Classmate Wang, your information’s too unreliable. Is that remarkable freshman merely Level 6? Dare to think boldly! Why not start out as a Monarch ah?
Although Zong Yan was spluttering inside, on the surface he remained unmoved. His face didn’t even flicker.
And it was this high-minded demeanor that fooled Wang KeMing at a stroke.
Wang KeMing’s family was involved in real estate. He was a certified member of the nouveau riche in Jiangzhou, and there was quite a gap between his family and those wealthy, well-established clans with firm backgrounds. His father was a smooth social operator who’d trained his son to read facial expressions and body language since childhood, seeking to cultivate a worthy successor. He’d been knocking on the door of Princeton with a great deal of money. But, as it turned out, Wang KeMing had suddenly awakened.
So Wang KeMing’s father could only hold his nose and sign the Dragon Group’s nondisclosure agreement. Anyway, the building had already been donated, and the offers had been tendered. Princeton wasn’t going to give them back.
His only consolation was that a diploma from Miskatonic University was extremely prestigious and would confer many benefits around the world. After inquiring around, he learned that a high-ranking British royal, directly in line for the throne, was enrolled in the school this year, so he slapped his thigh and sent his son without hesitation.
Wang KeMing attached great importance to the same things. However, he’d stepped foot into international waters at a younger age than his father, and he planned to use his social skills along the way to ensure a good relationship with the freshmen from his native land.
This kind of socializing began in the first class cabin.
Aside from anything else, tickets for a first class direct flight from Jiangzhou to London started at nearly 100,000 RMB. It was only the children of the rich and famous who could afford to sit in this section of the Boeing 777.
Wang KeMing had been in the circle since childhood, and his vision was precise.
The handsome boy with raven hair in front of him had a cold face and wore a simple T-shirt with capris. Wang KeMing swept him a sharp glance with eyes that had been immersed in major brands for years. He was stunned that he couldn’t tell which brand his outfit came from, which confirmed his prior thoughts even more.
Looking at the aura of the entire person, he must come from a major family. When Wang KeMing went to Yanjing to spend time with his father, he saw such people from a distance. Children who came from truly elite backgrounds had strict discipline. They maintained quite a low profile outside, wore niche and elegant brands, and were pleasant and good-mannered. They were worlds apart from an upstart family like his.
“I never sleep very well in first class on BA. The bed is too hard. The bed’s more comfortable on Emirates, it’s soft and big. And in the evening you can take a shower, go to the air bar to have a drink and pick up flight attendants.”
The little fat man talked and talked, all while secretly watching Zong Yan’s expression, hoping to find a common topic. “British Airways’ Ferragamo pajamas have a better texture than Emirates’. Whenever I smell that Bulgari perfume it makes me dizzy…”
Zong Yan felt dizzy just listening to this endless spiel. The flight attendant brought over the toiletries bag and bent down to help him change his slippers.
“No, I’ll do it. Thank you.”
Zong Yan really wasn’t used to being treated like this by someone else, and he didn’t like being so close to anyone, so he quickly refused. He squatted down to change his shoes and stuffed them into the dust bag, then he waved to Wang KeMing. “If there’s nothing else going on, I’ll get some rest. Sorry.”
Fck, so personable and cultured, I have to make sure we have a good relationship in the future.
Amazed, Wang KeMing watched the door close.
In fact, Zong Yan wasn’t as calm as he appeared. When he changed into his pajamas, sat down on the bed made up for him by the flight attendant, and latched the door behind him, his ADHD suddenly activated.
Touching here and touching there, turning on and off the lights in the cabin, opening the concealed compartment next to the door, taking out the menu inside and turning it over, and rolling around on the bed.
This was the first time he’d ever been on a plane!! It was first class, too. It had to be commemorated!
Zong Yan clumsily pulled out his phone camera, connected to the first class WiFi, and took a very cheesy selfie for the first time in his life.
It was night time. The airport was the only thing that still sparkled with lights outside. The plane moved slowly down the runway. He probably wouldn’t be able to see anything else while they waited for takeoff.
Zong Yan leaned on the small table, quietly watching the lights outside, his black eyes staring at the stars.
It was like a dream. He didn’t expect that the first time he stepped out of Jiangzhou he’d actually go abroad. Along the way, he’d cross the whole of Asia and fly over the English Channel.
Everything ahead was unknown. Unknown school, unknown summer life, unknown world…
Even if Zong Yan had a lot of nerve, he still felt a bit insecure.
