“For me, seeing this plushie reminds me of all the beautiful moments from the book. Honestly, isn’t the idea of a small pet transforming into a person so romantic?”
The last book fan gushed with delight over the plot in Fish Soup Noodles’ “Eternal Night Rose”.
This sentiment resonated with countless viewers online and earned the post numerous likes and shares.
The magic of Fish Soup Noodles’ writing lay in its ability to weave captivating and imaginative moments into every tiny detail and plot point.
When this street interview about the plushie trend hit the Star Network, it quickly went viral.
Many netizens who had not read “Eternal Night Rose” before, after seeing every interviewee in the interview look very happy and excited, couldn’t help but become curious about this novel.
What kind of novel could evoke such deep emotions for its characters?
And… that plushie was really too cute!
Coincidentally, Lu Wei also published a Starblog post at this time, elaborating on how bats were once symbols of blessings and fortune on ancient Blue Star.
He explained that the word for “bat” in the old language sounded like “fortune”, and the way bats hang upside down symbolizes “good fortune arriving.” As a result, bat patterns were widely loved and featured in traditional window patterns, architecture, and murals.
**蝠 (fú) for “Bat” sounds like the “福” in 福气(fú qi) for “blessings” or “good fortune”.
This cultural tidbit from the ancient Blue Star gave the plushie an added layer of intrigue, further boosting its sales.
People were fascinated to learn that Dreven’s bat form also carried such meaningful symbolism.
[Wow, Mr. Reed, you really seem to study every Blue Star cultural detail from Fish Soup Noodles’ books seriously! It’s like you know everything!]
For once, the usually reserved Reed responded, his tone subtly smug:
[Reply//ReedV: Just a little research.]
In fact, Lu Wei had developed a growing interest in the once-overlooked cultural elements of ancient Blue Star thanks to Yu Mian’s novels.
He had even decided to extend his stay on the Federation Star to delve deeper into these forgotten traditions.
He always felt like, under the author’s writing, this planet seemed to harbor endless secrets and charm, like a book that could never be fully read.
However, while the editorial team at Huanyu was thrilled with the massive success and heated discussions surrounding the merchandise after “Eternal Night Rose” concluded, Yu Mian wasn’t too surprised.
After all, this was no different from when that movie called “CJ7” became a hit, and streets and alleys were filled with green-bodied, white-furry-headed plush keychains.
When a work becomes a true sensation, the related merchandise naturally sells well.
Not to mention, Dreven’s plush bat form was undeniably perfect for merchandise.
Back when the series was still being serialized, Dreven’s transformation into a little bat had already melted the hearts of countless interstellar readers.
What Yu Mian hadn’t expected, though, was that another group of readers would also contribute significantly to the skyrocketing stats after “Eternal Night Rose”’s conclusion. These were the pet lovers.
[Fish: Huh? Pet shop sales increased after the series ended?]
[Crispy Shark: Yes! Even though keeping bats as pets is hard, many people started adopting other furry little animals to keep them company. This is the result of a survey and research published in a special interview of the Interstellar Times yesterday!]
Editor Shaxs who had been in high spirits recently excitedly shared the latest news report with Yu Mian.
No one had anticipated that a novel like “Eternal Night Rose” would actually draw the attention and coverage of mainstream media.
Although the focus wasn’t on the novel itself, it highlighted how the book had influenced the trend of pet ownership in the interstellar era.
In this era, the pet economy was thriving.
Views on marriage and childbearing were highly progressive, and many people who chose to remain child-free would keep several pets around.
Similarly, special races unable to have offspring due to various reasons often became enamored with cute pets to express their emotions.
Moreover, the stronger the race, the harder it seemed for them to reproduce, a sort of natural limitation, perhaps.
So, when readers encountered the part in “Eternal Night Rose” where Dreven transformed into a small pet to stay by Su Yan’s side and silently guard him, it struck a chord with a particular demographic’s most tender emotions.
Unexpectedly, this group also exhibited explosive purchasing power!
One incredibly wealthy reader, after falling in love with “Eternal Night Rose”, completely bought out three days’ worth of merchandise inventory from Huanyu’s official online store the day after finishing the book. She even created a themed room in their villa, filled with plush bat toys.
At the center of the room stood the reader’s own fluffy pets, blending adorably with the plush toys!
After sharing photos of the display on star network, it sparked waves of envy and admiration from countless readers. Some even cheekily suggested the reader should move out and gift them the house instead!
[Fish: Haha, so that’s how it is!]
As Yu Mian stroked the now peacefully napping cat in his arms, a few new story ideas began to form in his mind.
Novels featuring cute creatures were undeniably a popular theme.
The first cute pet story Yu Mian could recall reading was probably “The Pearl Bird” from his childhood textbooks.
How many people back then had fantasized about a little bird perching on their desk while they did homework, letting them stroke its feathers?
Still, deciding on the subject matter for the fourth book could wait. There was no rush to settle on it too quickly.
Having written many long works, Yu Mian wanted to write something lighter and shorter for a change of pace.
“Besides, the second volume of “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King” is ready to be launched.”
After all, this second volume marked the official opening of the feel-good plot. Having gained a powerful mentor in the old man, the protagonist Lin Mu makes use of this golden finger to defeat increasingly formidable enemies and counterattack!
But just as Yu Mian was about to submit the manuscript for the second volume of “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King”, his light brain began flashing with frantic messages from editor Shax.
[Crispy Shark: Fish Soup Noodles! Big news about “Eternal Night Rose”!]
[Fish: Huh? What’s the big news?]
In the next moment, Shaxs sent a link with the title “The Tragedy of the Rose”.
“The Tragedy of the Rose…?”
Staring at the title, Yu Mian suddenly had a subtle guess.
[Crispy Shark: Yes! It’s a fanfiction written by a Bart reader! And it’s an absolutely gut-wrenching BE! Readers are sobbing their eyes out, desperately begging you not to make the “Eternal Night Rose” extras end like this!]
[By the way, you haven’t written the extras yet, right?]
Uh…
Just as Yu Mian was about to open the link to check out the reader’s work, he paused.
When it came to writing bad endings, Yu Mian was always cautious.
After all, there had been that one Earth author who earned 200,000 yuan from a book, only to be hunted down and assaulted by angry readers over the bad ending, resulting in medical bills that cost exactly 200,000 yuan.
Fortunately, such concerns were unnecessary for this Bart fanfiction writer.
After all, even if Federation readers wanted revenge for the stabs, it would be quite difficult to track the writer down in the Eternal Night star system, right?
