LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 163
“That’s it! This is the kind of Golem I want to create!”
Jenia was immersed in reading the newly released Manapia in her laboratory at the Imperial Academy.
After getting inspired by <Steel Heart> during the academy’s graduation ceremony, she had confessed her feelings suddenly, but now she was shyly avoiding Rupert.
“It might be a bit rash, but I had to do it.”
Through fairy tale books, Jenia had been imagining Rupert and had secretly harbored a crush on him since the first time they met. Now, she finally realized she needed to take action herself instead of waiting for a prince to wake her up from her slumber with a poisoned apple or bring her the lost glass slipper.
Jenia resolved not to wait for Rupert to love her, but to earn his affection.
“I’ll make Rupert notice me with my abilities.”
No longer comparing herself to others, Jenia had faith in herself and was now doing all that she could without hesitation.
Upon seeing Ioleen’s work <Puppet Theater>, she realized that the mechanical doll featured in it was precisely the ideal she desired.
Initially, she had intended to view Rupert’s work, but as she read more, she found other pieces equally fascinating and soon read them all.
Among them, the Saint’s <Man of the 2nd Century> and Ioleen’s <Puppet Theater> left a significant impression on her and provided ample inspiration.
“This is exactly how I want my Golem to look.”
Both works featured mechanical beings longing to become human, and they guided Jenia in determining the direction of her new Golem design.
“It’s not enough to just perform predetermined actions; I need it to be able to make judgments like a person…”
Since what Rupert desired was something that would help him as if it were human, Jenia continuously researched, and her inventive method involved summoning spirits.
Spirits, lacking substance yet possessing consciousness and the ability to communicate and be educated.
Thus, her thought was, if they lack a physical form, why not create a new Golem as a vessel for these spirits?
However, the challenge lay in the fact that spirits become tangible through contracts. Would they accept such terms?
But,
“How kind.”
It posed no problem for Jenia.
With her immense magical power and the faint aura of dragons, many spirits had already trembled and willingly entered contracts with her.
***
“I would appreciate it if you could leave this town immediately.”
To rescue the bounty hunter Soro, Yupi had taken down the naval colonel Melgon.
While celebrating their victory at the local tavern, naval officers arrived.
“Thanks to you, we are free from Melgon’s rule, but we are part of the navy. We cannot ignore adventurers embarking on forbidden explorations from the world alliance.”
The naval officer, who was now commanding in Melgon’s stead, felt embarrassed to say such things to Yupi, his benefactor, unable to lift his head.
“Shall we leave then?”
“Right.”
Unlike his usual playful demeanor, Yupi accepted the situation calmly and prepared to depart, catching Kirby off guard.
“Yupi…”
“What? Aren’t you on my side?”
The navy asked Kirby, who had been saved by Yupi.
In that moment, Kirby recalled his dream of joining the navy.
If he were to say that he was friends with Yupi or that he had been forced to work on an adventurer’s ship before, he would undoubtedly ruin his chance.
At that moment,
“I know what this guy has been up to all this time.”
“What?”
“Well, there’s a tremendously plump lady captain on an island somewhere…”
Noticing the situation, Yupi suddenly began to spill the beans on Kirby’s past.
“Th-that’s enough!”
“She was such a show-off, and this guy was there…”
“Stop it!!!”
Finally unable to hold back, Kirby threw a punch at Yupi.
And then,
“Oh? You wanna throw punches, huh?!”
Just as if waiting for it, Yupi threw a punch back, and a scuffle erupted in an instant.
“Whoa… Yupi is seriously a man, huh?”
“Yeah, right? He looks like a big softie usually, but he gets serious when it matters!”
“Isn’t this new character Soro pretty cool? Especially when he’s eating that mud-covered rice ball.”
Recently, the people of the Empire had taken a keen interest in the new comic <Great Treasure>.
As scenes of forming a party began to be serialized, viewers’ reactions were intensely fervent.
Many were discussing the newly introduced characters.
“Is it really possible to wield a sword in your mouth?”
Kids tried to emulate the unique three-sword style of the character Soro.
However,
“This guy! What? He broke his teeth while holding a stick in his mouth?”
This led to a comical situation where imperial doctors had to deal with a flood of tooth patients for a while.
“Exploring the continent is great, but I’m really curious about that ocean.”
“I think it would be fun to visit the eastern part.”
“It’s too late; I’ve heard people have already flocked there, making it hard to find accommodation.”
Given that <Great Treasure> was set against the sea, it stirred readers’ dreams of ocean adventures.
