Enlightened Empire - Chapter 383: Cornered

In a certain empire, a young prince was born with a golden pickaxe. It should have been seen as a miracle or a blessing, but instead, the emperor wanted nothing to do with the child. He refused to accept a prince blessed with what he considered a commoner’s job, fearing it would taint his royal bloodline.Abandoned by his own parents, the young boy, Shennong, was taken in by a succubus.But neither the succubus nor the emperor knew the truth about him—Shennong was no ordinary child. He was a reincarnator.This is the story of how the world of Matay reacts to the birth of the first Sandboxer, a class unknown to many. Will Shennong forgive those who abandoned him? What was the purpose of his reincarnation in this world? What is the true nature of the golden pickaxe, and what does it mean for Shennong?One thing is certain—Shennong is not alone in this world because he had a true sandbox system and people to support him even in this world.Join him and experience a true sandbox adventure!

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)

System 003 of the quick transmigration system bureau accidentally bound with a lonely soul. It thought the soul was a poor little girl who knew nothing, but every time she slaps the face, it hurts more and more.

…

“Host, what did you do, why are they lying on the ground?”

“They want to touch the pitiful me! They want to blackmail me! They want my little money!”

System: It turns out that the host is a weak chicken. It has to protect the host well then.

…

“Host, the palace treasury is too big, we can’t carry it, let’s forget it.”

Who knew that when it turned around, everything was gone.

“Host, why is the treasury missing?”

Shang Ling acted cute and pointed to the golds, silvers and jewellery in the space pocket, “Look, they didn’t just go out by themselves.”

System: I believed you!

“Ah, that’s not right, host, since when did you have a space pocket?”

“Always have, you just never ask me.”

System: So the clown here is me.

…

“Host, when did you have a photographic memory.”

“I always have it, you don’t?”

System: I am not worthy.

…

“Host, the male lead is dead…”

“Host, are you okay with this?”

Shang Ling dug the hole vigorously and kicked the male lead into the coffin in the pit.

“Men will only affect my progress of getting rich.”

“The most important thing to avoid if I want to get rich is emotion! Emotion is the number one taboo that will affect me from getting rich. Without a man in my heart, getting rich is naturally the goal!”

The MC is an emotionless woman. She wholeheartedly makes money and works for her goal. She is the most active in fights, never loses in group fights, has a lot of unreasonable plans, will abuse and beats scumbags, and does not forget to take advantage of the situation to loot money from each plane.

- Description from Novelupdates

Tang was cheated by her husband who got another woman pregnant. Tricked by the mistress and mother-in-law, she had been criticized by the public and kicked out of her husband’s family. Then, there comes Su, who showed up like a saviour for her, prevented her from all the difficulties that her ex’s family made to her. He held her in his arms, haughtily said to them, ‘It will only be me that can bully my girl! Anyone who dares to bully her is opposing me!’ She was shocked. And her mother-in-law said she was a wanton woman. After that, he was always protecting her, treated her preciously. He made her realized that even the second marriage could also make her so happy!

- Description from Novelupdates