Chapter 216: On How to Write a Unique Novel
Perhaps in anticipation of the “handsome reward” he was about to receive, Lu Wei arrived at the Silver Moon Corridor before one in the afternoon.
The intricately carved main gate was ajar, not fully closed. The afternoon sun slanted across the gray-white stone pillars, and the ivy leaves climbing their shafts gleamed with an oily sheen.
Not only was the gate unlocked, but he also didn’t see that “snobbish” maid.
So he simply passed through the corridor and went up the stairs to the second floor.
There, he immediately spotted Gante standing at the end of the hallway.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, yawning nonstop, looking utterly bored.
He had to admit, being a servant to the nobility was truly a thankless job.
You had to be on call at all times but couldn’t disturb your master, spending most of the day standing outside the door like a stone lion.
And if you wanted to slack off, you didn’t even have a Phone.
Lu Wei found the mere thought of it terrifying.
But looking at it from another angle, this probably meant the pay for the job was excellent.
Besides, working for a great family meant you could occasionally borrow their prestige to throw your weight around.
Thinking of it that way, it suddenly didn’t seem so unacceptable.
“Good afternoon.”
Lu Wei met Gante’s gaze from across the hall and walked over unhurriedly, starting with a polite greeting before getting down to business.
Gante, for his part, didn’t seem surprised by his arrival.
His expression was completely calm, as if their unpleasant confrontation a few days ago had never happened.
There was even a hint of… inexplicable reverence.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Lu Wei.”
Gante immediately straightened up and asked in a very formal tone:
“Are you here to see the young miss?”
‘Duh. Who else would I be here to see? You?’
‘And why is he being so formal all of a sudden?’
A flicker of doubt crossed Lu Wei’s mind, but he nodded.
“Yes. Yesterday, Miss Freya came to my place and said she wanted to discuss something with me.”
“But I had something to take care of at the time, so it didn’t work out.”
“I happen to have time today, so I took the initiative to visit. Please let her know I’m here.”
Since the other party was suddenly being polite, Lu Wei didn’t act hostile either and simply explained the situation.
“Of course. I’ll inform her right away.”
Upon hearing this, Gante immediately turned, pushed open the door behind him, and went inside.
But then, perhaps feeling it was rude to leave Lu Wei waiting in the hall, he quickly turned back and said:
“Mr. Lu Wei, please come into the drawing room first. The young miss is taking her afternoon nap, so you may need to wait a little while.”
“Afternoon nap?”
“Yes, the young miss has a habit of napping in the afternoon.”
“Oh, I see.”
‘Must be nice to have a nap time,’ Lu Wei thought as he stepped into the room.
The drawing room was just as he remembered it from his last visit. A thick, woolen carpet covered the floor, and the walls were adorned with light silver-gray silk wallpaper, on which a subtle, embroidered design of creeping vines was faintly visible.
“Mr. Lu Wei, please, make yourself comfortable.”
Gante nodded at him, then walked into the room to the east that connected to the drawing room.
It looked like a study.
Inside the study was another door, which probably led to Freya’s bedroom.
Lu Wei only glanced at it for a moment before looking away. Instead of sitting, he began to wander around the drawing room.
He stood before an oil painting on the wall, “admiring” it for a moment, then glanced at a pot of vibrant sunflowers in the corner, and finally discovered a stack of manuscripts on a small, round table by the window.
[Song of Land]
[The morning mist, like the final breath of a dying man, clung to the arrow towers of Ironthorn Castle. In the crevices of the castle walls, the veins of the Dragon Blood Vine glowed with a sickly, Dark Gold light before the dawn. This miracle, cultivated with the heart’s blood of an Ancient Dragon by the first Dragon Slayer, now resembled the bulging veins of a dying behemoth…]
The neat, elegant script was clear and easy to read. Judging by the content, it was likely the beginning of a novel.
Combined with the information Furen had shared, this novel with its “Hero versus Evil Dragon” theme was undoubtedly Freya’s handiwork.
“Wow, talk about cliché.”
After flipping through a few pages, Lu Wei had already guessed the rest of the story. He shook his head in disdain, concluding that Freya had absolutely no Talent in this area.
It wasn’t that her writing was bad.
The main problem was that the story was completely unoriginal.
After reading the first few pages, he felt it was less interesting than a random Dwarf joke.
No wonder Furen had said she’d never published any of her work.
A novel where you know the ending after reading the beginning would have no market in the Otherworld, either.
“Goes to show, people really need to know their own limits.”
Lu Wei pursed his lips and casually placed the manuscript back on the table.
Just then, the door to the study opened.
Immediately after, Freya walked out, dressed in a simple white silk morning robe, her golden hair tied up in a bun.
Perhaps because she had just been napping, she had a somewhat languid air about her. Combined with her loose-fitting robe, it gave her a unique charm that was both noble and serene.
It was a complete departure from her previous “cold and indifferent” demeanor.
But in the next second, before Lu Wei could speak, Freya’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Were you just reading my manuscript?”
“Yeah.”
It was indeed impolite to peek at someone’s novel, but Lu Wei didn’t try to hide it, admitting it frankly:
“I was curious, so I skimmed a few pages.”
“So… what did you think?”
Suddenly, a flicker of anticipation flashed in Freya’s eyes, and her breathing grew slightly faster.
Standing nearby, Gante’s eyes widened when he saw this; he had probably never seen her wear such an expression.
Lu Wei was also quite surprised. He hadn’t expected this Evil Daughter, who always put on airs, to care so much.
It didn’t seem like an act.
‘Wow, she really does love literature.’
“Do you want the truth or a lie?”
Lu Wei’s words, spoken as he walked over and sat on the sofa, made Freya pause for a moment.
