In a multiverb sentence, can adverbs modify only the first verb?

Question

Zu seinen wohl bekanntesten Werken zählt "Die Blechtrommel", in der Grass die Lebensgeschichte des kleinwüchsigen Oskar Matzerath auf surreale Weise erzählt.

I bracket the above sentence as so:

Zu seinen wohl bekanntesten Werken zählt "Die Blechtrommel", (in der Grass die Lebensgeschichte des kleinwüchsigen Oskar Matzerath) (auf surreale Weise) erzählt

In the above, the two bracketed prepositional phrases modify the first verb as adverbs. Is this always the case, that all the adverbs always modify the first verb like so, or is there a way to know if the second verb is the one being modified? Eg: erzählt is modified by "auf surreale Weise".

Answer 1

You have to take clauses into account, not sentences. Each clause has an independent verb phrase that may be modified by adverbials.

Your example sentence has two clauses. The main clause is:

Zu seinen wohl bekanntesten Werken zählt „Die Blechtrommel“, …

This clause features the phrasal verb zählen zu and its prepositional object is zu seinen wohl bekanntesten Werken.

Then there is a dependent clause. It's a relative clause that explains the main clause's subject „Die Blechtrommel“:

…, in der Grass die Lebensgeschichte des kleinwüchsigen Oskar Matzerath auf surreale Weise erzählt.

Here, there are two adverbials. For one, the locational adverbial in der Grass … Matzerath and the modal adverbial auf surreale Weise. Both modify the verb phrase erzählt.

(The reason why those adverbials don't follow the TeKaMoLo rule is the relative clause. Its first member has to connect to the thing in the outer clause that is explained. That's „Die Blechtrommel“, a book, and books are typically explained as a location, not as a mode.)