Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord - Chapter 45: Let Our Blood Flow Together!

Book I: Lost ThingsTristan Abrascal is a thief, one of many making their living under the perpetual twilight of the greatest city in all of Vesper. Quick wit and a contract with a capricious goddess have always kept him one step ahead, until one night he crosses a line by accident that burns all the bridges he had left. But not all is lost, as his mentor offers a way out of peril that turns out to be more than a simple escape.It is also an opportunity to get even with the infanzones, the nobles he’s lived under all his life, and it so happens that Tristan has a full ledger’s worth of scores to settle with them.Lady Angharad Tredegar has fled halfway across the world, leaving behind a ruin of a life: her family butchered by a ruthless enemy, their estate torched and their nobility revoked. Yet no matter how far she flees the blades of assassins follow, and she finds herself growing desperate for any protection. She has one relative left to call on, her estranged uncle, but she finds that the safety he offers comes at a cost.Angharad has sworn revenge, however, and her honour will allow for no compromise. She will do what she must to survive so that one day bloody vengeance can be visited upon her enemies.The paths of the two take them to the doorstep of the Watch, but for desperate souls like them enrolment is a lost cause. They will have to do it the hard way instead, by surviving the trials on the isle known as the Dominion of Lost Things.Where every year many go, and few return.Book II: Good TreasonsThe trials of the Dominion are over.The four survivors have become students of Scholomance, enrolling together as a cabal, yet even on those infamous grounds they soon learn none are beyond the reach of their pasts.Angharad Tredegar is returned to a semblance of the world she left behind, but finds her honor sorely tested by bargains offered - every bit as tempting as in the stories and even deadlier.Tristan Abrascal needs answers. Mysterious enemies keep trying to abduct him, his classroom does not exist and he’s now had several conversations with dead people. Worst of all, his carrots keep dying.Maryam Khaimov is going mad, which would worry her less if it were happening on schedule. More frightening yet is the possibility that she is not, and there truly is someone else going around wearing her face.Song Ren must forge the others into a functional unit, all the while fending off enemies on all sides: rival cabals, vengeful countrymen and the deluge of implacable foes her companions simply cannot seem to stop attracting.Failure is not an option, for Song must bring back honor to her family’s name whatever the cost: it is the only way to keep their disgrace from literally eating them all alive.And as the four chase shadows in Scholomance, in the distance looms the greater test awaiting them in the Asphodel Rectorate. Asphodel is a faded power, the rotten carcass of what it once was, but under that rot looms darker things - of which monsters might just be the least dangerous.Besides, is treason really such an evil when you have the best of reasons for it?

For He Gu, to be secretly in love is like a strong alcoholic drink. Obviously, once it flows into your system, dizziness, the loss of self-control and suffering will follow closely by, making it possible for anyone to be fatally attracted like moths to flames, and willingly endure the hardships.

While you made sure to not overdo it, I’ve become completely intoxicated…however, for every intoxicated feeling, you will inevitably wake up from it one day.

When Song Ju Han continued to act childish and recklessly destroyed He Gu’s tenderness for him, he had never imagined that the man has already been written into his destiny. Even more, he had never imagined that—the person brought to him by destiny—would one day want to escape…

(CONTAINS R18+ CONTENT)Enemies to lovers- checkSlow burn- checkA cute naughty dog- checkSpice? (The author is keeping her mouth zipped)No third-party breakup or misunderstanding. But there are lots of banter and witty comebacks.(The story is planned to be around 200 chapters. No drag)Mu YirenI never imagined I'd be faking a relationship with my biggest enemy—the untamed, ridiculously charming Feng Junjie, known throughout the city as the “golden boy” of business and a billionaire playboy with a reputation for breaking hearts. But when he dangles a life-changing offer in front of me, the kind that could secure my inheritance, I find myself agreeing to be his “girlfriend.”But the thing is….. What if I start seeing the real him?Pretending to be Junjie’s devoted partner is like walking on a razor's edge. He’s everything I can’t stand—sexy, cocky, and devilish, and yet a sweetheart by heart that leaves me flustered by his actions. I know better than to fall for a man like him; my mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s has convinced me to never fall in love. But Junjie isn't just any man. Beneath his easygoing charm is an intensity that leaves me breathless, and he knows exactly how to crack through the walls I have built around me, awakening a passion I never felt before.JUNJIEI need my life back. A sorry attempt at love had me question everything and forced me away from my brothers. Since my ‘ex best friend’s’ constant accusations had gotten out of control, I might as well pretend to date someone and shut her mouth.My definition of a fake date- Beautiful, sexy, tempting…..umm…. insufferable, annoying, and with a mouth that won’t stop running.The mouth with red lipstick. The mouth I want to….This arrangement was supposed to be simple: fake dating, clear boundaries, no feelings. But the more he plays the role of her devoted partner, the more the lines between fake and real start to blur. And now, he’s no longer sure where the act ends and his true feelings begin.The catch? Mu Yiren doesn’t believe in love. And she certainly doesn’t believe a man like Feng Junjie is capable of anything but heartbreak.But Feng has never been one to follow the rules. Boundaries? He’s about to break them. Deals? They were made to be rewritten.He’s going all in, and this time, he’s not playing pretend.*******“Are you saying you'd let any man get this close?”“ABSOLUTELY NO!” The words burst out of me, too quick, too honest. His smirk deepens.“Tell me, if I leave you like this, all wound up and aching, will you be sneaking off to use one of your little toys?”“Yes,”“Tell me, were you waiting for me to initiate something this past week?” he tugs my shorts more and kisses my navel.My heart hammers and my voice comes out shaky. “N-No.” I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's right.He chuckles darkly. “Wrong answer. Let's try again.”****

Disclaimer: This story doesn't belong to me, I posted it here just to use the audio book feature of the app.For most, becoming a member of the Elite 4 would be the culmination of their Journey. A great achievement that solidified your status in the annals of history. For me, it was just the start of my journey. Hopefully, everything stays Normal.A pre-canon self-insert into the world of Pokémon.