A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 8Book 1: : Surprise & Respite

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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We have all heard the legends of great wizards, but do we know how those stories begin? Ardan Egobar, a young man living in a remote corner of the New Monarchy Empire, does not. He doesn't realize that this story is about him. Not yet...In a world where steam locomotives chug along iron rails, where massive airships hover in the skies, where in the cities you might encounter orcs in suits involved in organized crimes, dwarves with cigars controlling major banks, or elves strutting down fashionable boulevards, where humans have built vast nations on the brink of a world war, almost anything seems possible.Maybe, in such a world, even an ordinary young man, the last of the mountain hunters, might one day become the greatest wizard in history.

It is said that the second daughter of the Yu Family is an Unlucky Star who only appears once in ten years, born with a lowly status and astonishing stupidity.Everyone mocks and bullies her, avoiding her like the plague, except for Master Shi, the famously aloof and distant ice sculpture of the Imperial City, who believes he has found a treasure.The first time Yu Zhi met Shi Wei, she thought he was a cold and abstinent CEO.After spending more time with him, she realized he was actually a paranoid, cunning, possessive, and childish scoundrel.One day, while they were watching an idol drama together, Shi Wei suddenly asked, “Why have you never cried for me?”Yu Zhi replied, “My tear glands aren't very active.”Shi Wei said, “Really?”Later, every night when Yu Zhi was bullied into crying, he would whisper eerily yet contentedly into her ear, “Zhizhi cried for me, I'm so happy.”

There was a Senior Brother and a Junior Sister. One of them was transmigrated to this world and had cheats while the other was the reincarnation of a Great Emperor.