Fantasy Writers 1860

"Good, good, good! Thank God, there's still such a scandal!"

Braden Lawrence couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw the big news provided by his reporters.

The suddenly appearing millionaire, Samuel, is a fraud.

Such facts were initially just minor noises that went unnoticed, but as more and more people were deceived and their status rose, the lie was eventually exposed.

Although he didn't directly swindle much money from each person, he used that 100-pound note to cheat people out of food, drink, clothes, and cars, even managing to get into the salons and banquets of high society. The tangible and intangible losses he caused were enormous.

What's even more infuriating is the feeling of being fooled.

Anger, regret, disbelief... these emotions are spreading among the victims, who are also reflecting on how they could have believed such a not-so-clever scam.

Clearly, they found it difficult to take the blame themselves, so they all simultaneously thought of the perfect scapegoat:

It's all because of that novel called "The Million Pound Note"!

The conman's actions were exactly like the plot in the novel, practically a step-by-step tutorial, and even the subsequent developments were very similar. Isn't this instigating crime?

If that despicable Mr. Hakimi hadn't written it this way, how would anyone have imitated him? If no one imitated him, would he have been fooled?

"Before, no one believed me when I criticized this novel for corrupting social values, but now look at me! If this novel hadn't led people astray, how could this have happened!"

Braden had already conceived a powerful article in his mind. This time, he would personally write a commentary on the matter and severely criticize the Lentinion Weekly!

"We, the Morning Star, must act as the conscience of this era, fiercely condemning this despicable act and criticizing this poisonous weed that is harming the people of the empire!"

He seemed to have already envisioned the Lentinion Weekly being overwhelmed by the media offensive he had led, unable to stir up any more waves. Then the brilliant writer, Mr. Hakimi, was also implicated, hated by everyone, and had nowhere to go.

If I were to step forward and hire him at this point, he would surely be incredibly grateful and work for me, helping my Morning Star newspaper take off.

He then led Morning Star step by step to defeat Time and The Little Britannian, reaching the pinnacle of the publishing industry and becoming an industry giant.

If I want to, there's nothing I can't do!

"Hehehe, how disgusting..." Braden was lost in his own fantasy.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

"Ahem, please come in." Braden's smile faded.

The editor-in-chief, Sean, walked in through the door.

"President, a major public opinion crisis has occurred at the Lentinion Weekly. Many media outlets have already begun criticizing it. I think we can..."

"Follow! We definitely have to follow this wave! The chance to crush Lentinion Weekly is right in front of us!"

At this point, Braden once again unleashed his brilliant ingenuity and came up with another good idea.

Given the current situation and the outrage among so many victims, I could easily plan an even more impactful "live news" event.

Words alone are not enough to be impactful; we need more direct and emotionally charged visuals.

"Here's what you do: have some people pretend to be victims who were swindled out of everything by that fraudster's investment advice, and block the entrance to the editorial office of their *Lentinion Weekly*, holding up signs in protest!"

Upon hearing this, Sean frowned. Although he had become somewhat accustomed to his boss's unpredictable nature, he still instinctively felt that something was amiss.

"That might be inappropriate..."

"Are you the boss or am I the boss?"

"I said long ago that the novel had a bad influence and would poison the worldview of the people of the Empire. At that time, you all thought it was inappropriate for me to label and smear it like that. Don't think I didn't know. You all thought I was a fool, an incompetent spoiled brat who knew nothing and was ruining the Morning Star... But now? The truth is, I was the one who had foresight."

Sean fell silent.

Judging from the current results, he really had a lot of confidence in saying that.

Could this guy actually be a wise fool? Was his previous behavior just an act to fool us?

"Yes, sir." After thinking it over, Sean accepted the order and went to find a suitable actor.

……

"Remember who you are. Act angry and desperate. Block the door and demand they come out and give you an explanation! The bigger the commotion, the better. The bigger the commotion, the more sympathy you'll get from outsiders and the media's attention!" A well-dressed man came to the streets of the slum and said to everyone he had found.

Newsboy Ryan was among them.

He usually earns a meager income by delivering newspapers to the noblemen in the Loia district, but recently more and more people have been getting coughs, and even his own mother has contracted the disease, which has reduced the family's income.

That day, the well-dressed gentleman found him by the roadside, gave him a few fragrant Denali banknotes, and asked him to go to a place to "make up the number of people".

What you have to do is very simple: just stand at a doorway with the others, shout slogans and hold up signs.

They even provide dinner.

Ryan naturally accepted this good job without hesitation.

He had never seen money so easy to earn before.

In the afternoon, a large crowd gathered outside the editorial office of the Lentinion Weekly.

Ryan mingled in the crowd, joining in the shouts: "Strongly protest against *Lentinion Weekly* for inciting crime!" "Demand compensation from the newspaper!" "Shut down this harmful newspaper!"

He saw many reporters carrying cameras busily taking pictures and recording on the periphery of the crowd, with magic lights flashing like waves, and the atmosphere at the scene becoming more and more intense.

However, just as Ryan was getting hoarse from shouting and was about to find a corner to rest, he overheard two other "victims" who were just as "angry and desperate" as he was whispering to each other:

"Hey bro, you're one of those people the Chronicle brought in too?"

The person being questioned glanced around warily, then nodded: "Yes, and you? Were you also sent by them?"

"That's right, and they're paying quite a bit!" The man who asked the question chuckled softly. "I don't care who's cheating whom, the bigger the commotion, the better. The bigger the fuss, the more money we make!"

He froze, looking around at the tearful "victims," ​​and an absurd thought began to rise in his mind:

So everyone's here to make money?

Well, at least that means no one was really fooled.

Thinking of this, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.