MTL - Ming Dynasty: My Brother-in-law is Zhu Youxiao - Chapter 457 The secret system makes bureaucrats unable to unite!

[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

In the land of magic and beasts, Sylvia was betrayed by her family and sold off as a slave. She was expecting the worst, but fortunately, it was a handsome prince who had ‘bought’ her! Who doesn’t love a charming, benevolent, and kind prince, not to mention ridiculously handsome?

But, little did Sylvia know that the charming handsome prince was no angel but rather a devil in disguise!

The calm, kind and good-hearted Sylvia found herself slowly changing under the devil's influence but worst of all, she found herself becoming more and more addicted to the two-faced devil who harbored dark and dangerous secrets.

But could she ever fully trust the shameless devil? Or was he just one of the many who desired her hidden powers? Let the games begin!

.......................

Excerpt:

“Are you getting ready for your engagement, my sweet kitten?” The devil's familiar voice drawled, making Sylvia's entire body tingle with an unfathomable need.

She gazed into his dark coal black eyes, lost within them, as he rubbed her lips with his thumb. This man... This man in front of her alone had the power to make her knees weak and her heart crumble.

“Heh. Being silent, are we?” The devil chuckled, his hand moving away from her lips to the back of her head. He clutched a handful of her soft silver hair and pulled her closer to him, capturing her lips with his.

Sylvia snapped out of her trance and commanded her body to push the devil away but her traitorous body only yearned for him more and she wrapped her hands around his neck instead.

The devil's lips curved upwards, his grin widening in satisfaction. His hand then moved down to her gorgeous engagement gown laced with diamonds and rubies which came undone as soon as he touched.

The laces, the veil, the flowers, the jewelry, everything was ripped to shreds, leaving behind only herself. An entire morning spent on getting ready and dressing up gone to waste just like that!

“You!” Sylvia glared at the shameless devil angrily. She had given him an inch but he went for the mile!

She pushed him away with all the force that she could muster, pinning him against the wall, imprisoning his rude mannerless hands.

“Heh? Why are you angry, my darling? Aren't I helping you? Why waste your time attending the meaningless engagement, when you already know that you belong to me and me alone?”

“Go to hell! Who said I belong to you! I belong to no one.”

“Is that so?” The devil leaned forward, gently knocking his forehead with hers. “Shall I leave then...?” He whispered, his warm breath caressing her cheeks.

Sylvia's face instantly reddened as she couldn't resist the devil's sweet temptations anymore...

She gave into the man's wicked allure and pressed her lips over his, stopping his mouth from taunting her and teasing her any further.

Fate is a funny thing.

The call of the nightmare realm cannot be denied, the woven fate is inevitable.

His ability to travel to the nightmare realm granted him immortality but also pit him with an unfamiliar world, curses and magics unseen before in the real world.

Monsters of unknown origin, macabre beasts and horrors beyond the ken of man have taken the place of old inhabitants of a once glorious civilization.

Now under the light of the Clairvoyant Moon the nightmare realm is on the verge of destruction. Here you will find dishonorable knights, mad sorcerers, twisted alchemist, the malformed Lost Ones and the vestiges of old gods all converging in a dead world.

But there are also those who seek to undo the curse, to restore the world. There are scavengers that only want to survive, the seekers of truth that seek the secrets of old.

And then there’s Aldrich who plans to exploit the resources and powers of the nightmare realm to achieve his own goals.

The epic tale of struggle against impossible odds and enemies bigger than life.

What Aldrich will find outside his little village will not just test the limits of his will, but also his sanity.

****

Aldrich, is a fifteen year old boy, living in a small village called Wakefield, he dreams of being a Crestmaster.

On the day Aldrich awakens his Crest, Wakefield is attacked and burned.

He is the only survivor, barely making it out with a mysterious gift, a heavy mission and dire warnings to never turn back.

He is then told to forget about what he saw and the innocent villagers that died, to never ask questions. All things Aldrich could never do.

One day he will uncover the forces behind the massacre and take his revenge. But for now he will lower his head and pretend that nothing has happened.

For now.