British writer

Dirty dirty——

The deafening sound from the cruise ship's smokestack means it is about to dock.

The gentlemen of the club stood up and left,

They were going back to pack their bags.

"Coming."

George Pike whispered.

It's a pity that his brother Edward Pike didn't seem to hear it and was still staring at the "Mirror" in his hand.

The serialization of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" has begun.

Edward is a book lover. Once he starts reading, he will get stuck in it and cannot get out.

George muttered, "If I had known better, I shouldn't have bought you a newspaper."

There were two copies of the "Mirror" that they bought when they docked at Midway Port. Because it was not Thursday when the novel edition was published, they spent a lot of money.

Fortunately, "Monopoly" made them a lot of money, and the money they spent buying newspapers was just a drop.

After a while, Edward looked up from the newspaper.

"Finished reading."

George on the side curled his lips,

"Well, you did read it to the end, for the seventh time."

After saying that, he pointed to the window next to him and complained: "Brother, take a quick look in the mirror and see how sloppy you are."

Once people become addicted to something, they tend to become slovenly.

At this time, Edward's hair was greasy, and his messy beard grew wildly like weeds. Although his eyes were bright, they were slightly sunken, looking a little haggard and tired.

Edward waved his hand,

“I can’t help but read it whenever I have free time.”

George was speechless,

There are four chapters in total, and each chapter should be read at least seven times. But any normal person would be bored.

My younger brother is better. The more he reads, the more he becomes obsessed with it.

George said: "Hurry up, we have to go back to get our luggage."

In order to open up the market in the UK, the two brought a hundred boxes of "Monopoly".

Interestingly, tabletop games clearly belong to the publication category like books, but it was extremely easy to pass through U.S. customs.

Maybe the staff thought this was something only children would like.

The two of them went back and carried their luggage.

As he was moving down the gangway, George muttered: "I don't know if the British Customs is easy to talk to. I heard that London's inspections are very strict."

"Tsk..."

Edward was speechless,

"Don't just look around and look around. There is no problem in the first place, but a guilty conscience can easily become a problem. Besides, if it really doesn't work, we can contact Professor Lu or Sir Wodehouse. As long as they are here, there will be no problem. .”

George rolled his eyes.

"Are you accustomed to enjoying privileges? Last time, the Vice President of the United States sent the telegram. This time, you want the British Prime Minister to take action?"

Edward chuckled,

Xin said, it seems that it is not impossible.

The two got off the gangway.

Passengers consciously began to line up and go through customs.

Edward carefully put away the newspaper, looked around, and soon noticed three brown-skinned men who "acted suspiciously."

They walked toward the pass in a "pin" shape.

This looks like smuggling.

The one in front looks big and eye-catching, and its purpose is to attract firepower. In fact, it only carries clothes and other things.

The two people behind are the big ones.

Edward leaned over and told his brother his conclusion.

George couldn't help but smile,

"You kid, you always have such weird thoughts."

The two of them quietly moved behind the word "品\

,"No matter whether the people in front are investigated or not, they will have an easier time.

The team moved slowly,

George whispered: "Do you think they will be investigated?"

Edward pondered: "I think so. Our cruise ship passed by the Havana Port, which is a distribution center for cigars, chemicals, and gold bars. It is impossible not to be investigated."

This is one of the reasons,

Another reason, Edward didn't say clearly——

color.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were indeed many brown-skinned people engaged in smuggling.

After a while, several people arrived at the pass.

Unexpectedly, the customs staff was looking down at something, looking under the table, not taking them seriously at all, waving their hands and muttering: "Go...go...queue to pass the customs."

The three people with the word "Pin" in front were a little confused and looked at each other.

George smiled and glanced at Edward,

"Let's see~"

Then, he pushed the person in front of him and shouted in a low voice: "Why don't you leave quickly?! Do you want to be inspected!?"

Only then did the man react and push his accomplice to rush out.

