Hello to all my dear readers and companions!
I want to sincerely thank every one of you who has accompanied me on this journey so far. Your support, your encouraging messages, and your thoughtful critiques have been my greatest source of motivation. Believe me, every single comment and review you leave is like a new spark of energy that keeps me going. So please, keep them coming—even more than before—because they truly mean the world to me.
One of the main critiques I received was about the confusing beginning of the novel. I completely understand that! That's why I revised those parts multiple times to improve them as much as possible. Still, since Volume One is more of an introduction with many historical roots, it might have felt like reading a history textbook at times. For that, I sincerely apologize. Please note that the "Historical Events" chapters are not part of the main storyline—you can skip them if you wish. I only included them to enrich your knowledge of the history between 700 and 400 BCE. My goal has always been to create a novel that isn't just shallow entertainment, but one that also offers cultural and historical depth.
Some readers also pointed out that the pacing felt slow. That's true, and the reason is that this project is planned as a long-term, 16-volume saga. Naturally, the pace matches the length of the journey. But the good news is that from the middle of Volume One onward, the pace picks up and the story becomes much more intense.
About the translation: I should mention that I use Gemini 2.5Pro for the English version, since my own English isn't strong enough for professional-level writing or translation. So sometimes issues might appear that are beyond my control. To help me improve, please leave a comment rating the translation quality from 1 to 10—it would mean a lot.
Most importantly: I am writing this novel not just for entertainment, but out of patriotism. My aim is to introduce both the world and the younger generation of my fellow Iranians—often referred to as the "Chic Pasargadae Generation"—to Cyrus the Great and the history of ancient Persia. This patriotic motivation is why parts of Volume One leaned heavily into history. But I promise you that Volume Two will open with a fiery and exciting beginning!
On a personal note: I will soon have to leave for military service. That means Volume Three may take a little longer to release, and if I don't respond to comments for a while, it's because I'm in the barracks with no access to my system. Still, I plan to schedule chapters in advance so you'll continue to get updates. And if I receive enough encouragement from your reviews and comments, I might even manage to finish parts of Volume Three before I leave.
Thank you once again for standing with me on this journey. I truly hope the upcoming volumes will exceed your expectations, and that together we can enjoy this long and thrilling voyage through history and imagination.
With love and respect,
Lazy Doctor