Smith looked at Lu and then at Scott, a little confused,

What's going on?

He pointed to the manuscript and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, can I read it?" Of course, this is unpublished work, and if you don't think it's appropriate, forget it. ”

Lu Shi said: "Of course, you please." ”

Smith picked up the manuscript and read it carefully,

Long

"Whew~"

He let out a breath of turbidity, and then said with some approval: "No wonder Mr. Lu can see the artistry of the title "A Study in Scarlet", it turns out that he is so familiar with English writing, and the writing is particularly authentic. ”

Lu Shi waved his hand again and again,

"You've won a prize."

Seeing that he was modest, the smile on Smith's face was even greater,

"You should know that this is not a prize."

In Lu Shi's manuscript, the preface is a nursery rhyme, adapted from the "Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes Collection",

Because this nursery rhyme collection book was at the end of the 18th century, the background of the dark times led to many bloody, cruel, and realistic sentences, and conservative people did not have a high acceptance of this aspect, so every time it was reprinted, it would be deleted.

The first quoted in the preamble is in the list of deletions.

Lu Shi was able to unearth it and make good use of its eerie atmosphere, which has far surpassed the vast majority of authors Smith has seen, and if it wasn't for Xia Mu's introduction, Smith would even think that Lu Shi has lived in London for decades.

This guy is a genius!

"And, you're writing in a novel way," Smith said. This nursery rhyme ...... Is it a prophecy? I mean, the main characters die in the same way as in nursery rhymes? ”

After speaking, he denied it himself: "No, it should be the murderer who is imitating nursery rhymes." What prophecy is there in this world? ”

Scott on the side interjected: "Another point is well designed, the story takes place on a closed, isolated desert island, after the case occurs, the police cannot intervene in a short time, and the conditions in the closed environment are relatively limited, and solving the case can only rely on pure reasoning." ”

"And ......"

"yes, I think ......"

"Look here......"

……

The two of you are talking about each other, and they are actively discussing the content of the first three chapters.

This is where Sha Po Niu X comes in, someone else's book can have an innovative point is amazing, and the book "No One Survives" is the originator of the two models:

Blizzard Lodge,

Nursery rhymes kill.

Later generations have copied too many of this isolated island serial killing model,

Readers may think it is ordinary if they read too much, but the fact is that they all copied Shapo.

Lu Shi coughed lightly, interrupting the discussion between the two,

He pulled back the manuscript on the table, his face full of regret, and said, "Mr. Scott, since the Manchester Guardian does not have a serialized section of the novel, then I have to vote elsewhere." ”

Smack-

Scott pressed his hand,

"You wait!"

His face was cloudy.

Smith said, "Charles, don't be a child, you should know the value of this novel." ”

Scott nodded slowly, thinking about it.

As the editor-in-chief of a high-selling newspaper, his energy should not be underestimated, and helping Lu Shi serialize in some weekly magazines and magazines is just a gesture.

It's just that asking someone to help costs a favor,

Can this young man from China live up to his trust?

He asked, "Is there an outline?" ”

Lu Shi shook his head and said, "There is no outline. But I could make a table of the biographies of these main characters. Of course, doing so will undoubtedly cause a certain amount of spoilers, so be prepared for it. ”

As soon as the words fell, Smith walked to the window,

"I'll look at the street view."

Scott said helplessly: "Fxxk, spoilers...... For the first time, I hated my profession so much. ”

He took out a pen and paper and handed it to Lu Shi,

"Please."

Lu Shi buried his head in the book, and the sound of the pen tip rubbing against the paper came from the room.

Scott on the side read it out in a low voice:

“

Lawrence John Wagreve, Judge, for the crime of sentencing Edward Seton to death;

Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, teacher, for the murder of Cyril Ogilvie Hamilton;

Philippe Lombard, a soldier guilty of the murder of twenty-one adults of an East African tribe......

”

Smith burst into a rage and said, "Don't read it!" ”

However, Scott didn't pay attention, just frowned and seemed to fall into deep thought,

After a while, he suddenly interrupted Lu Shi and said, "Can you take the crimes committed by Philip Lombard from East Africa to Bull?" If you wish, I can guarantee that the book will sell at a good price and will be published in large quantities. ”

Lu Shi looked at the other party deeply, and the corners of his mouth hooked an arc,

"Boole?"

Inexplicably, Scott immediately had a feeling of being seen through and felt awkward.

He asked, "Isn't it possible?" ”

Lu Shi replied: "No, I think it's good, after all, the British Empire is now fighting the Boers in South Africa." The newspapers were constantly editing and reporting every day, and readers were already familiar with Boole, and indeed more real than in East Africa. ”

He slapped his forehead as if he remembered something,

"By the way, the front page of yesterday's Manchester Guardian seemed to be about the Anglo-Boer War, with Mr. Churchill blasting the Government's policy in the Anglo-Boer War and firmly opposing the expansion. Well, what a brilliant press release. ”

Hearing this, Scott knew that his careful thinking had been exposed.

In this case, there is no need to disguise anything,

He tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop,

"Whether they support the war or oppose it, the citizens of the British Empire have the right to know the truth, you say? At the very least, it can't be a celebration of war like the Daily Telegraph. ”

Artistic processing without singing the praises of virtue?

Lu Shi whispered: "Hehe, Mr. Scott, you really should be in politics." ”

Scott was stunned, then laughed,

"No, that's boring. I prefer to run a newspaper and use the Manchester Guardian to form an umbrella that covers the sky from London. ”

He served as editor of the Guardian for 57 years, beginning in 1872, and it was during his tenure that the Guardian grew from a local newspaper to a national newspaper and a major newspaper in the world.

Moreover, Scott is a Liberal through and through,

He once declared: "Comment is free, but facts are sacred...... The voices of opponents have the same power to be heard as those of friends. ”

But now it seems that this tendency could be a disguise to hide ambitions?

Which of his visions of becoming a newspaper tycoon or his insistence on the ideal of freedom of comment is higher in his value ranking?

Hardly.

Lu Shi generously commented: "It's all ism in the mouth, but business in the heart." ”

Scott disagreed,

"It's a pleasure to talk to smart people."

Lu Shi nodded and said, "Then I'll change everything that can be changed." For example, the nursery rhyme in the preface, I am going to change it to the original text. ”

At this time, Smith on the side also interjected: "Yes, I thought it was strange just now, the original nursery rhyme was obviously "Ten Little Niggers (Black)", how did it become "Ten Little Indian Boys". ”

Of course, it's because of the stupid political correctness of modern Europe and the United States~

Lu Shi didn't answer directly, but looked at Scott,

"How?"

How's this "how?" "Naturally, it's the manuscript fee that is asked.

Scott could understand Lu Shi's switch to "Ten Little Niggers", and was ready to hint at the Anglo-Boer War.

He smiled knowingly,

"Mr. Lu is so cooperative, of course I should also show sincerity, the quality of the first three chapters is very high, and I can get the price of 50 pounds for one chapter. Of course, if the novel becomes popular, the price can increase again. ”

You have to tie up Lu Shi with a high remuneration,

Otherwise, this kid would have lost a lot of money by running to work for those old bastards at The Times or The Telegraph.

Lu Shi also said: "The Manchester Guardian does not have a serialized section, so where should my novel be published?" ”

Scott didn't think about it, and replied: "The Scotsman's Wednesday supplement is not a few days away. ”

Lu Shi blinked,

The headquarters of The Scotsman is in Edinburgh,

Doyle's hometown is also in Edinburgh,

Isn't that a coincidence?