There is nothing wrong with the training method of the Justice Messenger

"Oh, is that so..." Kasumigaoka was about to say something discouraging as usual, but was glared at by Ms. Machida.

"On this point, I want to talk about you, Xiaoshi. Don't keep saying that you've failed all the time. Your performance is actually not bad. It's probably in the middle of the pack. So far, it's been stable. It's far from being a slump. Just because you are used as a standard, this guy has started to be suspicious. You just haven't seen authors who are really struggling on the edge of the deadline, exhausted of inspiration, and inadequate in ability. Those are the third-rate ones who can't earn reputation and box office, and have the will but not the ability to write a good work. There are surprisingly many such people. They are unknown because they didn't make any sound in the end and disappeared silently... People like you, who seem to be able to write excellent works quickly and well without any delay no matter what state you are in, as long as you really start to create, are rare... So genius is trouble."

"…Is that so?" It was the first time that Kasumigaoka had heard of such a thing. She really couldn't understand the situation. She felt that things had not been smooth sailing along the way and she really couldn't understand the situation. She seemed a little confused at this moment.

But Li Nian remained silent, not because he knew nothing about those unknown authors as Ms. Machida said. On the contrary, he had a deep understanding of them.

In summary, Ms. Machida said firmly: "I now firmly believe that I have not misjudged you, Mr. Muzi. I think there is no problem with this manuscript. After accepting it, I will take it to the editorial department for further proofreading, and send it back to you for relevant revisions and polishing. It should be published. Please continue to work hard."

Chapter 273: Subsequent Discussion on the Work

"I'm done for now, right?"

"Yes, I took a quick look at it and I feel that it doesn't need any changes. Teacher Muzi, your work has come to an end. You can take a good rest for a while."

Since Ms. Machida said so, it means that Li Nian's manuscript has been reviewed and should not need any major revisions. Although some minor problems between the lines may be discovered later and he may be asked to revise it again, they should only be minor details and there is no need to make a big fuss about them. The revision of the first volume is almost completed at this point.

"But, what about rest..." Li Nian laughed at himself and shook his head silently: "There is nothing to rest for. I will soon start a new job. There is nothing I can do. I am destined to be a hard worker."

"Are you talking about Amai-san?" Kasumigaoka suddenly realized what the new job Li Nian was talking about was: "Are you ready to start so soon?"

"otherwise?"

"I thought if it were you, you would plan to take a year or two off after completing your current work."

"…If it takes this long, An Yi will cry herself blind. I'm not that cruel. Or is this what you're thinking about, Senior?"

"Of course I'm just kidding... But even I feel tired after finishing the first battle, and I don't have the energy to quickly enter the second battle. I need some time to rest~~ It's the same for you, can you wait for me for a while?"

Li Nian pretended not to understand the suggestive meaning in the words and ignored the resentful gaze. He automatically added key words such as "work" and "progress" to Kasumigaoka's words in his mind and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Of course I understand that... but I know that if things pile up, it will become more troublesome. If I decide to do it, I will do it quickly. I also promised that after Amai finishes the things on hand, I will start working on his project immediately. I have no intention of breaking the contract."

"I'm sure Amaki will be touched by this... But consider it my treat. Take a break. At least wait until I finish my work here before I start the real work."

"...That's true. If we decide to co-write the script, we can't just work on our own." Li Nian nodded in understanding: "But I won't do nothing. I will make some efforts in my own way and study some plots and characters that can be taken out and put in at will."

"You are such a trustworthy partner, but I have no objection to that."

"Wait, what are you two talking about?" Ms. Machida was confused after listening to the conversation. She couldn't keep up with the rhythm of the two people, but she still caught some key words: "New job? Amaki's project? What are you two talking about?"

Kasumigaoka suddenly fell silent, realizing that she had been talking too much in front of someone she shouldn't be talking to, and quickly signaled to Li Nian.

But before he noticed it, Li Nian had already answered without thinking.

"Nothing much, it's just that my senior and I promised a classmate who wants to make a game that we would help write his script..."

Then he noticed Kasumigaoka's look and closed his mouth, but of course it was too late.

"Oh, there is such a thing, Xiaoshi." Ms. Machida looked at the flustered Kasumigaoka with a smile: "As the editor-in-chief, I have never heard you mention it at all."

"What does it matter? I can do any job well anyway, so there's no need to make any judgment."

"You're saying this when you haven't even finished the manuscript you're working on yet? Do you really dare to take on other work for me at this time?"

"Didn't you hear what that guy said? He hasn't even started yet. Of course, he will start working on that after he finishes the manuscript at hand."

"Even so, can you guarantee that it won't affect the subsequent progress?"

“Well… probably, perhaps, or it won’t affect the subsequent progress?” Kasumigaoka looked away unconfidently.

