British writer

Chapter 341 The Great Reconciliation of the Century

October 30, 1902

It's another Thursday.

Since the next day is Halloween, many families have already prepared Jack-o-lanterns.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the material used for lanterns was not pumpkin.

Turnips, beets, potatoes…

These relatively cheap ingredients are carved into scary faces and scattered on the streets, adding to the festive atmosphere.

A carriage passed through the morning fog, heading towards Westminster.

In the car sat Winston Churchill,

At this moment, he was carefully reading a document in Japanese and English, frowning,

Unfortunately, the road is bumpy, and every shake of the carriage makes the words dance, making it difficult to capture and dazzling.

He exhaled a depressed breath,

"Huh~"

give up.

After closing his eyes and concentrating for a moment, the carriage slowly stopped.

The coachman's voice came from outside:

"Sir, we are here."

Churchill tidied up and jumped out of the carriage.

Just then John Wodehouse came from the other side of the street,

The two met face to face.

Wodehouse said: "Winston, have you read the documents Japan submitted three days ago?"

Churchill shook the documents in his hand,

"Have a rough look."

He waved his hand,

"Go to your office and tell me."

Wodehouse, as if he had a clear mind, hummed softly,

"You kid, are you trying to rob my office?"

Churchill was very thick-skinned and said with an apologetic smile: "It's just a few cigars. There's no need to use such a serious word as 'looting', right? Besides, I can't smoke a few cigars."

Wodehouse rolled his eyes at the other party,

"Only a devil would believe it!"

The two chatted and went straight to Wodehouse's office.

The layout here has basically not changed.

Office desks, armchairs, sofas, wine cabinets, cigar cabinets...

Balance life and work.

There is also a fish tank, which was originally used to raise turtle Xiaolan. Because Xiaolan was given to Lu Shi, it is empty at this time.

Churchill was still the same as before, taking a few cigars and putting them in his cigarette case, then lighting one, sitting in an armchair and puffing away comfortably.

Wodehouse had long been numb to Churchill's behavior of whipping and taking, and continued the topic just now:

"What do you think of that document?"

Churchill spread his hands,

"How else can we look at it? Japan wants to expand the content of the alliance treaty, which is a daydream."

In fact, Britain and Japan had already signed an alliance at the beginning of the year.

The treaty guarantees:

If one side of the alliance found itself having to go to war to defend its interests in the Far East, the other side had to remain neutral in good faith.

Now, Japan is asking for one more thing:

If one of the Allies is at war with two or more other countries, the other side should provide military assistance.

In real history, these two clauses were signed at the same time.

But because of the appearance of Lu Shi, the world line changed, and the whole of Europe became a mess.

There is a tendency towards reconciliation between Britain and France;

Russia slowed its expansion into the Far East;

German-British friction in Morocco paused;

…

In this case, Japan became less important to Britain.

In addition, Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour had read "The Nature of Japanese Civilization" and was worried about being backstabbed by Japan, so he gave relatively conservative conditions for the alliance between the two parties.

Wodehouse spread his hands,

"So, literati can really influence politics."

Churchill nodded,

"Isn't that right? I am a clear example. Journalists join politics, hehe~"

"Tsk..."

Wodehouse was slightly speechless.

Thought,

He was clearly talking about Lu Shi, and Winston was too thick-skinned.

Churchill stretched himself,

"I wonder when Sir Lu will write academic works like "The Nature of Japanese Civilization" and "The Insignificant Year 1587" again. I'm exhausted."

He held his cigar in his mouth and picked up the Mirror on the table.

"Or maybe the third part of "Harry Potter" would also work~"

Wodehouse said: "You don't have to look for it. There is no update this week. I asked Lu and he said next Thursday."

Churchill couldn't help but sigh,

"Really boring."

Wodehouse took out a book from his briefcase——

"Gradient".

He handed it over and said, "Winston, look at this. I promise it won't be boring."

Since Lu Shi was a co-author, Doyle's book was naturally handed over to the publishing company of "Mirror".

So Wodehouse got it the day before,

He had stayed up all night reading it.

Churchill looked at the cover curiously,

I saw it written on the waist of the book:

——

The world's smartest detective!

The most mysterious case in the world!

Sherlock Holmes is back, giving criminals no place to hide!

——

This recommendation is quite exaggerated.

Churchill felt disappointed.

"Holmes?"

Wodehouse reminded him: "Look at the author column, it's absolutely unexpected."

Churchill looked,

Half a second later, he showed a shocked expression because two names were written in the author column at the same time:

Arthur Conan Doyle,

Lu.

Churchill was confused.

"What is this? The reconciliation of the century?"

Although Lu Shi had previously written "Sherlock Holmes, the Setter of Detective Novels Standards and the Practitioner of Mystery Novels Standards", both parties had long since laughed off their grudges.

But co-authorship was indeed a path unimagined.

