Ronald Watson

Adam relaxed the muscles of his face and ran up to the front desk. His gaze immediately stopped on the stranger. The man was tall, with black hair and soft blue eyes. He had a short, light gray beard.

His whole appearance seemed benevolent and Adam felt at ease as he looked at him. Inwardly he was struck by this man's charisma.

- You must be Sir Adam Harris. - the man smiled and held out his hand. - I'm Ronald Watson, the editor. Nice to meet you.

Adam shook Ronald's hand with both hands and smiled awkwardly. - Thank you for giving my book a chance.

- Thank you for writing such a beautiful and fascinating story. - Ronald smiled and invited Adam into his office.

As they walked up, Ronald struck up a conversation.

- I have to admit that I like dark fantasy books. They're fascinating, and the dark atmosphere has a mysterious appeal. - Ronald laughed.

- I agree with you, sir. - Adam also smiled. - Unfortunately, not many people choose to read such books.

- Well, every man has his choice. - Ronald nodded and opened the door. - Please feel free. Sit however you like.

Adam sat down timidly on the padded couch while Ronald asked over the phone to bring them coffee. Ronald sat down in front of Adam on a similar couch, a small table separating them.

- I must say I'm very impressed with your work, Sir Adam. - Ronald pulled out the book and Adam's eyes lit up when he saw the familiar cover. - This is the first copy of your Shadows of Death in print, what do you think?

Adam carefully picked up the book and examined the outside. It felt nice and comfortable to the touch, and the cover was well-made. Adam opened it and flipped through the pages.

The text was neatly put together, and in some scenes, they even added illustrations that looked very good and in no way disrupted the overall atmosphere of the narrative.

- These illustrations were made by Miss Vanessa, under the pseudonym "Raya". You must know her from your past work. - Ronald smiled softly.

Adam sank into his memories, remembering the delicate-looking girl. She had terrific drawing skills and her illustrations were stunning, fitting the characterization of the characters exactly.

- Indeed, I recognized the style almost immediately. - Adam smiled, but then his expression became harder. - But I remember that because of me, she was also criticized.

- That's true. But we solved that problem very quickly. - Ronald remembered and nodded, then began to console Adam. - So you don't have to worry about it. Besides, she doesn't hold a grudge against you.

- That's great. - Adam said with a sigh of relief.

He felt some guilt that a girl of seventeen had to draw such obscene illustrations, but he hadn't given it much thought at the time. His mind was filled with ideas about how to make more money.

Adam felt homesick until a pleasant-looking girl walked into the room with a tray. She put on the coffee and took out a vase of what looked like expensive candy.

- Help yourself. - Ronald smiled, pushing the vase toward Adam.

- Thank you, but I don't like sweets. - Adam politely declined.

Ronald shrugged and opened a package of candy, deftly popping one into his mouth. Then the pretty girl brought out the papers, placing them in front of Adam.

- Sir Adam, you've worked with us before, but I'll still explain. - Ronald sipped his coffee and mouthed. - Your book has 10 volumes, but first, we'll only start selling the first volume as a trial period.

Adam nodded, awaiting Ronald's next words. He already knew that but decided to listen again, just in case.

- We use a royalty-style contract. You get 12% of one copy sold. - Ronald leaned forward and crossed his arms. - The target price per copy is $10.

- That's... - Adam was a little unhappy, which Ronald noticed distinctly.

- Sir Adam. - Ronald said with a little pressure but still maintaining a kindly expression. - You must realize that you are not a first-rate author and that your name is not famous enough to receive contracts with good terms.

Ronald picked up his mug and sipped his coffee. He sighed slightly and then continued.

- I'll be honest. Your work, Shadows of Death, is good, but not worthy of publication. - Ronald smiled softly. - But because the management encouraged the publication of original and unusual books, I decided to choose your book.

Adam nodded and felt ashamed. Of course, his last contract had been better because the company's policy had been different then. He got a 30% royalty, and a copy cost $35 each.

- Naturally, I'm sure that at this rate your name will become better known. - Ronald began to console him, smiling kindly. - I just hope you'll keep writing and shocking people who doubt you.

Adam bowed his head and thanked Ronald, to which the man only smiled kindly. They continued to drink coffee and discuss the details. In the end, Ronald even asked Adam to sign the book, to which he happily agreed.

***

Night. A soft breeze rubbed Adam's hair as he strode lightly through the dimly lit streets. His black eyes gleamed softly, and the general atmosphere around him changed. It was as if he had become more confident.

"At the end of the month, the first shipment of books will begin...I hope everything succeeds," Adam prayed as he looked up at the starry sky.

This day was full of events and turning points. Beginning with self-doubt, nervousness, then getting a sneer, and at the end, hope. His emotions were mixed, spilling out into something strange.

Although Adam was upset about the low percentages, there was nothing he could do about it. He had never been popular as an author, so the publishing house did not value him highly.

Yes, and Ronald was right that Adam's book was only approved because of a series of accidents and new company policies. So Adam could only shrug his shoulders at that and move on.

Between "frustration" and "motivation," Adam will choose the latter because it will help him move forward without looking back and without paying attention to minutiae.

It's impossible to get everything. Money? Yes, it's important. But Adam has experienced the bitterness of money turning into mere paper money. The despair of making your world look like cardboard theater, where the characters are soulless and uninteresting... there's nothing like it.

Adam shoved his hands in his pockets and walked silently back to his house. For some reason today seemed more fulfilling than ever.

***

Adam changed into his home clothes and sat down on the couch. And just as he decided to relax, he felt a burning sensation in his hand.

- The Creator's Pen? - Adam raised an eyebrow and saw the familiar and familiar book in his hand. New words appeared on the cover.

[Book printing event detected. The Co-Creator receives a bonus: opening of the "Skills" section]

Adam blinked, and the book flipped to the very last page.

[Skills:

1. Edit Wizard

Level: 1, text editing and proofreading skills

Price: $3,000 (Improve (2) - $5,000)

Description: Ability to correct grammatical, stylistic, and punctuation errors and to improve the structure and readability of the author's texts.

2. Charisma

Level: 1, your speech may sound more convincing

Price: $5,700 (Improve (2) - $9,800)

Description: With this skill, the Contributor can sound more confident and persuasive. You can get discounts from salespeople and become the center of the company.

3. Fascination

Level: 1, Charm Enhancement

Price: $7,000 (Improve (2) - $15,000)

Description: The Co-Author's charm makes other people feel freer. The Contributor leaves a good impression on people, and many are more likely to listen to what he says.

Warning: harassment by some female creatures is possible.

4. Luck

Level: 1, improving your luck

Price: $20,000 (Improve (2) - $30,000)

Description: A Contributor's luck increases, allowing him to make more money. Most crazy ideas can turn into reality].