"See, you don't even have the confidence!" Ms. Machida sneered, "You're too much for not telling me anything. You don't think that the impact on the subsequent serialization has nothing to do with me as the editor-in-chief."

Machida glanced at Li Nian and said, "It seems that if Teacher Muzi doesn't tell me, you plan to keep it a secret from me until the end."

Xia Zhiqiu glared at Li Nian, who shrugged: "There's no need to hide it, right?"

As soon as Li Nian spoke, Ms. Machida's questioning was directed at him.

"Teacher Muzi, don't think that you can just tell me the truth and I will let you off easily! Regarding the priority of writing the manuscript here and planning the script there..."

"I just handed in the revised manuscript of the first volume long ahead of schedule, which is equivalent to rewriting a new volume in a short period of time. With such work efficiency, can't Miss Machida rest assured that I can take care of both sides?" Li Nian followed up to cover for Kasumigaoka: "It's the same for my senior sister. She will start writing the script there after completing the original manuscript. She and I have a common window period. It is our freedom to use this time to do what we want, right? And since we are cooperating in script writing, as the saying goes, men and women work together without getting tired. It may be that the efficiency of 1+1 is greater than 2. At least I am confident that I can complete the script writing work there quickly and ensure that it will not interfere with the serialization progress."

Li Nian's words were so confident that Miss Machida stared at him for a long time. She then lowered her head to look at the manuscript in her hand. She already had a very intuitive understanding of how efficient Li Nian was in writing. She felt that what he said was indeed very credible. Finally, she sighed and gave up pursuing the matter.

"If it was any other author who said this and assured me that everything would go smoothly, I wouldn't believe a word of it. But since it's Mr. Muzi's words, I'll believe them for once. It would be best if the result is really like this... Let me be frank first. The only deadline cannot be broken."

"of course."

"I understand too." Kasumigaoka nodded in agreement.

Indeed, these two are hard-working authors who will complete their next work as soon as possible. After receiving the assurance, Machida did not pursue any further questions.

"In that case, I have nothing else to do, so I'll leave first."

Miss Machida smiled and declined Li Nian's invitation to stay for dinner, saying that she was already satisfied to get Teacher Muzi's manuscript this time, which was considered the most comfortable hospitality. It was not that she did not want to stay and taste Teacher Muzi's cooking, but she had to quickly send Li Nian's manuscript back to the editorial department to help with the follow-up work, and she also had to urge other authors to submit their manuscripts. He was a bastard who had lost contact for almost three days when the deadline was approaching. Now she had to quickly track him down according to the tracking program she had secretly left on his mobile phone. She must catch him within today, lock him in a small dark room, and force him to finish the manuscript within 24 hours, so there was no time to stay.

Li Nian sighed as he saw off Miss Machida who left in a hurry with murderous intent.

"I run around like this on weekends. Being a responsible editor... seems to be a difficult job."

Kasumigaoka didn't care: "That's right, but even so, I hope she can consider the author's situation more and stop always rushing to submit the manuscript..."

It seems that he has had experience of being urged to submit his manuscript in a murderous manner... Come to think of it, when Ms. Machida came over today, she thought that Li Nian had not written a single word and wanted to come over to urge him to submit his manuscript.

"After all, cooing is human nature. It seems that many of Ms. Machida's authors delay until the deadline. It's obvious that they have developed a habit of competing with pigeons over a long period of time... In any case, there is no trouble for her from my side, after all, she has already submitted the manuscript."

Kasumigaoka shook his head.

"You're wrong to think that way. An editor's job is more than just urging and collecting manuscripts. It's not until you get the original manuscript from the writer that the work officially begins. You need to review, proofread, and polish the work, including the subsequent packaging and promotion. You need to communicate with all parties, and you also need to help you find an illustrator... Oh, yes, especially finding an illustrator. This is a very important thing."

“Illustrator…”

After Kasumigaoka said this, Li Nian also remembered that there is indeed such a process. It is not just about words. The main selling point of light novels is the gorgeous packaging and illustrations. Naturally, this requires finding an illustrator to complete. As Kasumigaoka said, it is also a very important thing.

There is a saying in the world that light novels are like buying toilet paper and getting illustrations for free... Although this is a bit exaggerated in a sense, it also explains the importance of illustrations to a light novel. Compared with words, drawings can leave a direct impression on people. Before purchasing a book, readers must first have an impression of the book through the title and cover. Light novels often have exaggerated titles, and the covers and illustrations make the characters gorgeous and cute. Only in this way can books attract more attention. There are many people who buy a book directly because they like the cover and illustrations.

"It can be said that the strength of the illustrator determines the life or death of a work in terms of sales, so we should pay more attention to it."

"...That's very important." Li Nian understood what Kasumigaoka wanted to say, but shook his head: "But the decision on which illustrator to use is made by the library, right? There is no room for me to interfere."

