Let me say this first: The physical books 1 and 2 of Above the Sky are now available on the WeChat mini program Dimension Core!
On August 16, 2023, Lord of Steel was completed. It took more than eleven months and 2.2 million words were updated, with an average of 6,300 words per day, which is considered an average starting point. The main reason is that the plot in the middle and later stages of the book involves too much, and the writing is not as clean and neat as the beginning, but there are occasional outbursts, mainly because of poor health in the past few months.
The second volume of "Above the Sky" ended, making me let out a long breath. Many foreshadowings were recycled, the final result of Echo, the obsession of Inaga II and the Setar royal family, the long-paved Alien Research Institute and the Forerunners Waiting for the plot, although some of it was written in a hurry due to the online daily update, I look back and feel that it could have been written better, but overall, it is not bad.
There are a total of three volumes of "Above the Sky" and extra chapters besides the ending. Actually, we can leave aside the extra chapters for the time being. The three volumes of this article have already ended in two volumes, and the plot has come to an end. According to the convention of this book, I will summarize the general plot of this volume. , it can also be regarded as a review for myself.
[Lord of Steel] is the second of the three volumes. As the name suggests, the purpose of this volume is for the protagonist to gain territory, gradually expand his influence, develop some key technologies, and finally gradually become full-fledged, grow stronger, and become a capable person. The process of influencing the world pattern.
Prologue 'Messenger of the Dragon God', Ian, who returned to Nanling for the first time, immediately noticed that the situation in Nanling was unstable. Due to the war with Feiyandi, the entire Nanling entered a state of war, and the territory he had just acquired was rebelled. The mountain people occupied it - just in time, he just struck hard to cleanse the local forces of the originally deeply entrenched Leian Territory and completely control it in his own hands.
By gaining prestige by defeating Fei Yandi, the mastermind behind the scenes, and relying on the ether crystals in his body to simulate dragon blood, Ian successfully spread the news that he was the Dragon God's messenger throughout the Baisen Mountains through publicity, and then developed himself as the original Dragon Holy Land. The territory was gradually claimed by the mountain people, and his actual control territory was expanded from the small Xiahui Territory to the entire mountain people gathering area.
At the same time, while developing the territory, building technology parks, and attracting investment, Ian was building his own sect to replace the ancient and primitive Dragon God belief. He also planned to return to Harrison Port to join hands with his old superiors to build trade routes. Qingtong was hatched, allowing a new generation of etheric crystal dragons to be born.
In the process, Axel's purpose was gradually revealed. Although Ian still couldn't guess the other party's real purpose, he could tell that it was definitely a big plan.
The communication with the spirit of the sea of trees, as well as the actions of Shengguang and his team, revealed the situation of the Lost Era and the Catastrophe of Fire. The deduction of the spirit of the sea of trees also allowed Ian to see the possibility of another world line. , combined with the power of the guiding star of his own mind-light body, Ian began to gradually discover all kinds of things about himself in parallel time and space.
It was during this process that Ian obtained another possibility, the 'electromagnetic power' possessed by the real Dragon God envoy. At this point, he had made the fake come true and became a well-deserved Messenger of the Dragon God.
It was precisely with these gains that Ian gradually developed more abilities of the silver chip, as well as the prototype of the [Arcane Path].
Next, the second act, 'The Last Echo', is the process of the territory's development being on the right track, and when Ian does not need his constant attention, he is invited to go to Canaan Moore and go to the Xenogeneic Research Institute to explore.
The situation in Canaan Moore is complicated, and the two factions of the Ten Kings are fighting among themselves. Ian takes advantage of the situation to hide himself, and uses his vest, the Knight of the Glen, to fight for his own interests.
He revealed his identity as the second-generation Fudo Castle, attracting everyone's attention. After knowing the complete form of the silver chip, 'Gift of the Star God' and obtaining the second component, he fought a decisive battle with the last echo and obtained Get the full version of Gift of the Star God.
In the process, Ian met the younger generations of various countries and defeated them all, saw many studies of pre-era civilizations, and saw the echo of the ancient mentor True Dragon. The secrets buried in ancient history were gradually revealed, and many foreshadowings were revealed. Recycling, the truth about the Skyfall, the Star God and the End, and the path to extinguish the stars completely revealed everything.