Unexpectedly, because the pace was too fast,

when--

Something fell out of the lining of the clothes and hit the ground.

For a moment, the scene fell silent,

"..."

"..."

"..."

Almost everyone's eyes were focused on that golden thing.

There was no doubt that it was a gold nugget.

Edward made a low "嘁-" sound, looked at George, and mouthed: "Look, I said he would be investigated, and he will be investigated."

George was speechless,

"I can't predict the future. Who would have thought that this would happen..."

After only half a sentence, I heard the customs staff say: "Go...go...don't be stuck here. Go through the customs in an orderly manner."

Edward:? ? ?

George:? ? ?

The two of them looked over subconsciously,

I saw that the staff member was still the same as before, with his head lowered and concentrating on something. His mind was not on work at all.

If it weren't for the fact that his right hand remained motionless, Edward would have suspected that this old man was doing phase rush down there.

The three people with the word "pin" in front of them reacted,

The leader picked up the gold bars and rushed out with his two accomplices.

The two Parker brothers were left in a mess in the wind.

The customs officer finally became impatient. He smacked his lips and raised his head. His pupils shrank suddenly. His gaze stayed on the large suitcase the two of them were carrying, and he subconsciously said: "What's in it... um... …”

He choked and looked down at the table.

An air of hesitation spread.

After a long while, he waved his hand and said, "Why don't you pass the test quickly?"

Edward said "Huh?"

George next to him kicked his calf and said, "Why don't you leave quickly? Don't disturb others."

Edward finally came to his senses.

The brothers rushed out of the customs in a hurry.

Standing on the streets of London Port, they still had an inexplicable feeling.

"What's going on?"×2

The two said in unison.

"I don't know."×2

Again in unison.

Edward couldn't help scratching his head and said, "Let's go quickly. Let's find someone first to ask why Blea Road...ah...is it called Blea Road?"

George nodded,

"Well, that's what Attorney Saul said."

The two of them walked onto the street carrying the boxes.

London is still London, the scenery remains the same,

But for some reason, they had an inexplicable doubt.

It was a very indescribable feeling, as if the whole city was still hungover, and everyone was still soaking in the wine vat, acting as if they were half asleep and absent-minded.

After walking a few steps forward, they saw a "car accident" scene:

A carefully crafted carriage, its body decorated with golden tassels and shiny metal decorations, was now falling apart.

A few homeless people lazily packed up the wood and prepared to sell it for money.

The coachman who caused the accident wiped his tears beside him: "I'm so stupid. Really. Why should I drive and read at the same time?"

Going further, the brothers saw another strange sight.

The Huntington Hotel is under construction. Workers outside are painting the walls one after another.

There was a literate man next to him who was looking up the dictionary in front of the Mirror. After checking, he would read a few sentences in fragments, and then he would be criticized by the co-workers.

They were all working like this, but the supervisor didn't show up.

George lowered his voice,

"Brother, when did London become like this? If this continues, Britain will not be as good as the United States in twenty years."

Edward didn't answer;

He touched his chin as if thinking.

After a while, he suddenly said: "Is today Thursday?"

There is no sun or moon on the sea,

Coming all the way from the United States, both of them were living in a daze.

George only knew the time clearly when writing in his diary,

He tilted his head and thought for a moment,

"Yes, it's Thursday."

Edward had a vague guess in his mind and said, "George, let's find a bookstore and read it... there, it's in front."

The layout of British bookstores is very interesting. In addition to being able to walk through the door of the bookstore, there is also a window similar to a newsstand. You can quickly buy magazines and newspapers from the boss without entering the door.

The brothers walked over.

A customer in front of them picked up a copy of the Mirror, threw a banknote into the small paper box next to it, then picked out a few coins from it, and completed the purchase, payment, and change on his own. Work,

During the whole process, the boss didn't even raise his head and remained focused on reading the newspaper.