"No, we, the original authors, certainly have the right to speak on this matter. If you have any opinions, please speak up."

"Is it useful for a newcomer to say so?"

"As long as the editor listens, it will be useful. Ms. Machida is a very utilitarian editor. She certainly understands the importance of illustrations and has high hopes for your work. She gave you the opportunity to write a long story because she hopes that you can sell well. She will definitely not be careless about such an important matter as arranging an illustrator for your work. She will listen to your opinions very seriously - you can even take the initiative to nominate an artist to be responsible for the illustrations of your work. I think you should pay more attention and think more about this aspect."

"what do you mean……"

Li Nian looked at Shiina who was sleeping soundly in Kasumigaoka's arms: "Can I find a good enough painter myself?"

"...Yes." Noticing Li Nian's gaze, Kasumigaoka smiled, looked at Shiina's peaceful and happy sleeping face in her arms, gently brushed away her hair, and said softly: "If there are good people around, it will definitely be more reassuring to let them do it, especially in terms of facilitating negotiations, which will be very beneficial, because illustrators need to understand the author's intentions to cooperate with the painting - considering all these factors, Shiina-san is a good choice."

Li Nian lowered her head and looked at Shiina. The child's sleeping face was pure and innocent, and she wondered what sweet dream he was having.

There was a sense of scrutiny in Li Nian's eyes. He understood that what Kasumigaoka meant was to recommend him to ask Shiina to help him draw illustrations. Li Nian also thought that Shiina's ability as an artist was strong enough, so he was seriously considering this suggestion. Looking at Shiina like this, Li Nian suddenly said.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai and Shiina-san have been working together for so long. I guess the biggest challenge is communication. Is it difficult to make Shiina understand the meaning of your words and express them in detail in the painting?"

"……yes."

Speaking of this, Kasumigaoka was quite emotional. It was indeed as Li Nian said, during the collaboration between Kasumigaoka and Shiina Mashiro, not everything went smoothly. The most difficult part was to explain to Shiina what he, as the scriptwriter, wanted to express in the painting.

Shiina has a serious lack of common sense and her ideas are too simple. If you want to express slightly complicated emotions, you always have to persuade her in order to make her understand.

"I guess so. This girl's mind is too pure, and it's hard for her to understand more complex emotions, not to mention more complex logic. So I don't doubt her ability, but I think when it comes to understanding the author's intentions and coordinating the drawings, it's Shiina's weak point. This girl has studied love comedy for so long that she has a pretty good rapport with you now, but I don't think it's appropriate for her to be my painter."

Li Nian hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm not bragging, but I want to express so much more than your work, because what I write is a long novel after all, and it's a serious war work, with many characters, and each character has a very complex philosophy and purpose, and at the same time it has to echo the world view and the plot. For Shiina, the cost of understanding would be ridiculously high, and it would be even more difficult to let her express the soul of the character through painting... There's no need for my work to affect her thinking, just let her focus on your story during this time."

"Is that so?" Kasumigaoka shook his head with regret, realizing that what Li Nian said made sense. Thinking this way, Shiina was not suitable to be his illustrator: "Then there is nothing we can do. In other words, we can only wait for Ms. Machida's arrangement and then find someone else?"

"... I'll pass on Shiina, but speaking of artists, don't we have another excellent commercial artist around us?"

"...That's right. Why, do you want to give her a try?"

"It's a waste if you don't try."

Chapter 274 Sawamura’s answer is…

Speaking of Li Nian, besides Shiina, there is another painter, that is naturally Sawamura. Not long ago, she revealed her identity as the famous painter Kashiwagi Eri in front of everyone, and let people know that this guy is not only a good artist as the ace of the art club, but also a famous cartoonist behind the scenes, and is good at drawing pornographic books...

cough cough.

Of course, as a commercial artist, Sawamura certainly can draw more than just the kind of comics like "Unspeakable". She also accepts other serious illustration commissions. Drawing illustrations for light novels is originally within her job scope. In fact, Li Nian has seen her character illustrations for well-known light novels on her personal website. It seems that some library companies have asked her to do this kind of thing.

Although this guy usually gives people a very unreliable feeling, but his paintings are not deceiving. Unlike words, paintings are very intuitive things. You can have a direct impression of the author's strength at a glance. From that painting, you can clearly feel the strength of Sawamura as a commercial painter. As a commercial painter, Sawamura is really strong.

The characters she draws give people a feeling of gorgeousness and lust, and are very commercial - she knows what readers want very well, and she seems to be able to cater to their tastes in various elements, with various unique designs in details to emphasize the characteristics. The details of the expressions are vivid, and the characters she draws are lifelike, which will leave a very deep impression on people. In an industry where strength speaks, her reputation is well-earned.