Main plot update, Heavenly Hell is not Heavenly Hell, but the cradle to protect all living beings. This gentle embrace is indeed the Star God’s love for all living beings, but in the end it lingers outside. Although it has not taken action for some reason, this is the biggest Threat, you must find an opportunity to leave.
Otherwise, destruction will come at any time and all development will be meaningless.
With the gift of the Star God, Ian split himself into two. One went to Dragon Island to recuperate and continue to deduce his Steel Pioneer inheritance, while the other became an elf, returned to the territory, was awarded the title of earl, and prepared to face the increasingly turbulent times. world situation.
The third act, "Steel Lord", tells the story of Lord Ian, who is preparing to fight against the demon army of the Flying Flame Land. At the same time, he uses his most important gains in the Alien Research Institute to develop the Heart of Terra, build the Chongling Sect, and bring the entire world to the world. The process of Nanling gradually coming under his control.
The demonic technology of Flying Flame Land and many subsequent psychic transformation techniques prove that the research on the way of sublimation by the countries of Terra has gradually advanced to the next era. The plans of the countries, such as the heavenly beings of the Cangtian Palace, Canaan Moore The eternal elves, etc. all show that the kingdoms of Terra have not closed themselves off and solidified, but are still looking for a way forward, but they are too unscrupulous.
Relying on various earth technologies and pre-era technologies that had been prepared for a long time, Ian built the Iron Legion and orbital weapons. With the help of his friend Adebert and the support of many other travelers, Ian defeated the Fourth Army head-on. The invasion of energy-level demon lords and demon legions almost wiped out all of them on the golden plain. This was the first time that Ian alone left his name in a major event that could be recorded in history, "the first time the extraordinary legion was used in war." Become a stepping stone.
But next, there is another foreshadowing of Axel's plan: the floating city and the supporting shield network make everyone doubt each other's purpose. The nobles are worried about their own power, but the common people are happy to see the results, but they don't know Why does this emperor take such good care of them.
Everything was progressing steadily, and Ian successfully controlled the entire South Ridge and became the well-deserved Lord of Steel. Ian's other side, the Immovable Fortress Ian, also received an invitation from the City of Knowledge together with Isengard.
This is the beginning of the fourth act, 'Eternal Road'.
The famous Ian and Mahdi attracted the attention of the world, and his friend Isengard was also noticed, and his own specialness was discovered - the awakening of the Sun Bird bloodline had already been revealed, and as an experimental subject, Isengard also wants to understand the purpose of Axel's experiment on him.
Together with Ian, who transformed into a dark gold dragon, they came to the Capital of Knowledge and participated in the great meeting of Corizion. In the process, they discovered the truth about Ian's heart light body, the guiding star created by his countless reincarnations. It was finally explained.
The following details, as well as the many specific details of the fifth act 'King of the New World' and the final act 'Front of the Falling Sun', are too spoilers to mention, and even mentioning them will affect the perception, although I will watch this Most of the testimonials are from friends who are pursuing their studies, but we cannot ignore the possibility of fattening the party, so I won’t mention them for the time being.
The true usefulness of Echo, which has been laid for a long time, and the crazy dream of the strong men of Terra to change the world are all revealed in the second volume.
As a follow-up to the first volume, which is mostly foreshadowing and development, the second volume mainly focuses on recycling the foreshadowing, expanding the world view, and affecting the world situation.
Regarding the farming part, I have to be honest: Haha, I can’t write at all! But this process must be tried. Only by writing and discovering that you are not good at it can you better summarize your mistakes and use your strengths and avoid weaknesses.
Lord of Steel, although this title does not appear from beginning to end, Ian's determination and will, as well as what he actually does, the transformation and reshaping of the new order, are all confirmed.
Most of the foreshadowings have been recycled, most of the crises have been resolved, and now the story has entered a new chapter.
That is the story of the master of the arcane path facing the mighty torrent of generations, using the light condensed in his countless reincarnations to turn into the sun, illuminating the world and pointing the way to the distant stars in the future.
The new volume is called [Beyond the Star Sea], so please stay tuned.
