The biggest problem with this volume was that the plot dragged on for far too long.
That was a mistake in how I structured the story. Fan fiction has to build on the original work, but I also wanted to write something of my own. As a result, I had too much to cover in this volume, and the plot grew increasingly drawn out. In the end, it ran to over 240 chapters.
The early part of the Feysac storyline didn't make for a particularly good reading experience. I had decided from the outset that [Greed]'s true identity would be Sophia. To make the twist shocking enough, I spent too much time laying the groundwork. I had actually wanted to write more about the lives of ordinary people at the bottom of society, too, but because the story kept growing longer, I ultimately had to give that up.
For the defeat of [Greed], I wanted to write a pursuit that went all the way from the sky to underwater. That was why I introduced the Airship at the beginning and brought in the Vogan River at the end.
Another reason the story dragged was that my updates slowed down.
Because I was starting to struggle to keep going.
I had never written a story this long before. For over a year, I had to write at least 4,000 Chinese characters every day on top of my job, and it was genuinely difficult. My inspiration, enthusiasm, and stamina were all wearing thin, and I was finding it hard to keep going both mentally and physically. Getting kidney stones at the end of March made things especially difficult. The pain and anxiety slowed my updates even further, to the point where just sitting in front of the computer during that period made