LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 167
“The western voyage is more akin to gambling than adventure.”
Stepping forth with precious tea brought from the Eastern Continent, Esteban said to Rupert.
“Think of it as merely romance rather than profit.”
Of course, calling it mere romance didn’t quite account for the considerable investments, from constructing a new ship to supporting sailing costs.
Rupert found himself surprisingly unbothered by it.
“If it were like before, I’d have thought it was insane.”
There was a time when he would do anything to eat stale bread by soaking it in soup, striving to save every penny and earn even a bit more.
In less than two years, Rupert felt the swift change around him once again.
“While you’re here today, let me give you an update on the current export situation to foreign countries.”
Rupert, who was usually not skilled with figures, relied on Esteban to explain the sales-related data for him.
Even now, Esteban was setting aside the complicated calculations and formulas, explaining the situation simply enough for Rupert to understand.
“The sales share of fairy tale books is surprisingly large, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Comic books are certainly popular, but fairy tale books maintain a certain level of sales in every country.”
There were certain comics, like “King of Cards” or “Iron-Blooded Alchemist,” that gained particular popularity in specific countries.
However, the fairy tale books were prominently shining.
“It seems like adapting them to fit the circumstances of the country has helped as well.”
“Localization really does matter.”
Among the advice given by the prince who assisted Rupert and the Yuren Merchant Association in their overseas expansion was the importance of localization.
“In the iron kingdom of Prosen, where laws and regulations are valued, it would be good if the darker elements stand out. In the Isle Republic, there are many red-haired folks, so take that into account.”
The prince emphasized that not all cultures are the same just because they exist on the same continent.
Thus, Rupert tweaked the works slightly to align with the cultures of the respective countries, modifying the costumes or designs of the protagonist characters.
That adaptability resonated well, making the fairy tale books immensely popular.
“Ioleen would probably love this.”
Seeing the version of “Snow White” with the heated iron shoes he had crafted for her gain popularity in the kingdom of Prosen reaffirmed the notion that the original cruel tales weren’t without reason.
“It’s been a while since we released a new fairy tale book.”
Thinking about it, Rupert felt he had neglected the fairy tales he had started making for his younger sister, Aida, recently.
Lost in thoughts of creating a new fairy tale, he suddenly looked out the window.
“It’s already snowing.”
“Isn’t it winter now?”
As Rupert gazed at the first snowfall of the year, memories from around the same time last year flooded back.
“That piece I made back then was ‘A Dog of Flanders,’ wasn’t it?”
Up until then, he had crafted fairy tales for Aida, but “A Dog of Flanders” was created to help the children.
Of course, that led to Aida crying and insisting on bringing back Nero and Patrasche, but it was undoubtedly a fairy tale that brought about positive change.
“I wonder if people still help the kids selling goods on the street these days?”
“Huh? Are you talking about the time after ‘A Dog of Flanders’ was published?”
Esteban initially looked puzzled as if he didn’t understand the question, but soon realized Rupert was referring to the time when “A Dog of Flanders” was out.
“Well… it’s probably better than before, but still, it’s not quite like it used to be.”
Esteban recalled how, when “A Dog of Flanders” was first published, children selling goods on the street always had a dog by their side.
That custom had become a tradition, and even now, he often saw children walking with dogs in the streets.
However, the level of attention towards them had significantly decreased compared to the past.
At first, people generously bought the children’s goods, but now they had grown accustomed and didn’t react as they once did.
“We need to make this winter warmer.”
Upon hearing Esteban’s response, Rupert smiled meaningfully.
“He’s going to create something to tug at people’s heartstrings again, isn’t he?”
Now, Esteban could roughly predict what kind of events would unfold just by looking at Rupert’s expression.
***
“Kroon, I think we’ve been too focused on our goods lately.”
“What do you mean?”
Kroon, as usual, was working in the workshop when Rupert casually dropped this statement, resulting in a nonchalant reply.
“The essence of our Somerset Workshop is publishing.”
“I know that much.”
“But isn’t there been a lack of variation in the books we publish lately?”
