Some Explanations Regarding Reader Reviews

From the moment this book began, Da Ju has been closely monitoring reader feedback.

Because Da Ju is a PC reader, he doesn't see much of the comments in the Book Review Section (the PC version no longer has a review section, and Da Ju isn't very tech-savvy with the mobile app). He primarily checks the Chapter Comments, so if you have anything you want to say to Da Ju, please leave a message there.

Regarding some of the feedback and confusion surrounding the "evil path" in this book, Da Ju would like to offer some explanations here.

1. Regarding "padding" the word count.

This topic has been around for a long time; I already explained it in my previous book. Because this is a game-based novel, it inevitably requires a large amount of data descriptions, including monsters, equipment, and skill details.

Actually, writing this stuff is more exhausting than writing a normal story. It is absolutely not a case of the author trying to be lazy; it requires brainpower to invent and think through. Sometimes, setting up an interesting piece of equipment takes half a day—with that time, I could have written several hundred words of prose.

Yet, people still call it padding. Tell me, am I not being wronged? However, this is unavoidable; such things are essential for a game-based novel. There will definitely be data descriptions in the future, especially every time the protagonist kills a Big BOSS and drops a pile of gear—that will certainly involve a heap of data.

Consider this a heads-up.

However, for every chapter with a large amount of data, I always add several hundred extra words. For example, in Chapter 30, "Strange Goat," I listed the stats for five goats, but I posted 3,100 words for that chapter—a full thousand words more than the standard 2,000-word chapter—just to avoid annoying the readers. Even so, I still get accused of padding, which leaves me feeling quite helpless. It really isn't padding.

Besides, we are currently in the free-to-read period; there would be no point in me padding the word count anyway.

I was criticized for this in my previous book and provided an explanation then. I am making this special note now, and I won't be explaining it again in the future.

2. Regarding the protagonist's tone of voice.

The protagonist sometimes switches his tone based on the setting and the target of his conversation. For instance, when talking to a few dogs, he is quite simple and straightforward, as if he were speaking to small children.

This isn't because the author has poor writing skills, but because I considered that dogs have low intelligence; it's impossible to use flowery, complex language with them. I use the simplest, most direct language possible. You can interpret the scene as the protagonist trying to coax a few five- or six-year-olds; the tone naturally has to be a bit more childish.

If he were speaking to an old man or a great scholar, he would naturally be more formal and refined.

Take the protagonist's conversation with the hunter as another example. At first, he said "my lady" and so on, but the hunter kept saying "my wife, my wife." The protagonist realized this hunter was a rough, unrefined man, so he couldn't be bothered to keep up the pretense and just started saying "your wife" as well.

I don't see anything wrong with that; I don't know why anyone would complain.

Moreover, the protagonist uses formal language with NPCs mainly to facilitate communication and fit the context. But once the quest is accepted, or he realizes it's unnecessary, he sometimes can't be bothered to keep up the act. After all, maintaining formal speech is quite tiring; it's definitely easier to speak plainly. He can't be expected to be formal with everyone he meets.

Similar situations will happen in the future—one second he might be saying, "Old man, may I ask your age?" and the next, "Hey old man, hurry up, I'm in a rush."

Special note made.

3. Regarding some of the protagonist's choices.

These choices are all made after careful consideration, but sometimes I don't write out the protagonist's entire thought process.

For example, the protagonist chooses to find Ye Luo instead of Black Whirlwind to exorcise a ghost.

Hypothetical: The protagonist uses the Exorcism Technique, the ghost appears, and Black Whirlwind says, "Left, left!" shouting at thin air to help with positioning.

But such positioning wouldn't be precise. I Want to Become Immortal swings his sword—he might hit, or he might miss. Even if he gets lucky and hits, he might not kill it, and since ghosts can fly, it would just hide, and the quest would fail.

Finding Ye Luo is definitely more reliable.

So, it's not that the protagonist is stupid; it's precisely because he has thought it through.

However, it's impossible to write out the content of such deliberations every time—[The protagonist thought, if I find Black Whirlwind, then such and such...]—that would be too sluggish.

In fact, while writing, I often feel that the content is already a bit slow. Many times, when the protagonist makes a decision, I write out his thought process just to explain it to the readers, because some readers will genuinely criticize it.

Actually, I didn't use to write these things. The protagonist would just do what he wanted without much explanation. But later, as the criticism grew, I had to include the protagonist's inner thoughts in places that might be controversial.

Whether it's learning a skill or choosing equipment, the protagonist will ponder it internally to explain why he's doing it.

