Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One: The Book Enthusiast

If one were to truly calculate it, Zhou Tian had long ago begun spreading Earth’s culture throughout this world.

When he was first captured by the White Tiger King, Zhou Tian sought to prove his worth to avoid being killed. During his time at the White Tiger clan’s stronghold, he gave extensive lectures to the white tigers. However, because those teachings never spread beyond that place, Zhou Tian did not gain wider recognition. Otherwise, at this point, he might not be serving as a mere bishop here; perhaps he would have already become a renowned bard in this world.

Leveraging the partial revisions he had previously made, Zhou Tian managed to finish writing “Journey to the West” in just half a month. After calling Mike into his office, Zhou Tian began making arrangements.

“Uncle Mike, I need your help with something,” Zhou Tian said.

“What is it? Just tell me.” Without hesitation, Mike responded. Although Zhou Tian always treated him with great courtesy, Mike maintained a clear understanding of his own position. No matter how polite Zhou Tian was, he was still the superior. Thus, Mike took Zhou Tian’s words seriously and immediately agreed to help, without asking for further details.

Zhou Tian noticed Mike’s attitude but said nothing. He simply pointed to the manuscript on his desk and instructed, “This is a story I wrote for Longfeng Literature. I want you, Uncle Mike, to find someone to start a printing press and publish this story as a book.”

“Got it. I’ll arrange for someone to handle it right away,” Mike replied.

Hearing this, Zhou Tian furrowed his brow slightly. Although Mike hadn’t spoken bluntly, Zhou Tian easily perceived the underlying meaning: Mike’s promise to arrange someone to do it didn’t reflect much enthusiasm or confidence in the task. Mike was willing to do it only because Zhou Tian had asked, but personally, he didn’t seem to expect much success from the story.

For other matters, Zhou Tian might have overlooked such an attitude. As long as Mike arranged for it to be done, whether he cared or not wouldn’t affect the outcome. The final result would speak for itself.

Zhou Tian had already tested the story on the white tigers, and even in this world, the adapted “Journey to the West” still held great appeal. Thus, Zhou Tian was confident it could help establish his reputation in the capital. Under these circumstances, Mike’s lukewarm response was far from satisfying.

Yet, instead of scolding Mike, Zhou Tian understood that Mike’s reaction stemmed from the belief that Zhou Tian wrote the story merely for fame. So, reprimanding him would be pointless. Instead, Zhou Tian decided to let Mike read the story himself, believing that once Mike was captivated by “Journey to the West,” as a book lover, he would wholeheartedly support its promotion.

With a subtle nod, Zhou Tian glanced at Mike and nonchalantly suggested, “I’ll leave the manuscript with you. When you have time, take a look. Once the printing press is set up, start printing immediately. I’ll find a way to make the book popular, so you just focus on printing as much as possible.”

“Yes, Captain,” Mike replied, though dismissive, without objection. Taking the manuscript, he left the office.

Once outside, Mike returned to his workspace, casually set the manuscript aside, and began attending to other matters.

Though the capital was not yet a great city, given its current scale and lack of full development, Mike still had plenty to handle. Throwing himself into his work, he quickly forgot about Zhou Tian’s request and began working seriously.

Half a day passed, and only when his stomach growled did Mike remember it was time to eat. Stretching as he stood, he prepared to head for lunch.

However, just then, Mike unexpectedly noticed a familiar figure standing silently beside him, intently focused on something.

“Spy!” The thought briefly flashed through Mike’s mind but he quickly dismissed it. Spies were common in the Holy City, but here in this small capital, Mike didn’t believe anyone strong enough to hide unnoticed would be interested in a few trivial documents.

Upon closer look, Mike couldn’t help but smile.

The figure beside him was none other than Sister Catherine, with whom he had a somewhat ambiguous relationship. Catherine was engrossed in reading something, her face shifting between amusement and irritation—a sight that amused Mike.

“What are you reading?” Since it was Catherine, Mike’s tone was friendly. Curious, he glanced at the book in her hands and greeted her.

Startled by Mike’s sudden presence, Catherine quickly hid the manuscript behind her back. Noticing the faint smile on Mike’s face, she reluctantly handed the manuscript over and bowed her head apologetically.

“Pastor Mike, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to spy on your manuscripts. I just saw this was newly placed here and wanted to see what it contained. I got so engrossed I lost track of myself. I’m truly sorry!” As a proper nun, Catherine’s behavior might seem trivial to others, but she felt as if she had committed a grave offense, apologizing profusely with eyes reddened.

Seeing this, Mike quickly wiped the smile from his face and focused on the manuscript.

“Hmm,” Mike murmured upon recognizing it.

Relaxing slightly, he reassured Catherine, “Oh, it’s this manuscript! Don’t worry. This story was written by the Captain; he wants to print it as a book, so he gave me the original. I was just about to read it myself. Since you’ve already started, why not share your thoughts? What do you think of the story? Will it be popular once printed?”

Hearing this, Catherine breathed easier, relieved that her actions were not inappropriate. She quickly recovered and, upon Mike’s question, eagerly grasped his hand and began chattering about the story with the enthusiasm of a fan discussing their favorite celebrity.

Like a devoted admirer, Catherine spoke animatedly about the characters and plot of “Journey to the West,” regardless of whether Mike fully understood.

“I think that missionary named Tang Sanzang is a bit useless; he always needs the holy knight Sun Wukong to save him.”

“That orc called Zhu Bajie is the most interesting—so lecherous and such a big eater!”

“Sha Monk’s temperament is amazing; he never gets angry no matter what he’s asked to do.”

“Well, actually...”

Mike knew Catherine was referring to the characters and events from Zhou Tian’s story, but he himself had never read “Journey to the West.” So, while Catherine spoke with great passion, Mike was completely baffled, having no idea what she meant.

Still, before Catherine, Mike feigned understanding, nodding sagely as if he grasped her points. After gathering the manuscript from her reluctant hands, he found a flimsy excuse and quickly excused himself.

Determined to be better prepared next time, Mike barely ate a bite before rushing back to his room to read “Journey to the West.”

The consequence was that when Mike emerged again, he looked haggard and exhausted. He wolfed down a few mouthfuls in the cafeteria but soon fell asleep right at the table.

In the following days, Mike became the capital’s laughingstock. Few people fell asleep during meals, especially someone somewhat famous like him, making him an easy target for ridicule.

Mike, however, cared little. Like Catherine, he had been completely captivated by the story. The reason for his falling asleep at meals was that he had been so engrossed in reading “Journey to the West” that he hadn’t slept or eaten properly for two days and nights.

Moreover, unlike Catherine, Mike could discern many of Zhou Tian’s intentions behind the story. For instance, the protagonists in “Journey to the West” were missionaries of the Church of Light, and the destination for Tang Sanzang and his disciples was the capital city. Such arrangements might go unnoticed by casual readers, but after finishing the book, anyone wanting to delve deeper into “Journey to the West” would inevitably come across the capital and the Church of Light.

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