“Well, that’s true….”
Kroon found himself at a loss for words in response to Rupert’s comment.
They had continually developed techniques and created new products, but there hadn’t been any recent changes in the publishing aspect.
“Take a look at this.”
“What’s this…?”
“Yes, these are books that imitate the papers we use.”
Kroon began to examine the books Rupert brought with interest.
One of the boasts of the Somerset Workshop was its paper.
From self-repairing recycled paper to coated paper treated on the surface, they had a wide variety of offerings.
With such high quality, the paper was noted to be distinctly different from others — something artisans took pride in.
However,
“It’s still rough, but they are catching up little by little.”
“I didn’t think it would last forever, but it’s still quite fast.”
The paper used in the books Rupert brought had no comparison against Somerset’s but was still imitating its characteristics.
While Somerset’s recycled paper could self-repair even when completely torn, the current recycled paper in the market could only repair slight tears, and although the coated paper provided minimal water resistance, it wrinkled easily, showing that quality differences remained.
“But is there room to further develop this paper?”
However, Kroon hadn’t completely disregarded this idea.
He believed that the foundation of the Somerset Workshop was publishing, and he was eager to continue improving it.
“But what direction should we take for that development?”
Creating distinctive features for the so-called best papers was challenging, as it was merely made by dispersing small stones.
He even thought that the current level of paper was likely already at its peak.
“Do you have something in mind?”
Still, Kroon didn’t think Rupert was bringing this up for no reason.
While Rupert usually nagged, he became serious when discussing products, and he often came up with ideas Kroon hadn’t thought of.
“I’m considering using two major types of paper for the new project.”
“A new project?”
“Yes, would you like to take a look?”
At Rupert’s question, Kroon nodded.
Rupert’s work was interesting enough for him to never decline the chance to read new pieces.
“It’s a fairy tale.”
Kroon thought, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a fairy tale after ‘Hansel and Gretel’,” as he slowly began to read the new work from the first page.
And,
“Oh no…!”
Once Kroon finished reading it, he held the sample book made by Rupert, and tears began to trickle down his face.
“This is it! This is the response I wanted!”
Rupert could guess to a certain extent how people would react after reading this new fairy tale.
Having one of the saddest endings among the fairy tales he had read, he believed the responses would be more intense than ever after its release.
“You really went all out this time.”
Although Kroon had already shed a few tears, he made an effort to pretend nothing happened.
While he had read some sad works of Rupert, this one was on a completely different level of sorrow.
“Hmm… I see what this work is about, but what kind of paper will be used for it?”
Kroon, regaining his senses belatedly, wiped his eyes with his sleeve and asked.
“What if we give temperature to the paper?”
“Temperature?”
“Yes, some pages would be cold while others warm.”
Kroon pondered Rupert’s words for a moment.
Certainly, the concept of temperature seemed to complement the new work immensely, and the idea of infusing temperature into the paper was simple yet previously unthought of.
“Hmm… This might be worth trying.”
While it would be easy to add magical elements, that would drive costs too high, so Kroon thought of mixing certain materials when creating the paper instead.
“And one more thing…”
“Another thing?”
“Yes. I think this will only need to be included in specific scenes.”
“What kind of thing?”
“Let’s try using the techniques we developed while making the King of Cards cards.”
“Oh, the illustration welcome magic?”
“Exactly!”
Kroon immediately understood Rupert’s intention.
In that scene from the preview of the new fairy tale, using one of the techniques from “King of Cards” would certainly leave a striking impression.
“Are you the devil, Rupert?”
Kroon thought about just how shocking reading the new fairy tale was even with just the rough draft, and now imagining what it would be like using the newly developed papers made him feel unprepared to read it.
“This winter is going to be very warm.”
Rupert, unfazed by Kroon’s reaction, was only excited about the impending responses from readers after finishing the new fairy tale book.
Especially, he was eager to show it to Aida first.
He couldn’t wait to see how she would react to the quintessential winter fairy tale, “The Little Match Girl.”