Storm of Gods

Chapter 149 The Feud at Utopia
“I’m just a working person. Who’s more noble than whom? Besides, since Sister Bird Newspaper came to visit, she’s been very kind to me. Others are others, and I am me,” Li Xin said, spreading his hands.

"A working-class person?" Christie paused for a moment, then smiled, sat down in her seat, crossed her legs—it might have been just a casual gesture with no other meaning, but sexiness is innate.

Since everyone had reminded him, Li Xin felt embarrassed to look anymore, but he still felt a little regretful, having missed out on a fortune.

"The Fifth Branch had a tough start, then a boom in the middle, but in the last two years, it's been overstaffed, expenses have been high, and there are also high taxes. Now there are many newspapers in Heldan, so the competition is fierce. It's only a matter of time before we start losing money, and it will only get harder in the future. We might even lose our jobs one day." Christy picked up her delicate coffee cup, took a sip, and her beautiful eyes revealed contentment and ease.

“Isn’t Sister one of the Earth Mother Goddess’s people? It seems like you don’t need to worry about this, right?” Li Xin said.

Christie shook her head. "That's not how it works. Faith is faith, and work is work. I'm a member of the Bird Newspaper, and to be honest, it's not easy to find a job with such a high salary in Heldan."

"Hextech News has the highest brand recognition, and I think everyone is putting in a lot of effort, so why are sales declining?"

“Bird Newspaper is an outsider after all. At first, there were no competitors, so things were easy. Now that there is competition, there are more restrictions on content. On the other hand, Heldan Daily can report on anything they want. Gradually, everyone has started to make choices. In recent months, Heldan has seen the ‘Visceral Raiders’ case. We can’t report on it, but Heldan Daily reported on it, and it became the Abundance Newspaper. Our customers have dropped quite a bit,” Christie said, and briefly explained the Visceral Raiders situation. “The Undertaker is investigating, but there haven’t been any results. We have also been asked to assist in the investigation.”

"Can we start by examining the motivation?"

“It’s the right approach, but it’s not very effective. At first, we thought they were targeting the heart, since several cases involved missing hearts. But in the later cases, it turned to other parts of the internal organs. The technique was frighteningly skillful, and it seemed like they were taking them while the victims were still alive. The victims were all awakened individuals, which shows that this organization is very powerful. It’s very likely that it’s a cult preparing for some kind of ritual,” Christine said. “This is what the church is most worried about, and the public is most interested in and loves to see this kind of thing. Once the Abundance Daily reported on it, our Bird Daily stopped selling, and we suffered huge losses both ways.”

Li Xin nodded. This was indeed a troublesome matter. Moreover, once the public felt that the Bird Daily was not as good as the Herdan Daily, it would be difficult to change, and sales would continue to decline. He thought he had a secure job, but it seemed he was doomed. Would his 600 lira also be deducted?

“Since we can’t compete with the Heldan Daily in this area, perhaps we can change course. There are many areas that the public is interested in.”

“It’s easier said than done. They have the same gossip about the nobility and the daily lives of celebrities as we do. They dare to fabricate all sorts of things about us editors. They even have things we don’t have,” Christie said with a wry smile.

"Who's the boss behind the Heldan Daily? He's so powerful!"

“Prince Oliver, who is His Majesty the King’s elder brother,” Christie said.
This is truly unbeatable. The fact that they didn't directly kill the Bird Newspaper is already a huge concession. No wonder the editor-in-chief is so angry every day.

“If it’s about making money, I do have a way,” Li Xin said. “We can place advertisements in prominent positions in the newspaper, places that praise businessmen or celebrities, and let them spend money to become famous. With the current influence of Bird Newspaper, we can actually make quite a bit of money.”

Christine, who had been somewhat nonchalant, paused, "Bird News mainly makes money by selling newspapers. What do you call this?"

"Advertising space, or rather, celebrity spots, others pay for it, we help promote it, and we all make money together."

Christine's eyes lit up. "Interesting, we could definitely give it a try. But if we can do it, others can too."

“There’s no way around it, competition is inevitable, and only those who are truly strong can succeed,” Li Xin nodded. “I have a somewhat immature idea that I’d like to try. Back in Tianjing, I was a literature enthusiast and loved writing novels. I wonder if it could be serialized in our Bird Newspaper?”

“A novel? A story? You?” Christie laughed. She knew that Li Xin had spent some time at the Tianjing Academy of Religion and was a newcomer to the Night Patrol. Even if he was said to be exceptionally talented and strong, writing a novel?
“Little brother, it’s not that your older sister doesn’t want to help you, but the Bird Newspaper’s censorship is very strict, and the space is limited. Short paragraphs don’t make a story, and long paragraphs don’t even have enough space. Can you do something short, concise, and engaging?” Christie said, her tone becoming a little unserious again.

