The Descent of Magic is nearing three million words.

According to the length of Dragon's previous works, it would be time to consider wrapping things up at this word count.

However, the true climax of The Descent of Magic has not yet arrived, and there are still many things I want to write that I haven't written yet.

Therefore, word count is meaningless. I won't say how much longer I'll write because it's hard to say. I'll just write it slowly and steadily.

Many readers are willing to follow Dragon's books because they trust his steadfastness.

But now there's a problem: a full year has passed since The Descent of Magic was released. Aside from some special circumstances where I took leave, I've continued the tradition of updating every day. Moreover, the word count and difficulty of writing this book are much higher than my previous book, Late Night Bookstore.

Just like how soccer players have an off-season to recover after a season, Dragon, who has no statutory holidays, will inevitably fall into mental and physical exhaustion after a year of continuous writing. I can clearly feel the continued impact of this problem now. After prolonged fatigue, the pressure will accumulate.

I can only rely on myself to find ways to adjust. I'm not complaining or trying to gain sympathy. Since this is the path I've chosen, I have to bear the weight. In all walks of life, no one has it easy when trying to make a living, so there's no need to be pretentious.

I'm saying this to give everyone a heads-up and apologize in advance. If there comes a day when my energy and state are unable to support me in writing a satisfactory chapter, I'll have to ask for leave, and I hope everyone will understand.

Actually, it's really easy to pad out chapters. After writing books for so many years, how could I not know how to do that?

I won't say that The Descent of Magic doesn't have chapters that are padded out. How could that be possible?

Sometimes, when I'm tired and exhausted, I inevitably think about finishing this chapter quickly so I can take a shower and go to bed. It's human nature. But sometimes, it's not appropriate to pad things out, and there's no way to be perfunctory when writing certain plot points.

When I first started writing The Descent of Magic, my editor didn't really agree with it, but I still insisted on writing it.

Putting aside other factors, in The Descent of Magic, I can indulge in literary sentimentality and show off my skills. I don't have that much freedom when writing other types of books. I don't have such a good opportunity to test my various skills, allowing myself to break through, try new things, and grow in order to improve my writing ability.

Therefore, The Descent of Magic was not written with the goal of achieving high sales or commercialization, which is to say, income. I knew from the beginning that the results would decline.

I know and am good at writing things that sell well, get better results, and have a larger audience. But how should I put it? I have to be pretentious like Zheng Boye. This is the value of Zheng Fan and the Devil Kings, and it's also my current state of mind.

While meeting my basic material needs as much as possible, I try to take care of my own happiness as much as possible.

Well,

Actually, the subscription data for The Descent of Magic isn't high. The average and highest subscriptions aren't high either. But the external results seem to be quite high because people who don't like this book will really dislike it, while those who like it and have read this far will really like it. In other words, the readers of this book are quite enthusiastic.

I've always been grateful for everyone's enthusiasm. I've said many times that it's a great encouragement to have a group of people supporting me when I'm being willful. When an author has confidence, they're more likely to create with grandeur.

Writing this book is really tiring, but it's also really enjoyable, so I always feel very happy. Being able to work with a happy mindset is a great blessing.

The plot has been progressing a bit slowly lately.

It's like driving a car. When you get to a fork in the road, you have to slow down, look at the signs, and weigh which road to take.

You can discuss plot guesses, but please don't attack each other. As far as I'm concerned, all of you who are currently reading the book are the most lovable people. Yes, everyone should continue to be lovable.

I can only say that I will try my best to give you a relatively acceptable plot direction. Actually, I am the first reader of this book. Like a split personality, one me writes the book, and the other me reads it. If the former is not satisfied, the latter goes up and beats him.

Yes, so everyone can rest assured about this.

Then, specifically regarding the plot details,

I'm not a professional historical author, nor am I a military author. I... I started out writing ghost stories.

Therefore, if there are any errors in the details and common sense, you can point them out, and I will correct them. But please be more tolerant, because this is an alternate history setting with demons, Qi refiners, and Devil Kings. Therefore, it's not the same as a pure ancient historical background. Haha, some mistakes can be glossed over, hands on hips.

I will try to write as purposefully as possible.

For example, I saw a reader say, "So they just fought like that and then tens of thousands of cavalrymen just fought their way to the capital? Are you kidding me?"

How should I put it?

Historical events that actually happened are often more story-like than the stories written by novelists. You write stories and still talk about logic, but reality often doesn't talk about logic with you...

For example, this military operation,

There is a passage in real history:

《史记.范睢蔡泽列传》:楚地方数千里，持戟百万，白起率数万之师以与楚战，一战举鄢郢以烧夷陵，再战南并蜀汉。

What should I say?

In fact, many battles in The Descent of Magic have shadows in history. I am still writing in a less fantastical direction. The battles in reality are even more fantastical...

The Descent of Magic is actually mainly about the stories of people. The struggle for hegemony of the dynasty, the Great Yan War Records, is just a main line laid out to write about people. In fact, I prefer to use some small worlds to enrich this world and make it more human.

To put it bluntly,

This is just a world and characters imagined by a dead fat otaku at home. Thank you everyone for being willing to come and take a look with me.

Well,

That's all I have to say,

Let's continue to walk the road ahead happily together.

After reading this chapter's afterword, you can refresh your bookshelf, because I have also released the next chapter. I have learned to be good now. It's not good to just release an afterword without releasing an update.

So in the future, before I want to write an afterword, I will write the next chapter first.

There will be a second update tonight, but it will be relatively late. You don't have to wait, because two younger relatives are coming to my house tonight. I am their brother-in-law, so I have to take them out for dinner.

Finally,

Don't panic,

Refresh your bookshelf!