Praise the Orc! - Chapter 219: A Great Path Has No Gate (2)

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

The Age of Gods has long since ended, their voices no longer heard on the continent of Douluo. Humanity, standing on the shoulders of legends from its history, advanced soul technology to inconceivable heights. The humans of Douluo invented weapons of mass destruction, mechanized armor, and living metals. With these advancements, they went on to conquer the oceans and discovered two new continents. To fuel these new technologies, humanity hunted the soul beasts to the very brink of extinction.

Once the dominant force of Douluo, the few surviving soul beasts now hide in the darkest recesses of their last sanctuary. The weakest have all been hunted, leaving only the strongest to scheme in the heart of the forest. The soul beasts, not willing to fade away, plot an uprising for their survival. In the midst of this, a god from a long forgotten era awakens in the depths of the Great Star Dou Forest to seek vengeance for the soul beasts.

As darkness encroaches from the abyss, hope is found in a young boy who holds a power beyond divinity within himself—Tang Wulin! Hope for both humanity and the soul beasts, as the bridge between the two. He finds his way into the fabled halls of Shrek Academy, where he learns to wield his prodigious powers, makes friends and finds allies, eventually rising to become a towering leader.

As he learns to harness his strength, danger lurks within the shadows as the various factions of humanity maneuver and plot to usurp Shrek Academy. Tang Wulin discovers the threat to the only world he knows as he sinks deeper into the intrigue. Meanwhile, camouflaged by the chaos and unbeknownst to the humans, the soul beasts’ plot continues to steadily advance.

To defend what he loves and reclaim what was lost, Tang Wulin must seek out the legacies of legends past and unlock the full might of the Golden Dragon King!

The clock struck midnight when Ruelle heard the echo of footsteps. She tensed, the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing on end in the cool night air.“You shouldn't be here,” Ruelle whispered, her voice a breathless murmur. The silhouette finally came to stand under the moonlight, his dark red eyes watching her and his inky black hair ruffling.“Shouldn't I?” His voice was a dark caress, and she stood there captivated by the danger he exuded like perfume.“I haven’t seen you for the last two days,” his tone low. His hand reached out, fingers brushing against the silk of her nightgown, tracing the trembling outline of her collarbone. “Tell me, were you avoiding me, or perhaps... entertaining other offers?”Ruelle’s heart raced, her breaths shallow. She declared, “I don't belong to anyone.”“A bold claim,“ he murmured, his breath a tantalising chill against her skin as he leaned in. ”Yet here you are, pulse racing, your body tensed as if in anticipation of my touch.”His fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face towards his. The moonlight caught his eyes, revealing a glint of predatory intent. “Or must I remind you whose touch you truly crave?”

R18 ( No One 17 and Under Admitted )On one night, a boy named Ezra is abandoned on road by his father. Aeri, a kind-hearted college student, takes him in and raises him as her own. As years pass, Ezra grows more manly with time and is now deeply in love with the woman he calls “Mom.”To support Aeri, Ezra takes a job at the most famous brothel in town—a vibrant and lively establishment where beauty, desire, and drama intertwine. Working as a host and a male escort, he finds himself entangled in heated encounters, passionate affairs, and thrilling action as he navigates the challenges of the trade without letting Aeri ever knowing about his secret work.Ezra’s journey is filled with unexpected twists, romance, and adventure.