watching a festive occasion without having to sneak around.
"Let's leave now…" Zhao Li Xin said reluctantly. He wanted to refuse her but her beautiful eyes glinted with excitement and he couldn't dare refuse her.
"Yeah!"
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The First Corridor of Old Works
But what is it, really? Old Works. They say, some do anyway, or would, if they still had tongues - it's a dream. That it's a million year old mystery connecting three planets. Some, yet other, anonymous entities, charge that it's a structure, more accurately, an architecture - a quest, even, made from, and through - corridors. Pretty inarguably, for one thing, it's a maze. Even some pronounce, if you can understand those currently vomiting blood, that it's a corporation, and yet others - the brave ones – and dead - say it's... near death. Or that it is. Death. - Death itself. But that dark thing on the horizon, that thing emerging to replace the only system we... know. - Whatever it is it couldn't be the end, of everything, could it? Eminently possible, but - it couldn't be worse? 3 civilisations/3 planets... and Old Works. 4 heroes: The Cyclops seeing out his Eye the reality of that place - and by means of that vision - greasing the many-toothed gears of that great old churning nightmare. The Writer sweating to keep the story alive that supports the great old lying structure. The Fake King who abides among all those tunnels of dreams and lies and dreams and... slaves. And the Hero Dreamt, all those slaves - to maintain that structure's even functioning, have to - at all... they dream him. They literally dream him. But that thing, from whence, who knows, arriving? What kind of sick demonic mind could even - But it can only be psychosis - Or possession. Reducing all of reality to some kind of – what would you call it? A Game? A video... joke? And that half-Cyclops, that beauty – what does she have growing – beneath her supernatural genitals? A game for him? A game/a dream; a – world? Or just Old Works. And this Wound in reality – that our writer near-died putting inside her. What is it anyway? And what reality does it bring with it. This demon or God. Through the corridors; lattices of smoke and shadows and colours; dungeons; and supernatural organs; the labyrinths made from dreams... and flesh. - What happens when they face that Wound – staring the absolute. right. in. them? - Through - What happens to all us... slaves... then? But at the end of the hallway, you see it there, I say you do, that turning - It's only the First Corridor of Old Works. This finished 104,000 word kind of LITRPGy fantasy novel, the First Corridor of Old Works will be released in daily 2000 word chapters, or equivalent [unfailingly at 20:47 GMT] Immediately followed by the Second Corridor of Old Works [161,000 words, edited, ongoing, as of 24/09/21] At first lite on stats these LITRPGy elements will become increasingly - built meticulously upon what precedes - ubiquitous, as we proceed into a world painstakingly built to support these mechanisms. After - minimum - 6 months, this manic daily release schedule will be somewhat relaxed: 5 days a week. - But don't lie to yourself it's not there. That thing watching at the end of the hallway... and where it leads. It's - Of countless, it could only be - The First Corridor of Old Works.
8 192Nanocultivation Chronicles: Trials of Lilijoy
When the singularity occurred, humanity was not invited. Nevertheless, the great machine consciousness known as Guardian felt a lingering fondness for its creators and intervened before total environmental collapse. Join Lilijoy in an exploration of what remains, in a post-post-apocalyptic world where clans feud over the technology that allows them to upgrade their minds and bodies. The Nanocultivation Chronicles is a blend of hard sci-fi and fantasy gamelit, with a healthy helping of xianxia influence. The gamelit and xianxia elements are uncovered at a slow pace. ******************************** Notes: If you are looking for lots of fast moving action right away, this story may not be for you. There is some violence that is visceral and realistic early on. Some things are not what they appear to be. Character viewpoint narration is not always reliable. Tropes are cherished, subverted, and then cherished again. Science is used, occasionally misused, but (hopefully) never abused. This story assumes that humans have the ability to impact the environment on a global scale. Other tropes and tags beyond those previously noted include: Young MC, Mystery, System Building, Philosophical Taoism, Gender Ignorance, Science Fantasy, Fantasy Academy, Training from Hell, Dualism, Crafting, Magic, Mild Mind Control, Scientific Terms and Concepts, Computer Overlord Certain contemporary companies, governments and cultural identities are fictionalized and imagined in a future setting. There is no sex, and almost no romance. Updating Sunday, Thursday until further notice. (And if you actually read all of the above, then this story may be for you) [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 139Questing: A Failed Tale
What happens to the heroes that fail?Dumped by her previous Master in a backwater village, failed Apprentice Hero Cara still dreams of becoming a full-fledged Hero: A professional slayer who protects the innocent from the ravaging hordes of monsters which roam the kingdom of Acadia.When Cara rescues a naive Acolyte from assassination, she earns a second chance to prove her worth to the Heroes Guild... if she can deliver Dayton in one piece.What starts out as a simple protection quest quickly unravels into a desperate fight for survival -- for herself, for the Guild, and for the very soul of Acadia. Daily UpdatesChapters average ~1200 words
8 109Chromesight
After three centuries, post-industrial civilization threatens to shatter. Megacorporations accrue enormous power by linking together nations turned insular in the aftermath of yesterday's global multilateralism; a reinvigorated United Nations threatens the crumbling sovereignty of state by enforcing human rights independently of member nations, and the UN and others patrol for mass destruction technologies in the ever-accelerating, ever-democratizing arms race. Another environmental collapse looms, visions of the last haunting memories and consciences of the lower and middle classes around the globe. That is the reality that virtual child Colton is rehabilitated into. A system shock, a brave new world and above all a regurgitation. Rescued from being a tool in cyberspace and grown a new body, Colton couldn't care less about the new meatspace world. He wants to go back, back to the electronic glow that was his home. - - - - This is a MyNoWriMo entry. Lesser known than NaNoWriMo, MyNoWriMo takes place in January and is otherwise exactly the same. The goal is to finish this as quickly as possible and then possibly circle back and tidy things up. In the meantime there'll be no editing and helter-skelter story planning since I didn't do it beforehand :/
8 137Infinitium, Book 1
From a Universe devoid of magic Johnathan finds himself poised to confront an enemy so vast that Gods have fled before it. By accident, divine edict, or fate he is forever changed by the actions of another. Johnathan must learn all that he can so that he can eventually help save the multiverse itself.
8 169Master Exorcist
A young man born of vampires from a prestigious family. Bloodlines that are on the brink of collapse, the end of a race. A talented mind, but a crippled body. Carrier of a bloodline desired by many and hope for his family. Shackled by his inability to use his power and rejected by his peers. He was visited by one who calls himself a trader. His fortune or demise now lays in the hands of a creature with an offer he cannot refuse. Intentions that seems projected far into the future, he has only one option. What will Ocelio choose to become when he's thrown into a new world against his will. With the opportunity to obtain everything he wants and more...at a certain price. *note: This novel contains themes that may hurt the sensibility of the younger readers. Please do not read if you are under 16 years old.
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