Knock, knock, knock…
"Lucas, are you there?" Lucy called out from the study door.
"Come in," Lucas's voice rang out.
Creaaak...
Pushing the door open, Lucy first poked her head in to scan the room. Seeing only Lucas inside, she confidently walked in.
"Is Mina not here?" Lucy asked curiously upon entering. Usually, Mina was glued to Lucas's side like a shadow.
"Ah, Lucy. Did you need something from Mina? She went to get me some ice tea," Lucas looked up, asking in surprise, "It's rare to see you out and about."
"Oh, no, it's nothing. I actually came to find you," Lucy said, her face flushing slightly.
"Oh?" Lucas put down his pen, glanced at the papers in Lucy's hand, and asked softly, "Is there a problem with your novel?"
"I just finished writing it, but I don't know what to name it. I... I wanted to hear your opinion." A hint of shyness flickered in Lucy's eyes.
"Oh? You've already finished it?" Lucas said, surprised. "Let me take a look first."
"Okay," Lucy nodded and handed over her manuscript.
She had originally intended to ask Lucas to read it over anyway to see if there was anything lacking. She was well aware of Lucas's literary talent. After all, someone who could write a script like Journey to the West was undoubtedly leaps and bounds ahead of her.
Lucas took the manuscript and began to read with interest. With his extensive experience reading web novels back on Earth, he breezed through page after page.
Furthermore, his constant traveling between Earth and this alternate world had massively upgraded his overall physical constitution. While he wasn't exactly speed-reading ten lines at a glance, his reading speed was still astonishing.
"..." Lucy didn't speak. She sat to the side, a bundle of nerves, staring blankly at Lucas with her eyes.
Click...
"Huh?" Mina walked in carrying a tray of tea. She paused when she saw Lucy and was about to say something, but Lucy immediately pressed an index finger to her lips and shook her head. Mina gave a sudden nod of understanding.
About an hour and a half later...
Lucas finished the entire novel. He closed his eyes, mentally organizing the general plot, before slowly opening them again, a smile gracing his lips.
He hadn't expected the novel to actually mention him. In fact, he was featured quite heavily, almost giving off the vibe of a male lead.
Moreover, the novel perfectly captured all the wonderful things about Sedona City. If anyone who had never been to Sedona City read this book, they would absolutely yearn to visit.
"Master, is this Lucy's novel?" Mina asked curiously as she poured Lucas a cup of tea.
"Mina can read it too," Lucy nodded, anticipation gleaming in her eyes.
For her, the greatest encouragement was having the people around her approve of the story she had written.
"Okay!" Mina happily took the manuscript from Lucas's hands and began reading carefully.
"It's very well written," Lucas smiled at Lucy, a meaningful look in his eyes.
Lucy's face flushed red. She averted her eyes slightly and asked eagerly, "So, what should we call it?"
"Let's just call it the City of Miracles. Hahaha..." Lucas laughed heartily. "You haven't finished the ending yet, have you?"
"Yeah, I only wrote up to the part where the protagonist becomes a noble, and then..." Lucy was so red she could barely speak. She had literally used Lucas as the template for the protagonist, so it was easy to guess who the female lead was.
Honestly, a title like City of Miracles: The Princess in Distress Chapter might have been more appropriate.
"I'll have the library print this in bulk for you. Then we can export it to other cities and kingdoms," Lucas said softly, catching a glimpse of the cat-eared girl gritting her teeth nearby.
"R-really?" Lucy's eyes went wide with joy.
Lucas nodded and continued, "Not only that, but once the book is printed, we can also adapt it into stage plays and shadow puppetry."
City of Miracles was excellent PR for Sedona City. Naturally, he was willing to invest effort into promoting it.
"Thank you," Lucy said gratefully. She never expected Lucas to be so supportive.
She would have been completely satisfied just selling the book locally in Sedona City. She never imagined he would help her promote it so widely, let alone turn it into plays and shadow shows.
"You are a part of Sedona City, and you're my friend too, aren't you?" Lucas waved his hand dismissively.
"Mmhmm!!" Lucy nodded vigorously, a deep warmth spreading in her chest.
"When the time comes, I'll give you a fifty percent cut for every book sold," Lucas said softly. He didn't really care about the money the book would make.
"Ah? Fifty percent?" Lucy was stunned. She had absolutely no concept of money.
In the past, whenever she finished a novel, she just handed it off to her subordinates to handle. The thought of getting paid for it had never crossed her mind.
"Yes. For every book sold, you'll receive a share of the coins," Lucas nodded firmly.
"No, I can't take this money," Lucy shook her head resolutely.
"Why not?" Lucas asked in astonishment.
"You're already helping me promote the novel and print it. How could I possibly accept money on top of that?" Lucy said earnestly.
"No, that's not..." Lucas blanked for a moment. He opened his mouth but didn't know how to explain it. Was he supposed to lecture her on copyright fees and royalties?
He sighed and said, "Tell you what. I'll hold onto this money for you. Whenever you need it in the future, just come to me and ask for it."
"No..." Lucy frowned, still wanting to refuse.
"That's how we're going to do it," Lucas cut her off.
"O-okay then," Lucy conceded helplessly. She simply decided she just wouldn't go ask for the money. Whether she took it or not was still up to her, wasn't it?
"Take this decree and your manuscript to the person in charge at the library. Just hand it to him; he'll know what to do." Lucas quickly drafted an order, stamped it with his personal seal, and handed it to Lucy.
"Understood," Lucy quickly took the decree with both hands.
"This is so good..." Mina reluctantly handed the few pages of the manuscript she had read back to Lucy. "Remember to let me read the rest of it when you get the manuscript back."
"I will," Lucy said as she walked out with the papers.
Creaaak...
Mina watched the study door close. She then pulled a letter from her pocket and handed it to Lucas. "Master, this is a letter from the capital. It's regarding the First Prince."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, tore open the envelope, and began to read. "So, he's finally making his move, huh," He said in a low voice.
The letter detailed the general situation in the capital. Grand Knight Benson had been compromised... and it noted Lucia's movements to rally the knights in preparation for a crusade against the Second Prince, Greena.
Mina took the letter back and read it, her voice turning icy. "Master, this is happening even faster than we estimated."
"He just couldn't sit still," Lucas's eyes glinted with calculation. The situation was still playing out exactly as he had anticipated.
"I wonder if Greena can withstand the First Prince's assault. It would be best if both sides suffered heavy casualties," Mina crumpled the letter in her hand.
"Based solely on the number of knights at Greena's disposal, it will likely be very difficult for him to hold them off," Lucas analyzed. Judging from the intelligence gathered from both factions, Greena's chances of winning really weren't high.
"Master, should we launch an attack?" Mina's blue eyes lit up.
"We stay put for now. Let's watch how the situation develops," Lucas turned his head to look at the scorching sun out the window. Autumn was not far away.
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
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