《Beyond the Mists (Shuli Go Vol. 1)》Part 4
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The country of Wamai was separated from the Central Empire by two sets of mountains called, not surprisingly, the Wamaian Mountains. The only land path into the country was the winding one that moved northwest between the two mountain ranges. The one break between the two halves of the Wamaian Mountains were met by a third set of mountains that became the spine of the Wamaian archipelago, stretching northwest. The road ventured into this triad of impassable rock cliffs, a treacherous and steep climb up that meant an invasion from the Empire was all-but impossible.
Because of its physical isolation, Wamai had grown far more independently of the Empire than the other bordering kingdoms, many of which merely emulated Imperial customs. Wamai was largely a mystery, conducting trade in small quantities and paying homage to the Emperor or Empress in almost equal quantities to the Imperial bribes that were the hallmark of the Central Empire’s foreign policy.
It was this impossible path Lian and Jiang followed that day, the subsequent night, and through to the next morning. It was that mystery that haunted Lian as she searched for sleep – under a warm blanket this time – as they travelled to Hona.
Once they arrived in the town, she was glad to have found even the small bits of sleep she had. Stepping out of the wagon, she and Jiang were directed to a small camp set up on the edge of town. Lian spent most of the time trying to peer into the collection of buildings, a place eerily reminiscent of Three Paths itself, except for two things: its architecture, which was different from anything Lian had seen before; and its snow, which coated every surface and seemed to fall continuously. Lian had visited mountains several times in her life, and she knew based on the threadbare nature of the air that they were at least a mile and a half above the sea. It was only late autumn, and the snow had just started, but she knew from the strong, angled roofs on the buildings that the town was used to spending months battling snow and cold. She also noted that the walls of the town, through which they had already passed, were thicker than those of the Imperial capital. The town wasn’t just an outpost, it was the first line of defense should the Central Empire ever try and attack.
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Lian’s bout of observation was short lived, because Minister Ida arrived shortly thereafter and brought with him a train of twenty men, all on horseback and all ornately armored. The Minister himself wore a slightly more ornamental version of Hoji’s uniform armor, the helmet ringed with a thin band of gold. Lian and Jiang stood up, as Hoji and the Minister spoke briefly just out of Lian’s hearing,
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Jiang asked.
“Probably the particulars of how they’re going to kill us if I screw up.”
“Oh good, I was worried it was going to be something scary.”
The Wamaians approached and bowed before Lian, formally, in the Imperial fashion. Lian returned the bow, and Hoji introduced the Minister.
“A pleasure and a thousand blessings upon you and your family,” Lian said, holding the bow.
“And a hundred years of peace and joy to yours,” Ida gave the appropriate response in unaccented Imperial. Their bow ended and Ida’s face – an old, weathered, and keenly intelligent one – dispensed any formalities, “But first we require at least a generation of peace here, in Wamai.”
“I understand you need an arbitrator,” Lian offered.
"More. A peacemaker," he vocalized with a mix of resignation and hope that Lian had heard only in the desperate and the damned. Ida gave the impression of being both.
“Are you ready?” Ida asked. “We will ride together, and with haste. The court is anxious for your arrival.”
“My associate, Jiang, will be looked after here?”
Ida did not look at Jiang, even as Lian motioned towards him. “Yes, of course. Hoji will look after him. He is prefect of this area, and no one will go against his word.”
Hoji bowed slightly, approving of Ida’s description, and Lian looked to Jiang, who was still scared but who ushered Lian on with a nod and a weak smile. Lian smiled too, which she hoped came off as reassuring. It didn’t, but Jiang nonetheless smiled a little wider in return.
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“How long will I be gone? I would like my friend to know when he can expect me back.”
"You will take as long as you need to render a decision." Ida's response was brusque but not rude. "The speed at which you return is entirely up to you."
Lian took a chance then, veering off social convention, “Ballpark it for me. Days? Weeks? Months?”
Ida smiled, partly in recognition of the saying – though she doubted Wamaians played the same game of ball and stick that every child in the Central Empire enjoyed, he clearly understood the reference – and partly for the informal nature of Lian’s question. “That depends on one thing,” he said.
“What?”
“How quickly you can learn Wamaian law.”
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Manufacturing Magic (LitRPG)
Ten million active players. One game master. Infinite Worlds is the most popular VRMMORPG on the market. Its maps are so vast, developer Hard Rock Data utilizes a network of highly advanced artificial intelligence to control it. But it's not without problems. That’s why game masters like Jeff Driscoll have jobs. The downside? He’s not allowed to play the game. Something about conflicts of interest and favoritism. His very boring and tedious job is to help players deal with the occasional bug that slips through the cracks and ensure they enjoy their time playing enough to give a five-star rating. It’s a gig that pays the bills. However, when the A.I.s unexpectedly issue a rogue patch, the game becomes a buggy mess, and Jeff's role radically changes. He finds himself as the only game master around, dealing with more problems than he can handle. It’s up to Jeff to return Infinite Worlds to normalcy...but will the A.I.s let him?
