Terminology

This page lists the terminology that is used in the story and their meanings.

General Terminology

 * Experiment: Someone, or something, that is hidden away from society due to their danger to the general public. They are often held captive, and generally aren't human. If any non-human is found, they are sent to the nearest scientific facility, whether forcefully or not. There, they become an 'experiment' and, as the name implies, are experimented on but also made into weapons, in a sense.
 * Mission: An important assignment, generally involving taking down opponents in an open-ended battlefield.
 * Operation: A type of mission that generally involves taking down opponents in an open-ended battlefield. This is the most common type of mission.
 * Protocol: The procedure of taking down opponents as a way to test your skills away from the battlefield.
 * Scientist: A person working either in the SSS or DC, generally those that take care of experiments and sending said experiments out for missions. Though some scientists do not work in any organization.
 * Special Mission: A general type of mission that rarely, if ever, involves taking down opponents in an open-ended battlefield. These include undercover missions, infiltration missions, assassination missions, etc.
 * Assassination Mission: A special mission which involves murdering someone, or a group of people, in absolute discretion.
 * Extradimensional Mission: A special mission which involves traveling outside the known physical reality of the universe for whatever reason.
 * Infiltration Mission: A special mission which involves entering and exiting a place without being detected, usually to receive an item or information.
 * Undercover Mission: A special mission which involves investigating a particular event or place in secret.
 * The SSS: A shortened version of the 'Special Sublimational Syndicate', often used by the general public.

Modern Figures

 * Artist "Z": An emerging artist who has garnered much attention and fame in recent years; however, their true identity remains a mystery. The similarity of their style to the works of Rembrandt has earned them the epithet "Rembrandt Jr." among connoisseurs.
 * Sven Philips: A director at the Oil Painting Association and also an appraiser of oil paintings.
 * Jenkins Wood: A private doctor whose clients are mostly celebrities and wealthy businessmen. In addition to general medical services, he also offers paternity testing.
 * Tyson Turner: One of the founders of Heirson Health Products and also its current president.

Historical Figures

 * John Milton: An English poet and intellectual best known for his epic poems Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained.
 * Joseph Haydn: A composer in the Classical period born in Rohrau, Austria. Haydn was a key contributor in Viennese Classicism, and his contributions have earned him the epithets "Father of Symphony" and "Father of String Quartet."
 * Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn: A painter, specializing in portraits, landscape paintings, and religious paintings, is renowed for his use of light and shadows.
 * Paul Cézanne: A famous French artist who used planes of color and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields. He is said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and Cubism of the early 20th century.
 * Achille-Claude Debussy: A French composer. Was one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His representative works include: Le Mer (orchestral), Clair De Lune (piano), and Paliéas et Mélisande (opera).
 * Vincent van Gogh: A Dutch post-impressionist painter. His most representative works include The Starry Night, his self-portraits, and his paintings of Sunflowers.
 * Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh: A Dutch art dealer and the younger brother to Vincent van Gogh.
 * Lewis Carroll: A writer of the Victorian Era. His major works include "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There." His works were popular amongst both children and adults, and have been adapted to many different media.
 * Robert Lewis Stevenson: A writer of the Victorian Era. His major works include "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "Treasure Island". He wrote novels with various themes.
 * Charles Dickens: A writer of the Victorian Era. His novels portray the society of the time with underlying themes of social criticism and compassion for the poor. His major works include "Oliver Twist", "A Christmas Carol", and "Great Expectations".
 * Louis Philippe: The king of France from 1830 to 1848. After Napoleon's resignation, he became popular among the people during monarchial restoration, and was proclaimed king after the July Revolution. However, the workers became extremely miserable during his rain as economic conditions deteriorated. As the government failed to take measures, Louis Philippe I was forced to abdicate after the outbreak of the February revolution in 1848. The style under King Luis Philippe I was known as Louis-Philippe style. During his reign, neoclassicism and romanticism contended to become the dominant style in various ideas such as literature, art, music, etc.
 * Colonel Armstrong: A renowned pilot and explorer. He flew a monoplane from New York and across the ocean in 1927, becoming the first person to make a solo, nonstop transatlantic flight in history. He faced many challenges in his 33.5 hours flight, the toughest one being getting lost in the fog for a few hours. Armstrong ultimately managed to complete what was considered an impossible challenge by relying on celestial navigation and dead reckoning.
 * Doctor Freeman: Doctor Freeman was a talented physician who specialized in lobotomy. He pioneered and introduced the psychiatric world to what would become psychosurgery. At that time, lobotomy was seen as a possible treatment for severe mental illnesses, but was soon labeled as one of the most barbaric mistakes of modern medicine. Doctor Freeman co-founded and was the president of the American board of Psychiatry and Neurology from 1946-1947. He was also a contributor and member of the American Psychiatric Association.

SSS Database

 * Simon: The Head of the Materials Division at Heirson Health Products. He had been stealing and reselling the company's controlled substances for profit over many years. When his actions were exposed, he left a will stating he was unable to pay for the fines and the amount of money the company demanded from him, so he decided to commit suicide by jumping into the sea. However, his body was never recovered by the police.
 * Joey Grant: An illegitimate daughter of Gordon Grant and Joanne Scott. When Joanne was pregnant, Gordon had her take the experimental drugs from Moonriver Pharamaceutical Laboratories as health supplements. When Joey was born, he also used her as a test subject for Moonriver's new drugs. As a result, Joey has always been in poor health and suffers from irreversible damages, such as taste deterioration, and slow brain development. The medical treatments for Joey are highly expensive.
 * Johnny Bailey: The caregiver hired by Lawrence to take care of Van Kerrel's daily life. He had resigned from HomeCare Household Services at the beginning of the year.
 * Jasmine Kenders: After publishing the "Secret Heirson Lab Pollutes Opaline River" article, she was sued by Heirson for defamation. Jasmine ended up losing the lawsuit because Ian Johnson, a research of Forestry Testing Labs, suddenly withdraw his testimony. Before she died in the car accident, Jasmine was on her way to Opaline Village to obtain more evidence from Irvin Soong to appeal again.
 * Ian Johnson: The researcher at Forestry Testing Labs that provided the water sample report of the Opaline River. However, he suddenly withdrew his testimony on the witness stand, which caused Jasmine to lose the trial. He applied for a Ph.D. program in environmental science at New York University, but was rejected due to academic misconduct.
 * Hugh Moss: Jasmine Kenders' adopted son. He was diagnosed with autism and was very close to his mother. After Jasmine died, he was sent to an orphanage to be cared for.

Other

 * Brake Pad: A friction material fixed on the brake drum or brake disc that rotates with the wheel. By bearing external pressure, the friction effect is generated to slow down the vehicle.

Social Phenomena

 * Illegitimate Child: A child whose biological parents were not married to one other at the time of the child's conception or birth (legal definitions vary by locality). In New York, illegitimate children share the same rights and benefits as legitimate children, and they are also entitled to any inheritances.
 * Groupie: A slang word that refers to a fan of a celebrity who follows the person around while they are on tour, usually in hopes of getting to meet them. Some groupies would go to the extreme of invading the celebrity's privacy.
 * Reproductions: Imitations of an original work of art. Many of the current reproductions on the market rely on digital technology to "clone" a work of art. To acquire a high quality reproduction, some collectors are willing to pay a hefty price.
 * Five-step Trap: A method used by the PUA to psychologically manipulate women. Its steps were roughly divided into curiosity trap, exploration trap, captivation trap, self-esteem destruction and emotional manipulation. These five steps were designed to destroy a person's psyche, no matter men or women.

