Let us have a brief word.

I rarely respond to comments because I am not a fan of spoilers. I prefer for readers to find the answers they seek within the book themselves, as I personally believe the process of unraveling those answers is a pleasure in its own right.

In fact, many of the questions persistently asked by readers in the comment section have already been answered through the details provided in the text. I have no intention of being overly repetitive; I believe that spoilers diminish the enjoyment of the story.

Many people in the comment section try to teach me how to write, saying I should do this or I should do that. I haven’t responded because my original intention in writing this book was to tell the story I want to tell, at my own pace, and then find readers who resonate with my style. That is where true happiness lies.

If I were to go against my intentions, you might not enjoy the result, and more importantly, the process would be agonizing for me. I don’t believe that is the right choice.

This book has a relatively slow pace. From the beginning until now, if I am not mistaken, that pace has remained consistent, hasn't it? I have been writing this book under a great deal of criticism and pressure, yet I have chosen to remain true to my heart.

You can call it self-indulgence or say I’m suffering from "literary pretentiousness," but I want to say that, as an author, the most important thing is to move myself first. If I cannot even move myself, why should I write?

Some might say, "Heh, you’re definitely going to flop writing like this. I’ve never seen anyone write like you; if you don’t flop, who will? No author with any real skill would write like this..."

Oh, so I flop. So be it. I’m not uniquely gifted; what’s wrong with flopping on a book? It’s just like tripping while walking—you fall, you get back up. Who hasn't tripped while walking?

I often wonder, shouldn't the world be diverse and colorful? Why must everything in the world be homogenized? What a boring demand that is.

Thank you to the readers who have supported me along the way. I know that real life moves very fast while my book moves quite slowly. You might reach a day in your reading where you suddenly feel annoyed, bored, or weary. If so, just take a break. Put the book down, and if you ever think of it again and feel interested, you can always pick it up and read some more.

I am grateful for our meeting. If we are meant to be, we will meet again; if not, there is no use in forcing it.

Regarding the update schedule, people always say I don't update enough. Can I say that it’s actually not that little? I’m not a robot. I have to conceive the plot, I have to type every word by hand, and with my writing style, it is quite difficult to write quickly. Grasping the psychological progression of each character is no simple task—after all, I lack extraordinary talent, and I am not a tentacle monster. Although I only post one update a day, each chapter is generally around 5,000 words. If you want me to split them up, that’s not impossible—it would be easy to do—but I feel the reading experience is not as good when chapters are split. That is why I choose to combine them; it doesn't mean I am updating less, my dears. Don't be fooled by the chapter count.

Regarding the book's performance, I just checked the backend data: the average subscription is 9,773. I am only about two hundred subscriptions away from touching the "Ten Thousand Subscription" badge. I don't know if I'll reach it, but I'll leave that to fate.

That is all.

PS: Don't read for free.