Li Xin shook his head. "Sister, short stories can't be concise. If you're going to write, write something long and sustained. That way, you can keep the enjoyment going. I'll write a paragraph first, and you can take a look. Let the editors take a look too. If it's not good, that's fine. If it is, we'll talk about it later."

"Oh, when?"

“I can do it now. Actually, the story is already in my head. I can write it here,” Li Xin said. The main reason was that the environment here was good, and there was paper, pen, coffee, and beautiful women to keep me awake. In addition, he had already thought of the story. He had read many stories in his previous life, but there was only one suitable for Dao Yuan because the overall worldview was similar, and the human nature was the same.

"Are you serious?" Christie looked at Li Xin incredulously... Is this kid that special?

Li Xin nodded. "Could you please find me a table, paper, pen, and a typewriter?" "Yes, I have all of those. You don't need to go anywhere else; you can just write here." Christie pointed to the table next to her, which was covered with materials. "I'll tidy up this place and have someone bring in a table. I'll also report your idea to the president. If it's approved, you'll have done a great job."

“What do you mean, ‘my idea’? This is our idea,” Li Xin corrected.

Christine chuckled, "You little rascal, I don't need to take advantage of you."

Li Xin looked at the sexy Christy and thought to himself, "You can have her if you want."

Christie got right to work, immediately having the table tidied up and even sending over a typewriter. Li Xin had never used one before, so the editor, Wu Su, whom he knew, enthusiastically taught him how to operate it. Li Xin tried it a few times, but it wasn't very comfortable and he needed some time to get used to it. But that didn't matter; he could start by writing an outline to unify the world setting and character settings.

The Count of Monte Cristo... count, scratch that, the Duke of Monte Cristo, the Duke sounds more powerful, definitely can't use Montcarette, Mr. Dumas, sorry, the legendary journey of Edmond Dantès will unfold on the Dao Yuan Continent.

As for whether the French Empire on the Dao Yuan Continent will leak anything, no matter how it's changed, those who know will know. Back then, Luther didn't do anything. Punishing evil and promoting good, repaying kindness and seeking revenge—every civilization likes this kind of popular and enjoyable drama. As a country with developed maritime trade, the Montcarette people won't have any obstacles to accepting it. Of course, the power system must conform to Dao Yuan, which is simple; he's a professional at that.

Once Li Xin got into it, he became very focused. He knew the story inside and out, but there were still quite a few things to adjust. In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed, and Li Xin had already written the beginning. He changed the name of the Count of Monte Cristo to the Duke of Utopia. Just to be on the safe side, he kept it a secret for peace of mind.

In terms of the story, Luther's experience is actually somewhat similar to Napoleon's. Both of them started a revolution, and at their peak, they also had some similarities with Napoleon's Hundred Days. That's enough. The best thing about a novel is that it allows readers to find some traces of the past.

Unbeknownst to Li Xin, the editors outside were all gossiping, wondering what he was doing. But no one dared to actually tease Christine. After all, Christine was the president's person, and her status was special. Gossiping behind her back and even disrespectful glances might be unavoidable, but to her face, they would address her respectfully as "Miss Christine" this and "Miss Christine" that.

Christie has already reported to the president, but the president is too lazy to deal with such trivial matters. Advertising is an idea, but finding advertisers is also a problem, and the president will definitely have to handle it personally.

Ma Zhe, the president of the newspaper, was no sham. He immediately had several target customers in mind. The only thing that bothered him was that once the business was successful, the Herdan Daily would definitely follow suit. The other party had more resources, and it was more painful for the competitor to make money than for him to lose money.

Li Xin wrote very carefully, using the common language of Daoyuan, and there was even an outline on the paper. His handwriting was quite beautiful, and Christie had been looking at it for a while. This kid was serious.

Christie had nothing else to do at the moment, so she picked it up and looked at it, and soon she became engrossed in it...

Before he knew it, the afternoon had passed. Li Xin stretched and felt a little refreshed. Once he got used to the typewriter, his typing speed would be even faster. Damn it, his thoughts were flowing like a spring.

"Finished writing?" Christie asked with a smile.

Li Xin nodded. "The beginning is written, but it still needs to be proofread."

Christy looked Li Xin up and down. "I've read it. It's very interesting. It might actually work. You write it first, and I'll discuss it with the editor-in-chief. We'll try to get a large section for you in the weekend edition. Remember to make it a climax. Let's give it a shot!"

"Thank you, sister."

"You have a sweet tongue, but you can't write here anymore. You can borrow the typewriter and take it home."

Li Xin didn't stand on ceremony or ask about royalties. After all, they were all on his side, so he wouldn't treat them unfairly. Even if it was for the sake of his job, he couldn't let the newspaper go bankrupt. Besides, he had great faith in sales; after all, it was a miracle that history had witnessed.

I'll use the pen name Wutuoshan.

(End of this chapter)