The Crown's Fire - Chapter 23: The Mark (2)

After switching bodies, Jiang Nan Shu becomes the villainous true daughter in a melodramatic tale and is bound to an all-encompassing revulsion system. If everyone's level of disgust for her reaches 100, she can return to her original world with a prize of ten billion. Being reckless is just one of her many skills. Starting with a disgust level of 89, Jiang Nan Shu sets a modest goal for herself: to live a life collecting easy money within six months. Unbeknownst to her, everyone can hear her inner thoughts!When facing the domineering CEO eldest brother, she says outwardly, “I think this project is excellent and will make a fortune.” Inwardly she thinks, “I hope you don’t go bankrupt! Once you're out, I'll steal your company's secrets.”When dealing with the indifferent medical second brother: outwardly, “The food at your colleagues' gathering looks so appetizing.” Inwardly she thinks, “I'll switch tables when the second brother picks food, to avoid catching any diseases from him.”When facing the sickly research third brother, she says outwardly, “Third brother, you're amazing to conduct such tough experiments, keep going.” Inwardly she thinks, “I’ll gracefully exit before your experiment explodes.”When interacting with the pop star fourth brother: outwardly,“These songs suit you so well, sing them all, and fame is just around the corner.” Inwardly, “Just wait for the news to break about your tax evasion.”When advising the love-struck fifth brother: outwardly, ”She's taking an hour out of her busy schedule to be with you because she loves you.“ Inwardly, ”You’ve been turned into a grassland of green; your goddess has a different companion morning, noon, and night. Bet you didn't see that coming!“As the male protagonist looks at her with increasingly deep eyes, saying, “Let's be together,” Jiang Nan Shu weeps, saying, “Don't let your sister misunderstand, I'm not worthy!” Internally, “Money's hard to earn, crap's hard to swallow, the life of a supporting character matters too!”However... why does she end up as the darling of the whole group in the end?

Religious and cultural schisms wreak havoc on its internal politics, while revolutions are brewing in neighboring kingdoms. The aristocratic houses play endless power games amongst themselves, and the Emperor desperately abuses what little influence he has left to keep his rivals down.Amidst all of this, Arnold von Hohenfels, first son of the Margrave of Hohenfels, finds himself in the unfortunate position of having to attend the Imperial Academy, a notorious battleground of wits and brawn for ambitious young nobles.Armed with a magical gift that is as much a blessing as it is a curse, he must learn to navigate the treacherous waters of aristocratic entanglements. In the name of his family’s ambition, he must represent House Hohenfels' interests in this microcosm of Imperial politics, deal with his formidable enemies, form alliances of his own, and somehow keep his brash cousin Friedrich out of trouble.Frankly, he would much rather be anywhere else.

This is a time of great powers: The vast Persia, Sparta that is founded by force, Athens with its trade and business, Thebes the rising star, The ambitious Macedonia, The twin heroes of the Western Mediterranean, The rising Rome and so on.

This is an era of brilliant stars: Agesilaus II – the last king of Sparta, Epaminondas – the Rising General of Thebes, Philip II – the founder of Macedonian hegemon, Dionysius – the tyrant of Syracuse, Camillus – the Roman dictator and savior…

This is an era of contention among a hundred schools of thought: Plato – the great philosopher, Antisthenes – founder of cynicism, Pythagoras – school of number, Democritus – the encyclopedia scholar, Hippocrates – the father of western medicine, Aristophanes – the great dramatist…

What will the hero bring to the world when he comes to this age as a humble mercenary through rebirth?

- Description from Novelupdates

Ethan Carter was a failed fantasy author who died overworked and bitter. When he wakes up in the world of his own unfinished novel, he finds himself reborn as Darius Wycliffe, a weak and arrogant noble fated to be killed by the protagonist, Lucien Ashford, the Archmage’s Disciple.But Ethan refuses to die so easily. Armed with his knowledge of the world’s secrets and a unique ability to rewrite spells, he dives into the forbidden magic he once created but never fully explored. As he grows stronger, he uncovers terrifying truths about the world he thought he knew.To survive, Ethan must defy destiny, master the deadliest of magics, and challenge the very hero he once wrote to be unbeatable. But what happens when the lines between hero and villain start to blur?