Chapter 2

The content of the newspaper wasn't particularly special, just some trivial matters from Marseilles and the surrounding areas. Apart from that, there were a few serialized novels on the last page of the newspaper.

What caught Yan Shao's eye, however, were precisely these few novels on the last page of the newspaper.

Serializing a few novels on the last page of a newspaper was not only something done in the future, but also in this era. Of course, these were not the main points. The key was that Yan Shao, in the future, was someone who enjoyed reading novels. Initially, he only read pirated books rented from bookstores, which often lacked pages or even entire volumes. Later, with the widespread use of computers, things became much easier for Yan Shao.

As someone who enjoyed reading novels, Yan Shao naturally wouldn't forget some of the classics.

Such as Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan of the Apes" and "A Princess of Mars," C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea" series, and so on...

Of course, there were also the equally famous "The Lord of the Rings," "The Forgotten Realms" series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," and "The Record of Lodoss War," among others...

For Yan Shao, who was completely unfamiliar with this era and didn't know what he should or could do, finding a publishing house to 'write' some novels and earn royalties was undoubtedly a good job.

"Moreover, in any era, reputation is very important. With a good reputation, doing anything becomes much easier. Although I'm not sure what I'll do in the future, at least having these will make things easier... At the very least, it's better than scrambling to prepare when the need arises..." After stroking his chin, Yan Shao made up his mind.

Since he had made up his mind, the rest was simple.

"First, I need to buy some paper and pens. I wonder if the publishing houses here accept English manuscripts. It's a pity that Qi Xuan's invention of the Chinese typewriter is still over a decade away. Otherwise, I would have tried to get one no matter what..."

In fact, Yan Shao wanted to buy a typewriter more. After all, in the future, many people, after becoming familiar with computers, had their handwriting skills decline. Yan Shao was one of them. Using a computer was fine, but writing hundreds of thousands or even millions of words by hand would be a real challenge.

Unfortunately, typewriters in this era were extremely expensive, and he couldn't afford them with his limited funds. This idea had to be abandoned.

As for the Chinese typewriter, it was invented by Qi Xuan, a Chinese student in the United States, in September 1915. He submitted his invention to the Chinese Ministry of Education through the Chinese Students' Service Bureau, which then forwarded it to the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. The Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, recognizing the typewriter's flexibility, completeness, and clear printing, granted it a five-year patent to encourage its development.

Yan Shao, who had some interest in modern history, had some memory of this event.

As for how to manufacture such a typewriter, Yan Shao, as a person from the future, had no idea. After all, this thing was too complex for him. Yan Shao was not an all-knowing穿越者 (time traveler); before coming here, he was just an ordinary 20-year-old youth...

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After determining his future direction, Yan Shao didn't waste any more time. He left the hotel and went to a nearby department store to buy the paper and pens he needed.

The middle-aged woman at the hotel's front desk was quite nice, without the condescending attitude of other white people. She would often greet Yan Shao loudly when she saw him, but even so, she still looked puzzled when she saw him busy.

Meanwhile, after preparing all the necessary 'equipment,' Yan Shao began his first novel—Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan of the Apes."

"Tarzan of the Apes" is a series of novels by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was first published in October 1912 in the pulp magazine "All-Story Magazine" and was released in book form in 1914.

In the future, due to movies and animations, "Tarzan of the Apes" became a household name in China, so Yan Shao wasn't worried about a lack of appreciation. On the other hand, since this novel was a work from nearly a decade later, there was no need to worry about being accused of plagiarism.

As for why he chose "Tarzan of the Apes" instead of "The Lord of the Rings" or "The Dark Elf Trilogy," Yan Shao had his own considerations.

Although this era wasn't as medieval or Renaissance-like, where women were often accused of being witches and burned at the stake, the power of religion was still very strong. Publishing works like "The Lord of the Rings" or "The Forgotten Realms" series without any reputation would undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble, especially given Yan Shao's Chinese identity, which would make things even more awkward.

Therefore, using a science fiction novel to test the waters was the best choice.

