The next day.

Early morning.

Arthur Conan Doyle woke up early in the morning, and his beloved wife, Louis Hawkins, hadn't even woken up yet.

He pushed his wife on the shoulder,

"Ruth, wake up."

Hawkins woke up slowly, looked at her husband, and looked puzzled,

"Why are you so early today?"

Doyle pointed to the calendar and smiled, "Have you forgotten what day it is?" ”

Hawkins was at first at a loss,

Then, with a look of sudden realization, she said, "Ah, yes, I'll get up and make breakfast, and then let's go to the Met's bookstore together, and then go to Herbert." ”

Today is Wednesday, the launch day of Seaside Magazine,

At the same time, it is also the day when "The Return" ends.

The corners of Doyle's mouth hooked,

"I'm confident."

The last short story in the entire series of "The Return" is called "The Second Bloodstain",

The story is about the disappearance of a top-secret document on national security, and if its contents are leaked, the whole of Europe will be in flames.

The Prime Minister personally visited Baker Street and asked Holmes to intervene in an attempt to recover the damage and calm the international tensions.

Doyle is very optimistic about this story.

Adventure, Reasoning, Politics......

With so many elements combined, it's sure to be a big hit.

Doyle muttered to himself, "No problem. ”

As Hawkins got dressed, he asked curiously, "What's 'okay'?" ”

Doyle waved his hand, the smile on his face more or less distorted,

He said it easily, but only he knew whether he was nervous or not.

In fact, after the appearance of Lu's "No One Survived" and "Roger's Mystery Case", many people criticized "The Return" as a continuation of the dog's tail.

Doyle resolutely refuses to admit this.

Although "Phnom Penh Nose Glasses" is negotiable at the level of reasoning, the reading experience is very good;

"Dancing Little Man" involves cryptography, with excellent reasoning and excellent quality;

"Six Bust Busts of Napoleon" as an adventure, is even better in suspense, only one (non) loss (often) loss (more) than "The Mystery of Roger";

……

Doyle firmly believes that "The Return" may not have been born at the right time, but it is definitely an excellent collection of short stories.

What's more, the resurrection of Sherlock Holmes was meant to appease readers' anger at his death with Moriarty.

It's good now, what kind of dog-tailed mink......

Isn't this full of food and scolding the cook?

"Phew!"

Doyle took a sip.

Hawkins couldn't help glaring at him and said, "What are you doing?" Is it hard to eat my breakfast? ”

Doyle was surprised,

"Breakfast?"

Seeing her husband like this, Hawkins couldn't help but sigh,

"Where did the mind fly again? I was just telling you what to eat for breakfast~"

As she spoke, she patted Doyle's back soothingly and whispered, "Don't worry, you and Holmes are fine." ”

Doyle's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

His gaze shifted to the bookshelf.

On the bookshelf, Lu's works are placed on the second layer that is the most conspicuous and at the same time the best to access.

"The Mystery of Roger", "No One Survives", "The Hobbit",

There's even the latest work-

"The Village Teacher".

That "Roger's Mystery" is a hardcover book, and the cover is very strong,

But even so, the line was turned open, and the outer layer of the lower edge of the cover fell off, revealing the slightly yellowed white raw edge inside.

It can be seen that this book has been turned over I don't know how many times,

And Doyle can be sure that this must be his wife's handiwork.

As for his own Sherlock Holmes series, it has been received at the top and bottom of the bookshelf, and most of them have been covered with a thin layer of dust, obviously not being read for a long time.

Doyle couldn't help but complain: "Ruth, do you believe what you say? ”

Hawkins:???

Looking at her husband's line of sight,

And so, an awkward and eerie silence landed in the house,

“……”

“……”

“……”

It's as if a pin drop can be heard.

Hawkins opened his mouth and wanted to say something,

Doyle immediately interrupted, "You don't have to say anything. I know, I understand. ”

I understand, but this feeling is too strange.

It's like being put on a hat with an eco-friendly color.

Hawkins rolled out of bed and ran out of the bedroom,

"I'm going to cook."

Doyle walked to the bookshelf and wanted to take a copy of "Sherlock Holmes" out to read, but his fingers unconsciously fell on the spine of "The Country Teacher".

If "The Mystery of Roger" is Hawkins' favorite,

"The Country Teacher" is Doyle's favorite short story, and there is no one.

Doyle sighed,

"Alas......"

That feeling of wearing a hat came again,

This time, he wore it for himself.

But he just couldn't help it, so he pulled out "The Country Teacher" again, read it carefully, and studied Lu's techniques and writing.

I don't know how long later, Hawkins's voice came from outside: "Arthur, come out for dinner!" ”

Doyle muttered, "It's so well written......"

He carefully tucked the book back in, and then went out of the bedroom until he put on his hat and coat by the door.

Hawkins said, "You're not eating? ”

Doyle replied, "Breakfast or something, whatever." ”

Hawkins rolled his eyes,

"Hey! It's all old husbands and wives! You're not jealous of that, are you? ”

As he spoke, he stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, and then filled his husband's mouth with sausages and scrambled eggs, and then he took his arm and said, "I'll go out with you." ”

Doyle chewed desperately before he swallowed it all.