Churchill said: "Sir Lu is indeed a media man. He makes big news at every turn."

He couldn't wait to open the book,

The writing style of "The Gradient" is very similar to that of the Sherlock Holmes series, and was clearly written by Doyle.

What is different from the past is that this time the form is a diary, and each chapter has a date.

The first-person perspective is no longer Watson, but the character in the case.

Seeing this, Churchill noticed,

"Is this a narrative trick? Diaries are best suited for narrative tricks."

Wodehouse was noncommittal;

"look by youself."

Seeing him like this, Churchill became more and more certain, so he took the answer and looked for clues of the mystery while reading.

As a result, various evidences appeared,

In the novel, "I" has many doubts.

When describing the sky, it is always said to be gray;

When eating melons and fruits, I bite the skin at every turn, as if the boundary between the flesh and the skin of the melons and fruits is not clear;

I didn’t know that the color of the mailbox had changed;

(PS: British mailboxes were originally green, but because London was rainy and foggy, green was not eye-catching and could even be bumped into accidentally when walking, so it was changed to bright red in 1874)

…

These all point to one point:

"I" am colorblind.

Churchill sighed,

"John, the 'I' in the novel must be color blind, right?"

Wodehouse asked: "Where did you see it?"

Churchill turned a few pages forward and answered: "Chapter 5, the second murder occurred here. I think the next plot is for 'I' and Holmes to deal with each other, and maybe even commit one or two more cases, and finally be caught."

Wodehouse smiled mysteriously,

"Keep reading."

This attitude is interesting.

Churchill's curiosity was also aroused. Continue reading,

Who would have thought that as soon as Chapter 6 arrived, it would be revealed that "I" was a color blind person.

Churchill was stunned;

If you do this, how will you write later?

The answer to "Roger's Mystery" was not revealed until the last chapter!

Churchill was very mad;

"How could this happen? Did I fall into the trap designed by Dr. Doyle and Lu?"

Wodehouse laughed;

I thought to myself,

It's so cool to see a smart guy like Winston being played!

He said: "You should know that it is impossible for Lu to make stupid mistakes."

Churchill wondered,

"Bad error? What do you mean?"

Wodehouse replied: "Lu once told me that when writers write mystery novels, they must not treat readers as fools."

Churchill suddenly realized,

"So, 'my' obvious symptoms of color blindness are actually smoke bombs deliberately set off by Dr. Doyle and Lu? The purpose is to confuse readers?"

He was deep in thought,

"Since it is meant to confuse readers, it means that 'I' am not the murderer. However, judging from the contents of the first six chapters, 'I' should not know that I am color blind... Shit! Fxxk! Am I the murderer?"

Churchill was devastated.

Wodehouse blinked mysteriously again and did not answer.

This mean expression is so disgusting!

Churchill was furious;

"I have to go back and take a look!"

As a result, I looked through it twice before and couldn't find any useful clues.

He felt like his IQ had been crushed.

Wodehouse chuckled;

"Okay, let's go ahead and look at it later. In this case, it's hard to figure out the trick."

Churchill was helpless,

"It's really difficult."

The reason lies in the act of shooting first and then drawing the target:

Because he has already presupposed that the book is a narrative trick, he will look for this goal when reading,

Therefore, whenever he finds a clue deliberately revealed by Lu and Doyle, he will be delighted and at the same time taunt in his heart: "How can such a simple question stump the smart me?"

And that's exactly what Lu and Doyle wanted.

In a duel of wits, Churchill was completely defeated.

He was convinced and continued to look back.

Unexpectedly, the plot of "Gradient" is far more complicated than imagined.

Then came two more murders,

The novel is well written and the plot is fascinating.

Finally, in the last chapter of the puzzle, the murderer is "my" brother.

Churchill gently pinched his chin,

"To be honest, I have considered this possibility before."

Wodehouse wondered,

"Why?"

Churchill said: "Generally, if one of the brothers is color blind, the other will hardly be immune. This was the case with John Dalton, who first discovered color blindness. He and his brother had different color vision from normal people. but……"

"No clues."

He began to read the novel again,

"In the following chapters, it is completely invisible that 'my' brother is color blind."

Wodehouse laughed,

"You're looking in the wrong place, the clues are in the first few chapters."

"Ah this..."

Churchill was a little confused;

"It doesn't make sense. Since 'I' am not the murderer, then there is no need to lie... um... there is no need to lie..."

He seemed to have thought of something and fell into deep thought,

For a long time, his eyes widened in surprise and he said, "The nesting of narrative tricks?"

The first six chapters of the novel,

"I" didn't know that I was color blind, so it was true when I wrote the diary,

And the reader and "my" brother know this;

What follows after Chapter 6,

"I" knew that I was color blind, so I guessed that my younger brother was also color blind and might be the real murderer, so I concealed it when writing the diary and deliberately avoided clues that my younger brother was color blind.

