Ch.219New Star (1)

Since the Biography of Xenon was launched, the publishing house that contracted with the Mayshall family has seen increasing sales with each passing day.

While it was mainly popular among humans and demons before the 12th volume, now it’s selling like hotcakes regardless of race.

Large trading companies traveling around the world are trying their best to secure contracts with the publisher, and the publisher’s president is taking full advantage, occasionally accepting bribes along the way.

Normally, Issac would have to visit the publishing house directly to establish the contract, but due to the risk of his identity being discovered, he had delegated full authority from the beginning. While the copyright strictly belongs to Issac, the sales management itself is in the hands of the president.

Therefore, the publishing house president could lie if he wanted to, but surprisingly, he didn’t. Why?

Because the books were selling so well that there was no “need” to embezzle money.

To be honest, he did skim a little during the initial sales. But as time passed, the revenue coming into the publishing house became so overwhelming that he stopped the practice.

Even the accountant managing the publisher’s revenue nearly submitted his resignation several times, saying his head might explode. Even after completing a full day’s work, another pile would accumulate, driving him to the brink of insanity.

Not only did he have to process everything manually, but he also had to manage the president’s under-the-table money, making it an excruciating task for the accountant.

Of course, the president soothed him with gentle persuasion and cash treatments. He didn’t forget to supplement the workforce for the accountant’s work. The accountant was one of the most important personnel, after all.

Thus, the revenue generated since the launch of the Biography of Xenon is, no exaggeration, comparable to that of a baron-level nobleman. Since barons were the wealthiest class in the Empire of Minerva, one can roughly gauge how substantial the amount is.

Money rolls in just by breathing. Despite numerous expenses, enough funds come in to cover them.

No joke, if you want to buy a carriage, you can just wait a few seconds, smile brightly, and say “I bought it!” There have actually been such instances.

While the happy days continued one after another, the publishing house president couldn’t be completely happy.

It might seem strange that someone who loved money so much wasn’t happy. The reason was none other than the hardships the president had endured until now.

When a new volume of the Biography of Xenon is released, it’s at least a massive hit. However, conversely, this means that books other than the Biography of Xenon are struggling.

The books published before the Biography of Xenon are difficult to read even for nobles, let alone commoners. Not only is readability an issue, but understanding what story they’re trying to convey is challenging from the start.

The most accessible ones are essays written directly by explorers. Explorers’ accounts of their experiences are popular because they convey what they saw and felt firsthand. According to Issac’s evaluation, they’re simple but entertaining for that very reason.

However, even these, while having a definite demand, fall far short compared to the Biography of Xenon. The Biography of Xenon might sustain them for now, but things would change once it concludes.

If the Biography of Xenon concludes, the revenue might not just hit rock bottom but drill into the underground. The story seems to be around the middle point now, so it’s unlikely to conclude within a year, even at the earliest.

Therefore, it’s time to gradually enter a transition period. The publishing house president, who had an exceptional nose for money, also had an excellent ability to detect crises.

Frequent pressure from nobles, a hiatus due to manuscript theft, and recently, elves who visited the publishing house caused a significant incident. Even someone with the strongest mental fortitude would be bedridden for days.

For these reasons, the president made a decision: to pay attention to books other than the Biography of Xenon.

Though minimal now, another great writer might emerge someday. Thanks to the Biography of Xenon, the proportion of people reading books had increased, so someone would eventually emerge.

“Haah…”

But it wasn’t easy at all. The president sighed while rubbing his face.

Looking down through the gaps between his fingers covering his face, he noticed a thick manuscript. The meticulous handwriting indicated that the author had written quite diligently.

This manuscript wasn’t the Biography of Xenon but a manuscript from an aspiring writer. One might think the publishing house focuses solely on the Biography of Xenon, but a publishing house is still a publishing house.

They receive manuscripts and print those that seem marketable. That’s the basic job of a publishing house.

“They should learn the basics first…”

The president lamented as he looked at the manuscript on the desk. The author seemed to lack confidence, having sent the manuscript by mail, and the result was as expected.