A moment later, she followed and sat opposite him, replying very seriously, “The truth, of course.”
“Oh. In that case, it’s not very good.”
“The prose is decent, but there’s too much fluff. The main problem is that the story is too cliché, with zero originality.”
Lu Wei shrugged, immediately giving his “honest assessment” without another word.
This caused the anticipation on Freya’s face to instantly freeze over. She retorted with a cold smile:
“You don’t understand literature at all.”
‘See? You ask for the truth, but you don’t want to hear it.’
“Maybe not. But if I were a reader, I definitely wouldn’t read your novel.”
Lu Wei looked unconcerned. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re trying to write a story about a Hero who defeats an Evil Dragon to save a princess, right?”
“So what if I am?”
“See? I’ve only read a few pages and I’ve already figured out the whole story. Do you think I’d be interested in reading the rest?”
“I…”
Perhaps not knowing how to refute him, Freya was suddenly at a loss for words.
After a few seconds, she spoke with cold disdain:
“Writing a novel isn’t as simple as you think. It’s very difficult to create something different.”
“Is that so? I don’t think so.”
Lu Wei leaned back against the sofa cushions, his tone casual. “Take your novel, for example. With just a few small changes, it could be completely different from all the others.”
“How would you change it?”
Although Freya didn’t think Lu Wei was qualified to guide her, the question slipped out anyway.
And Lu Wei’s answer made her eyes instantly widen.
“It’s simple. Everyone writes about the Hero defeating the Evil Dragon to save the princess, right?”
“So you write about the princess defeating the Hero to save the Evil Dragon.”
“Or the Evil Dragon defeating the princess to save the Hero.”
“See? Isn’t that more compelling all of a sudden?”
“…”
Freya: ????
“Mr. Lu Wei, I think we should get back to talking about Furen!”
A few minutes later, after their brief “literary exchange,” the conversation finally got back on track.
Judging from Freya’s expression, she must have been won over by Lu Wei’s shocking “talent,” as her cheeks were even slightly flushed with excitement.
“Regarding the care you’ve shown him, I express my deepest gratitude on behalf of my father and the Delaroca Clan.”
She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm.
“I also believe you share a deep friendship with him. After all, his willingness to follow you, to recognize you as his captain and companion, and to fight by your side—that trust says it all.”
“But as his family, I believe I have the right to know his whereabouts. Otherwise, I cannot be sure of his safety.”
“Of course, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but please try to understand my concern.”
“You can name any price. As long as you can help me persuade Furen to come back with me, I will do my best to meet your demands.”
Sitting opposite Lu Wei, Freya’s posture was erect, her tone very serious.
Her words conveyed a firm attitude, but they were far from “aggressive.”
The reason for this was likely her apprehension about Lu Wei’s suspected membership in the Dusk Shadow Association.
Lu Wei’s response was just as direct.
“Miss Freya, I think you’ve misunderstood. It’s not that I’m intentionally stopping Furen from going back with you.”
“Although I’m his captain, I don’t interfere with his decisions. It’s all his own choice.”
“Besides…”
As he spoke, Lu Wei took the IOU from his pocket and placed it in front of Freya.
“If you want to take him back to Kalin Port, shouldn’t you take care of this first?”
“An IOU? Furen borrowed money from you?”
“That’s right. It has his signature and thumbprint on it.”
“No problem, I’ll pay it back for him… Wait!”
The moment she saw the amount on the IOU, Freya’s expression turned to shock. “One hundred Gold Coins?”
Lu Wei nodded seriously. “Yes, one hundred Gold Coins, to be exact.”
“That’s impossible! How could he…”
Suddenly, Freya’s voice died away, and the astonishment in her eyes vanished just as quickly.
As a Viscount’s daughter who had been exposed to business matters from a young age, she may not have caught on immediately, but she now understood the “meaning” of this IOU.
Furen might have actually owed him money, but it couldn’t possibly be such an absurd amount.
So, this was the “price” Lu Wei was demanding.
“…”
Silence hung in the air for several seconds. Freya didn’t call Lu Wei’s bluff, nor did she try to pressure him with the Delaroca Clan’s name.
She just silently placed the IOU back on the table and said softly:
“Mr. Lu Wei, since it’s a debt Furen owes, I will naturally help him take care of it.”
“However, 100 gold coins is simply too much.”
“You must understand, that amount is enough to buy a medium-sized farm with 30 slaves.”
“Or a medium-sized two-masted cargo ship. Or even a piece of Extraordinary Level Equipment.”
“Even my father probably couldn’t come up with that much money on short notice.”
“So… how about 20 Gold Coins?”
Looking at Lu Wei, Freya laid the groundwork and finally stated the “ransom” she was willing to pay.
But this price was clearly not within Lu Wei’s acceptable range.
“Miss Freya, you saw it yourself. The amount on the IOU is 100 gold coins.”
“Although Furen and I are good friends, and I can give you a small discount, it can’t be that much. I can’t afford such a huge loss.”
“How about this: 80 Gold Coins, and I’ll void the IOU.”
“80 is still too much.”
Freya shook her head. “But since you’re willing to negotiate, I’ll take the liberty of adding 10 more. 30 Gold Coins.”
Lu Wei: “No deal. 70 at the very least.”
Freya: “40.”
Lu Wei: “60.”
Freya: “50. That’s my final offer, and it’s a sincere one. And I can pay you half right now—25 Gold Coins.”
Lu Wei: “…”
‘Wait, let me do the math.’
[Earn one hundred Gold Coins through a mutually acknowledged real transaction. (73.5/100)]
‘73.5 plus 25 equals 98.5… That’s almost enough!’
“Alright! Deal!”
“Ahem, I mean, I suppose I can reluctantly take a small loss.”