MTL - Happiness Consist in Contentment - v7 Chapter 18

Shock! The Eye-Candy of the Entertainment Industry is Reborn as a Top Student!The niece of the Zhang family is said to be the reincarnation of the God of Literature. From childhood to adulthood, she has never scored second place in any exam. Even on the day of a test, when she had a fever of 39.9 degrees, she still effortlessly wrote like a supernatural being—truly amazing.When neighbors talked about this girl, their envy and astonishment were indescribable.This girl was nothing short of a Tsinghua or Peking University candidate; the Zhang family’s ancestors must be smiling from their graves.“Have you heard? That Zhang family girl topped the citywide high school entrance exam again. City No. 1 High School and Experimental High School nearly fought at the Zhang family’s door to recruit her...”“What’s that? The principal of Lanya Noble High School even came with a million yuan to visit her…”The world of a top student is beyond our understanding!——The world of a top student is very lonely!——When one possesses unparalleled beauty but lacks status and power to match it, this becomes the root of all suffering.In her past life, Shen You'an refused to compromise with the hidden rules of the entertainment industry. Her life was one of hardship and destitution, ultimately ending in her dying alone on a snowy winter's night on the streets.Once celebrated as the stunning but talentless beauty of the entertainment world, she left quietly and tragically, without drawing attention from anyone.When Shen You'an opened her eyes again, her firefighter father had just passed away in the line of duty.“Ding.” Your System for Top Students has arrived. Please sign for it.She cut her long hair, put on glasses, and concealed her beauty. Thus, she began her journey to becoming a top student.Until she gains the strength to protect her unrivaled beauty, she would rather let her brilliance be hidden than become a target of envy and harm.

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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Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

The story begins with the last day of Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is being quietly shut down. Our protagonist Momonga decides to stay in his beloved game until the last moment, so waits for the forced logout. Unexpectedly, the server does not shut down and Momonga is stuck in a skeleton avatar in another world. “The powerful Overlord” needs now to discover the new world and face the continuous challenges that arise.

“When the old gods are forgotten, they do not die—they wait.”In the year 1025, the Viking Age wanes.Iceland bows to Christ. The Althing governs by law. And the gods of old fade to whispers.But in the far Westfjords, something stirs.Vetrulfr, a former Varangian captain and exile, returns from the East with foreign gold, forgotten warcraft, and a hunger no man can name.He comes not in peace, but to raise Ullrsfjörðr from ash and ice; building walls, carving runes, and waging war on behalf of a dying faith.From Reykjavík to Aachen, rumors spread: a ghost walks the North once more. Some call him the son of Ullr. Others, a wolf-cloaked demon.But all will know his name.and when the Valkyries call, he will answer.