A Pawn's Passage - Chapter 40: Xu Kou

How long I’d been here, I couldn’t quite recall. From this sorry situation, I as always raised my eyes to the sky; a sky in which the great, massive sun was clad in levity. Sunlight poured gently upon all. What a blessing it would have been for the world if only the skies could remain clear. For tomorrow too, and for all days to come, I was to continue to pray for calm. To endure for those who cried, with desperation I remained in prayer.

And then, one freezing, forlorn, soulless, stagnant, drizzly day we died. Or so I thought…

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

In the year 2031, the earth has further advanced in its technological developments. Though there are democracies, republics, and several other systems of governance followed by various countries, there is still one country that adheres to the feudal system—the Arinphiam Empire.The empire is divided into three parts, where the royal family coexists with the central government to control the empire, keeping it as one of the strongest nations on planet Earth.The richest man on this planet belongs to this empire, where noble families still exist, governed by laws specifically made for them by the royal family instead of the central government.Marquess Avendial Croceaus has finally returned to the past, to the year 2031—a year before the tower's arrival—on the date where his downfall began.As he returns to the past, he discovers himself facing the initial setback of his life, where accusations of treason are soon to fall upon him.This world-building novel presents a completely fresh story with new ideas and plots, where the efforts of the main character lead him to become the one who changes his fate as a villain.Content warning: Adult R-18 Chapters without any warning, as they could be part of the story, a slow but well-paced story to provide the detailed idea about the world-building, a weak main character with the debuff of seven curses, making him even cut off from the chances of growth.

Getting the [Boosted Gear] is expected for Issei. What if he gained it a month early and another one as well? Let the Games Begin... IsseiXHarem (if it wasn't, it wouldn't be DXD). Now has a TVTropes page! Getting the [Boosted Gear] is expected for Issei. What if he gained it a month early and another one as well? Let the Games Begin... IsseiXHarem (if it wasn't, it wouldn't be DXD). Now has a TVTropes page!