episode_0092

One of the greatest advantages of magazines was that they could contain a variety of content in one book.

“There are a whopping 6 works included, this is really the best!”

After , the waiting line that had disappeared for a while due to the lack of books published has appeared in front of each branch at the top of Yuren for the first time in a long time.

However, there wasn’t as much competition as in the previous comic book era, and that wasn’t because it wasn’t popular.

-The manga magazine ‘Manaphia’ only exists in the regular edition.

Until now, children’s books and comic books were released in three types, so the competition was fierce, but this comic magazine was released in only one type, so there was no reason to rush and line up.

Of course, that didn’t mean that there would be long lines of people who wanted to see Rupert’s new work as soon as possible.

In addition, the fact that works selected through a popular cartoon contest could be seen in the magazine also contributed to its popularity.

Since the prize money was so large, there were so many people who submitted manuscripts to the contest without any hesitation, and many people were curious about how interesting the winning works were and wanted to buy them.

“I never thought Saint John would draw a cartoon.”

“That’s right. No matter how good the money is, you’re giving up the honorable position of an exclusive painter to the royal family.”

“If it’s money, he must have had it, since he was a professor at the academy. It must be for another reason.”

Moreover, the inclusion of Saint Salieri among the writers of the comic magazine became quite a topic of conversation among the nobility.

Although most commoners did not know who Saint was, Saint had a certain reputation among the nobles.

First of all, he had the title of the best painter in the empire, and had a dazzling career as a painter to the royal family and a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, so he was the most famous person for painting before Rupert.

The fact that such a saint gave up all his positions and honors to challenge himself in comics was enough to be a hot topic.

“Okay, the first piece is called a puppet show.”

Finally, when the person at the front of the queue bought the first magazine, a crowd of people gathered around him.

And what caught their eyes was the first work at the very front, .

***

On the day of the book release, Esteban would always observe the scenery outside through the window of his office on the second floor of the Uren headquarters.

“Double selling, the magazine was nothing more than a bait product.”

Esteban muttered to himself as he watched the long lines of people waiting to buy new comic magazines.

In fact, he was against the publication of comic magazines.

This was because I didn’t think it would be more beneficial than a book, since I didn’t even know exactly what a magazine was.

Esteban felt it was a loss to have to sell everything in one volume when it could have been sold as six volumes if sold as a single volume.

but,

‘A magazine is a magazine, so of course it should be published as a book as well.’

‘Huh? Are you saying you’re publishing the same book again?’

‘There are few people who are satisfied with just magazines. As always, readers want to own their favorite works in their entirety as single volumes.’

Esteban decided to completely follow Rupert’s advice to publish each work in a magazine format once it had accumulated a certain volume, and then publish it in a book format as before.

His great success as a merchant was not simply due to his outstanding insight.

He believed that the most important talent for success as a merchant was the intuition to smell victory.

All traders are gamblers.

He thought that the reason he had been able to win so far in the gamble of business, which is a business where one does not care about the means and methods, was because he had always trusted his intuition at the last moment.

And because his intuition told him to accept Rupert’s offer, he prepared to publish the magazine without hesitation.

It’s still too early to tell, but seeing people carrying magazines and reading comics all over the street right now, I get the feeling that my intuition is not wrong.

***

A three-story building installed in the garden of the Earl of Somerset.

Commonly called the Book Factory, but more accurately called the Somerset Workshop, the place was in a state of chaos.

“Quickly, hurry up and take a picture! There’s a lot of stock right now!”

“Who the hell didn’t fill the ink in printer number 3?”

“Hey, you bound this in the wrong order. Aren’t you going to check it?!”

Since there was nothing to do but research and development for a while after the conclusion of , the first floor workshop was busy producing large quantities of goods for the first time in a long time.

However, even amidst the loud noises and shouting, the way he solved problems in an instant and churned out books in no time was a skill worthy of the title of craftsman.

The second floor of the workshop was the same.

“To ensure uniformity of the film, a device that applies a constant force from top to bottom is needed.”

“How about something like a compressor used in a blacksmith shop?”

“That’s okay. Just need to adjust the intensity… .”

They too were working day and night to improve the projector for its first public release, which was not far off.

In particular, they were the ones who went beyond cooperation with the Magic Tower and the Alchemy Guild and entered the stage of joint research.

Thanks to this, magicians from the Magic Tower and alchemists from the Alchemy Guild were dispatched to the workshop and were immersed in continuous development and experimentation every day.

But the effectiveness was clear, and the researchers were fired up.