Because I am not feeling well, I need to take some time off. I want to take more rest to recuperate my health. I will update next Monday.
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What follows is a pure testimonial. There is no charge for it anyway, so if you don’t want to read it, just skip it.
When I was twenty years old, Teacher Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem was nominated for the American Nebula Award, and then won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. That year, I casually browsed on the Internet, and there was an overwhelming amount of science fiction, stars, seas and distance. The fantasy of the other side is that everyone is familiar with Asimov, Dan Simmons and Arthur C. Clarke. This immediately made me feel ashamed, because not only have I only read most of the books by these famous science fiction authors, but I haven’t even read all of Liu Cixin’s books. I have only read The Three-Body Problem and a few well-known short stories.
And four years later, The Wandering Earth 1 appeared, and this blockbuster exploded into a huge wave. Since then, science fiction seems to have become less niche. At least when Chinese science fiction is mentioned on the Internet, everyone has pictures in their heads. , more and more enthusiasts are joining in and writing.
And I am one of them, and "Above the Sky" embodies my love for science fiction and fantasy (actually, most of them are science fiction and fantasy. I will write a pure sword and magic book in the future. I have decided that this book will be about fairy tales. The story that arose from Xia).
Although I have been obsessed with reading all kinds of science fiction since junior high school, I have never actually thought about writing a book about science fiction elements. I admire every science fiction author. Their imagination, professional ability and imagination of the future world can be said to be deeply respected and impressed. So even if I don’t write science fiction, I can’t help but think about other categories. The issue that I won't talk about is 'the changes in the social structure and ethics of the fantasy world'.
Fantasy worlds are impossible and can never be reasonable. I knew this when I started writing, because creating a story does not need to start with the virtual Big Bang space-time expansion. Deducing the characteristics of six or twenty-seven kinds of quarks can also be the beginning of the creation of the world. There is light, which defines earth, water, fire and wind. The fantasy world represents only a possibility, a vision, a deduction of the world with some new elements added. This is actually the same as "If Guan Yu had not defeated Maicheng" Zhuge Liang "What if" The fantasy of winning the Northern Expedition and reviving the Han Dynasty is the same, but even the latter can't deduce a reasonable possibility, let alone a science fiction fantasy that is a hundred times more complicated?
So I never care about some errors or omissions in details, but more about a special imagination.
When I was reading, I always thought about how people would build their houses in a world where there were frequent wars between strong men and natural disasters. Will people give up the plains where life is easy and choose to live near mountains and hills, relying on the natural shield of rock? Are the buildings in that world divided into two types? One is extremely tall and towers into the sky, where the strong live. The other is low and submerged into the ground. They look like bungalows on the ground. That is where ordinary people protect themselves. houses?
I always wonder, if a race does not rely on the union of the sexes to produce offspring, how will their morals be different from ours? Are ethics as we know them as boring as dust to them?
A civilization, assuming it does not have two hands, relies on mechanical waves to observe the world. The silicon-based body and metal-based cells are driven by chemical electricity. This is not an artificial robot, but a pure alien civilization individual. If they really exist, Do we really have the same emotions as us humans (not that we don’t have them, but that we have different emotions for the same things)? The carbon-based biosphere that we value, the seas, forests and societies that we think are beautiful, are they hell or a boring thing?
When individuals from completely different civilizations meet, how will they view each other? What will happen to the communication and civilized interaction between them? Not just boring - I mean, boring to me - looking at the other party's oil (just an analogy), or eating the other party to absorb genes (I didn't specifically refer to the Zerg, to be honest) I actually like the theme of fighting bugs, thanks to Starship Troopers and StarCraft), and then plundering and war scenes.
The aliens at that time were too similar to humans. It could even be said that they were just humans with different skins. So I always thought about an elf like some (which did not rely on sexual reproduction, but relied on the World Tree to breed). If they really exist, will they really establish a civilization that we humans can understand? They have no meaning of gender and no difference in strength. What kind of unique society have they built around their mother tree?
What kind of conflicts would arise if they ventured with humans?
Of course, it is too difficult to write like this. I can't write it. And I have waited for so many years and no one has written it. This shows the difficulty of this idea.