Other

 * ISBN: Stands for International Standard Book Number, a numerical commercial book identifier, which is intended to be unique for every book. An ISBN-10 is converted to the new ISBN-13 by prepending "978" to the ISBN-10 and recalculating the final checksum digit using the ISBN-13 algorithm.
 * Prisoner's Dilemma: The most representative example of game theory. It states that the decision made by the individual might not be the most optimal decision for the group. In other words, the logical decision for an individual might not be the logical decision for the group. If the two prisoners work together, then both of them will receive a reduced sentence. Without the ability to communicate with one another, if one prisoner testifies against the other prisoner, then he will go free. However, if both agree to testify, then they both receive the maximum sentence. So the best scenario for them would be to remain silent, but for the individual, the most optimal decision is to testify.
 * Murphy's Law: An adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." The law's name supposedly stems from an attempt to use new measurement devices developed by Edward Murphy. According to Robert Murphy (Son of Edward A. Murphy, Jr.), his father's statement was something along these lines: If there's more than one way to do a job, an one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way,
 * Vanitas: The Latin word "vanitas" means "emptiness," "futility," or "worthlessness." A vanitas is a symbolic work of art that depicts both symbols of wealth and death in a contrasting manner. Every object depicted on Vanitas was a symbol, and the most commonly used symbol was a skeleton motif, used to represent death. Catastrophes during the end of the middle age, such as the plaque, nature disasters, and famine, must've reminded people to reflect on life, death, and the futility of it all; Memento Mori, remember that you will die.

Law

 * Lawsuit Must Be Filed: "A lawsuit must be filed" means that the victim must file a lawsuit for any criminal act. Otherwise, the court cannot investigate the criminal responsibility of the accused.

Computer Science

 * Turing Test: Designed by Alan Turing in 1950 to test a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior or equivalent to that of a human.

Biology

 * Photonarcotics: A relatively new and popular drug that uses lights to make anyone exposed to it half-conscious. It puts the user in a dream-like state and, besides causing the person to fall asleep, it has no other side-effects. Since it requires heavy machinery to make, it has not spread much.
 * Tetrodotoxin (TTX): One of the most potent neurotoxins found in nature. Symptoms typically develop within 30 minutes of injection, but may be delayed by up to four hours; however, if the dose is fatal, symptoms are usually present within 17 minutes of ingestion. Severe symptoms include respiratory distress and paralysis, while death, usually secondary to respiratory failure, generally occurs within 4 to 6 hours. However, some victims enter a coma. If the victims do not receive immediate and effective treatment, death is extremely likely.
 * X03A: An experimental drug provided to Gordon Grant by the Moonriver Pharmaceutical Laboratories. An analysis by the SSS confirmed that there are trace amounts of the illegal drug known as NXX.

Mathematics

 * Fibonacci Sequence: Also known as the golden ratio or the rabbit sequence, as it was initially used by mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci to model the growth of a theoretical rabbit population.
 * Game Theory: An important branch of economics. It has been hailed as one of the greatest economic achievements of the 20th century, It is widely applicable to all fields. Anything pertaining to competition or antagonistic behaviors can be called game behavior and game theory is the analysis of said behavior. Its analysis include whether the behavior of both parties involved is reasonable and the number theory and methods involving in finding the most reasonable behavior.
 * Binary: The binary numeral system is a positional numeral which only uses two symbols, typically "0" and "1." It is used by almost all modern computers and computer-based devices.
 * Decimal: The decimal numeral system is the most commonly used positional numeral system in the world. It uses ten decimal digits, a decimal mark, and negative sign for negative numbers to denoting integer and non-integer numbers.

Psychology

 * Criminal Psychology: Criminal psychology, which criminal profiling plays a major part in, is the study that goes deeply into "what makes someone commit a crime and the reactions after the crime," on the run or in court with the aim of understanding the origin of motivation of criminal behavior. In recent years, due to the active role criminal psychologists plays in various criminal cases, educational institutions in New York have begun to hold relevant courses and departments to both promote in depth studies and cultivate new talents in the field.
 * Halo Effect: The tendency for positive impressions of a person in one area to positively influence one's opinion of the person in other areas. In other words, people's perceptions and judgments of others tend to be based on partial information or certain perspectives, leading to bias and generalization.
 * Microreaction: A broad term describing three types of behavioral micro-reactions: facial micro-expressions (or gestures), body language, and linguistic micro-responses.
 * "Psychology: Core Concepts": A great introductory textbook to the science of psychology. Written by Philip Zimbardo.
 * Bipolar Disorder: A mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and abnormally elevated moods. One out of two people with bipolar disorder attempts suicide at least once during their lifetime. The annual average suicide rate is 0.4%, which is 10 - 20 times that of the general population. Previously known as Manic Depression.
 * Sandplay Therapy; A nonverbal, therapeutic intervention that makes use of a sandbox, toy figures, and other items to create scenes of miniature worlds that reflect a person's inner thoughts, struggles, and concerns. It is a method to treat victims of trauma, neglect, or abuse, who often cannot express their feelings in words. The sandbox and figures are used as communication tools, allowing the client to find answers within oneself without interruption, and then making changes to the world one has created after discussions with the therapist.
 * Pick-up Artist: In recent years, many pickup artists work on their "game" by systematically improving their self-esteem and physical appearance to "pick up" their targets with the eventual goal of sexual success and scamming them for money via manipulation. One thing to note, the victims of PUAs are not limited to women. Men could fall prey as well. PUA is short for pickup artist.
 * Clinical Depression: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), also known simply as depression, is a mental illness that causes the victim to be in a constant state of low mood and aversion to activity, it is currently the fourth-leading cause of disease burden worldwide. Due to the difficulty of identifying MDD in victims and the unwillingness of the victims to receive medical treatments, many victims fail to receive proper care, leading to severe consequences. To this end, New York has increased its efforts to identify and treat depression.
 * Retrograde Amnesia: In retrograde amnesia, a person is unable to recall memories that were made in a specific period of time before the onset of amnesia.
 * Primacy effect: Also known as the "first impression effect". It is a cognitive bias that explains why the first encounter between two people will leave the greatest impression, dictating how future encounters will go. As the saying goes, "first impressions are the strongest."
 * Black Sheep Effect: The black sheep effect is a psychological concept. It refers to the tendency of people in the same group to be harsher on unlikable group members than people not in the same group. The reason is that, when facing heavy pressure from external parties, people tend to push the liability on others weaker than them.

Medicine

 * Autism: A neurodevelopmental disorder with complex biological causes. Symptoms may include mood swings, difficulties in verbal and non-verbal expression, and impaired social interactions. Those with autism may demonstrate restrictive or repetitive behaviors.
 * Hallucinogen: Drugs that primarily affect the central nervous system and alter one's perception, thinking, mood, and awareness. They can also lead to memory loss, mania, and even coma.

