Crown of Thorns - Chapter 23

What is it like to own an abandoned oil town in the West? At first, Xu Xing simply wanted to provide some convenience for travel enthusiasts and camping enthusiasts traveling by car to the northwest.

However, it has been out of control since then…

The stall has been upgraded to a convenience store with a unique style, the instant noodles cooked in an earthen pot have been transformed into a restaurant that provides hot and authentic beef noodles, and the shack has been transformed into a hotel that is unique in the country and can look up at the deep starry sky. The tire point has been upgraded to become a gas station and maintenance station….

after that,

The town unknowingly became the size of a small county town…sixth tier, fifth tier, fourth tier, third tier…a few years later it became the only new first-tier city in the northwest Gobi Desert…

- Description from novelbuddy

Masterpieces such as 'The Divine Comedy', 'The Theory of Evolution', 'Encyclopaedia Britannica', 'The Theory of Relativity'...Born in the history of human civilization, possess mysterious and magical powers in another world!Original sin, biological evolution, mastery of all arts...By reading the secret tomes, one can gain a variety of powers!The only trouble for the people of the other world is that they find it difficult to understand the texts from Earth.At this time, there comes a librarian from Earth...

It’s been 10 years since I found myself in the game “War of Gods: Infinite Defense.”From being the illegitimate son of the Red Dragon family, I rose to become a prominent figure, but under my half-brother’s schemes, I eventually met my demise.[Game over] [Hidden Ending: The Secret of Ray Hatzfeld]However, I was given another chance.[Discovery of the hidden ending has unlocked a new story.] [Additional content is being downloaded.] [The story of Kane Rehinar, the Grand Duke of the Water Tiger family, begins.]Not as the illegitimate son of the Red Dragon family, but as the Grand Duke of an enemy nation!“Hatzfeld, this time I will make sure you die in the most painful way possible.”

WARNING: The MC is NOT a demon! For an explanation of the title, please see the post we made specifically addressing this matter.

Ling Xiao was an orphan fighting for survival in a dog eat dog world. There were some who had the power to enjoy a life of comfort, unconcerned with worldly matters, while most struggled to survive. He was of the second kind.

When he celebrated his sixth birthday, his father left him to the wolves with only a token to defend himself. He struggled to earn a living, scrambling together whatever scraps he could gather; fighting with the dogs for food and fighting with the homeless for shelter.

But that all changed on a fortuitous day, when a demon invaded his home. In a world of deception and plotting, one tasked with seeking revenge for the man who gave him a second lease on life, how would Ling Xiao fare?

- Description from Novelupdates