British writer

Collège de France.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the door.

Lu Shi jumped down first and stretched:

"Ah……"

In November, the climate in Paris is much more pleasant than in Stockholm.

The average temperature is between 6°C and 10°C, and the sky seems to be covered with fine gray-blue velvet, revealing a calm and elegant beauty, exuding charming charm.

Lu Shi looked around,

"Nothing has changed..."

Verne's mouth curved.

"It's not like nothing."

As he spoke, he nodded towards the garden square in the center of the college.

As far as the eyes can see, the grass and flowers are withered, and only solemn busts of celebrities stand there.

Lu Shi couldn't help but be curious,

"During this period, are there any seats added to the Academy of France's seats?"

Verne shook his head,

"It's only been half a year since you last came. There have been no additions. However, we French people know how to adapt. Not all of those statues are members of the academy."

After saying that, he took the lead,

"Let's go, I'll take you over and have a look."

Poincaré and Roland also echoed: "Yes, Professor Lu, let's go and take a look."

I always feel that their attitude is inexplicably eager.

Lu Shi scratched his head,

"All right."

Several people walked over together.

After entering the garden, Lu Shi saw many busts of French celebrities.

It didn't take long for him to find Poincaré.

The facial expression of the statue is resolute and profound, as if announcing his discoveries and contributions to the world.

Its base is a granite stone with Poincaré's famous saying engraved on it:

“It’s just as easy for people to doubt everything as it is to trust everything because neither requires reflection.”

The writing shines in the sunlight.

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless.

"Mr. Poincaré, your famous aphorisms are very forward-looking~"

"Yeah?"

The corners of Poincaré's lips curled up,

"Actually, I wanted them to engrave another sentence, 'Mathematicians are not made, they are born.' But I was rejected because I was too arrogant."

Lu Shi couldn't help but laugh,

"It's normal for French people to be arrogant. Not to mention mathematicians~"

Poincaré glared at him.

"With these words, you have blackened two identities - a Frenchman and a mathematician."

The four of them continued forward.

Lu Shi looked around and said in confusion: "Speaking of which, what exactly is there between here and the last time I visited... um..."

He paused, his eyes glazed over,

"That's...what the hell is that!?"

On the easternmost side of the garden stands a bust;

It is brand new, has not been baptized by wind and rain, and the black stone surface is as smooth as ever.

The protagonist of the statue is none other than Lu Shi.

Roland smiled "hehe\

,""Professor Lu, although you are not a member of the academy, what did Mr. Verne just say? We French people know how to adapt best."

Lu Shi was speechless.

He hurried over and saw the famous saying on the stone tablet:

"Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, that is knowing."

It's already very abnormal to be here,

First, this is not a famous saying by Lu Shi, but by the sage and sage Confucius;

Secondly, the rubbings on the stone tablet were made from Lu Shi's previous inscriptions, which were messy and messy, with no sense of beauty at all.

But there is something even more abnormal below,

After Confucius's famous sayings, there is a short poem in French:

——

Your eyes can deceive you;

Your feelings can deceive you;

Your experience will deceive you;

But math doesn’t,

No, it just won’t!

——

Fxxk!

Ten thousand grass and mud horses ran wildly in Lu Shi's heart.

You know, many great Chinese people will come to study in France in the future.

How will they react when they see this statement?

"hiss……"

Lu Shi gasped.

Seeing him like this, Poincaré said cautiously: "Professor Lu, this statue was designed by Mr. Monet on his own initiative and he spent a lot of effort. Both he and the college are very satisfied."

Lu Shi sighed,

"Alas...that...this sentence was said by Saint Kong."

Poincaré nodded,

"Of course we do."

Lu Shi was completely confused and asked, "Then why..."

Poincaré blinked mysteriously,

"Professor Lu, you yourself said that translation should pay attention to faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. I think it is very elegant to translate that little poem about mathematics into a famous saying of Confucius~"

Lu Shi: "..."

