He Became a Salted Fish After Inheriting Millions of Secret Arts

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

In Victorian England, occult practitioners and the Nightmen Police, who hunted occult practitioners, were at odds and engaged in a fight to the death. Legend has it that one of the occult practitioners was a mysterious merchant who ran the world’s largest underground black market in the occult arts, offering a variety of rare treasures. Word says that the Nightmen have a newly appointed young detective whose decisive actions have solved many cases, and occult practitioners are terror-stricken hearing his name.

Duan FeiZhou: Good, both are me.

He transmigrated to this era because he accidentally cl**ked on an email titled “Congratulations on your million dollar inheritance” and confusingly agreed to join the Nightmen’s side to fight against the occult practitioners.

Who knew that the next day he would inherit a mysterious inheritance from his uncle – the owner of the world’s most prominent black market of secret arts underground trading… This was a bit awkward.

Duan FeiZhou decided to stay away from the strife to avoid falling off the horse and became a salted fish.

On the one hand, crazy black market customers hope that the black market will close down as soon as possible. On the other hand, the Nightmen are negatively idle, hoping that he is quickly fired. However, the more he rushed customers, the more the business of the black market became red hot. The more negativity, the more he was promoted in the Nightmen.

Seeing that the double-sided was becoming a bigger hassle, he was afraid his mask would fall off..

The Scotland Yard’s NIghtmen Leader, code name Z, has white hair, blind eyes, mechanical prosthetics, metal spine, all from war damage; his hobby is hand-rolling cigars, and if he can not save the hostages, he will shoot them together with the criminals. His highest ideal in life is to exterminate all the occult practitioners in the world.

He thought he had a heart of gold with a painful past, but step by step, he was impressed and conquered by the new young Nightman… He also reformed him.

Until one day, he learned that the young man who tugged at his heartstrings was his lifelong enemy – the owner of the world’s largest underground black market for secret arts.

Z: Oh well.

Associated Names
One entry per line
咸鱼继承百万秘术遗产后
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Lord of the Mysteries (2)
Daily Disposable Persona (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. -BEST TRANSMIGRATION/REBIRTH DANMEI-
  2. BL novels that Ive read completely <3
  3. BL with the potential to be stellar reads
  4. Next Reading 2
  5. To read 2

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/04/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c80 (end)
03/03/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c79
03/02/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c78
03/01/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c77
02/28/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c76
02/27/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c75
02/26/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c74
02/25/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c73 part2
02/25/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c73 part1
02/25/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c72 part2
02/25/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c72 part1
02/25/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c71 part2
02/25/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c71 part1
02/20/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c70 part2
02/20/23 Exiled Rebels Scanlations c70 part1
Go to Page...
Go to Page...
Write a Review
32 Reviews sorted by


twobada
twobada rated it
March 6, 2023
Status: c1
I read this because of the review that claimed that this is a blatant copy of LOTM.

As an avid fan of LOTM, I'm here to refute that review's claims.

... more>>
Spoiler

"Nightmen here and and Nightwatch in LOM"

- Nightwatch is a real historical thing and not exclusive to LOTM or this novel. LOTM does not use this term nor has a group of protagonists with the same concept as the Nightmen here as the main driver of the plot.

"The God of Light who gets eaten and betrayed - exactly the same"

- The "God of Light" in LOTM is not even called the God of Light, but rather the Sun God or the Ancient One. He also has dominion on a lot more than just "sun" or "light". He does get betrayed but the history around it is different from this novel. Even if one insists on plagiarism, this concept can only barely pass as inspired by LOTM.

"The Goddess Hecate that comes and helps him here, also appears in LOM to help him"

- There is no Hecate in LOTM, nor is there a goddess of crossroads or death or even a concept similar to Hecate's crossroads in this novel.

"That the crystals for energy they use, make people sick? Yup, also in LOM"

- I don't even remember if LOTM has this or not and I'm 99% sure that it's because it wasn't a main plot point as it was in this one.

