Chapter 28

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On Facebook, the “‘Candle in the Tomb’ Global Fan Club” held a meeting among the members.

“In my opinion, ‘The Lost Tomb’ is just a fun read, but if you’re really into tomb-robbing novels, you’d still have to read ‘Candle in the Tomb’.”

“‘Candle in the Tomb’ is the best! It’s simply an encyclopedia of traditional Chinese feng shui tombs!”

“There’s just so much information in there, from landscapes and constellations to tomb feng shui and the cruel customs of ancient dynasties. There are also all kinds of mysterious and unpredictable creatures and strange ancient jade coffins…the detail is astonishing!”

“After reading it, I want to learn Chinese so I can study ‘The Book of Changes’!”

“Everyone has their own favorites, but I have to say, in terms of tomb-robbing, ‘Candle in the Tomb’ is more advanced than ‘The Lost Tomb’.”

“That’s right! Reading ‘Candle in the Tomb’ feels like you’re sitting across from a retired tomb robber who’s talking about his past experiences while reading ‘The Lost Tomb’ just feels like you’re sitting across from an anonymous big shot and listening to his made-up story.”

“Hahahaha! Awesome!”

“To better compare which of the two works is better, I purposely read ‘The Lost Tomb’ as well. When I looked back, I felt that these two books could be works from the same author.”

“All I can say is that a classic work like ‘Candle in the Tomb’ is unique and can’t be imitated by others.”

“Actually, I read ‘The Lost Tomb’ first. Logically speaking, I should have favored this, but after I read ‘Candle in the Tomb’ under everyone’s recommendation, I realized that ‘The Lost Tomb’ is quite shallow. ‘Candle in the Tomb’ feels like an elaborate chess game.”

“After reading ‘The Lost Tomb’, I just think that it’s too exaggerated, but ‘Candle in the Tomb’ makes me think that the world is unpredictable.”

“If I were to use an anthropomorphic view to judge the two works, I would think that ‘Candle in the Tomb’ is a high-spirited man who talks big. ‘The Lost Tomb’ is a petty man who likes to scheme.”

“I think that ‘Candle in the Tomb’ will be the best tomb-robbing novel there is in all eternity!”

…

Among the fan club, consensus meant strength.

It was very common to step on one’s heels to support the other’s works. It seemed that it would be impossible to reflect the excellence of one’s work if they did not do so.

In another Facebook community, “The Lost Tomb” Fan Club also started a discussion on their page.

It was an entirely different scene.

“No way! The sales of ‘The Lost Tomb’ far exceeds ‘Candle in the Tomb’!”

“Those idiots must be getting jealous of us right now.”

“Is there really someone who reads novels to get information on tomb-robbing? This isn’t the main point of the novel at all! A novel should be about the character’s story and feelings between the characters. If it’s all about imagery, I might as well watch a documentary!”

“I love the two characters, Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling.”

“Third Uncle is my hero and the greatest of all time!”

“What’s scarier than ghosts is the human heart. This is something that fans of ‘Candle in the Tomb’ will never understand.”

“I’m afraid of ghosts, but they didn’t hurt me. Humans, on the other hand, have caught me off guard and hurt me deeply!”

“Although both books have been greatly recommended, after reading ‘The Lost Tomb’, I really couldn’t bear to read ‘Candle in the Tomb’ anymore. There are so many types of creatures, traps, and so much feng shui. Is it tomb robbing or fighting monsters in the dungeon?”

“Indeed, indeed…I feel the same way too! It’s a little like the cliché of traditional adventure novels about fighting monsters to level up.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t I just watch ‘The Tomb Raider Movie’ instead?”

“It’s so interesting to see Wu Xie’s growth in ‘The Lost Tomb’. He went from being a sly rookie with a kind nature to becoming a ruthless evil emperor. That’s what makes the story interesting.”

“If ‘Candle in the Tomb’ is a star, then ‘The Lost Tomb’ is a galaxy! I can barely remember the trio of main characters in ‘Candle in the Tomb’, but ‘The Lost Tomb’ is about a group of characters. Each character has its own background and story, including love, family, and friendship…so many complex relationships are formed.”

“This is a truly good story!”

..

The number of fans in the two communities was expanding rapidly.

Having the same interests would bring people together, but what made people more united was having a common enemy.

In an afternoon, the readers of “Candle in the Tomb” and “The Lost Tomb” had each forged their own fortresses.

When the voting began on the third night, they would attack the other side!

The voting rules for the Fall Cup were as follows.

On Friday and Saturday until Sunday before 6:00 pm, the books would be available for sale, and anyone who was interested could buy the e-book on the website.

The voting would begin after 6:00 pm on Sunday, which was restricted to those who had paid for and read all four shortlisted works.

With this relatively strict restriction, it was a good way to eliminate fake votes.

Voting would begin from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, while live counting of the votes would begin at 9:00 pm.

The final results would be decided by expert judges before midnight, and the identity of the anonymous author would be revealed.