episode_0035

“Is this really possible?”

People were gathered together and having a heated discussion around a book.

The topic of their discussion was about Volume 2 of , which was released today.

『“The secret alchemy left behind by the teacher, the alchemy of flame, is the strongest and most vicious alchemy that controls the hydrogen and oxygen dust in the atmosphere!”』

People were amazed to see the scene where he burned down his enemies with just a snap of his fingers.

“So, what did I say! The iron-blooded kid said no to the flames, right?”

“I have no choice but to admit this!!! Flame Alchemist Is he God?”

The speed at which each person reads a book is different, so some people begged them to read the book quickly, while others begged them to read it slowly, saying they had not read it yet.

It was almost impossible to obtain limited edition or high-quality hardcover books, but books were still released in large quantities, and there was at least one person in each village who could obtain them.

The person who obtained the book like that had the privilege of boasting like a general who had won the war and was improving.

‘You insulted me last time by calling me bald.’

‘Wasn’t that something that happened at a drinking party a few years ago?’

‘I haven’t forgotten yet, so you can’t!’

People who were already immersed in comic books were trying to make themselves look good so that people who had purchased the next volume would have the opportunity to read it together.

Of course, popular books were produced consistently and could be viewed over time, but it was very difficult to endure that time.

Especially those who saw it first

‘iced coffee… No matter how you look at it, the author of the Chimera Alchemist from Volume 2 of Iron Blooded Alchemist is suspicious, right?

‘A chimera who says no? A person who creates such hideous things can’t be normal!’

There have been cases where people who have been subjected to the merciless tyranny of telling the contents in advance to those who have not seen it, whether unintentionally or intentionally, are outraged.

However, the situation did not get better just because I read volume 2 first.

“No, does it make sense to hang up here?!”

“Nana… Nana is in danger! It’s clear that his father is planning something!”

“No, more than that, what on earth are these androids that appeared this time? Considering they are named after the Seven Deadly Sins, they definitely have something.”

People felt frustrated by the final scene of volume 2, which ended just when expectations were high.

Volume 2 came out in just one month, so I felt helpless at the thought of having to wait another month to see the next volume.

“Uh, what is this?”

And people who read the second volume to the end found a small piece of paper attached to the last page of the book.

‘Steel Blooded Alchemist New Goods Imperial Alchemist Certified Pocket Watch Lottery Ticket’

It was about specially produced goods that only 12 people could obtain through a lottery.

“Are you saying that the pocket watch from this comic book will be raffled off?”

“Wait a minute, doesn’t this mean that the more lottery tickets you have, the higher your chances of winning?”

One thought passed through people’s minds.

If it’s a lottery, it’s not like an auction, so if you’re lucky, you can win by buying just one copy, right?

I’ve always wanted to have that Empire-certified alchemist pocket watch from the comic book because I thought it was cool every time I saw it.

Can you get that for free?

“This is by no means pointless consumption! It’s a reasonable choice.”

Even if he won, he would definitely be able to sell it at a huge price.

I heard that even limited edition comic books are usually wanted if you just get them, and there are nobles who can get them for dozens of times the price.

This pocket watch, of which only 12 will be given away in a lottery this time, will definitely be no worse than that.

For commoners, there was no luck greater than picking up gold bars while passing by.

“When was the next shipment?”

Those who had already purchased it and those who had not yet purchased it were obsessed with the idea that they must buy these two volumes.

However, they could not have guessed that things like this were happening throughout the empire.

***

“How can there be such shameless people?”

If the second volume of created a craze for people to buy comic books, the children’s book , which came out around the same time, created a craze in a different way.

People were moved as they read the scene of the red-haired boy struggling to live alone with his grandfather and striving for a bright future.

Afterwards, I felt saddened by the misfortunes that befell the boy one after another.

However, like all previous children’s books, except The Little Mermaid, they all had happy endings.

I read the book thinking that the boy, the main character of , would also have a happy ending with his dog Patrasche.

“How!!! This last time… .”

People who felt uncomfortable because there was no twist even as the end was approaching all shed tears after watching the final scene.

It wasn’t just children who cried.

The children were already crying loudly and rolling around on the ground, demanding to save Nero and Patrasche, and even the adults could not hold back their tears.