Music

 * Oboe: A woodwind instrument. The oboe leads the tune in the orchestra. Once the oboist plays the "A" note, the entire orchestra plays along to tune their instrument. The reason the oboe leads the tune is because the pitch is stable and its penetrating sound makes it ideal for tuning. Also, the oboe is double-reeded, which makes the tune very stable. The oboe has two reeds to amplify its vibration. A reed is a thin strip of material that vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. When playing woodwind instruments, you must use a well-carved reed. This requires time and effort (however, reeds are disposable). Reeds used in the oboe are even smaller than other woodwind instrument reeds. Therefore oboists must take good care of the small reeds, and have multiple reeds so as to always be ready to play.
 * Violin: A string instrument. Violins take a leading role in an orchestra, usually taking up the largest section of the orchestra. Incredible as it may sound, each violin is comprised of over 80 parts. The posture of tucking the violin under the jaw was first adopted in 1820.
 * Trumpet: A brass instrument. The trumpet is the highest-pitched wind instrument. Its tone is loud and sharp enough that anyone who's heard it once would immediately recognize it as a trumpet.
 * Pipe Organ: As the name suggests, the pipe organ is a keyboard instrument comprised of many pipes which create a sound when air is passed through them. Although technically the pipe organ is a keyboard instrument, the mechanism behind the sound is similar to a wind instrument. Pipe organs feature a very complex and gigantic structure. Each organ is connected to many pipes of various materials, diameters, and length to create an equally wide range of tone and pitch. As such, if there is a pipe organ in a room, chances are that the entire room is essentially filled by the pipe organ alone. Playing the pipe organ is not just about using your hands and feet, but also familiarizing yourself with its overall structure and usage. In the mid-19th century, the 'Barker Lever' was invented to enhance the power to push the pipe organ for a grander, more spectacular, and not to mention a more comfortable performance. After that, electronic signals were used to control the organ. Of course long before then, an assistant had to sit next to the player and activate each device to help with the performance.
 * Chimes: Important, large percussion instruments in ancient China. Developed during the Zhou dynasty, they were popular from the Spring and Autumn period to the Qin and Han dynasties. According to acousticians, each chime can produce two different musical tones. Hitting the chime at a specific spot produces tones of a specific frequency. It is possible to produce all notes on a modern piano with a complete set of chimes.

Other

 * Droste Effect: This packaging style, named after the famous Dutch chocolate manufacturer Drost, is a visual form in which part of the image is designed to be the same as the whole image. Thus, creating the effect of an infinite loop.
 * Cryptex: In Dan Brown's book 'The Da Vinci Code', the Da Vinci Cryptex was a cylinder used to store secret messages. To unlock it, you needed to turn the dials to a specific 5-letter word. Any attempts to force open the cryptex would shatter a small glass, dissolving whatever cryptic message was inside.
 * Special Makeup Effects: Special effects and makeup technology could achieve effects that traditional makeup could not, including replicating human limbs, restoring open wounds, and imitating people of different ages. It is commonly used in movies and TV shows.