The black-haired young man stared out of the dark window, stretched his fingers into a gap in space, and drew a card.
Sure enough—according to the law of conservation of personality, his luck really hadn’t changed.
He let go of the blank waste card he’d drawn with his fingers, and it immediately transformed into flakes of shining stardust and dissolved into the air.
The plane would be in flight for more than ten hours and wouldn’t arrive until the next afternoon.
Zong Yan leaned against the table and watched the entire time as the plane took off. Then he folded the table away, set an alarm for himself, closed his eyes and began to sleep.
It was late at night, and his work and rest schedule had always been very regular. Before, he’d relied on his excitement to keep himself awake. Now he closed his eyes and directly sank into a fathomless dream.
Zong Yan slept soundly that night. When he woke up and fumbled to turn on his mobile phone, it was already nine in the morning.
When he opened the window panel, dazzling sunlight jumped in from outside and joyfully scattered on the white quilt.
Zong Yan rubbed his eyes, turned off the light, jumped out of bed and opened the door.
“Good morning, Mr. Zong.”
The flight attendant who was pushing the food cart saw him get up and said hello with a smile. “There was some bumpy air last night. Many guests weren’t able to sleep very well. How was your rest?”
“Not bad.” Zong Yan scratched his head.
Maybe he was too sleepy last night. He’d slept especially well and didn’t wake up at all.
“That’s great to hear. Please wait a moment. Breakfast will be delivered to your seat later.”
“Okay.”
Zong Yan picked up his toiletries bag and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Then he came back to taste the breakfast enjoyed by the people of the corrupt country.
Although the UK was famous for its dark cuisine, breakfast was reasonably normal. English blood sausage with scrambled egg, baked cod, triangle potato cakes coated with a layer of ketchup, a spoonful of half-cooked mushrooms served with the customary cream soup. It was a little tiresome and didn’t compare with the lean vegetable porridge of his own country.
He remembered He Yuan’s advice. After breakfast he set another alarm, took out his homework and worked on it quickly, and ate another meal before getting off the plane.
In the afternoon, the Boeing 777 landed safe and sound at London Heathrow International Airport. Zong Yan, who changed his clothes, was the first to step off the plane. He followed the instructions to pass through the VIP lane, then stood in front of the baggage carousel and waited.
“Yan Ge, wait for me!”
Wang KeMing followed the same procedure he did. Now he stumbled over. “Let’s go together. There’s more company that way. I’m familiar with everything here. In junior high I came over all the time to hang out.”
“No need. I’m used to being alone.”
Zong Yan lowered his head and unlocked the phone screen. As soon as the plane landed, a text message was silently sent to his inbox.
It was from an unknown number.
Hello, freshmen of Miskatonic University.
I’m the head of the Chinese Dragon Group’s new students here in London. Due to some changes in the itinerary, the final meeting time has been delayed two hours. You can choose to wait at Exit 3 of Heathrow Airport or head to the Gate of Truth on your own. Thank you for your cooperation.
A Google Maps location was attached below.
… That’s so unreliable. If Zong Yan weren’t proficient in other languages, like a poor student who’d never seen the world, he might have to wait here for two hours.
Zong Yan said a few words under his breath, took the leaflet someone handed him from the side, pulled his suitcase and went to the subway to buy a ticket.
Good thing he was fluent in other languages.
“Piccadilly line… Let’s see. Where does this go?”
He zoomed in on the map. The location peg was firmly planted in the middle of a giant, dark building.
Zong Yan glanced down at the leaflet in his hand.
“A new play is coming to Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End of London,《The King in Yellow》…”
As a straightforward person whose only talents were in science, Zong Yan didn’t know anything about art, so he scanned the flyer, stuffed it into his bag, and concentrated on finding his way.
When he arrived at the crowded church entrance and confirmed the location was correct, Zong Yan was stupefied.
Westminster Abbey, the place where the British monarch was crowned and the royal family held their weddings, integrated magnificent architecture with a blend of Norman and Renaissance styles. It was one of the pre-eminent landmarks of London.
The problem was that churches in Western countries were generally combined with cemeteries, and Westminster Abbey was no exception. This wasn’t only a royal tomb, but the resting place of many scientists and artists who’d made outstanding contributions to humanity, such as Newton, Dickens, and Churchill.
No way, big brother, did MU make a mistake? You really opened the door to your school on someone else’s tomb like you’re jumping up and down on their grave? So outrageous ah!!
