Chapter 8

If "Tarzan" only made Yan Shao somewhat famous in Marseille, then "The Lord of the Rings" made him a sensation throughout France, and even in the neighboring countries. After all, no matter how you look at it, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series is a groundbreaking work. Moreover, the fact that such a work was written by an Asian person sparked the curiosity of many.

It was this curiosity that made more and more people eager to see for themselves.

By the time the third printing of "The Lord of the Rings" was completed, even American publishers came to buy the English-language rights. However, Yan Shao was not very familiar with such matters, so he entrusted everything to Talis. After working together for so long, they had developed a certain level of trust.

Similarly, although Yan Shao treated this as a job, a way to earn money and fame, he could still feel the mysterious light in Ilene's eyes whenever they worked together.

Yan Shao might be a bit slow, but he wasn't stupid. He knew very well that what Ilene liked was his non-existent talent. However, he had once heard someone say, "Every successful love is built on lies and deception, and in the end, it all ends in lies. If that's the case, why not start this way..."

Similarly, while you can't force someone to love you, you can at least create opportunities.

Yan Shao wasn't deficient in any way. With such a beautiful woman around him, he naturally had his thoughts, but he was just waiting for the right opportunity. The books he was writing now were his chance, and it would be truly foolish not to seize such a good opportunity.

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Despite their pleasant collaboration, Ilene was a college student who had to return to her studies after the holiday. The publishing house was no longer as financially strained as it was at the beginning, and Talis had already prepared several replacements for Ilene, but Yan Shao rejected them all.

Then, Yan Shao, citing that the hotel was not a place for long-term residence, rented a two-story house near Ilene's university. His intentions were clear to everyone...

Ilene didn't say anything about it, just continued to work as usual at Yan Shao's new home. Although Talis felt a bit uneasy, he was happy to play dumb, as his publishing house now relied entirely on Yan Shao.

Yan Shao's series of actions had already made his intentions clear, but Ilene never responded, maintaining their relationship at a level slightly above friendship.

Yan Shao had no choice but to focus on his work.

With the help of a typewriter, it only took Yan Shao three months to complete the last two parts of "Tarzan" and the final part of "The Lord of the Rings" series, "The Return of the King."

"Really troublesome..."

Standing in front of the mirror, Yan Shao slowly shaved his beard.

In this era, if there was something that made Yan Shao uncomfortable, shaving his beard was definitely one of them. After all, for someone used to an electric razor, using a straight razor was incredibly troublesome.

It wasn't just troublesome; it was also very dangerous. The straight razor had to be extremely sharp, which often left Yan Shao with scars on his face.

"If only I could get a T-shaped razor..."

Finishing the last bit of his beard, Yan Shao, who was washing his face, muttered to himself.

However, just as he was about to finish washing his face, he suddenly froze, then rushed out of the room like a madman.

Then...

He returned with a dejected look.

Just now, he had thought of another way to gain both fame and fortune besides writing novels: invention.

As a person from the future, many things that were commonplace to him did not exist in this era. These could earn him a lot of money—and, of course, fame.

For example, the straight razor he had just used...

He had thought that if he could create a T-shaped razor, it would not only make his life easier but might also earn him a lot of money.

That's why he had rushed out of the room, hoping to confirm whether T-shaped razors existed in this era. When he rushed out, he was still hopeful, after all, he was using a straight razor...

However, the final result of his inquiry left him disappointed. In this era, safety razors had already been invented by the founder of Gillette...

The founder of Gillette, King Camp Gillette, conceived the idea of a new type of razor blade in 1895. After several years of development, Gillette invented the disposable razor blade and founded a company to manufacture the new razor in 1901.

In other words, T-shaped razors had already been invented.

As for why Yan Shao was still using a straight razor in 1903...

In the first year, 1903, Gillette's sales record was 51 razor handles and 168 blades...

Such a small number clearly hadn't reached Europe yet...

However, even if these products sold poorly, the patent was already owned by someone else, so Yan Shao could only return home dejectedly.

The only slightly comforting news today was that he wouldn't have to use the straight razor for much longer.

However, this incident also gave Yan Shao some inspiration...

Some very useful inspiration...

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After completing the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, after a period of rest, Yan Shao began working on "The Hobbit." After all, if he wrote the main series, he should also write the prequel to complete it—although historically, "The Hobbit" was published earlier than "The Lord of the Rings."

During this process, Yan Shao also wrote a few short science fiction stories. Although they still couldn't compare to the greats, they were a significant improvement over his previous works.

Of course, there were also voices of doubt, as in this era of white supremacy, it was almost impossible for there to be no doubts—although their doubts weren't entirely wrong.

However, the emergence of a few people claiming to be the original authors left Yan Shao somewhat amused and frustrated.

This was probably similar to the "Piltdown Man" incident that the British created years later...

Fortunately, these people had no evidence—unless they, like Yan Shao, had also traveled through time.

