A quiet night.
One month has passed.
Four kingdoms have been annihilated after the great war. Their citizens were deliberately spared, while the treasures of their kingdoms were seized by Lin's forces. The larger her country grew, the more spoils of war were collected. The Landmira Kingdom lost 70%, the Artiocracy Kingdom 80%, while the other two kingdoms each lost 50%. Now, they were busy recovering, searching for new leaders, and no longer dared to touch the small kingdom near the legendary misty forest.
In her private room, Lin sat leaning back in a chair, her gaze focused on the table in front of her. An empty notebook and a quill lay there, but she didn't immediately touch them. With her left hand supporting her chin, Lin murmured softly,
"I suppose I should write now. No more reason to delay, especially if this can be published."
Her thoughts drifted for a moment before she raised her right hand. A smartphone with a soft case whose motif perfectly matched her outfit appeared out of nowhere. This device wasn't from this world—a gift from a wandering train traveler from another universe she had encountered once.
"This phone still feels a bit strange to me, but I must admit it's quite useful. Okay, let's try finding an app for self-publishing."
Her fingers swiftly opened the Deck App Store. Lin typed, novel self-publish, and browsed the search results. A small sigh escaped her lips as she read the app descriptions.
"Most of these are just AI generating automatic novels. Where's the fun in that?" she murmured while scrolling through the screen. Until finally, she found an app called WeNovel.
Lin immediately downloaded and installed the app. After navigating through preference pop-ups and recommended novels—most of which were clichéd (martial arts, CEO romances, and over-the-top fantasy)—she began exploring.
"Not my type," she thought after looking at the list of popular novels. She closed the list and thought again.
"Maybe I'll write a freestyle fantasy novel, like the games I used to play on this phone. Although I rarely play anymore, my character's only TB Level 61. Not that it matters much."
Lin raised her hand again, and with a light touch, her magic connected the notebook on the table to her phone. The notebook instantly transformed into a keyboard and a physical medium that automatically transferred her writing into digital format.
"Convenient," she muttered with a small smile.
She continued searching for other platforms through her phone's browser. After about 9 minutes, Lin found several other platform names: Moonpia, NovelPie, NovelTaan, Tapis, ReadingBooks, and Genesis Novel. But finally, she said softly,
"I'll try WeNovel first. If it's good, I'll stay there. If not, I'll just switch."
Lin took a deep breath, then began writing in the notebook connected to her phone. She knew she wasn't rushing, nor was she arrogant. Everything was done calmly, step by step. The novel finally began to take shape, and Lin was confident that even though this was just the beginning, her story would speak for itself.
Lin pressed the account menu button and registered using an email. After completing the account registration, she proceeded to set up her profile. She changed the profile name to Like_Fish1 and added a profile picture taken from her childhood memories. In the photo, Lin wore a modest Lolita-style outfit with a touch of Chapeau victorien femme—a vintage-style hat adorned with multicolored flowers. The hat was paired with a classic textured mask, completing her unique Lolita aesthetic.
["This device is remarkable. With my magic, I can make this phone capture past memories. I'm impressed."]
Lin placed the phone on the table, right next to the notebook. Her hand moved slowly, picking up the quill from its holder. With a nearly soundless motion, she dipped the tip of the quill into an inkwell, then opened the first page of the notebook. She paused for a few seconds, staring at the blank page, before finally beginning to write calmly.
Rail Star ⭐ Universe
The title was elegantly written, each letter perfectly etched on the paper.
"Hmm... A simple title, but it reflects the content well," Lin murmured softly, almost as if talking to herself. Her gaze wandered, as if she was recalling something distant. "I'll write this novel using parody language. A small tribute to a friend whose name, for some reason, has faded from my memory."
Her left hand returned to supporting her chin, while the fingers of her right hand twirled the quill amidst her thoughts. A faint smile appeared on her face as she recalled something amusing yet entertaining.
"From the reader's perspective," Lin thought, "I think this style of language will be its own source of entertainment. Like a funny meme, similar to what I found on the Matebook platform from that train traveler."
After ensuring everything was ready, Lin continued writing the opening words for the first chapter:
Chapter 1: Arcacia Part I
Black ink flowed smoothly, forming sentence after sentence on the paper.
"For this story, I'll use a casual writing style. Something lighter. A new approach for readers from worlds that can access WeNovel."
After writing a few lines, Lin gazed at her work with a cold yet satisfied expression. She knew every word she chose wasn't a coincidence. Everything was planned, like pieces of a puzzle finally coming together.
"A simple name, isn't it? An idea born from an unlimited concept. Rail Star Universe... Let's see how this story unfolds."
Lin paused for a moment, staring at the quill in her hand. In her mind, thousands of ideas clamored to emerge, but she wasn't in a hurry. As someone who absorbed knowledge from many books, Lin knew that writing was an art that demanded patience.
"Step by step. Every small step will lead to a big outcome."
Her smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. With elegant movements, she continued writing, le
tting the world of Rail Star Universe slowly come to life.