But I can't write out these inner thoughts every single time. For example, if the protagonist buys Steamed Buns instead of pork: [The protagonist thought, a Steamed Bun costs 5 wen and restores 10 stamina, while Wild Boar Jerky costs 25 wen and restores 50 stamina. The ratio of stamina restoration is the same, but Steamed Buns can be eaten separately. If you are missing 10 stamina and want to recover, you can just eat a bun. This makes stamina recovery more flexible, whereas the Wild Boar Jerky must be eaten all at once, so buying Steamed Buns is more convenient.]

But if I wrote out every little thing like this, it would be far too sluggish, and people would definitely say the author is padding the word count again.

Therefore, for choices that aren't very important, or choices I feel everyone can intuitively understand, I won't write out the inner monologue, even though they have definitely been considered.

Special note made.

4. Regarding being self-centered.

This self-centeredness is something everyone has to some degree. Everyone has their own ideas and believes their own ideas are correct; this is unavoidable.

I am such a person myself.

But some people mistakenly think, "Since I feel this way, everyone must feel this way, so my thoughts equal everyone's thoughts, therefore my thoughts are absolutely correct. If you don't write according to my ideas, you are an idiot, and you don't respect the readers."

"So I must criticize you, and you aren't allowed to be angry, because I am absolutely correct and I represent the 'obvious consensus of everyone'."

Uh, this is actually not the case. As an author who receives a large amount of reader feedback daily—especially since I held polls for every major choice in my previous book—I can say this: on every single choice, readers are divided into several different groups.

There is absolutely no such thing as an "obvious consensus."

Perhaps it exists on very few issues, such as the protagonist absolutely not being allowed to die.

But on most issues, readers' opinions are different.

As an author, I certainly hope to satisfy all readers, but that is absolutely impossible to achieve.

Take the main plot of this book, for example. I originally set up two stories—a dark path and a lighthearted path—for readers to choose from. The dark path plot was: [The protagonist is recruited by Liu Qiang, sent to the Azure Dragon Society base as cannon fodder, and then struggles to survive before finally turning the tables.]

Yes, that's the base from the prologue, the one where a huge number of people died.

And the lighthearted path is the story you are reading now.

As it turned out, the group polls ended in a tie twice, and the final decision was made based on the new book selection poll from the end of my previous work. A single vote's difference could have resulted in an entirely different story being written right now.

Therefore, everyone must understand that your choice is merely your own. As an author, it is impossible for me to satisfy everyone; I can only choose to satisfy the majority, and sometimes that majority might be as slim as 51%.

If there are more than three options, it might not even reach 50%.

In truth, my own personal preferences for what makes a story satisfying are often quite niche—not even 49%, but more like 10%. Consequently, the results of the polls often catch me off guard; the options I want to choose rarely get many votes. If I were to write exactly according to my own ideas, I suspect many would lash out, saying, "This is trash, is the author an idiot? Feeding us garbage again."

Ever since I started using this polling method, the number of people lashing out has decreased significantly, which brings me, the author, quite a bit of comfort.

The side effect is that I have developed a terminal case of decision paralysis. Sometimes, I even let the readers help choose a piece of equipment, a name, or even what the protagonist has for breakfast (usually by asking for opinions in the group; see the end for the group number).

So, when you feel that a certain part of this book doesn't align with your own ideas, before you start lashing out, please consider this possibility: your idea might just be your own, rather than an "obvious consensus."

Of course, some people just enjoy attacking the author, and there is no helping that; if one is looking for faults, they can always find them.

For instance, regarding the protagonist's choice of weapon: if I write that the protagonist learns the sword, someone will surely lash out, "Damn, the sword again? How cliché. Why does every protagonist use a sword? Can't you come up with something original?"

If I write that the protagonist uses a spear, someone might lash out, "What kind of protagonist uses a spear? Swords are so much cooler."

If I write that the protagonist uses nunchucks, "Damn, is the author an idiot? Nunchucks? What kind of protagonist uses nunchucks?"

Or, for example, now that I have posted this explanation hoping that everyone will lash out at me a little less, someone will surely lash out again, "Damn, what are you explaining for? If you have the time for this, wouldn't it be better to just write two more chapters?"

Readers are God, and as an author, I can only endure it in silence. As the saying goes, whether it is thunder or rain, all is a gift from above.

Therefore, if anyone lashes out at me in the future, I will no longer offer explanations.

This is hereby stated.

Reader Group: Baoyue Liuguang's Update Request Group.

Group Number: 625250667