Readability was thrown out the window, and the sentence structure was quite complex. No, rather than sentences, each one was so long it should be called a paragraph.

This is a common mistake made by novice writers. Writing according to the flow of consciousness leads to the mistake of stringing together long sentences.

During his time as a publishing house president, he had witnessed countless writers making this mistake. In such cases, even if the story is good, people don’t read it well.

So this manuscript is undoubtedly rejected. He did read it all the way through out of respect for the effort, but he couldn’t help but shake his head.

“How come nothing similar comes in…”

The president clutched his head as he pushed the manuscript away. The stress over the past year has been so explosive that he feels like his hair might fall out. Fortunately, it was all resolved with financial treatments, so that didn’t happen.

After the Biography of Xenon gained worldwide popularity, there was a wave of people wanting to become writers, but none caught his eye. Even if one has good readability and sentence structure, emulating it is a different story.

However, there are writers who improve their writing skills through ‘transcription.’ Moreover, the Biography of Xenon has a writing style that anyone can write if they can emulate it, making even transcription easy.

But the writing skills enhanced through transcription tend to become similar to the original. Especially after volume 12, the Biography of Xenon is almost treated as a prophetic book, held sacred. Issac, who is revered as a saint, needs no further explanation.

If a book with a writing style similar to the Biography of Xenon is published here? Honestly, having a similar writing style itself isn’t a problem, and if the story is different, there’s no major issue.

The biggest problem is that people don’t dare to try. If it were Earth with its highly developed social civilization, it might be different, but here, social culture can’t be considered developed yet.

There’s a king who governs the country, nobles who rule territories under the king’s command, and commoners who live within those territories. It’s a clear class society.

In a class society, there exists a pride called ‘honor’ that should never be tarnished. Especially if one tarnishes the honor of someone of noble rank or higher, they could face immediate judgment without any defense.

So if one were to publish a book with sentences similar to the Biography of Xenon, even if the story is different, there would be an anxiety that it might harm Xenon’s honor.

Even if published anonymously, one should be prepared to receive a barrage of criticism.

As a commoner steeped in the new culture(?) of ‘capitalism,’ the president couldn’t understand this mindset.

‘Should I write a letter… No, I’m still uneasy…’

But he wasn’t completely unaware. He wanted to send a letter to Xenon, asking for a favor.

From the publishing house’s perspective, focusing solely on the Biography of Xenon isn’t good, so could he be a bit lenient? There might be aspiring writers inspired by the Biography of Xenon, so could he generously allow them?

He wanted to say this, but the president knew Xenon’s identity. It would be strange not to know after contracting directly.

If Xenon were a commoner, it might be different, but the problem is that Issac is a nobleman. Even if he were just a baron, as a commoner, the president would have to grovel, making it absurd to make demands.

In fact, when he received the manuscript for the second volume, out of greed, he subtly suggested splitting it into two volumes for release, saying it was too lengthy.

He omitted the part about it being beneficial for the publishing house and focused solely on the volume being excessive. But the response was a firm rejection.

That one rejection made the current president hesitant. He wanted to muster courage once more but was unsure if it would be crossing a line, leading to more sighs.

“Phew…”

The president glanced at the manuscript he had pushed aside while sighing. It seemed he needed to write a letter first to return it.

As the president opened the desk drawer to take out stationery and a pen…

Knock knock knock-

[President? It’s Matthew. May I come in?]

“Oh. Come in.”

It was Matthew, an employee who had recently been promoted to secretary. The president immediately granted permission as soon as he knew it was Matthew.

Eventually, as the door opened, Matthew, looking even more polished than before, carefully entered.

Originally, Matthew served as a bridge between Xenon’s errand boy and the publishing house, but he was perfect for a secretary role as he did his job well and kept his mouth shut.

Coincidentally, Matthew also realized that even if he became busier as a secretary, he would be free from the hellish ‘duty shifts,’ so he promptly accepted.

“So, what brings you here this time? Could it be…?”

