In working on volume 3 of ‘The Iron-Blooded Alchemist’, the biggest challenge was establishing the setting.
“I think I could set Skall as an Indigenous Tribe from the West.”
In the western part of the Sylvania Continent, there actually exists a tribe reminiscent of American Indians.
Of course, they were merged into the Empire of Borus where I live, and now most have been incorporated into the western part of the Empire. Still, some folks cling to their traditions and remain at the far western edge of the continent, where the Empire’s influence hasn’t quite managed to reach.
Honestly, “merging” is just a fancy way of saying they were forcibly stripped of their land, much like what happened to the Indians, leading to numerous conflicts between the Indigenous tribes and the settlers from the Empire in the western continent to this day.
“The real puzzle is how to define King Brandon’s character.”
He is an important villain inspired by a manga and will play a key role in ‘The Iron-Blooded Alchemist’ as well.
However, figuring out King Brandon’s status was quite tricky.
No matter how fearless I am, creating a fictional emperor and then making that character a cyborg seemed a bit too much.
Making him the antagonist? I’d need ten lives to manage that!
So, I decided to dial it back a bit and make him a general of the Empire. Hell, that’s enough to unfurl the plans I have in mind without any issues.
Assigning him the highest military rank of a legion commander might risk protests from actual legion commanders, and there’s also the matter of it feeling a bit lacking.
There’s no such title as a general in the Empire, but if I create one and bestow it upon King Brandon, that could work nicely.
A general trying to topple the Empire—now that’s a concept I can be satisfied with.
And since I have to depict the most crucial “that scene” in volume 3, I had to focus even harder.
No matter how many times I change the setting, some scenes are absolutely essential, this one being the core of the work for me personally.
Oh, and speaking of “that scene,” I did find a model to refer to not too long ago.
“Poppy, come here!”
A massive dog growled in response, clearly expressing its reluctance.
Can I even call that a dog?
“It’s not Poppy! It’s Rach!”
Aida shouted while clinging to the giant dog.
Despite my objections, my father had Alain bring the dog home.
Apparently, they struggled to find the biggest one just because Aida asked.
A hunter in the territory had a puppy that lost its mother and they bought it for some cash.
“What breed is that even?”
The puppy that came into our family was enormous.
It clearly looked like a young puppy but its size was already comparable to that of most large dogs, which was quite shocking.
Aida was thrilled that it was big, just like Patrasche from ‘A Dog of Flanders’.
I once again realized that this world is completely different from Earth.
Here, dogs are kept not necessarily as pets but more out of necessity, so there’s been no research into their breeds or characteristics—meaning I can’t even identify them.
Even as a puppy, Poppy could easily carry Aida around.
“Poppy is spot on as a model!”
I began sketching the features of Poppy, carefully observing the dog.
Still a puppy, its round face was quite cute, and being a decent size made it a perfect fit for this dog character I’d draw.
I’ll introduce “that scene” early on in volume 3, and then bring Skall into it.
As the identity of the enemies gradually unveils, the brothers’ journey toward the mythical stone officially kicks off, culminating in the revelation that King Brandon, the general of the Empire, is actually a cyborg.
I can already hear the crowd’s cheers of excitement!
Isn’t this just the spicy noodle of another world?
In a place where the standard flavor is just a basic noodle soup, I’m here to spread the taste of spicy noodles!
“Rach! Let’s go deliver some milk!”
Aida exclaimed, climbing on top of Poppy and hugging its neck.
Poppy’s expression seemed to say, “Again?”
And who could blame him? He’d already been dragged into two milk delivery walks by the time he opened his eyes after lunch.
Yet Aida, not the least bit tired, began to lead Poppy back into her personal cart.
With the sad eyes of a calf heading to the slaughterhouse, Poppy shot me a look begging for rescue.
But—
“Sorry, Aida’s energy is just way more than I can handle.”
Only beasts, not humans, can match the stamina of a child.
Go, Poppy, go!
*
“It seems that the goods store you mentioned should ideally open simultaneously in both the capital and the Somerset Territory.”
Esteban, reviewing my plan and suggesting improvements.
