Toaru Majutsu no Index - Volume 1, Chapter 3: The Grimoire Peacefully Smiles. "Forget_me_not."

Through a mysterious portal, Chen Jin arrived at this strange place – a post-apocalyptic world where civilization had been destroyed.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Guzi transmigrated into a novel and became a character in a story about a true and false rich heiress.While others who transmigrated into novels become the true heiress, she became the fake heiress. To make matters worse, both she and the true heiress are engaged.She was engaged to the son of a military leader, while the true heiress was engaged to a divorced man with three children from his previous marriage.Guzi's parents, caring for the true heiress, decide to have Guzi marry in her place. In the book, the character “Guzi” was furious and attempted suicide but failed.As a result, she lost the love and favor of her parents. After marrying the divorced man,“Guzi” blamed him for all the wrongdoings and mistreated his children. Eventually, he could no longer tolerate her actions and divorced her. “Guzi” would become a destitute beggar and die miserably on the street.After transmigrating into the book, Guzi left her family and married the divorced man. When she faced the man and his three children, Guzi believed that the original owner of her body made a terrible mistake.This was a painless experience of being a mother without any hardships to endure!On the other hand, the true heiress had to deal with her husband's illegitimate child and fight for family assets. She would lead a daily life full of hardships.The true heiress consoled herself, thinking that she was still better off than Guzi. She had to raise someone else's child and care for an old man.However, one day she sees Guzi stepping out of a luxurious car with a protruding belly, supported by the richest man in the city.Looking aggrieved, Guzi got out of the car and said, “We agreed not to have children!”The man beside her responded tenderly, “Sorry, my mistake.”