Fantasy Writers 1860

The first to stand up was Roderick, the "Front Page" of the second squad, a middle-aged man in his forties with a deep scar on his face, who exuded a chilling aura.

"This is a typical satirical novel." His tone was firm. "It's the story of a poor boy who is treated like royalty by the entire society because of a one-million-pound note. It's an almost blatant satire of materialism. In a money-obsessed society, people only recognize money and not people."

“I agree with Roderick,” Margaret, the “title page” author of the Fifth Squad, continued. “But this book is not just a satire of materialism, it also satirizes the aristocracy and the so-called upper class.”

"The so-called upper-class figures in the book reveal their fawning faces when they see a million pounds, even going so far as to fabricate a backstory for Henry, claiming they even held Henry as a child—it's utterly absurd. The author uses exaggeration to expose the hypocritical nature of the so-called high society," Howard also offered his opinion.

Several more people stood up, and what they said was pretty much the same: materialism, social satire, ridicule of the aristocracy, money corrupts people... it was all the same stuff over and over again.

Lily listened, her face expressionless, but she was somewhat disappointed inside.

They were all right, of course, but in Lily's opinion, as a battle librarian, this level of "correctness" was still somewhat insufficient.

They spend their days surrounded by magical books and have mastered much of their power, yet their understanding of "The Million Pound Note" is no different from that of any ordinary reader who has ever read the book.

"Lily, tell me your thoughts." Disiffi's gaze fell on her.

Lily paused for a few seconds, then spoke: "I think the real concept reflected in this book is the power of social consensus. The reason why the protagonist, Henry, was able to thrive with an unredeemable banknote is not because of the banknote's intrinsic value, but because everyone believed it had 'value.'"

"This belief is not based on rational judgment, but on a consensus, a consensus that resembles a collective illusion. It is a social consensus that the rich deserve respect, and when they believe that Henry is a rich man, they will unconsciously give him extra treatment."

"The power of this consensus was also concretely demonstrated in the Samuel case."

The hall was silent for a few seconds.

"Well said." Disiffi nodded without saying anything more, but everyone present could sense that she was also somewhat dissatisfied with the superficial understanding of the previous people.

"Polina, and you?" Disiffi turned to Polina.

Polina paused for a moment, then stammered, trying to get away with it by feigning ignorance: "I... I think what Sister Lily said makes a lot of sense, that's what I think too, hehe..."

Disifei sighed, her gaze as kind as that of a homeroom teacher looking at a student whose grades had plummeted due to addiction to mobile phones.

So he didn't press her further, and instead said to everyone, "Now that everyone has shared their views, I'd like to share my understanding."

The whole place fell silent.

"I have seen too many kind people become cold-blooded for money; an upright person bows down to profit. Money, which was originally just a medium created by mankind to facilitate transactions, has instead enslaved its creator."

"To use a concept I recently learned about, this is alienation. Workers are alienated by the products of their labor; human nature is externalized into the power of things, which in turn dominates the person themselves."

She looked around: "Therefore, I think the core of this work is a critique of how money alienates humanity. It tells us a simple truth: it is not money that has value, but rather human labor and creation that give money its value. When we forget this, money becomes the shackles that enslave us."

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the conference room.

"As expected of the dean!"

"That's so profound!"

"This is true understanding!"

"Dean, I understand now. So that's how it is. From this perspective, the story reflects more than just the worship of money; it's a deeper critique of this social consensus..."

Lily nodded inwardly. Disilife's approach from this angle was indeed much more sophisticated than the clichés of the others.

This is probably the interpretation that best captures the essence of the "Million Pound Note" concept.

"Thank you." Disifi nodded slightly, accepting the praise without any modesty. "Is there anyone else who would like to share?"

"I think everyone has underestimated this work." Dorian slowly raised his hand.

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Actually, it can be understood more deeply."

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Several combat librarians even secretly chuckled.

Dorian: ?

What does this mean? Isn't this supposed to be a free discussion? What are you laughing at?

"What do you, a mere office worker, know about magical books?" Roderick, sitting in the front row, said rudely. "We battle librarians deal with magical books every day and have a good understanding of their power, which is why we can assert that this magical book is intellectually barren. Who do you think you are, daring to spout such nonsense here?"

"As the Dean said at the beginning, the understanding of magical books largely determines a librarian's ability." Margaret's tone was gentle and her words were quite polite, but the meaning was the same as Roderick's: "We have rich experience in interpreting and understanding magical books. Please don't easily dismiss our professionalism based on your amateurishness."

“You’re quite right, Miss Margaret.” Dorian nodded. “Depth of understanding really does determine a lot, which is why I said you all underestimated ‘The Million Pound Note.’ This novel actually has much more to offer.”

Roderick's face darkened. "What do you mean? Are you saying that we battle librarians are incompetent?"

"It's not that it can't be done, it's that it's not deep enough, it can be done much deeper."

The audience erupted in uproar once again.

Some people had already started yawning, clearly thinking that this arrogant clerk was just trying to attract attention and that what he would say next would simply be a repetition of what others meant.

"Alright, then tell us your brilliant ideas, we're all ears." Roderick crossed his arms, his face full of disdain.

Dorian stood up and opened the book of "The Million Pound Note" to a page with an illustration of the banknote.