"The old man that is his mentor and explains to him how to store his energy into an item - exactly the same"

- Oh dear, god forbid that an action adventure MC finds himself a mentor. /S

"Getting stronger after eating someone else with power"

- I also can't remember such an important plot tool in LOTM, mainly because LOTM has a myriad of abilities and manifestations and power system that is vastly different from this novel. One thing I'm sure of is that neither the MC nor the important side characters in LOTM did this to gain abilities.

"Him being 'mysterious' with having a trading house - LOM has something very similiar"

- LOTM has no exclusive copyright on "mysterious" MCs. LOTM also does not have a trading house similar to this novel's MC. LOTM does have an exclusive club of protagonists that trade with each other during their meetings. It's far, far, far from what a trading house is. The only thing that's similar is that the MC holds authority and power over such a space, a concept that is neither unique nor exclusive to LOTM.

"The knowledgeable poet friend is a thing in both"

- While it's true that there is a knowledgeable poet in LOTM, that character's personality and significance to the plot can't even compare to the MC's friend here. In this novel, the poet is not even the most important side character. The poet in LOTM is literally part of the protagonist club. Another thing is that the poet here is an actual historical figure who lived in the era that the MC transmigrated to and whose fascination with the occult is well documented. Including a character like that is not an act of copying, but rather a sensible decision.

[collapse]

In short, this novel is nowhere near a "blatant copy" of LOTM. It's actually a great story of its own with tighter and neater writing than LOTM.

God bless the author for not succumbing to the temptation of info-dumping to hit the word count.

The only complaint I have is that the characters are not as developed, especially the romance between the MC & ML. The author did such a great job of show and tell but when it comes to romance, it fell a bit flat. I didn't really feel the fluff, pining, love, nor angst here.

Not to say that it wasn't good, just not as good as the rest of the portrayal of MC's emotions. There are also other action adventure BLs (whose plot building is as good as this one) where the romance was palpable and well-shown. It's hard not to compare.

As for the other side characters, they were definitely unique on their own and it was fun seeing their interactions. Not much development since the novel is too short to explore everyone's character, but their personalities and stories still stood out to me. Each of them felt like they could be the main character in another story.

Overall, considering its length, this novel is really one of the neatest ones I've read from here. No info dumping, no dragging arcs, no unnecessary events that led to nothing. <<less
21 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
96cve0207
96cve0207 rated it
November 7, 2022
Status: Completed
Loved it!!!!!! 🤩 ~\ (≧▽≦) /~~\ (≧▽≦) /~
This story is set in a magical (hidden) steampunk Victorian England, where magicians aka occultists (in mtl) hide in the shadows. The author really did their research on Victorian Britain and put their own twists to it.
It had mystery, hidden identities, magic crime solving, conspiracies, thrill, heartbreak, great characters both main, side and villains.
Both the MC & ML have a good amount of character development and growth. At one point when the MC reveals his identity, he and the ML have several rough chps which made me feel distressed!
MC = starts out weak strong by the end, sharp-minded, accidentally joined Scotland Yard then became a novice magician/occultist by accident has to hide it.
ML = very strong, chief inspector of the special investigation unit aka hunts down those involved with magic and the occult, has high prejudice and grudges towards the occultists except his colleagues (which he has plenty of reason for).
This story had me on the edge of my seat many times. I loved it! And the relationship between the MC&ML after they got over their obstacles is wonderful (and boy is the ML passionate and energetic... MC likey though (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) ( (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) = insinuated but no full details!)
The finale is pretty epic too!
Chps are all longer part way through the 20s and get longer. So, despite being only 76 (not including extras) chps long, it feels equivalent to a novel with twice the chps.
16 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
xLarissa
xLarissa rated it
February 10, 2023
Status: c65
Still haven't finished the novel, but still wanted to write my thoughts.

