Ashen Dust Falls's Million-Yuan Alliance, an Explanation of "Filler," and a Long Message of Thanks

Thank you to "Ashen Dust Falls" for the million-yuan red envelope, making him the Silver Alliance Leader of the True Martial World!

Ash Buffet is awesome!

Four updates completed for today!

Including the three updates yesterday, that's a total of seven updates over two days.

Let's talk about book reviews! Let's talk about the so-called "padding"!

I've read a lot of Zhenwu's book reviews, and I've even browsed a few non-official reading apps.

The silkworm cocoon has a few words to say.

The silkworm knows that writing a book requires a detached and unaffected mind. I thought I had cultivated myself quite well, but people keep tirelessly reading my book reviews, and after reading so many, I really can't calm down anymore.

Therefore, these words had to be said.

When I write a book, I don't pursue how many plot points are included in a chapter; I pursue whether my writing is engaging.

When I wrote Martial Peak, some people said that the later parts of Martial Peak were deliberately padded with words to delay the game's release. Anyway, let them drag it out.

However, the game version of Martial Universe hasn't been released yet (it's only going to be officially released on January 12th, which is ten days away), while Martial World has already been completed for half a year.

I've finished writing what I needed to write. Even though the developers really wanted me to continue developing a larger map and prolonging the Wuji arc, I didn't write anything. Why? It's not some lofty sentiment of a writer; it's just that I felt it wouldn't look good if I developed another map and wrote about it!

I'm a straightforward person. I'll write about things I think are good, and I won't write about things I don't think are good. It's that simple.

No one in this world wants "True Martial World" to be recognized more than I do; I would never intentionally ruin my own novel.

Would I pad my word count for money?

Let me explain to everyone that some authors who have achieved some success primarily earn their income from selling book copyrights.

Silkworm cocoons also belong to this group of people.

Copyright is a one-off transaction; once the contract is signed, a copyright fee is collected. After that, regardless of the book's length, the copyright fee remains the same.

The copyright for "True Martial World" was sold six months before I started writing the book.

In other words, regardless of the length of time "True Martial World" is playing, a large portion of the income it will bring me is already fixed, because the price has already been set and written into the contract.

I quickly finished writing "True Martial World," then started another book, and wouldn't that allow me to sell the copyright for the next one? Actually, the contracts for the next book of "True Martial World," and the one after that, have already been signed.

Some might ask, doesn't the contract specify a word count?

The rule states that <True Martial World> requires a minimum of two million words. Two million words? Do I really need to pad it out to reach that?

Isn't this an insult to cows?

The silkworm cocoon wasn't thinking about finishing True Martial Arts early to start the next book.

I still want to write Zhenwu in a down-to-earth manner. I want to be responsible for myself and for everyone, so I won't pad the word count for money. Writing a long Zhenwu novel would be going against money.

I named my new book "True Martial World" because I wanted to depict a complete and detailed world. This is my writing style for "True Martial World". I feel that current fantasy novels are a bit formulaic and superficial. What I'm writing is still traditional fantasy. I don't have high expectations. I just want people to be able to read it and say, "This book is readable and can make you happy." That's enough for me.

I know I write slowly, that's all I can do. I'm not trying to keep you in suspense. When I really can't fit a chapter in a separate section, I usually update it earlier or combine two chapters into one.

If you're not satisfied with what you've read and want more, I really can't satisfy you all. This is my writing speed; if I write too fast, it will crash.

I hope everyone can be more tolerant and understanding.

Please do not leave comments in the book review section threatening me not to subscribe and to go read DB.

I know that book reviews (DB) are rampant. I even know that some readers subconsciously feel that reading is about appreciating the author, and that reading DB is the only normal thing to do. Perhaps, by finding fault with a book and reading DB, they find a reason to justify their actions and feel at ease.

Sometimes, I feel the author is quite tragic. With DB (a popular online forum) around, a few readers feel they've got the author's Achilles' heel. Even with the official version, there's the existence of "bonus coins," which aren't counted as royalties at all.

As I said in my acceptance speech when the silkworm cocoons were put on the shelves, I'm not in the cultural industry; I'm in the service industry.

I serve my readers and hope they are satisfied.

I hope my service is perfect, and that I treat my readers as my priority.

But I am not a beggar.

Respecting readers doesn't mean I'll grovel and beg for a subscription.

I put in my labor and get paid in return; it's a fair trade, just like earning money through a job.

For me, each reader who subscribes is not just about a few dollars a month, but a valuable affirmation and support, which is the driving force behind my writing!

Let me reiterate what I said at the beginning: my primary purpose in writing books is to make them entertaining. This is my principle and pursuit as an online novelist.

Even DB's readers are the same people served by Cocoon.

I even asked some thirteen or fourteen-year-old kids who never subscribe to the game if they thought there was anything wrong with Zhenwu.

I've always strived to improve my work, so please don't criticize the author after reading the DB (Description of the Author's Work). If we compare silkworm cocoons to running a restaurant, then I'm essentially treating everyone to a free meal with a smile, and then asking you after you've finished eating if you enjoyed it.

The only request from the silkworm cocoon is that, for those of you who aren't waiting to read the book on the official website, please don't beat me up after you've finished eating, otherwise it will affect my enthusiasm for cooking.

This requirement... isn't too high, is it?

This chapter took me so long to write, almost half of it. As someone who's terrible at writing, it really breaks my heart. I wish it could be turned into the main text of a novel.

But... I still have to say it, because some book reviews made me really conflicted when I wrote them, and I just had to get it off my chest.

In short, this is the style of Zhenwu. I didn't intentionally keep everyone in suspense; I just tried my best to make the chapters enjoyable. Some readers say it's padded, perhaps because they feel it's not satisfying enough. But if you read it all together, you won't feel that way.

Last and most importantly!

After the fourth watch -- Please vote with monthly tickets!!!!!

I'm asking for monthly votes because I'm seeking motivation. This is the third time I've stated that I write books to make them enjoyable; that's my ultimate goal!

Someone asked, "Don't you care about royalties?"

Manuscript fees are a means of making a living, and of course they are essential; however, manuscript fees are not what I "pursue"!

For example, monthly tickets are practically equivalent to having no money for silkworm cocoons. Silkworm cocoons ask for monthly tickets because they are seeking recognition.

This chapter is free.

Thanks again to Ash for the million-strong support.

Thank you to every reader who voted, tipped, or subscribed!

Please save your monthly pass for me!

.

(To be continued~^~)