THE DEATH KNELL - Chapter 25: DARK TILES AND FADING LIGHTS

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.

Ade has lived in an incense burner for over a thousand years, her days spent sleeping. Longing for the outside world she hears about from her fairy friends, her wish is finally granted when a man brings her home, releasing her from the seal. Ade, tears streaming, vows to repay her savior to the fullest extent.Qin Yu, known as the cold and ruthless Third Master Qin of Kyoto, finds his life upended when strange occurrences plague his bedroom after he places an antique incense burner given to him as a New Year's gift there. Chaos ensues, with items displaced and unexplained puddles of water; he even senses something in his bed while half-asleep.One afternoon, Qin Yu comes home early to find a young girl cleaning up spilled milk. The girl, her black hair cascading, her skin porcelain, is startled by his return and tries to flee. Upon being caught and questioned by Qin Yu, she timidly speaks of repaying her debt.To Qin Yu's amusement, she lists her belongings: pearls, antiques, even her savings. None of these interest Qin Yu, who instead sweeps her into his arms and suggests a more personal way of repaying the debt. Terrified, the girl's beautiful fish tail is revealed.

“You will be my wife one day.” Declared Liu Jun - the handsome and wealthy young master to his beloved childhood friend. He vowed to marry her at all costs. But that vow made him a villain. The woman he desired didn't return his love. Crazy and heartbroken, he crashed into her wedding, who was going to marry the love of her life, Liu Jin, unfortunately his own younger brother. Circumstances took a drastic turn, leaving him with only one choice to pay for his sins - His death. But fate gave him another chance. Liu Jun was reborn. In this new life, he chose to let go of his love and start anew. He discarded his villain's identity and closed his heart forever. But a new encounter and new troubles come knocking on his door with the secrets of his past life that even he doesn't know. Will the villainous Mr. Liu find his happy ending this time? *Excerpt* Ai said, “I forgot to clarify something. It seems you have a misunderstanding that I am interested in you because I stared at you.” Jun blinked once. “Rest assured that's not the case. I won't look at you that way. You are not my type.”

Wealthy, powerful and handsome; Gu Jingze is the cream of the crop in the entire country. Every guy wants to be him and every girl wants to be with him. His life is perfect… except that he has one tiny secret that keeps him from getting close to any woman—apparent impotency.

That is, until he wakes up in bed with a total stranger one day. The next thing he knows, he is forced to marry this stranger; a feisty and boisterous woman by the name of Lin Che.

Lin Che is an average girl whose only aim is to become a successful actress. Ostracized by her family and forced to become independent, she cooks up a scheme to attain her goal. But her plan fails and she ends up marrying this cold and seemingly heartless Gu Jingze. Not only that, she must now find her place in high society, where jealous women and devious plots lay abound – all while juggling her new career.

Two strangers under one roof: From the outset, they agree to stay out of each other’s lives, but he somehow always manages to appear during her moments of crisis. Slowly and unwittingly, Lin Che begins to find it difficult to imagine a future without him. Will their relationship grow, or is their marriage destined to remain just a contract?

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