Dirt Dirt –

The whistle sounded, and the cruise ship gradually sailed towards the dock.

Standing on the deck when on land,

The sea breeze gently brushed his face with a slight coolness, making him unconsciously tighten his collar.

He looked into the distance,

At this time, the temperature in London has dropped, but the liveliness of the docks is still unabated.

The figures of workers loading and unloading goods are particularly busy in the morning light.

In a short time, the sailors' trumpets sounded,

The cruise ship docked.

Because of his special status, Lu Shi can take the fast lane, and soon get off the gangway, and go directly out of the port area after passing through the customs.

A magnificent carriage is waiting,

Margarita poked her head out,

"Teacher!"

Lu Shi walked briskly, got into the carriage, and asked, "Rita, why are you here?" ”

Margarita laughs,

"I received your telegram, can I come and pick you up?"

As she spoke, she looked Lu up and down and joked: "It seems that the diet in the United States is indeed better than that of Great Britain." You've been gone for more than three months, and you haven't lost any weight at all. ”

That's right,

The UK is truly a gastronomic desert.

After Her Royal Highness finished making jokes, she asked the coachman to set off.

The wheels roll slowly through the streets, making rhythmic sounds.

Lu Shi lifted the curtain,

Hawkers, pedestrians, newsboys......

London's familiar street corners come into view again.

Margarita whispered, "Teacher, have you seen "Grotesque Night"? ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"Of course. However, not all of those works are mine. ”

He was preparing to explain the "pranks" of the French,

As a result, Her Royal Highness the princess took the lead and said: "There are many readers who have already guessed. Moreover, in the new issue of "Grotesque Night", those masters of French literature have begun to sign normally. ”

She pulled out the magazine.

Lu Shi took it and simply flipped through it.

Margarita was curious: "Teacher, don't you mind if they create based on your work?" ”

Lu Shi was stunned for a long time, and then he understood what the other party was asking,

He smiled and said, "Rita, the Mirror serialized the comics of Jane Eyre, what was our attitude towards secondary creation at that time?" There is a saying in China that 'only the governor is allowed to set fires, but the people are not allowed to light lamps', but we can't do that. ”

Moreover, the Cthulhu Mythos is also historically viable.

It was originally named after H· Based on the setting of P. Lovecraft, compiled and perfected by Auguste William Dress, and co-created by many authors,

Only the master of love craftsmanship himself, Cthulhu had a hard time growing to the scale it later had.

And this kind of co-creation is not uncommon.

Like what

Oriental PJ, "Love Death", Type Moon,

These have been successful.

Lu Shi said: "Moreover, the set of books is public, and I am not the right holder of it." ”

Margarita was curious,

"What is a canonset?"

Lu Shisui explained, and then said: "I think Verne will soon make it public, so that more writers around the world can join in the creation and improvement of the Cthulhu Mythos." ”

Margarita said, "Won't it be chaotic? ”

After asking, she herself denied it,

"No, it won't. Because French writers have set up the Orsay Society, they can decide which ones to include in the 'original' manuscript of the Cthulhu Mythos. ”

Lu Shi wanted to laugh when he heard it,

"They also got a society?"

Margarita let out an "um",

"I feel that there are a lot of spin-offs that can be developed in this way, not only that, but also table games, dramas, ...... Especially table games. Frankly, I never thought there would be such a way of creating before. ”

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"I didn't expect the French to be so mobile."

Margarita said, "I still prefer Harry Potter, though. ”

After that, they talked about the plot of "Secret Room".

After a while, the carriage stopped in front of the official residence of Lu Shi on Palace Street,

The two got out of the car.

The maid opens the door for them,

As a result, as soon as Lu Shi entered the house, he found that the entire house was almost filled with letters.

The source is the study on the second floor,

The door was open, and bundles of letters stretched out from inside, piling up the hallway of the second floor, and then spreading all the way up to the staircase.

On each step of the staircase is a stack of letters.

Margarita said, "Letters from readers. ”

Lu Shi asked: "Didn't I ask to put it in the warehouse of our newspaper hall?" ”

Margarita said helplessly: "Harry Potter fans are very fanatical, and the warehouse is already full. ”

Lu Shi: "......"

expected that "Harry Potter" would develop into one of the most popular IPs in the world,

But who would have thought that the frenzy would be so high at the beginning of the 20th century?

You know, "The Lord of the Rings" is also a series, the protagonists are in the same lineage, and there are super popular characters like Gandalf, but there are only hundreds of letters from readers a day.

Lu Shi casually took out a letter to read.

Margarita also leaned over and whispered:

“

'Lu, please update ......'

If we don't do more, my son will tear down the beams of the house!" ’

'No, don't change it. ’

'My house has been demolished, and Tommy is going to convert it into a Burrow. ’

……

”

The Burrow is the home of the Middle Weasleys, built crookedly and with many magical creatures and magical items.

