The Irreverent Collector

No harem + cold, ruthless, and decisive + unexpected contrasts + plenty of surprises

Also known as: The Not-So-Serious Elf Collector

On the Apocalypse Continent, where magic and miracles intertwine, Gao Mian is an oddity.

He has no interest in magic that can destroy the heavens and earth, nor does he care to fight for the throne. His lifelong obsession is collecting, not gold or jewels, but elves that dwell on the border between legend and reality. An ancient prophecy leaves him somewhat perplexed:

When flame devours the starry tracks,

The red-haired Flame Demon breaks free.

A third shadow rises from the ashes:

An unspent pact, or fire reborn?

On the seventh dawn, when radiant feathers fall,

Golden eyes count the rings within a crack.

When mirrors begin to vomit daylight,

The brightest star will extinguish itself.

Ice spines weave their nets in the deep sea’s belly,

A blue dress wraps around the melting past.

When glaciers learn to weep,

Ten thousand moons will fall into the ocean.

Vines coil around the ankles of time,

A figure in green plants flowers in a wound.

When roots pierce the final gravestone,

Withered bones will sprout walking shoots.

The thunder hammer strikes the ninth dome of heaven,

Golden scales shed their true form in the storm.

When the roar shatters all that lies still,

The night will grow rings of lightning.

The five fragments will one day come together,

At an extinguished altar, beside a boiling river.

When the hands of the elements join,

The end of the gods will descend once more.

Flame spirits within crimson fire lotuses; tree spirits singing ancient songs in the woods; ice elves that reflect the human heart; thunder-roosting elves weaving lightning in the downpour... Each kind of elf bears its own magical mark and secrets. Carrying the copper catalog his grandfather left behind, Gao Mian follows clues from fragments of ancient texts, traversing every last wonder of the continent.