When the latest experimental feedback reached Yu Mian, he was also quite intrigued:
[Fish: So, it really worked? Everyone feels relaxed after reading it, right?]
[Person in Charge: Yes, yes, it’s quite effective. The first-phase pilot test received very positive feedback, so we plan to distribute it on a larger scale.]
[But, if possible, when do you expect the second volume to come out? We can continue to increase the payment for the manuscript this time.]
The staff member responsible for contacting Yu Mian couldn’t help but ask cautiously.
Although it seemed a bit exaggerated to urge for the second volume just after receiving the tens of thousands of words of the first volume, the feedback on the book was just too good. It was completely worth it to settle the manuscript fees for the subsequent volumes in advance!
When the first batch of readers who participated in the experiment returned to their respective legions, the small booklet they brought back spread like wildfire. Everyone was eager to make a copy or transcribe it by hand.
The main protagonist, Lin Mu was born a cripple but remained resilient and unyielding. He overcame challenges and slapped the faces of the villainous cannon fodders which undoubtedly stirred a passionate frenzy in the legions!
Especially the final part of “Rebirth of The Interstellar Soldier King”, the dialogue between the mysterious old man and Lin Mu was truly classic.
When Lin Mu, having survived disaster, heard the old man mention the “Heart of A Soldier King”, his first reaction was self-mockery.
After all, he had lost his star core at birth and would never possess mental power his whole life.
Even now, he was covered in wounds, and his last trump card had been used up while being chased by the enemy.
If it weren’t for the existence of this cave, he would have already died. How could such a down-and-out person like him be the owner of the so-called “Heart of A Soldier King” mentioned by the old man?
[[“Child, the true Soldier King is never defined by the external appearance or status, but only by your heart.”
However, in response to Lin Mu’s self-mockery, the old man became unusually serious.
“As the saying goes, ‘The movement of heaven is vigorous; a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement.’ As long as you remain steadfast, kind-hearted, and unyielding, with a heart that embraces the universe and all its beings, even a destitute, wandering commoner can possess the true Heart of the Soldier King!”
The old man spoke such powerful words, and each word seemed to strike deep into the ears of Lin Mu, who was numb with despair.
For the readers in the military, this half-white, half-philosophical “godly chicken soup” from the old man was so refreshing after one bowl, and so moving after two bowls!
At night, as they secretly read a few more pages under the quilt in the dormitory, their minds would boil with blood.
It felt as if anyone, no matter how ordinary they seemed, could possess the so-called “Heart of the Soldier King” as long as they embraced the universe and all living things!
“And what exactly does ‘The movement of heaven is vigorous; a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement’ mean? It looks like an obscure and difficult sentence from Ancient Blue Star, but it feels very powerful when I read it!”
“I also feel that this mysterious old man really seems to be very impressive and cultured. Could it be true that such a so-called ‘remnant soul of a god of war’ is hiding somewhere in the galaxy?”
Especially since Yu Mian made this mysterious old man appropriately quote a few ancient sayings in the book. Coupled with his identity as an ancient battlefield’s god of war, the aura was immediately elevated.
Although most people couldn’t understand the meaning of every word in the sentence at first glance, for some reason, when reading it alongside the plot, the scene and the words made their blood boil.
The only regret was that the content of the first volume was too short.
Just when they had gotten fully immersed in it, the next part was abruptly cut off, leaving everyone craving more.
They couldn’t wait to see Lin Mu receive the inheritance of the god of war and return to the academy to defeat the arrogant villains!
[Fish: Uh… the second volume will probably take some time.]
However, in response to the tactful request for the manuscript, Yu Mian regretfully informed them that the second volume might not be finished so soon.
[Person in charge: Ah, though it’s a pity, I completely understand. After all, such an excellent and philosophical work surely needs time to be polished!]
To Yu Mian’s surprise, the person in charge was very understanding and even replied in a strange way that left him a bit stunned.
What was this guy talking about, “philosophical”?
[Fish: ?]
Yu Mian couldn’t help but send a question mark in response.
[Person in charge: Sorry, actually, I’ve also been secretly following your latest work. Like many readers, I was deeply moved by the words in your book. Especially the line at the end of the first volume where the god of war Hachir advises Lin Mu. You quoted it so perfectly, it gives such a powerful spirit of self-improvement!]
What Yu Mian didn’t know was that different groups of readers naturally had slightly different reactions to the ancient saying quoted in Hachir’s lines in the book.
The ordinary soldiers in the military finished reading it and felt their blood boil.
When the staff at the military department read it, they were initially shocked by the sentence and, after feeling the deep inspiration and lingering meaning, quickly began flipping through ancient Blue Star texts to trace its origin.
To their surprise, they found that this seemingly obscure ancient saying actually had such rich philosophical connotations!
The most important thing was that the author could so casually quote these ancient Blue Star texts in the book, and they couldn’t help but wonder what kind of identity the author must have in the real world.
When thinking back to the works by Fish Soup Noodles, such as “Contract Marriage”, which sparked the craze for the piano, an Ancient Blue Star instrument, and “Eternal Night Rose”, which made people refocus on museums and old interstellar history…
Now, the new book “Rebirth of The Interstellar Soldier King” inadvertently showcased the author’s deep research in ancient Blue Star culture. This could very well mean that the author was a super expert in classical culture!
[Fish: Ah… what? I just happened to see this ancient saying while reading ancient texts at the library. I thought it made a lot of sense, so I used it… it’s not that exaggerated.]