The MC gets reincarnated after he reads a scam Mail and lands in the Fantasy Steampunk era. The MC is very humorous, while the ML was the straight-laced one. Their interactions are cute and both the ML and MC are very likeable as is the rest of the cast. Also a lot of Harry Potter references. Translations is lovely and easy to read.

One thing though: I have never seen so much blatant copying, of a novel, like... more>> ever. If you read Lord of Mysteries (LOM) - and if you liked this novel, you maybe should - this novel copies nearly everything of it.

The less obvious is the transmigrating into Steampunk. The more obvious:

  • Spoiler
    • Nightmen here and and Nightwatch in LOM
    • The God of Light who gets eaten and betrayed - exactly the same
    • The Goddess Hecate that comes and helps him here, also appears in LOM to help him
    • That the crystals for energy they use, make people sick? Yup, also in LOM
    • The old man that is his mentor and explains to him how to store his energy into an item - exactly the same
    • Getting stronger after eating someone else with power
    • Him being 'mysterious' with having a trading house - LOM has something very similiar
    • The knowledgeable poet friend is a thing in both
    [collapse]
That were just some examples of the blatant copying happening here. It feels like the author took all the interesting parts of LOM and just made them shorter and less detailed. So much is just the same that it can't even be called 'inspired' by it. I guess the author really liked LOM, so they changed 'a bit' and added BL. Honestly I'm not finished with the Novel yet, and I'm enjoying it, but it's cheapening my enjoyment quite a bit every time I notice yet another 'similarity'.

So if you enjoy this novel even without the romance and the BL part try Lord of the Mysteries <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ZiLiQQQ
ZiLiQQQ rated it
July 12, 2023
Status: --
The similarities to LOTM are very, very obvious. @Twobada tried to counter @xLarissa's claim that this is a blatant copy of LOTM, but I think you failed miserably.

Read below if you want to know.

Nightmen and Nightwatch: Okay, I can still tolerate that part.

... more>> The God of Light who gets eaten and betrayed - exactly the same: Oh my gosh, how can you brush it off as inspiration when it is blatantly similar to the point that it is obvious? They just changed the God of Sun to the God of Light.

The Goddess Hecate that comes and helps him here also appears in LOM to help him: No kidding. You really said that. Hecate possesses the standard powers of a Titaness and goddess. Hecate has divine authority and absolute control over magic, witchcraft, and sorcery. Her magic is weak in the daytime and strongest at night. Have you read LOTM properly? This is obviously a rip-off version of the Evernight Goddess. Although I know that Evernight is closer to Nyx than Hecate, it was obvious that at this point, the novel tried to be discreet and not blatantly yell that they copied it.

The old man that is his mentor and explains to him how to store his energy into an item - exactly the same: Okay, I can brush that off. Almost every novel I see has a grandpa mentor.

Getting stronger after eating someone else with power: Yes, that's in LOTM, and it's a very relevant plot. It was pretty glaring. THE BEYODER CHARACTERISTICS! Everyone there USES BEYODER CHARACTERISTICS TO MAKE POTIONS AND DRINK THEM. One of the characters who got powers by eating BEYODER CHARACTERISTICS is FORS! A literal member of the Club! Some of them even pass their BEYODER CHARACTERISTICS when they die to their children.

Him being 'mysterious' with having a trading house - LOM has something very similar: Okay, I can brush this off. Every MC has a cheat and is mysterious.

The knowledgeable poet friend is a thing in both: With all the similarities so far, do you expect us to brush this off as a coincidence? The only silver lining here is probably that they didn't copy Leonard's whole personality, or else they would probably get sued.

Finally, people really be saying that this is better than LOTM when the MC here is a literal idiot who makes moronic choices. There is no definite and solid background like LOTM. The MC in LOTM is a lot better than the MC here. The world-building is worse than LOTM. It is tr*sh compared to LOTM. PERIOD. It's a f *king insult to compare this to LOTM as this is just a copy-paste BL based on LOTM.