Food

 * Steamed Tangerine Crab: A famous Jiangsu and Zhejiang specialty originating from the Song Dynasty. Crab meat and tangerine flesh are stir-fried, placed into the empty tangerine skins, and then steamed. It is a delicious and nutritious dish.
 * Romanée-Conti: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) is an estate in Burgundy, France that produces the world's most expensive white and red wines. It takes its name from the domain's most famous vineyard, Romanée-Conti.
 * Mont Blanc: A French dessert made of sweetened chestnut purée, topped with whipped cream. The name comes from Mont Blanc, as the dish resembled a snow-capped mountain. It was once a dessert reserved for the royals.
 * Éclair: A French confectionary; a long choux filled with cream and covered in chocolate. The first éclair was made in the 1850s. Éclair also means "lightning" in French. There are several hypotheses for this. Some say it was named lightning as the light reflects on the surface of the Éclair, and others say its because its so delicious that people eat it up at the speed of light.
 * Crepe: Once a basic recipe without much flavor. However, as time progressed, people began to innovate and add all sorts of flavor to it.
 * Double Scoop: On hot summer days, they are cool, soft, and smooth. They make for the perfect dessert during summer and are loved by children.
 * Foie Gras: A delicacy and a rare dish. It may not be served around the world but it is very popular amongst those with an exotic taste.
 * Bamboo Rice: What happens when you cook rice in bamboo over a pit of fire? You create a rice dish that is filled with aroma and the taste of nature. It's both delicious and healthy.
 * Bird's Nest Soup: A traditional medicinal food, ideal in the autumn for nourishing one's yin and for hydrating. The edible bird's nest ingredient is a special product of Southeast Asia made from the saliva of swallows or swiftlets, which is efficacious in promoting lung health, boosting yin, reducing coughing and stopping bleeding. It is often used in cases of tuberculosis, bronchitis, and emphysema. The elderly and frail drink this soup to revitalize and strengthen their bodies.
 * Black Tea: Introduce in Europe from China, black tea has undergone a long journey and now is respected around the world.
 * Pastel De Nata: Pastel De Nata, more commonly known as egg tarts, have spread across the world and have become a dessert found almost anywhere.
 * Brownie: One of the most common desserts. It's delicious coco flavor and dense texture creates an amazing pallet experience. Kids love it and so do adults. But don't eat too much as it contains a lot of sugar.
 * Gyoza: Perhaps the most popular Asian dish in the world. Gyoza, otherwise known as dumplings, are a delicious finger sized packet full of flavor. Gyoza comes in all different types of fillings,
 * Red Wine: A drink that is carefully produced from start to finish. It requires the careful selection of grapes and the precise control of temperature. Thus, red wine is a drink to be enjoyed slowly.
 * Yunnan Noodles: Originated from the Mengzi City of Yunnan, China. It is considered one of China's many cultural heritage foods with its unique traits. There are various origin stories for Yunnan Noodles. Although these stories differ slightly, the love for Yunnan Noodles is apparent in all stories.
 * Udon: One of the most beloved noodle dishes in Japan. From its development up to today, it has given rise to a wide variety of cooking techniques. The beef and soy bean paste at the core of this dish are also key factors contributing to its delicious flavor.
 * Donut: Aside from how good they taste, just on looks alone, donuts are able to win over most people. In recent times, the donut has made whirlwind progress and occupies a very high place in the food pantheon. Some people have even made a special donut holiday so that everyone can enjoy them even more.
 * Soft Serve Cone: Frosty, sweet ice cream that melts the instant it hits your mouth. Without a doubt, it's the most beloved treat to beat the heat, and paired with a crispy cone, the unbeatable combo has become a summertime taste sensation.
 * Jinhua Ham: A signature product of China and its vibrant red and white colors. Its lean meat is salty with a hint of sweet, and its fatty parts are sumptuous without being cloying. Its production takes from winter till summer, including a fermentation process that breaks down the meat, making it's nutrients more readily-absorbable by the human body. Jinhua ham is said to be beneficial to the stomach, kidneys, bones, feet, and for healing wounds. In appearance, it has a thin, bright yellow skin and is shaped like a pipa instrument. The meat is a tender red color, with a rich aroma. It is famous worldwide for these four unique characteristics of color, aroma, flavor and shape.
 * Five Snake Soup: Since ancient times, many people have had an instinctive fear of venomous snakes, but the Compendium of Materia Medica records that "southerners have a liking for snakes" - and Guangdong does indeed have a custom of eating snakes. The famous Five Snake Soup of Cantonese cuisine consist of snakes as its main ingredient, including at least the cobra, krait, and coral snake, as well as water snake, elaphe, and king cobra. The snake meat is stewed with chicken, abalone, mushrooms, black fungus and other ingredients. Snake soup is flavorful, with crispy snake skin and tender snake meat. The name of the dish may inspire dread, but is without a doubt a gourmet delicacy.
 * Hibiscus Tea: Also known as roselle tea, it is a beverage made by steeping the roselle flower. The tea has a bright scarlet color and a tart taste with a sweet finish. Containing vitamins and fruity acids, it is a good thirst-quencher and digestive aid.
 * Hawthorne Ball: A sweet treat beloved by children. Its sweet and sour fruits are covered with a tasty brown sugar coating.
 * Pudding: Made in England in the 16th Century, it has now become a dessert that has travelled around the world. Children love it and so do adults.
 * Jello: A sweet and popular dessert around the world. It can be made in various ways with a wide array of colors and taste.
 * Sandwich: Created by a count who was so busy gambling that he didn't have time to prepare food and eat. So, he resorted to creating something simple yet delicious.
 * Coffee: A hot, or cold, beverage enjoyed by men and women. The aroma from a single cup of coffee can fill an entire room. It's the perfect wake-up call.
 * Long Bao: Xiaolongbao dumplings were created during the Song Dynasty. These steamed dumplings contain a delicious soup and scrumptious filling. This is a famous Chinese traditional snack.
 * Sashimi: The preparations of sashimi require a very talented chef with great knife skills. The slice must be thin and clean; chefs often spend years in training.
 * Macaron: During the French Revolution, it was just a simple slice of unsweetened almond cake sold by nuns. Eventually, macarons came in all colors and tastes to fit the pallets of everyone.
 * Sakuramochi: The soft texture combined with the sweetness of red beans nourishes the taste buds just like a warm spring breeze.
 * Tom Yum: It has always been a refreshing hot and sour appetizer. Its unique taste is something to crave.
 * Taiyaki: Covered with a crunchy coating. People consider it as a lucky dish that can bring great fortune.
 * Milk: Can be found all over the world and can be used in various ways. However, don't leave it outside for too long or it'll go bad. Also, they say it goes well with black tea.
 * Dorayaki: Often brings to mind childhood memories; full of fun and youthfulness. It is sweet and delicious.
 * Omurice: A delicious dish from Japan that combines an omelet with rice. When served, it looks like a pocket full of taste.
 * Spicy Gluten: A snack unique to China. It has a special place in the hearts of children as it is both delicious and easy to come by.
 * Tempura: A popular dish in Japan. It can be made with either vegetables or meat. It's best eaten hot for its crunchy and crisp texture.
 * Sake: Drinking a glass of sake on a quiet day is perhaps one of the most relaxing activities that can be done. Let your mind rest and enjoy a cup of sake.
 * Jiuniang: People like Jiuniang dumplings because of how dainty and cute they look. People get to enjoy the soft and sweet dumplings the moment the spoon enters the mouth.
 * Orange Juice: Sweet and tangy taste of orange juice is perfect for a morning refreshment. It packs a lot of great vitamins. Don't drink too much though, as they are very sweet.
 * Miso Soup: Miso is a simple paste that creates one of the most common recipes in Japan. Miso soup is a great way to begin a meal and warm the stomach.
 * Ume Ochazuke: A common staple food in life. It stimulates appetite very well, making Ume Ochazuke very charming. Quickly devouring it will result in people constantly thinking about its deliciousness.
 * Yellow Wine: Since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Yellow Wine has been a popular alcoholic drink. Its unique flavors can be recognized immediately.
 * Cold Rice Shrimp: It isn't actually shrimp. It's actually rice noodles that resemble tiny shrimps. It is a common dessert in China best served cold
 * Zongzi: A dessert cooked with glutinous rice wrapped in leaves. It is said to commemorate the ancient poet Qu Yuan.
 * Toso: Toso Wine, also known as the New Year's Wine, has medicinal value in addition to being used to congratulate the young members of a family on the New Year. This custom continued until the Qing Dynasty and, even though it is no longer mass-produced, it is still used medicinally by commoners, or as a celebratory drink.
 * Milt: There are many ways of preparing Milt. It is especially valued for its protein content. In order to extract the most protein, most people choose to enjoy this special delicacy raw.
 * Pineapple Cake: A snack that is often enjoyed during ceremonies or given as gifts. They are flaky and sweet but very tasty.
 * Dongtang: Invented by Dong Xiaowan, one of the Eight Beauties of Quinhuai, it is a delectable delicacy produced in Rugao County of Jiangsu Province. Its main ingredients are refined white flour, white sugar, sesame seeds, and malt syrup. It is made by specially picking ingredients, boiling down the sugar, making a candy core, and a candy coating. Its crispy sweetness melts in your mouth, leaving a delicious aftertaste, and it also makes a good pick-me-up snack. Because Xiaowan made it often and entertained guests with it, it grew in popularity. Over the years, businesses began to copy it and marketed it under the name "Dongtang".
 * Gugelhupf: Gugelhupfe are known for their crown-like shape. It‘s made with soft yeast dough, and different regions have their own special additions to the cake. In the early days, it was common throughout all of central Europe, and served during Christmas, weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations. Gugelhupfe started becoming popular in the French court after Marie Antoinette married into French royalty.
 * Osmanthus Cake: Made from glutinous rice flour, sugar, and osmanthus syrup, this delicious pastry is a traditional Chinese snack, with more than 300 years of history.
 * Granola: Granola is a kind of baked cereal mainly made up of oats, nuts, and honey, and is often eaten as breakfast or as a snack.
 * Malted Milk: Malted milk is a powdered drink mainly composed of evaporated whole milk powder and bran. It can also contain butter, citric acid, sugar, glucose, and vitamins, and is produced by either vacuum or spray drying.
 * Ice Cream Floats: Ice cream floats are made by pouring carbonated drinks on ice cream.
 * Sanlejiang: The Tuode flower was a flower that grew in the Western Regions. The barbarians used them to make a wine name Sanlejiang.
 * Luyi Wine: When a new batch of Luyi wine hasn't been filtered, the sediment that floats up resembles green ants, giving the wine its name.
 * Yule Log: It is common for people to eat Yule logs on Christmas Eve in Japan. The Yule log consists of a simple sponge cake, icing, and cream, and is often decorated with chocolate, strawberries, canned fruits, and other seasonal fruits.
 * Meng Po Soup: In the legends, Meng Po Soup is drunk to forget everything in one's past. It is said that Meng Po makes the soup herself in the underworld to allow souls to reincarnate with peace of mind.
 * Bamboo Leaf Liquor: Bamboo leaf liquor is a wine brewed with yellow wine and bamboo leaves to retain the unique color of the leaves. It is golden green, mild, and has a refreshing taste.
 * Sichuan Hotpot: Although it wasn't developed that long ago, over a short period of 100 years, its name has become known all over China. It has four special attributes that it can't do without: numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant. This rich flavor has made it one of the Sichuan's most emblematic cultural symbols.
 * Popcorn: Buttery, salty, sweet, caramel, what type of popcorn do you like? A snack that has been enjoyed for decades.
 * Pineapple Bun: An iteration of plain pineapple bread which includes placing a cold slice of butter in between a freshly-baked bun. This clash of extreme temperatures brings with it a unique mouth feel. It might be a little higher in fat and cholesterol that way, but it's still a mainstay delicacy in tea houses.
 * Bonito Rice: In the beginning, this "cat rice" was a Recipe that was fed to cats. But due to the inexpensive ingredients, by the Edo Era, most of the lower-class had begun eating Bonito Rice, This even drove the industry for bonito, the main ingredient in Bonito Rice. Fast forward to today, and Bonito Rice is still one of the cheapest Recipes that people can eat.
 * Laba Congee: A type of congee enjoyed during the Laba festival in China. It is often served during family gatherings and have become a symbol of unity and peace.
 * Peking Duck: A roast duck recipe that was perfected in Beijing. Wrap crispy duck skin and juicy duck meat in a thin roll to experience a pallet sensation.
 * Chocolate: Sweet and full of mystery. Its dark appearance combined with a sweet and delicate taste create for a mouthwatering experience.
 * Calamus Wine: A rare pharmaceutical spirit, which is an infusion of Psychotria rubra and Radix acori. These precious Chinese medicinal herbs grow only on mountain peeks around 2,000 meters above sea level, earning them the reputation of "only to be found by the ambitious". The wine itself is a transparent orange-yellow, with a fragrant and rich flavor of fermentation and herbs. Other flavoring agents are usually added to make the concoction more palatable, and thus the finished drink has a refreshing taste. Calamus Wine has been enjoyed by emperors, officials, and generals for centuries, forming an integral part of imperial cuisine.
 * Flower-Carved Glazed Fruit: An ancient type of carved food. A piece of fruit is first dipped in a honey glaze, and the hardened surface is then carved with intricate designs using a sharp knife. Finally, the carved fruit is preserved in candy or more honey. The dessert was so popular that a famous poem was written about it during the Tang dynasty.
 * Hamburger: Popular around the world. They come in all types and shapes but don't eat too much. They pack a lot of calories.

