Chapter -5
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.
The sun rose above the tidy garden in front of the house, illuminating the number four brass
plaque on the Dursleys' door. The sunlight quietly crept into their living room, shining on Mr. Dursley's round and ample backside, while Mrs. Dursley hummed a tune from another era in the kitchen, carefully preparing breakfast.
On the mantelpiece were many photos, showcasing the members of their family to outsiders: the big-headed boy riding his first bicycle, riding the carousel at the fair, playing computer games with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother—an apparent scene of a happy family of three.
However, in the corner of the mantelpiece was a photo that indicated there were more than three people in this household. The previously mentioned tall big-headed boy was tightly hugging another small boy dressed in the same style of clothing, both laughing with sweet smiles.
"One, two, three, four, two, two, three, four, three, two, three, four, let's do it again."
Dudley was using his thumb to support his whole body, constantly rising and falling on the lawn, large beads of sweat dripping onto the green grass, soaking his entire back.
The ground beneath Dudley was littered with trampled, misshapen grass.
Harry sat on the steps of the house, supporting his head with his hands, quietly watching Dudley exercise, silently counting for him.
'105, 106, 200'
Although Harry appeared to be very afraid of this cousin, he actually preferred to stay by Dudley's side because he felt safe during their interactions and wasn't treated as a transparent existence.
When Harry silently counted to three hundred in his mind, Dudley finally stopped, plopping down onto the lawn.
"It's done."
Wiping the sweat off his face, Dudley's round, chubby face was filled with contentment.
He casually picked up two dumbbells that had been set aside, one in each hand, and continued to work on his biceps.
Each weight, weighing 30 kg, felt like plastic toys in Dudley's hands.
Whether or not he could learn…
The story of the great wizard Gandalf tells us that to become an outstanding mage, one must first wield a sword and be able to slay strong orcs, and only then learn the art of casting spells.
"Harry, you should exercise a bit; you're too skinny and too short, looking like a malnourished skinny monkey."
Dudley reminded his little cousin while working out: "Just between us, those blonde bombshells love guys like me with muscles."
Strictly speaking, Harry was fine in all aspects except for being a bit thin; Dudley said this because he was comparing himself to Harry.
"Okay, Big D."
Harry replied dully, not sure if he really didn't understand or was pretending not to.
His bright green eyes remained blankly fixed on Dudley, seemingly lost in thought.
'It seems like the Harry in the movie isn't this dull; he's quite clever.'
What should I do about my slightly foolish cousin? I'm feeling slightly anxious.
How will I deal with that noseless guy in the future?
"Dudley Dursley, there's a letter for you."
The postman's shout interrupted Dudley's thoughts.
Handing a thick letter to Dudley, the postman glanced enviously at Dudley's already defined abdominal muscles.
In fact, Dudley had an unfinished sentence; muscles not only attract those blonde bombshells but also draw significant attention from the same sex.
Our great friend Xun Ge has a saying: 'Fitness attracts the opposite sex, while excessive fitness attracts the same sex.'
Dudley looked at the envelope seal; it was a letter from Bloomsbury Publishing.
Opening the envelope revealed a letter filled with text and a check worth ten thousand pounds.
Dudley glanced around and saw that no one was paying attention to him except for Harry, so he carefully tucked the check into his pocket before finally opening the letter.
"Dear writer Jerry," it started with a complicated and lengthy compliment, very official and polite.
Jerry is Dudley's pen name.
Upon arriving in this world, Dudley's first thought was to make money.
'With money, you can go anywhere; without money, you can't move an inch.' This saying holds true in any world, especially since being a wizard is a profession that burns money.
Adding to the Dursley family's previous financial struggles, Dudley was anxious with only a few bills in his pocket, so he chose a path of no return.
He submitted a novel.
Although Dudley knew well the classic phrase "Mastering math and science means you're not afraid to roam the world," which he had heard so much in school that it nearly wore out his ears, he wanted to try something else. The key issue was that Dudley hadn't mastered math and science in his previous life and found it troublesome; writing a novel was the simplest and least risky way to make money.
"Your manuscript fee for the first volume of 'The Lord of the Rings' has been included in the envelope. We hope you can come at six this Saturday to discuss matters related to the publication of the second volume. Sincerely, Akashni from Bloomsbury Publishing."
The writer Jerry, who wrote this year's most popular fantasy novel 'The Lord of the Rings,' is Dudley himself.
This world is quite different from the one Dudley previously knew. Perhaps due to the presence of wizards, there are pitifully few Western fantasy works in this world; Dudley doesn't recall any of those epic Western fantasy masterpieces.
At least, the 'Lord of the Rings' series of novels does not exist in this world, so Dudley decided to 'borrow' a little and replicate it.
Of course, it wasn't a complete copy; he added many elements from online literature, such as not underestimating hobbits, and included phrases like "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river." A novel should appeal to all ages, after all.
As a result, 'The Lord of the Rings' sold even better than in the original world.
Ten thousand pounds for a manuscript fee, especially in England in the 80s, is quite a sum.
However, given the current popularity of 'The Lord of the Rings,' Dudley should have received more, but as a newcomer, he was quite satisfied with this amount.
Moreover, this is just the first volume.
There's no need to focus solely on immediate profits; steady progress is the way to go.
Besides, what he sent out wasn't even the full content of one of the three books in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy; to be precise, it was only about half of one book.
Didn't that noseless guy say before that seven is a magical number? So Dudley planned to split the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy into seven parts.
And now, the publishing house has already taken the initiative to reach out.
Now Dudley is a golden signboard; even if he writes the next book titled 'Relying on Defense,' it would still achieve a million-level sales right from the start.
The so-called detailed discussion is, to put it simply, about giving Dudley money to increase his manuscript fee; the specifics will be discussed on Saturday.
Anyway, he has already gained a certain level of fame.
If your publishing house can't offer a satisfactory price, I'm sure other publishers would be more than happy to offer a high price.
The name Jerry now represents money.
Dudley has already thought it through; after the trilogy is completed, he will create a spin-off about Hobbits to make another profit, and then sell the movie rights and such.
WOW~ This money is enough for him to live a non-luxurious life.
A step towards financial freedom.
Just don't know if it will be enough to become a wizard in the future; if not, he can write a few more books. The Dragonlance Chronicles seem pretty good too.
Darryl, who earned ten thousand pounds, was in a great mood and patted little Harry's messy hair that looked like a chicken coop: "Harry, come with your big cousin and I'll treat you to ice cream."
"Okay, Big-D."
Before they could leave the garden, they heard Mrs. Dursley's call from the window.
"Oh, my dear little Dudley, where are you going? Come over and have your breakfast first."