Absolute Craft - Chapter 5: The First Craft (1)

In the first episode, Little Palace Maid Lian Hua, holding tea leaves, thought to curry favor with Zhaoyi. The Emperor intercepted her halfway, and before she could react, he hijacked her tea leaves, leaving her bewildered.In the second episode, she wanted to curry favor with the Noble Consort. During the Noble Consort's birthday feast, she hadn't even presented the meticulously prepared tea leaves before the Emperor seized them, leaving her aggrieved.In the third episode, she had just sneaked out with the Palace Maids to pick bamboo shoots, planning to go back and cook something delicious when the Emperor burst out of nowhere wanting to freeload a meal. If it wasn't tasty, he would punish her, she managed to barely pass muster by exerting all her energy. Before she could feel relieved, the Emperor told her he was also staying to sleep!This time, he was thoroughly taking advantage of her, enjoying free food and lodging without the slightest intention of rewarding her.At night, the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. All the silver she had saved up in earlier years had been used to sustain the Emperor. Now that the money was gone, she feared being punished for not being able to support him in the future. The more she thought, the sadder she got, her tears plopping down, which woke the Emperor sleeping beside her.In a flurry, the Emperor consoled her, “There, there, don't cry, don't cry. I haven't even had time to reward you, how could I punish you!”After much consoling, and finally with his promise to provide for her sustenance, she turned her tears into laughter.The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. This Little Concubine would need to be favored properly from now on—he dared not make her cry again.→→【This story has concluded, thank you for reading】→→New book recommendation:“Consort of the Roll-Royce is Here, Run!”—It's a good read! Please add it to your favorites.

The protracted ’witch hunting’ had faded into silence with the end of the Seven Years’ War, and the mysteries of the East Coast had begun to conceal themselves, yet gunpowder was on a rapid rise. Mo Qishang, who should have been utterly confounded, stood at the crossroads of destiny in the name of Arthur. He stared in astonishment at the charging knights, the wizards atop the high towers, and the bizarre wilderness. He felt the sharpness of the longsword and the recoil of the firearm, both clear and unfamiliar. At last, he excitedly shook his robe and, with a smile on his face, said— “Do not believe what I say, for to believe is to exist!”

Sirens: a name derived from an ancient creature, used to describe those who could charm, lure, control, and heal others by singing.

Subjected to live the life of a siren, Aria had experienced, seen, and heard many horrific things. Broken beyond repair, Aria resigned herself to death, when suddenly…

The Grand Duke, Lloyd Cardence Valentine, arrived and whispered, “Should I kill everyone here?”

“If you need me, just call me. Your song will always reach me, wherever you are.”

In the end, Aria called the devil, bringing death to all those present, along with herself.

“Let’s fall down to hell together.”

And with that, Aria breathed her last and died… only to return to her 10-year-old self.

Now that she had a second chance at her life, Aria was determined to change her fate, as well as the cruel fate of her saviour, Grand Duke Valentine.

And so… Aria proposed to him with a marriage contract.

She sold her soul to the devil and vowed to protect him.

The young duke took the contract from her hand.

“So, where should I stamp the seal?”

* * *

“You said you’d divorce me within 10 years.”

The grown-up villain leaned in, hovering his head before he kissed her tenderly over her crown.

“Now that we’re adults, we should sign another contract.”

Among the gods of the heavens, there was a famous laughing stock known throughout the three realms.Legend has it that eight hundred years ago, there was an ancient country within the Central Plains called Xian Le nation.The ancient nation of Xian Le had vast territory, abundant resources and content citizens. The country had four treasures: delicate beauties aplenty, thriving arts & literature, treasures of gold and jewels and last but not least, their renown Royal Highness the Crown Prince.This person, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince....you could say.... was a strange man.The Emperor and Empress considered him to be the apple of their eyes. They doted on him immensely and would often proudly proclaim: “In the future, my son will surely become a wise monarch, leaving a reputable impression for generations to come .”Yet, in the regards of what came with royalty, of riches, power and honor, the Crown Prince had no interest.What he was interested in, quoting the very words he often said to himself, was——“I want to save the common folks!”The young prince cultivated in earnest. During this time, two short stories became widely circulated. .The first story occurred when he was seventeen years old.That year, the nation of Xian Le held a magnificent Offering to the Gods parade.Although this tradition had already been abandoned for numerous centuries, through surviving ancient texts and verbal stories, one could imagine the grandeur of the event..Offering to the Gods day, Martial God Main Street.Both sides of the Main Street were overflowing with a sea of people. The aristocrats were seated on top of high buildings as they exchanged friendly chatter; while the imperial guards cleared the way with their impressive armours clinking. Young girls danced gracefully as their snow-white hands scattered flower petals like rain, filling the sky as far as the eye could see. It made people question whether the dancing maidens were more beautiful or the flowers themselves. Melodious notes sounded from within golden carriages and floated throughout the whole Imperial City. Behind honorable guards, sixteen white horses with golden bridles walked side-by-side as they pulled forward a magnificent platform.Located on top of the tall, magnificent platform was the focus of everyone’s attention, there stood the martial artist to perform a show to please the Gods.During the festive heavenly parade, the martial artist would adorn a golden mask, don splendid garments and wield a sword in one hand. He would perform the role of the first military deity in a millennium to have subdued demonic beasts——Martial God Heavenly Emperor Jun Wu.Being selected as the martial artist to perform such a show could be considered equivalent as to receiving the utmost honour, and thus the selection criteria was extremely strict. This year, the one who was chosen was none other than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The entire nation was convinced that he would surely be able to become the most marvellous martial artist to perform such a performance since the beginning of time.However, on that day, something unexpected occurred.During that time, the martial god on the magnificent stage was just about to land a killing blow on a demon.This was the most exciting scene, and thus the people on both sides of the Main Street were fired up with passion. The people on the city walls were also becoming more rowdy as they started outdoing each other in sticking their heads out to see, both struggling and shoving.Right at this moment, a young child fell from the top of the city gate tower.