Lord of Cosmos - Chapter 145: The Truth Is Heavy

[2022 Science Fiction Starlight Award Word-of-mouth Good Book]

[Third Prize of 2022 Science Fiction Essay]

When a photo of the North Pole taken by a satellite was sent back to various countries, people on earth were shocked by the content of the photo.

They saw thousands of wolves in the North Pole, including hundreds of polar bears and arctic silver foxes, all bowing their heads in unison.

On the top of the snow-capped mountain, a giant arctic wolf whose size exceeds everyone’s imagination is overlooking the arctic ice sheet.

- Description from novelbuddy

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.

The psychiatrist Li Qing received a patient claiming to be the “Creator God”.The patient recounted his experiences of time travel:“Dr. Li, I discovered that I have a superpower. I created a microcosm in this room and have initiated multiple great floods to annihilate their beings, but now I am about to die.”A few days later, Li Qing suddenly receives news of the patient's death and discovers that everything he said was true.And Li must deal with the patient's belongings, extinguishing this civilization world within the ward, or else this civilization might destroy all of humanity on Earth.“You, become the nerve cells of this shelter, in the control room, to manage the direction of the shelter's movement!”“You, become the muscle cells, to control the fins and flagella outside the shelter!”“Oh, it seems you are quite impressive, you single-cell beings, have evolved into a fish kingdom.”

Darin was just a simple blacksmith. He wanted a quiet life, a steady job, and maybe enough money to fix the hole in his roof.But fate had other plans.Thanks to an unfortunate mix of coincidences, a ridiculous prophecy, and some very excitable villagers, Darin suddenly finds himself labeled as the reincarnation of an ancient, all-powerful Dark Lord. Now, knights want to slay him, cultists want to worship him, and political schemers want to manipulate him, all while he desperately tries to convince everyone that he is just some guy.With misunderstandings piling up faster than he can escape them, Darin must navigate a world that insists on making him its next great villain… whether he likes it or not.A comedy of mistaken identity, accidental power plays, and one very confused protagonist, I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord is a lighthearted fantasy adventure where every denial only makes things worse.