Chapter Ninety-Two: Trouble Has Broken Out (Fifth Update, Seeking First Subscription)

More and more readers were tipping the author of Immortal Execution.

With the master’s generous, high-volume updates, Immortal Execution was surging through the online fiction world with unstoppable force.

Its blazing popularity breathed new life into immortal fantasy. Ten days after it went live, imitation works in the genre began appearing across every platform.

Immortal fantasy had welcomed a second spring.

And the source of it all was Immortal Execution, and the master behind it.

Inside a private room of a restaurant in the capital.

The immortal fantasy and fantasy editorial departments of ReadMore Literature had gathered together for a celebratory banquet, to toast the phenomenal success of Immortal Execution.

Company dinners among coworkers were nothing unusual, though most were held within a single department.

For ReadMore Literature to have two departments celebrating together like this was comparatively rare.

The main reason was that Immortal Execution had become an astonishing hit, already showing signs of surpassing its predecessor, Battle Through the Heavens.

Of course, it was still too early to say it had actually overtaken it. Immortal Execution had not yet opened paid reading, so the various data points could not yet be compared.

This time, apart from the two department heads who were absent, nearly all the editors from both departments had come.

Fantasy authors and immortal fantasy authors might not get along, but the editors in the two departments held no grudges. Aside from a few trivial clashes at the beginning when they had competed to win over the master, everything else had been harmonious.

The atmosphere at the banquet was excellent; after a few drinks, the conversation opened up easily.

People laughed and talked with one another, the mood warm and amiable.

Everyone was relaxed.

The most relaxed of all, without question, was the star of the gathering: the chief editor in charge of the master, Liu Da.

Liu Da was finally experiencing what it meant to stand in the spotlight, what it meant to be the center of attention.

Every editor treated him with smiles and laughter, and even while drinking they told him to know his limits.

Liu Da felt a wave of emotion.

He had risen on the back of the master’s glory, but who could have imagined that four months earlier he had still been on the verge of being dismissed?

From a fringe editor who could be fired at any time to one of the company’s hottest senior editors, he had made that leap in less than five months.

"Ah, the favored horse and the one who recognizes it," Liu Da thought with a sigh.

As for who was the favored horse and who was the selector between him and the master, who could really say?

"Old Liu, ever since the first day you joined the company, I knew you weren’t ordinary. You were never the sort to remain in a shallow pond. Sooner or later you’d leap through the dragon gate." A coworker from the fantasy department praised him sincerely.

Liu Da thought to himself: When I first joined the editorial department, you weren’t even here yet!

"Where, where, everyone is merely flattering me..." he replied modestly, though his heart told him otherwise.

You praise me once, I answer with humility; you’re happy, and I’m happy too.

That was a banquet. That was social politeness.

"Liu, I toast you. You uncovered the master and brought him to save immortal fantasy."

"To Liu, for no other reason than Immortal Execution."

Cups were raised, and everyone drank them dry.

Liu Da listened and watched, his heart glowing with satisfaction.

"Congratulations."

His old rival Wang Ke was chewing on grilled meat, speaking with his mouth full.

Unlike everyone else here, he did not envy Liu Da.

So his congratulations were genuine.

Liu Da laughed and clinked glasses with him. "The number one spot on the August download rankings is still the master’s."

He sounded very confident.

Although Immortal Execution had only gone on sale in mid-August, it could still seize the top spot.

That was how confident he was.

"Don’t celebrate too soon," Wang Ke said with a smile. "Immortal Execution is good, very good, but the master makes too many reckless moves. Killing off a beloved character is enough to drive away a lot of readers."

Though the other big author still couldn’t compare to the master yet, at least he didn’t go head-to-head with his readers.

Hearing that, Liu Da also felt a headache coming on. In truth, he had mentioned many times to Li He that he should not fight with readers; readers were the source of their livelihood.

He had spoken with sincerity, and Li He had listened very carefully. In the end, though, he only replied, "Have you ever seen a child who doesn’t annoy his parents?"

Liu Da was defeated.

What could he say?

There really were no children who never annoyed their parents. Though, to be fair, that was actually a solid argument.

It wasn’t that such children didn’t exist—just that they were rare. Clearly, the master did not think he was one of the rare few.

Though inwardly troubled, Liu Da could not sound weak out loud. "No matter how much the master angers readers, he’s still number one."

The big author may not anger readers, but he isn’t number one.

Just then, Wang Ke’s phone, lying on the table, suddenly rang.

Wang Ke picked it up, glanced at the screen, and his expression turned serious. He immediately stepped outside to answer.

Liu Da found it odd. Why had his sworn rival’s face changed the moment he saw the caller ID?

Could it be his girlfriend checking up on him?

As soon as Wang Ke left, another editor came over to chat with Liu Da.

"Brother Liu, when will the print edition of Battle Through the Heavens be released? My little nephew wants me to keep a set of the master’s signed copies for him."

Liu Da hiccuped from the liquor and said, "The master wants the print edition to include some beautiful illustrations. The company has already found an illustrator, but it’ll still take some time to finish."

The main issue was that Battle Through the Heavens had ended too quickly. From official release to completion, it took only a little over three months.

The print edition had not even settled on a publisher yet, and the online version was already finished.

As a result, even though Battle Through the Heavens had ended more than ten days ago, the printed books still had not been produced.

"The master writes too fast. If I had an author like that under me, I’d wake up laughing in my sleep," said the bespectacled editor with obvious envy.

At that moment, the private room door was pushed open. Wang Ke walked back in, clutching his phone, looking utterly at a loss.

The editors inside continued chatting and laughing, not noticing anything wrong with Wang Ke. Only Liu Da saw at a glance that his old rival was in trouble.

Liu Da apologized to the colleague beside him and went over to Wang Ke. "What’s wrong? You look like a ghost has sucked your soul out."

"I finally understand your pain," Wang Ke said miserably. "That call was from the big author. He told me he wants to take three days off and was just informing me."

"That’s not bad at all," Liu Da said, puzzled.

A writer who even remembered to inform the chief editor before taking leave sounded like a great author to him.

By comparison, if it hadn’t been for Liu Da reminding the master that long leave should ideally be reported to the editor first, the master would probably have taken time off without him ever being the first to know.

"Three days off wouldn’t be a big deal. The big author’s daily output isn’t any less than the master’s. I can understand him wanting to rest for three days."

As he spoke, Wang Ke’s face turned even more sorrowful. "But Martial World is right at a critical plot point. If he takes leave now, the readers are going to explode."

Why did that feeling seem so familiar... Liu Da had a vague sense that something was wrong, and said, "Maybe something came up at his home."

"There’s nothing wrong at his home." Wang Ke looked like a man with nothing left to live for. "He said he’s in a bad mood and needs to relax."

You may relax and feel better, but the readers are about to have a mental breakdown.

On hearing that, Liu Da’s mood instantly improved. So the big author could also anger readers.

Barely suppressing a laugh, Liu Da said, "It’s fine. I believe this won’t be the first time the big author has done something like this."

The more Wang Ke heard, the more wrong it sounded. After thinking it over again and again, his eyes turned unfriendly.

What did he mean, "this won’t be the first time the big author has done something like this"? That meant there would be more in the future, didn’t it?

Thanks a lot to your whole family!

After Liu Da’s comfort, Wang Ke’s mindset was starting to crack.

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