High Above

On September 10, 2022, the Prison Star Prison volume was completed. It took seven months and 1.72 million words were updated, with an average of 8,000 words per day. Excluding the 4,000 new books per day in the first two months, the average number of updates per month is 9,000.

This month’s update has already written 11,000 words, and the average daily average is more than 1,000 words. It cannot be said that it is less.

The first volume of "Above the Sky" ended safely, and I am personally quite satisfied.

Compared with my past books, a plot is one volume, and the structure of a book is about 15 to 20 volumes. Above the Sky adopts a large-volume model. Before starting the book, I have already booked three large volumes plus a final extra chapter. Volume architecture.

Of course, the essence may not change, because a large volume is actually composed of several small volumes. Old readers can definitely tell which plots can be counted as one volume, and when they start and end. I will write about it later. I have also discovered this, and I feel that it is no different to me. I will continue the format of a small volume of more than ten or two hundred thousand words for my next book.

Next, let’s summarize the current plot.

[Prison of the Prisoner] is the first volume of three major volumes. Its purpose is to set the stage for the continent of Terra and the process of the protagonist gradually understanding the truth of this world.

In the prologue 'Disciple and Teacher', Ian, who was reincarnated in Terra, awakens his past life memories. Under the guidance of his teacher Hilliard, he gradually understands the subtleties and grandeur of this world, and understands Terra's unique philosophical and scientific concepts. , and gradually embarked on the road of sublimation, and gradually learned a little bit about his teacher's past.

From a person who only wanted to explore new possibilities in a different world after reincarnation, he gradually became down-to-earth, truly living in this world, and connecting with many people. He then chose to inherit the teacher's beliefs and shoulder the other person's desire to change the world. Dream, gradually move towards the future.

It was during this process that Ian noticed that the starry sky on the Terra continent was extremely rare, and starless dark nights appeared more and more often, and even became the norm.

At the end of the prologue, with the help of the silver chip, Ian discovered the shattered Gazing Moon. For the first time, he truly understood what the "disaster of falling from the sky" was. In the next scene, the steps of the pre-era civilization Terrans looking at the stars were interrupted. The disruption has laid the groundwork.

Then, the volume of 'The Great Labyrinth of the South Sea' is the process of Ian's initial development and growth, and his gradual move towards the big stage of Terra.

With the secret help of the Viscount, Ian got in touch with Isengard and Master Gosei, two aristocratic researchers from the imperial capital. They joined forces to complete the emperor's mission and explored the secrets that were the core of many grudges and resentments in Nanling. The Great Maze of the South China Sea.

In the maze, Ian discovered the truth about the Sequoia natives, met the developing brain-eating worm swarm, obtained the highest management authority of the Sequoia Base Center with the help of the silver chip, and learned some secrets about the civilization of the previous era. .

And this secret contains the origin of many Warcraft and sublimated creatures on Terra, the specific impact of the Skyfall Disaster on the civilization of the previous era, and the real main line of this book, which contains clues about the "Prison of the Star".

In the universe where Terra is located, many cosmic civilizations, as well as civilizations that barely have the ability to navigate the stars, are doing their best to launch fire spacecraft towards other star fields, intending to preserve the fire of their own civilization, or simply serve as a tombstone. It is engraved with the obsession of civilization that never wants to be forgotten.

On the moon of Terra, many fire spacecraft crashed, and it was discovered that their pre-era Terra civilization had just ended the unification war. The newly born alliance was full of desire to advance and explore. They absorbed a large amount of alien technology and created He created the original prototypes of many sublimated creatures and rapidly improved the technology of pre-epochal civilizations (that is, alchemy).

But there must be a reason behind it all. The fact that many interstellar civilizations are sending fire spaceships together must mean that a disaster is happening in the universe that they have to escape, or even cannot escape. At the same time, the pre-epoch civilization also discovered that the stars in the starry sky were disappearing. This extremely abnormal phenomenon caused the pre-epoch civilization to begin to do its best to develop technology and seek ways to escape the possible destruction.

They didn't escape.

The disaster of falling from the sky destroyed the civilization of the previous era. The descendants of the former glorious civilization of Terra were teased by fate and became the Sequoia people living in seclusion underground in the Sequoia base. The Sequoia people also had conflicts between exploring the outside world and stable life , leading to internal turmoil, creating a swarm of brain-eating worms, causing the core power unit of the base to malfunction, and indirectly leading to the birth of a major storm in the future.

The Sequoia people fled their base in a hurry, and finally struggled to survive in the redwood forests of the South China Sea, gradually evolving into today's Sequoia natives.

Ian knows all this, and he knows more and more, but the doubts in his heart are getting bigger and bigger. Although he has not yet discovered the existence of Prison Star Prison, a vague guess has already taken root in his heart.