Zong Yan dragged his suitcase around the floor in a circle, and a crowd of people came and went. At most, some of them thought the boy was particularly handsome and glanced at him more than once.
Given the lukewarm character of the corrupt people, this was already the limit.
“Are you a freshman?”
While Zong Yan was making his third lap, a bishop who’d just led a priest in evening prayer came out of the chapel in the side hall. “I’m the investigator who will guide you. Come this way.”
It wasn’t easy to finally meet up with this organization. MU really was powerful. Even the bishop was a part-time investigator—two salaries, double happiness.
Zong Yan was in awe.
“The Gate of Truth is ahead. Just go straight.”
The bishop led him into the depths of the abbey, pointed out the location, and quickly left.
Zong Yan looked at the black wooden door in front of him and froze for a moment.
The name “Gate of Truth” sounded cool. Then there was He Yuan, who’d called it an alchemical spatial portal.
The whole way, Zong Yan had wondered what the door would look like. If it was magical like Hogwarts, or mysterious and dark like the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia, or ultra-futuristic technology like in a Hollywood blockbuster.
No, it was just an ordinary door.
Zong Yan was a little disappointed. Reaching out, he opened the door and stepped inside.
The next second, the carpeted floor disappeared and he took a step onto nothing. The person and his suitcase began to tumble, free-falling in midair.
? ? ?
Zong Yan had a vague impression of everything under his feet.
A cluster of medieval palaces with spires, numerous steamships moving through the sky in the distance, majestic towering mountains, huge gears rising from the ground, and a turquoise blue ocean that wrapped around a shoreline.
Looking up into the distance, he could even see the cratered surface of the moon. The steamships traveled back and forth between the moon and the surface, wind sails billowing, suspended in the air.
It was a different realm, a world completely separate from the Earth.
He was falling toward the continent from high above, thousands of meters in the air.
This was too exciting!!!
As it turned out, things got even more exciting.
Moments later, black bat wings leaped up from the rugged mountaintop. Sharp curved talons hooked onto the suitcase and supported it in the sky while demonic goat horns glittered in the sunlight. An unknown creature bared its sharp fangs at him, like it was going to catch and bite him the next second.
Zong Yan’s reaction was equally dramatic.
He immediately activated the Child of the Wind persona card. His long, platinum blond hair scattered in an instant. The wind blade in his hand lifted without mercy.
Fifteen minutes later, this became one of Zong Yan’s biggest regrets of the year, bar none.
“Stop it! What the hell are you doing? Those are the nightgaunts the school sent to pick up the new freshmen!! They just like to play pranks, they’re not malicious!”
A group of investigators guarding the door watched as a freshman punched a nightgaunt, grabbing its horns with one hand and stepping on its back, gliding down like a heroic figure, while the dumbstruck observers stared.
Zong Yan: …
Sorry, it looks like I can’t keep a low profile after all.
—
The author has something to say:
Zong Yan: I reject my humanity!!!
TL Notes:
Happy Chapter 1-0!!! ﾟ･✿ヾ╲(｡◕‿◕｡)╱✿･ﾟ
I have a small piece of news: The next batch of chapters are the longest in this entire novel! For example, Chapter 15 is a double chapter, more than twice the usual length. It’s a little grueling for me. I’ll do my best, but that’s why I skipped updating yesterday to give myself a bit of lead time. After that, the chapters settle down a lot and I might even be able to do double updates sometimes. ٩(◕‿◕)۶ Anyway, thank you for your patience and understanding. I really love this story and some of the upcoming arcs are just… so cool… <3
Corrupt country, corrupt people – This is an idiomatic way the Chinese refer to the UK / Brits / etc.
The King in Yellow is a book of short stories by the American writer Robert W. Chambers, first published in 1895. The book is named after a play with the same title which recurs as a motif through some of the stories. (Wikipedia)
I reject my humanity! – 我不做人啦！- This is a quote from Dio Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (“おれは人間をやめるぞ！ ジョジョ──ッ！！“). I’ll include the full quote because it’s amazing. “JoJo, being a human means having limits. I’ve learned something… The more carefully you scheme, the more unexpected events come along. As long as you’re human… I REJECT MY HUMANITY, JOJO!!“
Glossary of world terms—new in this chapter:
nightgaunt – 夜魇
Transliterated names, titles, and places—new in this chapter:
Yan Ge – 衍哥 – “Ge”, meaning “(older) brother”, is a common way to refer to an older male of the same generation as you.
