Fleet Street,
The office of "The Scotsman" newspaper.
Editor-in-chief Charles Alfred Cooper listened to the report from his subordinate, scarcely able to believe his ears.
"You mean, the sales increased by 3,700 copies?"
Scott, standing nearby, chuckled and corrected him, "It's actually 3,751 copies, you didn't mishear. Also, I must remind you, the reason for this number is that you only distributed 8,000 copies of the newspaper in London. The limit for the increase is set there, and 3,751 copies have already reached the top."
Cooper still wore a look of disbelief.
After a moment, he waved his hand, signaling for the staff member to leave. Then he slumped in his chair, using his fingers to massage his furrowed brow, trying to digest the shock this news brought to his inner self.
"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" had caught fire!
In just one day, the Wednesday supplement of "The Scotsman" soared in price in the second-hand market.
Britain was not short of clever minds; they knew the collectible value of such things. It was like the "Beeton's Christmas Annual" of 1887, which had featured the debut of Sherlock Holmes in "A Study in Scarlet" and had already been hyped to three hundred pounds.
Everyone wanted to make easy money.
(What's amusing is that at the time, Doyle's fee was only 25 pounds.)
With the explosion of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," the mysterious name "Lu" also spread through the streets and alleys, and people were curious about who he was.
Cooper sighed, "I never thought it would be a Chinese person..."
As the editor-in-chief, he was an ambitious man.
When he first took over "The Scotsman," it was just a local newspaper, but he was determined to change that. He rented a telegraph line between London and Edinburgh and became the first newspaper outside of London's major traditional newspapers to establish an office on Fleet Street, even before "The Manchester Guardian."
Unfortunately, Edinburgh was too far behind in industrialization, and printing costs remained high. Coupled with the high transportation costs due to the distance from London, their newspaper was selling for four pence while others sold for one pence.
How could they possibly compete?
Moreover, "The Scotsman" was sharp in its views, even more avant-garde than "The Manchester Guardian," and its audience was already limited.
Under such circumstances, a continuous decline in sales was foreseeable.
Cooper never imagined that he could rely on a novel to make a comeback. At this moment, he was still dazed, as if in a dream.
Scott stretched lazily.
"Those two Oriental students will be here soon. You know what to do, right?"
Cooper replied calmly, "Of course. I've already figured it out. Even disregarding the factor of 'a prince for a horse's bone,' objectively evaluating the quality of 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,' a fee of fifty pounds per chapter is too low. Doubling it would be more reasonable."
Doubling it to one hundred pounds per chapter.
This was undoubtedly a huge sum.
In 1900, an annual income of 100 pounds was quite comfortable for a Londoner.
And yet, Lu was earning one hundred pounds per chapter.
Scott picked up a briefcase from beside him.
"Oh, and I'll do you a favor with this. It's quite something."
With that, he patted the briefcase and continued, "The Remington Model 5 Memorial Edition. Versatile, smooth typing, and low failure rate. It's not like those Oliver and Remington ones; it's a genuine American product."
When Cooper heard "Remington," "Oliver," and "Remington," he knew there was a typewriter in the case.
He exclaimed, "When did the British Empire start admiring American goods? Don't forget, the typewriter is our invention."
Scott laughed heartily.
"No, you're mistaken. The typewriter is an Italian invention. And besides, you're Scottish, don't say 'our British Empire.'"
Cooper almost kicked him in the butt.
"Damn, get out of here."
The two of them laughed and joked.
Before long, there was a knock at the door.
The voice of a staff member rang out, "Editor-in-chief, Mr. Lu and Mr. Natsume have arrived."
The two men in the room immediately sat up straight.
Cooper said, "Please, let them in."
Soon, Lu Shi and Natsume Soseki entered the room.
Cooper stood up and shook hands with them, especially with Lu Shi. He held onto Lu's hand as if not planning to let go, while also complimenting, "Mr. Lu, after reading 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' these past few days, I can't help but marvel at the miraculous way stories can be constructed. It's amazing."