But anyway, it's all over. Whether it was the gradual degradation of the Sequoia people, or the grudges surrounding the Great Storm and the Great Maze, whether it was the death of his father or the path of the swarm, he still chose to move towards a better future.

The third act, 'Towards the Imperial Capital', is the scene where Ian leaves the 'newbie village' of Harrison Port and officially sets foot on the land of Terra.

After summing up the harvest and knowing that Terra was now a post-apocalyptic civilization born after the destruction of an extremely advanced civilization, Ian understood that staying in a port city on the border of the empire, even if it had been farming for decades, was nothing more than It is to build a city into prosperity. If he wants to better know the truth about the world and change the future of the world, he must go to a bigger stage, gain more knowledge, broaden his horizons and expand his contacts.

In this way, when he is really ready to change the world in the future, he will have enough wealth, resources, and technical reserves to back him up.

In the process, Ian saw the conflicts between the countries on Terra and the harm they caused to ordinary people in this world.

Whether it was the dead traders along the way, the children abducted in Goldenleaf Town, or the series of tragedies caused by Baron Ryan and his children in the Ryan Territory, they were essentially a series of conflicts between the kingdoms of Terra. The conflict resulted in a series of events. The Ryan Territory is pointing directly at the future Avak Territory incident, and in the process, the Empire, the Flying Flame Land, the Huaiguang Church, the Dragon Worship Cult, and the Canaanite Moorish forces all appear on the scene and reveal their respective purposes.

The world is full of contradictions. People are ignorant and confused, and they don't even know they are being used. Ian left Nanling with confusion and continued to the imperial capital, but he was always shrouded in the contradiction between the empire and Feiyandi. All this made him feel angry, but as a scholar, the rational part told him that a person who has not yet In a unified planetary civilization, such contradictions are natural and inevitable limitations of history.

But Ian wants to change this taken for granted. He wants to be the founder of new history.

Finally, Ian saw the Imperial Capital. The majestic Lonely Mountain City and the majestic planetary shield generator finally made him understand how advanced and developed the Terran civilization was in the past, and how powerful and twisted the Terran civilization was today.

That is definitely not something that can be changed by farming in a small place, making some gunpowder, and getting some guns. This post-apocalyptic civilization has a solid order, a complete industrial system, and a complicated political situation. Trying to change it on your own is not only disrespectful of science, but also impractical.

After finally understanding what kind of important task the teacher wanted to entrust his faith to, Ian felt relieved and strengthened his goal.

He wanted to understand this world, this civilization, and the most advanced and developed side of Terra.

Then go and change it.

So Ian takes steps toward the future.

So he came to the imperial capital.

The fourth act, which is the final scene of this volume, is naturally, ‘Star Prison’.

In the imperial capital, Ian saw the most obvious social contradictions, the powerlessness of ordinary people and the indifference of the sublime. This is indeed an advanced and developed city, with alchemy trains, aerial armor, and mobile fortresses. There are huge transportation vehicles, developed alchemy, and a central plains planting area for mechanized farming.

The transformation of the Central Plains by the late Emperor Inaga II allowed most residents of the entire empire to have enough to eat, and the Ascendants protected ordinary people and ensured their lives and continuation. This was the foundation of the empire and even the Terrans. The legal foundation of national rule is indestructible and unbreakable.

Ian watched all this. He helped some people, but he couldn't help more people.

In order to obtain more resources, Ian showed off his strength and gained attention and investment from the alchemy circle. At the same time, the second prince Mikael, who was aware of this, also came to talk to the protagonist - Mikael Kael reveals to Ian the real problem with this post-apocalyptic civilization.

——Overly developed technology has made many people’s existence on the verge of meaninglessness.

This is a problem that originally only occurred in the world of Datong. Most people's jobs can already be replaced by artificial intelligence. In a Datong society where morality and civilization have developed to a very high level, this step is the basis for moving from the kingdom of necessity to the kingdom of freedom.

However, after the destruction of the civilization in the previous era, the Terran civilization, which had acquired corresponding technology, lost this moral outlook and civilization system. Due to the Skyfall disaster, the sublimation technology of Terra civilization has greatly developed, creating fourth and fifth energy levels that ordinary interstellar civilizations cannot breed. These gods walking on the earth are the crystallization of the highest level of technology. They can almost be regarded as the ultimate weapons of an interstellar civilization. They are humanoid star sea battleships and alien colonial centers.

The combination of various reasons has resulted in the current Terran civilization being unable to break free from the ruins caused by the collapse of the civilization of the previous era. It can only wait slowly in the darkness, waiting for germination or decay.

After receiving some advice from the second prince, Ian understood that facing a side with a technological advantage, the best way was to join it, learn it, become it, and then bury it.

He began to eagerly learn the knowledge of Terra, and absorbed the technology of the Imperial City and the experience of his predecessors through the silver chip. Although these were not the most advanced technologies, only with the foundation and suddenness could the future growth and sprouting occur.

