Darkstone Code

Chapter 1067 - 1065: New Book Becomes a Sensation and Request for Leave

After seeing off Count Kazriel, Lynch returned to his room and turned on the TV.

He looked like he was watching TV, and he really was watching TV. What else could he do besides watch TV?

Think about something personal?

Maybe, but not much. The plan was set from the beginning, and Count Kazriel and the country behind him were just one part of it.

With him and them, the plan would proceed more smoothly.

Without him and them, the plan wouldn’t face too many problems.

Because persuading Mr. Truman was equivalent to persuading the President, persuading the Federation Government.

Even a small internal policy of the Federation Government has more influence on the entire international community than the foreign policy of a small country.

There hasn’t been any important news on TV these days, and in a moment of inattention, Lynch seemed to hear the TV mention his book.

But the news quickly moved on.

He called out Anna’s name, and she soon appeared in front of him.

Anna was wearing a camel-colored wool sweater, a tight-fitting one, with a high collar, which highlighted her still rather impressive figure.

Lynch even noticed that she wasn’t wearing underwear.

"Just now the TV mentioned my book, what happened to it?" Lynch organized his words, "Last time I heard it was in trouble, right?"

Anna nodded. She had learned about it. To serve Lynch, she needed to first figure out the basic information she could gather.

"Now it has become a bestseller, and it’s quite popular. It’s said to have sold out several times."

"After being on sale for about... a month, it’s already been reprinted for the fourth time."

Lynch found the news a bit unbelievable, "I didn’t know people would like this story so much!"

What does it mean to be reprinted four times in a month?

Even the Federation Charter wasn’t this popular when it was first released!

The Federation has a very comprehensive anti-piracy mechanism. Those big publishers aren’t short on money, so they never show mercy towards piracy.

Anyone caught would face astronomical fines and be sent to prison.

For those with heavier sentences, they basically won’t make it out in this lifetime.

Printed materials aren’t like other things. Determining whether something is pirated almost doesn’t require another agency for verification.

Moreover, a complete trail can be found, tracing who acquired the pirated goods from whom. These chains are very complete, and the police just need to arrest people based on the ever-growing list.

This has also led to the difficulty of pirated books appearing in the market due to the high costs involved and the high risk of crime. No one would be crazy enough to offend the capitalists.

This is why the Federation can suppress piracy, as capitalists don’t allow anyone to touch their cheese. Whoever does will repent for their foolish actions in prison for life!

With such measures in place, book sales in the Federation are very real.

Reprinting four times means at least a million sales, which Lynch didn’t expect.

The first "Lynch’s Adventure" took over two months to reach the second edition, and it’s said that many records have been broken this time.

Anna pursed her lips, with a strange smile on her face, "I thought it was your arrangement, but it seems not."

Lynch showed some surprise, "It seems something I don’t know happened!"

"I talked about this with others before, and I thought it was your doing, but it turns out..."

She shook her head and then told what she knew.

The book had previously been embroiled in a scandal involving a father who had abused his daughter for over a decade. It sounded incredible.

In "Don’t Talk About Current Affairs," the girl was even featured on the show, where Momo questioned her to the point of emotional breakdown multiple times, although from a professional perspective, her breakdown seemed somewhat fake.

But that’s not important. What’s important is that the man, her father, confessed. The public liked her, so Momo also received some threatening letters, but those weren’t the main issue.

The girl later said she had written some cries for help into the book, hoping someone could decipher her hidden code and rescue her from her nightmare.

She just didn’t expect that things would take an unexpected turn. She found an opportunity to muster the courage to call the police, exposing some ugly matters to the public.

She also said she had written some of her experiences in metaphors and hints into the book.

And so, the book suddenly became a hit, and this "victim" smoothly became one of the Federation’s bestselling female authors, ranking high on the list.

If it weren’t for those few with prominent backgrounds ahead, she might have climbed even higher with just this book.

Although some people exposed certain materials, such as how this girl faced repeated setbacks while job hunting after graduation. Many institutions felt that she lacked the ability to be a writer and did not possess strong writing skills.

Additionally, her academic performance last semester was not great, she once lied to her classmates for money, and her lifestyle was somewhat indiscreet—her teacher said that sometimes she wouldn’t wear underwear.