Ya is not wrong,

Where is Xinheda?

But the matter has come to this, and there is really nothing more to say.

He glanced at his statue again, feeling so uncomfortable that he simply looked away and looked away.

"Let's go."

Verne nodded,

"Okay, then I'll take you directly to the dormitory. It's the same villa as last time."

Lu Shi waved his hand and said, "No. There's still half a day left, and I'm not going to rest. Let's go directly to review the novel manuscript submitted for the Jules Verne Award. Get it done as soon as possible so that I can get back to London as soon as possible."

The cooperation with Parker Brothers has not yet been completed.

Moreover, I will receive the award from King Edward VII on New Year's Day next year.

There are so many things rushing together and time is so tight.

Verne followed the good and followed the flow;

"Okay, let's go over now. The other judge, Mr. Wells, has already started working."

Several people then went to the main building of the college.

Entering the small conference room, the fragrance of a large amount of paper, wood pulp and a touch of rosin hit your face.

Manuscripts were scattered on the conference table, the floor, and even the windowsill.

There was a whole pile at Lu Shi's feet. The top manuscript had charts and data on the first page. It didn't look like a science fiction novel, but more like a paper or a report.

Sitting next to the conference table was a man with thinning hair.

He was tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He held an unlit cigarette between the index finger and thumb of his right hand. When he was addicted to smoking, he would hold it between his body and take a whiff to satisfy his craving.

This man is none other than Herbert George Wells,

The science fiction novels he created have far-reaching influence, such as "time travel", "alien invasion", "dystopia", etc., which are all mainstream topics in science fiction novels in the 20th century.

He didn't even raise his head when he heard the door open.

"Leave the meal outside the door. I'm not hungry yet."

Verne laughed out loud.

"Of course you're not hungry. It's not even two o'clock in the afternoon."

Wells reluctantly withdrew his eyes from the manuscript in his hand, slowly raised his head, and said: "Mr. Verne, are you...um...Professor Lu!? Are you Professor Lu!? Great, finally let me Caught."

He stood up and rushed over to shake hands with Lu Shi.

Because he was too enthusiastic, he even kicked down the pile of submissions at Lu Shi's feet.

"Professor Lu, I like your works so much. I was shocked when I read "Country Teacher" before, and the recent "Chao Wen Dao" is even more shocking."

Due to its popularity among scientists, the influence of "Chao Wen Dao" spread rapidly.

Paris, London, Berlin...

By telegraph, the message reached the major cities in Europe.

Lu Shi looked at the manuscript on the ground.

There were shoe prints on it.

He said: "That... doesn't matter?"

Wells waved,

"It doesn't matter. The content of several of these manuscripts is indeed novel and worth reading. But the author submitted it to the wrong place. It would be better to submit it to a journal, but he chose to participate in the novel award."

As he spoke, he pushed the manuscript aside with his feet,

"Leave them alone."

He then locked his eyes on Lu Shi,

stare--

The eyes are gentle and deep, like warm sunshine shining down, like looking at the lover of your dreams.

Lu Shi calmly took two steps back.

"Mr. Wells?"

Wells finally came back to his senses,

He also realized that his performance just now was a bit excessive, and quickly explained: "Professor Lu, I have asked George to introduce you to me many times before, but you have been very busy, with the Isle of Wight, the United States, and Stockholm... …”

Lu Shi was surprised,

"Do you know Mr. Xiao?"

Wells nodded,

“George always wanted to bring me into the Fabian Society.”

Only then did Lu Shi remember that there was indeed such a period of history.

In 1903, Wells became a member of the Fabian Society.

However, he still believed that the moderate and reformist socialist ideas of the Fabian Society were too radical, and he eventually had differences with his predecessors such as Bernard Shaw, and finally withdrew from the organization.

Lu Shi said, "Let's sit down and talk."

Several people greeted each other and took their seats.