With everyone's attention on him, Lu waved it off.
"It's just a pastime for readers, Mr. Cooper, you're overpraising."
They exchanged pleasantries, friendly and in-depth, before releasing each other's hands and taking their seats.
After a moment of hesitation, Cooper asked, "Mr. Lu, your work is very popular. Have you considered a reprint? Of course, the reprint royalties won't be low. And what about the fees for the subsequent chapters? We are willing to offer one hundred pounds per chapter. What do you think?"
A reprint after the first publication?
Lu glanced at Cooper, knowing the hesitation on his face was just an act.
One hundred pounds per chapter was not a small sum. Cooper must have already planned it. He was willing to offer this price, undoubtedly preparing to use "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" as a selling point to stabilize his foothold in the red ocean of London's newspaper market.
Lu did not immediately respond.
Cooper knew not to cry wolf without seeing the wolf.
He pushed the toolbox over.
"Mr. Lu, I see that what you submitted to the newspaper before was a manuscript. With tens of thousands of words written, your fingers, arms, and cervical spine must have suffered. Would you like to try this?"
Curious, Lu asked, "What is this?"
Cooper opened the case and brought out the typewriter inside, explaining, "The Remington Model 5 Memorial Edition. Versatile, smooth typing, and low failure rate. It's not like those Oliver and Remington ones; it's a genuine American product."
Scott, standing beside him, frowned. Didn't he just say that?
He spat discreetly, secretly despising Cooper.
Ignoring his old friend's silent challenge, Cooper continued, "I wonder if Mr. Lu knows how to use it..."
Before he could finish, Lu had already taken the lead, "Of course, I can. A typewriter can indeed improve work efficiency, but I wonder if this one is any good."
It was a rare opportunity to see such a product ahead of its time, and his voice was full of excitement.
After all, the Remington Model 5 quickly became the best-selling typewriter after its release, with over half of the market share, making it an absolute legendary product.
Lu tried pressing the keys.
"I'll give it a try."
Cooper reminded him, "Mr. Lu, do you... um... want to read the instructions?"
Lu shook his head with a smile.
As a modern person who had encountered the QWERTY keyboard frequently and worked in translation, dealing with text daily, his typing speed was ridiculously fast.
He inserted the paper and casually tapped the keys of the typewriter, "Dinner was almost over. The wine and food were excellent, and Rogers served us very attentively. The seated guests were all in high spirits. Conversations between them became more relaxed and intimate."
This was the beginning of Chapter Three of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."
The two Brits were dumbfounded.
Cooper swallowed hard and said, "Mr. Lu, don't you need to look at the keyboard?"
Lu replied, "For a writer, touch typing is the most basic skill."
As he spoke, his fingers on the keyboard continued without pause, even speeding up like a fast dance, accompanied by the clattering sound as he typed out a whole section of text.
Cooper and Scott couldn't help but exchange glances.
This was the first time they had seen a mystery novelist start writing without outlining first. Mysteries demanded a rigorous logic; without an overall plan, it was easy to end up with inconsistencies and confusion.
But Lu seemed to write with divine inspiration, showing no signs of faltering like some writers might.
Moreover, Lu's typing speed was simply too fast, reaching a level that neither of the two editors could comprehend.
Just as they stood there dumbfounded, Sōseki Natsume's voice suddenly came from somewhere, "Lu! Wait! Lu! Is that machine... is it smoking?"
Only then did Lu notice that one of the levers inside the typewriter was red and seemed hot.
He went over to inspect it.
"Yeah, it's the lever for the letter 'E.' No wonder it's overheating; 'E' is the most commonly used letter in English writing. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit. Huh, the Remington No. 5 isn't as miraculous as I imagined..."
Hearing this, Cooper and Scott were left feeling bewildered.
Where did this genius come from!?