Lungmen's circle of fame and fortune was glamorous, the intricate superior-subordinate relationships, the internal scheming, the friction between individuals—just being there, one knew how many different thoughts resided within. Everyone's desires were locked within seemingly ordinary conversations. Li Lin disliked this kind of scene intensely.
Especially when you could see at a glance what those people really wanted, and you had to stand there forcing a smile; that feeling became increasingly annoying. There was no danger staying there, but Li Lin instinctively didn't want to deal with these aspects. He would rather return to Penguin Logistics and enjoy his slightly dangerous yet reasonably decent life, than shuttle through this seemingly dazzling world of fame and fortune.
What's more, when one's own force itself was already a form of power, how much authenticity was there in the so-called exchange of benefits? That was also a matter worth discussing.
Li Lin didn't believe those words spoken without the guarantee of absolute force could count. Whether it was national transactions or department formation. Just the discord Li Lin could see between Officer Ch'en and some subordinates and colleagues, he believed their internal muddy waters must be even deeper.
Getting involved at this time was purely asking for trouble . Li Lin didn't want to be a troublemaker ( shit-stirring stick). So after politely bidding farewell to those people, he directly returned to the Penguin Logistics dormitory. However, unlike when he left, some purchased items were already placed at the dormitory entrance. Lights were also on inside. Texas was sitting on the sofa, flipping through the manuscript Li Lin printed out. And Li Lin, who had just returned to the dormitory and saw this scene, didn't think anything else, but very friendly greeted the Lupo beautiful girl who was reviewing his novel.
"Yo, Texas. Looking at my novel?"
"…Mm."
Currently looking.
Texas flicked her ears, hummed softly, her eyes fixed on the manuscript paper in her hand.
Her reading speed was very fast, or rather, her comprehension speed was fast; often, while Li Lin glanced twice, she had already flipped to the next page. In less than ten minutes, she had finished reading all the words. Li Lin had just gotten a cup of coffee and sat on the sofa, looking with interest at Texas who had finished reading.
"How is it? Feel like there's hope? Can it be published?"
"Everything is very good, rather, it's excellent. Whether it's the desperate background, the appearance of everyone striving hard, and those villain and hero characters are also very prominent. In short, I personally think it's a very excellent work. Just from the setting, one can see you put a lot of effort into it. Those minor details are also considered very well. The several short stories and race introductions are also very distinctive, really very good."
"Ahahaha, thanks, thanks."
Although it's all copied.
Facing Texas's praise, Li Lin scratched his scalp with a dry laugh. Then he saw Texas raise an eyelid and casually place the manuscript on the coffee table.
"But… it doesn't qualify."
"Why?!"
"Involves politics."
"Huh?"
I wrote Warhammer Fantasy, where's the politics coming from?
Looking at the dead serious Texas, Li Lin's face was full of disbelief.
However, seemingly also seeing Li Lin's bewilderment and helplessness, Texas sighed, took out a chapter of manuscript paper, and pointed at the words on it. Li Lin glanced at the setting above; it described the Beastmen bandits and warbands of the Old World.
"What's wrong with this setting?"
"What's wrong? You ask what's wrong. Saying Beastmen are all bandits, what exactly were you thinking? Horned types, tailed types, hoofed types, gathering in the Brass Keep (萬魔岩 - Wàn Mó Yán) to destroy the order of human society, worshipping the Dark Moon to drag the world into war… Is this how you set it? Are you implicitly expressing some opinion towards us?"
"…For-forgot."
"Also the issue of the Winds of Magic; every Archmage can manipulate the Winds of Magic to cast powerful spells, even able to shake the sky and earth. But once the Winds of Magic go out of control, the mage themselves will start to explode violently. And the Skaven's Warpstone, has powerful auxiliary effects on magic but easily drives people mad and hard to control. How does this look like anything but referring to Oripathy patients? Do you have some opinion about them too?"
"No no no, absolutely not…"
"And the introduction of vampires, saying they caused chaos in courts and pushed the entire world into the abyss. I don't know what others think, but most vampires will come looking for trouble with you in the middle of the night. There are quite a few vampire gangs in Lungmen; you'd better be careful. Similarly, dragons ridden by people, dragons causing chaos; I can understand if you had bad memories in Lungmen, but it's too obvious. And these Wood Elves, detached from mainstream elf society, then hunting everyone who enters the forest and sacrificing them to the Lord of the Forest. I think you might be discriminating against Kazimierz people. They've all fought in wars."
"S-sorry?"
"Don't apologize to me, it's just that these things you wrote are really too sensitive. I know you didn't intend it, but there really is a big problem."
"…"
Damn it, it really is a problem.
But how would I know that a fantasy novel I wrote properly would turn into realistic satire over here?
Carefully recalling the related setting text he wrote, Li Lin couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on his head. These things, placed in this world, look like subversive books no matter how you look at them. A group of beastmen eating human flesh and drinking human blood, then in their eyes, the fantasy creatures elves and humans instead look upright and proper.
No matter how you look at it, this satirizes that the real world is already hopeless, only fantasy creatures are okay. And adding the descriptions of dragon demons and dark dragons at the edge of the world mountains, plus things like dragon guards, it would be ghostly if others didn't connect this with Officer Ch'en, Lungmen, and Yan Country. A perfectly good fantasy theme suddenly turned into a realistic masterpiece, making Li Lin feel caught off guard.
"Anyway, revise it properly. Or rewrite a copy. The current one absolutely cannot pass, no matter what."
"…Alright."
Fantasy themes can't be written either.
Looking at the manuscript returned by Texas, Li Lin sighed heavily, feeling his novel-writing path was indeed long and arduous .
However, watching Li Lin organizing the manuscript, Texas lowered her head, stared at him for a moment, then turned her head away. As if just remembering something, she took out a Pocky and put it in her mouth, then said slowly to Li Lin:
"If you have time, you can go to the Lungmen Library to find something you want to understand and read."
"Eh? Really? But that place requires a library card, and also Lungmen long-term residence proof, I have neither of these two."
"You can use my library card. I don't have much use for it anyway."
"Really? Then thanks!"
"I'll take you there."
There's still enough time.
Texas stood up, chewing Pocky, and said nonchalantly.