The one-hour meet-and-greet ended quickly, and then it was time for the signing.
The line stretched so far it seemed endless. Only five thousand copies had been prepared for this signing.
Ethan signed one after another, feeling like there was no end in sight.
Fortunately, he was a swordsman with astonishing stamina. His pen swept across the pages like a flying dragon, and the books piled up faster and faster.
He really did sign until the sky turned dark. The last person in line was Vice Admiral Yamakaji.
Handing the book to the writer, Yamakaji spoke a little awkwardly.
"Mr. Adam, I have a friend who seems quite troubled recently. I plan to give this book to him. Could I trouble you to write a line of blessing or encouragement for him?"
"No problem," Ethan replied.
When it came to inspirational quotes, Ethan had a whole treasure house in his head.
"A person's life should be lived in such a way that when he looks back, he will not regret the years wasted in idleness, nor be ashamed of having done nothing. So that when he is dying, he can say: I have given my whole life and all my strength to the most magnificent cause in this world, the struggle for peace and justice on the sea."
He had modified the last sentence. The original version was not suitable to appear just yet.
Ethan had not planned to pass on any "flame of ideals" directly to Yamakaji, even if the man's name did sound like "Burning Mountain."
The vice admiral had expected just an ordinary blessing, not words that struck so deeply.
He savored the sentence carefully. This was practically the life portrait of a righteous Marine. Now he felt a tiny bit reluctant to give the book to Teacher Zefa.
Yes, Yamakaji had asked on Zefa's behalf. He knew Zefa was a fan of Mr. Adam's books. This time the man had not come because he claimed to be in a bad mood, his will a little shaken.
After hearing this, Yamakaji had the idea that the author might write something to encourage that particular reader.
But a line this profound and thoughtful was truly rare.
Yamakaji himself felt fired up. After thinking for a moment, he pulled out another copy and made a further request.
"I am really sorry to trouble you, Mr. Adam, but could I ask you to write something for me as well? What you said was simply too good."
Ethan paused briefly. This request was almost too easy to fulfill.
His pen moved again.
"There may be wind and rain in life, but we can always keep a ray of sunshine in our hearts. For Vice Admiral Yamakaji."
"Thank you, thank you. As expected of a great writer, your words are wonderful.
"If you ever have any problems, feel free to come to me. As long as it does not go against justice, I will definitely help you," Yamakaji said sincerely.
Look at how polite he was. When Ethan had given Zefa such a precious book last time, the old man had not spoken so courteously.
The more Yamakaji looked at the inscription on the title page, the more he liked it. Delighted, he tucked the book into his coat. When he got back, he would have to share it with Tsuru.
He heard that tomorrow the mayor would be taking Mr. Adam on a tour of Water 7. Yamakaji thought about it. The mission was not extremely urgent, and there might still be pirates lurking around.
He might as well personally serve as an escort over the next two days. No way would he let pirates harm such a positive, uplifting writer.
That night, at the banquet, Morgans came over to exchange a few words with Ethan.
He wanted to get a closer look at Ethan. This afternoon, watching the author write those messages in person had stirred his own emotions a little.
The first sentence especially could ignite something in anyone who heard it.
"Mr. Adam, this is our first time meeting. It is an honor," Morgans said.
"I would not dare say that. Without your support, President Morgans, my novels would never have reached the seas," Ethan replied.
"This afternoon's message, I kept feeling that the last sentence could have had an even more fitting phrasing. I am not sure why.
"That line about struggling for peace and justice on the sea, somehow it felt as if an even more earth-shaking sentence could have gone there," Morgans said slowly.
"You are overthinking it. I came up with it on the spot, so it might sound a bit stiff," Ethan replied.
Inwardly, he grew more alert. This news hawk's sensitivity to language was too sharp. Someone who dealt with words every day was hard to fool. The man had actually sensed that Ethan had changed the last line on the fly. Impressive.
"Oh, I see. If you can improvise something that powerful, it only shows how unfathomable geniuses on the sea can be.
"I hope you will publish more and better works in the future. Our World Economy News Paper will fully support you as always.
"If you run into any trouble, you can always tell our people. We will do our utmost to help," Morgans said with a smile.
"Understood," Ethan answered.
After that, Ethan moved away from Morgans, while Morgans stared after his back with a deep, unreadable gaze, lost in thought.
Later in the banquet, Ethan and the mayor discussed the plan for tomorrow. There would be reporters taking photos the whole way, so every detail had to be coordinated.
He had done all this just to be able to commission a ship at Tom's Workers in broad daylight. Since he had gone this far to set things up, he could endure the necessary patience and cooperate with the officials' political performance.
Tomorrow would start with a group photo at the city hall with the social elites, then they would set out riding Yagara Bulls along the waterways. They would pass the great cathedral dedicated to the Water God Aqua Laguna, then the city's most famous shopping street, then try out the city's water elevators, then visit several major shipyards, and finally end at Tom's Workers.
That route would showcase Water 7's urban charm and unique cultural atmosphere, as well as its economic power.
After confirming all the details and the schedule, the banquet ended.
Ethan returned to the hotel, said a few words to Robin, and then went back to his room to sleep.
Making up stories was exhausting. They had to be reasonable and airtight, have some emotional elevation, and also provide answers for all kinds of strange questions from the audience. Being a writer was really not easy.
(End of Chapter)
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