Very Pure and Ambiguous: The Prequel - VPAATP - Chapter V4C170 – A Small Box

Xueyue's life was filled with nothing but unfortunate events. Her mother died giving birth to her, her father abandoned her for another family, her stepsister stole her beloved, and she was framed for a murder she didn't commit.
Sentenced to death by beating, Xueyue thought her horrible life would finally end.

In the era of steam and mystery, becoming a correspondence student at the Thaumatology Academy was something Shad never thought of.

A whispering voice rang in my ears, who was reciting the poems of foreigners——

The old gods and aliens,

When the brassy rings of fate turn,

The golden runes are flickering.

steam surge,

the fire flickers,

Relic echoes,

The old gods revived.

The outstretched hand after the thick fog,

Pull back the hazy curtain of the crazy age.

Guests from afar explore the lands of the Old Continent,

Striking the melody of the next era.

Came here through the gate of time,

Shad put down his suitcase,

Look at the silvery moonlight overhead.

- Description from novelbuddy

A silhouette of a man standing upon a boulder with the crescent of the moon shining behind him.

A kukri dripping with blood in one hand and a pistol in the other.

The image of burning flames surrounding him.

The countless mercenaries screamed as they saw this scene.

“It’s a demon!”

This is a world shrouded in darkness, and the pervasive black mist erodes all living beings.

Only fire can dispel the darkness and protect mankind.

But the firewood will eventually run out, the fire will eventually go out, and humanity will eventually perish.

until Rhodes came.

- Description from novelbuddy