1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Michelle went directly to the office of publisher Richard Bentley.

Upon hearing Michelle's purpose for coming and his experience of being rejected for a rental in Bloomsbury, Bentley burst into laughter.

"Oh, my dear Michel, it seems you've encountered the most common, and most arrogant, threshold in London."

"These old Londoners, they clearly crave the pounds, but they still put on airs..."

"Want one? It's a new, hot item."

He took one out of the cigar box and offered it to Michelle, who naturally declined.

Bentley, however, didn't seem to mind. He lit a cigar, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke with relish, and then continued.

"You should have come to me about this sooner."

"My personal lawyer, Mr. John Field, is one of the top lawyers in all of London. His letter of recommendation is more effective than the pound sterling."

"Especially for those old Londoners who keep talking about their 'identity'..."

As he spoke, he picked up a pen and quickly began to write on a piece of letterhead with his company letterhead printed on it.

A few moments later, a letter of introduction was completed.

Bentley carefully placed the envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and stamped it with his own seal.

"Take this to Attorney Field's office. He'll give you a very strong letter of recommendation."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Bentley," Michel said sincerely.

Although their first meeting was unpleasant, Bentley's attitude underwent a complete transformation following the immense success of *A Study in Scarlet*...

Michelle suspected that even if she made some unreasonable demands, Mr. Bentley would readily agree...

"We're comrades, Michel. Your success is my success." Bentley patted him on the shoulder.

"Go quickly, go and take that apartment where you can write even more Sherlock Holmes stories!"

With Bentley's letter of introduction, Michelle easily obtained a letter of recommendation from the law firm.

In the recommender section, John Field's signature was written in a flamboyant and exaggerated style.

It's comparable to the signature on a doctor's prescription when you go to the hospital in your past life...

-----------------

Michelle returned to the house in the Bloomsbury district.

I knocked on the door, and the same apartment manager opened it.

"Sir, you're here again? I think I've made myself clear enough..."

Did you get any letters of recommendation this time?

The manager still had a smile on his face, but his impatience was obvious at a glance.

Michelle didn't say anything, but simply handed over the letter of recommendation.

It's probably not some random recommendation letter from some Tom, Dick, or Harry.

With this mindset, the manager casually took the envelope, opened it, and looked directly at the signature.

When he saw the recommender's signature, his expression froze.

"John Field... lawyer?"

He looked up and examined Michelle again, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He naturally knew Attorney Field.

This gentleman, who seems to have no outstanding qualities other than his good looks, actually managed to obtain a letter of recommendation from one of London's most famous lawyers!

His expression became serious, and his gaze returned to the letter of recommendation.

The manager read the letter quickly, and when he saw that it mentioned Michel was the author of "A Study in Scarlet," his jaw almost dropped to the floor.

This young man is actually one of the most famous writers in London right now!

"You...you are Mr. Michel LeBlanc?" The manager's voice changed, the previous arrogance vanished without a trace, replaced by almost fawning respect.

"Good heavens! Please forgive my rudeness! I was truly blind to your greatness! Please come in, sir!"

The manager's attitude changed drastically; he warmly welcomed Michel inside and personally led the way for him.

"I can guarantee that the apartment you're interested in is the best available in the entire Bloomsbury area!"

The manager led Michelle to the rented apartment.

This apartment building is a detached townhouse, a typical Georgian-style building.

And the apartment was indeed as described in the newspaper, or even better!

A spacious living room, a bright bedroom, and a completely separate study.

What pleased Michelle most was that the study window faced a small and exquisite back garden.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the desk; he could easily imagine how pleasant it would be to write here.

Gas lights throughout the house, running water and a boiler in the kitchen, a separate bathroom with a flush toilet...

All of this made Michelle extremely satisfied.

This is life!

Compared to this place, the Cohen Street loft I'm currently living in is like something out of the Stone Age...

"Speaking of which, this house was originally prepared by the landlord for his son who was going to study at Oxford. All the renovations and furniture were brand new. But his son decided to go to Paris at the last minute, so it became vacant."

The manager was enthusiastically introducing the products from the side.

"How much is the rent?" Michelle asked the most crucial question.

"Every Thursday, Guinea," the manager announced a number.

That's sixteen guineas a month, which is sixteen pounds and sixteen shillings. Over a year, the rent alone is close to two hundred pounds!

This is practically robbery.

Even for houses in this area, the maximum monthly income is 10 guineas.

It's worth noting that even Dickens's house on Dowdy Street, a four-story building with twelve rooms and a garden, only cost eighty pounds a year in rent.

This really screwed me over as the foolish son of a landlord.

Michelle frowned immediately.

Seeing Michelle's expression, the manager knew he had encountered a customer who knew his price.

I had no choice but to abandon the idea of ​​trying to profit from both sides and honestly quote a price.

He immediately added, "Of course, Mr. Michel, you are a distinguished guest, and we can discuss the price further..."

After some haggling, using her growing fame as leverage, Michelle finally negotiated a price of a few dozen nibs per month.

That is, ten pounds and ten shillings.

Even so, the annual rent is as high as £126.

In addition, there's a monthly water fee of two shillings...

Michel felt a pang of regret, but looking at the perfect living environment, he gritted his teeth and decided to rent it.

Sign the contract, pay the deposit, and prepay three months' rent.

When Michel emerged from the apartment, the pounds in his pocket had transformed into a lease agreement and a brass key.

Looking at his empty wallet, he did the math: he had wired 100 pounds home, given his sister 20 pounds, and now he had spent 42 pounds on rent.

Michelle, who thought she was a millionaire just a few days ago, suddenly found herself with less than ten pounds in cash.

Looks like I'll be writing another book.

Indeed, poverty is the greatest motivation for writing books...

PS:

Thank you "Crayon Shin-chan" for the 333 Qidian Coins reward!

Thank you to "鵹鱼鲜闲嫌" for 2 monthly tickets, thank you to "梨乃酱" for 1 monthly ticket, and thank you to "接引众生" for 1 monthly ticket~