Hokage Master - Chapter 23: New Feelings

The Morandi color palette refers to colors with low saturation and a muted, smoky feel.Chen Ningxi, who usually seems untouched by worldly concerns, finds herself unexpectedly moved upon meeting Cheng Qiaobei, who embodies the Morandi hues.At their first meeting, Cheng Qiaobei is in a subordinate position, striving to meet the demands of Chen Ningxi’s client role.Three days later, they meet again when Cheng Qiaobei is inspecting a hotel and Chen Ningxi, a VIP client, calls to make a complaint that goes directly to his office.Two weeks later, a newly built chain hotel urgently requires electric equipment installation approval, and the responsible person is Chen Ningxi.Cheng Qiaobei visits her for negotiations but gets caught in the middle of Chen Ningxi’s blind date, and weighing his options, he lets himself be used as a temporary shield to deflect the matchmaker.With a glance, they fulfill each other's needs—he gets the approval, and she avoids matchmaking.In the charade of their fake relationship, they end up truly connecting. He gets drunk, she listens earnestly; he's busy, she remains focused on her work.He does not intrude on her, and she does not disturb him. Chen Ningxi realizes she might have found someone easy to get along with and never tires of.Regarding love, Chen Ningxi has the ability to both love deeply and restrain herself. In terms of career, Cheng Qiaobei has the capability to conjure miracles and rise again from setbacks.As for them, they are a couple wandering within the hues of the Morandi palette.

The Baron’s daughter, Alessandra Barrett, has worn a mask from a young age due to an injury. Many say if you were to see the face behind the mask, you would be cursed and die soon afterward. She is seen as a ghost, avoided by all who visit the baron’s home until she becomes the Duke’s wife.

No one could understand why the Duke would pick such a wife. Did he wish to die?

What would become of the girl who once hid in the shadows but now had the spotlight on her as the Duke’s masked wife?

What would everyone say if they were to learn the truth that she was in a contracted marriage with the Duke?

One scam package,That's all it took to drag the 17-year-old Cail into the world of the void....He thought he had ordered a limited-edition sneakers. But what came was a shady-looking package on his front gate. It smelled like rotten egg and sulfur. Inside the package was a strange box.It's filled with eccentric junk. They looked very intricate and mysterious. He thought, “I probably got someone else's package, a package from someone that was very interested in mysticism.”An old coin, a cracked compass, a ring with an ugly center stone, and some other weird looking trinkets.So he did what any broke student would do:He sold it. He figured someone might want them for cosplay or something. Well, except the gold-rimmed glasses that seemed to fit him very well.“Damn, I paid 7,000 nu for that sneaker; I better get something out from this scam package.”Then all hell broke loose. Strange people started approaching him.People brought that junk. Very strange people wearing suspicious get up trying to buy those stuff in the sketchiest manner possible.As he kept selling, he realized that the box was refilling, it seemed to have an endless supply of those strange stuff. Those people called it 'artifacts'.Then one day he woke up with a strange tattoo on his arm; inside the tattoo was an independent space containing the box. It is basically inseparable from him.“I didn't ask for any of this to happen. But now, strange people come to me with desperate offers. Money, memories, and even soul.”He's just trying to survive high school while earning some money!He had no idea what was going on, but apparently, this thing that he got? It's not just an artifact. It's a contract.As Cail navagates school life, part-time jobs, and otherworldly clients, he starts asking the real question:When did I become an artifact dealer?!By day, he is just an ordinary student, a NPC character.And by night? He is The Dealer. Selling ancient items and dealing with people that he probably shouldn't be talking to.“Since I'm already in this mess, might as well profit off of it.”

competitive career in his sport, and his only solace is the daily training sessions with his coach, Sterling. At school, Winter keeps to himself, focusing on his studies while avoiding any unwanted attention. However, his life is turned upside down when a mysterious phenomenon engulfs the world.During class, an eerie black cloud blankets the sky, and a strange message appears in front of people around the world, announcing that humanity is about to face an apocalypse. Infected beings, known as 'The Stranded,' will rise—mutants, zombies, and other horrors with a single purpose: to eradicate mankind. At the same time, humans will undergo an awakening, gaining abilities based on their potential.As chaos erupts in his classroom, Winter witnesses classmates transforming into horrific monsters, and the world outside seems to fall apart. With survival instincts kicking in, Winter is forced to use his combat skills to defend himself and others, battling through his former classmates-turned-creatures. As he kills the 'walkers' and gains experience points from his victories, Winter realizes the stakes have changed—he must level up, survive, and adapt to a new, brutal world.But as Winter confronts the deadly new reality, he is faced with not only the horrors of a decimated world but the cold truth that his choices, abilities, and past will shape the fate of humanity.*******What's up, Author here. So I plan on releasing a chapter every 1-3 days as to not overwork myself, knowing that if I do, I might drop it the novel as a whole. So be patient with me.