Chapter 147 Chapter 146 Book Release Eve
In the snow with icy water, the heartless cold stole the warmth from bodies wrapped in clothing, and with the howling cold wind, no one wanted to stay outside for even a second in such weather.
Except for the succubus, Jima, who remained invisible sitting on a snow-covered chimney. This position provided a good view, allowing her to see the house across the street where Owen Green was frantically working on his manuscript. Although the wooden windows were shut, Jima could still see and appreciate the white agony in his heart.
If Owen Green knew that Miss Jima was outside, undaunted by the biting cold, silently watching him in the snow, he might have been so grateful that he would snort out snot.
Behind the drafty wooden window, Owen Green buried himself in his writing, cursing:
“Add more characters? I’m such an idiot! A pig!”
Beside him, on the papers filled with his hard work, he had drawn several large red circles, eliminating the characters, descriptions, and witty commentary that he had ingeniously conceived.
Those had been ideas that struck him, characters and plots added to the book according to his understanding.
But now, not only had he to rewrite them, but he also had to change the context, which was akin to a tall tower; if you change the bricks in the middle, you must change the bricks above and below to avoid distortion.
He had thought about taking a shortcut, but the review process was very strict.
“I can’t do it anymore. I’m out of steam,” he muttered angrily, setting down his magical pen and putting both hands on the hot coals beneath his feet to warm them.
On the table, there were two stacks of paper, one a fist high was the original draft that needed editing, and the other, a finger high, was the revised version. After modifying, he still needed to check the context.
Just thinking about it made Owen Green’s head ache; the deadline was at the end of the month, and there were only two days left.
He just wanted to toss his burdens aside. After all, he had already received seventy-five gold coins, which could last him for several months if he spent sparingly.
“Anyway, Miss Jima’s friend is just an unsophisticated fellow,” Owen Green mustered his courage and picked up the fist-high stack of the original draft. “Burn it!”
The magical pen encased in wood rolled off the draft and clattered on the table for a while.
Owen Green stared at the magical pen, unavoidably thinking of Miss Jima, who had gifted it to him. She was so charming; her face, veiled in black lace, resembled the radiant moonlight, leaving a lasting impression. The way she handed him the pen was so graceful; that was the closest he had ever been to Miss Jima.
Though the weather was freezing, just thinking of her felt like the arrival of spring.
Suddenly, Owen Green felt guilt surge within him; Miss Jima had always taken care of him, gifting him a magical pen. How could he let Miss Jima lose face in front of her friends?
“I cannot disappoint Miss Jima.”
He motivated himself, sat down, and continued to write.
Across from the drafty window, watching from the chimney was Jima, sensing Owen Green’s pain intensifying, and her joy grew a little more.
Jima smiled, raised her index finger, and said, “Since there are still two days before the deadline, why not take a nap today? It’s more exciting to have only one day left, isn’t it?”
With just a flick of her finger, Owen Green was immediately put into a deep sleep, leaning on the table, dreaming away.
Jima raised her hands, mimicking the gestures of playing with a string, weaving his dream.
Owen Green dreamed of inspiration bursting forth, feverishly writing on the paper, and by the time he opened his eyes, it was the next morning. Not only had he exceeded his goals, but his work was also of high quality, passing the review in one go. He finished his manuscript a day in advance, allowing him an extra day of rest and an additional bonus.
In the dream that all workaholics crave, Owen Green couldn’t help but smile.
Although this dream wasn’t perfect and didn’t make him instantly famous or allow him to marry a princess and keep several beautiful lovers, it was valuable for being closely tied to reality.
Jima, too, remembered the dreams she had during overtime as a workaholic; she still recalled the pain of discovering upon waking that it was all just a dream, with a mountain of unfinished work still in front of her.
Thinking of Owen Green waking up to see the fist-high draft, Jima couldn’t help but chuckle softly, and her memories of workaholic pain faded by half.
Just then, a gust of cold wind blew by, and snowflakes mixed with icy water hit Jima’s face. She felt a bit chilly, like a morning breeze brushing her cheeks. As a supernatural being, she was not affected by the cold or hot weather.
But mortals were not so fortunate.
Jima’s gaze drifted down to the street below.
A group of passersby was bundled tightly, their scarves soaked with melted snow, shivering as they occasionally rubbed their hands together for warmth.
Jima enjoyed their suffering, looking for others tormented by the cold.
In the distance, she saw three men running barefoot in the street, wearing only thin autumn shirts and no coats.
What a trio of unfortunate souls; she wondered who had robbed them of their clothes.
Jima’s lips curled slightly upwards.
This feeling was like holding a soda on a rainy day, enjoying the view of drenched chickens in the street from behind a window.
What pure and simple joy!
An hour and a half later, the sky darkened.
Jima stood up from the chimney, stretched lazily, feeling fulfilled by the day. It was time to go back and have dinner with Jenna, and by the way, bring some food to see George.
Oh, and don’t forget to wake Owen Green, lest others think he’s committing suicide by burning charcoal.
Jima still thought of Owen Green’s pain.
“Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! Open the door! Hurry up!”