Wells continued the topic,

"The reason why I want to meet you is that I hope to chat with you about the creation of science fiction novels."

Wells wrote more than 100 works in his lifetime, covering various fields such as science, literature, history, society and politics. He was one of the most prolific writers.

For him, creation is the continuation of life.

No wonder he is so fanatical.

Lu Shi asked: "Mr. Wells, do you have any ideas?"

As soon as he finished asking, Wells unexpectedly took out a piece of paper from his arms and said,

Above is a very small font,

There are more than twenty questions in total.

"Ah this..."

Everyone in Lu Shi was stunned.

Wells was not ashamed to ask,

"The first question is, in "Chao Wen Dao", you created the alien "Disaster". Why did you describe him as, 'His facial features are too regular, so straight that they are unrealistic, like some public figures? An icon representing a human being on a sign'?"

Lu Shi was stunned,

"This is...how do you understand this question?"

Wells explained: "Professor Lu, I'm just curious, why do the aliens in your mind behave like that?"

What a problem! ?

I'm afraid if I ask the electrician Liu about it, he will have to think about it for a minute before giving an answer.

Verne on the side smiled,

"Lu, haven't you read Herbert's works?"

Lu Shi suddenly realized.

Wells's descriptions of "big-brained" aliens in many novels have always been the "standard image" of aliens in later science fiction novels.

It can even be said to be a "stereotype".

Lu Shi shook his head,

"To be honest, I haven't thought much about the image of aliens. However, if you think about it carefully, aliens with far higher intelligence than humans have made their images more approachable in order to be compatible with human understanding. , not incomprehensible.”

Wells responded: "Yeah...that's it..."

Lu Shi looked over,

Unexpectedly, the other party was immersed in taking notes.

He couldn't help but have black lines all over his head,

￣□￣｜｜

I have encountered too many similar facts recently.

Wells finished remembering and continued to ask: "The second question, in "The Country Teacher"..."

Lu Shi interrupted: "Wait!"

He pointed to the submissions on the table,

"Shall we chat while reading the manuscript?"

Wells then remembered that he was not here to study, but to be a judge, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

He turned to the topic,

"There are several articles submitted this time that are quite good."

As he said that, he picked up a pile,

"For example, this young man named Marcel Proust...well...well, I am five years older than him, so it seems inappropriate to call him 'young man'. In short, his article...Professor Lu, What’s wrong with you?"

Wells was surprised when he saw Lu Shi in a daze.

Lu Shi said "Huh?"

"No. Nothing."

He confirmed: "You just said that the author's name is..."

Wells repeated:

"Marcel Proust."

Lu Shi: "..."

The future Nobel Prize winner, the originator of stream of consciousness, and the author of "In Search of Lost Time"——

Marcel Proust.

Such a character actually submitted for a science fiction award.

Lu Shi took the manuscript and browsed it quickly.

Unexpectedly, Proust is obviously imitating "The Country Teacher".

The book is called "The Warden\

,"It is about a prison warden who, because of his perverted hobbies, forces all prisoners to read a textbook every three months and then take an exam. Prisoners who fail the exam will be severely punished...

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless.

You can even roughly guess the concept of the story behind it.

Verne on the side is also reading,

He couldn't help laughing,

"Lu, it looks like someone is paying tribute to you~ You don't mind, do you?"

Lu Shi himself was a copycat, so how could he mind?

He shook his head,

"of course not."

Verne said "hmm\

,""Literary creation should be open. It doesn't matter if the themes and structures are similar, as long as they are not nested in the plot."

This guy imitated "The Count of Monte Cristo" and wrote "Count Sanddorf", so of course he would say that.

Wells on the other side continued:

"There is also a tribute here. The author of the novel is named Louis..."

Lu Shi raised his hand,

"Don't mention your name. It can easily affect your judgment as a judge."

"Ah this..."

Wells was confused;

After a few seconds, he asked: "Do you know that Marcel Proust just now?"

