The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary - Chapter 36: Attacked Again During Advance

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Back in 1996, when the daughter of the Old Xie family, Xie Wanying, said she wanted to be a doctor, many laughed.“Phoenix begets phoenix, dog spawns dog. A truck driver’s daughter becoming a doctor is as likely as a sow climbing a tree.”“I’m not just going to be a doctor, I’m going to be a female chest surgeon,” said Xie Wanying.Her words provoked even greater waves of disdain within the doctors' community.Relatives who were doctors ridiculed her mercilessly: “Do you know how high the admission scores are for medical students? Do you think you can make it?”“There are zero female chief chest surgeons in the country. Who do you think you are!”A bunch of people mocked her: “You'll probably only get into a third-rate medical college and end up as a health worker in a small county town. It's easy to imagine what sort of marriage you'll have.”After the college entrance exams, Xie Wanying entered the top surgical class in the country with the highest science scores in the province, with department heads in the Capital’s top-tier hospitals vying for her from her internship beginnings.“Student Xie Wanying, come to our digestive surgery department.”“No, she must come to our urological surgery—”“Pediatric surgery is in short supply of female doctors like student Xie Wanying.”Circles of relatives and friends: …At this time, Xie Wanying independently completed the youngest Tetralogy of Fallot surgery in the country, represented the national association of chest surgery at an international medical forum, and published the world’s first minimally invasive heart valve repair surgery, becoming truly the foremost surgeon in the field of female surgery!As for the marriage concerns that everyone “worried” about:A brother from the Returned Overseas Faction, a hot bachelor within the Capital, changed his QQ profile picture to Junior Sister Xie.The young CEO, a handsome man, came to the hospital every day with flowers, keen to offer a diamond ring.Not to mention, a whole host of suitors had long since worn a path to the Old Xie Family's doorstep...

Zhuang Feng is in his last year of high school, and he’s just moved to the city. He lives with his good-for-nothing cousin, who’s always on business trips falling for get-rich-quick scams, and his Saozi (sister-in-law), who tries to make his life miserable as much as possible. There’s one upside, though; she. is. freaking. hot. But one day, he found a piece of her underwear in the bathroom…. And unfolded a series of events that will turn his life upside down.

- Description from Novelupdates

Battle Emperor Fu Sheng is the most popular player in the game, The New Age. Everyone believes that only he will become the champion in the final battle! His real name—Lin Jie. The reason for his participation in the battle is to win the Capsule of Revitalization for his injured mother and sister. With the Broken Blade, a Heritage weapon, in hand, he finally makes it to the final battle! Only then does he realize that his best friend had betrayed him! After his devastating defeat, Lin Jie is shocked to realize that he had time-travelled all the way back to a few years ago when the beta version of The New Age was just about to launch!

With all my knowledge of the game…
Pros on the leaderboard? All of them my underlings!
First kill of a BOSS? Mine!
First clear of the exclusive dungeon? Still mine!

Whatever I lost in the past, I’ll get them all back!
Whoever brought me trouble, you’re as good as dead!
When I have the chance to do it all over again, I WILL BE EMPEROR!

I am Fu Sheng, the STRONGEST warrior in The New Age. No one, absolutely no one, can stand before me!

- Description from Novelupdates