2 CH: 2 Published the 'Devotion of Suspect X'
After waiting for a day, Henry finally got the news from his mom.
"Honey, after reviewing your manuscript, they've agreed to publish your book. You'll receive a generous 15% in royalties for each copy sold—this is what Mom fought for on your behalf. Otherwise, it would have been a standard 10%," Margaret proudly informed her son.
"Fantastic! When is the commencement of the book's publication?" Henry inquired eagerly.
"It's scheduled for a month later. You must understand, my dear, you're just an ordinary newcomer. Thanks to my friend's considerable efforts, your book has found its way into publication. Additionally, a month from now, you'll have officially graduated from high school," Margaret responded.
Henry felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that, as a novice author, his work had secured publication. However, his focus wasn't solely on the immediate financial gains; he had already set his sights on establishing a company at Harvard University in the near future.
Henry exuded confidence in the potential success of 'Devotion of Suspect X.' In its heyday, the book had soared to unprecedented heights, selling a staggering 2 million copies in Japan and becoming a national phenomenon. Its global appeal was evident as it reached an impressive 5 million copies sold worldwide.
Henry then does quick math to calculate his earnings. If a book sells for $2, then if the book sells for 1 million copies, he will get $130,000 from his royalties. But he still feels the money is not enough. To start a company requires a lot of money even in 19s, which is at least $1 million especially if his first company is going to be a technology firm, as he plans to create a tech company as his first company, it will only burn more as the money will never be enough.
Undeterred by the initial figures, Henry resolved to write another book to secure the necessary funds. Setting his sights on the monumental success of the 'Da Vinci Code,' he recognized its controversial nature yet undeniable appeal. Despite facing criticism, the book had sold a staggering 80 million copies worldwide from 2005-2009, establishing itself as a bestselling sensation.
Henry believed that crafting a narrative akin to the 'Da Vinci Code' would not only ensure the financial foundation for his company but also provide leverage in negotiating higher royalties, especially considering the buzz 'Devotion of Suspect X' had generated across the United States.
With approximately one month at his disposal, Henry was confident he could complete this ambitious project in time. During this period, he planned to monitor the sales performance of 'Devotion of Suspect X' and strategically time the release of his next literary venture.
---
He had many questions about the world and
A quick research through the internet could have brought him most of the answers. But sadly neither Google nor even the internet exists yet.
Closing his eyes, Henry brought his right hand to his forehead, attempting to massage away the mounting tension. The current state of the world's timeline showed no indication of following the trajectory I knew; it was an intricate and chaotic mess.
Perhaps because they were in the beginning of 1973, to be more precise he was on the 3rd of January 1973, which if he remembered correctly put him in the exact year in which some big events would happen at least if it followed the same line as the prime earth.
After conducting extensive research, it became evident to Henry that the entire timeline was in disarray. Some of the most monumental literary works, including not only 'Harry Potter' and 'Da Vinci Code' but also classics like 'Lord of the Rings,' were nonexistent. Astonishingly, even foundational pieces like J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpieces, expected to debut around 1950, seemed to be absent from the historical narrative. Henry's own mother had never even heard of Tolkien.
The disruption extended to renowned works from the 18th century, with classics like 'A Tale of Two Cities,' 'The Little Prince,' and 'And Then There Were None' 'Star Trek' 'Star Wars' mysteriously missing from the literary landscape. Even timeless treasures like 'Dante's Divine Comedy,' 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,' 'The Call of the Wild,' and 'Moby Dick,' along with H. P. Lovecraft's influential contributions to science, fantasy, and horror fiction, were nowhere to be found.
This anomaly not only created the Cthulhu Mythos but possibly even the Outer Gods, a cultural phenomenon that had profoundly shaped stories and narratives. The very fabric of literary history seemed to be unraveling, leaving Henry to grapple with the profound consequences of this inexplicable timeline disruption.
Amidst the aisles of his local comic book store, Henry's dismay deepened as he navigated the disarray that had befallen the comic book and manga industry. This disheartening spectacle wasn't confined to the world of literature alone; giant corporations, stalwarts of the corporate landscape such as Walmart, Exxon Mobil, Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, Amazon, and State Grid, were conspicuously absent. The once-cutting-edge tech industry found itself ensnared in this temporal turmoil, with companies like Volkswagen, Toyota, Petroleum, Total Energies, Samsung, Glencore, and AT&T working with ancient technology.
As this unsettling revelation loomed over him, Henry couldn't help but question the fate of Hollywood. The malaise that gripped the comic book, book, and tech sectors seemed to extend its reach, ensnaring Hollywood and its global counterparts in a web of uncertainty and decline. The repercussions rippled through various entertainment domains, casting a shadow over the once-vibrant industries of manga, anime, Manhwa, Mahuwa, and other countries movie books, and music quote unquote enterrement industry all grappling with the consequences of this perplexing timeline mess.
Yet, the tidal wave of upheaval didn't spare the world of music. From the creative realms of songwriters and composers to the vibrant performances of singers, musicians, and conductors, and the intricate web of record labels, music publishers, recording studios, and more—each facet of the music industry found itself entangled in the tumultuous current of this unraveling timeline. The symphony of creativity and commerce that once harmonized seamlessly now echoed with the dissonance of an uncertain and fragmented reality.
