Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

The new issue of Weekly Bunshun sat on the table, containing long articles with sharp language.

"For a century-old publishing house to promote a novel that is entirely colloquial, lacks any soul, and has no literary merit whatsoever, all for the sake of sales, I, as an author who was once nominated for the Akutagawa Prize, feel sorry for literature."

"And this Mr. Guan Gu Shenqi uses cheap fantasy writing to bewitch these naive young people, easily leading them to sink into a fictional world. This is a tragedy of our times."

"This kind of person doesn't deserve to be called a writer at all."

Toru Sakamoto's lengthy article took up two full pages, followed by short comments from several young writers and judges of fine literature awards, all offering consistent opinions.

Criticisms of Sword Art Online include "lack of literary merit," "catering to lowbrow tastes," and "an insult to the literary world."

After reading it, Kurokawa Akuta frowned, looked up, and glanced at the nervous Akiyama Yuto beside him.

"You go ahead and get busy. I'll call Mr. Guan Gu to discuss it."

After Akiyama Yuto left, Kurokawa Akuta picked up the phone on the table and dialed Sekiya Kaze's number.

It rang a few times, and then the other end answered.

"Hello, this is Guan Gufeng."

"Sekiya-sensei! It's me, Kurokawa Akuta. Here's what happened..."

Kurokawa Akuta recounted the whole incident in the most concise language, from Sakamoto Toru's outburst in the office to his attack in Weekly Bunshun today.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"Editor Kurokawa, did you guys come up with another 'sudden idea'? And then you still didn't notify me?"

Kurokawa Akutagawa gave a wry smile.

"I'm very sorry! For things like recommendations and promotion, the company usually contacts the recommending author first, and only after confirming that it's settled will we invite you to a discussion meeting. It was my mistake not to inform you in time after the collaboration with Toru Sakamoto failed."

There was another silence on the other end of the phone.

Guan Gufeng isn't a saint; of course he'd get angry if someone insulted him.

Moreover, this isn't the first time Shinchosha has acted on its own initiative; the same thing happened with Nintendo last time, when they weren't even prepared.

It's hard not to sigh that the world is a giant makeshift operation, and that statement really holds true everywhere.

But he also knew that Kurokawa Akuta had helped him a lot. Not to mention the last time, he arranged for the production of those 10,000 special edition copies, which was a favor in itself.

"Editor Kurokawa, I'll call you back in an hour. I need some time to think about how to handle this."

"No problem," Kurokawa Akuta quickly agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Guan Gufeng leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

Actually, he didn't need to fly into a rage.

After all, he came from an era when social media was highly developed and online flame wars were rampant. He had experienced many major battles and even received yellow cards in some online forums.

If he were to actually exchange insults with Toru Sakamoto in the weekly magazine Shincho, his sarcastic remarks alone would be enough to drive that old man half to death.

But what's the point?

That's too cheap and doesn't solve the fundamental problem.

He sat up straight and looked at the "Ten Thousand Miles of Wind, Sky of Dawn" that he had just finished writing on the table and was about to check and finish.

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Rising Sun arc is widely regarded as the literary pinnacle of the entire series.

Yangzi, Xiangqiong, and Ling—a group portrait unfolding along three parallel storylines, showcasing their triple growth.

The book presents a realistic critique of the rule of kings and the art of language that balances grandeur and delicacy. While maintaining a strong literary quality, it is not difficult to understand.

Guan Gufeng suddenly had an idea.

Didn't Toru Sakamoto say that it lacked literary merit?

Why not create a pseudonym, extract a few paragraphs from the Feng Li chapter, rewrite them into short stories, and submit them directly to Wenyi Chunqiu?

First, he agrees with Toru Sakamoto's views, pretending to stand on the side of "traditional literature," and then, at a crucial moment, he stabs her in the back.

In this way, one can both refute criticism and discredit the new book, killing two birds with one stone.

However, there are two problems.

First, how do I get Toru Sakamoto to notice my manuscript?

Second, what constitutes a "critical moment"?

He was thinking when the phone rang again.

"Hello, this is Guan Gufeng."

