Chapter 47: The Plot Faction and the Prototype of the Official Novel

Within the tavern, every customer stared at the spectacle with blank, vacant eyes.

Those who had harbored thoughts of causing trouble, or still did, involuntarily took half a step back!

Nalan Ying did not even know how he managed to stumble out of the shop's doorway.

Nalan Mingxue sat upon her soft, expansive bed, listening to the latest intelligence from Jiuhua City brought by Lanyuan, falling into a slight daze.

To think that she herself had once desired to claim this establishment as her own.

She could not help but feel fortunate for her lifelong habit of planning before acting, never rushing blindly for success; otherwise, the only thing awaiting her would have been the very same fate she had witnessed befall Xiao Yulu, Xu Fuwei, Nalan Ying, and the others.

She gently closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly: "Recall everyone who is investigating this shop."

...

Since completing Resident Evil 1, many players, such as Song Qingfeng and Xu Zixin, had begun to try their hands at this new game called Diablo 2.

As far as games went, every player here might have held the same initial purpose upon playing: entertainment, novelty, and the benefit it brought to their cultivation.

Yet as they gradually transitioned from novices into seasoned hands familiar with the mechanics, their differing individual interests and inclinations caused the aspects that captivated them most to diverge slightly.

Unlike An Cheng and his companions, who were obsessed with researching various stat builds, or Li Haoran, who studied equipment, delicate-minded girls like Xu Zixin and Shen Qingqing desired most of all to explore the narrative of Diablo 2—a quest for hope amidst omnipresent gloom and despair.

Perhaps because they were accustomed to laudatory biographical novels where "every hero shall be praised by posterity" and "every legend shall guide the path of successors," the storytelling style of Diablo was rendered all the more starkly jarring.

If one paid close attention to the plot, they would discover that upon entering the first act, a player could gather word of heroes from the previous generation, yet without exception, the ends of these heroes were utterly wretched!

So much so that it left players with the lingering illusion of whether hope truly existed in this world at all.

More often than not, the two girls would record useful, plot-related dialogues from the game within an exquisite, silver-gray notebook.

When their daily game time concluded and they still had leisure to spare, the pair would sit on the chairs provided for customer relaxation to the left of the shop entrance, cradling the notebook of lore and leafing with sheer contentment through the narrative clues they had meticulously scavenged from the game.

It was as though they were turning the pages of treasures painstakingly unearthed from within the virtual world.

"Zixin, come look, this is the Blood Raven lore we uncovered today." Shen Qingqing had only started touching Diablo 2 today, and they were clearly fascinated by these plotlines. "Both Kashya and Akara mentioned that she was once a hero who fought against Diablo."

"And these, this is what I gathered from Song Qingfeng today regarding Tristram and Deckard Cain..."

"And the rumors of the Dark Wanderer that can be heard everywhere in the rogue camp..." she said delightfully. "If all of this could be strung together, it would surely make a most splendid and intriguing tale!"

Xu Zixin frowned slightly: "Alas, the narrative threads we have uncovered are still far too few; at most, they can only piece together a beginning. If we had the game progress of the proprietor, perhaps a whole volume could be written."

"That is true." Shen Qingqing closed the notebook, a faint trace of regret showing upon her features.

"What if..." Shen Qingqing's eyes suddenly lit up. "What if we go ask the proprietor about the subsequent plot?"

"It sounds well enough..." Xu Zixin replied. "But that wooden block of a proprietor cares for nothing besides gaming and business; who knows if he would even grant us this favor."

"We will only know if we go and try!"

...

"You wish to know the entirety of the plot and string it into a complete story?" When the two found Fang Qi and explained their intent, Fang Qi looked at them with some surprise, secretly amused. "To think they are actually two loyal lore enthusiasts."

"Are you intending to write an official novel?"

Fang Qi suddenly felt a flash of realization; reconstructing the orthodox lore of the entire game—was that not precisely the format of an official novel?

"An official novel?" The two looked at Fang Qi with astonishment. "What is an official novel? What does it have to do with biographical novels?"

"It is the novelized version that reconstructs the plot from the game, which can be published by the development team themselves, or authorized by the creator for other authors to ghostwrite..." As Fang Qi explained the concept of an official novel to them, the eyes of both girls instantly ignited!

"So such a thing is possible?!" The two looked at Fang Qi in astonishment; they had originally intended to reconstruct the plot merely for their own amusement, but with Fang Qi's reminder, they realized that such a novel could actually be presented to a vast audience!

Xu Zixin's sole hobby in her spare time had always been reading biographical novels, among which the only one that truly caught her eye was a work titled "The Martial Immortal."

Yet not only "The Martial Immortal," but all novels currently in vogue were practically cast from the same mold—the same worldview, the same background, with martial arts and spiritual techniques possessing little novelty, and the plotlines mostly recounting how a protagonist grew from a mere youth into a titan of the world.

In truth, though she read "The Martial Immortal," she had known the ending from the very first glance; had it not been for the occasional brilliant spark in the writing, coupled with the sheer lack of entertainment in this world, she would have abandoned it long ago.

But a narrative like Diablo 2 was unprecedented; in terms of setting, it was an entirely novel system of sword and magic, and in terms of background, concepts like angels and demons completely overturned the mythology of the existing world!

Added to this dark worldview, before witnessing the conclusion, no one could guess the ultimate fate of this world.

If such a story could be penned...

"I will definitely be the first to buy and read it!" Xu Zixin could not suppress the excitement in her heart, crying out in wonder!

To a young lady of her noble background, what mattered was not how much money could be earned, but whether the biographical novel was compelling.

Yet she found that now, with the few of them gathered together having just devised this concept, she already felt an irrepressible urge to read this "official novel"!

The two could not help but look at Fang Qi with hearts full of anticipation.

To Fang Qi, if such a method of promotion were available, it would be no bad thing; after all, the system had decreed that as the proprietor, he was forbidden from personally soliciting customers, as it beneath his dignity.

But if there could be an official novel, even if it were only sold throughout the city, it would be far better than him sitting in the internet cafe gaming all day!

"Proprietor, how do you intend to arrange this matter?" One could tell that as a lore enthusiast, Shen Qingqing was indeed deeply invested.

Fang Qi adopted a contemplative look; indeed, he had not yet considered the matter of releasing an official novel.

"If the proprietor has no arrangements..." Shen Qingqing said expectantly, "Could the proprietor entrust this task to me?"

"You two..." Fang Qi looked at them, a trace of concern remaining on his face; after all, while two great beauties were easy on the eyes, writing a novel required literary skill.

"Our Qingqing is a talented lady versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting!" Xu Zixin seemed to perceive Fang Qi's doubts, speaking with a touch of displeasure.