Otaku Translation: Literary Genius: This Kid Was Born Smart C165

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Chapter 165: Burdened by Fame

"Alright, I'll be right there!" Gu Lu called out loudly, appearing in front of the computer camera seconds later.

Why wasn’t the other side moving? It seemed frozen, but Gu Lu was sure it wasn’t his end causing the issue.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Is it really lagging?"

By the time Gu Lu spoke for the second time, a response finally came through.

"No lag at all! Although Director Dao Mei mentioned that Mr. Gu Lu is quite young—a student writer—I’m still astonished to see you in person. Truly talented and promising!"

This was Mo Lai, an editor from New Star Publishing. Gu Lu hadn’t recognized the name at first glance, so he mentally annotated its pronunciation. Moreover, what were this person’s parents thinking? The rare character didn’t carry any auspicious meaning!

"The impact of hearing about someone versus seeing them in person is quite different," Mo Lai continued.

That made sense. As a reader, Gu Lu once thought writing twenty thousand words daily should be normal for authors—but now as a writer himself, he understood that four thousand words per day already pushed human limits.

"Mr. Gu, this is the illustrator our publishing house has hired—Hairless Chicken," Mo Lai introduced. "Mr. Hairless is a fairly well-known illustrator online."

What a distinctive stage name! Gu Lu also understood Mo Lai's predicament—it wouldn't do to simply call him “Mr. Hairless Chicken” or “Mr. Chicken,” would it?

"In fact, just call me by my real name, Wang Gu. Don’t keep calling me by my stage name," Wang Gu interjected smoothly. "I’ve long heard of your work, Mr. Gu. I bought the magazine and read the entire Mr. Holmes cover-to-cover. The flow of emotions was seamless, especially in portraying the twilight years of a hero whose ambitions have faded! Brilliantly written."

Hairless Chicken, whose real name was Wang Gu, was a 29-year-old illustrator who graduated from Luxun Academy of Fine Arts. He frequently took commissions online and had gained some renown, collaborating with magazines such as Most Mystery, Chronicles of Mystery, and The World of Detective Fiction.

While outwardly polite, Wang Gu inwardly sighed: Things are getting harder these days. Now I have to collaborate with a fool and a kid.

The fool referred to Mo Lai, who despite repeated introductions, insisted on using his ridiculous nickname.

As for the kid—that was obviously Gu Lu. But regardless of whether they were fools or kids, as long as they paid, they were golden clients in Wang Gu’s eyes.

"Let’s not waste time. Do you have any initial drafts of the illustrations?" Gu Lu asked. His first impression of the illustrator wasn’t favorable.

After all, Chronicles of Mystery hadn’t even finished serializing Mr.Holmes yet—how could he claim to have read the entire book? Too much exaggeration.

"Of course! Here’s one I drew: Holmes deep in thought, then collapsing from exhaustion." Wang Gu pulled up the image on his computer.

Hmm—this sketch actually matched Gu Lu’s vision quite well. It wasn’t the energetic, larger-than-life Holmes often depicted on pedestals, but rather an aging Shylock devoid of iconic accessories like the deerstalker hat, cape, or pipe.

"It’s generally good," Gu Lu said.

"Please tell me what needs improvement, Mr. Gu, and I’ll revise it tonight without delay!"

Wang Gu immediately jumped in. Whether revising would be difficult or not was beside the point; securing the project was key.

"Holmes may be old, but his appearance shouldn’t resemble an Asian man—he’s thoroughly British," Gu Lu pointed out. "Your drawing lacks distinct Caucasian features."

"No problem! I already know how to adjust it, and I can make the changes tonight." Wang Gu responded enthusiastically.

"Mr. Gu Lu, is there anything else you’d like to address?" Mo Lai asked. If everything could be settled in one go, that would be ideal.

"More or less—" Gu Lu’s words were interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

"Excuse me, let me take this call." Gu Lu glanced at the caller ID—it was Han Cang, the corresponding editor. Normally, unless it was urgent, Han Cang would message him via QQ.

So Gu Lu answered directly.

"Mr. Gu, your works are extremely popular in Japan, and Faust wants to commission another piece from you!"

Han Cang was so excited that his voice thundered as if shouting into Gu Lu’s ear. Gu Lu instinctively held the phone further away.

"Another commission? But I haven’t been working on Mingzhi stories recently," Gu Lu replied.

"This is a great opportunity, Mr. Gu! How about this—you revisit Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and whip up two new pieces?" Han Cang suggested. "With your talent, this won’t be a challenge at all!"

Do you believe in me more than I believe in myself? Gu Lu thought wryly. "I’m currently working on other projects. Besides, while changing styles might be easy, reverting back afterward could be tricky."

True enough, Han Cang nodded. Then inspiration struck him. "Mr. Gu, I have an idea—though it may not be fully formed."

"Editor Han, please share," Gu Lu listened attentively.

"Chief Editor Gao mentioned that Japanese readers love depictions of humanity’s darker side—not necessarily detective fiction, right?" Han Cang explained over the phone. "I remember you wrote several pieces inspired by Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and submitted them to Story Digest. Why not adapt those stories instead?"

Hey, you’re quite the genius!

Gu Lu asked, "Would that work?"

"Absolutely! Just inform the Story Digest editorial team. They purchased global publication rights for short stories, so we’re covered regardless of overseas distribution."

This was why releasing short story collections didn’t require notifying the Story Digest editors.

"Also, Mr. Gu, your royalties from international serialization have already been transferred. Please check your account," Han Cang added.

For his contributions to Faust, Gu Lu earned 8,000 yen per manuscript page. After deducting translation fees, he received 5,000 yen per page—equivalent to roughly 403 yuan based on the exchange rate at the end of 2012. Incidentally, each manuscript page contained four hundred characters.

That amounted to 1,008 yuan per thousand characters—a staggering sum domestically but considered entry-level pay in Japan.

It remained unclear how translator Yasuyama Kazuma was compensated, though Faust notoriously offered low rates.

"If this is a solicited submission, will the payment increase?" Gu Lu inquired. He wasn’t being greedy—common sense dictated that solicited work should reflect greater sincerity.

"Uh—payment wasn’t mentioned," Han Cang admitted. "Once we gain more fame, they’ll likely raise the rates. For now, let’s focus on growing steadily. Besides, since these are pre-written stories, sending them abroad earns us both royalties and recognition."

"Editor Han, you make perfect sense," Gu Lu nodded.

He shouldn’t fret over temporary gains—the royalties from The Little Prince were imminent, and Gu Lu felt no anxiety.

However, established Japanese writers typically earned seven to eight thousand yen per manuscript page.

And earlier, when Chief Editor Gao and Han Cang discussed Junichi Watanabe, they mentioned he earned fifty thousand yen per page—which translated to ten yuan per character domestically.

Everyone knew Japanese writers made good money—and indeed, they did exceptionally well.

Right now, Gu Lu found himself weighed down by his budding fame…

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