In winter it was fine, but in summer, it affected others, though wearing underwear is her personal freedom.

In short, some negative news didn’t cause much of a stir. People believed it was some evil force smearing a poor girl, and some even suggested donating in her name to establish something like a Family Abuse Assistance Foundation.

Overall, it was quite a buzz, and the girl became famous.

"...I thought you had some intimate relationship with her," Anna said with a smile, revealing her true thoughts.

Lynch glanced at her, "I’m not undiscerning like that."

"Yes, you’re right!" What seemed like an agreement held an entirely different meaning behind it, but Lynch ignored her.

Actually, regardless of who is driving all this, as long as the book becomes a hit, it’s enough. Lynch doesn’t want to think any further, at least their stance is aligned on certain issues.

After watching a bit of TV, Lynch prepared to rest. Having a good routine is more important than any kind of maintenance.

Just as he was about to go to bed, the young maid found him.

"Mr. Lynch, I want to ask for leave tomorrow..." she was a bit uneasy and somewhat self-conscious.

Lynch sat back down, "No problem, you can inform the community over there, I agree to your leave. Is there anything wrong?"

He knew this girl was alone in the city. She came from a small town, and this was the place of her "struggles."

The girl showed a bit of shyness mixed with excitement, "Yes, Mr. Lynch, you know I’ve saved some money recently, I’m planning to buy a house..."

Lynch whistled, "I didn’t know you could save so much money. How much is your budget? Maybe I can offer some advice."

The maid was slightly taken aback, perhaps this was a good suggestion. At least she felt Lynch knew more than she did in this regard.

"My boyfriend and his family can contribute about fifteen thousand bucks, and I have around twenty thousand bucks. If I ask my family for a bit more, we can probably gather around forty thousand bucks."

Forty thousand bucks is already a significant amount for someone from a small town.

To be honest, in Sabin City, as long as you don’t impulsively buy on Commercial Street, you can buy a decent house in those ordinary communities with forty thousand bucks!

Yes, in full, and with some leftover.

But this money obviously wouldn’t be enough in Bupen.

"I don’t know of any houses that only cost forty thousand bucks. Are you planning to take a loan?"

The girl nodded, "That’s the plan. Last time when I took leave... I went to look at houses with my boyfriend, and we liked a community on the west side of the city called..."

Lynch was a bit surprised. "I’ve heard about that community, there are serious security issues there. Are you sure you want to live in such a chaotic place?"

"Maybe some communities in East City are more suitable, the environment is better there too, and it’s closer to the beach. You can reach the beach quickly for a walk or jog when you have nothing to do."

Bupen’s center aside, apart from the central area, the east and north sides are relatively more upscale, while the south is where the Middle Class reside, and the west is the so-called Lower City.

Bupen also has poor people, homeless people, and the hidden side every city doesn’t want to face but has to.

Some people prefer receiving daily relief food over leaving this city.

In the Lower City, the slums, everything becomes dangerous.

While the city center is enjoying nightlife, the Lower City is as dead silent as a graveyard!

Its only advantage is the cheap housing prices!

A standalone house costing over a hundred thousand bucks is most suitable for family life, with independent space for children and parents, and a small yard.

This is also many people’s pursuit of life, at least far better than some bustling apartments in the city.

The maid felt a bit embarrassed, "We can’t afford that much, and the bank didn’t agree to give us more loans either."

Yes, the bank didn’t agree because her boyfriend was just a regular worker from a third-tier city, and she was just a Half Mountain Villa District three-year contract maid.

Without her status as a Half Mountain Villa District contract maid, she might not even get a hundred bucks in loans.

The bank gave them fifty thousand bucks in loans, and they need to repay all loans and interest within the next fifteen years.

Otherwise, the bank would seize their house, sell it cheaply, and they might even owe the bank.

As for East City and South City..., a standalone house would at least cost two or three hundred thousand bucks, which might not be enough.

Bupen doesn’t lack wealthy people, wealthy people from all classes, under such an environment, real estate instead becomes a sort of business card.

Just like with Half Mountain Villa District houses, having one or not makes a huge difference!