All fingers and thumbs

Premise, Beginning, Conflicts, Inciting Incident, Rising Action.   in Freytag's Pyramid.

Conflict: Between Wolf and monsters.

Rising Action:
Initial refusals of Wolf facing the conflict. He faces the mysterious phenomenons, and it takes some time for him to recognize they are all there because of the Book, and Poppy reminds him of the Book.

The moment Wolf makes the choice to face the conflict. He chooses to go to China to investigate Book. That's where he sees the monsters.

The moment Wolf crosses the point of no return, and cannot change his mind. When he is forced to battle the monsters, or he will be killed.

How will Wolf get from the point of no return to the climax?
(PNR is when he goes to battle the monsters. Climax is when he solves the riddle and saves Los Angeles.)
The answer is the Book. By defeating the monsters, he gets into another state of mind and reads the Book differently. The message he can now read in the Book (the riddle) is explained to him, and he now knows how to save Los Angeles.

In China, he is introduced to a university professor Xiao Tan who helps him with the translation of the Book. The three of them follow instructions of the Book and roam through Beijing. There the monsters take form and are visible to all three (Wolf, Poppy, Xiao).

The Climax. Possibilities.

The point of no return that where everything changes, where the primary conflict is resolved must be at the end of the novel where Wolf and Poppy solve the riddle in the Book, take out the ancient monsters, and save the city of Los Angeles (what-if).

I don't know the riddle yet, and I don't know how they will take out the monsters.

Changed the title into The Shanhaijing Prophecy!

Conflict in a story  

Wolf Meyer's Ordinary world is described in "Backstory Protagonist - Contest entry" .
A fairly ordinary guy is living his life in Los Angeles with a new dog. He is a bike courier by day and a poet by night.

How to establish normality through action and dialog? (Do not bore the reader!)

By his funny dialogue with his dog Brigadier while feeding him. […]
By his witty dialog with neighbors while leaving or entering the apartment. […]
By his funny talk with customers while delivering packages and folders. […]
By his witty dialog with neighbors while walking Brigadier. […]
By citing funny quotes or jokes whenever he got the chance. [Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac? - George Carlin; If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it? Steven Wright; Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first. - Steve Irwin;]

After purchasing the book and meeting Poppy, there are a few trigger incidents that prompt him to take on this journey to investigate and leave for China.

Call to Adventure:
- When Wolf feels the urge to buy the Book at the auction. (first call)

- There is a fire in the basement while nobody is in the house; Poppy's cat is missing, and Wolf's dog gets a freaky accident. They experience mysterious phenomenons like knocking sounds in the middle of the night, pawprints in the bathroom, reflections in mirrors. They trace the incidents back to the Book.(second call)

- Wolf wins 100,000 dollars in the lottery. He can quit his job and investigate in China with Poppy. (Accidental, deliberate, or divine intervention?)(third call)

Name: Wolf Meyer
Age: 35, October 4, 1986, Zodiac sign Libra
Physical attributes: slim, blond half-long hair, week-old beard
Occupation: bike courier, poet, and male escort
Education: high school, few years university
Culture: American, caucasian
Religion: none, agnostic
Family: three brothers younger than him, Bob, Edgar, Spike, parents
Relationship status: single
Friends: Marvin, Pete, Simon
Pets: a dog named Brigadier, cocker spaniel, four years old
Personality: gullible, sweet, caring, funny,
Likes: history, other cultures, friends, Los Angeles, where he lives, his job, cooking
Dislikes: dishonesty
Strengths: adventurous
Weakness: too trusting
Motivations: life, friends, his dog
Desires:to save the world, to fall in love

Now-thirty-five-year-old Wolf Meyer fell in love with the City of Angels as soon as he visited for the first time. He intended to stay for a long weekend after the summer, but he inhaled the beauty of Los Angeles and decided then and there to rent a room for a month.

Three years later and he was still in town, struggling to meet ends meet as a bike courier, sure, but living life in this fascinating and complex city. Beyond the perpetual sunshine, the beaches with flaunting bodies and surfers always in for the perfect waves, palm trees, and movie stars, there were art museums, architecture, parks and gardens, and a mosaic of cultures living side by side in peace in a setting by the sea to die for.

In short, Los Angeles was hot, and he was thrilled to be part of it.

As he rode his bike with caution avoiding cabs and commuters, his mind wandered off to the pooch he'd left behind in his apartment. Brigadier was a stray from a shelter, a brown dachshund with an attitude like a general, hence the name. His first week having a dog had gone by so fast, and now he had to work outside the house, leaving the dog on his own.

That morning, Brigadier had looked at him with such sad eyes Wolf almost laughed out loud.

"No, buddy, daddy has to work and earn some cash, or there will be no food in your bowl."

When he slammed the door, he almost felt guilty.

Hawthorne Boulevard was busy as he maneuvered with speed to be on time at his destination. His first stop was at the office to fetch deliveries; within half an hour, he was back on the saddle again, appreciating the morning sun.

He picked up an enjoyable pace and peddled his first round of the day. His blond half-long hair was moving in the wind, squinting eyes behind dark sunglasses—a hunk on wheels.

Wolf knew he was a good-looking guy, as he found out a year ago when he registered as a male escort at G-E-N-T-L-E_M-E-N-c-a-l-l-e-r-s 0500-3489. He especially was good with older women. Twice a week, he was summoned to an unknown lady with three hours to spend at her beck and call. He liked his evening job, and it paid the extra buck he needed to pay for his vice, going to auctions and bid on something for his book collection.

Life was good.

Answers to questions & List what if's (15 minutes with timer)