Swordmeister of Rome - Chapter 21

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

Title: Trillionaire Student: The Art of Corporate WarfareGenre: Cyberpunk Corporate Drama / Tech RomanceSetting: Near-future Shanghai (2045) where blockchain dynasties and AI oligarchs dominate global finance.Protagonist:· Ye Chen: A 22-year-old financial prodigy with military-grade neural implants. Orphaned and self-made, he accidentally inherits trillion-yuan assets tied to a cryogenically preserved heiress.· Su Ning: A “frozen elite” heiress resurrected from cryostasis. Her trauma-encrypted mind holds the keys to her family's blockchain empire.Core Plot:When Ye decrypts suicidal patterns in Su's neural data, their forced partnership to upgrade her emotional firewall exposes:1. Corporate Espionage: Rival tech giants weaponize celebrity scandals as NFT commodities.2. Family Conspiracy: Su's mother audits her memories like hostile mergers.3. Hidden Protocol: A blockchain ledger tracking physical intimacy as corporate liability.Key Westernized Elements:· Boardroom duels in holographic Hunger Games-style shareholder arenas· Romance through shared neural hacking of trauma encryption· Memetic warfare where viral tweets manipulate stock marketsThemes:· Capitalism 2.0 (emotions as crypto assets, SEC-regulated marriage contracts)· Cybernetic identity (childhood trauma rebuilt as AI firewalls)· East-West fusion (Tang poetry as quantum encryption keys)Cultural Bridges:· “Black Swan Fund” → “Quantum Contingency Fund”· Neural interface battles styled as The Matrix meets Game of Thrones· Food metaphors: Xiaolongbao dumplings as encrypted data carriers

On the battlefield, the Avengers fell into a bitter battle, and when Thanos was about to win, suddenly, there was a loud noise in the sky, and only a huge battleship that covered the sky appeared above everyone’s heads, and opened the door from the battleship. A man stepped out of the hatch.

“who are you!”

Thanos felt uneasy and shouted loudly.

“Who am I, you ask?”

The man looked down on the world.

“Listen well, I am the doctor of Rhodes Island, the admiral of the tutelary mansion, the master of Chaldea, the commander of Griffin, the onmyoji of Heianjing, the knight of Princess Link, the dress-up master of the Miracle Continent, Rainbow Squad operator, Battle Commander, Duelist of Dueling City, Demon Hunter who can cry, Demon Hunter who collects Gwent cards, Ashes of No Fire, Master Ashes of Fireproof Lady, Destroyer of Outer Gods. Sever Undead The man of the sky. Grabber of Skyrim, god of war who slaughtered the gods of Olympus and Asgard. Assassin who wants nothing but love, little policeman of Raccoon City, ruler and protector of the border. King of Erden, High Lord of Azeroth, Warrior of Arad, Summoner of Valoran, Defender of Crossfire, Mercenary of Kuhan…”

- Description from novelbuddy

Devastated by the death of her destined mate and her family, Reana refused to choose another mate for three years. But with the council breathing down her neck, she had no other choice but to consider her options: Beta Ryan, the one who was chosen by the pack to become her second chance mate.But to everyone's surprise, she chose a servant, Ryder. The pack members and the council were livid. How could they bow to a servant turned Alpha?It was already enough that their Black Moon Pack was magnanimous to strays – in the past, giving them a home and work to help their living conditions, but now, one of such people would become their Alpha? Impossible! No way! What if Ryder was a spy? An enemy in disguise?Meanwhile, Ryder, the servant, was more than that. He was the feared and revered Alpha Snow of the Southern Islands - the dared-devil who was at war with the moon goddess for three lifetimes, just for Reana. And this lifetime, he was going all out, laying all his cards down.Who cares what he has to become just to claim his woman? Since Reana would not marry an Alpha from other packs, yet, was destined to become a Luna, then joining her pack as a 'pitiful' servant was his best bet.***Reana's heart skipped a beat. There was something about the way Ryder said 'My Luna' that sent a shiver down her spine. The possessive undertone was unmistakable, and for a moment, Reana felt a flutter in her chest. She looked away, trying to compose herself. Perhaps, he didn't mean it that way, after all, he was the first to call her that. It was either 'Luna Reana' or plainly 'Luna.'With this conclusion, she turned back to him, her face cold and indifferent as usual, intending to respond. “You're my cho—” She stopped herself, her gaze drifting to the smudge of blood on his cheek. She didn't like the stain; it marred his handsome face like a drop of red ink on a white ceremonial dress.Without thinking, Reana reached out to clean the blood. As her hand made contact with his warm skin, a jolt of electricity coursed through her. Startled and about to withdraw her hand, Ryder suddenly leaned into her touch.Reana's heart skipped another beat. Ryder's eyes locked onto hers, his gaze burning with intensity. “Does My Luna find me worthy to become her chosen mate?” he asked, his voice low and husky. “I think I have good qualities. I don't have a mate, nor have I ever touched any woman. I'm still a virgin…”***Please, check the review and character profile first, then prologue chapter before you dive into the story. It's very, very important.More tags~#Rebirth#Obsession