I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 262 Leaving a Mark on History and Short Stories by Sherlock Holmes (6k)

The Brontë sisters had not mentioned this to Mikhail beforehand, so when he saw this line, Mikhail truly experienced what surprise felt like.

However, Eliot found Mikhail's reaction somewhat puzzling. After all, in his view, it was an honor for these three relatively unknown writers to have Mr. Mikhail's name appear in their works.

Although their poetry collections sparked considerable discussion in London, they paled in comparison to Mikhail's remarkable achievement of making waves in the poetry world with just three poems: "The Road Not Taken," "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," and "When You Are Old." This is especially true considering Mikhail's involvement in novels.

Oh yes, and we should also add "If I Could Save a Heart from Breaking." No English poet has ever written so few works yet caused such a sensation as Mr. Mikhail.

After briefly speculating about Mikhail's relationship with the three brothers, Eliot didn't ask too many questions, but instead relayed the words of the three authors to Mikhail:
"They said they have successfully completed these works with your help. If you would like, you can take a look and give them some suggestions. They will definitely listen carefully and adopt any suggestions you may have. They now completely trust you."

Mikhail can only say that he only talks about general directions that are generally correct. Too much interference is a real crime. However, great writers often have a great intuition. Even if things have changed, they seem to still be able to find the most suitable words based on their artistic intuition.

"If you have no problems, then I'll discuss with them when to publish these three books. To be honest, I've already read all three novels and had others read them as well. *Jane Eyre* has the potential to be a bestseller, but *Wuthering Heights* and *Agnes Grey* are completely out of the question. I estimate that I'll lose a little money on those two books."

Logically, this kind of business shouldn't be done, but what can they do when they have such a recommender?
"I've read excerpts from these novels before. Trust me, *Jane Eyre* will make you a fortune, *Agnes Grey* is also very good, and as for *Wuthering Heights*..."

Mikhail gave a somewhat mysterious smile: "It will make you go down in history."

If it weren't for these three novels, I might not have been able to find you.
“I believe you, but how can an ordinary publisher like me possibly make a name for myself in history? That’s the privilege reserved for big shots.”

Although Mikhail spoke with some seriousness, Elliott ultimately shook his head with a smile.

Upon seeing this, Mikhail did not explain further, but continued, "Then you should let me know when you confirm the publication date. I will specifically mention this in the closing remarks and preview of 'A Study in Scarlet,' which may help their work quickly gain popularity."

Elliott: "!"

What might be? It's certain that their work will become known to many Londoners!
What's more, this was mentioned at the very end of A Study in Scarlet!
Although Elliott had some idea of ​​what was going on, he was still both shocked and delighted when he heard that Mikhail was actually going to do it. This would save him a lot of money on advertising.

However, upon hearing that Mikhail T.'s "A Study in Scarlet" had been completed, Eliot couldn't help but say, "From what you're saying, this novel seems to be nearing its end? Isn't that a bit too short? And if that's the case, this novel won't help you earn more money. I suggest you lengthen it a bit more."

While advising Mikhail, Eliot was also thinking about the recent reviews of "A Study in Scarlet." Because the novel devoted a lot of space to the story of the prisoners, it had naturally aroused dissatisfaction among some readers and critics. Was Mr. Mikhail going to make some adjustments?
"One more installment of this story should be enough. As for what I'll be doing next, I'll focus on writing a series of short mystery stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. Once I've written enough, I'll publish a collection of them."

Mikhail then outlined his plans for the future.

Strictly speaking, novellas were not Conan Doyle's forte. Of his four novellas, "A Study in Scarlet" is quite disjointed, and the other two, "The Valley of Fear" and "The Sign of Four," also have certain problems. Only "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is relatively complete and of the highest quality, but it would be quite difficult to adapt.

So what truly made the Sherlock Holmes series a huge hit? It was none other than Conan Doyle's dozens of short stories.

If Mikhail were to set aside his less-than-stellar short stories and focus on presenting his most brilliant dozen or so, it would undoubtedly propel detective fiction to a new peak in a short time, and likely leave a lasting impression on many London readers.
As for novels, Agatha Christie's works are actually more impactful. Of course, Mikhail may not have time to produce them after that, since if you count the time, it would have been 1848 by the time he serialized seven or eight short stories.

Seeing that Mikhail had his own plans, Elliott said nothing more. After talking with Mikhail for a while, he quickly took his leave as Mikhail prepared to continue his work.

In the following days, Mikhail was indeed working non-stop, dealing with the top donor, monitoring the progress of the donations, planning the upcoming recitation events, and frequently visiting her factory to check on the employees and production.

To be fair, the lady on the top of the list is a nice person, just a little too enthusiastic.
After all these trivial matters, the release date of the final issue of A Study in Scarlet is fast approaching.

Just one day before the release, Sanders, still somewhat worried, approached Mikhail and reported on some recent developments:
"Mr. Mikhail, I know you've been very busy lately, but have you been paying attention to those detective novels that have appeared on the market? I mentioned it to you before, and now they're in the promotional stage. From what I've observed, their advertising is quite effective. According to my friends in the publishing industry, the quality of these detective novels is quite good, comparable to your Sherlock Holmes."
Do you think we can maintain our current sales volume?

