Chapter 9: A Publishing Company (1)
Chapter 2 hit the market like a divine event.
A total of 4,000 copies were printed. An additional 1,000 copies of Chapter 1 were re-released alongside it.
Within a week—Every single one sold out.
Bookstores ran dry. Street vendors were mobbed. Guards had to be stationed outside rchant stalls just to keep order.
Nobles bought multiple copies—not because they needed them, but because they wanted to show off.
"I have the first AND second Chapter in hardcover," one lady bragged at a tea party. "Oh, I had mine gold-leafed," another sneered."My cousin had it frad," one baron said smugly.
It wasn't just literature anymore. It was status.
But it wasn't only nobles.
Rich peasants, rising rchants, even city officials—people who had never spent a gold on anything but land or livestock—were fighting to get a copy.
In so towns, entire villages pooled their money just to buy a single copy for everyone to read together in the square.
Children huddled around elders who read aloud. Adults cried in silence as Erien's tragedy unfolded before them. Mothers held their sons tighter. Fathers whispered, "I would've protected her too."
This wasn't just a story anymore.It was a phenonon.
And with it ca a na—whispered, shouted, written, and rembered:
Sam Avencroft.
The peasant who wrote it. The mysterious author with no noble title, no grand family na— And a story that had captured the hearts of an empire.
The na Sam Avencroft was no longer unknown. It was on the lips of every noble, every rchant, every scholar—
And soon... it would reach even higher.
* * *
"Hey, GTP," I asked, arms crossed as I looked out the window of my room.
"How much money do I have right now?"
[Processing current financial data... Based on revenue from Chapters 1 and 2, including reprints, noble-exclusive editions, and international interest from rchant districts...]
[Total Net Worth: 7,300 Gold Coins.]
"...Seven thousand... three hundred?"
[Correct.]
I blinked.
"Holy sh— That's... that's A LOT."
More than I'd ever dread of.
More than I'd ever needed.
I'd already given the first 1,500 gold I earned from Chapter 1 to my parents.
The look on my father's face—
Pure disbelief.
Like he'd won the gods' lottery and got kissed by destiny on the sa day.
And honestly?
He deserved it.
He was the first one to believe in .
My first supporter.
My first investor.
He funded the first stack of paper that beca Titanheart Chronicles.
I smiled just thinking about it.
"...Alright," I said, cracking my knuckles. "So what now?"
[Recomndation: Establish your own publishing company.]
I blinked. "Wait, really?"
[Correct. Creating your own operation will allow full control over printing, distribution, labor, security, and production speed. Current reliance on Lord Halven for logistics is inefficient long-term.]
"Yeah... you're right," I muttered. "I can't keep riding Halven's coattails forever."
[Affirmative. Initiating phase two: Independent Manga Empire.]
I threw on my cloak, grabbed my pouch, and stepped outside into the bright afternoon sun.
"Let's go shopping."
A few hours later...
I stood in front of a large, two-story building just outside the rchant district.
Stone foundation. Wooden structure. Solid roof.
Big enough for press machines, workers, storage, and even a small showroom.
The seller, a sweaty old rchant, handed the deed with trembling hands.
"This place is yours, sir... I-it's an honor to do business with Sam Avencroft."
I signed it without hesitation.
* * *
The machines were humming.
Ink was flowing.
Workers were rushing around, organizing papers, cleaning rollers, checking bindings.
My company was alive.
Inside my office on the second floor, I leaned back in a real leather chair—not hay, not wood, but leather.
The window gave a full view of the production floor below, where 20 printing machines churned out pages like clockwork.
The place no longer looked like a dream.
It looked like a real company.
My company.
Avencroft Publishing.
Lord Halven, the noble who'd backed from the start, was still part of the operation—but now he was focused only on distribution.
I handled everything else.
And with our current speed?
We could print books ten tis faster than before.
I grinned. "GTP... we should go all in. Sell way more this ti."
[That would be a bad idea.]
I blinked. "...What?"
[You're thinking like an artist. Think like a businessman. Too much supply lowers demand. Lower demand ans lower price. Lower price ans less value.]
I sat up, listening.
[We'll print only 100 copies of Chapter 3. Limited edition. Premium packaging. Each copy: 10 gold.]
"...Ten? That's ten tis more than before."
[Exactly. People will fight for it. Nobles will kill to say they own it. Scarcity creates status.]
I raised an eyebrow. "And after that?"
[Once Chapter 4 is released, we push an additional 1,000 copies of Chapter 3 to the market. But by then, the value has already been set.]
I leaned back, arms behind my head.
"...Supply and demand, huh?"
[Basic economics. High demand, low supply, maximum profit.]
I chuckled.
"Guess you're right."
Reviews
All reviews (0)