Mr. Rong’s Lovelorn Diary - Chapter 33: That was bullshit.

After years of exile, Marcus is coming back home. A powerful mage with few equals, Marcus lives in a world full of monsters and powerful adepts, many of which have bad histories with him. But he has not come back to pursue vengeance or start a fight. All Marcus wants to do is reconnect with old friends, build himself a house, and maybe train a successor or two.Alas, the world didn’t stop just because Marcus went into exile, and not everyone is content to let go of old grievances. Strange things are happening in the world at large, too, hinting at a looming disaster of unknown nature. Still, where there is a will, there is a way.If nothing else, Marcus has a lot of magical power to throw at problems.+++Zenith of Sorcery is set in its own original setting and isn’t related to Mother of Learning… beyond being written by the same person, of course. This is a more classical fantasy story than my previous one, with a lower level of technology and stuff like elves and dwarves, but it has a lot of worldbuilding effort put into it and its own complex magical system. The story has significant xianxia influences, but isn’t meant to be a xianxia story.For those of you not familiar with my previous work, I write relatively slowly. I intend to publish chapters at the rate of one chapter every three or four weeks, subject to further delays as life intervenes.

This is a time of great powers: The vast Persia, Sparta that was founded by force, Athens with its trade and business, Thebes the rising star, The ambitious Macedonia, The twin heroes of the Western Mediterranean, The rising Rome and so on.

This is an era of brilliant stars: Agesilaus II – the last king of Sparta, Epaminondas – the Rising General of Thebes, Philip II – the founder of Macedonian’s hegemon, Dionysius – the tyrant of Syracuse, Camillus – the Roman dictator and savior…

This is an era of contention among a hundred schools of thought: Plato – the great philosopher, Antisthenes – founder of cynicism, Pythagoras – school of number, Democritus – the encyclopedia scholar, Hippocrates – the father of western medicine, Aristophanes – the great dramatist…

What will the hero bring to the world when he comes to this age as a humble mercenary through rebirth?

Bai Xunyin was inadvertently traumatized by stress during the year she graduated from Middle School. She became a “little mute” who couldn’t speak. In her first year of high school, she spent her days listening to the cynicism and discriminatory bullying of people around her until her second year of high school. Bai Xunyin met Yu Luoyin. He was clear, elegant, with straight eyebrows and star like eyes. He was the most handsome boy in school, and was the dream boyfriend of all girls in school. But for Bai Xunyin, Yu Luoyin was the first to protect her, smile at her, discuss topics with her, and the person who had lunch with her. The onset of her crush was turbulent and confusing in her teenage years.

Worlds overlapped, and Alien Species descended.Strange entities emerged one after another, as the shadow of evil spread wildly.The calm of life was shattered, and Zhang Xiaoman, inside a fish's stomach, accidentally consumed a system named “World-saving Plan”.From then on, he became the only person among all humans with Extraordinary Power.…Inventing an ancient oath, he established a unique methodology, Cultivated Dark Energy, founded an organization, took Control of the Transcendent, and resisted invasions.Well, this is actually the story of how a Big Con Man bluffed his way into saving the entire world.PS: Contains elements of the behind-the-scenes, Cthulhu mythos.