When Elena received the invitation letter for the clarification, Vera was just about to read her new article, intending to be a loyal reader and offer some feedback. However, upon seeing the letter, she immediately put the article down and curiously leaned over to look. Of course, Elena didn't push her away, which meant she was allowed to read it.
"...Recently, we've received many reader complaints, and we deeply apologize for the panic and concern these stories have caused," Vera read aloud, "What are they apologizing for? Although the newspaper clearly mentioned that the stories were passed on through a friend, rumors have already caused negative consequences. Is it really that serious?"
"We understand this might be a misunderstanding, so we sincerely invite you, as the author, to release a clarification statement, specifying the fictional nature of the stories, in order to calm the readers' concerns. Wow," Vera looked at Elena with a complex expression, "How serious did this get? Even the newspaper wants you to clarify it. I can't wait to slap this letter right in Charles' face. If he sees it, his face won't look too good."
Elena didn't expect that a few urban legend-like short stories could cause such a large-scale reaction. To be fair, despite the internet in the future becoming a vast cesspool where all kinds of rumors can be spread, at present, the print media still holds some level of credibility. Many people believed these fictional stories.
"They're right," Elena opened her writing desk, "I do need to release a statement. These stories are completely fictional, and people shouldn't take them seriously."
"Although I don't think they'll believe it," Vera said rationally, "After all, these stories seem so real. I mean, they might be exaggerated, but this at least reminds the public to choose healthy nannies, check wardrobes before bed, and even block their ears. That's not a bad thing."
"Whether they believe it or not," Elena began mixing ink, "We still need to clear things up."
Seeing that she was already writing, Vera's eyes flickered, and she slyly pocketed the clarification letter. "You go ahead and write. I'll come back later."
Elena noticed her little move but didn't mind, assuming that Vera probably wanted to show off with the letter, so she smiled and agreed.
Vera took the letter and swiftly went to the meeting room of the Occult Society. At this time, most of the members were enjoying afternoon tea there. She politely knocked on the door, and one of her fellow members opened it.
"Vera, you're here," the one who opened the door was Regina, Elena's loyal fan. He peered out the door and asked, "Is Elena not coming?"
"No, she's busy writing a clarification statement for the newspaper," Vera entered the room gracefully, acting casually.
"A clarification statement?" Regina was an excellent straight man in comedy, at least his reactions were very professional. "What clarification statement?"
Vera scanned the room, seeing several familiar faces, including the self-important Charles, who had been eyeing Elena's work in an attempt to challenge her with his "Invisible Man" story. He was staring blankly at the fireplace, as though trapped in a profound dilemma.
Vera deliberately raised her voice. "It's a clarification letter from *The Strand Newspaper*."
Sure enough, when they heard *The Strand Newspaper*, Charles raised his head, and others also glanced over in curiosity.
Vera pulled out the letter from her pocket and handed it to Regina. Speaking in a tone of indifference, she said, "It's this letter. Honestly, I think the newspaper is making a big fuss. It's just a few little stories, and they're claiming it's causing a lot of panic and concern. Some businesses even complained, saying it's severely affected their sales. So now they've written to Elena, asking her to issue a statement to tell the public these stories are fictional."
For a moment, the room fell silent. Everyone, without exception, turned to look at Charles' expression. He had a neutral face, but no one could tell what was going on in his mind.
Regina chuckled, breaking the awkward silence. "Is it that exaggerated? Did they really think these little stories were real? But I have to admit, when I first read them, I also thought they were true."
"Exactly," Vera, clearly enjoying Charles' discomfort, said with a half-smile, "I think the newspaper genuinely wants to clear things up to avoid misleading the readers. These little stories did cause some unnecessary panic."
Regina paused for a moment, then laughed along. "That's really ridiculous. Elena's little stories made people believe they were real to such an extent. She really has a way with words."
"Who's to say otherwise?" Vera sighed, "Anyway, this is the first time I've seen a newspaper ask an author to issue a clarification statement. Have any of you seen this before?"
Under her prompting, the members of the society had to admit that this was the first time they'd seen such a dramatic scene. They took the opportunity to praise Elena, complimenting her writing skills and creativity, and expressing regret over their past narrow-mindedness.
