Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Another week has passed.

The two rivals, Weekly Bunshun and Weekly Shincho, have been locked in a fierce battle this week, their heads practically flying into a whirlwind of arguments.

Later, Nintendo's public relations department also got involved, making it a righteous two-on-one situation.

The entire media landscape has been engulfed by the popularity of Sword Art Online.

Opponents, supporters, onlookers, and opportunists—a diverse range of opinions emerged, even drawing discussion from social media outlets that don't usually pay attention to literature.

Just as people were engrossed in reading, the third printing of 100,000 copies of the new book, arranged by Shinchosha, occupied the center of major bookstores.

When people saw the brand-new, ironically-themed cover, the book's popularity among young people reached a new peak.

"Hey, isn't this the book that Sakamoto, that outdated author, is jealous of?"

"Easily succumb to a fictional world? Heh! I'll see just how easy."

"This old man is probably going to be furious. Shinchosha uses his words as a cover band and they don't even have to pay him."

"Completely devoid of literary merit. Coincidentally, I actually enjoy reading something a bit cheesy; the Tokyo Hot series is a favorite of mine..."

Middle-aged people who were originally uninterested in light novels have also become curious about this public opinion battle.

Some people stood in the bookstore, flipped through a few pages, found it surprisingly easy to read, and bought a copy on a whim; others listened to their colleagues discussing it in the company break room and then took a detour to the bookstore after get off work.

After a brief dip, the sales curve for Sword Art Online suddenly turned upwards and soared.

In the office of the Shinchosha Literature Department, the atmosphere changed from "anger" back to "elation".

Kurokawa Akuta waved his hand again.

"Tonight, it's my treat at the izakaya downstairs! All you can eat and drink!"

The cheers lifted the ceiling off.

Meanwhile, Guan Gufeng was making a phone call from home.

"Editor Ishida, I'll send the revised short story over tomorrow... You don't need to go through the trouble of making a special trip; this has already been enough for you."

The person on the other end of the phone was Shigeru Ishida, an editor at Literary World, a publication under the Literary Spring and Autumn magazine.

Guan Gufeng hung up the phone and tidied up the manuscripts on the table.

On paper, it is the plot of Yangzi's first imperial edict.

"I am willing to be the ruler of every citizen of the Qing Kingdom." The king's tone was unwavering.

"The fate of those who rely on their power to force others to kneel and trample on the dignity of others is clearly evident from the case of Sheng Hong. And what those who blindly obey and allow themselves to be trampled upon will ultimately gain is also obvious..."

This section is a concentrated expression of the core philosophy of The Twelve Kingdoms, proposing the revolutionary proposition that "man is the only sovereign of himself" and redefining "the way of the king" as "politics that guarantees individual dignity".

He had already decided on a pen name: "Guan Gu Mystery".

It's only one character different from "Guan Gu Shenqi", but they are completely different people.

He put the manuscript into a manila envelope, labeled it, and then handed the rest to editor Ishida.

A few days later, in the morning.

Literary Spring and Autumn, the editorial department of the literary world.

Sakamoto Toru practically ran into the office area, waving the latest issue of the "Bungakukai" magazine in his hand, his face beaming with fervent excitement.

"Who?" His voice echoed down the corridor. "Who's in charge of this issue of 'Literary World'?!"

Shigeru Ishida quickly walked out of the office with a professional smile on his face.

"Sakamoto-sensei, this is my assignment, what's wrong?"

Sakamoto Toru rushed forward, grabbed Ishida Shigeru's shoulders with both hands, and trembled with excitement.

"Could you get in touch with this author named 'Guan Gu Mystery'?!"

He opened the magazine, pointed to the article "King, Politics, Philosophy," and spoke at breakneck speed.

"This is wonderful! A dialogue that touches the depths of the soul, profound literary skill, and superb language technique—this is what literature should be!"

"He's a true literary genius!" Sakamoto Tetsu's eyes gleamed. "You absolutely must get in touch with him."

"Have him come to Weekly Bunshun and write a critique of Sword Art Online with me, and I'll write a recommendation for his short story!"

Shigeru Ishida didn't expect that before he even started hinting at it, Toru Sakamoto himself would get so excited.

No, no, I can't laugh now, I have to hold it in.

"Okay, Sakamoto-sensei, I'll contact this author for you."