However, if we look at us humans from this perspective, we can find many things that are 'taken for granted' and have always been the way they are. Those things have nothing to do with pure civilization and are just by-products that appear because we are human beings.
I'm not saying that this kind of thing is bad, but that when I learned to think like this, I discovered that we humans cannot be described by pure blood. Our spirit, morality, ethics, and the inheritance of these intangible things It is also an extremely special meme inheritance.
Of course, that would go too far. Generally speaking, there is an inspiration on high that comes from these fantasies, but it is not an explanation of 'why', but a narration of 'how'.
How a world becomes a fantasy world.
Yes, that's my thing.
An eternal elf who will be born from the World Tree and composed of machines. He is immortal and almost eternal. Self-cultivation improves his power. He does not rely on external things and only needs the arcane path of wisdom and calculation power. Refining his own life force is dangerous and powerful. The fighting spirit originates from pure goodness, the power of holy light given by the 'Star God', and the possible birth of 'gods' and divine power transmission systems...
The origin of Dragon Island (the first time I saw this setting was the Lost Continent), the origin of ancient ruins, and my personal favorite series of armor and ethereal weapons... When I write it, I feel like I am creating a fantasy world in my work. fun.
Next, it’s time to describe why dwarves are dwarves, why orcs are orcs, and other issues.
What will the world look like when Ian's story ends? This is a topic that I set for myself. It is the fun of me who only likes to daydream. Maybe there will be Gao Tian 2 in the future, which is the story of the original feature film "Universe Chapter"? (Anyway, I have to put it very late in the queue. There are too many things I want to write.)
I always love this feeling of fantasy and creation, which is why I like the song "Ordinary Road". Writing is the only way I want to go. I may do other jobs in the future, but if If I didn’t experience a life related to writing, I might never forgive myself in this life.
It’s just that as I write this, my body is a little unable to hold on. I suffer from gastric ulcers and gastric bleeding, insomnia, mental weakness, and some scattered minor illnesses, such as rhinitis and pharyngitis. It’s too complicated to talk about it. I keep thinking about it. I will go and recuperate after writing this book, but in fact, I will start to recuperate from now on. This is not to make excuses. In fact, my updates will not be reduced, but I do need to take a few days off. Thoroughly Correct your daily routine and develop good fitness habits.
This is not laziness, but recuperation and preparation for better creation in the future. (You don’t want me to suddenly go to the hospital for a month. To be honest, I don’t want to, but I was almost hospitalized last time. Fortunately, the test result is not very serious), at least I can't take a handful of medicine every day. I really have enough of this kind of medicine-filled life.
I will welcome the creation of the third volume with my most fulfilling spirit and state, please believe me.
In short, that’s it, my friends, whether you have read all the way to this point or read it all in one go, the second volume has completely ended, and Ian’s story is still going on. As for the next third volume [ "Beyond the Star Sea" will be updated starting next Monday.
The sea of stars is something distant and has disappeared, and the other shore is the realm beyond distant time and space that people yearn for.
In the world shrouded by the cradle, there is no star sea or the other side. This is a desperate rift with no way out, but it is not hopeless. In any case, as the core of the cradle plan, the power contained in the perpetual motion machine Maybe it can bring new hope.
In order to gain support from the referendum, Ian will create a new society, but unlike a purely harmonious world, what he wants to create is always an order that suits the actual situation of Terra.
In the process, he will have to deal with various crises and challenges, pressure from many powerful enemies and countries, as well as the doubts and thoughts of the people within his own territory.
In this volume, all conflicts and crises will break out, decisions or passionate dreams will collide one after another, erupting into brilliant fireworks, and the story that happened in this little cradle will come to an end. Or a new beginning.
But to Ian, none of that mattered.
No matter what dream or ambition, whether it is the illusion of happiness or the desperate struggle, he will crush it.
He who looks up to the stars will conquer the world and take back his stars.
That's all.
Hope you guys like it.
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Let me say it again: The physical book 12 of Above the Sky has been put on the shelves of the WeChat mini program Dimension Core! There are 4 days left or will it end in 3 days? Anyway, if you are interested, you can check it out!
Also, please give me a monthly pass!