Around The Count of Monte Cristo, a quiet storm is brewing in the publishing world of the city of Elroy.

Reviewer Puran Garcia is in the middle of a maddening controversy, having not had a good day since he decided to quit his job to co-publish The Count of Monte Cristo with Harvey Adrian.

While Garcia's family was eating, the cramped living room was filled with harsh language from women.

"Oh my God, you must be crazy, how can you do that! Take all the savings of the family, what are we going to eat tomorrow, do you want our family to become beggars? Oh~ Only well-wishers can eat a piece of white bread, what a luxury! Pran, you've quit your job at the publishing house, do you want us to feed you a man! His mother, Mrs. Grenoch, had said this more than once.

And his sister soon joined the battlefield to verbally bombard him: "That is, there is still a part of these savings that belongs to my dowry, I can't believe that anyone will take a woman without a dowry, they will laugh at our Garcia family is a poor ghost!" Don't do that, for your sister's sake, I've never even said a word to you, and now I beg you not to use your family's savings to publish a novel that no one else can read, it's stupid. ”

"Mother and my dear sister, of course I know what I'm doing, I just need some time to prove myself." Puran rubbed his brows, and his words were pale and unable to argue, he had to admit that if "The Count of Monte Cristo" went wrong, the consequences were, as the two women had said, and the whole family would have to sleep on the street. But they don't know who is now feeding the family, his father is disabled in both legs and can no longer work, his sister has been fantasizing about getting involved with those noble children, it is said that the other day she was lucky enough to be favored by a noble child when she was watching a play, and the next day after a bit of fun, she brought back a bunch of grapes to show off, although the grapes are indeed expensive fruits, her behavior is too blind and stupid.

As for his mother, she was an ordinary woman who liked to nag when she had nothing to do.

Ever since Puran decided to help Harvey publish The Count of Monte Cristo at his own expense, he had temporarily lost everything, including his work at the publishing house where he was supposed to be proud, Leonard Publishers learned of his resignation and the Count of Monte Cristo novel developments that unexpectedly publicized his actions to the entire publishing world, and now no publishing company is willing to hire a reviewer who would persuade novelists to publish at their own expense.

With no way out, his family can only see the immediate interests sneering at his difficult decision.

Puran sighed silently, glanced at his father at the dinner table, he was drinking the vegetable soup slowly with a spoon, his face was old, his eyes that were once wise became cloudy and dim, there were only two of them in the family who were literate, his father was a scholar before the accident, he knew the importance of knowledge, and he was very grateful to his father for spending all his savings for him to go to college.

He once showed "The Count of Monte Cristo" to his father, and that day he only saw his father studying the novel, and then told him to do it.

After eating, he left with his briefcase and despite his mother's dissuasion, and he still had in his hand a list of all the wealthy people in the city of Elroy who were interested in literature, most of which Motley had written to him. He had to go door-to-door to look for investment, and secondly, he needed to negotiate the distribution of benefits.

The urging of his family made him feel a little impatient, but he did not regret this seemingly rash decision.

······

In a tavern across the street from Leonard's Press, Mottley is talking to Belloc Leonard, the manager of Leonard Publishing, who wears a black suit and a top hat, and his natural pride is out of step with the dirt around him.

Belloc sat next to Motley and said unhurriedly: "Motley, the times are different, your old and conservative practices are no longer suitable for this era, literature is not something solemn that cannot be desecrated, on the contrary, it should be known by everyone, whether it is a lowly beggar or a noble nobleman." ”

Motley took a sip from his beer glass and let out a silent sigh: "If that's all I agree, literature has no distinction between high and low, but you just treat literature as a commodity." ”

"This is the inevitable result of the development of the times, if there is no interest, who wants to pursue those boring words, my father also knew this back then, so I inherited Leonard Press, not you, the original partner, in fact, I did a good job."

"In my eyes, it's not very good, especially when it comes to the Count of Monte Cristo."

Belloc scoffed: "That's fair, it may be a good novel, a good commodity, but it's a pity that it happened at a bad time." Did you also instigate Garcia's intention to go it alone? The poor guy didn't even see the situation clearly, no matter how good a novel is, without readers, words will be meaningless. Without the support of Leonard, the novel, if published, would have been a table-footing thing, because no one would have seen it. ”

"Time will tell."

"Oh, I don't need that result, why do we have to get a good deal, and I'm going to visit the author myself, and as long as he agrees to postpone the publication, Leonard will certainly not treat him badly."

Belloc got out of the high chair and left the noisy tavern with his hands on his black gentleman's top hat.

Motley, who was still drinking, shook his head and whispered to himself: "A dignified novelist will not accept handouts from others, you must always understand this. ”

······

"Foolish ideas, or not, the times will naturally eliminate you pedantic species."

Going out of the tavern, Belloc glanced at the tavern behind him with disdain, he couldn't understand the idea of people like Motley, and the current era can only be best developed by packaging literature into commodities, and it is because of this concept that Leonard Publishing House has now become the leader of the publishing industry in El Roy City, and Belloc is proud of it.

Novelist? What is the difference between these people and the workers who work in the textile factory? Workers make textiles that can be made into clothes to wear on their bodies so that people don't starve to death in the winter, and novelists may be praised for their interest when they are seen, but without fiction they don't have the slightest impact on people's lives.