SLGAW 03

Chapter : 03

Valtheim Publishing received mail once every week.

The reports contained the sales figures from every bookstore in Lugbadin that carried their books, neatly organized by location.

Usually, there were more days of disappointment than celebration.

Knight literature was already being dismissed as stale even among nobles, and book sales were declining by the day.

Recently, however, things had been different.

“Good heavens…”

Rudwin stared at the numbers printed before him and found himself speechless.

Has a knight novel ever sold this well before?

No.

Knight novels were originally written for royalty, noble families, and wealthy young elites.

The price alone was enough to keep most people away, but beyond that, they were deeply steeped in aristocratic culture and sensibilities.

As a result, they held little appeal for ordinary commoners, mercenaries, or even actual knights fighting on the front lines.

But The Story of the Three Kingdoms was showing an entirely different pattern.

• Explosively popular among mercenaries and young knights.
• Sales rapidly increasing among middle-class commoners.
• Reprint requested.
• Reprint requested.

Every message sent from the bookstores contained the same request:

Print more copies.

The boy named Edward had been right.

This novel had targeted a completely different audience from the beginning.

“So lowering the book price really was the answer…”

In the past, Rudwin had hated reducing book prices.

Yet at Edward’s request, The Story of the Three Kingdoms had been priced at only three silver coins.

It was an unprecedented strategy.

They lowered paper quality.

Reduced binding costs to the bare minimum.

Printed in massive quantities to lower production expenses.

The result was a dramatic price cut.

The novel became affordable for knights and mercenaries, and even ordinary commoners could purchase it if they saved up a little.

It was a strategy that could never have worked if nobles had been the target audience.

And it had succeeded.

April Sales: 5,043 Copies

Once the target audience changed, the size of the market changed completely.

People who had never been considered primary consumers of literature were now opening their wallets.

This is dangerous.

Rudwin immediately understood the implications.

These numbers signaled something far bigger than a successful novel.

They were announcing a fundamental transformation of the publishing industry.

Perhaps… everyone had sensed it subconsciously.

When mass-printing magic first gave rise to publishing houses and bookstores, everyone had dreamed of the same thing:

The popularization of books.

But that era had never arrived.

The cultural elitism of nobles.

The pride of the mages responsible for printing.

The indifference of commoners toward books.

Countless factors had prevented that change.

Yet now the floodgates had opened.

All because of this strange novel disguised as knight literature.

Its protagonists were knights and nobles, yet it lacked the mindset of the wealthy elite.

Instead, its perspective focused on suffering commoners, wandering knights, and frontier nobles who fought on their behalf.

The upper classes were corrupt and incompetent.

The king was powerless and manipulated by others.

The story contained everything ordinary people would love.

At the same time, it avoided provoking noble outrage by carefully contrasting righteous nobles with corrupt ones.

And above all, the setting was a fictional kingdom, granting the author complete freedom.

Things are still quiet now, but once similar works begin appearing…

A literary market aimed at ordinary people.

Rudwin realized that era was slowly emerging.

And the thought filled him with urgency.

“I should probably deliver the royalties personally.”

And while he was at it, he could pressure Edward for the next volume.

After all, there was a businessman named Rudwin.

But there was also a reader named Rudwin.

He was curious.

The mysterious figure introduced near the end of the book—Dong Zhuo.

The man clearly seemed important.

What was he planning?

And what would become of the Han Kingdom?

Rudwin quickened his pace.

* * *

I had expected the book to sell well.

But…

I couldn’t help swallowing nervously as I stared at the pouch of gold coins Rudwin had left behind.

One month’s royalties from The Story of the Three Kingdoms.

I still remembered Rudwin’s warm smile and his parting words.

“Author, may I ask when the next volume might be ready? Ah, I’m not trying to rush you, of course. I’m merely saying that if you ever contact me, I’ll come running immediately…”

In only a month, our positions had completely reversed.

The youngest bestselling author in Lugbadin.

That was the power of a single book.

Maybe this was only natural…

Even in my previous life, Romance of the Three Kingdoms had been one of the greatest long-term bestsellers in history.

Still, imagining success and seeing it firsthand were entirely different experiences.

I opened the pouch and began counting.

There were over one hundred and fifty gold coins.

Enough that counting them felt almost meaningless.

With this much money, I could buy a luxurious carriage.

And this was only from sales within Lugbadin.

There have to be hundreds of thousands of citizens in Aldbania at minimum…

The number would continue growing.

Far beyond what it was now.

From the moment I decided to publish a book, I had intended to target ordinary readers rather than nobles.

Partly for my parents’ sake.

Partly because the books of my previous world had belonged to everyone.

And now, these results felt like this world’s answer to that decision.

If more people began reading…

If more people discovered the joy of books…

If I could share all the countless stories I carried inside me…

…No. Focus.

I need to concentrate on the next volume.

It was too early to indulge in grand dreams.

The current success could still end up being nothing more than a temporary fad.

Volume Two needed to be released quickly.

I closed my eyes and entered the white world.

The subspace containing the library.