"Okay then."

They pushed the door open.

The early morning fog still harasses London,

The two squinted, and could only vaguely see the street scene on the other side of the main road,

Horse-drawn carriages rushing by,

Pedestrians hurrying with their noses covered,

The staggering drunk,

……

London has only just woken up.

But Doyle knows that there must be a place that is overcrowded right now.

That's the bookstore.

Because today, "The Return" is over, and "Seaside Magazine" will inevitably be swept away.

The couple crossed the main road and walked in the direction of the Mett bookstore.

The two soon arrived at the door.

Surprisingly, it's not hot,

The boss Mette even has the leisure to bask in the sun that does not exist in the London fog,

He leaned against the doorframe, his head dozing little by little.

Doyle stepped forward,

"Old Met!"

Mette snorted,

"Whew...... Who did I think it was...... Arthur, why are you here? ”

The corners of Doyle's mouth hooked, and he said proudly: "I'll give you a cheer!" How about seeing you so idle? Is it all sold out of today's "Seaside Magazine"? ”

Mette looked embarrassed,

"This ......"

There seems to be something unspeakable.

Faintly, a bad feeling rose in Doyle's heart,

He walked around Mette and pushed the door open.

I saw a row of "Seaside Magazine" on the counter of the bookstore's best-selling and most conspicuous counter, roughly estimated to have more than 200 copies.

Doyle's face darkened,

Slow-selling......

"Seaside Magazine" turned out to be unsellable!?

Studied but cannot comprehend!

He was stunned when the door opened behind him with a "squeak", causing him to turn around.

I saw Mette pacing into the house, looking like he wanted to say something.

Doyle showed a hint of a pleading smile and said, "Old Mette, you are quite popular, you have entered so many "Seaside Magazines", and you are not afraid of smashing them in your hands?" ”

Mette helplessly,

"Arthur, you know me, business is business."

The implication is that he will not enter a certain book or magazine because of personal relationships.

In the past, the "Seaside Magazine" that was just sold out on the shelves is no longer majestic.

Doyle thought he had gone to Buddhism,

But now, his mentality is still broken.

He said: "Before, "The Return" was pressed to the ground and beaten by "Roger's Mystery Case", and I admitted it. But what's going on now!? Didn't Lu post a book!? ”

Mette shrugged,

"I didn't expect it to become a ......"

Halfway through the sentence, the door of the bookstore was pushed open.

Doyle cast a hopeful gaze.

Unexpectedly, the gentleman outside the door just poked his head in, and didn't even have the idea of stepping into the bookstore, and asked, "Is there still a "Mirror"?" Bring me a copy! ”

Mette shook her head,

"It's all sold out."

The gentleman seemed to have expected this for a long time, and was not much disappointed,

"Well, that's it. The same is true of the newsboys on the road, and one or two are sold out. ”

Bang –

The door of the store was shut,

Only Doyle and Mette in the room were left looking at each other.

As a result, the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, and the door was opened again.

Or that "probe gentleman".

Hope rose again in Doyle's heart.

But this hope was quickly extinguished, because the gentleman just asked: "Boss, Lu announced in the "Mirror" that he will serialize the new book in the edition, has "The Mirror" started serialization today?" What type? ”

Mette shook her head,

"It's not serialized yet."

"Oh......"

The gentleman looked a little regretful, and his gaze subconsciously swept over the bookstore.

His gaze fell on Seaside Magazine and stopped.

This gaze is like the divine light of the saints in the Bible, and for the third time it gives birth to the hope in Doyle's heart.

However......

"Forget it! I'd better try my luck on Fleet Street! ”

Bang –

The doors of the store were shut.

At the same time, Doyle also felt like he had been hit hard, and he was hit hard, and he couldn't stand steadily.

Hawkins hurriedly held her husband,

"Arthur, cheer up...... You've got to cheer up, hey! ”

Doyle raised his head and looked at his wife blankly,

His eyes were gone,

"Ruth, I'm going to Fleet Street too."

……

Blya Road.

Lu Shi was woken up by my generation,

He looked at us in a daze, looked at the sky outside, and muttered, "So early? ”

My generation: "Meow~"

Natsume Soseki on the side said: "Lu, spring is here, this guy can't be Sichun, right?" ”

Lu Shi scratched his head,

In his impression, Cat Sichun has a seizure at night, "meowing" and meowing, like a baby's cry,

But my generation has no such symptoms at all.

Lu Shi complained: "I think this guy is simply hungry, and he is a foodie." ”

With that, he rolled over and got out of bed and changed his clothes.

On the other side, Natsume Soseki threw a piece of chicken over, and when my generation really stopped pestering the landing, he ate it himself.

Sichun is not as important as dry rice.

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"Look."

He yawned and said, "Since you're already up, let's go out for a walk and buy a newspaper by the way." ”

After Phyllis went to Rome, no one delivered newspapers to Breaille.

The two packed up and went out together.