I understand that there is such a thing as getting inspiration from a novel, but even each cultivation and dungeon novel out there that had a similar concept had a certain uniqueness in their world, which just says something. DON'T JUST COPY.

You really gotta insult LOTM like that when this novel can't even compare to the other good BL novels out there. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Lucy666
Lucy666 rated it
March 30, 2023
Status: Completed
I have tried to write a review for this story at least 3 times by now, and I fail every. Single. Time. I have no idea why.

The translation is 10/10. It's really, really good. The writing style is also 10/10. I just loved it. It was humorous, exciting as well as thought provoking. The complete package. The MC and the ML are really made for each other. Although I got angry at the ML for hurting the MC many times, I realise that it's a part of his character growth.... more>> It makes him more human, which is ironic
Spoiler

cuz he's more machine than human at this point.

[collapse]

I absolutely love the fact that the ML, even after being superpowerful, has to endure the trouble that comes with blindness. At times, he, too, feels helpless and powerless at his lack of sight. The MC and the ML are really sweet though. Even if they fight with each other, they'll never let the other person get hurt if they can help it. That's true love. No matter how angry you are at the other person, you just can't see them in pain.

The characters have personality. I read a review here that said that MC was an immature hypocrite for enjoying the money that came with inheriting the black market but not wanting to run it. Logically, he's not obliged to fulfil the last wish of a man he doesn't even know. He inherited his money, yes, but none of it was his choice. Inheriting the black market just put him in a very precarious position.
Spoiler

and almost destroyed his relationship with the ML

[collapse]

He didn't want to, and he wasn't eligible. All he wanted was a normal life where he didn't have to be threatened by intruders inside his home, where he didn't have to worry about a roof over his head or food for the day. He was a person barely out of his teens, he didn't deserve to be saddled with the inheritance of an illegal black market, especially when he didn't know anything about the occult world. Let's be clear here, he only came to know about the black market after he accepted the inheritance. He even considered going back to his life of poverty because of it. Besides,
Spoiler

his uncle wasn't even dead. He'd just faked his death and pushed off this burden to his nephew that he hadn't met or cared about in years so that he could enjoy his retirement life with a new identity. I really don't get how Mr. N got away with everything. Does he have a face changing technique?

[collapse]

The things MC's uncle basically forced him to do, make me unable to see him in a particularly benevolent light. MC suffered undue injustice due to him.

As a citizen of a once colonized country, it irked me a bit to read about how great queen Victoria was. Maybe because of my own country's history, I wasn't particularly fond of the British monarchy, but considering the setting of this novel (and the fact that it's fiction) I'm willing to ignore it.

This story does remind me of LOTM, but to say that it's a copy is an exaggeration. Some things are heavily inspired by LOTM, but there are some blatant harry potter references too. Rather than saying it's a bl version of LOTM, I'd prefer to say that I appreciate the author's ability to use their inspiration properly without plagiarising.

I actually had a lot to say about this story, but I forgot and I'm kinda tired of writing reviews only for them to disappear the moment I blink. I think I'm traumatised.

I'll end by saying that I love the women in this story. There are precious few bl stories which treat female characters well, and this is one of them.

Miss Acheson can certainly step on me, she's the queen of my heart. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Gluttony
Gluttony rated it
December 24, 2023
Status: Completed
"Duan FeiZhou held out his hand to him. "Would you like to lend me your body?"

"Strange question." Z took his hand without thinking. "Hasn't it been yours for a long time?"

Despite having a very stereotypical click-bait CN novel name, this novel is a really unique detour from the genre. It follows a more traditional print-book structure, with a well-considered, tightly written, and unique plot from start to finish (once you get past a slightly slow and more CN-webnovel typical beginning).

