Arc of Fire - Chapter 276: The Fame of General Mud (Extra 10/33)

(Chongwen, strong men and women) On the wedding day, her husband stabbed the knife of betrayal into her heart with his own hands,

“Did you know? The person who saved you back then was not me, but the sick child who first asked Tian!”

Only then did she know that she had been in love with the wrong person!
In the raging fire, she vowed like a ghost:

“Sikong Hao, I swear to God that if there is an afterlife, I will seize your imperial power and destroy your country!”

Opening her eyes again, she found that she was actually reborn on the body of Bei Gongxue, the number one waste material of the Bei Gong family.

Clenching her fists, she hooked her lips and sneered: This time, she will not be blind and love others wrongly.

To the person who harmed her, she directly tramples on it, and to the person who loves her, she swears to protect her to the death, and she will never let him suffer any more grievances!

When the waste material turns over, when the sick king no longer hides his strength, their love is destined to be vigorous, so that the world can only look up!

But when the world said that Princess Xuan was arrogant and ruthless, and her wrist was bloody, he said: “My love is the biggest capital of your arrogance and domineering!”

- Description from novelbuddy

A Deadly Secret, also translated as Requiem of Ling Sing and Secret of the Linked Cities, is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first published in the magazine Southeast Asia Weekly (東南亞周刊) and the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao in 1963. Its original Chinese title was Su Xin Jian before Jin Yong changed it to Lian Cheng Jue. The story revolves around the adventures of the protagonist Di Yun, an ordinary young peasant, who is imprisoned after being framed. In his quest for vengeance, he accidentally acquires the Liancheng Swordplay manual (連城劍谱), an ancient artifact not only prized for the skills detailed inside, but also for containing a secret leading to a treasure.

In France, just entered Versailles, with the identity of the Crown Prince.The only problem was that the reigning king was Louis XVI, and in two years, he’d be “snapped”…Since I couldn’t rely on dear old dad and the ministers, I had to take matters into my own hands to reform France!First, make a bit of easy money to solve the financial crisis that had plagued the nation for hundreds of years.Then give a harsh lesson to those nobles harboring treacherous intentions and plotting to seize power.Next, confiscate the Church’s abundant lands, acquired without lifting a finger.Industry, technology, agriculture, commerce—I will all advance side by side, I, the greatest Crown Prince in France!That year, when the little British struggled with the allied forces at his borders, I simply took over his little island.That year, my sword pointed at all of Europe, the magnificent feat Napoleon didn’t accomplish, I will achieve!!!

Warning This fiction contains:

Graphic Violence Profanity Sensitive Content

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

Summary – Level 2:

Okay, but what are you in for, really?

Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme.

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What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure?

Yes!

Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap–

Now!

Okay, okay!

The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?

Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?

Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.

POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.

Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.

Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.

There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.

The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.

The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story!