The Villain Only Wants To Live a Buddhist Life - Chapter 90: Saint Marian's Castle Ushered in Ghosts

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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On the 15th of March 2139, the world mourns the passing of Darius Stone, billionaire broker, and philanthropist.

Yet while his family and friends put his body to rest, Darius wakes up to find himself reborn into a younger body in a different world.

A strange voice informs him that his soul has been transported into the magic-filled world of Faust on the behest of a mysterious Goddess called Vena, for the sole purpose of entertaining her through his struggles.

In this world where any dream can be achieved with enough effort, he sets out to become a Supreme, an existence above Mortals and even Gods!

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Warning: This novel features a villainous protagonist. If you have enjoyed Warlock of the Magus World, then you should be able to tolerate Darius Stone’s actions and choices throughout the novel in terms of Morality.

Note: This story is slow-paced in order to allow for better world-building and development. If you’re looking for a fast-paced action story, this might not be for you.

The consciousness of a Great Magus suddenly returned to his original body on earth, just before he transmigrated into the magic world.

Nothing has changed, it's still the same earth.

However, when he looked at earth once more as a former great magus, he discovered earth was not as simple as he knew it to be.

Hidden magus, legendary races such as vampires and werewolves, they do exist, ruling the world through the shadows.

Faced with a former great magus, who possessed as many spells as libraries, would the earth that had been ruled by a few people be able to remain calm?

'I'm not an ambitious person,' is something Reiner often says. He just wants to hang around with the Straw Hat crew, traveling the world while collecting the souls of the dead. From Kuro... Arlong, then to 'Old Sand' (Crocodile)... the Golden Lion (Shiki)... As he gathered more and more, the 'style' started getting progressively weirder.A demon with goat horns and a snake tail? Okay, maybe I can understand that. But a 'Chainsaw Demon'? What the heck is that? And where did you even pull this 'Sukuna' from?!When the Summit War kicks off, Sengoku and the Three Admirals stare at Reiner, who is sitting calmly upon the execution platform.'What? You're saying these incredibly strong individuals are undead beings controlled by him?!''How is that possible! Isn't he just some handyman doing chores for the Straw Hat crew?''Seriously, man... You call *this* logistics?!'Hearing this, Reiner gets annoyed: 'If doing literally every kind of job isn't called logistics, then what is!?'------(Story follows the Straw Hats' journey + original plot elements. The main character is neither overly righteous/naive nor does he turn evil/dark.)