And just when Ian was gradually getting into a good situation, the accident in Avak happened. This was the first major event that Ian encountered that could be recorded in history, and it was also the first time that he saw a battle between fourth-level powerhouses.

It was also the first time he understood how quickly and worthlessly ordinary people would die under the power and conflict of the Ascended Ones.

In the subspace labyrinth, Ian eliminated one of the culprits, the researcher of the Academy of Gnosis, and became the dead king. He fought against Lord Avak, and interrogated the real mastermind with the real dead king Adebert. Archduke Thorin.

But Archduke Thorin, who saw through one of Ian's true identities, told the two young men the truth.

——The Terra star field has actually already encountered attacks that other interstellar civilizations have encountered. The Terran solar system has been shrouded in the "Prison of the Stars".

A super-giant cage with a radius of five light years that cut off the outside world imprisoned the entire Terran solar system in one corner.

The long-held speculation became a reality. After a brief shock, Ian found that he was not surprised, because this was indeed the only possibility that could explain everything that happened in the starry sky.

Although Archduke Thorin is desperate, Ian believes that although they still don't know the specific shape of the Prison Star Prison five light years away, since it has a crack, it can let some starlight from the outside world shine in, and even The occurrence of disasters such as supernova explosions proves that the star prison is not complete.

The cracks in the Star Prison are most likely related to the disaster of falling from the sky. Although the civilization of the previous era was destroyed because of this, it also left them a key.

Archduke Thorin chose to give up, but Ian always chose to move forward.

Choose to move towards the future.

Ian, who knew about the existence of Prison Star Prison, finally got the knowledge of Terra he wanted. He fully developed it as quickly as possible and knew the future development trend from his prophetic spiritual power.

He embraces the possibility of a spiritual disaster path, but still tries to do better. Moreover, Ian has gradually witnessed that the situation between the Empire and the Flying Fire Land is slipping towards a full-scale war. This is a disaster and an opportunity. For him, who wants to change the existing order, this is the best time to fish in troubled waters.

No matter how terrifying the Star Prison is, or whether the cage five light years away is still closing, he must start from the front, from the place within his reach.

Therefore, Ian chose to return to Nanling and his own territory.

It's time to get started and truly transform the world with your own will.

Ian, who was moving firmly towards the future and the dream in his heart step by step, also ended his observation, lurking and exploration stage when he learned about one of the bottom secrets of the world, the "Prison Prison".

There are still many secrets of Terra. The disaster of falling from the sky, the world's ecology, and the enemies in the void related to the true dragon are all problems that have yet to be solved.

But now he is going to farm.

This is the story in the first volume [Prison of the Stars] above the sky. It can also be regarded as a collection, roughly selecting the important stages, allowing readers to review the protagonist's experience.

By the way, I, the author, also want to review the previous stories, and organize my thoughts by explaining them to readers, so as to better prepare for subsequent creations.

I believe this is necessary and not a waste of time. More preparation means better stories.

In this volume, I used many new techniques to write, and I also tried to achieve self-breakthrough.

Old readers may know that in the first few books, I was actually a fast-paced person. This is true whether it's the strong one at the beginning of "Soul of Burning Steel" or the genius rapid upgrade flow of "Monsters Die When Killed". Whether it's storytelling or upgrades, the speed is as fast as flying.

But precisely because of this, after writing two books with 10 million words, I always feel that a lot of ideas were wasted.

There are many stories in these two books that I thought about very well, but due to the too fast pace, I was unable to deeply explore the charm of these stories.

Since I can write fast, I also have to try to slow down and retract freely. When I should be fast, I should be fast, and when I should be slow, I should be slow. This is a mature author, a person who writes stories.

So from above, I tried my best to describe a world, write the story of Ian in the continent of Terra, and reveal the secrets and truth behind this world.

As I said at the beginning, I'm personally very happy with it. In the entire first volume, basically no plot is superfluous. Each plot has a corresponding prelude and follow-up. Everything is interconnected. There may be some minor problems with the details, but as this is my first time trying this writing method. As a newbie, I think it’s still acceptable.

But that doesn't mean I don't need to correct myself.

I am a person who has a strong desire to explain. If readers say they don’t understand this chapter, I will basically answer it when I see it.

The same is true for the problems in the book. I am very worried that readers will not understand my plot, so most of the causes and consequences will be mentioned, even several times, which will seem cumbersome.

In fact, this kind of explanation is unnecessary, because people who don't understand can't understand even if it's explained, and readers who understand don't need to explain it a second time.

The next volume will work hard to correct this problem, but I also hope that readers will not ask too basic questions, such as 'My younger brother is two years old, and my father died eight years ago. I dare to ask who my younger brother is...'.

