The Duke's Son :Re - Chapter 204

[Warning! Slice of Life at Core!]“Are you trying to tell me that the man who made the entire Northern continent tremble works in a flimsy bar? And he's a Water Mage???” The Emperor asked his knight.“Yes, sir. I saw him with my own eyes. He has two pet dragons and—”“Good gods! The legendary dragons that historically disdain humans as his pets?! We must have this man as our own at all cost!” The Emperor screamed in amusement, “Say, when you approached this man to speak with him, what was his reaction?”The knight gulped.“He... offered my men and I drinks, and told us to tell you, the Emperor, to visit his bar sometime.”The Emperor's eyes widened, and narrowed back as he smiled. “Well, I just might.”______Maxwell Duvon Belognia was once a reject, kicked out of his noble house for his lack of talent.His noble family was one that had produced reputable flame mages for ages, and Maxwell, who had an affinity to the water element, was a good-for-nothing.Disowned by his family, he ventured out into the world to build his own solid ground, and discovered that his talent in the path of water was much more than his family had ever imagined.Along his journey, he made friends that he loved more than his own blood, allies that could give their lives up just for his sake, and the best of all — he fell in love with a woman who gave him her heart and her soul.Until an unfortunate, world ending disaster struck on his world, ending everything dear to Maxwell in just a few seconds, including the love of his life.Luckily — or unluckily — Maxwell and his friend barely survived, thrust into a different, ruthless world where they had to grow stronger and struggle to survive.Years later, they became transcendent beings who ventured into the vast cosmos where they still fought to claim a place.They became gods.During all his years of constant struggling, fighting and ascending, Maxwell never the love he lost.Regret ate at him. If only he was strong as he was now that he steadily approached the end of his being.Just when he thought his soul would fade away without ever seeing his love again...“Why don't we break one of the ten absolute rules proffered by the Celestial King?” His friend suggested.Maxwell's eyes widened.“What rule?”“Regression.”And so, after fighting to go against the will of fate and the heavens themselves, Maxwell's soul finally regressed with eons worth of knowledge to the time when he was just a mortal, kicked out of his noble house.The best part?All his divine authorities as a god — although weakened — were still linked to his soul, including his pocket dimension which held his treasures.And because of this, to the eyes of everyone in his world, Maxwell was a ridiculously overpowered being.As news of this enigmatic, overpowered water mage spread amongst the four continents of the world Cryst, every monarch and every major power desired him for themselves.But the man in question?“I've lived a life full of suffering, battles and wars. Now, with this second chance, I just want to live a calm life. To do that, I'll have to stop the world-ending disaster coming in a few years. But for now...” He opened the door to his bar, smiling as he gazed at his customers which consisted of legendary mages, legendary mercenaries, divine healers, knights and the rest, all waiting to recruit him. Finally, his warm gaze rested on his wife, waiting for him behind the counter. “This is enough.”

When Alex woke up, he discovered he had transmigrated into the body of the ultimate villain of a cultivation novel, the Saint Lord of the Hale Family.In the original story, he was nothing more than a tragic tool, existing solely to be exploited by an overpowered male protagonist. No matter how fearsome his cultivation or how supreme his authority, his fate was to endlessly hand over treasures, opportunities, and women, until he was finally discarded and destroyed.Among those women was Isolde.She was personally nurtured by Alex from childhood, raised with the vast resources of the Hale Family. Rare heavenly materials, divine techniques, priceless treasures, she lacked nothing. Cherished as the apple of his eye, she owed Alex and the Hale Family a debt beyond repayment.Yet all of that was overturned by a single bowl of plain porridge.Deceived by shallow warmth, Isolde ignored decades of kindness and willingly severed all ties with the Hale Family in order to join the male protagonist’s harem.That was only the beginning.Later in the novel, she personally assisted the male protagonist in killing Alex and participated in the complete annihilation of the Hale Family's elders, disciples, servants, and even newborn infants, none spared.When Alex first transmigrated, it was precisely at the moment this adulterous couple stood before him in open defiance.Emboldened by years of indulgence, Isolde confidently made her demand, certain that Alex would forgive her as he always had, no matter how grave her betrayal.But this time, the ending changed.Alex spoke calmly, decisively and ruthlessly:“You may leave, but leave behind the Seven Orifices Divine Heart your family bestowed upon you.”

Mu Zhi’an transmigrated into a world of immortals and became a supporting character destined to be a stepping stone for the protagonist. He originally wanted to befriend those heaven-chosen protagonists, but when Mu Zhi’an turned around, he discovered that the girls surrounding him were either the protagonist’s childhood sweethearts or fiancées.Most inconceivably, those girls who should have liked the protagonist all fell for Mu Zhi’an, this supporting character. Looking at the heavenly beauties beside him, one after another, Mu Zhi’an had a bold idea. He resolved to get rid of the protagonist and turn the tables to become the master himself.After finally defeating several protagonists with great difficulty and obtaining a large amount of resources, in order to enhance the girls’ strength, he shared the abundant resources with the girls around him. He originally thought that with the enjoyment of so many resources, he would surely be able to prove the Dao and become an emperor in the future, transforming and ascending as an immortal. Until one day, looking at the rolling tribulation clouds in the sky and the several empress characters reborn in the lightning tribulation, Mu Zhi’an’s eyes gradually lost their luster as he muttered, “I’m so foolish, really… I thought that after getting rid of those heaven-chosen sons, I would be the new protagonist of the world and become a powerful immortal in the future. But I never thought… it turns out they were the real protagonists all along.”

The pessimistic and negative daughter of a concubine living in the ancient times thought – since life is so difficult, why should one invest serious effort in struggling to live?

The life of an ancient noble woman is often determined and controlled by her family. Moreover, one’s actions often implicate one’s entire family – thus, it is fairly common to see an unexpected calamity result in suffering borne by one’s whole family. Managing to live a good and successful life while retaining one’s dignity is simply too difficult to achieve.

Ah, living in the ancient times is simply too dangerous – we should all just sleep till we die.