Author's Note: Launching Today (Please Support with Your First Subscription!)

At midnight on December 1st—technically the very beginning of tomorrow—this book will officially launch. Thank you all for your unwavering support. I’ve heard that it’s mandatory for authors to post a launch announcement, so I’m following suit.

How exactly does one write a launch announcement? As a complete novice, I truly have no idea. I searched online for common examples and was left completely bewildered by their often somber, tear-jerking tones (though, to be fair, I’m the type of reader who usually skips these altogether).

Let's save the fluff for later and talk about the launch schedule. On the day of the release, there will be a scheduled drop of ten chapters. Following that, I will return to the usual rhythm of two chapters per day.

Regarding reader support: I will add an extra chapter for every "舵主" (Helm Master) tier donation. I don’t dare dream of higher tiers, as I’m a notoriously slow writer and don’t want to overextend myself. After all, this is a niche story—it’s ACG-themed, not a fan-fiction, and it features a gender-bender premise—but I’ll hold onto a one-in-a-billion shred of hope.

If I receive a "掌门" (Sect Master) donation, I’ll add two chapters; for an "盟主" (Alliance Leader), I’ll add three.

As for subscriptions, I don’t dare hope for too much. With my current follower count not even reaching ten thousand, I’ll set a modest goal: if the average subscription rate reaches 200 in the first month, I’ll post three chapters on Sundays; if it hits 500, I’ll post four. I still have a day job, so if I’ve already exhausted my buffer, any extra chapters earned through donations will typically be uploaded on Sundays or Mondays. Thank you all so much.

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Now for some personal rambling. Feel free to skip this if you’re not interested. It’s a bit wordy and perhaps a little whiny, but we all go through rough patches in life. It all comes down to mindset.

I first started writing in 2012. Back then, I wrote a story about summoning anime girls. It performed poorly, peaking at only a thousand followers. Worse, my editor at the time resigned, and the project just faded away. I ended it abruptly at 500,000 words.

That was a huge blow to my younger, enthusiastic self. Over the years, I started a few other projects, but they were just casual fan-fictions written on pure inspiration. When the inspiration dried up, the stories inevitably stopped.

Later, after graduating from university, I did some internships and jumped between a few jobs arranged by my father. Eventually, I returned to my hometown to become a typical office worker. I’m constantly hassled by vendors and factory managers, and my colleagues are lazy, dumping all their work on me.

I’m not very good at saying "no." While I might curse them out in my head, I rarely engage in open conflict. I tell myself it’s not out of fear, but simply a habit of wanting to maintain harmony. It’s the same at home; my parents are divorced and both remarried, which inevitably leads to friction. I’ve grown accustomed to complaining internally while keeping a smiling face to preserve the peace.

Truth be told, this life is exhausting and aggravating. But then again, that’s just life—it’s not a novel.

Yet, throughout this monotonous routine, the fantasies in my mind never ceased. With every new anime, manga, or novel I consumed, inspiration would spark and then fade. Recently, I couldn’t help myself—I turned on my computer, opened the writing platform, and began the journey of this book.

This time, the urge to create is stronger than ever. It’s not just because I love novels and the ACG subculture; it’s because my current life feels like a bird in a cage, surrounded by constraints. Writing is a new world where I can fly freely. So, I buried myself in my keyboard.

Because I’m not just venting but actually building a world, I’ve been incredibly diligent. For the first time, I meticulously crafted an outline, divided it into volumes, and wrote detailed notes for each. I’ve even kept records of character designs, world-building, and creative concepts.

This book was born from that effort. It carries so much: my creative desires, my dreams, and even the sting of my father ignoring me when I mentioned I was writing, or my mother offering only perfunctory encouragement. All of this has become my fuel.

According to my outline, this book will be at least a million words long. As the plot unfolds and my ideas evolve, it might end up being even longer.

This story draws from many tropes in anime and novels. Experienced fans will likely recognize many familiar elements, but I have tried my best to take those concepts and reshape them, hoping to give you something fresh despite the sense of familiarity.

I want to perfect this world. It is my fantasy, my longing, and my dream. I believe everyone has a heroic dream, a desire to be someone different. With that in mind, I sculpted my protagonist. In this world, the protagonist will undeniably be the center of everything. That is my hope.

As for the gender-bending? Well, as a twenty-something bachelor, I figured that by changing the gender, I could avoid writing romance, which I’m terrible at! (Wink, heh.)

I hope for your support. Please donate only if your means allow—I don’t demand it. But for those who enjoy this story, I sincerely hope you’ll subscribe. Every subscription is a form of support and an acknowledgement of the world I’ve created. It is the drive that keeps me going.

Writing is my dream—it always has been, ever since I picked up my first novel in middle school. I want to keep following this dream. Maybe this world will reach its end after a million words, but the conclusion of one world is just the start of another. I hope to continue down this path, and I hope you will accompany me on this journey, however difficult it may be.

Finally, I must thank China Literature for providing a platform to share my fantasy world.

Thank you to my editor, Xiu Xiu, who is super cute and lovely, and who tries so hard to act cool and aloof despite being genuinely kind and approachable.

Thank you to our Editor-in-Chief, Green Bean, and editors Ye Ruo and Xiao Yuan for occasionally popping into the group chat to offer guidance.

Lastly, thank you all for reading. I look forward to your continued company.

Thank you.
Thank you so much!