If children’s books had not been coated with a waterproof coating, there would have been countless wet children’s books.

“Child, I will buy all the fruits there.”

“Yes? All of this?”

“Yes, I have to continue to live hard. You must never give up!”

The sales of boys selling fruit to passers-by on the streets also increased sharply.

Most of them were orphans who had lost their parents in war, or people whose family circumstances were difficult and came out to get their own food.

Normally, the nobles would not pay any attention to them and would get annoyed by them, saying that they polluted the streets.

However, I was embarrassed when those people suddenly changed their minds and started encouraging me by buying things for me and even patting me on the head.

Soon, I realized that what happened was because of the children’s book .

From then on, it was popular to bring dogs around among orphans or needy children in the empire.

This is because a rumor spread that if a child walks around with a dog and sells goods, people will buy the goods as if they are possessed by a ghost.

***

“This is amazing no matter how I look at it.”

The Borus Empire was a country that believed in the goddess Gaia, who created the continent of Sylvania.

Therefore, there were no other religions, and only the Goddess Church was recognized as the state religion.

The status of the goddess religion was such that even the imperial family would find it difficult to control it.

The headquarters of the Goddess Church is located in none other than Celestial, the eastern part of the empire, called the ‘Garden of Heaven’.

There is a legend that the goddess created the continent and lay down to rest for a while, and it was also a sacred place for the goddess religion.

Celestial is an incredible place where flowers always bloom regardless of the four seasons and is bright even at night.

Even the monsters that are descendants of the monsters that infest the entire continent don’t even come near here. It was truly a place that could only be seen as a miracle of the goddess.

As it is such an important sacred site, a small disturbance recently occurred in Celestial, where only important priests, including the Pope, are located in the Goddess Church.

“Have you all seen this children’s book?”

It was none other than the saint’s remarks.

One day, the saint came with a book, gathered the priests together, opened the book to a page, and said,

“The content is also excellent. Even though all people on the continent are children of the goddess, it realistically depicts the people who discriminate and persecute the poor.”

The children’s book had already spread widely, so many priests had read it and all agreed with the saint’s remarks.

“The author even drew this scene at the end.”

The final scene of the children’s book depicts the main character and a dog collapsing while looking at a sacred painting in the image of the goddess.

Unlike the shabby and small characters, the torch feels huge, majestic, and even sacred.

It was a picture so beautiful that viewers felt pressured.

“I realized this while looking at the icon depicting the goddess! This is truly the mission given to us by the Goddess.”

“What do you mean?”

The priests were puzzled as they listened to the saint’s words. I understood until halfway through.

It was a great message about helping those who are discriminated against and struggling.

But what kind of mission did you realize when you saw that picture?

“We who serve the Goddess have never looked after the icons or murals that resemble her, treating them as trivial.”

In fact, rather than not taking care of it, it was largely because the painting skills of the artists on the continent of Sylvania were very poor.

When I asked to draw a goddess, there was a bunch of clumsy people who drew some kind of strange picture and asked for compensation.

The mainstream opinion until now was that if we were to hang up such a poor picture, we should give at least a penny to the poor.

“If these paintings were hung in churches throughout the empire, how beautiful and how meaningful would the goddess’s will be?”

“Ho-oh, it certainly seems like a painting like this would be worth hanging up, and people would be more aware of the majesty of the goddess.”

The saint’s opinion was not absurd.

The final scene that Rupert drew with all his might is so hard to believe that it is a picture from a children’s book.

No, it was much better than the work of ‘Saint’, the imperial painter who was considered the best painter in the empire.

“This time, I heard that a new church will be built in Goldpool Valley, the estate of Sir Rupert Somerset, the author of children’s books.”

“Yes, that’s right, saint. Brother Manuel has already been dispatched and progress is in full swing.”

“How about drawing the icon of the goddess from this storybook in a larger and more magnificent way so that many people can see it?”

“Good idea! I think we can just implement it there, see the reaction, and then spread it out.”

The saint replied that it would be good to hear what the priest said, and then added an afterthought.

“Then, since the first start is important, it would be right for me to visit in person.”

Unbeknownst to Rupert, it was the moment when the visit of the goddess saint, who was said to have the most power in the empire next to the emperor, was confirmed.