The genre sits at the cross-roads of steampunk, occult detective, and... more>> BL - and remarkably, it marries these genres well. It has a strong cast of characters that are memorable and well-developed (and doesn't fall into the BL trap of being an all-male cast or one that demonises the few women included). If you had told me this was a serial awaiting a Book 2 and Book 3 release I wouldn't blink an eye - the author has developed a strong foundation for the world and characters that well.

Moreover, the romance builds really nicely through show-not-tell (where at some point you find yourself getting the giggles because they're clearly super into each other but haven't quite realised it!). This romantic development is interspersed with some lovely seemingly standalone mysteries in true Holmesian fashion (a book which the author playfully nods to often). If the author had given more time in the beginning, it truly could have also earned an enemies-to-lovers genre tag. From the middle of the book onwards, however, the main plotline truly takes off as the loose threads come together and you can begin to appreciate quality of writing, world-crafting, and intentional plot development.

I highly recommend this novel to those who are craving a BL and CN-novel flavour, within an atmospheric, gritty London landscape. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
B2j
B2j rated it
April 6, 2023
Status: c65 part1
I’m basically almost at the end of the novel. I’ve read most of the top reviewers for this novel and I want to give my two cents.

First of all, no matter how you deny it, this novel really is extremely similar to LOTM (Lord of the Mysteries). From the setting to the characters, they bare many resemblances (which was mentioned in another review and was denied by another reviewer. But as someone who read both works, I’m pretty sure the first reviewer wasn’t far off). I wouldn’t say it’s a... more>> complete ripoff but as I continue reading it, I cannot help but be reminded of LOTM throughout. As a fan, I’m certainly biased towards LOTM, and this novel, to me, is like a downgraded, shortened BL version.

Second, the main characters did not really appeal to me. The MC was not very fleshed out in the beginning and didn’t remain consistent until later on where his character is more well established. I couldn’t connect with him much. I didn’t particularly enjoy his humor, whether because of translations issues or otherwise, or probably the fact that I haven’t read Harry Potter. I couldn’t also stand the fact that he’s so unaware and reckless despite being thrust into the middle of a dangerous position. He doesn’t really prepare for anything and just go with the flow, despite knowing the dangers of someone of his position. Literally, the things ending well isn’t really because of him but everyone and everything else working for him. I surmise that if he was not the MC, his double identity would’ve checked out in the very beginning. I was also hoping for his medical skills to cone more into play but that didn’t go anywhere except for romantic purposes I guess. I couldn’t really see the MC as a particularly intelligent character either, and I just had to wonder how whenever anyone mention the MC being clever.
The ML was very coldblooded and ruthless at first impression (because of how they met) but apparently that didn’t continue. Yes, he’s ruthless towards his enemies but now that I think back on it. Was it really in the ML character to literally almost killing an innocent person just to get at a criminal? Really really? He was also pretty blank, there was nothing standing out from a archetypical seme character other than the usual gushes of his beauty. I honestly wasn’t very impressed with his backstory either so I couldn’t love him or hate him.

Third, the romance. For this I think it just boils down to the MC being a face-con. He literally fell for him because of his face. There really is no other reason since in the very beginning, the MC crushed hard on the ML because he was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. That fact is mentioned continuously throughout the novel so it’s hard for me not to assume otherwise. On the other hand, I have no idea how the ML fell for the MC. There were no indicators or anything. It just fell from the sky at one point in the story. The chemistry between the two isn’t really there. It all feels quite forced. Honestly, the ML had more chemistry with his coworker than the MC. Which would actually make more sense given their backstory. The expected reveal didn’t play up it’s full potential either and I barely felt any sadness on behalf of the MC or ML. It feels pretty lackluster in the emotional department, whether in romantic moments or heartbreaking moments.