Previously, if a problem arose, it would have taken a long time to check with the Magic Tower and the Alchemy Guild, but now, problems can be found immediately when an error occurs, saving a lot of time.

And the last floor of Somerset Workshop, the third floor, was now much quieter than the rest of the place.

It was a quiet moment not because there were no people, but because someone was reading a book.

‘How could this be… .’

Saint let out a sigh of admiration as he turned the pages of the book.

What he had just read was Iolin’s work, The Puppet Show.

『“If you’ve decided to laugh, you shouldn’t cry, okay?”

“Gaton spoke while holding the boy tightly in his arms, and a huge wall was collapsing behind him.’

It was the first work I read because it was a comic about a mechanical doll that looked just like me, so it caught my eye.

But Saint felt a sense of inferiority.

He was one of the few people who knew the true identity of Iolin, who went by the alias Lin.

‘What on earth is the princess’s talent…?’

Iolin’s powerful drawings were clearly rough and unrefined, but they made the viewers’ hearts boil with excitement.

Not only that, but the content of the cartoon unfolds so refreshingly that I couldn’t believe that this was really the first work.

From the outstanding characterization to the gorgeous battle scenes with great design, Saint thought that this was a work that was the complete opposite of his own.

However, Saint wasn’t the only one who thought so.

‘Saint, I have never known a talented person.’

Iolin was also the first to read Saint’s work.

The title, “The Man of the 2nd Century,” may seem difficult to understand at first glance, but it is a comic with a very calm atmosphere, unlike his other works.

But regardless of the atmosphere, the content of the piece instantly immersed Iolin.

『“It may be hard to understand, but humans are beautiful because they are imperfect.”

“What?”

“Your freckled face, and your slightly protruding teeth.”

-That is what makes you special. That specialness gives people their individuality.

At David’s words, the man unconsciously touched his freckles.

I always thought it was ugly, but when David the robot said that it was his own personality, for some reason it felt really special.

“Imperfection is what makes humans special.”

David said as he looked at the man who was fiddling with his freckles, his face still expressionless but still unable to remain that way.

For some reason, it seemed like I was seeing the emotion called envy.』

was able to immerse the viewer even though it did not have the intense battles or stimulating elements of Iolin’s work.

‘There is more than one way to tell a story.’

Something unique is sure to catch people’s attention.

But Iolin thought that this work now shows that there is something special in the ordinary.

This was the kind of story she couldn’t write now even if she wanted to.

This was a flower called experience that bloomed in the soil of time.

It was just a pity that this was the part that I couldn’t overcome yet.

Just as Saint and Iolin read each other’s work and realized what was lacking in their own, so did the rest of the people.

‘I’ve never seen the ocean before, but I didn’t know it would be such a beautiful sight.’

Among the writers, Sena was particularly competitive with Ishmael.

It was because Sena was the youngest among the writers, followed by Ishmael, and they absolutely did not want to lose.

I could understand that I was pushed back by other writers because they had a considerable age difference, but I didn’t want to lose to Ishmael because the age difference was not that big.

He was a disciple who had learned drawing and cartooning directly from Rupert, and he was worried that Rupert would be disappointed and think that he had no talent if he lost to Ishmael, who had not learned from anyone.

However, Ishmael’s work, Moby Dick, left Sena with a sense of defeat from the beginning.

The story of a boy trying to save his father who was eaten by a legendary sea monster called Baekgyeong was an exciting adventure even for Sena, a woman.

In particular, the part where the sea appears and the sunlight reflecting on the waves was so beautiful that it was truly breathtaking, showing how much effort was put into it.

At the same time, Ishmael was thinking the same thing.

‘How did you get this picture?’

While reading Sena’s comics, Ishmael was captivated by the delicate backgrounds and beautifully dressed characters.

Sena’s work, which creates a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere by drawing each dot individually, is fun to look at even without considering the content.

Of course, the content was somewhat ordinary.

It was a cartoon that seemed like a familiar story, like Rupert’s fairy tale or a knight’s tale.

But that was even scarier.

I thought that my work would be enjoyed by men, especially young boys, and Rupert said so.

However, Ishmael, Sena’s work, is one that I think anyone of any age or gender can read comfortably and enjoyably.

‘He’s younger than me, but he’s already drawing things like this. He’s a genius.’

I couldn’t help but be amazed by Sena’s work.

***

“Ugh… This is it! This is exactly the kind of work I’ve been wanting!!!”

On the first day of Manapia’s release, people were busy talking about the comics they had seen that day thanks to the many works included.

But among the many works, two works were by far the most talked about.

Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo and Rupert’s Van Helsing.