"hiss……"

George took a breath;

"Has London become a unified world?"

Edward on the side laughed and said: "What kind of world of unity? It is definitely the reason of "Mirror", and it is identified as: reading "Lord of the Rings"."

He followed suit, bought a newspaper, opened the novel section and read it carefully.

George said: "Hey! Are you asking for directions?"

Edward was silent, reading today's serial with bated breath.

George had no choice but to ask the owner of the bookstore and whispered: "Boss, how can I get to Breya Road? Is it in the city center?"

He remembered Wodehouse saying that Breyard Road was close to everything in London.

As a result, the boss didn't talk to me at all.

He pressed his fingers on the novel page of today's "Mirror", moved slowly, and read with squinted eyes.

George scratched his head,

"Okay, boss, I'll buy you a map of London."

He thought that no matter how serious the boss was in reading the newspaper, he would not stop doing business.

As a result, the boss remained silent and continued to read the newspaper with a serious look, as if he had cut off contact with the outside world.

"Tsk..."

George couldn't help but was speechless, thinking about buying a copy and reading it.

at this time,

"Live!"

Edward yanked George's arm and said excitedly: "Gandalf, he's alive! He's alive!!!!!!!!!"

The sound was extremely loud.

Pedestrians on the side looked sideways.

Even the owner of the bookstore looked up from the newspaper and said with a smile: "It seems that you are also a reader of "The Lord of the Rings". Yes, Gandalf is resurrected, even though the editor of "Mirror" has revealed it in advance, But I still feel inspired when I watch it.”

Edward shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, no, Gandalf was not resurrected in the true sense, but his soul was returned to his body and was healed and strengthened. This is a symbol that represents renewal and rebirth."

The boss became anxious after hearing this.

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense to me! Look... I'll look for the original text of the novel."

He searched for a while,

"

'He walked down from the rock, picked up the gray cloak on the ground, and put it on again; everyone had the feeling that the sun was once again obscured by clouds and mist. 'Yes, you can still call me Gandalf! ’ His voice was that of their old friend and guide again. ’

"

After hearing this, George felt that it was indeed a resurrection.

Unexpectedly, Edward did not approve of it.

"I also have the original text."

As he spoke, he shook the newspaper,

"

"'Gandalf..." the old man replied, as if recalling a rarely used word in his memory: "Yes, that's the name. I used to be called Gandalf." ’’

"

The temporary loss and return of memory does not sound like "resurrection" in the traditional sense.

George changed his family again and came to recognize his younger brother.

So the shop owner and Edward started a debate, constantly looking for arguments from the original text.

Seeing them arguing with each other, George finally understood what he said:

Read "Lord of the Rings".

He snatched his brother away,

"Let's go, let's get down to business. Let's go to Blea Road to visit Professor Lu first."

Edward was unhappy;

"No, I haven't convinced him yet! I can't leave! This is a duel for readers of The Lord of the Rings!"

The owner of the bookstore put his hands on his hips and said: "Interesting...am I afraid of you!?"

Edward: "!@#*￥%..."

Boss: "!@#*￥%..."

The two of them were spitting garbled words and making each other's mouth bad.

George kicked the box and dragged his brother away.

…

Breya Road.

Lu Shi was carrying the luggage for Stockholm to attend the Nobel Prize dinner.

He stood at the door, but didn't go out.

There is no way, there are all book lovers outside,

Burya Road is heavily surrounded.

Natsume Soseki smiled and said,

"I thought there would be a big problem if I released the fifth chapter of "The Two Towers" today. Look, it turned out to be true!"

Lu Shi glanced at his pocket watch.

"It's over. If I don't leave, I won't be able to catch the cruise ship. Sigh... Even though that inconspicuous His Majesty the King has told the captain to wait for me, it won't cost the whole ship's people time. How embarrassing... …”

Natsume Soseki's mustache trembled.