There is no doubt that the serialization of "A Study in Scarlet" brought Sanders' Fiction Weekly a huge number of readers, enough to make it one of the best-selling literary magazines in London!
As it turns out, Sanders made the right bet, and he made a fortune!
This was indeed his only chance in this lifetime!
But it was precisely because he had enjoyed such glory that Sanders was even more worried about the magazine's development after "A Study in Scarlet" ended. If, as his friends said, a detective novel comparable to Sherlock Holmes had already appeared, wouldn't his and Mikhail's efforts have just been paving the way for someone else?
but
Upon hearing this remark, comparable to that of Sherlock Holmes, Mikhail was speechless.

Stop making your brother laugh!

And even if it were true, so what?
The punches I'm about to deliver have the power of over a hundred years. Is there anyone who can withstand them?

"Don't worry, Mr. Sanders."

With this thought in mind, Mikhail simply smiled and said in response to Sanders' concerns:

"We will succeed. Now let me teach the London writers what detective novels really are."

Sanders: "?!"

It was rare for Sanders to hear such confident, even arrogant, words from Mikhail, but for some reason, Sanders suddenly felt a great sense of security.
The reason Mikhail is so confident is simply that while purely literary works may be temporarily buried and neglected, commercial works like detective novels, as long as they are properly promoted, are unlikely to be ignored by the market and the general public.

In this situation, Mikhail could only say to those London writers who were copying detective novels: Go ahead and learn from them, you'll have plenty more to learn from.

After regaining his courage and confidence from Mikhail, Sanders quickly threw himself into his work.

So on September 1, 1846, although the day seemed no different from any other, the mental state of many people in many parts of London could only be described as one of euphoria.

Those who had subscribed to the magazine "Fiction Ten-Day Journal" waited at home early in the morning. Those who felt that waiting for the newsboy to deliver it was too slow took to the streets and headed towards the magazine's office. During this process, quite a few people even started discussing the plot with strangers.

"You want to see Sherlock Holmes?"

"You read Sherlock Holmes too?"

"Of course! I've finally waited for this! I must admit, the previous installments about the criminal's revenge were quite exciting, but I'm even more eager to see Sherlock Holmes and his amazing deductions! There's nothing more important than that!"

"Me too! But I heard that today's issue seems to be the last one of 'A Study in Scarlet'?"

"My God! What did you say? This is the only issue? Why doesn't Mr. Mikhail write more?! I know he's been busy with charity work lately and it's been very hard for him, but he could easily cut back on his sleep and use that time to write!"
I feel like I've only been reading this novel for a short time and it's already about to end!

"Who can disagree? It's not just about his sleeping time; I think he could eat less too."

The news of this being the final issue caused readers who were already eager to see the new issue to become even more impatient, and even some gentlemen who were usually very concerned about their image couldn't help but lose their composure.

Faced with this tense atmosphere, the newsboys hired by *Fiction Weekly* were already somewhat pale before they even officially started working. Some of the cleverer kids even dared to say to the person distributing the magazines:
"Please give me more! I still need to deliver them to the gentlemen who have subscribed to this magazine, but I'm terrified that before I even get to their doorsteps, all the magazines in my hands will be snatched up! Those gentlemen on the street really are ruthless!"

For newsboys, it's already quite an achievement to sell everything they have on hand; a situation like today's is extremely rare.

Upon hearing this request, and since Sanders had already printed a large batch of magazines, the newsboys quickly left with the large quantities of magazines. However, even so, they had only just begun their work when they encountered considerable trouble.
"Give me one!"

"Give me one first! I can't wait!" "I'll give you more money, just give me this one first!"

Amidst the chaos, Jonathan Wichter remained calm, quietly squeezing into the crowd, and then quietly emerging from it again with a magazine in hand.

Unlike many of the readers present, Jonathan was a genuine member of the London Detective Agency. As one of the best among the London police, Jonathan initially read the novel out of interest, but as he read on, he became increasingly alarmed by the novel and its author.

The author seems to have some real talent; it's not just pure fantasy.
This is why, despite widespread opposition to the novel at Scotland Yard, Jonathan never missed a single issue, and even looked forward to each new issue.

Of course, as far as Jonathan knew, many Scotland Yard officers, while outwardly opposing the novel, seemed to have actually read it several times in private.
It's fair to say that work is work and life is life, and most people can distinguish between the two.

While Jonathan was thinking about these things, he quickly started reading the contents of this issue, and the first line of the article immediately made Jonathan tremble: "Every contact leaves a trace!"

This statement was originally proposed by the French forensic scientist Edmond Rocca in 1910, and it is a core theory in the field of forensic science. In essence, it states that any contact between two objects will inevitably result in the transfer of trace amounts of matter; that is, criminal suspects will leave or take away physical evidence such as hair, fibers, and bloodstains at the crime scene.
But now, Mikhail has undoubtedly used those words as an introduction.

As for Jonathan, a detective with a wealth of practical experience, he understood the meaning of the sentence almost immediately and nodded from the bottom of his heart.