Lore & Beliefs

 * Xiezhi: A mythological creature of the East that is highly intelligent with a deep understand of the human civilization. Xiezhi is a symbol of legal justice. It has the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, the noble and the treacherous. It would knock down corrupt officials with its horns and devour them.
 * Amon: A major Egyptian deity. Amon formed part of a family triad known as the Theban Triad with Mut, his wife, and Khonsu, his son. After Thebes became a part of the New Empire, Amon acquired national importance, as expressed in his fusion with the Egyptian Sun god, Ra, as Amon-Ra.
 * Spirits of Solomon: Seventy-two demons sealed in brazen vessels and featured in the grimoire of evocation, Lesser Key of Solomon. Each demon holds its own rank and office. They are said to assist or grant powers to whoever that summons them.
 * Merfolk: A mysterious race with the body of a human and the tail of a fish, merfolk live in the East Sea. They're skilled at weaving sea silk, which is impermeable to water and fire. Rumor has it that when merfolk cry, their tears become pearls.
 * Yuki-onna: According to Japanese folklore, Yuki-onna is a spirit that appears in snowy places. Dressed in white, she often appears as a beautiful woman to seduce men before killing them.
 * Naraka: Naraka is the Hindu equivalent of hell. In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, Naraka is a place where the dead are sent to be punished. Also known as purgatory.
 * Shi-e: Shi-e is a common belief in medieval Japan. The fear of death led to the belief that death is infectious. If one comes into contact with a corpse, they will also be infected with death.

Books

 * "Introduction to the Psychology of Love and Attraction": A book that teaches the inexperienced and the uninitiated how to form a romantic relationship with the target of their affection. It is written by a psychologist who prefers to remain anonymous.
 * Law Examination Sample Questions Walkthrough: This tutorial book contains real past year questions and detailed solutions. It is considered one of the essential books for the Attorney Exam due to its clear-cut main points and extremely detailed explanations.
 * "Around the World in Eighty Days": An adventure novel written by Jules Verne and published in 1873. The novel portrayed the advancement in shipping and transportation, and it fueled debates about whether such a feet - circumnavigating the globe in 80 days - was possible.

Entertainment

 * Sudoku: The history of Sudoku dates back to an 18th Century Swiss mathematician. The modern game of Sudoku as we recognize it today was invented by Howard Garns, a freelance puzzle inventor from Connerseville, Indiana, USA in 1979. The objective is to fill a 9 X 9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3 X 3 subgrids that compose the grid contain all of the digits from 1 to 9.
 * Escape Room: A special game type that combines adventure and puzzle solving. Tpyically, players are trapped in a room or faced with a situation with an imminent threat. Using the tools and clues, they must complete their tasks or solve the puzzle in order to escape and reach their destination within a time limit.

Drama

 * Kabuki: A classic and unique form of Japanese play. The performers are all male. Edo culture is integrated into the dance, and the music is centered around the grandiose theme of "kabuku", meaning "to be out of the ordinary". It is one of the three forms of theatre in Japan, along with Noh and Bunraku.

Music

 * "Clair De Lune": The third and most famous movement of Suite bergamasue by Debussy.
 * "Emperor": The full name of Haydn's Emperor is actually String Quartet No. 62 in C major, Op. 76, No. 3, Hob.III:77, Emperor, which identifies it as: Quartet No. 62 in C Major, Opus 76, No. 3 (In the Hoboken catalogue, where its full designation is Hob.III:77).
 * "O Solo Mio": A Neapolitan song written in 1898. It is composed by Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi (composers) with Giovanni Capurro as the lyricist. It was also the most representative work of the Italian operatic tenor, Luciana Pavarotti. The copyright of the melody became public domain when it expired 2042.
 * "Por Una Cabeza": A famous Spanish tango song composed by Argentine singer Carlos Gardel. The song, comparing an addiction to horse racing with an attraction to women, is the perfect representation of Argentine tango. It was used in the movie The Tango - Scent of a Woman, which turned the scene into a classic. Many other films and works have used this song as well.
 * "Jewel Song": An aria sung by Marguerite in Act III of the opera "Faust". While it's original title is "Ah! Je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir," the aria is better known as the "Jewel song". Although the aria is about Marguerite expressing her joy at receiving a jewel box from an anonymous sender, it also contains a behind-the-scenes story that is not immediately apparent when just listening to the song. Before Marguerite discovers the jewel box, her admirer Siebel has already left a bunch of flowers in front of her house, hoping that she would notice his feelings for her. However, Mephistopheles places a beautifully adorned box full of jewels next to the flowers so that Faust is sure to be able to seduce Marguerite. The song is known as the "Jewel Song" and not the "Flower Song," so it's easy to understand what happens next. Sopranos who play the role of Marguerite often act out the excitement of their character by trying on the accessories in the box or by looking into a mirror.

Arts

 * "The Night Watch": Commonly referred to as The Night Watch, the name of the painting is actually Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninch Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. It is currently in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum.
 * "The Card Players": A series of oil paintings by the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cézanne. Painted during Cézanne's final period in the early 1890s, there are five paintings in the series.
 * "Sunflowers": The name of two series of still life paintings by Vincent van Gogh. The more commonly known series is the second series executed in 1888 - 1889 in Aries, showing a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase. The series features three, five, twelve, and fifteen sunflowers in a vase. The pieces are divided up and kept at Sompo Japan Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, United States, National Gallery in London, England, and Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany. Out of the seven paintings of sunflowers, one was destroyed in WWII, and three are repetitions of the others in the series.
 * Vase with Three Sunflowers (August, 1888): Considered to be the first in the series. It is currently part of a private collection.
 * Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers: Three variations exist. The 4th version is kept at the National Gallery in London, English, the repetition of the 4th version is kept at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the replica of the 4th version is kept at Sompo Japan Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan.
 * Vase with Twelve Sunflowers: Two variations exist. The 3rd version is kept at Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany, while the repetition of the 3rd version is kept at Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, United States.
 * Vase with Five Sunflowers (August, 1888): Considered to be the second in the series. It was destroyed during a US air raid of Osaka, Japan in WWII.
 * Lake Tahoe: A renowned landscape water painting much sought after for its flowing colors and visually-pleasing style.
 * A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains: An ink and watercolor painting on silk, by Wang Ximeng during the Northern Song dynasty. It's currently kept by The Palace Museum in Beijing. Widely considered as the masterpiece of "blue-green landscape", mineral-based paint azurite blue and malachite green feature prominently in this artwork.