And "Tarzan of the Apes," a science fiction novel suitable for all ages, was undoubtedly the most appropriate.

In the early days, without computers and the internet, Yan Shao used to pass the time by reading novels. Although "Tarzan of the Apes" wasn't the most classic, he had read it over a dozen times. Even if he had forgotten some details, he still remembered the main plot clearly.

With confidence, his writing flowed smoothly. Including the modifications to the original text, Yan Shao completed the first part of "Tarzan of the Apes" in just over a month.

However, after finishing the novel, Yan Shao realized he had forgotten something important.

Yes, after writing the novel, all he needed to do was submit it to a publishing house. The key was that he was in France, and he only knew English, having written the novel in English.

Submitting an English manuscript in a French-speaking country was clearly...

Moreover, being new to the area, he didn't even know how many publishing houses there were, let alone which one to submit to...

"This is a problem..."

In the hotel's restaurant, Yan Shao chewed on a piece of bread while frowning.

For him, eating bread was a matter of necessity. France wasn't America, and there was no Chinatown here. Forget eating Chinese food at a restaurant; he couldn't even find the ingredients to make Mapo Tofu. So, he could only eat bread alone.

But what truly troubled him was the issue of the publishing house. Submitting an English manuscript in a French-speaking country wasn't an easy task.

Meanwhile, Morgana, who worked at the front desk, looked at him curiously.

Before China's participation in World War I, it was rare to see Chinese people in France, even in Marseilles, the second-largest city. Naturally, Yan Shao, a rare Chinese person, aroused the curiosity of many French people.

Especially Morgana, who had often seen Yan Shao locked in his room, busy with something. When he came out, although tired, he always had a smile on his face...

"Why is he frowning today?"

Curious, Morgana approached Yan Shao.

Yan Shao, who was half-heartedly chewing on his bread, looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw Morgana approaching.

Since Morgana was one of the few people at the hotel who spoke English, they often talked about recent events and had become quite familiar. Seeing it was Morgana, although still troubled by his problem, Yan Shao nodded in greeting.

"What's wrong, Yan? You look like you're having some trouble."

"Trouble? Indeed, I am..."

With a bitter smile, Yan Shao explained his problem.

When Morgana heard that Yan Shao was writing a novel, she was surprised.

Although Morgana didn't have the usual racial prejudices of white people, she was still taken aback to hear that a Chinese person was writing a novel. Fortunately, Yan Shao was already somewhat special in her eyes, so she wasn't overly surprised. However, as Yan Shao said, it was indeed a troublesome matter.

Morgana was in her forties, and as a middle-aged woman, she had lived in Marseilles for many years. If Yan Shao had written a French novel, she could easily recommend a few decent publishing houses.

Unfortunately, Yan Shao had written an English novel, which made things difficult in a French-speaking country.

Initially, when Morgana asked, Yan Shao had some hope, given her long residence in Marseilles. However, seeing her puzzled expression, he became disappointed again.

"Perhaps I should find a ship and try my luck in Britain or America..."

Biting into his bread, Yan Shao sighed inwardly.

Just as Yan Shao was considering whether to sail to America, Morgana suddenly slapped the table.

"I've got it!"

Before the surprised Yan Shao could react, Morgana ran back to the front desk and returned with a newspaper.

"Have you seen this newspaper before?"

Morgana placed the newspaper in front of Yan Shao.

Yan Shao recognized the newspaper. In fact, the idea of writing novels came to him because of this newspaper. So, he nodded in response to Morgana's question.

Seeing that Yan Shao knew the newspaper, Morgana smiled.

"Serializing in the newspaper might not be ideal, but this newspaper is actually owned by a publishing house, so..."

Hearing this, Yan Shao nodded, understanding.

It wasn't surprising. In an era with poor transportation, running an English newspaper in a French-speaking country would be nearly impossible without a powerful backer.

On the other hand, this gave Yan Shao a way out.

So, while regular magazines might not be feasible, trying the publishing house might be worth a shot...