MTL - South Korean Entertainment Industry News Record - Chapter 23 negotiation

A 34-year-old NEET otaku, chased out from his house by his family, found that his life is reaching a dead end. He then recalled that his life could actually have been much better if he had made better choices in the past.

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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The spacious cafe was strangely silent as Ruan Shishi hung her head while nervously stirring the coffee in front of her.

The atmosphere was rather awkward and strained for a while.

Half a minute after he sat down, the man asked flatly, “Is this your first blind date?”

His aura was so overbearing that a simple question from him made Ruan Shishi even more nervous

Ye Anlan traveled through time, from the apocalypse to ancient times, from nearly forty years old to just ten years old, Ye Anlan felt that she had made a fortune.

But the problem is that she doesn’t know how to play piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry and poetry, spinning and weaving, cutting and embroidery….

Women’s virtues, women’s words, women’s looks, women’s skills… what is that?

Obedience to the father before marriage, obedience to the husband when married, obedience to the son after the death of a husband…Ah, if I say that the fist is hardened by myself, do you believe it or not?

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Before meeting the heroine Ye Anlan, who is good everywhere in his opinion, Li Jing won countless hearts because of the saying of the great Confucianism in the world: “A modest gentleman is as gentle as jade, clear inside and outside, and his heart is like glass”.

After meeting Ye Anlan, a country girl who was worthless in the eyes of others, Li Jing was killed in an instant. When people mentioned him, they would always say the same thing, “I’m afraid that guy has something wrong with his eyes!”

- Description from novelbuddy