Cunning

Arthur Vance was a titan of modern industry—a ruthless corporate strategist who mastered the art of the hostile takeover. But when a betrayal ends his life in the 21st century, he wakes up in the body of Julian Valerius, the disgraced, "waste" illegitimate son of a dying Emperor. ​In a world governed by ancient steel and noble bloodlines, Julian is a man with a target on his back. His six half-brothers, each a powerful warlord or cunning politician, have already signed his death warrant to secure their path to the throne. He has no army, no wealth, and a reputation as a drunken fool. ​But he has a mind the medieval world isn't prepared for. ​Using his knowledge of modern economics, chemical engineering, and psychological warfare, Julian begins his ascent from the mud of the slums. ​He turns sour grain into Liquid Gold, a distilled spirit that corrupts the empire’s elite and funds his private shadow army. ​He recruits Elena Vance, a legendary but betrayed General, turning her into the sword that will carve his path to glory. ​He builds a network of "Rats"—the beggars and outcasts—creating the first global intelligence agency in history. ​As the Empire spirals into a bloody civil war, Julian doesn't just fight for survival; he executes a takeover. From the smoke of the slums to the gold of the high court, the "Waste Prince" will prove that in the face of modern logic, even the strongest crown is nothing more than gilded lead. ​Witness the birth of an Empire where gold speaks louder than swords, and a bastard's shadow looms over the world.

In a world that is defined by power, Lance stands out as the only enigma-nap, with no visible aim and a razor-sharp tongue. This lazy, sharp-tongued orphan, however, hides under the indifferent face a very sharp mind and single terrifying thought: 'Can I become a god?' He transforms that rather weird obsession into an obstinate path for becoming the controller of the very texture of society. Thus, in walking such cunning schemes, he really very well plans the things in a manner that all those who will be caught in the web don't know how they got entrapped. Ranging from the shadowy syndicates to ancient bloodlines vying for supremacy, everyone is just another piece on his board. Evelyn, heiress to a legacy now crumbling, has her own fights. Mysteriously, both parents vanished in relation to a top-secret research project. The thing preventing total destruction of the family's an ancient curse: utter ruin to any that lay a hand upon this bloodline-the protection has already started to fade. In a fateful meet with Lance, Evelyn would acquire an artifact capable of giving unimaginable superhuman powers. But one condition binds their uneasy alliance: equivalent exchange. Such were destined to forge alliances as well as betray and cut secret deals, and in such noise, Lance discovers the buried legacy of his own blod, a legacy that perhaps holds the key to his grand ambition towards godhood. Bloodlines are unveiled, as underground superhuman races come to light, and as secret organizations revealed their own conspiracy towards ascendencion. Lance sacrifices pawns in a larger game that only he can see in every moves. Even gods bleed. Will Lance maneuvers his enemies to rise to the throne of immortality or will his cold calculations be trumped by love, betrayal, and the unraveling secrets of his past?.