When Kasumigaoka mentioned that authors could recommend illustrators to editors on their own, Li Nian first thought of Shiina, who was nearby. But after careful consideration, he still felt that this kid was not suitable. He then thought of Sawamura, and thought she was quite good.

But Kasumigaoka didn't seem to agree.

"But speaking of Sawamura-san, I have seen her commercial works. They are obviously in the cute style, with a strong emphasis on sex. Do you think that style is in line with your work?"

"What style is there? If you insist on saying what Sawamura's style is, it's obviously a typical commercial style that caters to the readers. The cute style and emphasis on eroticism are also a reflection of this. On the other hand, he is flexible and can draw any type of character, and it seems that he can fit in with most works."

"Ah, do you think your work can be classified as most of them?"

"What kind of weird fantasy do you have about the orthodox works written by ordinary high school boys? I know very well that my readers are the general public and I write popular books. Of course I can get along well with commercial authors like Sawamura."

"Hehe...but in this aspect you still don't have a clear self-awareness as always."

"...I don't think my judgment is wrong. Sawamura's style of painting will basically bring a good impression to most people, and there is no lack of details and unique designs, which can easily leave a deep impression on readers. I think it is the safest choice for an illustrator."

"Playing it safe...is not a bad choice, but I thought you would prefer painters with a more unique and realistic style." Kasumigaoka said with regret.

"If the artist is not chosen well, it is easy for the painting to fail. If the painting is good, it is very likely to scare away a large number of ordinary readers because it is too hardcore. It goes against my positioning. I don't have any special requirements. I don't want to see the characters I draw go in a direction that is either too bizarre or too realistic. I just want to simply watch a group of handsome men and beautiful women."

"Since you've said that, I won't say much. Just go find her. I think she will gladly agree to your request."

Li Nian was not optimistic and shook his head.

"What? No, I think it's hard to negotiate. Not to mention whether such a popular artist has enough time to complete the project..."

Kasumigaoka shook his head.

"You've agreed to Amaki-san's outrageous request. It may not be important whether there's enough time for the project. For Sawamura-san, it's just a matter of whether she wants to do it or not."

"…That's because Aki and this guy are childhood friends, so Sawamura wanted to do it. It's not so easy for me to be heard."

"No, I think it's the opposite. Sawamura-san respects you as an author and values ​​your opinion even more."

"Respect? She just ignores me like that? I can't tell." Li Nian sneered and shrugged nonchalantly: "It's obvious that she respects you."

"She was willing to join Aki-san's project because of my name... and yours."

"That's just considering the feasibility of the plan. I think it would be more reliable if I join."

"This is a reflection of respect for your strength."

"...Anyway, you won't know until you try."

……

……

So, on Monday, after school, Li Nian came to the activity room and went straight to Sawamura, saying that she wanted her to take over the illustration work for her work.

"No~~~~~~~"

The answer was received in a lazy tone but very decisive.

Seeing Sawamura lying on the sofa playing a mobile game without any motivation, Li Nian looked helpless: "Let me ask you, why?"

"No reason, it's just that you are so tactless to talk to me about this matter when I just finished the work at hand. Don't you see that I just want to do nothing now?"

"Give up, Li Nian."

An Yi was lying on the table, looking very tired and listless, and said weakly, "This girl worked for me for two consecutive days over the weekend and barely finished the work before the deadline. Now, as you can see, she is exhausted. When the word work is mentioned, she will naturally have infinite resistance in her mind. It is really unwise to ask her to take on new work at this time. It is better to wait a few days before coming back."

"…Why is it that Sawamura-san seems to be fine after finishing his manuscript, but you, Aki, feel like you're about to collapse from exhaustion?"

"Because I was unreasonably asked to cooperate with the work, I wanted to storyboard, draw the lines, write the black, fill in the grid, paste the scanned pictures, and I did it. After accompanying her until the manuscript was completed, Eriri said that it was done and fell asleep. So when she had a good sleep, I was the only one who handled various follow-up tasks, such as contacting the printing company to kneel down and apologize for the almost delayed schedule. Today, I have a class with Mr. Hiratsuka, which scared me so much that I dare not sleep for fear that I will not be able to get up once I lie down and she will catch me and beat me up. In short, I have been working for two days and I haven't had a good close of eyes yet..."

"That must have been hard work for you..."

Chapter 275: Situations Always Emerge

Kasumigaoka was typing away at the seat over there, but she noticed the situation here. She was not surprised that Li Nian approached Sawamura today to talk about this matter, but she did not expect that he would be rejected. After listening to the reasons given by Amaki and Sawamura himself, she could only smile bitterly.

Without a word of comfort to An Yi who was working so hard, Sawamura was concentrating on playing the mobile game and now he suddenly became excited.