episode_0078

Moby Dick is a landmark in American literature.

It is the past of literature that inherited the epic tradition, the present of literature that reached its peak in American Romanticism, and the future of literature that remains an immortal symbol well into the future. That is why Moby Dick is America’s Bible and is called the greatest book about the sea.

The greatest American literature.

The reason I published this great book in a ‘contest’ was not just for fun. Furthermore, it was not submitted with the ridiculous goal of demonstrating skills worthy of the authority of being a literary transcendent or something.

Rather, it is closer to the opposite.

Using ‘Moby Dick’ as an indicator, I wanted to see with my own eyes the ‘seeds of literature’ I had sown in this world. Through the simplest form of statistics.

[Target]

[Moby Dick – Ed Frieden]

[Vote percentage: 33%]

33%. That was the number of votes that ‘Moby Dick’ received in this contest. Although it plagiarized one of the greatest novels in literary history, it received less than half of the total votes.

That fact struck me as quite enjoyable.

Long tail. Like a graph drawing a long tail, numerous works received a few votes each and accounted for most of the votes in this contest. This indicator was the clearest evidence showing that ‘literature’ had become more universal.

So, that is.

This means that it will no longer happen that one ‘work from a previous life’ will eat up the entire literary world of the empire. Of course, the value of the name ‘transcendant of literature’ and the soul contained in the classics are enough to shake the world in themselves… Anyway, that was something that happened outside of literature.

The essence of literature is one.

The writer writes.

Readers read.

Since more than half of the readers chose works other than ‘Moby Dick’, this was no different from the sinking of the great divinity called Homer. Literature was not guaranteed its absoluteness by ‘Homer’, but was simply written by the author and passed down as a work.

To let you know that fact, we prepared this stupid contest.

“Homer’s Moby Dick is the greatest work that symbolizes the literature of a new era!”

“Homer is the new name of this era!”

Of course, when you see people cheering and having fun in the square, it may feel like it’s not very meaningful.

In the end, Homer won, so some people will surely say that this is proof that other writers’ literature ultimately falls short of ‘Homer’.

People who are part of the Homeric Church or something like that would regard Homer as sacred.

Even the greatest writer to emerge would not be able to escape the shadow of the ‘second Homer’.

but.

Then how about it?

In the end, it is the work, not the author, that moves the reader’s heart. It is an impulse, not a norm. It is not an authority, but a very personal impression.

Like the majority of people who don’t vote for Moby Dick, readers will ultimately choose an ordinary book that touched their heart once in their lives, not ‘the single greatest book of all time’. A great book can advance literature, but tens of thousands of mediocre books can change a person’s life.

That was the meaning of this contest.

“The library is quiet.”

“People who usually enjoy reading books are all gathered in the square.”

I arrived at the library with a complex and nuanced appreciation of literature.

It was time to stop worrying about useless things.

I had to put aside grandiose thoughts about the future of literature or literature for everyone and just immerse myself deeply into a book like a child.

“Zion. Do you have any books you recommend?”

“Well, among the works submitted to this contest… It seems like a lot of the fairy tales were pretty good.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’ll bring some books.”

.

.

.

Since the contest, I have been quite busy again.

First, we examined the foundation’s book support policy and studied ways for the foundation’s library to more effectively recommend books to readers based on library and information science and statistics.

The artist who was protesting in front of the Homer Foundation – ‘Allbus Minideli’ was hired as an advisor and entrusted with the work.

Now, authors can check which books are most popular, the loan and return cycle, and various standards and indicators just by visiting the library. Simply put, a kind of ‘bestseller by genre’ index was created based on the foundation’s information and records.

Since it was a job that required a lot of manpower, it also had the effect of naturally creating jobs.

Before it was replaced by computer technology, all data had to be recorded, checked, classified, and evaluated by hand. This was not something that was possible with ordinary manpower.

Even with my ambition to establish a library in every city center of the Empire, the Foundation’s manpower needs were constantly increasing.

” Hey, is this the new library being built after me? ”

“Yes. It is scheduled to become a landmark that houses twice as many books as the Imperial Central Library.”

“Good. I can live here from now on.”

“There is also a cafeteria inside where you can enjoy light meals. There is also a rest area for people who stay up all night at the library.”