Of course, Charles was not part of this group of praise. He was still staring at the fire in the fireplace, a hint of frustration flashing in his eyes. He forced a smile, but his feelings of defeat were impossible to completely hide.
Vera, sitting down on a sofa in front of the fireplace, adopted an air of a lady and asked in a mocking tone, "I heard Charles' *Invisible Man* made it into *The Lune Town Report*. How are the readers responding? Were they so frightened that they couldn't speak?"
This was indeed a bit provocative, but given Elena's victory, it was still within the tolerable range, especially since Charles had initiated the challenge.
Charles' mouth tightened into a straight line. "Naturally, it can't compare to the impact Elena's stories had. But…"
Seeing him still attempting to resist, the members of the society hesitated, not knowing whether to speak. The fact was undeniable: although Charles' *Invisible Man* had received some praise, Elena's stories had caused a widespread stir. The winner was clear, and no amount of verbal defense could change that. Even if Charles kept pretending, it only made him look like a sore loser.
"It's just a different approach," Charles began to regain his composure. He challenged, "These little stories didn't scare the readers, but they looked so real that they caused people to panic. If it comes to truly terrifying stories, perhaps my *Invisible Man* is more frightening."
The members of the society had to applaud for him finding an escape route.
Indeed, in terms of influence, Elena had undoubtedly defeated Charles. But when it came to the level of fear, the two were somewhat on equal footing. Since Charles had previously proposed the bet, which was based on how frightening people found the stories, it seemed he hadn't lost after all.
"You really do have a way with words," said Hokina, unsure if it was sarcasm or genuine admiration. "So, you're claiming a tie?"
"Let's just say it's a draw," Charles said, not yet so arrogant as to claim victory. "The feedback from *Invisible Man* gave me a lot of inspiration. Next time, I'll write something that will make Elena feel ashamed."
"You really dare to think like that," Vera scoffed. If it came to arrogance, this noble lady was sure she could outshine everyone in the room, except for the Duke of Berkeley. She raised her chin proudly. "Elena's next story is already written. She invited me to take a look. Although I've only seen the opening, I can guarantee it's the scariest, most terrifying story I've ever read."
In truth, she hadn't even had a chance to read the opening, but at this point, she was absolutely unwilling to say a word of weakness.
"Elena's next story is already finished?" Regina's eyes widened. "Where does she get so much inspiration?"
The other members of the society also looked surprised, asking what kind of story it was.
Vera glanced at Charles, who was also taken aback, and casually replied, "Elena said it's an incredibly terrifying, extremely scary story. She even asked the Duke to buy a house for her. She said once that story is published, once people find out it happened in that house, they will be filled with fear and curiosity and will go to explore it. They might even charge an entrance fee."
By now, Elena's pride had fully shown.
"She's really confident," Regina was clearly stunned. These few words were definitely something Charles couldn't say. It wasn't that he couldn't write a scary story, but even if he did, he wouldn't dare to claim he had such influence, such boldness, or even such a strong commercial mind.
At that time, there were indeed many exhibitions in Lune Town centered around fear, though nobody knew why the townspeople seemed to have such an unusual interest in these activities. Curiosity shows, grotesque wax museums, and even a fascination with visiting insane asylums and watching surgeries.
Yes, back then, mental hospitals allowed people to visit. It was hard to understand why visitors were so intrigued, as they only got to hear patients' ramblings. There was even a surgery show where the mortality rate was 300%. During one famous incident, a surgeon accidentally cut his assistant's finger while amputating a patient's limb and accidentally tore a viewer's coat, causing that person to die from fright. The assistant and patient both died from post-surgery infection.
Clearly, these exhibitions had some skill to attract crowds. Elena, with nothing like a wax museum or madmen to display, wanted to transform a regular house into an object of curiosity through just a story. That alone made Charles feel as though he was already losing by a significant margin.
Even if he managed to write a truly terrifying story, he couldn't bring himself to say that people would be curious enough to visit. Such a business plan seemed to him to belong to a different world altogether.