Finally, as I said that the story is easily taken in comparison to LOTM. In that respect, it doesn't even come close. Even compared to other BL novels of this rating, it’s probably on the lower end for me. The plot was singular and felt forceful, with it trying to tie things together but reveal quite a bit of plot holes. The setting that could’ve been further elaborated kind of fell into obscurity and vaguely explained. Specifically, the mechanics behind it or the different organizations/people or the uses of the technique or the sources of magical materials. None of it was expanded on further than a one liner from the story. Also, he doesn’t really do anything special with his store other than using modern marketing tricks and well as a storage basically. Neither the majority of the items or the customers are expanded on. Rather than letting me, as a reader, experience the story’s world, it felt like I was just reading a summary. I guess the author put more importance on the romance rather than the plot. Well that didn’t really do well since it feels very half-assed.

I really tried reading it. It really isn’t a bad work. But I was quite disappointed with it. There were parts I enjoyed and appreciated but overall, it’s not for me. Honestly all the five stars made me feel like it was a masterpiece or something so I guess my expectations were too high. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
KshinT
KshinT rated it
March 19, 2023
Status: c22
I cl**ked wrongly, my rating for this is 0.5/5 stars. It's horrible, I don't understand why there's so many positive reviews. The MC is an indecisive brat and the ML currently from where I've stopped reading is a mystery since he doesn't appear much. The MC wants to be a 'salted fish' and its a bleak goal to strive towards especially since he possess qualities of a Gary Stu. I don't understand why the author loves to emphasise his incompetence in dealing with the occult as well as his devil... more>> may care attitude with the trading shop. Its not cool or a 'wow' moment, it shows immaturity. The MC screams immaturity, the way he interacts with the ML how its heavily implied that he fell for ML at first sight due to his looks. He's still clamoring over MLs looks 22 chapters in. MC likes to give reasons for his actions which gets really grating especially when he keeps saying that he's not gonna get involved with the occult because of the nightmen but still gets dragged into stuff and the people around him are amazed by his wit and talent (although he arguably has none). Its so repetitive and forceful. The most frustrating thing for me honestly is the way he handles his inheritance of the trading shop. That shop to the MC is a death sentence especially since he's got an established relationship with the nightmen. So it's understable that he wants nothing to do with it but the way he deals with it is so immature. He tries to run the store out of business which is irresponsible since his uncle left it to him trusting his shop will be in good hands. Not to mention the setting for the trading shop is like a central hub for the hidden occult practitioners which means it's quite important in the occult community. He doesn't think about the societal consequences or impacts of closing the shop, he's selfish which would be fine if the author assigned MC selfishness as a personality trait. But the MC is not selfish infact the author has written several times that MC is willing to help others at the expense of his own goals. Which is why its so jarring when you read constantly (like every 2 chaps) that he wants to close down the shop. Also the author makes the side characters put MC on a pedestal its irritating. It would be warranted if MC had actual talent, drive and knowledge but he doesn't have any of them so why is he being hailed as some great being. It doesn't make sense.

In conclusion the reason this novel was unbearable was because MC was written as a immature and selfish which runs parallel to the characterization the author wanted for MC. Its shallow writing and characterization. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Missah
Missah rated it
June 9, 2023
Status: c61
I’m going to be honest... I haven’t finished this novel and I’ve already read up to this point but I’m already fed up.
the world building is great and interesting but I think the MC is an love-addled idiot. The ML is not a good person either, and maybe I’ll think otherwise if I actually read through the end but I can’t. The MC makes s*upid decisions, and the only reason I could tell for him falling for the ML is how handsome he is but there’s no reason for the ML to fall in love with the MC, and he also treats the MC poorly after he finds out a secret of his.
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Raksha
Raksha
February 26, 2023
Status: c31
Nearly halfway and I still effing hate the MC. S*upid, s*upid and s*upider. No development, at all. I don't know if there will be. God, I hope there will be. No development could have been excuse if story is pure fluff but it's not. I wanna drop this but I'm nearly halfway already so just gonna grit my teeth and read fast to get through this s*upid MC
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Shrike1978
Shrike1978 rated it
January 28, 2023
Status: Completed
I really really enjoyed this story. The author's attention to details of the time period was fantastic and added color to the story for sure!