In the end, he still couldn't resist the desire to complain, and said: "Do you know that what you said sounds like dazzling..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door suddenly.

"Is Professor Lu here?"

Typical American English with a hint of French accent,

Lu Shi heard it instantly,

It's Parker Brothers.

He walked over to open the door, pulled the two of them into the house, and then immediately closed the door.

Even though it was only for a moment, the screams from outside still came in,

"Lu, please give me your autograph!"

"Thank you, thank you for bringing Gandalf back to life!"

"Lu, I love you!"

…

The last sentence made Lu Shi feel chills and goosebumps all over his body.

George saw Lu Shi's luggage and asked curiously: "Professor Lu, are you preparing to travel far? We asked Mr. Saul to send you a telegram. Didn't you receive it?"

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"I have read the telegram, but this trip is a bit... unplanned. I am going to Stockholm to attend the Nobel Prize dinner."

Just as Edward VII predicted, Sweden did invite him to the dinner and served as a witness to the first Nobel Prize in 1901.

Tuo Weng also sent a telegram with a warm invitation.

Lu Shi couldn't refuse.

He could only say: "Sorry, I didn't expect this. But I have already told you that Sir will take you to find a partner."

George nodded,

"By the way, Edward and I brought a hundred copies of "Monopoly" to give to British universities for free."

That's how it is in the United States,

"Monopoly" was first spread in colleges and universities.

Lu Shi didn't care much about this;

"It's okay, Da Qiao, I believe you brothers... uh... ED, why don't you say anything?"

He turned to Edward.

I saw Edward holding the "Mirror" in his hand, reading it with gusto, and muttering something in his mouth,

"

Gandalf lives, there is peace in Middle-earth;

If Gandalf lives, the odds are in his favor.

"

Edward is like a crazy person.

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"ED?"

Edward suddenly came back to his senses, looked at Lu Shi, and said seriously: "Professor Lu, I think "The Lord of the Rings" should really be put on the desktop and become a tabletop game."

Lu Shi was noncommittal about this.

DND, that is, "Dungeons and Dragons\

,"The game dates back to 1974, when Gary Gygax and Dave Arnesen created this role-playing game.

It was precisely because Gygax was so fascinated by the grand setting of "The Lord of the Rings" that he chose to integrate many iconic elements of Middle-earth, and with his own ideas, DND was born.

Now, the preconditions are already there——

The Lord of the Rings appears.

The problem is cost.

In essence, DND is role-playing, but because there are too many elements, the number of props is even more than that of war games.

Not to mention those complicated rules, the threshold is too high.

Lu Shi raised his eyebrows,

"This game is destined to be a niche audience."

Edward said: "Professor Lu, even if it is a niche, it can sell well. Just like "Monopoly", we have two versions, the Collector's Edition and the Standard Edition. The former uses metal chess pieces, dice, and houses, and the price is Twelve times the size of the standard edition, it still sold over 3,000 copies.”

Lu Shi pondered for a moment,

"Okay, just go ahead and do it."

After saying that, he turned to George and asked: "Big Qiao, did you come by carriage? The carriage hasn't left yet, right?"

George replied: "Your readers are so blocked outside, so they must not have left."

He walked to the window to confirm,

"Well, I'm not leaving yet~"

Lu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, otherwise I would have had to ask a boat of people to wait."

George was a little confused.

"What a boatload of people?"

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Don't talk about this anymore. I'm leaving. Goodbye, Da Qiao. Goodbye..."

He looked towards Edward.

I saw that Edward had already taken out a pen and paper and was drawing something frantically, which should be a map of Middle-earth.

George touched his nose awkwardly,

"Reading The Lord of the Rings. Just leave him alone."

As he spoke, he took out several copies of "Monopoly" from the box.

"Professor Lu, take this with you and show it to other professors to help sell it."

Lu Shi smiled,

"You do know how to do business. However, I am also a shareholder, so I should."