With the growing popularity of my works, and the increasing sales of goods that came with it, I proposed we open a goods store.
In the past, there were fewer works, and people didn’t really understand the concept of goods, so we had to take it slow.
But now it felt like it was worth a shot.
“Honestly, the rumoured craftsmanship of the Dwarves is certainly a divine gift.”
The goods we’ve made so far didn’t turn out poorly, but due to some technical limitations, we couldn’t create many things.
Kroon, who had just joined us, helped alleviate that issue.
For example, the new “figure” we launched was a great representation.
Up until now, dolls meant stuffed figures filled with fabric, but when I explained the concept of figures to Kroon, he quickly demonstrated the miracle of producing a prototype.
“The joints are designed to rotate smoothly, connecting with circular joints instead of interlocking ones. That’ll improve durability significantly.”
In no time, he created a modern-style frame for the figure, and after I painted it, voila—a figure was completed.
Then, our tailors crafted outfits fitting the size of the figure, resulting in an astonishingly high-quality figure we decided to sell as our new goods.
But one problem arose: we didn’t have suitable places to sell them.
Currently, we were using Yuren’s guild branches for consignment sales.
It was clear we needed a symbolic place dedicated solely to selling goods, and I agreed with the guild leader on that.
With the types of goods steadily increasing, it made it difficult to display them, and the focus on attending customers was interfering with the fundamental duties of the guild, making it an urgent matter.
“I underestimated the extent of the interest it gained,” Esteban chuckled.
He had recognized the potential of goods and partnered with me for this venture, but landed on this realization as it approached a burden rather unexpectedly.
Considering that these kinds of subculture realms like manga don’t really exist in this world, I personally think it’s amazing that he saw the potential for goods.
“It’s a shame though. If it were just in the Somerset Territory, it would definitely stand out.”
“Goldfull Valley being on the edge of the south has way too low a population turnover.”
That was true. No matter how attractive the merchandise sold exclusively at the Somerset goods store was, it wouldn’t be enough to draw people in.
So ultimately, we decided to establish our main store in the capital and a smaller branch in Somerset.
“If only we could build landmarks like Universal Studios or Disneyland, even on the outskirts, we’d have some competitive edge.”
But hope wasn’t entirely lost.
If you think about it, Tokyo Disneyland is located not in Tokyo but in the outskirts at Chiba.
Ultimately, the conclusion drawn was that recognition is more important than accessibility.
Currently, my works still aren’t enough to build such theme parks.
But someday, as my works multiply and as I gain more recognition and fans, a day will come when setting up a main store here in the Somerset Territory won’t be an issue.
“I actually love it here.”
It might sound sudden, but it’s been just a few months and already I’ve developed a fondness for this place.
What’s more, the people from the Somerset territory who once felt odd are now like family to me.
Especially the territory inhabitants who always greet my family with smiles whenever we wander around the territory.
Even when I make our workshop staff work hard, they stick around.
Thinking about the precious retainers who stayed by my side during tough times, I too wanted to do something for them.
If it was just for me or just my family to live well, the current situation would be more than enough.
With just the income from the books and the existing goods sales, it far exceeded the territory’s revenue already.
I could probably live comfortably for a lifetime with just a bit of extravagance.
But what I’ve achieved is not solely down to me.
It’s thanks to the great legacy left behind by the fairy tale authors and countless mangas that inspired me, that such fortune has come my way.
What I can do is to make this world just a little better through the works I create.
Being here has opened my eyes to many things.
Why those great fairy tale authors from old—
For example, why Andersen wrote such stories.
Recalling one of his representative works, “The Little Match Girl,” always sends shivers through me with such tragic feelings.
What could have compelled him to write that?
If I think about the environment children lived in during his time, I wonder what Andersen wished to convey through such tragic fairy tales.
Suddenly, the story the guild leader shared crossed my mind.
After the publication of the fairy tale ‘A Dog of Flanders’, there was a rumor that sales among street vendors increased significantly.
I can’t say for sure whether that is true or not, since I haven’t seen it myself.
But through that story, I made one firm resolution.
To create works that can have a positive impact on the world.
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