Within the endless sea of white, the gigantic tower appeared.

And then—

First Mission Complete

A signboard I had never seen before stood in front of the library.

First mission…?

I had visited this place hundreds of times.

Never once had I seen such a message.

As I stared in confusion, the letters slowly began to change.

You have contributed to the cultural development of this world. Please complete the second mission.

So this library really wasn’t normal after all.

I watched the changing words intently.

Then the next message appeared.

Second Mission: Reach One Million Readers in This World

“…What?”

One million readers?

My mind briefly went blank.

Wait.

The entire world doesn’t even have a million readers?

That was my first thought.

Then countless questions flooded my head.

Did mages count as readers?

Did only fiction readers count?

How was it being measured?

And how was a ten-year-old boy supposed to know the population of an entire continent?

Well… it does seem lower than I’d expected.

The sign didn’t appear interested in answering questions.

And ultimately, I realized nothing had changed.

The library and I shared the same interests.

That was all I needed to know.

I walked past the sign and entered the library.

I had already decided to become an author in this world.

So I would write books.

That was all.

For now, I should focus on completing the project that occupied most of my attention.

I pulled down the next volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The Campaign Against Dong Zhuo.

One of the most important arcs in the early story.

Dong Zhuo’s rise to power.

The formation of the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition.

The Battle of Sishui Gate.

The Battle of Hulao Gate.

After Dong Zhuo’s death, the era would transition into the age of competing warlords.

As I reread the text, I began planning the flow of The Story of the Three Kingdoms.

It might sound ridiculous to plan a story whose original version already existed.

But adaptation was important.

Localization involved more than changing names and units.

Most of the major characters appear during the Anti-Dong Zhuo Campaign. I need to cut what isn’t necessary while preserving what truly matters.

There were too many important events.

Dong Zhuo’s seizure of power.

The coalition army.

Sishui Gate.

Hulao Gate.

Since this was fictional history from the perspective of readers in this world, I needed to emphasize the most compelling elements.

After a long period of thought, I finally organized my ideas.

Then I returned to reality and picked up my pen again.

Part of me wanted to enjoy spending the money I had earned for the first time.

But right now, the priority was spreading the flame of this trend before it died out.

Good thing Father owns a candle workshop.

I lit another candle and returned to work.

* * *

One month later.

Valtheim Publishing wasn’t particularly large.

Even when they published books, their distribution network extended only throughout Lugbadin.

But within Lugbadin, the popularity of The Story of the Three Kingdoms was spreading at a terrifying speed.

You only needed to look at the games children were playing.

“Yaaaah! The age of the Blue Heaven has ended!”

“Now the age of the Yellow Heaven has arrived!”

“Spread the magic powder! Loot everything!”

Children wearing yellow cloths on their heads ran through the streets wielding tree branches.

Watching them, bookstore owner Gotin clicked his tongue.

“I don’t understand what’s so cool about those Yellow Turban fools.”

Weren’t they just bandits stealing from other starving people?

As someone living a relatively comfortable life, Gotin couldn’t sympathize with the reasons behind the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Yet he still possessed enough objectivity to recognize its complexities.

“Characters like that aren’t nearly as impressive as Cao Cao. He’s militarily talented and recognizes the protagonist’s potential. I bet he won’t let that Dong Zhuo fellow get away with anything.”

Then he pushed that objectivity a little too far and became a Cao Cao fan.

Gotin loved predicting where stories were headed.

In his mind, he had already envisioned Cao Cao’s future role.

“He’s definitely going to join forces with Liu Bei and become a reliable ally in restoring the Han Kingdom. I can feel it.”

A true bookstore owner.

Only someone like him could jump so far ahead.

Whistling cheerfully, Gotin waited for the delivery wagon.

The wagon that would soon turn his predictions into certainty.

Today was the day Volume Two of The Story of the Three Kingdoms arrived.

Dozens of letters had already poured into the bookstore asking about it.

Sales would begin the moment the books arrived.

Gotin looked at the display table he had intentionally left empty and whistled even louder.

Then the wagon arrived.

The books were unloaded.

And moments later—

“I’ve come to buy Volume Two of The Story of the Three Kingdoms!”

“I sent my reservation letter first! Why are you cutting in line?!”

“Move! I offered double the price!”

People began flooding the bookstore.

For the first time in many years, clouds of dust rose throughout the streets of Lugbadin.

Hundreds of customers were sweeping through bookstores across the city.

The reaction exceeded even that of Volume One.

Not only Gotin’s shop, but every bookstore in Lugbadin enjoyed an unexpected boom.

And that was only the beginning.

“Cao Cao… that lunatic!”

“Wouldn’t anyone have misunderstood the situation? Calm down!”

All across the city, passionate debates erupted.

“Three against one? No matter how strong he is, can Liu Bei really call himself a knight after that?”

“He had no choice! It was for the greater cause! Don’t judge chivalry by isolated actions!”

One shocking development followed another.

The Campaign Against Dong Zhuo was a fire.

A fire that was setting the entire city ablaze.