Her Royal Highness the princess burst into laughter on the spot,

"For children, although they can't make magic items, they can still make a house into a dilapidated house."

She looked at Lu Shi,

"Teacher, you have tormented many families in London~"

"Ah......h

Lu Shi is embarrassed,

"Is there one?"

Her Royal Highness looked at the sky outside, and saw that the morning fog had lifted, so she opened the window.

She pointed to the other side and said, "Look at that." ”

Opposite the residence is the Royal Mews,

In front of the imposing gate, there were two red-clad Leng Xi guards guarding it.

Lu Shi was puzzled: "What are you asking me to see?" ”

Margarita only gestured in the direction of the guards soldiers, and did not respond in words.

After a while, two little boys running past them,

They passed the guards,

Suddenly, the one in front of him pulled out a 30cm stick and shouted at the guards: "Petrificus Totalus!" ”

The muscles on the guard's face trembled,

Fortunately, the professionalism of the Cold Creek Guard was excellent, and he tried to hold on, and the pestle did not move there.

The boy who cast the spell laughed,

"Look~Look~ My magic is amazing!"

The boy in the back said, "I can do it too!" ”

He turned to look at the guards, and drew his wand, ready to say "Petrificus Totalus!" ”，

At this moment, he suddenly noticed that the guard's forehead was bulging with green tendons and clenched hands, as if it was a volcano about to erupt, so he immediately changed his mind and shouted instead:

"Finite Incantatem!"

The guards finally stopped in Bengbu,

“Shiit！ You two little kids! @*#￥%……”

The two boys ran away with each other,

And the wind brought their babbling,

"Look! I just solved the spell successfully! He can move! ”

"What's that, or my skills are deeper."

"Don't talk nonsense!"

"What? Are you going to have a wizard duel with me? ”

……

Margarita closed the window.

The two looked at each other without saying a word,

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere in the house is eerie.

After a while, Her Royal Highness said, "I now know the power of children's literature. I dare to assert that Harry Potter has influenced countless British people, and it will become the national literature of Great Britain. ”

According to real history, the first part of the series, "Philosopher's Stone", was published in 1997.

And Lu Shi advanced it by nearly a hundred years.

As Margarita said, the result was -

National Literature.

The reason is simple,

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a shortage of entertainment, children could not watch movies and television, there were no games, and even comics were pitiful.

As a result, almost all children read Harry Potter.

Moreover, compared with "The Wizard of Oz" and "Peter Pan", which are also children's literature, "Harry Potter" is also an old routine of celebrating friendship, courage, and love, but the language and plot are more mature, covering a wider range of ages, and naturally more readers.

Lu Shi said: "I didn't expect this. ”

Margarita gave him a white look,

"Didn't expect that? I don't believe it~ Professor Lu, that's the world's best-selling writer~"

Lu Shi laughed,

"Don't hurt me."

After what had just happened, he found it quite interesting to read the letters from readers, so he went back and continued to read them.

Among them, more than 99% of Harry Potter fans are fans,

Everything,

Urging,

Parents write on behalf of their children, asking where the address of Hogwarts is.

Female fans proposed to Lu Shi,

……

Strange.

Margarita, with a dark face, pulled out all the pink envelopes and examined them one by one,

The letters from female fans are all put away.

After a while,

There was a knock on the door outside.

The maid went out to inquire and then came back and said, "Sir, a French Monsieur Henri Bergson has been looking for you. It's his calling card. ”

Of course, Lu Shi knew about Bergson,

After all, he is a Nobel laureate, and his works have been read by Lu Shi.

The maid continued: "Mr. Bergson is still carrying a suitcase, and it looks like he has just arrived in London. ”

Lu Shi was surprised,

"The cruise ship I was on stopped at the port of Calais, so we were on the same boat. Why didn't we see each other? ”

Margarita complained: "Sir Lu, you live in the first-class cabin, and when you get off the ship, you take a separate gangway, and you have the convenience of passing through customs." Isn't it normal for the two of you to not see each other? ”

"Ah......h

Lu Shi was embarrassed and turned to the maid,

"Mr. Bergson, please."

The maid took the order and left.

After a while, Bergson was brought in.

He was instantly shocked by the ocean of letters in the room.

Lu Shi smiled,

"It's all letters from readers."

Bergson was even more shocked.

It's not that he hasn't seen best-selling authors,

Great, Dumas and Verne are all French national-level existences,

But even if they were, the letters they received in their lives were not as large as those in Sir Lu's official residence.

What's so ......

Is it still human!?

"Goo......

Bergson swallowed and asked, "Sir Lu, do you want to read all of this?" ”

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"No, I don't have that much time. I will pick some representative questions and publish an open letter in the Mirror to answer them; Or rather, give an interview. These two methods are relatively operational. ”

Bergson praised: "Sir Luke's attitude towards book lovers is so good. ”

He stretched out his hand,

"I'm Henry Bergson, and this visit is also as a book lover."

