Chapter 16: Publication

Mikhail knew nothing of the plans concerning his sister and mother; he simply continued with his current tasks, quietly waiting for the release of the new issue of "The Contemporary".

Before this, Mikhail had naturally found time to meet with Dmitri again; the moment they met, this bear-like man lunged forward, laughing as he embraced Mikhail, while excitedly patting Mikhail's back and unable to hold back his words:

"Misha! I heard everything from Nikolai; I never expected that you would gain the appreciation of Vissarion Grigoryevich just by starting to write novels! But your work deserves such treatment! Now, recalling that short story, my heart feels as if something is gripping it, making it almost impossible to breathe!

Wonderful, you should have started writing long ago! Starting so late was truly a waste of your genius!"

Mikhail: "………"

What is he mumbling? Why am I hearing it more and more faintly………

My eyes are also starting to go black………

Having finally struggled free from the enthusiastic Dmitri, this bear-like man finally realized his own behavior, so he hurriedly apologized:

"Are you alright, Misha? I am truly sorry, oh God, I was too excited; who could hear such news and not get excited? A complete newcomer actually received praise from that critic!"

"Good luck, good luck." Coughing and humbly saying a few words, looking at the excited Dmitri, Mikhail first walked with him on the street for a while; only after Dmitri had finally cooled down considerably did Mikhail hesitate for a moment and finally speak:

"Demi, can I discuss something with you? I am a bit tight on funds recently, and I want to participate in an investment………"

"Hmm?" Because Mikhail's way of speaking was slightly strange, Dmitri was momentarily stunned, but quickly reacted, smiling as he replied:

"You mean money? No problem, my friend! Just speak your mind! I have already heard the general idea from Nikolai; I know you are about to launch a great enterprise! You have already prepared for sacrifice, and I cannot sit idly by; let me contribute my humble strength as well."

Mikhail: "?"

Huh?

What preparation for sacrifice?

I just wanted to get some cash………

Nekrasov, exactly what did you tell him………

But since Dmitri had said so much, Mikhail found it hard to explain anything; after hesitating for a while, he held up three fingers and said: "Thirty rubles, Demi; at the latest within half a year, I will definitely repay you; I will write you an IOU."

Thirty rubles was not a heavy pressure; Mikhail should be able to earn it just by writing manuscripts.

"Fifty; I see you are living quite uncomfortably, my friend." Patting Mikhail's shoulder, Dmitri continued:

"No need for an IOU; just repay me when you are comfortable again.

Do not refuse me; take it. I expect I will be bothering you frequently in the coming time! I must ask you for proper instruction; although a genius like you is hard to replicate, I should still be able to learn a lot."

For some reason, Nekrasov and Dmitri had now decided that Mikhail was a genius.

But then again, starting to write novels and producing two such mature and highly innovative works; if this does not count as genius, then who can be called a genius?

"Alright." Seeing that Dmitri had said so much, Mikhail found it hard to refuse again; after nodding and agreeing, the two slowly walked towards Dmitri's residence.

Fifty rubles was about ten thousand yuan; very few people would carry so much money when going out.

So the two walked forward while chatting idly.

Due to the population explosion in recent years, St. Petersburg was now excessively crowded; looking up, the streets were full of horse manure and drunkards already drunk during the day; on such a short stretch of road, Mikhail did not know how many he had encountered.

And just under the gray and cold sky, while Mikhail was thinking about his next moves, Dmitri suddenly blurted out: "Misha, let me tell you, Tsar Nicholas that big………"

Mikhail: "???"

Just walk properly while walking!

Why suddenly start discussing politics for no reason?!

Just as Mikhail rushed forward to cover Dmitri's mouth, on the other side, in the editorial office of "The Contemporary", Belinsky was sitting at his desk, making final arrangements on his review.

As the absolute core of the editorial office, whatever work Belinsky wanted to recommend would basically face no objections, but before publication, it definitely had to be reviewed by everyone in the editorial office.

And by now, basically everyone in the editorial office had read it; after reading, someone immediately found Belinsky:

"Dear Vissarion, this is a completely new perspective! I also saw the title of your review: 'He Observes the World from the Lowest'; I could not agree more!"

"I think he has gone further than Gogol; just as you wrote, Gogol's sympathy for his humble protagonists was not strong enough to overcome the condescending stance inherent in the narration. However, is directly comparing him with Gogol's works a bit too impulsive?"

"Exciting works! They should be known to more people; I think when they are released, they should be read aloud to more people."

………

But at the same time, another group gathered together; among them was Kraevsky, the publisher of "The Contemporary"; he had not yet said anything, merely listening to the faint complaints from the person beside him:

"I don't understand why we attach so much importance to a newcomer's work; and our readers, those well-educated and respectable gentlemen and young people, will they really be interested in stories about coachmen and apprentice children that are everywhere on the streets?"

"Written well, it is written well, but the language is truly too simple, and the story is too concise; in many places where I feel more detail could be added, he simply chose to gloss over them."

"This completely does not fit the current trend of the literary world; I think this is a huge risk!"

"Your Majesty the Tsar would absolutely not be happy seeing such stories; those respectable noble gentlemen would be the same; where in our Russian land do so many absurd things come from? One Gogol is enough; now they are actually going to launch Gogol II!"

(End of this chapter)