Yu Mian wiped his sweat as he saw the person in charge on the other side send a flood of interpretations and admiration. He didn’t expect that the words he arranged for the god of war Hachir to quote would provoke such a big reaction.
Originally, Yu Mian was concerned that readers from the interstellar era might not understand the ancient quote, so he had been quite restrained when incorporating classical elements from Earth.
However, since the god of war’s identity was a perfect fit for delivering a few powerful lines, Yu Mian added this quote at the end of the first volume, leaving it at that.
It seems that everyone can still accept it, and even resonate with it. Perhaps this is the charm of classical culture!
[Fish: In any case, I will send you the second volume as soon as I finish it.]
After thinking it over, although the third book was almost ready to be published as a physical book, and it was a bit cruel to release only one volume for now, Yu Mian still didn’t dare to give a definitive completion time for the second volume.
After all, for some reason, Huo Ting seemed to have suddenly become interested in the aquarium recently and had been returning to the study more frequently.
This had led to Yu Mian’s time for updating “Eternal Night Rose” and writing the new book “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” being shortened.
Huo Ting even unexpectedly bought a book titled “From Beginner to Expert: The Complete Manual for Fish Care”.
When Yu Mian swam to the edge of the aquarium out of curiosity, wanting to see what book Huo Ting was reading seriously, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Help, is this guy going OOC??”
This guy and this book style were clearly from completely different worlds.
[It looks like there’s not just this one, look, there are several more next to it. Does this guy really plan to research how to care for fish?]
The system also scanned the pile of books on the desk.
Books like “100 Tips For Fish Care” and “Getting Closer to Nature: Fish Species Encyclopedia”…
It really seemed like he was preparing to develop an interest and become an expert!
“Although the new landscape in the aquarium is actually pretty comfortable…”
Yu Mian swished his tail and mingled with the colorful fish, silently swimming around the newly added landscape rocks in the water.
Recently, a group of workers arrived and added more decorations and functional facilities to the aquarium.
The tank was so luxurious it could almost become a marine museum.
Yu Mian thought, maybe next time he should subtly suggest to Huo Ting to add some flowers and plants, it would make it even more comfortable.
“But Boss, I can match all the other fish to their species, but this one, I really can’t find its breed.”
Just as Huo Ting was holding a book and silently gazing at Yu Mian’s form in the aquarium, Secretary Hals couldn’t help but voice his doubts.
Yu Mian: ?
Why were these two suddenly staring at him?!
“Maybe it’s a new species.”
Huo Ting closed the book and observed the small fish. Indeed, he couldn’t find any matching species in the book.
“Who was responsible for the purchase?”
“Uh, I was in charge, but I don’t remember this one being listed in the order. Could it have been a gift?”
Secretary Hals hesitated at Huo Ting’s question.
To be honest, this light golden little fish was extremely eye-catching. Anyone who had seen it would definitely remember it.
Its golden tail swirled like a light veil, gently floating in the water, and the golden fragments glowed faintly like shards of moonlight.
“…”
But just as Secretary Hals tried to get closer, he found that Yu Mian had already swam into the conch and hid there, not allowing the two outside the aquarium to continue staring.
“Hah? Looks like it has quite a temper?”
Secretary Hals was taken aback when he realized his observation target had fled, and no matter which direction he turned, the little golden fish would always swim away from him, as though avoiding eye contact.
Well, looks like his “fish affinity” was pretty bad.
“…”
Meanwhile, Huo Ting watched Secretary Hals circle the tank, pick up the fish food nearby and throw a few pieces into the water in an unskilled manner.
Yu Mian only popped his head up briefly when he heard the noise, took a glance at the fish food, and then retreated again.
“Tch, still no response. Is it really not interested in food? This fish food is expensive.”
Upon hearing Secretary Hals’s remark, Yu Mian couldn’t help but swish his tail in disdain.
‘Please, is fish food really that attractive?’
=.=
“Maybe the method is wrong?”
Huo Ting furrowed his brows and glanced at the manual in his hand thoughtfully.
It was the first time he realized that even keeping fish wasn’t as simple as he thought.
“By the way, do you want to take a picture and send it to that little writer? He likes fish, right? This one is so beautiful, he probably hasn’t seen one like it before.”
Remembering how seriously Yu Mian had analyzed the fun of raising fish, Secretary Hals tried to pick up the holographic camera to take a beautiful shot of the fish in the aquarium.
Yu Mian: “…”
‘Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.’
‘What’s so special about my own picture?!’
‘Once these two guys’ professional habits kick in, they can really get annoying. Help.’
Yu Mian suddenly realized that he might have overdone the promotion last time.
Although Huo Ting wasn’t planning to get rid of the aquarium, this guy who was trying to learn how to raise fish for the first time also seemed to be serious about it!
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
But just as Yu Mian was caught up in this “battle of wits” with Huo Ting and Secretary Hals, the serialization of “Eternal Night Rose” created a huge sensation due to its increasingly popular plot.
The mysterious artist who had previously worked on the illustrations for “Contract Marriage” had now drawn several fan art pieces for the new book.
Once released, it caused a huge stir.
Not for any other reason, but because these fan art were so! gorgeous!
Whether it was the noble and mysterious Dreven sitting on the supreme throne in the ancient castle or the battle scene of Xiao with a murderous expression holding a dagger in the jungle…
Or the image of Su Yan, his hands guarded by both Dreven and Xiao, eyes closed and palms pressed together as if in prayer and surrounded by eternal white roses.
They were all so exquisite and meticulously detailed it was almost unimaginable.
The most critical part was that this artist had even included a real-life photo at the end!
