An hour and a half later, George Martin set down "I'm a Great Mage" with a constipated look on his face.
This...
Is this what's popular in fantasy novels these days?
It certainly has its unique appeal compared to traditional fantasy literature.
There's an off-beat charm about it.
It feels like someone mashed a knock-off version of "The Count of Monte Cristo" into the setting of "Hundred Years of Solitude".
But,
Is this still a fantasy novel?
Where's the grand and rich world-building, the rigorously defined power systems, the intricate and refined plot?
Even the author of "Lord of Light", the most heretical work in fantasy literature, wouldn't dare to write like this!
After much hesitation, he still picked up the phone, ready to contact Robert Jordan, currently the most revered figure in fantasy literature, hailed as the second Tolkien.
He's also the author of the best-selling series "The Wheel of Time" in recent years.
He hoped to leverage Jordan's prestige and standing among fantasy readers to critique "I'm a Great Mage" and prevent the genre from straying off course.
But at this moment, the object of his critique, Wang Jian, was standing outside his apartment with a twisted expression, watching two black kids who had just run past.
Because these kids were shouting lines from "I'm a Great Mage" as they ran:
"Eldest Prince, how dare you touch my woman!"
"Satan, you're no match for me. For your daughter's sake, Mike, I'll spare your life."
This gave Wang Jian the urge to run back into his apartment.
But he couldn't skip out on his community service.
So, he grabbed a cap, pulled the brim down low, and made quick strides toward the check-in point.
At the check-in, he could still see several inmates holding "I'm a Great Mage", gathered together discussing a rapper shooting incident.
"I totally get why those two guys shot him," said a young white man covered in tattoos. "After finishing this book, all I wanted to do besides buying a burrito was to find my old boss and beat him up while asking, 'You looked down on me in the past, do you regret it now?'"
Another young man said, "Yeah, this book is super exciting. I'll tell you, I read it even when I'm eating, and my girlfriend thought I wanted to go to college!"
"Right, this book is cool."
"Especially that last line, 'My fate is in my hands, who is Heaven to judge.' That's just too cool."
Wang Jian pretended not to hear and found a secluded spot to squat down quietly.
Too damn embarrassing.
Unexpectedly, an inmate he hardly interacted with approached to start a conversation.
"Hey, Wang," he said, pointing to the author's section of "I'm a Great Mage". "This writing, it's the Chinese you understand, right? How do you pronounce it?"
"Wang Jian," Wang Jian replied helplessly.
"Wang Jian?" The inmate mimicked awkwardly, then suddenly asked, "Sounds a lot like your name, doesn't it? Do you know him?"
"Don't know him," Wang Jian quickly shook his head, feeling it would be embarrassing enough to know someone praising the book.
To have a discussion with someone about the author felt just weird.
So, he told the inmate, "This book is so dumb, you shouldn't even bother with it."
Who knew that the inmate, who had been quite friendly just moments ago, suddenly stood up.
Then he said with all seriousness, "This is literature, this is art. You can't demean it; it's the best novel ever!"
That expression was just like when he and his classmates used to debate over which novel was a classic back in his past life.
But years later, looking back.
What was there to argue about?
One protagonist shouting "Don't bully me because I'm poor", another roaring "My fate is mine, not dictated by the Heavens", are all full of juvenile, white-washed nonsense.
Anyway,
Forget it, forget it.
Wang Jian watched the other person run back into the crowd, discussing with high spirits.
Finally, the check-in officer Lily arrived late.
This made Wang Jian, who had thought it would be very awkward to meet again after their relationship, breathe a sigh of relief.
Because no matter how awkward, it couldn't be more so than now.
Fortunately, after community service started, people stopped discussing "I'm a Great Mage."
This gave Wang Jian a sense of relief.
But on the other hand, perhaps because their relationship was confirmed, Lily unhesitatingly called Wang Jian to her side.
She took out a $20 bill, handed it to Wang Jian, and said, "Little Gene wants a book, but I couldn't find it in several bookstores."
"Your Bronx District, I heard the bookstores there are doing really badly. Can you go and buy the book for me?"
Wang Jian felt a bad premonition and asked tremblingly, "Which book?"
Lily thought for a moment and began rummaging through her bag.
Finally, she pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and told Wang Jian, "I'm a Great Mage," that's the name."
Wang Jian's mentality instantly collapsed.
He asked Lily, somewhat amused and exasperated, "Little Gene is only five, can he read novels? Just buy it for him!"
"He can't understand, but I can tell him the story," Lily looked at Wang Jian a bit puzzled and said, "It could be a bedtime story for him, right?"
"Gene said many parents at his kindergarten read it to their kids. 'I'm a Great Mage,' just by the name, it sounds appropriate for all ages."
She looked around for a moment, then leaned close to Wang Jian, "If you can get 'I'm a Great Mage' before the community work is over, I'll reward you tomorrow night."
With that, she slowly licked her lips with her tongue.
Her lips, coated in a vivid red color, were especially tempting under the sunlight.
Wang Jian swallowed with a "gulp" and hesitated for a moment.
Lust finally overpowered shame.
So, after informing Lily, he ran to the nearby phone booth, dropped in a coin, and called Roy at Scholastic Publishers.
"Hello, Roy?" Wang Jian asked.
"Wang?" Roy's voice was filled with excitement, "Today's sales were 90,000 copies, in just one day!"
"I'm also coming to your apartment this evening to sign the reprint contract. And, the French and Latin editions need to be scheduled."
Wang Jian naturally was very pleased to hear this.
But, looking at the graceful Lily not far away, he still made his original intention clear.
"It's like this, I would like a few copies of 'I'm a Great Mage.' Then, to make a memento for relatives and friends, could you bring a few for me?"
"Of course, no problem. Now, your needs are my everything!" Roy said ostentatiously, "Give me the address; I'll personally deliver them within an hour!"
After Wang Jian gave the address, he continued with the community work and waited.
And Roy, taking the other authorization contracts that Wang Jian needed to sign, hurried off.
Meanwhile, in Britain.
"The Sun" reported the details of a celebrity's ordeal as detailed as ever.
Even dedicating a quarter of a page to the detail coverage of the 2Pac shooting incident involving "I'm a Great Mage."
In the British countryside, a woman got a little excited after reading the synopsis of "I'm a Great Mage."
Wasn't this the style of the bedtime stories she told her children?
Could she possibly write a book herself?