For the next few hours, Xiao Lin sat on the bench at the assembly point reading.
Thanks to the enhancement from the Wisdom Demon experience, his reading speed had become very fast, and his memory and analytical abilities had leveled up.
Just as Bai Xiaoyun had said, every story under Simon's pen, regardless of the process, ended with everyone dying tragically.
He was a very cunning novelist, adept at planting foreshadowing, and his narratives were full of malice. In one of his novels called Blood Abyss, the three protagonists were trapped in an otherworld called "Blood Abyss."
However, the three were exceptionally powerful, united, and made almost no mistakes, almost turning the tone of the work into a heroic epic.
But in the end, Simon played a trick of false relief.
At the end of the story, he made the three believe they had escaped the Blood Abyss and returned to the real world.
But the reality they returned to was actually part of the Blood Abyss. In the end, all three died.
This ending left Xiao Lin speechless. It was a bit far-fetched and completely different from the tone of the preceding story.
Just as he was looking at the third book, two figures abruptly materialized beside Xiao Lin. It was Bai Xiaoyun and Lin Niannian.
Only then did Xiao Lin realize belatedly: "Is it already five o'clock?"
"Four forty-something." Bai Xiaoyun looked at the book in Xiao Lin's hand and smiled, asking, "How was it? After reading Simon's books, did you gain anything?"
Xiao Lin closed the book and smiled: "I don't know if it can be called a gain, but I have to say, he writes quite poorly. What about your side? Any preparations?"
Bai Xiaoyun shook his head: "Not many people have dealt with Simon, and it's hard for us to make contact, so we can only take it step by step."
He looked at Lin Niannian: "Anyway, let's set off first."
Lin Niannian closed her eyes and raised her hand to pull. The entire virtual city began to move backward rapidly. A few seconds later, the three of them were standing in front of a wooden western-style building.
The building had two stories in total, with a courtyard and a half-story attic. The style was quiet and elegant. A sign hung outside the yard with the words "Simon" written on it.
Bai Xiaoyun was the first to step forward and press the doorbell. After about ten seconds, the door was opened. The one who opened it was a woman in her twenties, wearing glasses, looking simple and capable.
She looked at the three people before her somewhat vigilantly: "What do you want?"
"We are here to see Mr. Simon," Bai Xiaoyun bowed slightly and said politely.
However, the woman did not accept this courtesy. She said coldly: "Mr. Simon is working."
"We have an appointment."
"Even with an appointment, you cannot disturb Mr. Simon while he is working. Please leave!" Lily's tone carried a hint of displeasure and disdain.
"You..." Lin Niannian was somewhat annoyed by the other party's attitude. Just as she was about to say something, a gentle and pleasant male voice came from inside the room.
"Lily, let them in. I wanted to take a break anyway."
The woman named Lily's expression changed slightly. Only then did she reluctantly open the door.
Simon was standing in the corridor on the second floor. He was very young, with a head of brown curly hair, a slim figure, distinct features, and wearing a pair of thin-rimmed gold glasses.
Although it was noon, he was only wearing a cardigan pajama top, with the belt simply tied. He looked quiet and lazy.
"Sorry, there's no place to receive you here. Please come to my studio," Simon said, then turned and went in first.
Lily walked at the front. The few people ascended the stairs and entered Simon's studio. The studio was quite large, but still looked crowded. Four walls and most of the space were occupied by bookshelves, and various piles of books were stacked on the floor.
Simon sat behind a desk. Draft papers were messily placed on the desk, along with a typewriter.
"Very few people visit me here, so it's quite messy. Please don't mind," Simon raised his hand, and three chairs appeared opposite the desk.
"Please sit down first."
As the leader of the negotiation, Bai Xiaoyun sat in the middle. He was also the first to speak.
Although the other party was a powerful Fifth-Generation Transcendent, his tone was calm, neither humble nor arrogant: "Mr. Simon, we are here regarding the matter of the Satellite Town. I believe you should know about it."
Simon showed a look of reminiscence, as if it took him some effort to finally remember: "Hmm, I know that town. It's one of my creative materials."
"Do you intend to destroy that town?"
"Hmm, I have prepared a very wonderful story for that place," Simon showed a simple smile.
Lin Niannian's face was somewhat pale. She didn't know why Simon could say "killing five thousand people" so lightly, and even with a tone of showing off. This made her feel very angry.
Bai Xiaoyun's face also darkened slightly, but he didn't make any gesture.
Xiao Lin remained impassive, only silently observing Simon. In his mind hovering were the words Yue Taizhou told him yesterday. A story is a limited narrative, constrained by the author's skill and imagination, and Simon's creative level was very average.
Bai Xiaoyun took a deep breath, suppressed his feelings, and said seriously: "Mr. Simon, I am also a Transcendent. The Satellite Town is my property. I hope you can stop the attack on the Satellite Town."
After he finished speaking, Simon immediately looked somewhat at a loss: "What? Spare the Satellite Town? Then what about my promotion?"
"I have no intention of stopping your promotion. I just want to save the Satellite Town," Bai Xiaoyun's tone remained calm. "For the losses you suffer, we will provide certain compensation."
Simon stared at him blankly. The atmosphere in the room gradually became heavy.
After about ten seconds, Simon closed his eyes and shook his head: "Sorry, you should leave now."
"Mr. Simon, there is no conflict of interest between us. Moreover, it concerns the lives of five thousand people. I hope we can discuss this seriously," Bai Xiaoyun's tone became slightly sharper.
"But your hypocrisy makes me very uncomfortable. I don't want to have any more interactions with you. Please leave," Simon interrupted him.
"Hypocrisy? What right do you have to call us hypocrites?" Lin Niannian was almost laughed into anger by this sentence.
Simon looked at her coldly: "Isn't it? Sparing the Satellite Town means I have to use people from another place as writing materials. Is your Satellite Town more precious? Are others more deserving of death than the Satellite Town?"
"You seem to have saved the Satellite Town, but you also killed many more others. Isn't that hypocrisy?"
"Those people were killed by you. Why do you push it onto us?" Lin Niannian suddenly stood up from her seat, her face full of anger.
Simon paid no attention to Lin Niannian's anger: "Miss, you cannot blame a misfortune or a natural disaster for destroying your life.
"And I am fate. I am natural disaster. I am natural selection."
Simon pushed up his glasses, a gentle smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "I kill people because fate dictates it. It is absolutely correct."
Seeing that Lin Niannian was losing control, Bai Xiaoyun hurriedly stopped her, not letting her speak again.
Simon glanced disdainfully at Lin Niannian, then waved his hand: "If you don't mind, I'd like to start working. You can leave now."
Bai Xiaoyun was momentarily in a dilemma, not knowing what to do. He had rich negotiation experience, but Simon was not someone who could accept negotiation. He was just a paranoid with a distorted worldview.
Just then, Xiao Lin lightly tapped the table, attracting everyone's attention.
"Mr. Simon, when I came to visit you today, I specifically spent some time reading a few of your works."
Hearing this, Simon immediately became interested: "Which works did you read?"
"Your most popular ones: Blood Abyss, Calamity Trickery, and Bear."
"How was it? What are your thoughts?" Simon's eyes shone slightly, with some anticipation.
Xiao Lin looked straight at him, his hands crossed over his abdomen, and said indifferently: "In my opinion, you lack the talent to be a writer."
In an instant, the atmosphere dropped to freezing point. Bai Xiaoyun's expression stiffened, while Simon's face became exceptionally gloomy.