Literature

 * "Paradise Lost": An epic poem by the English poet, John Milton. The work, written in blank verse, is based on Revelations in the Old Testament of the Bible, which depicts the fall of man.
 * Sky: The hardcore Sci-Fi classic tells the story of the rise and fall of several generations of cosmic empires. It was published to great acclaim, and its author became famous in the science fiction world. Although the book was written in the last century, its rigorous logical system and complete scientific conception never went out of date. Even today, it is worth a careful read.
 * Broken Verse: Modern poetry, created by the poet Bian Zhilin. It combines beautiful imagery with the philosophical thinking of the universe and life. The poems are meaningful and charming.
 * "Love in a Fallen City": One of the most famous and successful works, Love in a Fallen City was a short story written by Eileen Chang in 1943.
 * "To The Nightingale": The first sonnet written by English poet John Milton around 1930.
 * "Shakespeare's Sonnets": A collection of 154 sonnets published by William Shakespeare in 1906. First published in 1609, most of the sonnets were written between the years 1592 and 1598; it is still one of William Shakespeare's most important works.
 * "Divine Comedy": Written in the 14th century by an Italian poet, Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri, and was commonly known as "Dante Alighieri". In Divine Comedy, the narrative describes Dante's (who shares the same name as the author himself) travels through the afterlife. Dante meets historical and mythical characters of the past, and discusses theology and philosophy with them. The author raises questions about the widespread ideas of the time, criticizes the corruption, and describes life after death through Dante. Of course, he not only wrote about past figures of his time, but contemporary figures as well. He did this by introducing his political enemies in the "Inferno" and causing them to suffer the most hellish pain. In summary, the Divine Comedy is a brilliant nuanced and moving allegory of knowledge, and Dante's ideas. Of course, he is inevitably bound by medieval perceptions of his time, but Dante narrates through Divine Comedy on how to live in pursuit of eternal bliss. August's Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker" is part of Rodin's work, "The Gates of Hell", inspired by Divine Comedy's Inferno part. The gate is engraved with a phrase from Divine Comedy. It reads "Abandon hope all ye, who enter here."
 * "Strange Tales of Liaozhai": A collection of supernatural tales written in the Qing dynasty by Pu Songling. The majority of the stories revolved around spirits and deities, and had a unique artistic style.
 * "Jane Eyre": A novel by English author Charlotte Bronte. In the story, Jane Eyre lost her parents at a young age and went to live with her uncle's family, where she was mistreated by her aunt. She finally escaped the horrible environment after much difficulty, becoming a governess at Thornfield. She wins Mr. Rochester's respect and affection, but she's forced to leave Thornfield after a sudden turn of events.
 * "Othello": One of the four great tragedies by Shakespeare. In the story, Othello begins doubting Desdemona after discord was sown between them. He believes his wife is having an affair with his captain. In a rage, Othello strangles her to death. He later commits suicide upon discovering the truth.

Drama

 * "Turandot": The final work by famous Italian opera composer, Giacomo Puccini. The opera, which is three acts, is the love story between Prince Calaf and Princess Turandot. In the story, any suitor who wanted to obtain permission to marry Turandot would have to solve three riddles. Any single wrong answer will result in the suitor's execution. Turandot's beauty attracted many suitors, but every single one of them was executed. Calaf, also attracted by Turandot's beauty, was the only one to answer all the riddles correctly. Turandot could not accept her defeat, so Calaf offered her a way out. If she could guess his name by sunrise, he would accept death. In an effort to obtain his name, Turandot captured his father and servant, torturing them to no avail. In the end, Calaf persuaded Turandot to marry him with a kiss. Eventually, his name was revealed to be "love."
 * "Faust, the play": First published in 1808, this play was written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. "Faust" is the protagonist of a classic German legend. Goethe's play, "Faust" was based on this historical character. The play depicts a man's purpose, endeavors and salvation in life based on Christian morals. To summarize very briefly, the story concerns the fate of Faust in his quest for the true essence and meaning of life, in spite of the devil Mephistopheles, who makes a bet with Faust and tries to destroy his soul. Once Faust is content, he will shout "Ah, linger on, thou art so fair!" and be defeated by the devil. Then, he shall be damned to hell where his soul is seized by Mephistopheles. The second part is much more complicated than the first, so Gounod's opera "Faust" was adapted from only chapter one. "Faust" has inspired uncountable artistic and cultural works over time. It is rather interesting to find which other works were inspired by "Faust". Although it took a very long time...
 * "Faust, the opera": Composed by Charles Gounod, based on Michel Carré's adaptation of the first part of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's play. So it's like an adaptation of an adaptation. The first performance took place in 1859. It was a great commercial success at the time. Set in 16th-century Germany, the opera tells the tale of Faust, a man seduced by Mephistopheles and granted youth. Faust then seduces a young maiden named Marguerite, only to abandon her later. Literature enthusiasts have criticized the opera on the grounds that it borrows only some portions of the original work and fails to fully honor the themes of the original. But is it quite so necessary for an adaptation to stay so utterly true to the original work? The audience are probably able to emphasize better with the opera's moving music than with the suffering and development of Faust as depicted in the play. It may even be that Gounod's opera helped people feel psychologically closer to Faust here than in the play.
 * "Polyeucte": Written in the 17th century by French writer Pierre Corneille. It is a drama in five acts based on the life of the martyr Saint Polyeuctus in Melitene. In 1878, Charles Gounod adapted  into an opera.
 * "Romeo and Juliet": The opera Romeo and Juliet was adapted from Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is about the romance between Romeo and Juliet, which ended in a tragedy brought about by the feud between their families. It was written by Charles Gounod to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The opera debuted on April 27th 1867 at the Théâtre-Lyrique Impérial du Châtelet in Paris.
 * "Kanjincho": One of the Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays, and the second most performed play. The play takes place after the Genpei War and is about Minamoto no Yoritomo trying to overthrow his accomplished brother, Minamoto no Yoshitsune. As such, Yoshitsune and his men disguise themselves as priests seeking donations. However, the guard, Togashi Saemon becomes suspicious of them when they try to pass the gate through Kaga. He requests for a kanjincho, which is a list of donators. Benkei, Yoshitsune's follower, takes an unrelated scroll and begins reading loudly. Togashi continues to test Benkei, but to no avail. Togashi remains suspicious. Benkei is forced to beat his master, Yoshitsune, to clear them of suspicion. When Yoshitsune is out of danger, Togashi confesses to having treated them badly, and even invites them to drink. Benkei performs the "dance of longevity" amid drinks, giving Yoshitsune the chance to escape. Benkei apologetically leaves Togashi, saying he needs to pursue Yoshitsune.

Gem & Minerals Terminology

 * Amethyst: In Roman Mythology, the amethyst is a symbol of Bacchus, the god of wine, also known as the Tear of Bacchus. It was believed that the amethyst could preserve a wine-drinker's sanity, so amethysts were often worn as accessories or used to craft wine vessels.

Animals & Plants

 * Green Mist: A green-petaled chrysanthemum unique to one of New York's neighboring states.
 * Pharaoh Hound: A Maltese breed of hunting dog traditionally thought to be from Egypt. Its name in the original language means "rabbit dog." The Maltese government regards the Pharaoh Hound as its national beast and has issued silver coins with a Pharaoh Hound on them.
 * Opaline Fish: Freshwater fish native to the Opaline River. Highly recommended by foodies for its tasty meat. Considered a New York City delicacy, this fish can be eaten raw or cooked.
 * Moon Jellyfish: Aurelia aurita (also called the common jellyfish, moon jellyfish, moon jelly, or saucer jelly.) The jellyfish is almost entirely translucent, found throughout most of the world's oceans, from the tropics to as far north as latitude 70° north and as far south as 40° south. The species Aurelia aurita is found along the eastern Atlantic coast of Northern Europe, the western Atlantic coast of North America in New England, and Eastern Canada.
 * Edelweiss: The Edelweiss is a mountain flower, and a national symbol of Austria, It symbolizes purity and courage. It is said that you can see it growing as high up as 4000 meters above the sea level on the Alps. Hence, it is also known as the symbol of the Alps.
 * Dodders: Dodders are parasitic plants. They are practically leafless, with leaves that are literally minute scales. Hence, they are dependent upon their hosts nutrition. “Dodder“ can be used to describe someone who is incapable of surviving independently.
 * Poppies: Also known as corn poppies, Flanders poppies, and red poppies. In the United Kingdom and Canada, poppies are used to commemorate the soldiers who died for their countries in World War I, so it is also known as the remembrance poppy.
 * Belladonna: A poisonous plant. Even the slightest dose could result in death. Belladonna was used in eye drops to dilate the pupils and make eyes appear more appealing. In Europe during the middle ages, Belladonna was a fashionable cosmetic product. But long term usage of Belladonna caused irreparable damage to the eyes, and in severe cases, caused death.

