Chapter 608: Tea Party of Nine Sides 4 Prologue and Giant Tree

The first volume of *The Demon's Ideal Kingdom* concluded some time ago. Since then, we've received feedback from readers; some have commented that the detective work in this volume felt too extensive, while others found the amount and detail of information overwhelming, leaving them feeling a bit lost.

This "teatime chat" addresses these two points. These are excellent questions, and they essentially share a single answer.

With countless writing approaches available, why did Jiufang choose a detective storyline?

When you're an outsider with no established connections, there are few methods that allow you to approach the roots of a nation's conflicts, the peak of its struggles, and the center of its power more easily or quickly than holding privilege and investigating major cases. This allows you to bypass superficial obstacles and delve straight into the core.

If you look at foreign mystery and detective series, the trail invariably leads to the highest echelons. I won't give domestic examples for convenience, but you understand what I mean.

Why did one case require such a lengthy investigation? This brings us back to the second question: because the amount of content it carries is simply too vast.

Beijia is a great empire, six hundred years old. If I were to write it as a comprehensive encyclopedia of the empire's customs, it would easily span tens of millions of characters. However, this is a serious fantasy novel, and as the author, I must reliably present all facets of Beijia within a limited scope, including its politics, economy, culture, social conditions—and, of course, its inherent contradictions.

Especially its contradictions. As General Hong once said, "Nothing powerful is unconquerable, as long as you understand it thoroughly."

From his initial entry into Beijia to his gradual ascent, He Lingchuan inevitably experiences the various contradictions between humans and demons, nobles and commoners, vassal demon states and Lingxu City, heavenly deities and the mortal world, and heavenly deities and Lingxu itself. The distortions hidden beneath prosperity are often caused by deep-seated contradictions. Those of us living in real society can likely relate.

To illustrate, consider the contradictions between humans and demons: While commoners hold a lower status in Beijia, they possess immense vitality. They are naturally adept at business, eager for progress, and employ flexible (even extreme) methods. Accumulating wealth and ascending social strata are their dreams.

Demons, on the other hand, rule oppressively in Beijia. Though fewer than one-tenth the number of humans, they monopolize resources, wealth, and even justice. While there are certainly powerful individual demons or groups among them, the demon collective is generally high-consumption, low-output, and inefficient. How could there *not* be conflict between two such groups? (Let's stick to the book, cough, and avoid drawing unrelated parallels.)

In summary, these elements form the backdrop and reveal the contradictions. They serve as anchor points for future plot developments and provide a rational basis for the protagonist's ideals and actions.

I've also seen readers ask why the protagonist so steadfastly aligns with the opposition against Beijia. The formation of human will is invariably shaped by both external and internal factors, and often progresses from the external to the internal. How can one feel without first seeing?

Here's a little trick from a lumberjack: A giant tree reaches for the sky, seemingly unshakeable. A clever approach is to drive a wedge into the right spot. With skill, no tree is too large to bring down. Conversely, the intense focus on the wedge isn't about the wedge itself, but about toppling the impossibly tall tree.

The Elixir of Immortality case is precisely this unassuming wedge. Through it, we gain deep insight into a six-hundred-year-old empire. And as the protagonist leverages it, it will ultimately bring both spiritual and physical anguish to Beijia.

This outlines the author's design rationale for the first volume.

Stepping back a bit, even if you don't fully grasp all the points mentioned above, as long as you can put the book down, close your eyes, and form a vivid, tangible impression of the Beijia Empire, feeling as though it truly exists, then *The Demon's Ideal Kingdom* (Volume One) will have achieved its success.