"Mr. Guan Gu, I am the head of Nintendo's legal department." The other person's voice was capable and calm.

"The company is aware that you have been maliciously defamed by Weekly Bunshun. The legal and public relations departments will intervene immediately to protect your reputation. Please do not worry."

Guan Gufeng raised an eyebrow. As expected of the strongest legal department in the Eastern Hemisphere, they acted quickly.

"Thank you. I will cooperate with your company's actions." He paused, "However, I would like to ask, does your company know anyone at Bungei Shunju?"

"Yes, Mr. Guan Gu, do you want to contact them to retract the article?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded doubtful.

"Oh, is that so..." Guan Gufeng explained his plan.

After I finished speaking, there was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then, the other person's voice had a tone that was both amused and exasperated.

"Mr. Guan Gu, you really should come to our development department as a game designer. This idea is just too... novel."

"It's not impossible," Guan Gufeng laughed.

Having played games for so many years, he certainly wouldn't refuse the opportunity to work at Nintendo if given the chance.

"Okay." The other person smiled. "Looking forward to our next collaboration."

"We will contact you again regarding the contact person for Bungei Shunju."

After hanging up with Nintendo, Sekiya Kaze immediately dialed Kurokawa Akuta's number.

"Sekiya-sensei!" Kurokawa Akuta's voice was tinged with urgency. "What instructions do you have?"

Guan Gufeng briefly recounted the conversation he had just had with Nintendo, but Kurokawa Akuta's focus seemed to have shifted somewhat.

"Mr. Guan Gu, are you saying that after finishing the second volume of Sword Art Online, you wrote a new book so quickly, and even two volumes of it?"

"Um... actually, these were written together."

"That's ridiculous!" Kurokawa Akuta was speechless.

He glanced at Sakamoto Tadao, who was sitting on the sofa in the office. The editor-in-chief's chin was slightly agape, as if he had been startled.

Kurokawa Akuta steadied himself.

"Professor Guan Gu, now that you have a plan, how should we cooperate with you?"

"I'll take the completed draft over first, so you can check its quality..."

"No need," Kurokawa Akuta said decisively. "The company trusts your abilities."

"Okay." Guan Gufeng thought for a moment, "Didn't Sakamoto Tetsu say that young people are naive? Let Weekly Shincho argue with them. Raise the hype and get it going in society."

"No problem, we're professionals at this," Kurokawa Akuta said confidently.

"And another thing," Guan Gufeng said with a hint of amusement, "Didn't he refuse to write a recommendation before? Make his quote, 'Easily letting young people sink into a fictional world,' into a new book jacket and print it on the next batch of books as a recommendation."

"By taking advantage of people's rebellious mentality and the current hype, the book will only sell better."

Kurokawa was stunned by Sekiya Kaze's business acumen and remained speechless for a long time.

He has worked for many years, but has always focused on traditional literature, and is relatively slow to react to commercial marketing.

But some people are not slow.

Tadao Sakamoto instantly stood up from the sofa, took two steps to the table, and snatched the microphone from Akutagawa Kurokawa's hand.

Years of experience in the business world made him realize the moment Guan Gufeng finished speaking that this was a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity.

"Mr. Sekiya, I am Tadao Sakamoto."

"The publishing house will fully cooperate with your plans. In addition, as an apology for the trouble caused by our mistake, the royalties for your next book will be increased to 15% without any further assessment."

"Please make sure that Shinchosha publishes 'The Twelve Kingdoms'."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Well then, thank you very much, Editor-in-Chief Sakamoto."

After hanging up the phone, Kurokawa Akuta finally came to his senses and looked at Sakamoto Tadao.

"I thought it was 12%... Only 13% of the authors in our company have won the Naoki Prize."

"Limitations are for mediocre people," Tadao Sakamoto said slowly. "Even if you win the Naoki Prize, the wealth you can create for the company is limited."

"And Mr. Guan Gu's commercial value is enough to prove that he deserves this 15% royalty."

"Moreover," Tadao Sakamoto smiled, "Sekiya-sensei might very well win the Naoki Prize."