Technology Terminology

 * Allmates: Artificial lifeforms equipped with artificial intelligence. Allmates primarily help their owners interface with the network. They come in a wide variety of forms and are often treated as pets. Many users are very attached to their Allmates.
 * Coil: Coils are wearable electronic devices that fill a multitude of roles, including telephone, network interface, television, wallet, and personal identification.
 * NGAGE: Stands for Neural Generated Avatar Graphics Experience. By getting a NGAGE chip inserted in your brain cranial, you can enter a private virtual world with your partner, all by simply tapping it. Said virtual world is customizable, in whatever way you see fit.

Game Terminology

 * Rhyme: A virtual game that is extremely popular with today's youth, Rhyme is open to anyone who owns an Allmate. Battles take place on a virtual battlefield built from one of the participants' psyche, and features fast-paced, aerobatic combat that would be impossible in reality.

Full Body

 * Doll Dress-Blue: A cute and gorgeous high-waisted doll dress, blue version.
 * Finance Elite: With high heels and a golden-buckled belt on the waist, here comes the most outstanding female finance manager!
 * White Chiffon: An ethereal goddess dress, the chiffon and skirt's hemline are dancing like sea waves in the breeze.
 * Denim Lady: Imagine this, a lady in a clean and simple denim dress. It must be super cool!

Coats

 * Moonlight Serenade: Ribbon with shimmer like moonlight.
 * Trimmed T-shirt: This shirt is a good math for camisoles to cool you down on a hot summer day.

Tops

 * Pretty Sea: A small tank top of unique design. It's also a swimsuit!
 * Bunny Pocket-Pink: A super cute bunny top. There is even a little bunny pinned on each cuff!
 * Wisteria-Blue: A simple but elegant solid-colored top. It looks special as shoulders are exposed.
 * Coquette-White: The exposed shoulders and collarbone reveal the beauty of an elegant woman.

Hosiery

 * Cotton Socks-Beige: A pair of cotton socks with a caring double-layer design makes the chilly winter not terrible anymore.

Shoes

 * Ordinary Canvas: The most classical all-fitting canvas shoes, belonging to the all-fitting collection just like the Classic jeans.
 * Peep-toe Sandals-White: Very stylish and pretty summer sandals. You will look thin when you put them on.

Headgear

 * Kerchief-Blue: It shares the same color with the sky and it's quite convenient for you to do anything with your bangs tied.

Necklaces/scarfs

 * Auspiciousness: The Cloud knot makes this classic black scarf more festive, so it is called Good Luck.
 * Galaxy Necklace: A neck accessory. It uses a unified element of Night Bow. Looks very adorable.
 * Pearl Strand: Priceless pearl necklace, said to be of the highest grade.

Geographical Terminology

 * Midorijima: An island located to the south of Japan. Once an Idyllic paradise known for it's white beaches, blue oceans, and lush forests, Midorijima has since become the property of the Toue Corporation, with a third of it's landmass given over to the luxury resort Platinum Jail.
 * Platinum Jail: A luxury resort located on Midorijima, built and operated by the Toue Corporation. Tickets are available through invitation only and are rumored to be exorbitantly expensive.
 * Oval Tower: The iconic tower from which Platinum Jail is controlled. The resort is divided into five areas, with Oval Tower at it's center.
 * Manning Palace Hotel: A famous 5-star resort hotel in New York and also the venue of choice for business banquets.
 * Time's Antiquities: An antique shop that specializes in the acquisition, restoration, and selling of all kinds of antiques from the last century. It is quite well-known in the art circles of New York and popular among collectors.
 * S&J Jewelry: An internationally renowned jewelry design brand headquarted in New York City. At the beginning of the year, it became the focus of public attention due to a copyright dispute over its jewelry designs. S&J eventually won the case and received the greatest amount of compensation ever over a copyright case domestically.
 * Libra Books: Located in the Central Business District and occupies an area of 5,000 quare meters. It is the oldest and the largest bookstore in New York. While all other bookstores have adopted self-service checkout, Libra Books has retained the use of traditional cashiers and cash transactions to better service its senior patrons.
 * Crimson Biotech Ltd.: Founded in 1998. Its main business covers the areas of advanced research, manufacturing, and sales of drugs. The founder of Crimson, Christopher Cromwell, is the current head of the Cromwell family, which is the second-largest family in the country. The Cromwell family holds world-leading technology in the field of biotechnology, which is the foundation of its vast industrial chain. Since the middle of the last century, the Cromwell family has been gradually shifting its business focus abroad and its influence overseas is no less than that of the world's largest multinational group. With the return of Christopher Cromwell from abroad, and the establishment of Crimson Biotech in New York City, the family's business focus shows a shift back to the domestic markets. This attracted great attention from both political and economic circles.
 * Golden Beach Industrial Zone: Located in the northern area of New York, the Industrial Zone is the starting place of modern industrialization. The processing industry in New York is heavily dependent on the imports and exports of the harbor. Thus, the Industrial Zone has been nicknamed the "Golden Beach." After many industrial upgrades, the Golden Beach Industrial Zone has introduced the developed advanced manufacturing and high value-added technology industries. It is now a central manufacturing hub, famous worldwide. In the beginning, the Golden Beach Industrial Zone was filled with various small industrial parks. The government, wanting to maximize profits, and pushed large businesses to integrate and expand the industrial parks. Today, many international conglomerates, such as Crimson Biotech, have set up bases inside the Golden Beach Industrial Zone, which contributes a staggering amount to New York's annual GDP. Due to the industrial boom, many people have also settled in the area, leading to service industries relocating here as well. Many of New York's famous bars and restaurants are situated in the Golden Beach Industrial Zone.
 * Airport District: One of the municipal districts located in east New York along the coastline. It was originally named New York Harbor and belonged to the Golden Beach Industrial Zone. New York Harbor was critical to New York's international trade, bringing huge economic benefits. Aside from that, it exposed the city to cultural customs from overseas and changed New York into a unique combination of the east and the west. In the late 1930s, New York was undergoing massive development and had an airport built in New York Harbor, which had been separated from Golden Beach Industrial Zone into its own district. The new century brought about the official change to the district's name, Airport District. Meanwhile, construction had begun on a high-speed railway hub. Its completion would transform the district into a super hub that incorporates all forms of transportation and commerce. Sometimes, you can still hear whispers of its forgotten name, New York Harbor, among the old citizens. Seafood barbecue food carts, agate night markets, and foreign pop songs on tape recorders have all become unforgettable memories from those times.
 * Moonriver Pharmaceutical Laboratories: A biopharma research and development company. In 2022, Moonriver's new drug failed to pass clinical trails, causing all the other investors to withdraw their investments. Backed into a corner, forcing Moonriver into illegal drug R&D in an attempt to recover its losses. It was until 2030 that the illegal activities of Moonriver were exposed. Moonriver's operations were subsequently shut down by the police.
 * HomeCare Household Services: A membership-based household services company that aims to provide its members with the most professional and attentive services.
 * Heirson Health Products Co. Ltd.: A well-known health products company in New York City. Its markets share has been growing rapidly in recent years. Their flagship product, Heirson effervescent packets, is always in short supply. In addition to the selling of various health products, Heirson also provides comprehensive health monitoring and other after-sales services that are well-received by the consumers.
 * Florence College of Art: One of the most prestigious higher-education art schools in the world. It is particularly known for its oil painting courses.
 * Cloudbreak Hill: One of the municipal administrative districts located in the northwest of New York. It is home to the Cloudbreak Mountain Resort, which is a famous 5A natural scenic spot. The history of Cloudbreak Hill goes back almost a thousand years, since the construction of Cloudbreak Temple. There are modern high-end resort hotels, as well as unique indigenous hotels, catering to over 50 million tourists every year. To protect Cloudbreak Mountain's ecological environment, factories and laboratories are prohibited from being built in Cloudbreak Hill.
 * Forestry Testing Labs: One of the most prominent environment assessment organizations. They are pioneers in environmental pollutant analysis and environmental technology research.
 * Notre-Dame-des-Victoires-Street: "Notre-Dame" is French for "Our Lady" and refers to the "Blessed Virgin Mary". Therefore, "Notre-Dame-des-Victoires" means "Our Lady of Victories". On Notre-Dame-des-Victoires-Street, there is no Notre-Dame cathedral, but a Notre-Dame-des-Victoires cathedral. If you need to visit the Notre-Dame cathedral, you're on the wrong route. You need to walk a good 30 minutes more to arrive. This is the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires cathedral.
 * Prague Astronomical Clock: Located in the capital of the Czech Republic, it's a medieval astronomical clock, consisting of three main components: first is the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; second is "The Walk of the Apostles," an hourly show of moving Apostle figures and other sculptures; and third is a calendar dial, representing the months.
 * Boulevard Saint-Germain: A boulevard located on the left bank of the River Seine. The boulevard crosses the Saint-Germain-des-prés quarter, an area of Paris known for its long history of religious and artistic significance. It is home to an art school.
 * Chicago: Chicago is located in south Illinois. It is the third largest city in the United States, and an international hub for finance. During Prohibition, many African Americans from the South headed to Chicago, resulting in a population boom, and criminal gang activity was rampant.
 * 24th Street: 24th Street is every reporter's dream. It houses the headquarters of Mandarin Daily, New York Global, New York Express, and more.
 * New York City: New York City is located on the Atlantic Coast, and is the largest city and port in the United States. It is also the largest metropolitan area in the world. In the early 20th century, it was considered a global hub for industrial, commercial and communication industries, and the world's most populous urban area.
 * Metropolitan Hospital: Metropolitan hospital is located in eastern New York, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is a quiet hospital that treats mental patients. The patients here have long been subjected to inhumane treatment, from the cruelty of nurses to the indifference of doctors, and the lack of social supervision.
 * Ford: Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 and its headquarters are located in Michigan. Its founder, Henry Ford dreamed of producing cars "which anyone could afford to buy", and the Ford factory created Model T on the 1st of October, 1908. It was the world's first affordable automobile. Model T was cheap, safe, reliable, and also easy to mass produce. It took the automobile market by storm and Ford became the twentieth century's most influential automaker, taking the lead in the American car industry.
 * Hampshire: Hampshire is in the southeast region of England. Its main produce are corn, vegetables and dairy products. The dairy industry is particularly developed. The county town is Winchester. Hampshire is one of the 48 ceremonial counties, and one of the 34 non-metropolitan counties, and has two major municipalities - the City of Southampton, and Portsmouth City.