Actually, the more sense he tried to give to the things that were happening, the more confused he was, so for the moment he stopped thinking about it, as he felt if this continued his head would explode. For the moment he did not have enough information to try to deduce the events that would happen in the future.
Henry's immediate goal was clear—to transform his frail body into a formidable one, ensuring he wouldn't meet an untimely demise again. The brush with death had left an indelible mark on him, and he was determined to fortify himself against such vulnerability.
The decision to embody Norman Osborn from the Marvel Comics 616 universe was no arbitrary choice. Osborn, a character known for his exceptional intelligence, stood out even in a world populated by luminaries like Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Hank Pym. Despite not reaching the zenith of intellect occupied by these iconic figures.
still, he was a very smart man, Norman Osborn is so smart and tenacious that he later was almost more than Tony Stark could handle. He is skilled at math and science with a vast knowledge of chemistry. Osborn also gained increased bullshit intellect that Marvel Marvel main characters tend to possess on various levels. And being one of the few truly smart villains of Spiderman he is equal to if not smarter than Spiderman he is a genius in genetics, machinery, robotics, chemistry, and engineering.
While Henry acknowledged that individuals like Tony Stark or Reed Richards might have been superior choices, Osborn's combination of intelligence and Henry's former intellect promised a unique blend. The prospect of being among the smartest individuals on Earth and possibly in the universe fueled Henry's aspirations. However, he remained cognizant of the fact that, in the grand scheme, he would fall short against the truly intellectual or powerful beings within the Marvel universe. To bridge this gap, Henry knew he had to explore avenues to enhance both his physical and mental prowess.
Even with the assurance from godly beings that supernatural elements would be limited, Henry remained open to the possibility. The tumultuous history of prime Earth, teetering on the brink of all-out nuclear war countless times, underscored the importance of having some level of power at his disposal. As he ventured into this new existence, the quest for strength and knowledge became paramount.
There was also the relationship with his Parents, Grand Parents, Cousins, Uncles, and Aunts. The fact that he now had memories of two more people had taken him by surprise and after seeing the memories about him there was simply no way he could ignore it.
Transmigration wasn't as simple as taking over a person's body, it was much more complex than that, in this case, the memories and feelings that the old Henry had been slowly coming into his being, the love for Jacob, Margaret, the respect and admiration for Jacob, Margaret, his first crush, his favorite food, the accidents he had as kid the pain he felt from them, his likes his dislikes which type of girl he likes then there were the feelings he never told anybody.
He was slowly merging with what was left of the old Henry, which for all intents and purposes and as crazy as it sounds would make him the Henry his family knows very well.
Thankfully it wasn't a merger of three beings as the ROB didn't forget to remove anything that was not important to me from the memories of Norman Osborne. Like I don't even know his father or mother is or even his birth date I don't know anything about Norman. In fact, if I didn't know what I asked for I would have never known who is the third person I got memories of.
But now he was Henry, a better smarter and someone who had greater dreams and knew little about the future and he knew that was inevitable, he just hoped he would be a better son than the old Henry, although it would be a simple thing to accomplish.
Stopping thinking about the things that could or would happen he lay back on his bed, he had a new life ahead of him, and he didn't plan on squandering it.
With that kind of thought he fell into the arms of Morpheus.
---
1 month later
Henry finally finished the 'Da Vinci Code'. In this 1 month, every night after he goes home from school, he basically just writes the book. Even Jacob and Margaret feel surprised about how their son lately keeps writing a book. But then, they just leave it alone as they consider this as just one of Henry's newly gained hobbies.
Henry keeps the 'Da Vinci Code' in the drawer of his study table as he will publish it later after the 'Devotion of Suspect X' fire in the US.
The time for 'Devotion of Suspect X' selling arrives. The book is basically available in the major bookstores in the US, Margaret book store has the book too.
At this time in the living room, Jacob, Margaret, and Henry sit while each holding the 'Devotion of Suspect X' and reading it.
"What a magnificent book you wrote Henry, I feel this book will sell well." Jacob praises his son as he feels this book is good.
"Hahaha, I'm confident it can sell over 1 million copies in 2 weeks!" Henry feels proud as this is the result of his hard work. Quite shameless.
"1 million copies?" Jacob feels unbelievable as 1 million copies is the ranking of best-selling authors.
"You just look at it Dad then," Henry says
—
At this time in a bookstore
A middle-aged man wearing glasses came over and strolled through the bookstore. This time he came to buy a detective novel as that's his favorite genre.
He then strolls to the new book section and begins to search the book. At this time his eyes caught a book called 'Devotion of Suspect X', he felt it was quite good and just priced at $20 so he decided to buy it.
At home, he read the book and was shocked as this book is very good. So he decided to recommend this to his friends as they just like him like a detective novel.
The situation in the rest of the bookstore is basically the same. At the end of the day, the total book sales in the US have reached 10,000, quite a good achievement among newcomers.
The publisher then informed Margaret of the result
"Son, your book has sold for over 10,000" Margaret feels good about this, if the book does not sell well, she is afraid it will be a blow to her son's confidence.
"Just over 10,000, I believe it will be more than this as of now just the first day." Henry feels relieved as this is his first hope to get money. Even though the book sold well in the past, the unexpected can happen.
Henry believes the book will sell over 1 million copies in 1 week as he modifies the plot a little bit to suit the taste of America. Henry himself is a genius, so this little problem can be achieved without difficulty.