“… Oh oh. Shion, you paid a lot of attention, right?”

“You know, because you often skip meals because of reading.”

The Ed Frieden Library, named after me, is scheduled to be built on the main street where the Frieden Mansion is located.

The architect who designed the newly built library was a young and promising architect who received support from the Homer Foundation. In addition, it was planned to be the largest art project in the history of the empire, with numerous artists belonging to the foundation, including artists and sculptors, working together.

In the future, won’t it be evaluated similarly to ‘St. Peter’s Cathedral’, which was built during the Renaissance period in its previous life? I do not know.

“So how long does it take to complete?”

“With the help of various magic towers, it is expected to be completed in about a year.”

“Good.”

.

.

.

The moment you fall asleep at night, your consciousness awakens anew and you float to a higher world.

The Library of the Transcendent.

The door to the future leading to a library of infinite possibilities was closed, but the library itself, where all the printed books I had read to this day were gathered, remained the same. I sat there and, even in my dreams, reread the books I had read so far.

“Oh! You are here! It’s been a while!”

“Ah, yes. Mr. Alchemist. The invisibility potion is very useful.”

“A friend was supposed to come visit today, and it went well.”

“Friend?”

“He is the transcendent of dragon slayer. He is a thoughtless friend who carelessly killed the one and only dragon.”

“Ah.”

Just as the alchemist said, another guest soon came to the library.

He was an impressive man with long black hair that reached down to his shoulders.

The man trembled when he saw me, but immediately greeted me with joy.

“Are you the author of Homer?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Oh! I’m a fan!”

The face of the man approaching me, making a fuss, somehow felt quite familiar.

After reflecting on my memory for a moment, I was able to recall that the man resembled the ‘Sloth King’.

“Are you from the Kingdom of Haren? King Sloth… You resemble His Majesty the Eternal King.”

“Oh, I am that child’s ancestor.”

“Yes?”

“Should we say it is exactly circular? The ‘dragon infantry’ created by a dragon using my soul and seeds is the royal family of Haren.”

“When did that happen?”

“Okay. It seems like it was more than a thousand years ago… .”

“Huh.”

After a brief self-introduction, we sat in the library and chatted a lot.

“I like Homer’s space because it is very peaceful. It’s a library… .”

“Are other people different?”

“In my case, it is a huge nest with a mountain-like dragon lying down. That friend, Galen, is a workshop with an endless array of alchemy materials and recipes… .”

“Hmm.”

“I am a senior who has been a transcendental person for a long time, so if you have any questions, I will answer anything.”

“Do you know about the tree called ‘World Tree’?”

“Are you talking about the World Tree? Hmm, I think I remember hearing it from a dragon… . I remember it was probably related to ‘angel’. For more details, it would be better to ask the angel when the ‘door’ opens.”

Alchemist and dragon slayer.

These two people taught me a lot of new knowledge that I had never heard of.

“Ah, author Homer.”

“Yes.”

“Please sign.”

“Yes?”

“Because I’m a fan.”

.

.

.

Anyway, so much time passed.

Now the literary ecosystem has become completely stable, and thousands of new works are coming out of publishers every day.

“Now, many writers are completing their own literature without me having to suggest a new direction for literature.”

“I see. Is this the ‘development of literature’ that you were talking about?”

“Probably, yes. I feel like there is no need for Homer in this world anymore.”

“Master?”

Now, this world no longer needs plagiarists who plagiarize literature from their previous lives.

The literature of the future will be created by writers around the world themselves.

“Do, Mr. Master, you must have lost your writing─.”

“No?”

“Yes?”

“Now, are you going to let loose without worrying about the impact of literature?”

The literary ecosystem has already become sufficiently solid.

I have become strong enough to not be swayed as helplessly as a reed by the foreign species known as the ‘classic of my past life’.

then.

As a plagiarist, what I had to do was simple.

“Hobbies are usually the most fun when you enjoy them together and share opinions. How fun it is to read other people’s reviews or book reviews. It’s not strange to want other people to know about the work I like.”

Plagiarize more works.

Not for the advancement of literature, but just to show it to other readers and hear their opinions.

Thousands of works that were just translated and stored in warehouses.

The moment to take it out has arrived.