I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 173 Failure and the Boiling Point of Paris
When "The Insulted and Hurt" reached its climax, "Around the World in Eighty Days," which was far away in Paris, was also nearing the end of its serialization.

After all, new content was being serialized every day, with only Sundays or other holidays or unexpected events being possible for a one-day break. In addition, "Around the World in Eighty Days" was a rather fast-paced novel, so it seemed that the novel was about to come to an end after only about two months of serialization.

When Alexandre Dumas, who had been closely following the novel, learned of this, he was heartbroken.

"Foolish! Foolish indeed! Given the current popularity of this novel, how could it end after only a short time? If it were me, I would definitely add several new characters to each region and fill in a lot of new plots, and in the process, I could add all sorts of details!"
For example, they would meticulously describe what they ate and drank, and then write long passages about the scenery along the way, as well as various small things about their daily travels.
"Turgenev, convey all my opinions to that Mikhail! He's too honest; this won't do!"

Such a reaction is certainly not fake. After all, given the current popularity of "Around the World in Eighty Days" in Paris, it seems that it can be compared with his "The Count of Monte Cristo"!
While others may not know how much money The Count of Monte Cristo can make, surely he himself knows?

Those are all bright, shiny francs!

Dumas offered his advice based on his own experience, and normally, newspapers would undoubtedly despise such fraudulent practices as demanding payment for articles. However, during one meeting, Girardin, the editor of *Le Soir*, pulled Turgenev aside for a private conversation:

"I also feel it's a real shame that it ends like this. I really love this novel and want to see more of it, so I'm willing to try my best to extend the length of the novel and get more royalties for Mr. Mikhail!"

Therefore, please feel free to contact Mr. Mikhail! It would be best to add several more months' worth of material!

Of course, while that sounds nice, the real reason is that the novel had already brought nearly five thousand subscribers to the Century News during its serialization! The magazine's profits have been soaring recently, so how could they possibly want the novel to end so soon?

As for a more palatable way of putting it, it would definitely be to win over the author and let him know that the Century newspaper values ​​and respects him!
Turgenev, who had been closely following the book's progress, was well aware of its potential. After listening to others' opinions, he immediately wrote to Mikhail to inquire whether he wanted to extend the story further or, while the story was still going strong, create a sequel to "Around the World in Eighty Days."

In response to this suggestion, Mikhail simply replied:
"No need, let's leave it at that. The story ends here perfectly."

When Mikhail's reply arrived, Alexandre Dumas was quite disappointed upon hearing the news, while Giradan was puzzled. Why would someone refuse such a free lunch?

As for the other insider, Professor Balzac, upon hearing the news, he first shook his head in bewilderment and said, "How could there be such a fool?"

After turning his head away, he couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead. With a sigh of relief, a rare look of joy appeared on Balzac's face.

That was close! I almost witnessed a young man in his early twenties achieve financial freedom!

So young, it would be good if you weren't in debt. What's the point of achieving financial freedom?!

Young people should experience all the hardships in the world in order to achieve something!
Faced with such a reaction from the crowd, although Turgenev was somewhat puzzled, he quickly composed himself and said calmly, "Gentlemen, money is probably the last thing Mikhail cares about! He has very unique insights into this matter, as you can see from 'The Necklace' and 'My Uncle Jules'."

Although many people are skeptical of Turgenev's claim, given the existence of those two novels, many others believe that such a thing is indeed possible.

It is worth mentioning that, since I read "My Uncle Jules" to George Sand and Balzac last time, this novel was also published in a Parisian literary magazine very quickly.

Even Balzac, who was known for his critical eye, had to admit that this was indeed a very good literary work, and even in today's French literary scene, it could be considered of excellent quality.

Because the serialization of "Around the World in Eighty Days" brought Mikhail great fame, even ordinary people in Paris would specifically look for the issue of the literary magazine containing the article and read it with great interest after the novel was published.

Articles like "My Uncle Jules" resonate most deeply with ordinary citizens. After all, how could the life of someone who is busy day and night to make a living and even has to haggle over small amounts of money not be a true reflection of the lives of ordinary citizens?

After many readers finished reading the novel, the question of who was right and who was wrong between the Philippe family and Uncle Jules became a hot topic in magazines and newspapers. At the same time, many critics in Paris were also analyzing and discussing the novel with great interest.

"In my opinion, this novel has a similar theme to Balzac's 'Old Goriot,' but compared to the upper class depicted in 'Old Goriot,' this novel focuses on the erosion of society and ordinary people by money. Such a perspective is undoubtedly ahead of its time. How could a Russian have such insight?"

"Truly rare! How could someone from a slave-owning country possess such profound insights into certain things?"

"It's not incomprehensible; his writing has already reached back to 1872! To be honest, the more I read his novel, the more I felt that the future might really be like that, or at least very similar! With such keen insight, I think it's quite normal for him to write 'My Uncle Jules.'"

"Don't mention 'Around the World in Eighty Days' again! In my opinion, apart from pandering to readers, this novel has almost no literary value! Only God knows why such a novel with no literary merit is so popular!"

I had assumed this author had quickly fallen into corruption due to money after "The Necklace," but "My Uncle Jules" completely changed my opinion of him.

"To be able to write such a wonderful novel in French, his French proficiency must be no less than that of his native language."

With such praise, there are naturally no shortage of negative voices, but as a currently popular figure in Paris, the negative news about Mikhail doesn't really cause much of a stir anymore. After all, putting aside his success, he's not even in Paris yet!

What's the point of saying more?

While discussions about the novel "My Uncle Jules" continue in Parisian literary circles, the debate surrounding "Around the World in Eighty Days" has become a major focus of recent discussions in Parisian magazines.