Classmate Wang, your information’s too unreliable. Is that remarkable freshman merely Level 6? Dare to think boldly! Why not start out as a Monarch ah?
Although Zong Yan was spluttering inside, on the surface he remained unmoved. His face didn’t even flicker.
And it was this high-minded demeanor that fooled Wang KeMing at a stroke.
Wang KeMing’s family was involved in real estate. He was a certified member of the nouveau riche in Jiangzhou, and there was quite a gap between his family and those wealthy, well-established clans with firm backgrounds. His father was a smooth social operator who’d trained his son to read facial expressions and body language since childhood, seeking to cultivate a worthy successor. He’d been knocking on the door of Princeton with a great deal of money. But, as it turned out, Wang KeMing had suddenly awakened.
So Wang KeMing’s father could only hold his nose and sign the Dragon Group’s nondisclosure agreement. Anyway, the building had already been donated, and the offers had been tendered. Princeton wasn’t going to give them back.
His only consolation was that a diploma from Miskatonic University was extremely prestigious and would confer many benefits around the world. After inquiring around, he learned that a high-ranking British royal, directly in line for the throne, was enrolled in the school this year, so he slapped his thigh and sent his son without hesitation.
Wang KeMing attached great importance to the same things. However, he’d stepped foot into international waters at a younger age than his father, and he planned to use his social skills along the way to ensure a good relationship with the freshmen from his native land.
This kind of socializing began in the first class cabin.
Aside from anything else, tickets for a first class direct flight from Jiangzhou to London started at nearly 100,000 RMB. It was only the children of the rich and famous who could afford to sit in this section of the Boeing 777.
Wang KeMing had been in the circle since childhood, and his vision was precise.
The handsome boy with raven hair in front of him had a cold face and wore a simple T-shirt with capris. Wang KeMing swept him a sharp glance with eyes that had been immersed in major brands for years. He was stunned that he couldn’t tell which brand his outfit came from, which confirmed his prior thoughts even more.
Looking at the aura of the entire person, he must come from a major family. When Wang KeMing went to Yanjing to spend time with his father, he saw such people from a distance. Children who came from truly elite backgrounds had strict discipline. They maintained quite a low profile outside, wore niche and elegant brands, and were pleasant and good-mannered. They were worlds apart from an upstart family like his.
“I never sleep very well in first class on BA. The bed is too hard. The bed’s more comfortable on Emirates, it’s soft and big. And in the evening you can take a shower, go to the air bar to have a drink and pick up flight attendants.”
The little fat man talked and talked, all while secretly watching Zong Yan’s expression, hoping to find a common topic. “British Airways’ Ferragamo pajamas have a better texture than Emirates’. Whenever I smell that Bulgari perfume it makes me dizzy…”
Zong Yan felt dizzy just listening to this endless spiel. The flight attendant brought over the toiletries bag and bent down to help him change his slippers.
“No, I’ll do it. Thank you.”
Zong Yan really wasn’t used to being treated like this by someone else, and he didn’t like being so close to anyone, so he quickly refused. He squatted down to change his shoes and stuffed them into the dust bag, then he waved to Wang KeMing. “If there’s nothing else going on, I’ll get some rest. Sorry.”
Fck, so personable and cultured, I have to make sure we have a good relationship in the future.
Amazed, Wang KeMing watched the door close.
In fact, Zong Yan wasn’t as calm as he appeared. When he changed into his pajamas, sat down on the bed made up for him by the flight attendant, and latched the door behind him, his ADHD suddenly activated.
Touching here and touching there, turning on and off the lights in the cabin, opening the concealed compartment next to the door, taking out the menu inside and turning it over, and rolling around on the bed.
This was the first time he’d ever been on a plane!! It was first class, too. It had to be commemorated!
Zong Yan clumsily pulled out his phone camera, connected to the first class WiFi, and took a very cheesy selfie for the first time in his life.
It was night time. The airport was the only thing that still sparkled with lights outside. The plane moved slowly down the runway. He probably wouldn’t be able to see anything else while they waited for takeoff.
Zong Yan leaned on the small table, quietly watching the lights outside, his black eyes staring at the stars.
It was like a dream. He didn’t expect that the first time he stepped out of Jiangzhou he’d actually go abroad. Along the way, he’d cross the whole of Asia and fly over the English Channel.
Everything ahead was unknown. Unknown school, unknown summer life, unknown world…
Even if Zong Yan had a lot of nerve, he still felt a bit insecure.