This content alone is enough to summarize the case-handling experience accumulated by many veteran police officers over the years! And it is far superior to that of some barbaric and rude police officers.

Could it be that this Russian writer actually worked in this field?
As Jonathan's thoughts wandered, he continued reading the following content.

In previous episodes, the murderer, Jefferson Huber, told his story after his arrest, but he was in very poor health and died on the very night of his arrest from a ruptured aneurysm.

In this episode, Holmes and Watson discussed this matter:

The following evening, as we chatted about the matter, Holmes remarked, "Grayson and Lestrade will be furious when they find out this man is dead. That will wipe out all their bragging rights, won't it?"

I replied, "I don't see how much work those two people actually did in catching the murderer."

My partner said sarcastically, “What you actually do in this world is irrelevant. What matters is how you can make people believe that you have done something.”

Seeing this, even though Holmes was satirizing London detectives, Jonathan himself couldn't help but laugh.

After all, that's often how the police profession works; they're not really protecting the public, but rather making the public believe they are being protected.
After the brief exchange between Holmes and Watson, the novel quickly moved on to the mystery section that Jonathan had been eagerly anticipating:

"Let me start from the beginning. As you know, I walked to that house... I saw clearly the wheel tracks of a carriage on the street. Because the distance between the wheels was narrow, I concluded that it was a rental carriage, not a private carriage, since rental carriages in London are usually narrower than private carriages."

...Undoubtedly, in your eyes, this path is nothing more than a muddy road that has been trampled into a mess.

However, to my well-trained eyes, every mark on the path has its meaning. Of all the branches of detective work, none is more important, yet most easily overlooked, than the art of footprint analysis…

This completes my second step. This step tells me that there were two visitors at night: one was very tall, which I deduced from the length of his stride; the other was fashionably dressed, which I judged from the small, delicate boot prints he left behind.

Footprint studies!
Upon reading this part, Jonathan, who is usually calm and collected, couldn't help but get excited. He felt like he had learned something, and at the same time, he felt a sense of satisfaction that his past practical experience was now being explained in a clear theoretical way!
Undoubtedly, this method will be useful in some cases.

In the following chapters, as Holmes clearly and logically recounts and connects his reasoning process, a sense of enlightenment and the thrill of solving the case undoubtedly sweeps through London readers, giving them a seemingly entirely new experience while reading the novel!

In the novel, Watson is also amazed by Holmes's reasoning, but when Watson wants to publish the case, Holmes hands him a newspaper, on which is prominently reported:

"It is an open secret that the swift resolution of the case was entirely due to the renowned Scotland Yard officials, Mr. Lestrade and Mr. Gretchen. It is understood that the murderer was arrested at the home of a Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

Sherlock Holmes, as a private detective, had demonstrated considerable talent in solving cases. Under the tutelage of these two mentors, he would undoubtedly achieve considerable success. It is generally estimated that these two officials would receive some kind of reward as recognition of their achievements.

Even at the very end, they couldn't resist taking a jab at Scotland Yard?

Just as many readers in London were smiling knowingly, suddenly, many seemed to realize something, and their faces involuntarily turned pale. But ultimately, they still looked at the last part with a particularly heavy heart:
Sherlock Holmes laughed and said, "Didn't I tell you this at the beginning? This is the whole result of our research on Scarlet: it has earned them praise!"

I replied, "It's alright. The whole story is recorded in my notebook, and the public will surely know the truth. Now that the case is solved, you should be satisfied, just like the Roman miser said:"

Let them laugh and scold as they please; I will do as I please.
My family possesses vast wealth, yet I alone enjoy it.

(over)"

"It's over? Is it really over?! Doesn't he want to earn more money? I'll accept whatever he writes next!"

"Is the rumor true? Is it really the last episode?!"

"NO!!!"

……

While many readers began to lament at this point, some seemed unusually excited:
"Is it really over just like that? Wouldn't it be perfect if our magazine launched our detective novel next?"

"He's definitely scared! A detective novel by a London author is sure to be more appealing than a foreigner like him!"

"That couldn't be better! He made a wise choice!"

……

However, both those who felt regret and those who were excited seemed to have been too hasty in their sadness or joy. After some readers flipped through a few pages with resentment, they soon saw two particularly eye-catching lines of large text on the last page:
"A new Sherlock Holmes story will officially begin in the next issue! A brand new case and a brand new story!!"

"Capital!!!"

While cheers seemed to be resounding throughout London, some who were perhaps a little too excited were feeling as if they had drunk the waters of the Thames.
Although they appeared confident, and the messages they conveyed suggested otherwise, the reality was quite different when they actually faced Mr. Mikhail.
While many parts of London were buzzing with excitement because of this issue of "A Study in Scarlet," Jonathan devoured the story several times, even taking notes on some parts.

After Jonathan finally put down the magazine, as he digested this seemingly useful knowledge, a clear idea suddenly popped into his mind:

Perhaps the Scotland Yard detective agency should really consult this author.

As a highly capable person, Jonathan hesitated only briefly before quickly making up his mind and starting to gather information.
(End of this chapter)