However, in this era of white supremacy, such doubts were very popular. Despite having no evidence, they still caused a significant impact.

Of course, Yan Shao could use some methods to clear his name, such as showing the original drafts. While this wouldn't eliminate all doubts, it could at least silence some people.

However, Yan Shao had always copied the works directly from his mind, so he didn't need any drafts...

In Yan Shao's room, Talis was almost frantic because the recent events had greatly affected the sales of the new books. Although Ilene didn't say much, the concern in her eyes was hard to hide...

Seeing the two of them, Yan Shao scratched his head and smiled bitterly.

"Don't worry, I have a plan..."

Hearing this, Talis, like a drowning man clutching at a straw, quickly asked, "What plan?"

"You don't need to worry about that..." After a moment's thought, Yan Shao continued, "Can you organize a press conference and invite as many influential people as possible?"

"Press conference? That's not a problem, but your plan..."

Before hearing Yan Shao's plan, Talis was still somewhat worried.

However, Yan Shao didn't answer him but instead shooed him out of the room. After Talis left, Yan Shao turned to meet Ilene's worried gaze.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine..."

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Although the publishing house had been poorly managed recently, Talis still had some connections in Marseille. With the attention this incident had attracted, organizing the press conference was not difficult.

At the press conference, in addition to the local celebrities and journalists, there were also those who doubted Yan Shao, including the few who claimed to be the original authors. After all, if they didn't admit defeat, this matter would be hard to resolve.

Below the stage, these "original authors" had already agreed that no matter what evidence Yan Shao presented, they would claim it was fake, even if it was a draft, they would say it was forged.

This might not matter to others, but for them, it was a matter of their career. With the incident already so public, if it was proven that Yan Shao was the true author, they would have no face left in the industry.

The audience didn't have to wait long before seeing Talis, Yan Shao, and Ilene walk onto the stage. In Talis's hands was a typewriter. Although most people were there to determine the authenticity, many still gasped in admiration when they saw Ilene, shifting their attention to her elegant dress, even the "original authors" were no exception, which was somewhat amusing.

After ascending the stage, noticing the audience's gazes, Yan Shao took a deep breath and began typing on the typewriter.

Meanwhile, Talis explained to the confused audience.

It was then that the audience understood that Yan Shao intended to prove his ability by creating a work on par with "The Lord of the Rings" on the spot.

However, upon hearing Talis's explanation, not only the "original authors" but even some of the invited celebrities secretly sneered. No matter what they thought of Yan Shao, they all had to admit that "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was a groundbreaking epic. Creating such a work once in a lifetime was already a miracle, let alone creating another one...

"Absolutely preposterous..."

One of the invited celebrities muttered. Talis himself was also worried, but he couldn't show it. However, the audience's curiosity was piqued, and they all waited with bated breath.

Soon, a manuscript was presented to the audience. Although it was only about ten thousand words, the audience quickly became engrossed in the text. This manuscript was the first part of the "Dark Elf" trilogy...

"Home"

"The mysterious starlight praised by poets has never shone upon this land, and the warm sunlight that bestows life cannot penetrate here. This is the Underdark, the secret world beneath the bustling surface of the Forgotten Realms. The sky here is hard, bloodless rock, and the gray, lifeless walls, illuminated by the torches of the foolish surface dwellers who have stumbled into this place, exude a deathly aura. This is not their world, and it does not belong to the realm of light. Uninvited visitors rarely have the chance to see the sun again..."

As a masterpiece by R.A. Salvatore, the "Dark Elf" trilogy is also an influential epic fantasy work. Although the manuscript's opening was only about ten thousand words, the notaries were captivated, and even the "original authors" turned pale, losing all their doubts.

However, just as the notaries were about to speak, they noticed that Yan Shao had not stopped writing but continued to type on the typewriter. By the time they finished passing around "The Dark Elf," Yan Shao had already completed a significant portion of the next manuscript.

"Could it be a sequel to 'The Dark Elf'?"

Many people thought, and a sense of anticipation arose.

However, they soon realized that this time, Yan Shao had not written a sequel to "The Dark Elf" but another epic fantasy work on par with "The Lord of the Rings"...

"A Song of Ice and Fire"

At this point, the notaries were speechless, but Yan Shao showed no signs of stopping...

"The Chronicles of Narnia"

"The Earthsea Cycle"

"The Record of Lodoss War"

Under the typewriter, one classic work after another was created. At this point, no one in the audience doubted Yan Shao. Instead, they looked at him as if he were a monster, a prodigy of the world, including Talis. Even Ilene, who had attracted most of the attention, standing behind Yan Shao, seemed to have disappeared.

No matter what rumors had circulated before, the audience had only one thought: after today, this young man would shock all of Europe, and even the world...

Meanwhile, Ilene, who had been assisting Yan Shao, gazed at him with her beautiful eyes, occasionally flashing with a mysterious light...

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