The Other World

 * Avirya: A city inhabited exclusively by bird-like creatures. It's a picturesque, modern place, governed by a democratic parliament. It's bordered by two seas, and it's economy's built mostly on air transport, commerce, and it's aerial military. The city's on neutral terms with almost every other nation, and had kept it's standpoint all throughout known history.

Other

 * Pi-Ramesses: A city in ancient Egypt. It was the new capital built by the Nineteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Ramesses II at Qantir, in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta, 100 kilometers northwest from Cairo.
 * Alexandria: A polis founded by and named after Alexander the Great in 334 BC, it was the capital of the Ptolemaic kingdom, and the center of Greek culture back then. The famous Library of Alexandria and Lighthouse of Alexandria were located in the polis.
 * Library of Alexandria: The library of Alexandria was the biggest and most famous library in ancient times. It was said to have around 700,000 books at its height, and the library catalogue alone took up 120 scrolls. It contained many precious texts and manuscripts, and many scholars dreamed of studying there, including Archimedes. The library was at its peak during the Ptolemaic dynasty, and lasted for several hundred years.
 * Lighthouse of Alexandria: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was once the tallest building in the world during the ancient Egyptian era. In 280 BC, Egypt's royal wedding ship sunk when it sailed into the Alexandria harbor, and the bride who sailed all the way from Europe died with it. Pharaoh Ptolemy II was devastated, and ordered the lighthouse to be constructed. After 40 years' of effort, the lighthouse finally stood tall on the eastern reefs of Pharos island, guiding ships safely on their way.

Events Terminology

 * Project X: A top secret privately funded project designed to train the ultimate assassins. Was recently shut down under government orders. Now, dozens of children trained under the program are orphaned. In order to solve this situation and offer these children a second chance at life, the government has created a special foster program.
 * Belle Époque: A period of western history, dating from the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It means "beautiful era" in French, and the period was characterized by optimism, regional peace, technological and cultural innovations. The Golden Age was made possible through exploiting its colonies and workers, but such aspects are seldom talked about. To ones who remember this age as "Belle Époque", it surely was a beautiful era.
 * The Chandelier Accident: On May 20th, 1896, in an opera house of Garnier, a huge 7-ton chandelier fell from the ceiling and caused causalities among the audience. An aspiring novelist who read about this incident was inspired to write a mystery novel regarding it.
 * French Revolution: The French Revolution occurred on the 14th of July, 1789. The civilians formed forces and occupied the whole of Paris. The revolution put an end to centuries of Bourbon rule, as well as the French monarchy. It had a huge influence over the rest of the world, and some of the associated ideas became widely accepted, while others caused great debate.
 * Seven Year's War: The Seven Year‘s War occurred between 1754 and 1763, and involved the great powers of Europe at the time. The war affected Europe, North America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. France lost India, Canada, New France and other colonies during the war, and was left with a huge debt.
 * American Revolution: After the Seven Year‘s War, Britain decided to shift their debt to the people of North America. The colonies opposed the compulsory taxes, and growing resentment eventually led to the American revolution 13 years after the Seven Year‘s War. France and Spain supported America by sending troops to aid in the war, and finally America achieved independence.
 * Assembly of Notables: The Assembly of Notables refers to the conference held by the King of France with high-ranking nobles, the clergy, and state functionaries. It may be held multiple times in a year, whenever there are important matters of state that require consultation and support.
 * Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: During Prohibition, a fierce fight broke out between two gangs of Chicago over what seems to be territorial disputes over bootlegging profits. Al Capone had his members dressed as police officers, forcing seven of Moran's members to line up against a garage wall before gunning them down.
 * New Year's Eve: One of the most important festivals in China, when families gather for reunion dinners and welcome the new year.
 * Gallic Wars: The Gallic Wars was waged on Gaul by the Romans as part of their expansion plans. With Caesar as commander, they invaded the lands north of Rome, which is present-day Europe. The Gallic Wars included 8 military expeditions, starting from 58 BC, and finally ending in 51 BC with Gaul annexed by the Roman Republic.
 * Black Death: Black Death is another name for the plague; the pandemic was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. England was first hit by the plague in 1348. In the 300 years that followed, it ravaged Europe multiple times. In 1665, the plague devastated Europe again, and in August of the same year, London's population was reduced by 10 percent.
 * Hou Jing Rebellion: The Hou Jing Rebellion, also known as the Taiqing Rebellion, was a rebellion in Southern Liang during the Northern and Southern dynasties instigated by Hou Jing. The rebellion was a heavy blow to the aristocracy of the South, and devastated the dynasty's political structure.