I wrote about my stepfather in the first chapter! It’s also highlighted! But now there are still 1 to 3 people asking this question every day!

I have seen this kind of questions too much, so I really don’t blame me for being cautious and explaining some of the issues more.

All in all, if Above the Sky is essentially a story about curiosity, then the first volume [Prison of the Stars] is about faith towards the future.

Whether it is inheriting the teacher's belief, emerging from the Great Maze of the South China Sea, choosing to go to the Imperial Capital, or finally returning to Nanling for development, in essence, Ian continues to choose to move towards the future, rather than choosing a more comfortable and safer life.

This is a very difficult thing, just like I could actually escape into my comfort zone early tomorrow, but I still come to fantasy and write a niche, mixed with science fiction content, a story about exploration and curiosity.

Above the Sky is a breakthrough for me in my own field. So far, it has indeed added a lot of new skill points to me, but I have also encountered many problems. In the past few months, I have I always stay awake at night for updates, and I think about the development of the plot during meals during the day, which is very different from the relaxed writing I originally expected.

yes. When you choose the future, you choose the unknown, fear and sorrow.

But this is also the darkness leading to the dawn of tomorrow. As long as you step through it, there will be new scenery and colors.

Now that I have finished writing my remarks, I would like to recommend a few science fiction novels that can be regarded as sources of inspiration.

Roger Zelazny's "The Light King" and Stephen Baxter's "Xeelee." Of course, there are also "Country Teacher" and "Mountain" by Liu Cixin.

The King of Light can be said to be the pioneer of fantasy expression novels with a science fiction core. Mr. Zelazny showed me a mythical science fiction world with his incredible imagination of that era.

Xeelee is famous for its magnificence. Mr. Baxter's imagination is still top-notch even now. The short story "Orion's Line" and the long "Jubilation" are both classics. You may have read these stories or... The plot in the story, but they don’t know that they are all under the Xeelee world view.

As for Teacher Liu Cixin, I don’t think I need to introduce it too much. Just watch it and that’s it.

Yes, there is no fantasy book that inspired me... I'm ashamed, but this was also my heartfelt wish after reading Queen of Light - I must write such a fantasy! Now it can be considered a dream come true.

If you have time, you can go and read them. They are all very good books and stories.

To be honest, since April 1st, there have been 8000~9000 updates every day, and this month it has been 10,000 a day. I have no time to read and absorb nutrients... Why don't you vote for a monthly vote for such a diligent cloudy day!

Thinking of this, I can't help but think about it... My friend next door eats the book demon and feels so happy. Even Tingri and Amao can frequently ask for leave in the name of new volumes, which makes me envious and jealous, but I regret that I chose the large-volume format for this book. I really deserve it!

The next book will definitely be a small volume. If nothing else, the chances of asking for leave will increase several times for no reason!

Especially since I recently had a physical examination. My muscle mass and metabolism are still healthy, but I have a tendency to develop fatty liver and have many minor health problems.

I have problems with my daily routine, mood, and mental allergies. I have insomnia, tenosynovitis, and lumbar spine problems. I even had symptoms of depression some time ago. I was so scared that I immediately went to the gym for a period of time to relieve stress. The effect was pretty good, but I had been doing live broadcasts. I don’t have the time or mood to write code, and there are also a lot less water groups.

Now I take a cup of pills every morning, and I am obviously not a patient, but I am living the life of a patient... The profession of writing is really high-pressure, and healthy living habits are really important.

No more to say.

Next, is the second volume [Lord of Steel].

Steel is not only a symbol of civilization, but also the embodiment of wrist and character.

Unlike his teacher Hilliard and his loyal master Inaga II, Ian is by no means a good person in the general sense. Rather than simply providing help to solve problems, he prefers to completely solve the problems that caused them. the root of.

That is, a distorted social order.

He has methods like fire and cold steel. In order to achieve his own goals, he will never be merciful, whether it is towards himself or others.

In this volume, Ian will gradually create the order in his heart, and truly reveal the truth about the Star Prison and the grand plans behind the countries in the world of Terra, as well as the hearts of many strong people, what they 'want to do' The world created'.

Some people agree and some oppose it, but what remains unchanged is that a new order is spreading.

Just like the ice that spreads on the water in the severe winter.

Like steel flowing from a furnace, hammered into shape.

[Steel Lord] Chapter 1, updated at 12 noon tomorrow - at least I haven't asked for leave. I hope all readers will support me.

honestly! I had 9,000 daily updates last month, and more than 10,000 this month. I didn’t even ask for leave after the end of the volume. I just slowed down the update pace and prepared for the details. I really don’t want to see anyone lazy and slippery. Having said that, I really feel my blood pressure is high after watching it.

And in essence, I am writing detailed outlines, polishing the plot rhythm, and urging people to update. Do people want to see a rough and rushed product or do they want a carefully thought-out plot?