Gun of Ashes - Chapter 2: Prologue Old Dunling

“You shall command… Legacy.”Charon thought he would grow up to be a hero, a savior, a shining light for all humans across the galaxy.But humanity is at war.Beset on all sides, their empire is standing only through the combined forces of technology and magic. Massive mechs were constructed, the fabled Colossus Machines, designed to defend the galaxy. The Mages were rallied, bringing forth elemental destruction.Yet it wasn't enough.Planets fell, their people enslaved to the enemies of mankind. Even the Colossus Machines, strong as they were, could not keep up.Charon was one of the orphans caught in the war effort, surviving through determination and courage, earning him the gaze of the God of Death.Gifted with a great and terrible power, the reviled element Soul, the dead around him suddenly become gateways into a realm thought lost to time. Through it, he can chain undead beasts to himself, forcing them to serve in his legions.He is sent into the River Acheron, the realm of the strongest undead, and is made to fight for his release. During this time, he attempts to uncover secret histories and advance his powers to master the undead.With these powers, he learns something new about magic and technology: He can fuse souls into the Colossus Machines, allowing the power of Death to run through their cores. They become warped, twisted machines of vengeance that earn malevolent abilities.They become strong enough to win a war.Magic and machine are mixed to create something more, something darker. An army fit for a master of magic, a general of legions, a conqueror of the stars...An Archon of Death.**WARNING**The story has a lot of nuance and subplots. If you like complex world-building and lore, you'll love this.He gets his power around chapter 5 or 6, and it then develops from there.DISCORD: https://discord.gg/BJ3DTumc29

Xie Chaochao was originally the daughter of a wealthy family who was supposed to grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth.

Yet, her good fortune ended when she met her evil stepmother. When she was less than a year old, she was thrown into a ravine by her vicious stepmother and left to fend for herself!

However, a newly released murderer picked her up and brought her home. From then on, the two of them depended on each other for survival. Xie Chaochao grew up among the animals.

Tigers and snakes were all her friends.

In the eyes of outsiders, Xie Chaochao and her adoptive father, Xie Zhou, were a pair of weirdos. Everyone in the village avoided them.

Xie Chaochao, who did not know her background, grew up without any worries.

When she was five years old, she met a rich and knowledgeable old man and learned a lot from him. Even her adoptive father who was once a murderer became a business magnate. Xie Chaochao had become a true rich daughter, but it was at this time that Xie Chaochao’s family came knocking on her door.

When Xie Chaochao learned of the truth behind her mother’s death, she decided to return home and avenge her mother.

Afraid that the cat would be out of the bag, her evil stepmother tried to kill Xie Chaochao several times. However, Xie Chaochao was no longer the baby at her stepmother’s mercy like she once was.

She had Xie Zhou, her adoptive father who doted on her, and her military advisor grandfather with her this time! There was even a mysterious man who always helped her when she was in trouble…

Persona:

Xie Chaochao: Optimistic, kind, and smart

Gu Pei: A mysterious man who was mesmerized by Xie Chaochao’s ray of innocence

I died a virgin right after winning the lottery. Bad luck? That's my brand. So when a Grim Reaper offered me reincarnation with a gacha system for a “second chance,” I should've known better than to trust my luck.I rolled... an orc. The only fat orc in my entire tribe.The dungeon's demon lord gave me three years to lose weight or die. I trained harder than anyone, became stronger than most warriors in my tribe, but my belly stayed huge.With hours left to live, I made the dumbest decision of both my lives: if I'm dying anyway, might as well lose my virginity first.[Virginity Lost! System activated!][Obtain dungeon control upon complete subjugation]Turns out I was supposed to be a DUNGEON MASTER, not a slave warrior. And turns out I've committed the ultimate taboo: interspecies breeding, forbidden across all civilizations. Now I'm a fugitive.Humans, demons, and monsters alike want me dead. My own kind thinks I'm disgusting. I have absolutely nothing left to lose.Time to turn the worst gacha pull in history into the greatest dungeon the world has ever seen.

Li Quangqing traversed to the cultivation world and became a family fisherman, starting with twenty acres of fish ponds.Unexpectedly, every time spiritual fish were harvested, a reward orb could be obtained.[Harvested one adult big green fish, received a lower-grade water arrow talisman!][Harvested one adult iron bone crab, received the “Gengjin Sword Technique”!][Harvested one adult longevity turtle, received the “Gui Sui Shou” pill, prolonging life by twenty years!]...Since then, Li Quangqing watched the tides rise and fall in the world, the wind and clouds changing, wanting only to raise fish and become immortal peacefully.Until thousands of years later, a certain Water Virtue True Immortal appeared out of nowhere, shaking the immortal realm, capable of covering the sky with one hand.“Since the Milky Way is also a river, it's okay for me to use it for fish farming, right?”