"Hmm." Sakamoto Toru nodded in satisfaction and released Ishida Shigeru's shoulder.

He straightened his tie and walked out of the editorial department with his head held high.

The sun was shining brightly outside; it was a rare treat for Tokyo.

As Toru Sakamoto walked down the street, he felt even the air tasted sweet.

In recent days, the counterattack of "Shukan Shincho" has become weaker and weaker, and it is clear that it has run out of things to say.

That second-rate "Sword Art Online" book has probably been thrown into the warehouse by Shinchosha and is gathering dust.

He happened to pass by a bookstore and decided to go in and browse to see if there were any newly published works of pure literature.

In the very center of the bookstore stands a pale blue book tower.

There were quite a few people around, including students in school uniforms, office workers carrying briefcases, and several housewives.

Sakamoto Tetsu's heart skipped a beat. He leaned closer and saw that each book had a brand new book jacket.

"A novel that easily draws you into a fictional world." — Tetsuya Sakamoto

There is another line below.

"Thank you to Sakamoto-sensei for the strong recommendation in Weekly Bunshun." —Guan Gu Shenqi

It was followed by a classic Tieba emoticon specially drawn by Guan Gufeng.

Sakamoto Toru's blood pressure spiked instantly.

"Hahaha! Guan Gu-sensei's expression is so funny, I feel like I can see the sarcasm in it."

"Be confident, remove your feelings, and it's just sarcasm."

The boys laughed and joked as they each grabbed a book and headed towards the cashier.

As the book tower gradually disappeared, Toru Sakamoto's face flushed red.

That damned Guan Gu Qi Shen actually used his influence to sell books and even mocked him.

He turned abruptly and rushed out of the bookstore without looking back, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would tear the books to shreds with his own hands.

Sakamoto Tetsu walked briskly down the street, the cold wind fading some of the redness on his face, and he gradually calmed down.

The magazine "Weekly Shincho" has stopped paying attention to his articles, and continuing to write them would only benefit Guan Gufeng.

What other options are there?

He stopped, stood on the side of the street, and painfully pulled at his hair.

After much deliberation, he realized he had almost exhausted all his connections, leaving him with only…

He pulled a small leather business card holder from his inner pocket. The edges of the box were worn shiny; it was his "trump card" that he had treasured for many years.

Inside were business cards of various important figures; each time one was used, another one was gone.

Now, only one card remains.

He opened the box and took out the business card.

Hideichi Yoshimura, producer at TV Asahi in Tokyo.

This is his last chance.

He looked at the phone booth on the street, went inside, and dialed the number.

"Feed?" a lazy, impatient voice came from the other end of the phone. "Who is it?"

Sakamoto Tetsu's back involuntarily bent down.

"Mr. Yoshimura!" His voice was full of fawning laughter. "I am Toru Sakamoto. You invited me to your program when I was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"I vaguely remember, what's wrong?"

"That's right." Sakamoto Toru swallowed hard. "I'm going to be on Kume Hiroshi's 'News Station'."

"I want to debate with that eccentric scholar, Sekiko, who ruined the Japanese literary world! How dare he print my words on a book jacket to mock me..."

Sakamoto Tetsu became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting all over the microphone.

Since there was no way to get through print media, he decided to go live on television. After so many years as a commentator, he wanted to expose the true face of this treacherous villain on TV.

As Yoshimura Shuichi listened on the other end of the phone, he had no interest whatsoever in the ramblings of that outdated old man, Sakamoto Toru. He was only interested in one thing.

Ratings.

What can bring him ratings?

The "literary dregs" that Sakamoto Toru called it, and the instigator of it all, Guan Gu Shenqi.

He had been keeping a close eye on this media frenzy, and originally thought that the weekly magazine Shincho was going to admit defeat, but he didn't expect them to play this reverse thinking trick and turn their opponent's words into a promotional blurb.

This is much more interesting than those commonplace political scandals.

His eyes gradually became excited, and his voice became seductive.

"In that case, let me confirm again: is Professor Sakamoto going to be on our program to bring hope to the literary world?"

As he spoke, he gestured to his assistant to find Guan Gu's magical contact information.

"right."

"Isn't it a bit monotonous for Sakamoto-sensei to appear on the show alone?"

"right."

"Then I'll invite Professor Guan Gu as well, so you can confront him face to face in front of the entire nation, how about that?"

"That's absolutely right!"