Final remarks
——It takes effort to pan for gold in the sand, pick up grains from shells, and extract blood from the water.
It's so long...
May 21, 2023, to August 7, 2025.
808 days, 4.2 million words. An average of 5,200 words per day.
Even though I took a lot of leave, I made up for it all in the end!
This is the longest book I have ever written, bar none. It is also the most tiring book I have ever written.
All the foreshadowings have been gathered, and the design of "Holy Number" runs through from the beginning to the end.
Apart from the plot of taking Edward on a small tour among the dwarves and frost giants, which was cut halfway because it was not very meaningful, the rest of the outline determined at the beginning of the book has not collapsed until the end!
The outline, which was determined when the book began and has remained unchanged for a full four million words, was extremely difficult to create.
Although my performance dipped during the second volume, the Teaching Nation arc, it started to recover by the end of the volume, and even reached a new high with the third volume. Although my updates have been very erratic due to my declining health, I haven't been able to ask for votes, and my ranking on the monthly vote chart has dropped significantly. I also lost my perfect attendance and couldn't get a recommended spot...
But even without being on the list or taking the recommended position for a year, the average subscription did not drop but actually increased a bit, which is very impressive for a book of four million words.
The revenue from this book has now surpassed the total of all the books I have written on Qidian in the past, and is even close to twice the total... I am really grateful for everyone's support!
Although I still feel a little regretful that I couldn’t use “The Tail Ring” as the title of the book, looking back now, the title “Shepherd’s Tantra” is also quite interesting.
I have been sick since the beginning of this year. In the past six months, apart from reading online novels, I have basically only read a few mystery novels written by emerging writers such as San San, Ma Shen, Yuxue, and Shirai Tomoyuki. In fact, those are the only ones with good quality... After that, I only read "Calling Souls" and "A Study of Chinese Alchemy" as extracurricular reading. I really don't have any good recommendations, so I won't make a separate book list.
Now my insomnia has become a chronic disease. My average sleep this year is only six hours, and this month my average sleep is less than five hours.
Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the aftereffects of COVID-19, or maybe it's the weakened immune system caused by long-term insomnia... Now I have high blood pressure, fatty liver, hyperuricemia, eight subcutaneous lipomas, three lung nodules, neurasthenia, and problems with my heart, kidneys, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and wrists. And since last month, after allergic conjunctivitis, I'm getting dizzy looking at screens and my vision has significantly deteriorated. I need to go to the hospital to see if it's an early sign of diabetes...
After this book is finished, I need to rest for at least four months. I also need to exercise in between. In the past six months, without changing my diet, I suddenly gained more than 20 pounds, which is a bit scary. I hope to lose it before starting a new book.
Then there’s a preview of the next book.
I've deliberately controlled the density of Amu's dungeons, not writing too many or making them too complex. After all, short stories and dungeons are my strongest areas. If I rely too much on dungeons, my growth in other areas will be slow, and I'll gradually fall behind authors of the same level. I'm very worried about this.
The next book will focus on dungeons, and try to avoid things related to mysticism and fantasy - the effect should be much better if you practice them separately.
I've already written three books in a row about the theme of salvation, and it's getting a bit tiresome. Next time, I'll write a protagonist with lower moral standards, and the main plot won't be about salvation. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the second-lowest moral character of all my protagonists, only above Roland, who is the true villain and anti-hero.
The next book is a Thriller Paradise-style endless dungeon-style puzzle or wits-based battle game. The protagonist is Aiwass's roommate, a screenwriter, and the theme is the "moon," the opposite of the "sun." Personality-wise, he's the "wolf," the opposite of Aiwass's "fox." He's a ruthless and resolute silent hunter who won't give up once he's bitten... Look forward to the cat dungeon; I'm pretty confident in that aspect.
Four months was a bit tight; I needed to find material while recuperating. I'd already read excellent works like Gambler's Apocalypse, Card Game Legend, and Alice, but those were almost a decade ago, so I needed to review them.
I won’t tell you the exact release date for the new book, as I’m not entirely sure. But if my health doesn’t deteriorate further, it should be out before the end of the year.
I'm planning to open a Douyin account later, and I'll use the name "不祈十弦". If I have time, I can share some of the books I've been reading recently, my writing experiences, and my cats—well, if I have time.
The last chapter will be released tomorrow, August 8th, in the early morning. It is a free epilogue that tells the story after the world is saved, and finally heals everyone!
Then I will collect some statistics here to see whose extra chapters everyone wants to see. If I have time after recuperation, I will write it!
Everyone, we'll see you on the new book. I hope to see you again.
Finally, let me end with that sentence -
——May you always be happy.
(End of this chapter)
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