The black-haired young man stared out of the dark window, stretched his fingers into a gap in space, and drew a card.
Sure enough—according to the law of conservation of personality, his luck really hadn’t changed.
He let go of the blank waste card he’d drawn with his fingers, and it immediately transformed into flakes of shining stardust and dissolved into the air.
The plane would be in flight for more than ten hours and wouldn’t arrive until the next afternoon.
Zong Yan leaned against the table and watched the entire time as the plane took off. Then he folded the table away, set an alarm for himself, closed his eyes and began to sleep.
It was late at night, and his work and rest schedule had always been very regular. Before, he’d relied on his excitement to keep himself awake. Now he closed his eyes and directly sank into a fathomless dream.
Zong Yan slept soundly that night. When he woke up and fumbled to turn on his mobile phone, it was already nine in the morning.
When he opened the window panel, dazzling sunlight jumped in from outside and joyfully scattered on the white quilt.
Zong Yan rubbed his eyes, turned off the light, jumped out of bed and opened the door.
“Good morning, Mr. Zong.”
The flight attendant who was pushing the food cart saw him get up and said hello with a smile. “There was some bumpy air last night. Many guests weren’t able to sleep very well. How was your rest?”
“Not bad.” Zong Yan scratched his head.
Maybe he was too sleepy last night. He’d slept especially well and didn’t wake up at all.
“That’s great to hear. Please wait a moment. Breakfast will be delivered to your seat later.”
“Okay.”
Zong Yan picked up his toiletries bag and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Then he came back to taste the breakfast enjoyed by the people of the corrupt country.
Although the UK was famous for its dark cuisine, breakfast was reasonably normal. English blood sausage with scrambled egg, baked cod, triangle potato cakes coated with a layer of ketchup, a spoonful of half-cooked mushrooms served with the customary cream soup. It was a little tiresome and didn’t compare with the lean vegetable porridge of his own country.
He remembered He Yuan’s advice. After breakfast he set another alarm, took out his homework and worked on it quickly, and ate another meal before getting off the plane.
In the afternoon, the Boeing 777 landed safe and sound at London Heathrow International Airport. Zong Yan, who changed his clothes, was the first to step off the plane. He followed the instructions to pass through the VIP lane, then stood in front of the baggage carousel and waited.
“Yan Ge, wait for me!”
Wang KeMing followed the same procedure he did. Now he stumbled over. “Let’s go together. There’s more company that way. I’m familiar with everything here. In junior high I came over all the time to hang out.”
“No need. I’m used to being alone.”
Zong Yan lowered his head and unlocked the phone screen. As soon as the plane landed, a text message was silently sent to his inbox.
It was from an unknown number.
Hello, freshmen of Miskatonic University.
I’m the head of the Chinese Dragon Group’s new students here in London. Due to some changes in the itinerary, the final meeting time has been delayed two hours. You can choose to wait at Exit 3 of Heathrow Airport or head to the Gate of Truth on your own. Thank you for your cooperation.
A Google Maps location was attached below.
… That’s so unreliable. If Zong Yan weren’t proficient in other languages, like a poor student who’d never seen the world, he might have to wait here for two hours.
Zong Yan said a few words under his breath, took the leaflet someone handed him from the side, pulled his suitcase and went to the subway to buy a ticket.
Good thing he was fluent in other languages.
“Piccadilly line… Let’s see. Where does this go?”
He zoomed in on the map. The location peg was firmly planted in the middle of a giant, dark building.
Zong Yan glanced down at the leaflet in his hand.
“A new play is coming to Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End of London,《The King in Yellow》…”
As a straightforward person whose only talents were in science, Zong Yan didn’t know anything about art, so he scanned the flyer, stuffed it into his bag, and concentrated on finding his way.
When he arrived at the crowded church entrance and confirmed the location was correct, Zong Yan was stupefied.
Westminster Abbey, the place where the British monarch was crowned and the royal family held their weddings, integrated magnificent architecture with a blend of Norman and Renaissance styles. It was one of the pre-eminent landmarks of London.
The problem was that churches in Western countries were generally combined with cemeteries, and Westminster Abbey was no exception. This wasn’t only a royal tomb, but the resting place of many scientists and artists who’d made outstanding contributions to humanity, such as Newton, Dickens, and Churchill.
No way, big brother, did MU make a mistake? You really opened the door to your school on someone else’s tomb like you’re jumping up and down on their grave? So outrageous ah!!