8 113Iferes: Slaves Of The Gods
Iferes are creatures that roam the world. They are everywhere, and anywhere. From the deepest seas, to the highest mountains. From the heart of volcanos, to the never melting glaciers. Some are weak, some are strong. Some are calm, some are bloodthirsty. What they all have in common, is that they fight for survival. For hundreds of thousands of eras, humans and Iferes lived in a world of war and blood. Ifere against Ifere, Ifere against humans, and humans against humans. But one day, in a very distant past, the twelve Mystic Iferes, and the twelve greatest kings of humanity, joined hands to end that cruel era. Together, they created a contract. A contract that, once made, would bound the two parties, and could only be broken in death. Millions of years went by, and that period of war faded in legends. And a child was born, a child that would change everything. For bad or worse, only time would say. ----------------------------- Hello, everyone! Just a few warnings before you read the novel, so you won't be disappointed. First of all, as you can probably tell, I took more than a few ideas from pokemon and the like. It's almost impossible to write a novel where creatures (Iferes) have a major part in, and not relate it to pokemon. However, as you will see as the novel goes on, I tried (and I think I succeeded) in making a universe of my own. I am sure you will like it. Secondly, compared to pokemon, my novel is a lot darker, as you probably noticed by the synopsis. I also try to give a wild west vibe to it, if you know what I mean. Thirdly, you should check out my fanfic Broke: A Clone Wars Tale. Biased as I am towards it, I think it's a great story, and so do many of my readers. It will also give you a glance at what writing style to expect. Fourth and last, I feel like it's only fair that I tell you I am a student. As much as I love writing, my main priority will always be my studies. After all, writing is just a hobby for me, at least for now (fingers crossed). As such, there probably will be interruptions in the release schedule here and there, but, if you followed me on my other novel, you will know I rarely missed an upload, and, when I did, I always made up for it. So, with all that said, I hope you can give the novel a try, and leave a review. If you are a new reader, I hope we can have a lot of fun along the way. If you read Broke, then we already made a journey together, and I hope you will follow me on a new one. Also, you should check out my patreon, there you can get chapters in advance (although they will all be published normally after a while), and a few other benefits. I appreciate every bit of support you can give me! patreon.com/reis123 PS: there will be romance, but no harem or reincarnation. The MC is just someone who was born and raised on this world.
8 184[French] Le chat de Schrödinger - An Ephyria Story
Une fille, ayant vécu l'enfer par deux fois, est devenue un paradoxe. Morte, mais vivante. Présente mais absente. Son existence même est remise en cause par le monde lui-même. 1 chap / semaine (le dimanche) au mieux. Je suis étudiant, donc il est possible qu'il n'y est pas de chapitre durant certaines semaines, bien que j'essayerais de faire des chapitres, même s'ils sont courts (peut-être un chapitre extra ?) Au sujet de la fiction, il y aura peut-être un harem, mais que des femmes ! Pourquoi ? Pourquoi pas. Je ne me sens juste pas à l'aise d'écrire sur un homme faisant l'amour à mon personnage. Et oui, il y aura des citrons, mais pas de suite. Aussi, le texte sera très cru. Si jamais, pour une quelconque raison, un des personnages voit un pénis, j'écrirais clairement que c'est un pénis. De même pour la femme.
8 232The Broken Soul
Listening to the musical noise of peace and quiet, as I drifted off to dreamland....Bolting up wake, I was sweating practically having a panic attack.....ll I did was smiled and told him “ Don’t worry if they threatened you, they are all bark and no bite.”....When opened I locked the door behind me, instead of reading the journals in the chest I took out the tapes.... Here is a young soul named jade that is lost on life.
8 105To Walk The Mist
(Excerpt: "Ya! Old pervert! I heard you have a disciple. Which training ground did you send him to?" "it's definitely a ground... An execution ground!" "Old pervert. Your disciple is about to break through? what kind of pill do you want me to concoct for him?" "A good pill! His tribulation lightning, If possible, let's make it stay a few more days." "Old pervert, your disciple needs more tribulation lightning?" "Don't bother! Tribulation lightning refuses to descend, no matter what unheavenly act we commit! Say, old Iba! I heard you got some demon fire, lend it to me to test it on him. If it's original, I'll return it.") Ed is not from this world. Last he remembered, he had been on a quest to save someone's life, a debt he must repay. But he was deceived. stuck in a place called the mist, a bridge between worlds, time and space itself, a place gods would not go, he must not only find his way home, he must find out who he is, that the entire universe aims to kill him. With past lives to uncover and companions that should not walk any world. Will he lose himself to the mist or become what he has forgotten? both roads lead to doom, but whose?
8 221Chains
Eric Bane is one tough thug, but even he's not immortal. After a deadly ambush, he falls unconscious only to awaken in a castle preparing to meet a king. He was apparently summoned to a parallel world of fantasy to act as a hero who wields one of six Divine Weapons. However, being unfamiliar with video games, he doesn't see the new world the same way the other five do. After being framed for rape, Eric ends up hobbling out of the city with no money, no party, and draining motivation. However, if there's one thing that Samson is good at, it's spite. If the world is going to kick him to the curb, then he's going to beat the shit out of the next person he sees to get back on track. As Eric grows stronger through a natural progression, he slowly discovers the hidden history of the world and the dark secrets of the Church of the Trinity. And while some might wait for the right moment to strike, Samson isn't one for patience. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is a story that I've already gotten pretty far with, but I want to release it slowly over a few days to see what the critics say. I haven't finished it, but I've got a general idea where I want to go with it. Maturity for violence, sexual themes, and slavery. No outright sex or nudity, and there is no cruelty exhibited towards slaves. Tell me how you like it.
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