Spring in London is much better than January and February, and the climate is already much better.

But because of industrial pollution, there is no modern atmosphere of a kingdom of flowers, and the branches of plants everywhere are bare, and the occasional flowers and leaves are also hanging crookedly, adding a gray and sinister slaughter to the city.

Lu Shi stopped a passing newsboy,

"Give me a copy of the Mirror."

As a result, the newsboy spread his hands helplessly and said, "Sold out!" I'm heading to Fleet Street...... Not...... You are ......"

The newsboy stared at Lu Shi, as if he recognized it.

Lu Shi motioned to the other party to silence, and made a "shhhh ”

The newsboy nodded,

"Look at this."

He handed out the "Seaside Magazine",

On the cover, the text is advertised in enlarged and bold font: "The end of "The Return of Sherlock Holmes". ”

Lu Shi's mind is complicated,

According to the original history, "The Return" was serialized in "Seaside Magazine", and it was published about one article a month.

It wasn't until December 1904 that the last one was issued—

"The Second Bloodstain".

And because of the stimulation of Lu Shi, Doyle turned out to be as productive as a sow, and sent one article a week,

Resting on the original world line, Doyle is so diligent, Holmes's status will definitely be raised higher and have more fans,

But now, "Seaside Magazine" is not selling well.

Lu Shi counted out the coin and handed it to the newsboy,

"The Mirror is selling well?"

The newsboy nodded and replied, "It sells well...... Not...... That's right! Professor Lu, you'd better not go to Fleet Street today, because the headquarters of the Mirror is surrounded by two or three hundred readers, saying that they want to ask you for a crime! ”

I don't know where to go,

"What? Xingshi asks for sin? ”

The newsboy lowered his voice and said, "Professor Lu, have you forgotten what you previewed in the Mirror before?" ”

The preview of the new work was a week ago.,

But at that time, the queen had just passed away, Scotland Yard was relatively strict about the gathering of citizens, and the "Mirror" at that time did not have an official office location, so readers could not surround it if they wanted to.

And the newspaper cut the ribbon yesterday, and finally "ran the monk, but couldn't run the temple".

Lu Shi couldn't help but glance at Natsume Soseki,

The latter sighed,

"Look, something went wrong with the play, right?"

Lu Shi didn't expect the effect of hunger marketing to be so good, so he hurriedly recruited a carriage to go to the newspaper office.

As soon as he turned onto Fleet Street, the coachman said, "Two gentlemen, you may not be able to walk." ”

Lu Shi lifted the curtain of the car and immediately saw a lump of people blocking the road.

At the same time, the sound of discussion came in,

"Will Lu release a new book? It can't lie to us, right? Or is the Mirror lying to us? ”

"If you say that, it's really possible! If you look at those articles in the "Mirror", it is very refreshing to read, but if you think about it carefully, you can't scrutinize it, it's ridiculously fake! ”

"Don't think about it, the Mirror won't lie to us. You don't know that this newspaper is run by Professor Lu? Professor Lu is Lu! ”

"That's right!"

……

Regarding the authenticity of the teaser, readers reached a consensus.

So, they changed the subject,

"Great! You can see Poirot alive again! ”

"I don't want to look at reasoning! I love The Hobbit! I want to see fantasy! ”

"That has to be science fiction! "The Country Teacher" is forever dripping! ”

……

This time it was not so easy to reach a consensus.

The argument gradually turned into mutual scolding, and there was a tendency to develop into mutual fighting.

"Hiss......"

Lu Shi gasped.

Thirty-six plans, go for the upper plan,

He said to the coachman, "Go back the way you came!" ”

The coachman answered, manipulating the horse to turn around, and the carriage slowly circled.

At this time, a familiar figure fell into Lu Shi's eyes,

"Dr. Doyle?"

At the same time, Doyle also saw Lu Shi.

Doyle's eyes reveal the complexity of two emotions intertwined, both the helplessness of "Lu Shi abused me thousands of times", and the admiration of "I treat Lu Shi like my first love",

They are intertwined, contradictory but unified,

Doyle has been abused with Stockholm syndrome by Lu Shi.

He looked left and right, and suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Professor Lu, you're finally here!" We've been waiting for you so hard! ”

As soon as these words came out, the readers outside the newspaper fell silent.

Half a second later, as if they had found a zombie with fresh meat, they surrounded the carriage of Rikutoki and Natsume Soseki, their eyes full of fanaticism.

Someone shouted, "Professor Lu, when will you start serializing your new book!?" ”

The rest of the crowd shouted in agreement.

At this point, it is impossible for Lu Shi to pretend to be dead anymore.

He jumped out of the carriage,

"This time next week, I'm going to start a new series!"

Someone else asked, "What's new?" Is it reasoning? ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"No comment for now."

His gaze lingered on Doyle slightly, and he said, "If you like reasoning, why don't you try Sherlock Holmes Returns?" ”

For a while, no one spoke.

After a while, someone said, "I'm still looking forward to Professor Lu's work." ”

Doyle: "......"

The whole person was numb.

(End of chapter)