I liked the dynamic between the MC and ML and how they worked together. It's just too awesome when they finally get together!

There were lots of funny parts but definitely some sad parts. The humor helps to balance the darker elements of the story in my view, otherwise it would be too dark.

On the sad parts, the author wasn't afraid to kill off a character (with... more>> good reason, NOT just to yank your chain) as part of the plot. But the characters get justice in the end.

Overall great read that I heartily recommend. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
D_D_M
D_D_M rated it
December 17, 2022
Status: Completed
Ahhhh!! Liked it a lot 😍.

This story has theme of magic and occult in Victorian era with mythical story background. MC and ML relationship is quite good. Both are mature and there a bit of twist and turn when ML came to know about MC identity. I cried a lot reading the sub character background story. It was very interesting never felt bored. Though there are some people who died 😭 I felt so sad but thank god later on no one died. It's a good novel🥰.

Highly recommend. Lots Of... more>> Love ❤. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
WangXian69
WangXian69 rated it
December 4, 2022
Status: c27
This novel has grabbed me from the get-go.

The Description is accurate and it's so far been filled with lively characters and different adventures. The protagonist, Duan FeiZhou, a medical student who's been transmigrated to a Hogwarts style (he makes references) UK, is a likeable character and Z, the head Watchman, is falling for him already.

The story is so well written and witty. I get impatient for every episode! Recommended.
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
blacksamantha
blacksamantha rated it
October 9, 2023
Status: --
LOM + Sherlock Holmes + Harry Potter + BL (as a bonus)

Minus 1 star since I wasn't able to figure out Z's name

.

... more>> .

To be honest, it's a little bit disappointing to know that most of the parts in the story was similar to LOM. It was my first time to read a BL in a cyberpunk-Victorian era (well, Howl's moving castle is one but Japanese style and non-BL) and I really loved the style. When I finished reading this, I read the comments only to find out that there was a non-BL novel of the same kind. I've searched LOM and found out that it has 8 volumes so I don't want to waste time reading it -plus it's non-BL. I prefer this "shorter" BL version. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Evesneon
Evesneon rated it
June 7, 2023
Status: Completed
5 stars!

Ignore the naming sense of this novel. Ignore the confusing summary written above. Just know that if you like Action, Mystery, Victorian with steampunk and magic, clueless but smart MC, cold but not really ML, this is the novel for you!

I chose to read this because it came from Exiled Rebels - I know they have a good selection of novels and this instinct didn’t let me down! Fell in love with our MC who fell to this world and it’s novel enough to keep my eyes wide open... more>> even in the wee hours of morning.

It brings me some feelings of Stray, mainly because of the mystery and magic feeling. You should definitely read this if you like Stray :) <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ttq
ttq rated it
June 4, 2023
Status: Completed
4.6 stars.

Really good novel. The plot was super with the Victorian setting mixed with steampunk flavor. I would say the romance subplot on top of the whole tensed and action-pack scenario was a chef's kiss. I could see the LotM vibe from this, mainly because of similar setting, but otherwise, it's a completely different and standalone work. Love the mysteries and dectective aspects of this novel, especially the references to Sherlock Holmes and many other amazing detective novels! Also love the Harry Potter references, though can be a bit much... more>> later on lmao. Love the extras, especially the harry potter AU extra and the final extra of the modern AU where they can freely express their love in public. I was lowkey hoping that instead of the modern AU, they would be reincarnated in the modern world with their memories intact instead.

Overall, I love the MC and his kind-heartedness, how he still retained the 21st century mindset even in this chaotic setting. I would love to read this novel from Z's perspective and see how and when he fell in love with Duan FeiZhou. I could see hints of it throughout the book but it was still very sudden how the ML fell in love with the MC. It was like first look made a favorable impression, then afterward was a hard fall in love?

