Gin no Juujika to Draculea - Volume 05, Chapter 1 - Crimson Return

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)

A disappearing gold mine. An old family secret. An army officer carrying a grudge spanning two generations.

As a small time reporter at the local newspaper, Shen Yu already had enough on her plate. Biased managers, check. Long, brutal work hours, check. The department beauty snatching her big story opportunity, check. But now another problem has reared its head and it comes packaged in a young and attractive military officer. He is on the hunt for some legendary space gold and he will get her to help him, whether she likes it or not.

Secrets are abound and Shen Yu soon finds that not everything is not as simple as it seems. Even her own past becomes questionable the more time she spends on the quest. Events from decades ago are rising up to haunt her and she needs to find out the truth before it’s too late. If only she had a better partner.

Accidentally, Ye Xiaochen became new generation of Heavenly Farmer (Shen Nong), the treasure in the eyes of deities of three realms.

Moon fairy’s rabbit eats only the carrots grown from his farm.

The heavenly troop which was formed from the magical beans, came out from his farm.

The ninth level elixir which was just released, he supplied the materials for it.

Ye Xiaochen’s goal is to become the overlord of agriculture, not only in earth but also in whole three realms.

I want the heavens to use agricultural products that I plant, I want all the sentient beings in three realms to eat food made from my vegetables, I want all the gods to give up the idea of only swallowing air and eat meals three times in a day just like a normal person.

- Description from Novelupdates

Lucien was chosen by the God of Gamblers to participate in the Heaven’s Gate Project. Their goal was to help save a dying world from destruction, and ensure that it wouldn’t be destroyed a second time.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to the God's plan. Lucien’s soul was heavily injured during the soul transfer and on the verge of collapse. Having no other alternative, the God of Gamblers was forced to take yet another gamble to preserve his chosen candidate’s soul and help him find a new vessel.

As if arranged by Fate itself, Lucien’s soul wandered into the world of Solais until it merged with the dead body of a newborn baby that was left to float down a river. With his new identity as Lux, the boy realized that even with the blessings given to him by the Gods, saving a world was not an easy matter.

In a world of Swords and Magic, where adventures run wild and free… the Legendary Saga of an abandoned Prince is about to begin!