Chapter 118

June 27, 1999

A bombshell explodes in Hollywood.

The epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, a professor at Oxford University and renowned linguist, is set to be adapted into a movie.

The investors are New Line Cinema, owned by Warner Bros., and Meyers Pictures, a film company founded by Hollywood's "little genius."

The total investment is said to be $300 million.

Yes, the investment amount has increased. This decision was made after discussions between Martin and Warner.

How could KouKouSouSou produce the perfect blockbuster? Peter Jackson must be given the freedom to do so. $300 million should be enough—this amount exceeds the $295 million of the original timeline.

Martin's Meyers Pictures invested $160 million, including expenses like Martin's salary, soundtrack fees, and more, securing a 60% share.

New Line Cinema invested the remaining $135 million, taking a 40% share.

Meyers Pictures' massive investment shocked both insiders and outsiders. $160 million is no small sum, especially given that Martin has only recently entered the industry and already amassed so much.

Someone calculated Martin's earnings. From book royalties, music royalties, film investments, and other income since his debut, his net worth has reached $180 million.

"The Youngest Self-Made Centi-Millionaire in History"

The Los Angeles Times published this sensational headline the day after the news broke.

The article stated: "Nearly three years have passed since the publication of our little genius's first original book Kung Fu Panda in 1996. In this short time, Martin has made remarkable achievements in writing, movies, and music."

"Kung Fu Panda has sold 5.1 million copies so far, Ready Player One has sold 4.3 million copies, and Harry Potter has sold an astounding 3.2 million copies in less than a year."

In fact, since the start of 1999, the sales of the first two books had slowed a bit, but after the news broke that Martin beat Ben Affleck, the sales curve surged.

"It's reported that many customers buying Martin's books are women. They don't just buy the books—they're supporting their hero. Martin's move to help Charlize has won him many fans. Interestingly, many readers have become fans of Martin's books after reading them."

"In music, Martin's achievements are also extraordinary…"

"In film and television, the returns from several films Martin has written, participated in, or invested in have been similarly impressive…"

"Through these three channels—writing, music, and film—Martin has not only gained fame and influence but also financial rewards that cannot be overlooked. According to this newspaper, his earnings from these ventures are approximately $180 million."

"Our little genius has become the youngest self-made centi-millionaire in American history. He is the epitome of the American dream!"

Of course, where there are positive reviews, there are also negative ones.

Martin's old adversary, News of the World, wrote: "Martin Meyers must have lost his mind. Yes, he's made himself a centi-millionaire with his talents, but his investment in The Lord of the Rings is bound to fail."

"Tolkien's works are known for being the most difficult to adapt because they feature a vast fantasy world and numerous unique races. Moreover, Tolkien's works have a massive fanbase, and many of these fans are deeply devoted. Even famous directors cannot guarantee a film that will satisfy most of them."

"Who is Peter Jackson?"

"He's a young director who's only made a few B-level films. Is he really capable of handling such a grand story?"

"Martin has invested nearly all his net worth in this unknown director. This is a gamble. If he loses, he'll lose most of his savings and may have to go home and ask his parents for pocket money."

This argument is biased. While Peter Jackson may not yet be a famous director, he's far from unknown—otherwise, New Line wouldn't have invested in him.

And even if Martin loses all $160 million, he still has about $20 million left—plenty for pocket money!

The very next day after News of the World published its article, another authoritative media outlet slapped it in the face.

That outlet was Fortune magazine.

Unlike most media, which focus on Martin's artistic and entertainment achievements, Fortune, a business magazine, paid closer attention to his financial ventures.

Therefore, Fortune unearthed some different information.

"Martin's development in entertainment is certainly impressive, but we've discovered that his talent extends beyond entertainment. His investments in the financial sector are also remarkable."

"According to reliable sources, Martin has invested most of his net worth in Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, and other internet companies. These investments have already yielded massive returns."

"His net worth is not just $180 million—it's at least $410 million."

"Oh, and Martin also invested in a small website called Google, becoming the largest shareholder in the company. It's unclear yet how effective this investment will be, but only time will tell."

This revelation about Martin's wealth caused a stir.

As is well-known, the United States is a country that worships wealth. A new centi-millionaire is bound to attract attention, especially when that centi-millionaire is a child under 14 years old!

Martin's fame quickly spread beyond his circle of book fans, music fans, and movie fans, reaching every corner of the United States and then spreading internationally.

Countless families and parents began to use Martin as a role model for raising their children—handsome, healthy, talented, and wealthy. To them, Martin was the perfect child. It was from this moment that Martin truly became a national idol in the United States.

Even U.S. President Bill Clinton specifically mentioned Martin in an interview. He said, "Martin is a shining example of our American education system. He proves that the 'happy education' approach in the U.S. is successful and effective. Unlike the so-called 'stupid education' abroad, our public schools can also produce geniuses."

But what he didn't mention is that the public school Martin attended was part of the wealthiest circles in Los Angeles, filled with children from affluent families.

Most of the students at that school had private tutors to help with lessons after school.

Moreover, because wealthy families wanted access to the best educational resources for their children, they donated millions every year to ensure the school could build state-of-the-art facilities and hire top-tier teachers.

Take the best public middle school in the U.S., for example—Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, South Carolina. This school receives an average of $3 million in donations annually, and its district also has the highest property taxes in the country.

Yes, the U.S. has school district housing.

Students at this school, in addition to their core courses, must also take at least five graded subjects, including Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Languages, Art, and Sports.

The workload is intense, and it's far from the so-called "happy education" described by Clinton.

Martin attended such a school. The students there never experienced the so-called "happy education" Clinton refers to.

Of course, as the U.S. president, "lying" is a necessary skill, "whitewashing" is a conventional tool, and "blushing" is an essential trait.

What Clinton is doing is simply the traditional behavior of an American president.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