Spoiler

The ending of the final major battle was a bit unexpected where the Queen made the final finishing strike to close the portal to the Secret Trading House. To be honest, I was surprised at the solution that Duan FeiZhou picked to solve the final conflict aka seal the Light Forerunner in the Secret Trading House, which is very in line with the "mortal" ability. I was actually expected the MC to power up with the 2nd and 3rd forerunner power and end the conflict himself and elevated his power to god level or something, like LoTM ending. It was then that I realized that the LoTM MC has no personal shackle, so he can choose such a method to gain power and be on a god-lvl, but our MC here still has Z, which made the decision he chose unexpected (to me) but also not unexpected, and we got a HE where the couple got together.

[collapse]
<<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Pezwitch
Pezwitch rated it
May 21, 2023
Status: Completed
This was a wonderful novel. I see people comparing it to Lord of Mysteries and I think Salted Fish is a better novel because the writing is tighter, LoM has a dry and long winded writing style which bored me

I give this 4 stars, minus one for the romance which was unnecessary, I think it would have been a stronger story without it

I recommend this story if you like steampunk
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
En-Jay99
En-Jay99 rated it
April 30, 2023
Status: Completed
A hidden gem!

Interesting world building and the MC was cute. Good supporting cast and just long enough to keep things interesting. Genuinely enjoyed the whole thing as far as story and characters go.

(warning for period-typical h*mophobia as it is set in Victorian times (not in the main cast) and one antisemitic slur, this has nothing to do with the author’s beliefs but how people thought during this time period. Harry Potter is also referenced a lot but unknown if this novel was written before JKR went all aboard the... more>> crazy train but if anyone wants to avoid all mentions of HP they can skip this. The references are only in about the first 1/4 of the book and one extra at the end.) <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
bbyshark
bbyshark rated it
March 27, 2023
Status: Completed
I absolutely loved this story. Only thing I have a slight problem with is how DFZ knows so much about the English history when his name suggests he was from China even knowing a certain poet's love life idk maybe he was a history geek. But except that from the story pacing to characters, the whole writing was delicious to read. Our MC is a facecon but I am too.
Spoiler

I also love the concept of different time and dimensions so I loved this story even more with the reveal of how he actually transmigrated.

[collapse]
Definitely going to my favorites list.
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
earlgreyt
earlgreyt rated it
March 23, 2023
Status: Completed
I enjoyed this quite a bit - the world building was pretty unique and interesting, the setting is very original for NU translated novels (Victorian England with magic/occult & steampunk), and the characters were not OP CEOs.

In fact, this is a rare type of novel on NU where the ML / cast are quite "oppressed" (they have to report to higher ups, their branch is in a way, underfunded/looked down on by more powerful peers, and nobody has some kind of fantasy "I am the Queen's nephew" backstory that immediately... more>> makes obstacles go away).

The MC is a very humorous character. He starts off quite cowardly and he also has a funny/snarky internal monologue (he wishes he were in Harry Potter), but against his "wishes" he gets more powerful and is actually quite proactive in solving mysteries, getting revenge and helping good people.

However, perhaps due to some humor not translating well, I can see how MC might have come across as annoying to some readers; it never crossed the line for me. The MC is the type to like complaining a lot internally but still end up working hard on things. Rest assured, there isn't a situation where MC says he would like to "get gud" and never does it -- he does "get gud" and is very competent, after all, he's quite an expert (in medicine), so please show some patience when he has to do other stuff (like detective work and capture criminals with magic).

The ending was also wrapped up quite well, the author even goes into the MC's "transmigration/backstory" with an excellent resolution, so I do recommend. Overall very good story. The translation was also pretty good, the translators really made an effort with all the steampunk phrases, and that was greatly appreciated. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Leave a Review (Guidelines)
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.