Putting aside other matters, at least whenever Turgenev and Belinsky went on field trips, they would hear this kind of sound in the streets, cafes, and taverns:
"Where's the Century Newspaper? Give me a copy right now!"

"Which son of a bitch is pushing me? Ouch! Give me a copy of the Century!" "Merde! Why are there no more copies?! Couldn't you have brought a few more?! Has anyone gotten one? Tell me about today's events!"

"Hurry up and tell me! I need to get to work right away. If I don't hear it, I won't be able to concentrate all day! I might even get fired for being distracted!"

"Where's the story going? Sigh! The closer we get to the end, the more trouble we encounter! To be honest, I'm starting to admire that Englishman a bit; after all, it's the Englishman's money we're winning. That damn detective, it's all because of him!"

Undoubtedly, the novel becomes increasingly suspenseful for many readers as it progresses, to the point that readers now have no idea whether Mr. Fogg will actually succeed.

Despite someone's assurance: "Don't worry! Things have come to this point, how could he dare let Mr. Fogg fail? If he really does fail, I'll be the first to object! I'll storm into his house and give him a good beating!"

However, the latest episode seems to have thoroughly slapped them in the face.
It's worth mentioning that the main plot of "Around the World in Eighty Days" is basically over. In short, after Mr. Fogg and his servants set off, a detective who suspects Mr. Fogg is a thief followed them. In order to wait for the arrest warrant, this detective named Fix kept following Fogg and his group and even tried to turn the servant Passepartout against them.

During this process, Fogg and his group rescued Aouda, a widow in India who was being forced to commit suicide, and encountered a series of troubles such as delays, robbery, and missing their ship.

Mikhail did add some content to certain parts of the story himself, as "Around the World in Eighty Days" has its limitations. For example, the novel describes the barbaric and backward practice of human sacrifice in India, but does not delve into the major shortcomings of Britain's colonial policies.

Britain certainly had a lot of experience in colonization. A common method was to let locals govern locals. In order to prevent the locals from uniting and rebelling, Britain actually reinforced many backward customs in the colonies.

After all, what need is there for civilization in a colony? It's best to maintain its barbaric and backward primitive appearance.

In this part, Mikhail undoubtedly added some details without affecting the story, especially regarding the Opium War. Besides that, another important point is:

"Who do you think the spoils of plunder end up in? As you can see, famine is still raging in England, and the people in the factories will never be able to escape poverty."

Of course, there wasn't much discussion, but Parisians undoubtedly enjoyed this part of the content. As they watched, some citizens even sarcastically shouted in bistros or cafes:
"Do you think only the British are like this? The French are the same! And the Russians even more so! The author of this novel is truly 'malicious'!"

During their field research, Turgenev and Belinsky did indeed hear such comments. Whenever this happened, Belinsky couldn't help but smile with delight: "That's right! That's Mikhail! Even in the simplest of articles, one can always see his undisguised sense of justice and clear stance!"

While Turgenev didn't quite manage a happy smile, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Yes, it wouldn't be Mikhail if it weren't written like this."

The reason why the latest chapter seems to have proven many readers wrong is because in the recent chapters, Fogg and his group finally reached the final stage of their journey, and the detective Fix, who had been following them, finally revealed his identity and arrested Fogg.

Although it was discovered within hours that the real robbers had been apprehended and Mr. Fogg was acquitted after his arrest, this had indeed wasted crucial time. Therefore:
At three o'clock, Phileas Fogg spoke a few words to the driver, promised him a bonus, and then Mr. Fogg, along with Mrs. Aouda and his faithful servant, took the train and sped off to London.

The train had to travel the entire length of the railway from Liverpool to London within five and a half hours. If it didn't stop along the way, it was quite possible to reach London in time. However, there were some delays along the way, and when the gentleman arrived at the final station, all the clocks in London showed ten minutes to nine. Phileas Falk had completed his journey around the world, but he was five minutes late! ..."

what?
Are you kidding me? !

At the time of this issue's release, people in the streets and alleys of Paris, in the cafes and bars, in the homes of many residents, and even in some luxurious mansions, were all restless.

Some people stood frozen in place, newspapers in hand, completely forgetting they were supposed to be at work. Coffee and alcohol were suddenly spilled on their clothes, but they didn't react at all. Others, in a fit of anger, simply threw their things on the ground.
"My God?! What is he doing?! He really didn't make it?"

"Where is the author? What is the author trying to do? Can anyone tell me his address?!"

"Damn it! I knew this damn detective was going to mess things up, and of all times, it had to happen at this crucial moment!"

"My God! And here comes something even more unacceptable: guess what day of the week tomorrow is? Sunday! It's the magazine's day off! And of all times, it just happened to fall at this time?!"

"Why did this happen? After so many twists and turns, this is the ending? Isn't this Englishman going to go bankrupt and become penniless? What will he do next?"

"Having read the entire novel, it's clear that Mr. Fogg, who is usually calm and witty, is genuinely angry here. No wonder he punched that fool detective twice, given his personality!"

"Could it be that the bet really wasn't fulfilled in the end? How dare the author write such an ending? Where is he now? I want his life!"

"Take his life!"

And so, after the latest issue of Le Château de la Siècle was published, Parisians everywhere seemed to have lost their composure for some reason. Turgenev and Belinsky, witnessing this scene, were also surprised to hear familiar accents from their homeland in a foreign land.

"I want your life!"

Upon hearing these words, even Belinsky, who was feeling extremely uncomfortable abroad and longed to return home every day, couldn't help but say to Turgenev, "What kind of kind words!"

(End of this chapter)