Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters - Chapter 1572 - 77: Visitor from Afar (Prologue) (Part 3)

Doctor Xiao, the head of the Imperial Hospital known for his virtuous conduct both in medicine and virtues, gets embroiled in the case of the Concubine's false pregnancy and is beheaded.Male members aged twelve and above are exiled, while the women and children receive the Empress Dowager's grace and return to their ancestral home in Shu City.Unexpectedly, the clan members who had always been sheltered by Doctor Xiao refused to allow this group of women and children to enter, seized their ancestral property, and expelled them from the clan.A group of pampered women suddenly lacking anything, Xiao Chunnuan, who never showed off and only loved reading and making medicine, becomes the backbone of the entire family.She teaches her family to wash clothes and cook to survive;Teaches her sisters to dig wild vegetables and prepare herbs;Teaches her little brother about business and martial arts for physical strength; even if they can't take the imperial examination forthe next three generations, they must learn to read and write;She works hard to earn money while also aiding her exiled relatives;Her grandmother finds a marriage for Chunnuan, but it results in the Clan Leader's daughter coming to stir trouble.A kind person is bullied while a good horse is ridden, old grievances and new hates are accounted together, Xiao Chunnuan is never someone to hold back, whether in literary or martial battles, she can respond to the challenge!

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…

An ordinary young man enrolls in college, only to discover he has been mysteriously registered at Solstice Academy, which exists in another dimension.By a twist of fate, he encounters a painfully awkward vampire girl with a habit of sucking his blood, a succubus who wants to make him her plaything, and a Saint who was after his heart, literally.What could possibly go wrong with this kind of setup!?

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.