MTL - I Have a City in a Different World - Chapter 59 Re-entry into Black Rock City

With the sudden announcement of the launch of the holographic virtual network, Chen Mo, a hacker, received a special commission to hack this system in a bid to halt advancement.

To complete his task, he enters GENESIS – the holographic virtual game touted as the most secure – to look for a way to hack it. In his search, he inevitably becomes a terrifying force to behold.

- Description from Novelupdates

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Ding Shan had been a hot topic for seventeen years —from the time she debuted at the age of three with her pure and cute look, all the way until she was twenty years old. She even took home three golden actress awards at her coming-of-age ceremony when she was eighteen years old. Her life seemed so beautiful and filled with applause. However, behind that beautiful scene was a grave filled with lice. Since she was three years old, her family had treated her as their cash cow.

Her parents’ wickedness caused her reputation to rapidly plummet when she was eighteen years old. What was more terrifying was that they even imprisoned her. They drugged her, beat her, used her younger sister as a threat against her, and turned her into a plaything for wealthy businessmen. Ding Shan endured the humiliation for her sister’s sake, then finally sent those beasts to prison two years later. Just as she thought she could finally clean up and live a good life with her sister, reality slapped her in the face. “Why?” Ding Shan asked her sister from where she was tied to a familiar iron bed.“No reason, really.

I just hate you, so I drugged you two years ago. I’m the one who pushed you into hell. I’m also the one who posted that viral video which exposed you back then,” Ding Yuan said as she happily inspected her red nails.“Oh, by the way, you’re not my real sister either. My parents kidnapped you from some ravine.

Your parents chased after you, but my father pushed them off a cliff and they died. I can’t really remember since it happened so long ago. Plus, I only heard about it occasionally, so I can’t remember the details anymore.“Also, you’re tied up here today because your boyfriend, Wen Xiu, sold you for 10 million. You’re still worth a lot of money, so you should perform well tonight. Ding Yuan reached out to pat Ding Shan’s face, then injected her with an aphrodisiac.

The fiery burn that coursed through her body made Ding Shan weak, but the hatred in her heart kept her mind clear and awake. Drugged and left unsupervised, she ended her life with a knife she found in the room. As her life came to an end, Ding Shan swore that if she could start over, she would make all those who had wronged her pay all that they owed her. When she opened her eyes, she had gone back in time to two years ago! So, let’s see how she’ll turn the tide in this life!

I became the wife of a man with a lover. Well then, I guess I have to protect his chastity?

“You can sleep on the floor then.”

“What?” His eyes said he didn’t want to.

Well, yeah. The floor was hard. Then it couldn’t be helped.

“I’ll just hold your hand and sleep. You trust me, right?”

But, how come the bed broke on my first night with my husband?

*

Aristine, a princess confined out of the Emperor’s sight.

When in reality, she was the owner of the [Monarch’s Sight], able to see the future, past, and present.

She, who became the sacrifice for a political marriage, was married off to a terrifying barbarian…

“The most precious things should naturally be given to my bride.”

But her husband, whose monstrosity she prepared for, was way too normal.

However, he belonged to someone else.

‘I’ll go make money then.’

She might as well make the goldfields her own.

*

Can Aristine really achieve her dream of living freely on a pile of money?

Or will she end up killing two birds with one stone?