Chapter 16: Mastering the Art of Grasping the Essentials (Please Keep Reading! Please Save!)

“Enni!”

Puzo smiled brightly and put down his pencil to greet him.

He felt somewhat excited. During this period of challenging themselves with their novels, he, Asimov, and Enni had barely been in contact, immersed in their own creative seclusion.

Now that Enni had come to see him, it naturally meant that Enni had also finished his work.

After exchanging greetings, Enni kicked over the barrier with one foot, then, propelled by the momentum of his bicycle, took a few steps on the ground before stopping.

As expected.

Once parked, Enni said, “I’ve finished my novel. How about you?”

“Hm, mine’s done too, but I’m still revising it. It never feels quite right.”

Puzo looked a little shy, probably feeling like an awkward bride finally meeting the in-laws.

“Let me see yours.”

Taking the manuscript from Puzo, Enni eagerly began to read.

He was very curious to see how Puzo, later hailed as the ‘Godfather of Popular Fiction,’ had evolved after awakening from his confusion.

[Before returning home, Moses Alvin felt a mix of excitement and intense loneliness. He recalled the ruins on the outskirts of Paris and the scattered corpses. Now, as he once again experienced this feeling, the blood flowing from the barrel of his gun was that of his own countrymen...]

“The opening already has substantial tension, and the suspense set up makes one eager to read on.”

After only two lines, Enni knew this novel was no ordinary piece.

It was like cooking: food that emitted an enticing aroma was rarely unpalatable.

He continued reading and gradually became captivated by the story.

The narrative follows Captain Moses Alvin of the intelligence service, who, despite not engaging in combat, was dispatched by the U.S. to Europe in large numbers to uncover all hideouts of the Führer in Germany. A month after the Atlantic naval battle began, Alvin arrived in Paris to commence espionage activities.

During his spy work, Alvin met a beautiful young woman orphaned of both parents, and gradually fell for her. Meanwhile, as the war intensified, the French army suffered continuous defeats and endured German bombings.

---

Amid the chaos on French soil, Alvin’s lover, Manon, discovered she was pregnant. To protect Manon and their unborn child, Alvin requested to return home for duty reporting and secretly used his privileges to smuggle Manon to New York.

Upon arrival, Alvin settled Manon in an apartment in Manhattan, and they lived a happy, peaceful life together.

But tragedy soon struck.

During Manon’s month-long residence, an extremist anti-war group in Manhattan took notice of her and set their sights on her. After learning Alvin’s routines, one gang member from the group seized the opportunity to abduct Manon while Alvin was out.

Returning home, Alvin found the apartment in disarray, realizing that the greatest crisis he had ever faced occurred in the very country he served. He reported to the police, but they refused to investigate, citing Manon’s status as an illegal immigrant—though the real reason was their unwillingness to assist foreigners.

Determined to find Manon, Alvin retrieved a pistol from his safe and began a solitary investigation.

Throughout his inquiry, he displayed a stoic toughness, confronting the anti-war members and gangsters alone. Eventually, in the basement of a Manhattan bar, he found Manon, who, after being assaulted and having a miscarriage, had bitten her tongue to end her own life.

Alvin killed everyone responsible. The pile of corpses of his own countrymen reminded him of the bombings on the outskirts of Paris. Manon lay peacefully at the basement’s end, her skirt spread out like blood-stained irises on the battlefield...

---

“This novel...” Enni finished the last word with lingering admiration, clicking his tongue as he looked up. “It’s very well written.”

“The title, *The Gentleman*, is quite fitting—truly the perfect finishing touch. Achieving that means you built a plot rich in tension and effectively deepened the theme of what it means to be a ‘gentleman.’

For example, the protagonist Alvin risks everything for his country by going to Europe to gather intelligence, yet he also illegally brings his lover back home.

When Alvin discovers Manon’s abduction, he chooses to trust the police and reports it, only to find them indifferent, forcing him to abandon the law and take justice into his own hands.

During the investigation, Alvin tries to avoid shooting and killing, but as he uncovers Manon’s tragic fate, his anger boils over and he fires his first shot.

Finally, seeing Manon’s corpse, standing amidst the bodies of those he killed—his own countrymen—the scene flashes back to the war-ravaged outskirts of Paris. Then, instead of continuing narration, you decisively end with an open conclusion.

This overlapping montage-like metaphor compels readers to reflect deeply—whether the current isolationist sentiment at home is right, and to ponder the true devastation of war.

At the same time, you don’t portray the kidnappers, the isolationists, as irredeemable villains. On the contrary, they’re decent neighbors, friends, even the chivalrous gang members—they simply reject war.

This thoughtful character design enriches the story’s depth, metaphorically linking the novel’s core theme to the war we face today. Naturally, it prompts readers to question—does a ‘gentleman’ side exist in war? Or is everything just a desperate struggle for survival and interest?”

“Besides nailing this core conflict, your storytelling is excellent.

You’ve included elements readers love—war, justice, heroism, urban darkness, romance—all vividly depicted.”

---

“You also incorporated many symbols, like ‘Alvin’s pistol,’ stained first with German blood, then with that of his own countrymen. And the irises Alvin saw on the battlefield, and the final image of the blood-stained skirt.

These implicit designs strike like bullets—far more emotionally ‘piercing’ than blunt, explicit descriptions.”

---

After Enni’s praise, Puzo was momentarily stunned, a bit embarrassed... or rather, unsure how to respond.

Those long plagued by failure and rejection develop a learned helplessness—the belief that no matter how hard they try, it’s useless—leading to deep despair and a struggle to adjust once success finally arrives.

Puzo paused for a while before snapping back, smiling as he scratched his head. “I didn’t think that much while writing—no focus on conflict, tension, or symbolism... I just followed your revision advice from that night and ended up with this story.”

Hmm? Is this the effortless swagger of a gifted writer?

Puzo then emphasized to Enni, “Especially in the romantic scenes, as you said, I put a lot of effort into polishing them.”

Enni: “?”

Alright, alright, a promising pupil—you really know how to hit the key points~

Mentally giving Puzo a big thumbs-up, Enni shifted gears.

“But your novel has one problem...”

Puzo’s smile stiffened immediately, and he grew tense.

“Portraying the opposing side as ‘isolationists’ isn’t a popular choice given today’s social climate; it might cost you points.

Of course, I understand why you designed it this way—to use social conflict to elevate the story’s tension, metaphor, and humanistic ideas.

But commercial writing has its compromises.”

“Are you thinking about revising it?”

...