Smiling Under Lanterns - Chapter 598 - 208 Heart in Turmoil_2

Balthazar was just a random giant crab enjoying his life in a fantasy world full of bothersome human adventurers, but then he had to go and accidentally discover the secret of attributes and levels. And also pie. With baked goods and coin as his new life goals, he turns to the competitive business of trading the random junk adventurers loot every day.Follow Balthazar as he does everything to find a baker... except leave his pond, because exploring the dangerous world out there is for suckers. Witness how adventurers just can't seem to stop dying around his home. And cheer for a crab who makes great new friends by simply buying them.Book 2 is out now, with new chapters every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, fresh off the bakery!What to expect from this story:- No harems, not unless they're a harem of gold coins.- Silliness, lots of it. The story doesn't take itself too seriously, so you shouldn't either.- The only kind of OP here is how “overpriced” the crab's deals are.- A system simple enough for a crab to use, but still conveniently complex when necessary, for some odd reason.- Proper realistic adventurers: they're not very bright, and they make very poor decisions.- Did I mention there will be pastries?

Alvaric Zorvok, an ordinary young man who desperately wanted to become an Awakened. But when that moment finally came, he was instead summoned to a strange world—a desolate land filled with all kinds of monsters.His life became a struggle, and he came close to death countless times.Slowly, he climbed his way up and became one of the most feared beings in that world.“Can I ever return to Earth?”Alvaric didn’t know when—or if—he could go back. All he could do was fight, explore, and search for a way home.

The Master of the Tai Yi Sect, Patriarch Xu Yi shattered the void, causing the entire sect to travel through to the interstellar era.

On the deserted planet, the disciples discover a new world:

The eldest senior brother, who specialized in forging, fell in love with mech building. The second senior brother found that alchemy could also be manufactured on an assembly line; The third senior brother fell in love with live broadcasting and was addicted to the Internet; The old Master Xu Yi cracked his whip and urged the disciples, ‘This world is so rich in spiritual energy, how dare you not cultivate properly?’

In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, Junior Sister Sa Sa, who had no spiritual root and powerful spiritual sea, was finally no longer distressed by her inability to cultivate: ‘Mech’s are really powerful!’
Double standard — Xu Yi: … Study it. Isn’t it just mechs, Sa Sa should have one too.

A little bumpkin from a deserted star came to the Federation’s First Academy.

Sa Sa, ‘Wow, the internet is awesome! Mech’s are awesome! Technology is awesome!’
‘You don’t need to cultivate to become strong in the interstellar world, I really love love love it.’

Students from prominent and powerful backgrounds scoffed, ‘Where did the bumpkin come from? Is there something wrong with the admissions system?’
They had no idea that the anchor who exploded onto the internet had a great relationship with the little bumpkin.

Sa Sa: ‘Third Senior Brother is secretly on the internet again!’

The elixir that the little bumpkin usually took and hard to find, the spirit sea boosting pills with no side effects, was actually worth a thousand bucks?

Sa Sa, ‘Second Senior Brother makes the most delicious sweet pills!’

The mech that the little bumpkin casually pulled out was actually the upgraded version of the mech that everyone was fighting over?!

Sa Sa, ‘Eldest Senior Brother will definitely save the best for me!’

The whole planet was abuzz: ‘What kind of divine institution was Tai Yi? How do I get in? Waiting online for a reply!’

- Description from Novelupdates

I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? You spent years making my life a living hell, and now you look at me like I’m the very air you breathe.”Lennox’s face fell. “Olivia, it wasn’t supposed to be like this—”I cut him off, my eyes blazing with anger. “Oh, but it was. You wanted me broken. You wanted me to suffer. And I did.” I paused, my voice trembling. “But not anymore.”Louis, who had been silent, spoke softly. “Olivia, we—”I shook my head and took a step back, putting distance between us. “No. Whatever you think you feel, it doesn’t matter. It’s too late. You had a choice. And every single time, you chose her. Over and over again, you chose Anita.”Levi shook his head. “We were wrong.”I met their gazes. “Yes, you were. And now, you’ll have to live with it.”With that, I turned away, refusing to let them see the tears burning in my eyes.••••••••Olivia Parker was once the cherished daughter of a respected Gamma—until betrayal shattered her world. Branded the daughter of a traitor, she was stripped of her title, her dignity, and the life she had known, forced to serve as an Omega among those who once respected her.But fate wasn’t done with her yet.On the night of the mating ceremony, Olivia discovered the cruelest twist of all—she wasn’t fated to just one mate, but three. And not just any three. Alpha Lennox, Alpha Louis, and Alpha Levi—the ruthless triplet Alphas who had spent years tormenting her.Bound to a marriage they never wanted, the triplets made her life a waking nightmare. They paraded their lover, Anita, before her, ensuring she never forgot her place, never forgot that they would never want her.But fate has a way of playing its own game. As secrets unravel and buried truths come to light, the triplets begin to see Olivia for who she truly is—not just a Luna in title, but the woman they never realized they needed.Only now, she’s done waiting.