The president asked with a hopeful voice. Matthew doesn’t visit the president’s office unless it’s for something very important.

And important news, of course, is related to the Biography of Xenon. There’s nothing else worth expecting, so he couldn’t help but hope.

It hasn’t been long since volume 16 was released, but the president had noticed that the writing speed had recently accelerated.

“It’s related to the Biography of Xenon… well, not exactly. If it’s related to Xenon, then I guess it could be said to be related.”

“Hmm? What do you mean? Are you saying that what’s in that mail isn’t the Biography of Xenon?”

The president pointed to the mail tucked under Matthew’s arm, wondering. If what’s in there isn’t the Biography of Xenon, then what is it?

Matthew, sharing his confusion, handed over the letter first instead of the mail. The president took the letter without any suspicion.

The sender of the letter was, as expected, Xenon. Yet, if what’s in that mail isn’t the manuscript of the Biography of Xenon, it was slightly incomprehensible.

Anyway, he had to check the letter. The president opened the letter with a puzzled expression.

[Hello, President Musk. This is Xenon. The manuscript I’ve sent this time isn’t the Biography of Xenon, but a manuscript written by someone I cherish.]

His eyes widened from the first sentence. The president blinked a couple of times at the unbelievable text.

Usually, when Xenon sends a letter, he addresses the ‘readers,’ not himself. He is merely a proxy to convey Xenon’s intentions.

But this letter is clearly addressing him. The president looked at the letter with a bewildered expression and then turned to look at Matthew.

More precisely, at the mail tucked under Matthew’s arm. The president stared at the mail and then turned his head with a snap to continue reading the letter.

[You might feel it’s similar to the Biography of Xenon when you read the manuscript. This is inevitable as the child was inspired by my writing. But if you notice warm and beautiful sentences, you’ll feel the difference. Originally, this writing could have been released to the world earlier, but unfortunately, it was canceled due to personal circumstances. I can guarantee the entertainment value on my honor, so please give it a read.]

Entertainment is guaranteed. These are the words of Xenon, the author of the Biography of Xenon, not just anyone. He even stakes his honor on it.

This alone was enough to make the president’s heart swell, but there was a practical issue: the ‘copyright contract.’

No matter how excellent a manuscript is, it’s futile if a contract can’t be established. Even if he commits tax evasion and other corruptions, he manages this aspect meticulously.

He frowned slightly, pondering, but decided to read the letter first. The contract-related issues could be resolved gradually.

[This child’s pen name is ‘Merry.’ As you know, she’s Xenon’s lover, but not actually a lover, so don’t misunderstand. I just named her that because I want to protect her. Lastly, there’s something I want to say.]

There’s something he wants to say. The president set aside the pen name and everything else, focusing on the last paragraph.

[Meeting this child and reading her writing, I realized something. There are many sprouts in the world. But these sprouts wither or get trampled before they can bloom. The world calls me a futurist, a savior, but I’m just a writer. Culture is a beautiful artifact that should be allowed to everyone without discrimination. There might be sprouts who don’t have the courage because their writing is similar to mine. So, please convey on my behalf, Mr. Musk. I give permission, so they can try once. They don’t need to be afraid. Of course, I’ll severely reprimand those who copy the story to the same level, but still, let’s try to bloom. I’d appreciate it if you could say that.]

[P.S. I’d like the contract issues to be handled the same as the Biography of Xenon. We’ll visit separately soon, so please wait until then.]

“Haah…”

The president exhaled the breath he had been holding after reading the entire content. Having scratched the itchy spot perfectly, an indescribable feeling invaded his mind.

How timely to send a letter about something he was already worried about. He even provided a manuscript that he mentioned was entertaining, so the president couldn’t be happier.

“…Matthew.”

“Yes, President.”

“Give me that manuscript first.”

A new star is rising.

*****

Meanwhile, Issac was…

“…So this time, which number wife is she?”

“No, it’s not like that this time. I’m telling the truth!”

“Ah, hello…”

He was in the middle of arranging a meeting between his acquaintances and Cherry.