Fantasy Writers 1860

"An apprentice of Harlan Downs, the renowned chef of the Empire, has mysteriously disappeared. A reward is offered for information leading to his whereabouts."

Dorian saw a news article in the newspaper saying that the apprentice had gone to the warehouse and never returned, and now Chef Harlan Downs had publicly offered a reward of 20 ducats for finding his missing apprentice.

Dorian thought about it for a moment, then shook his head, put down the newspaper, and got down to business.

For example, what to write next.

After thinking about it, he decided to start with classic short stories that were not closely related to specific social environments, would be interesting in any era, would avoid politics as much as possible, and had ingenious structures.

He quickly selected a suitable target: the necklace.

As Maupassant's representative work, it is absolutely a classic and undoubtedly an immortal masterpiece.

This is a short story about Mathilde, the wife of a vain Ministry of Education clerk, who borrows a diamond necklace from a friend to attend a high-society party hosted by the Minister of Education.

But after the ball, they accidentally lost the necklace. The couple went bankrupt and borrowed money to raise 36000 francs to buy the same necklace and return it to their friend. After that, the two worked for ten years to pay off the debt and finally paid it off.

Ten years later, she met her old friend again and told her about the hardships she had endured over the past decade, but also expressed her pride in paying off her debts on her own. However, her friend told her that the necklace she had worn back then was fake and not worth that much money at all.

This work is ingeniously structured, with an unexpected ending, and its core theme revolves around vanity. It transcends nationality, era, and politics, making it an interesting masterpiece no matter where it is placed.

Dorian flipped through the pages of a virtual book in his mind, then sat down at the typewriter and began skillfully typing on the mechanical keyboard.

The story itself is not long. In his previous life, Dorian had read this masterpiece many times, so he wrote it very quickly. He didn't even need to change the background much, and he was still able to touch the hearts of the petty bourgeoisie in this world.

Before long, Dorian had finished writing the whole story.

As expected, when he removed the last sheet of paper from the typewriter, the writing on the paper began to change, as if ink had spread across the paper, radiating a pale golden light.

The experienced Dorian quickly got up and covered all the manuscripts with the prepared iron bucket.

Sure enough, the manuscript paper emitted a golden light.

After a while, Dorian estimated that the golden light had almost dissipated before removing the iron bucket.

Previously, Soviet jokes emitted golden light and were elevated to the level of a phantom manuscript. More recently, "The Million Pound Note" emitted a dazzling rainbow of light and was elevated to the level of a phantom book. It seems that the color of the light may be the way to distinguish between a phantom book and a phantom manuscript.

It inexplicably gives me the feeling of drawing an SSR card.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a fantasy manuscript... Is it also related to the length? Only medium-length and long works can become fantasy books, while short stories can only become fantasy manuscripts?" Dorian muttered to himself as he looked at the manuscript paper in front of him, which had now returned to normal.

Didn't we previously say that only unfinished works that were prematurely certified by the laws of the world were considered phantom drafts? Are there other situations where a work could become a phantom draft?

It's still unknown whether this draft (speculation) possesses the power of its own conjecture.

The ending of this novel has a brilliant twist, an unexpected yet logical O. Henry ending. Dorian initially planned to copy this novel because he was wondering if this situation would bring some kind of miraculous twist or other incredible mechanism to the book of illusions...

and many more.

Dorian frowned, realizing something.

Since what I value is actually an O. Henry-style ending, why don't I just copy O. Henry directly?

The moment I had the thought of copying Europe, I suddenly felt the world had expanded.

Since they're all short stories anyway, I might as well copy "The Policeman and the Hymns" and submit them to Lucky Magazine as well.

"The Cop and the Hymn" is O. Henry's masterpiece. The protagonist, Soapy, repeatedly commits crimes in hopes of being arrested and imprisoned to spend the winter, but each time his plans backfire. Finally, he is moved by the sacred hymns in the church and intends to turn over a new leaf, but he is arrested by the police without cause.

Just do it!

Dorian returned to his desk, even turning on the magic crystal lamp on the wall, and continued to bury himself in writing.

Normally, I would just go to sleep when it gets dark and never turn on the magic lamp. Although Dorian isn't really short of money right now, it's just that I'm a little short of it.

……

That evening, Disilife was sitting on a tall bookshelf in her office reading, her two bare feet swinging back and forth in mid-air.

Suddenly, she looked up sharply, closed the book in her hand, as if she had noticed something.

"A new draft has been created... Which author is it this time?"

No new fantasy books or manuscripts have been created in the last hundred years, but ever since Dorian's "Mr. Hakimi's Jokes" became a fantasy manuscript, the whole world seems to have been activated, and new fantasy books have begun to appear again.

A few days ago, Iris shared information that they had also observed the iridescent light during the ascension of the Phantasm for the first time and confirmed that a new Phantasm had indeed been born.

And now, another draft of Lentinion has appeared.

She jumped down from the towering bookshelf and landed barefoot on the carpet.

"Lily, are you still there?" Disifei said to the air.

"Here." Lily appeared suddenly from the shadows of the bookshelf like a ghost.

"Let's go to the top of the clock tower. I want to see where the new draft has appeared."

The two left the office and drove to the clock tower.

Before long, the carriage of the Cultural Affairs Bureau crossed the bridge, bypassed the Parliament building which was under construction, and arrived at the foot of the clock tower.

As the tallest building in all of Lentinion, it offers panoramic views of almost the entire city. Furthermore, its central location makes it a very important place in a magical sense.

The Clock Tower is not just a simple clock tower; underground lies a mysterious magical institution that the empire does not disclose to the public, and on top is the Illusion Book Department of the Academy of Literature.

Therefore, the interior of the clock tower is not open to the public; ordinary people only need to listen to its hourly chimes. Even maintenance personnel must follow designated routes under the supervision of designated personnel.

Ordinary people, let alone wanting to go in, would be reprimanded by the royal guards who stand guard all day long if they even showed the slightest intention to get closer.

Of course, these royal guards claim to be protecting the Parliament building and the safety of members of parliament.

Even though the Parliament building is still undergoing modernization, there is no one else inside except for construction workers.

However, Lily and Disilife are clearly not ordinary people.

But as soon as the two reached the top of the tower and pushed open the ancient, hidden door, Disiffi stood there stunned.

"Dean?" Lily asked, unusually sounding puzzled.

Disilife stood frozen in place, her bright lake-blue eyes now somewhat vacant.

What's that noise?

She felt the ripples that occurred when the draft was created.

Again.

It wasn't a delay or a repetition; it was a completely different feeling from before.

Having lived for many years, Disilife had never encountered such a situation in her long life, to the point that she considered many possibilities, but not, or rather, dared not think of, the most simple, direct, and obvious answer.

Only after she had searched every corner of her memory and found absolutely no similar experience did she incredulously admit the most obvious answer:

Another draft?!

Stilifi: ?

Less than an hour apart, two illustrative drafts were produced almost simultaneously in the same place.

This is incredible.

Dorian truly lives up to the prophecy. Before he emerged, the entire world hadn't seen a new fantasy book for almost a hundred years. He had only been in the industry for a short time, yet the spectacle of two fantasy manuscripts appearing in one night in Lentinion was already a remarkable achievement.

"Another fantasy manuscript. Tonight is truly a night of miracles." Dislifei, having recovered from her reverie, said to Lily, "Let's go. I need to observe immediately and see just how two geniuses are the protagonists of this night of miracles."