Particularly, tales of sailing and encountering monsters or meeting people felt refreshing, making readers feel as though they were embarking on their own adventures.
“Who wants to join me to the world’s end?”
Influenced by <Great Treasure>, some began to organize their own sailing fleets.
“This definitely needs to be checked out!”
Of course, they weren’t just blindly energized by the comic to set sail.
“Surely something must be happening this time too?”
“Absolutely! It relates to Rupert’s work!”
People remembered the events that had repeatedly occurred related to Rupert’s creations.
Thus, they were convinced that the ocean setting of <Great Treasure> held the entirety of what the sea god’s curse or the treasures the adventure king had left behind.
“We can’t miss this opportunity in our guild!”
“But… I’m a bit hesitant about making such a big investment blindly…”
“The Somerset Mansion has already rumored to be bustling with renowned artisans for ship construction!”
“What? Then we must get started right away! Let’s head to the sea!!!”
Even the merchants who were initially negative about sailing were swept up in the frenzy.
And the one who incited this frenzy,
“Sigh…”
“What sighs are you letting out?”
“Would I be sighing if I were a guild leader?”
Rupert, who was discussing business in Esteban’s office as usual, had a long face all day.
‘If I were in the young master’s position, I’d be dancing for joy!’
He recalled the hyena-like children and the lioness-like wife waiting for him at home.
She had certainly been a vixen in their early married days, but now his wife seemed more terrifying than bandits met on his travels.
‘The Empire’s flower, Your Highness the Princess, and the gem of Bluewell, Amelia, and the recently rising figure, the red rose Jenia.’
These names weren’t nicknames given by Esteban.
If one asked to name the most beautiful women in the imperial capital’s social scene lately, these names would come up.
Ioleen and Amelia had long been famous, but rising quickly was Yustaf’s disciple, Jenia, who gained the nickname red rose for her unique sensuous charm. The number of noblemen who had faced rejection after courting her was enough to fill an egg carton, it seemed.
‘Wait, if I have three wives…’
Esteban, who had thought of making a fuss about the abundance of wives, couldn’t help but shudder when thinking of the young still-Rupert’s fate in the future.
“So now I need to create things that can charm even foreign visitors.”
“The fairy tale books and comic books have already gained a lot of popularity in other countries.”
Esteban was gleefully wringing his hands over the sheer volume that was being exported to foreign lands.
Even if selling the books themselves didn’t yield a significant profit, the prices could be raised a bit higher when selling abroad, and due to the substantial quantities, the earnings were quite pleasant.
“The problem is, even if they buy books and enjoy our works, they can easily find them in their own countries, so there is no need to come to the Empire.”
As boasted to the Emperor, he needed a greater incentive for people from other countries to visit the Empire.
“Then, goods should be sold only within the Empire and not exported.”
“Yes, and we need to advertise periodically as well. We need to let people know they can obtain these items only by coming to the Empire.”
Now, Esteban and Rupert understood each other without needing to speak.
“And as soon as we gather development funds, we need to invest them here.”
“This is…”
Seeing a sheet of paper Rupert brought out, Esteban was left speechless.
“It’s the blueprint for Somerset Land.”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s just a rough layout for now.”
The paper displayed an aerial view of the entire Somerset Land.
Divided into several areas, one held spaces based on Rupert’s fairy tale books, while there were also themed areas for completed works like <Iron-Blooded Alchemist> and <Van Helsing>.
Areas featuring ongoing series like <King of Cards> and <Great Treasure> were also included.
“All these rides are tied to the respective works, which is really attractive.”
Not simply segregating areas, each was tailored; there were rides with white horse statues fitting the fairy tale zone, while the <Iron-Blooded Alchemist> area was designed with giant thrones descending through Alchemical Circles, and in the <Great Treasure> area, a ride shaped like a ship from the comic was planned.
“Safety is our top priority while developing these.”
“That makes sense. It looks like fun, but if an accident happens, it could be huge.”
Esteban had now grasped the concept of the rides somewhat.
Giant toys that could be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.
At first, it seemed vague, but seeing it in drawings helped him imagine how it would be structured and the kind of excitement it would provide to the audience.
The challenge lay in the fact that making this wouldn’t be an easy task.
“We’ll need to gather artisans for delicate construction, and it’ll require test runs to ensure safety, I believe.”
It wasn’t just about having money; it would require a long time for the project.
“First, we need to find a site to build Somerset Land.”
While he initially planned to construct it near the Somerset Territory, considering accessibility for visitors from foreign lands, it would need to be moved closer to the capital.