Lu Shi: "..."

Don't know how to answer.

On the contrary, Roland next to him slapped his forehead and said: "So, it seems that Mr. Proust is indeed a writer. He has published... published..."

Roland pondered,

But I just can't remember it.

Lu Shidao: ""Happiness and Time" is a collection of chronicles, essays, and stories."

In fact, he has only read a few of the short stories,

The main thing I know about Proust is that masterpiece——

"in memory of our passing age".

Wells was confused;

"Professor Lu, do you know about such unpopular works?"

As a result, before Lu Shi could say anything, Poincaré next to him began to brag on his behalf: "That's not true!? Professor Lu is very knowledgeable and knowledgeable. I even doubt that he has a photographic memory."

Wells looked at Lu Shi subconsciously,

It looked like seeing an alien.

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"I just happened to have read about it."

Wells no longer hesitates;

"You are right, it is indeed not appropriate for the judges to know the true identities of these contributors."

As he spoke, he handed over the manuscript,

"This one is pretty good, too. It's called "New France."

Poincaré was surprised,

"The title sounds like a political novel."

Verne said: "Henry, you are right. Political novels and science fiction have overlap. For example, Edward Bellamy's "Retrospective" tells the story of a Bosnian young man who has been sleeping for 113 years. After that, I finally woke up in 2000 and found that the ideal socialism had been established. Similar to Wells... um..."

Verne looked at Wells, wondering whether he should speak or not.

After all, the word "tribute" can sometimes be used as a "plagiarism".

Wells looked normal;

"Yes, and "When the Sleeper Awakes," a novel I published in 1899. The protagonist on an alien planet wakes up after hibernating for 200 years and finds that the metropolis of the future world is worse than the past era. .”

Poincaré pondered,

"It's exactly the opposite of "Review". One is an ideal world, and the other is a more evil human society."

It is for this reason that "When the Sleeper Wakes" is considered the originator of "dystopia".

"We" by Yamizagin,

Huxley's "Brave New World\

,""Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell,

…

The shadow of "When the Sleeper Wakes" can be seen in so many works.

And "Review" has become the tears of history.

Poincaré asked: "What do you think of this kind of 'tribute'?"

Of course it doesn't matter when the text is copied from the mainland;

“I think it’s enough if it’s written well.”

The other two judges, Wells and Bernard Shaw, have also done "tribute" things themselves, so naturally they will not slap themselves in the face.

"I agree too."×2

Poincaré asked: "In that case, how about this "New France"?"

Lu Shi was reading.

In the novel, the author shapes France in the future into a behemoth,

Kick America, punch Eurasia,

Politics, economy, culture, leading in all aspects.

The people are extremely confident and have an open and tolerant attitude toward many things. They even allow a man who is married to a woman who is twenty-four years older than himself to be the prime minister. Moreover, this woman was once the prime minister's high school teacher.

Lu Shi was left speechless.

This novel called "New France" is really awesome.

In the general direction, the prediction is not correct at all.

On the contrary, the details about the Prime Minister's private life are ridiculously accurate.

Fortunately, this is right.

Otherwise, Lu Shidu would think that the author is also a time traveler.

He shook his head,

"I think it's average."

Wells echoed: "Well, it's okay, but it's just 'okay.'"

Verne on the side said: "Why do I think it's pretty good? In the future, France will kick America and punch Eurasia. No matter how reasonable you think it is."

Lu Shi: "..."

Wells: "..."

The two looked at Verne speechlessly.

Even Poincaré couldn't help complaining: "Jules, it's okay to lie to my brothers, but just don't fool yourself. It doesn't matter if my brother is fooled by you, just let's have a laugh and let it go."

Verne muttered: "Okay~Okay~"

He spread his hands and said: "From the perspective of a novel, this "New France" is really average."

The three judges reached unanimous agreement.

Wells continued: "There are still... not many more to come. I feel like I can finish reviewing them today or tomorrow."