Zong Yan dragged his suitcase around the floor in a circle, and a crowd of people came and went. At most, some of them thought the boy was particularly handsome and glanced at him more than once.
Given the lukewarm character of the corrupt people, this was already the limit.
“Are you a freshman?”
While Zong Yan was making his third lap, a bishop who’d just led a priest in evening prayer came out of the chapel in the side hall. “I’m the investigator who will guide you. Come this way.”
It wasn’t easy to finally meet up with this organization. MU really was powerful. Even the bishop was a part-time investigator—two salaries, double happiness.
Zong Yan was in awe.
“The Gate of Truth is ahead. Just go straight.”
The bishop led him into the depths of the abbey, pointed out the location, and quickly left.
Zong Yan looked at the black wooden door in front of him and froze for a moment.
The name “Gate of Truth” sounded cool. Then there was He Yuan, who’d called it an alchemical spatial portal.
The whole way, Zong Yan had wondered what the door would look like. If it was magical like Hogwarts, or mysterious and dark like the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia, or ultra-futuristic technology like in a Hollywood blockbuster.
No, it was just an ordinary door.
Zong Yan was a little disappointed. Reaching out, he opened the door and stepped inside.
The next second, the carpeted floor disappeared and he took a step onto nothing. The person and his suitcase began to tumble, free-falling in midair.
? ? ?
Zong Yan had a vague impression of everything under his feet.
A cluster of medieval palaces with spires, numerous steamships moving through the sky in the distance, majestic towering mountains, huge gears rising from the ground, and a turquoise blue ocean that wrapped around a shoreline.
Looking up into the distance, he could even see the cratered surface of the moon. The steamships traveled back and forth between the moon and the surface, wind sails billowing, suspended in the air.
It was a different realm, a world completely separate from the Earth.
He was falling toward the continent from high above, thousands of meters in the air.
This was too exciting!!!
As it turned out, things got even more exciting.
Moments later, black bat wings leaped up from the rugged mountaintop. Sharp curved talons hooked onto the suitcase and supported it in the sky while demonic goat horns glittered in the sunlight. An unknown creature bared its sharp fangs at him, like it was going to catch and bite him the next second.
Zong Yan’s reaction was equally dramatic.
He immediately activated the Child of the Wind persona card. His long, platinum blond hair scattered in an instant. The wind blade in his hand lifted without mercy.
Fifteen minutes later, this became one of Zong Yan’s biggest regrets of the year, bar none.
“Stop it! What the hell are you doing? Those are the nightgaunts the school sent to pick up the new freshmen!! They just like to play pranks, they’re not malicious!”
A group of investigators guarding the door watched as a freshman punched a nightgaunt, grabbing its horns with one hand and stepping on its back, gliding down like a heroic figure, while the dumbstruck observers stared.
Zong Yan: …
Sorry, it looks like I can’t keep a low profile after all.
—
The author has something to say:
Zong Yan: I reject my humanity!!!
TL Notes:
Happy Chapter 1-0!!! ﾟ･✿ヾ╲(｡◕‿◕｡)╱✿･ﾟ
I have a small piece of news: The next batch of chapters are the longest in this entire novel! For example, Chapter 15 is a double chapter, more than twice the usual length. It’s a little grueling for me. I’ll do my best, but that’s why I skipped updating yesterday to give myself a bit of lead time. After that, the chapters settle down a lot and I might even be able to do double updates sometimes. ٩(◕‿◕)۶ Anyway, thank you for your patience and understanding. I really love this story and some of the upcoming arcs are just… so cool… <3
Corrupt country, corrupt people – This is an idiomatic way the Chinese refer to the UK / Brits / etc.
The King in Yellow is a book of short stories by the American writer Robert W. Chambers, first published in 1895. The book is named after a play with the same title which recurs as a motif through some of the stories. (Wikipedia)
I reject my humanity! – 我不做人啦！- This is a quote from Dio Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (“おれは人間をやめるぞ！ ジョジョ──ッ！！“). I’ll include the full quote because it’s amazing. “JoJo, being a human means having limits. I’ve learned something… The more carefully you scheme, the more unexpected events come along. As long as you’re human… I REJECT MY HUMANITY, JOJO!!“
Glossary of world terms—new in this chapter:
nightgaunt – 夜魇
Transliterated names, titles, and places—new in this chapter:
Yan Ge – 衍哥 – “Ge”, meaning “(older) brother”, is a common way to refer to an older male of the same generation as you.