At Xue Le Publishing House, a white-haired half-elf was knocking on the wooden door with the sign “Open for Business.”
“The door isn’t locked. How may I help you?”
“‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’!” The white-haired half-elf—none other than Arkanis—held out a stack of gold coins in his hand. “Take the gold and give me the book.”
“What’s ‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’?”
“That’s the one, the one that’s incredibly gripping, a miracle of a novel.” Arkanis said, “The protagonist is named Jojo, who becomes incredibly powerful after eating sweet potatoes, and he has many women, one of whom wears a bikini chainmail! They said Xue Le Publishing House would publish it.”
“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of our publishing house putting out such… vulgar and third-rate novels.”
“Five gold coins.” Arkanis threw seven coins to the other party. “Give me the book.”
“I’m really sorry, we don’t—”
“Five gold coins.” Arkanis tossed six coins, which clinked and rolled on the ground.
“There’s really none. Our publishing house is mid-to-high-end; we generally don’t publish this kind of pandering novel.”
Disappointed, Arkanis lowered his head, bent over, and prepared to leave.
Jima could see the white pain erupting on his back, its power far exceeding that of Owen Green. After all, he was a powerful supernatural being.
Arkanis, you truly are a good buddy.
Jima couldn’t help but give Arkanis a thumbs-up.
“Sir, don’t you want the gold coins anymore?”
“No, just take them… wait.” Arkanis suddenly turned around, looking at the other person seriously, “You can take the gold, but you have to promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t ever say anything like ‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’ is third-rate again.”
“I promise.”
“You also have to say ‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’ is the best novel in the world.”
The other party lowered their voice: “‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’ is the best novel in the world… Did you hear that?”
“Louder! I can’t hear you!”
“‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’ is the best novel in the world.”
“Not enough energy. Repeat after me, as loud as I do.” Arkanis tilted his head back and shouted: “‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’ is the best! Best! Best! Novel in the world.”
The volume was so loud that even the door shook, resonating through the entire street. The few passersby on the street all turned and gazed at Arkanis in unison.
“What are you waiting for? Repeat after me.”
Those whose faces turned red with embarrassment shouted: “‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure in Another World’ is the best! Best! Best! Novel in the world.”
“White-haired guy is awesome!”
“White-haired guy is awesome!”
“Long live the white-haired guy!”
“Long live the white-haired guy!”
The pedestrians on the street began speculating whether the two in front of Xue Le Publishing House were a couple of mental patients from a nearby asylum.
Arkanis patted the shoulder of the other person and said, “Well done.”
After saying that, he turned around, not even looking at the gold-collecting person, humming a cheerful tune as he left.
As he passed a small alley,
“Clap, clap, clap.”
Slowly, three claps echoed, and Arkanis glanced at the alley.
A succubus named Jima, with pitch-black horns and wearing a short sleeve in the cold, leaned against the wall and slowly raised her head: “Hi, my good friend Arkanis, what a coincidence—where is everyone?”
The alley was empty.
Jima quickly dashed out of the alley, saying, “The white-haired guy is my pen name.”
In the blink of an eye, a figure rushed from around the corner, and it was Arkanis.
“When is the book being released?”
“Come in quickly.”
Jima withdrew her head back into the alley, enveloped in her “silent and secret” spell, making her figure suddenly vanish from the air.
Arkanis ran into the alley, glancing up and down at Jima, saying, “Your book is circulating everywhere, it must be you playing tricks. How much did it cost?”
Jima formed a zero sign with her thumb and index finger: “That’s the people’s choice.”
“Puh.”
“Didn’t you really like my book ‘Jojo’s Strange Adventure’?”
“What taste do I have, don’t I know?”
Jima: “….”
She turned and walked away.
Arkanis quickly said, “Don’t go, can I see the manuscript?”
“Not possible.” Jima said, “The book is still unfinished.”
“Oh, what do you want me to do?”
“Let’s make a deal.” Jima said, “I’ll show you the book first, and you owe me a personal favor.”
“Okay.” Arkanis said, “But when it’s time to repay this favor, I’ll see if I’m willing.”
“Fine.”
Jima replied, spreading her wings and turning to fly into the air, disappearing into the cold wind.
The shadow at Arkanis’s feet shifted, and he too vanished without a trace.
Jima returned to her original chimney, snapped her fingers.
Behind the drafty wooden window, Owen Green awoke from his dream, seeing a fist-high draft lying motionless on the table, marked with red circles. He rubbed his eyes and touched the draft to confirm it was real.
This feeling was like when the holiday was about to start, and the homeroom teacher came up to announce that the break was canceled and, in preparation for the high-stakes exam, everyone had to do three test sheets today, with twenty minutes for lunch and to take care of their bowel issues.
“Ah…”
Owen Green let out a weak sound.
The white pain turned into Jima’s joy, and the corners of her mouth curled up as she lightly jumped, leaving in the snowstorm.
Not long after, Arkanis’s figure appeared behind Owen Green. He stared fixedly at the draft on the table, focusing on the words “Jojo.”
——
Thanks to the Flame Emperor, in appreciation for his constant companionship, I’ve decided to strive for two extra updates tomorrow.
