1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Just as Michelle was pondering who to ask for a letter of recommendation, two hurried figures finally arrived in London after a long journey.

Euston Station is one of the busiest places in London, constantly churning out huge amounts of smoke and crowds.

(Euston Arch at Euston Station, with horse-drawn carriages in the foreground. This arch was built in 1838 and demolished in the 1960s. The station was completed in July 1837, a few months earlier in the story.)

Modern Britain benefits from being a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. In this era, everything is changing rapidly.

In 1836, which was last year, the train routes from London to Greenwich and Birmingham were opened.

Steam trains officially became an important part of transportation in this era.

These steam locomotives, billowing black smoke and making tremendous noises, could reach top speeds of 20-30 miles per hour. Although only as fast as the Emma in later national standards, they represented the fastest speeds of their time.

This year, the long-distance train station was officially completed. It adopts a classical Greek style and has quickly become one of London's iconic buildings.

Bella LeBlanc and her daughter Anna helped each other out of the semi-open third-class carriage.

London gave the newcomer mother and daughter a rude awakening.

"Cough cough cough."

As soon as they got off the bus, they were choked by a smell that was a mixture of coal ash, horse manure and damp fog, and they coughed repeatedly.

Yes, authentic London flavor.

The fresh air in Wilkesworth is a luxury to be had here.

As you continue walking, a life completely different from the tranquility of the small town suddenly comes into view.

The station was bustling with noise. The porters chanted their work songs, and the whirring of the steam locomotives, along with the conversations of men and women, all combined to create a huge wave of sound.

Bella instinctively gripped Anna's arm, her face, already weary from the journey, filled with unease and confusion.

Everything here is completely different from the life they are familiar with.

Tall, somber buildings blocked out the light, and countless horse-drawn carriages clattered along the streets. Pedestrians hurried by, each with an indifferent expression on their face.

This is London.

"Mom, let's find a place to rest first, and then go find a bookstore. We'll be able to find Michel's works there."

Anna's voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to calm down and told her mother about the upcoming arrangements.

This young woman was in the prime of her life, tall with bright blue eyes and long hair. If you looked closely, she bore an 80% resemblance to Michelle, only her facial features were more delicate.

Bella nodded, approving of her daughter's arrangement. Anna helped her, carefully avoiding the filth on the ground and the reckless carriage.

They should have arrived much earlier.

But traveling far is never something you can just do on a whim. They spent a considerable amount of time at home taking care of some necessary chores before setting off.

The bumpy and crowded journey had almost exhausted Bella and Anna's energy.

After settling into a reasonably clean little hotel, the two of them, without even taking a break, immediately went out to look for a bookstore.

Soon, they found a bookstore on a relatively clean street.

The bookstore window was filled with all kinds of books and periodicals, and the warm yellow light made it feel cozy in the gloomy weather.

Despite feeling a sense of awkwardness and unease, like a country bumpkin entering the city, Anna took a deep breath and pulled her mother inside.

"Hello, do you have the latest issue of the London Express?" Anna's voice was nervous.

The bookstore owner was a thin, elderly man wearing glasses. He looked up from behind the counter, glanced at them, and pointed to a row of newspapers next to him.

"Over there, one penny a serving."

Anna quickly went over, counted out a copper coin from her pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper, then picked up a newspaper.

Her heart was pounding. She couldn't wait to see Michel's work!

Anna and her mother found a corner and eagerly unfolded the newspaper.

The newspaper was very large, densely packed with text.

Anna's gaze swept across the page, from the front-page news to the GG in the corner, leaving no corner unchecked. Bella joined her, also trying to decipher the tiny print.

Time passed by, second by second.

Anna flipped through the entire newspaper twice, even carefully reading the missing person notice in the middle, but she still couldn't find the name "Michelle LeBlanc".

"No... How could there be no?" Anna's beautiful brows furrowed, and the expectation on her face was gradually replaced by disappointment.

Bella snatched the newspaper and read it over from beginning to end herself.

The result was the same.

Not to mention Michel's article, even his name has never appeared.

A chill ran through Bella's heart. Could it be... that Michelle was lying to them?

"I knew it... I knew things wouldn't be that simple!" Bella's voice was low and filled with disappointment and pain.

"Writing articles for a newspaper? And getting paid in advance? What kind of good deal is that! Did he do something shady in London and make up this lie to avoid worrying us?"

Her voice began to tremble, and her eyes reddened. The blow of her workshop's bankruptcy had made her exceptionally sensitive and suspicious.

My mind started to wander to the worst possible outcome...

Could her son have obtained those twenty shillings through some dishonest means? The thought of this possibility caused her heart to ache as if it were being cut by a knife.

"Mom, please don't think like that! Michel isn't that kind of person! He wouldn't lie to us!" Anna quickly comforted her, although she herself was also a little unsure at this moment.

"Then how do you explain this newspaper?" Bella asked, pointing at the newspaper with a pained expression.

"It's written in black and white; he's not even mentioned!"

Anna felt a pang of pain in her heart as she watched her mother on the verge of collapse. But she could only force herself to calm down and think things through carefully.

Suddenly, another possibility came to her mind.

"Mom, look." Anna pointed to the date at the top of the newspaper.

"The London Express is a weekly newspaper, published once a week. Could it be... could it be that Michel's article was published in the previous issue, or even an earlier one? The issue we bought just doesn't have his article."

This explanation is quite reasonable.

Bella's despair subsided slightly, and a glimmer of hope rekindled in her eyes.

Yes, the newspaper is published weekly.

Perhaps they were just unlucky and missed out.

"Then... what should we do?" Bella asked, her voice trembling with tears.

"Mom, don't worry, let's ask the boss if they still have the old newspapers."

As Anna spoke, she picked up the newspaper and walked back to the counter.

Just as she was about to ask a question, the bookstore door was pushed open, and a young man who looked like a student walked in with an excited expression on his face.

He went straight to the counter and asked eagerly, "Boss, has Mr. Michel's latest work arrived?"

Anna: ?!