The interview with Cuttlefish That Loves Diving was conducted by Andis Morningwind (安迪斯晨风), a renowned Web Novel Curator and Critic, in a Bilibili video on August, 15th, 2020.
Foreword[]
Andis: Hello Cuttlefish!
Cuttlefish: Hello, Morningwind. This is what we call online buddies' offline meet-ups.
Andis: Having that Tarot Club meeting feeling.
Interlude Screen Text: Number One LoM Proponent Andis Morningwind asked all Curly Baboons to pull together the 10 popular questions. Now it's Cuttlefish's one-man show.
Cuttlefish: You ask me the question first and then I get to decide whether to answer it or not. :D
Interview[]
Question 1[]
Andis: First Question, Cuttlefish, you said those five gold coins are important "evidence" in Book 2. What kind of effects or functions will they have soon?
Cuttlefish: The ongoing side story, "In Modern Day", is a dream experienced by Klein while he is slumbering after the end of Book 1. Within this dream, Klein receives certain guidance and inductions that appear normal but may, in fact, be traps created by The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth. The five golden coins Klein gave away as "The World" at the end of Book 1 are being used to help "non-god" level individuals gain the ability to enter the dream within the Sefirah Castle. In doing so, these individuals can exert some influence on the dream to aid Klein. This interference will help Klein reawaken his true self and cognition.
Question 2[]
Andis: Then, in the current "In Modern Day" side story, Amon also made his appearance. Is he the real, OG Amon? Or is it just an "Amon" in Klein's imagination, that Klein dreamed of?
Cuttlefish: He is...the real Amon. Because Klein absorbed Amon Uniqueness to become Pseudo-LOTM.[Note 1]
Andis: Everyone seemed to really like Amon as a character.
Cuttlefish: They say like, but it's all words. When Amon came onto the stage everyone was pretty scared s***less. (Laughs)
Question 3[]
Andis: Why were the Cowardly Trio; Amon, Mr.Door, and Demonic Wolf, able to live together in peace during the Third Epoch?
Cuttlefish: If they were to become Sequence 0 and beyond too early. They may become influenced by "The Creator".[Note 2] At the time, they were simply probably just more focused on making preparations, and there was no need to go into conflict and confrontation too early. On the contrary, working together and protecting themselves was a better choice.
Question 4[]
Andis: Zhou Mingrui's world, the modern era that he lived in. The ancient mythology and legends on Earth, are they real history that existed once upon a time on Earth?
Cuttlefish: Among all the Mythology and Legends. A portion of the very core beliefs and events were actually real. The rest, the majority are more likely to be fictional legends/myths.
Question 5[]
Andis: Andis: Okay, let me find a more fun question. The Lord of Mysteries—why did he choose a name like "The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth" when he was in the Western Continent? Why such an Oriental or Chinese-influenced name?
Cuttlefish: That’s because the Western Continent itself has a Chinese cultural background and setting. If the Lord of Mysteries wanted to continue as a "missionary" and spread his beliefs, establishing his religion, it makes sense that he’d choose a name that aligns with the speech patterns of Ancient China. He would use a name and prayer formed in that language to describe and define his existence.
Question 6[]
Andis: What are the Mythical Creature Forms of Red Priest and Demoness Pathways? What do they look like?
Cuttlefish: For Demoness, I think many people have already guessed it. It is a form that is very similar to what Medusa looks like. For Red Priest, its form is closer to that of a Flame/Fire Giant.
Question 7[]
Andis: Why did Zhou (Klein) become a Demoness Pathway in the "In Modern Day" Side Story?
Cuttlefish: This is actually the work of "The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth," who aims to disrupt and confuse Klein's self-recognition. He plans to gradually corrode, pollute, and ultimately devour Klein. If successful, when "LoM" awakens, it will be "The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth" who rises instead. In essence, this can be categorized as a "dream conflict" on the mental and spiritual level.
Question 8[]
Andis: There are a great number of female readers among the Curly Baboons. The LoM series, or in any of your future novels, short stories, and side stories, will you ever consider creating a product with a female as the main protagonist?
Cuttlefish: In the future, either in short stories or novels, I may experiment with a female protagonist approach. After all, I've not only read Wuxia, but I've also read urban romance novels and all kinds of novels.
Question 9[]
Andis: The Post-Apocalyptic new novel that will be out in November, does it have any connection with the LoM series? In terms of world settings.
Cuttlefish: Since the LoM series is already planned as a trilogy. If I were adding a "connection" book, it would make the series feel too bloated. Personally, I want to write something fresh, new, and more exotic to keep things exciting for myself.
Andis: We are all looking forward to it, regardless of whether the next novel will have connections or cameos to the LoM series or not.
Question 10[]
Andis: Why is Klein so cute, did he inherit his cuteness from Cuttlefish?
Cuttlefish: I wouldn't say he got it from me. All of my protagonists before Klein, including Klein, have their own inherent cute sides to themselves. Klein's life experience brought about some "deepening" and metamorphosis to his personality.
Question 11 (bonus)[]
Andis: I have one more little question. (pulls out a monocle and put it on) If you saw that one of your Curly Baboons turned into Amon. What are your thoughts?
Cuttlefish: That probably means I already have a battalion or more of Curly Baboons infected by Amon already.
Both: (Laughs)