Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 111: Luoxiu Interview - Comments on Launch

Chapter 111: Luoxiu Interview - Comments on Launch

I see that many of you have questions in the comments section, and there are indeed things I want to express myself, so I thought of using an interview format to talk to you about the launch and some things about our book.

Q: What was the original intention of writing this book? What kind of thought process led you to write such a book?

Luoxiu Fanfa: First off, I just want to make money! I’m now a full-time online writer, and a very green newbie at that, so the primary purpose of my writing books is to make money. After graduating, I was constantly working overtime in the overtime industry, and my health was not so good, which led me to consider retirement. I started writing full-time to survive and support my family.

Secondly, I’ve always believed that if possible, one should strive to "enlighten through literature." It’s impossible for my readers to grasp some profound truth simply by reading my book—I don’t have that ability, and I can’t even make sense of those profound truths myself. But I still hope to convey something through my writing.

The original intent of this book was legal popularization. However, since it is set in a fantasy backdrop, proper legal popularization gradually turned into cultural education. Although it was a bit off track, it is still a good thing. People talk about our 5,000-year civilization, yet the content we produce often can’t compete with countries that have only been established for a few hundred years. We truly have so much excellent material, so why not use it? My abilities are limited, but I’ll do my best. So, you have seen a lot of annotations before and will see even more in the future.

Please don’t feel that those annotations at the end of Chapters are like contraband. In this book, perhaps the annotations are the essence, and the plot and settings that cleverly present this essence are the real contraband!

Lastly, I used to be quite miserable at work, with regular overtime, typically over 80 hours per week. So I learned to find joy amidst suffering and realized the importance of happiness. I hope my novel can bring happiness to everyone without hindering my income. Places in the novel that you find funny or meme-worthy can be commented on; they provide feedback for me and help readers share joy with each other.

Q: Now that it’s launched, what’s the plan for updates?

Luoxiu Fanfa: I want to make money, so of course, I’ll update more.

As for the update rules, for now, I can manage daily updates of three Chapters totaling over 6,000 words, which relates to my writing habits. My capability ceiling is pretty much there.

As for extra updates, there will definitely be a burst of new content at the launch, at least ten Chapters worth.

Regarding the rules for additional updates afterward, I don’t know what kind of achievements I’ll reach, and I can’t say that I’ll update more when I get to a certain level of rewards and then fail to do so—that would be fraud.

The only promise I can make now is an additional update for every person who becomes an Elder, an additional update for every Martial Master, and one more for every Alliance Leader.

This additional update rule will continue until the next time I post a single Chapter updating the rules for extra updates.

Besides, I have to ensure quality, so I can’t write the extra updates too quickly. However, I will keep track of all the additional updates and get them out as soon as possible.

Q: This book seems to pay homage and makes references to many others, so which important settings in the book are not originally your own idea but learned from elsewhere?

Luoxiu Fanfa: Actually, we could do without this question. If I don’t say anything, a portion of readers won’t know, and when someday a reader notices similarities with something else, I can explain that I learned it from someone. But the high EQ way to say this is that I "forgot to mention it," while the low EQ way is to pretend that I’m the original creator.

Personally, I’m not willing to knowingly claim others’ ideas as my own hard work and let everyone be misled. So I’d rather clarify things upfront and be an open person.

The beginning of the book, I learned from my good friend Changshi’s "Once, I Wanted to Be a Good Person." I had my eye on his opening since last October, which perfectly matched my Zhang San persona, and told him that I’d be "copying" it. After writing the beginning of this book, I even had him check it, and he gave me a lot of pointers. Although my success could be embarrassing when compared to his work, his book is truly great, much beyond my league, and I hope you can take the time to read his book.

The plot of the first volume, when I was halfway through my conception, I came across a novel by Gu Long, "Seven Weapons," so some of my twists were learned from there.

The overall framework of the power system was learned from the Chinese comic "Chuanwu." Since the tip of the iceberg of the power system has already been revealed, it’s not a spoiler to tell you this. The author of "Chuanwu," Xingyun, stated that the settings in his comic could be used in creation. I tried to add him on Q but couldn’t reach him to discuss this matter directly. However, I explained this in the comic reader group and the comments section, so I’ve referenced his power system and some organizational structures, adjusting them for the plot as necessary. You can find "Chuanwu" on Tencent Animation, and I welcome everyone to support the legitimate version and the development of Chinese comics.

Other references are informed in the annotations.

Q: Does the author pay attention to reader feedback?

Luoxiu Fanfa: It’s not possible to pay attention to all feedback, but I do record and organize the issues brought up by everyone. Once I accumulate enough, I’ll post an interview-style single Chapter like this one to explain and clarify things universally.

So feel free to post book reviews or leave comments at the end of Chapters if you have any questions.

Q: Do you plan on playing the sympathy card? I hear that can lead to more subscriptions and support from readers.

Luoxiu Fanfa: If playing the sympathy card really could increase my income, and some of the content is made up, wouldn’t that constitute fraud? That’s not an option. But I can certainly be honest about my own difficulties, and at this stage, I am open to sympathy and support.

I’ve suffered from some conditions due to working overtime for years, including gastritis, heart disease, and fatty liver.

I’m married, and since I prepared for this book on Qidian for a long time, plus the time from starting updates on May 6th until now just before launch, my income has been quite low, much less than my wife’s. So I’ve been living off my wife during this period.

A man, after all, needs to be a bit tougher. So, before the launch, I hope everyone can support the legitimate readings, actively subscribe, leave comments, and give rewards if you can.

With a heart full of gratitude, I thank my reader bosses!

Launching tomorrow, at least 10 updates, 20,000 words+++!