**A Western Restaurant.**
After "Captain Arica" Caroline delivered her dreamy speech, the atmosphere at the gathering beca increasingly lively. Everyone surrounded Caroline, eagerly discussing the Arican Dream.
Adam couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. He cautiously lowered his presence, as if he had returned to his days of being an actor.
No one noticed that among the crowd, there was another drear lurking.
Compared to Phoebe's frequent monts of surprise, Adam could tell that Caroline genuinely embodied the ideals of "Captain Arica"—righteous, bright, and noble.
It seed that her father's passing had truly impacted her deeply.
Adam respected that, but he didn't feel the need to actively agree or get caught up in the sentint.
He had long outgrown the impulsive passion of youth and viewed everything with a balanced perspective.
As famous person once said: *Don't listen to what people say; watch what they do.*
Adam wholeheartedly agreed.
Like an audience mber observing from the sidelines, his mind wandered. Inspired by Caroline's "Captain Arica" aura, he started thinking about *The Avengers*, letting his imagination run wild:
*"Captain Arica couldn't defeat Loki and nearly had to kneel. Loki sneered: 'I said, kneel…'"*
---
After the gathering, Adam finally experienced what it felt like to be famous.
A second print run of 100,000 copies was widely distributed. Reviews of *Lord of the Mysteries* began appearing in newspapers. Every ti Joey saw a related article while using the newspaper to wrap ham, he would excitedly show it to Adam.
Of course, these were just small newspapers, not prestigious publications like *The New York Tis*. The so-called "booming popularity" was really just a buzz within a niche community.
Still, compared to the obscurity of the past, it was a huge improvent.
What truly moved Adam was the increasing number of comic book publishers and film production companies reaching out through Jack. Though, for now, they were all smaller studios and publishers.
These small production companies had a clear business model: they acquired promising works before they beca massively successful, then resold them at a higher price to big studios once the hype built up—essentially acting as middlen.
Adam turned them all down.
No matter how sincere they sounded, even if they claid not to be middlen, he wouldn't agree.
Because that would be even worse.
For example, in his previous life, a legendary hard sci-fi author had his work sold off cheaply to a small studio. The studio wasn't a middleman; they genuinely wanted to create a sci-fi blockbuster. But they lacked the resources, and after years of failed attempts, the project fell apart.
That was still a relatively good outco.
Imagine if the project *hadn't* fallen apart, but instead turned into a *sci-fi romance*—now *that* would be truly disgusting.
The comic book publishers reaching out were slightly better.
Still, Adam declined offers from the smaller ones, as their distribution channels and resources were too weak. They probably couldn't even guarantee the quality of a *Lord of the Mysteries* comic adaptation.
Then Dark Horse Comics ca knocking.
In the Arican comic book industry, the "Big Three" are DC, Marvel, and Dark Horse.
DC and Marvel need no introduction—they continuously churn out superhero stories, rebooting them whenever necessary. Fans eat it up every ti, so they have no reason to seek new material.
Dark Horse, on the other hand, focuses on adapting popular non-comic works into graphic novels, leveraging the original's popularity to drive sales.
As *Lord of the Mysteries* gained traction, it naturally caught Dark Horse's attention.
After negotiations—pushed forward by Random House—Dark Horse offered a generous 30% royalty rate.
Comics are usually sold as individual issues, thin booklets priced around $4 each. The first volu of *Lord of the Mysteries: The Fool* alone could be split into over thirty single issues, bringing the total price to $120 or more—twice the earnings of the novel.
As long as the average sales per issue reached 50,000 copies, even after deducting Random House's 30% distribution fee, Adam would make:
**50,000 × $120 × 0.3 × 0.7 = $1.26 million.**
And that was just from the comic.
The real goldmine lay in film, television, video gas, and comrcial licensing rights.
Franchises like *Harry Potter*, *Star Wars*, *Marvel*, and *DC* have built fully monetized intellectual property (IP) universes worth billions, even trillions.
No wonder in later years, everything in the East revolved around "IP"—full-spectrum copyright developnt was simply too lucrative to ignore.
Adapting a novel into a comic was far easier than creating an original story. Dark Horse was a major player, and they quickly assembled a team of artists to complete the first issue. They leveraged the novel's popularity to simultaneously release the comic under the sa na.
Unlike the bulky, text-heavy *Lord of the Mysteries* novel, comics—where images and text work together in a storyboard-like format—felt closer to a film script. Their compact size and lower price point (less than a tenth of a novel) made them much easier to distribute and promote widely.
*"Four dollars—no risk, no regrets!"*
---
Leonard stepped out of school in high spirits.
Ever since Adam had scared Jimmy away with his fearless *"I can do this all day"* attitude, word had spread—Leonard had a tough friend now. No one dared bully him anymore.
Even Jimmy, a towering figure on the football team, had backed down. After all, soone with the sa face and physical build as Sheldon's father wouldn't have made it as a football player—let alone a coach—without being tough.
That wasn't the only change.
Becky, the girl Leonard had always considered his secret girlfriend—though she had to keep their relationship hidden for various reasons—had also started treating him differently.
Before, whenever he helped her with howork, she would just sip her White Russian cocktail and repeat the sa line:
*"Leonard, you're amazing. I wish all n were like you."*
Now, she actually showed so curiosity about where his "tough friend" had co from.
Leonard, ever the quick thinker, strung together exaggerated stories using classic comic book tropes.
The funny part? A tipsy, rambling Becky actually *believed* him. As she drunkenly leaned on Leonard, she slurred her way through discussions of Adam—calling him *Captain Arica, Spider-Man, Batman… Duncan*—as if he were a legend.
Years later, Becky would use the essays Leonard ghostwrote for her to get into Cornell University—one of the Ivy League schools.
Of course, her acceptance had little to do with those essays or her GPA, and everything to do with her privileged background.
Not everyone can afford to drink White Russians every night as a teenager.
Leonard's life was finally brightening—aside from one constant: his cold and critical mother, Beverly. He had never had a proper birthday or holiday celebration in his life.
The closest thing to a birthday party was when his grandfather passed away. All the relatives gathered, and there was even a cake.
Even though he knew it was inappropriate, he still felt a little happy that day.
Growing up in a household where gifts were never exchanged—only academic papers—wasn't so bad. For a science-loving kid like him, it was actually kind of fun.
---
As he walked, Leonard noticed a comic book store.
*"New comics!"*
His eyes lit up as he stepped inside.
*"Huh? *Lord of the Mysteries*… Adam Duncan?!"*
The store had prominently displayed the comic for promotion. The unique art style, distinct from traditional superhero comics, imdiately caught Leonard's attention.
When he flipped through it and saw the author's na, his eyes widened in shock.
---
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