And the reader doesn't know this.

Churchill was extremely shocked.

"Xu Wei's strategy has changed!? Can it still be written like this!?"

Wodehouse nodded,

"you understood."

As he spoke, he walked out from behind his desk, took "Gradient" and turned to the second chapter.

"Look here...'The weather was very cloudy, and a carriage was approaching. He squinted and stared at the blue color on the roof of the car, as if he was a little confused'..."

Churchill reacted,

He hadn't noticed this detail before, but looking back now, it was indeed a clue.

Wodehouse continued to turn the pages of his book;

"Also, here...here..."

Churchill smiled bitterly, but he didn't expect that he claimed to be smart and serious, but he was completely led by Lu and Dr. Doyle.

He said: "This is no longer a question of writing techniques, but also the application of psychology. Lu Sishu has made great efforts to control the readers."

Wodehouse wondered,

"How are you sure it's Lu's trick?"

Churchill shrugged.

"It can't be Dr. Doyle,"

"Ah this..."

Wodehouse said slightly embarrassed: "It is true that the core trick was thought up by Lu."

Churchill looked out the window,

Before I knew it, it was already past noon,

The sun shines through the sparse clouds and onto the ancient streets.

The light mist interweaves with the autumn sunshine, giving people a hazy and mysterious feeling.

Churchill murmured: "With big news like "Gradient", I believe Sir Lu doesn't have to worry about being urged to update "Harry Potter" for the time being."

…

fleet street,

The editor-in-chief of The Times.

"Huh~"

George Earl Bakker put down the book in his hand, took a deep breath, and said, "It's so well written! The Sherlock Holmes series has a second spring."

The clerk next to him complimented: "Editor-in-Chief, if you say it is a good book, then it must be a good book!"

Buckle is very useful;

"of course!"

He looked at the "Gradient" aspect again,

"I must admit that the core conspiracy of this book is very subtle. Unfortunately, under my sharp eyes, nothing can be hidden. When I read the third chapter, I knew who the murderer was."

The clerk nodded and bowed,

"you are right!"

But I thought in my heart,

My own editor-in-chief is so shameless that he doesn’t even draft a manuscript when he’s bragging.

Bakker added: "However, I am still very surprised that Lu would actually cooperate with Dr. Doyle. You know, the Sherlock Holmes series was killed by "No Survivor" and "Roger Mystery"."

Last year, Lu’s revelation of “The Little Dancing Man” in the Manchester Guardian is still fresh in my mind.

It's good now that Holmes has been brought back to life again.

What is the reason for this great reconciliation of the century?

"I can't figure it out..."

Bakker sighed,

"I really can't figure it out."

The clerk guessed: "Is it because Sir Lu doesn't want the Sherlock Holmes series to die? He is an open-minded person and likes literature..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Bakker.

"Open-minded? Come on! The Mirror is about to cripple The Times."

"Mirror" swallows up the market,

The Times is indeed struggling to survive.

The clerk thought for a while,

"Perhaps, the Mirror is not targeting us. It is just constantly breaking through itself, and the elimination of other newspapers is the incidental result."

This is equivalent to:

"I'm not targeting anyone, I'm saying that everyone here is a jerk."

Bucker's face turned green;

"If you can't speak, you don't have to speak! No one will think you are mute!"

"Well……"

The clerk just shut up.

Bakker glared at him again, then stood up and put on his clothes, ready to go to the door of the Mirror newspaper office.

These days, he especially likes to "spy on the enemy's situation".

Seeing the "Mirror" newspaper office being besieged, with readers shouting "Additional updates!" every day, he felt like he was letting out a harsh sigh of relief.

He walked quickly out of the Times headquarters and across the street.

There are many people besieging you today.

I saw them surrounding the main door of the "Mirror" newspaper office, and they all looked like they would not give up until they saw the ground.

But strangely, no one took the lead in shouting slogans,

Instead, they whispered,

"Have you read "Gradient"? Reversal and reversal! It's so well written!"

"But Lu doesn't write Harry Potter honestly, and I always feel very unhappy."

""Gradient" is not bad either."

"That's true. However, what I'm more curious about is why Lu cooperated with Arthur Conan Doyle? Aren't the two of them incompetent?"

"Their relationship has eased before. However, being able to jointly create shows that the relationship between the two...sigh...don't you think Dr. Doyle paid a price?"

"You mean, Dr. Doyle sells meat...hiss..."

…

At the scene, no one discussed the update of "Harry Potter".

Bucker frowned,

Faintly, he guessed the reason for the Great Reconciliation of the Century.

It seems that Lu Shi didn't want to update and deliberately created a news to divert attention.

This kid...

"You are really born to be in the media!"

Bucker has to be commended.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

Do any of you readers like mystery works?

I found that I have read a lot, but there seems to be no works that have changed the strategy of narrative.