The posture is very low.

Lu Shi naturally won't lose the other party's face,

The two exchanged a few words, and then took a seat on the sofa in the living room.

Lu Shidao: "I wanted to invite you to the study, but there are more letters from readers there, I'm really sorry." ”

"There's still a study?"

Bergson glanced at the second floor and saw the mountain of letters, and everyone was numb.

Fellow writers,

The gap between people is really bigger than that between people and dogs.

Lu Shi asked the maid to pour tea for the other party, and then said, "Mr. Bergson, you said that you came here as a book friend, I think you came to discuss the problem, right?" ”

Bergson nodded,

"Sir Lu, I'm curious how you came up with a theme like "Brain in a Jar"."

Of course, the subject matter is not what Lu Shi thinks,

Rather, H· P. Lovecraft argues in "Murmuring in the Night",

It was also one of Lu Shi's favorite Cthulhu works.

The master of love craftsmanship imaginatively created the separation of man and brain, separating the body from consciousness.

It was not until 1981 that the thought experiment of the brain in a vat was proposed by the famous logician and philosopher of science Hilary Putnam in his book.

It can be said that "Murmur in the Night" is ahead of its time.

Lu Shi improved it and renamed it "Brain in a Jar".

Of course, this cannot be said truthfully.

He mused, "Why is Mr. Bergson so curious about that short story? I have to say that I prefer Call of Cthulhu and Colour of the Stars because the horrors they depict are so great and indescribable. ”

Bergson smiled: "Sir Lu doesn't know, I'm actually ...... Not...... Have you ever heard of a book called "Matter and Memory"? ”

That's his writings,

There are a lot of advanced ideas in the book,

such as

The brain, as an organ of the body, is of a material nature;

Memory needs a material basis;

Emotions and memories are both ontological categories;

……

With the development of biology, especially brain science, these views are very classical in the eyes of modern people,

But for the empirical philosophy of the early 20th century, it was already completely subversive.

Lu Shi said: "I have read 'Matter and Memory', which is a philosophical work. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about philosophy, so I can't give an objective evaluation. ”

Listening to what he said about "not knowing anything", Margarita couldn't help but complain in her heart,

The teacher is always so humble.

Bergson apparently thinks the same way,

He smiled and said, "Sir Lu, if you can write "Brain in a Jar", it means that you are a top philosophical scholar. ”

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"No, no, no, I didn't even ......"

Seeing that he wanted to be modest, Bergson interrupted: "Perhaps, you don't study philosophy, but your philosophical thinking must be top-notch." ”

Lu Shi is helpless,

"I really don't understand."

Bergson laughed: "I have long heard Academician Poincaré say about the modesty of the Chinese. Your calligraphy is obviously excellent, and the inscription for the Ming Law Building of the University of Paris has been praised by thousands of French students, but you want to say that you are not good at it. ”

Lu Shi: "......"

It seems that the name of my calligraphy master is about to be implemented.

He stroked his chin with his fingers,

"Mr. Bergson, I really don't understand philosophy. But when you talk about philosophical thinking...... In ancient China there was a great philosopher named Zhuangzi, have you ever heard of it? ”

Bergson's eyes widened instantly,

"Sure enough! I knew it! ”

His volume is loud.

Lu Shi was taken aback,

"What's wrong?"

Bergson said: "I knew that Sir Luk's philosophical foundation must have come from the ancient, mysterious Chinese culture!" ”

He looked at Lu Shi with bright eyes,

"Zhuangzi? Is that the name of the philosopher? ”

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"Uh...... Zhuangzi was not its original name. In China, we generally use the character 'zi' as an honorific title to express people's admiration and respect for certain figures. ”

Bergson nodded repeatedly,

"Then this Zhuangzi must be a very powerful character."

Lu Shi said: "There is a story in Zhuangzi - Zhuang Shengxiaomeng. One day, Zhuangzi dreamed that he had become a butterfly, and when he woke up from the dream, he found that he was still a human, so he began to think about whether he dreamed of Zhuangzi's butterfly or Zhuangzi who dreamed of butterflies. ”

Bergson couldn't help but praise:

"Good! Ok, good, good! What a philosopher! ”

He found that Zhuang Sheng Xiaomeng and "Brain in a Jar" are similar in nature,

At its core, there are two problems:

How do people know the truth?

If the dream is real enough, does one have the ability to know that he is dreaming?

Bergson was curious,

"What era is this Zhuangzi from?"

Lu Shi said: "Warring States period. It's been about 2,000 years ago~"

"Poof! cough cough cough ......"

Bergson just took a sip of tea and squirted,

"More than two thousand years?"

He felt a sense of heaviness that he had never felt before.

(End of chapter)