Chapter: 46
Hans and Johann.
The two guys, each with the name ‘Johannes,’ shared a rather persistent and hilariously bad relationship as friends. To put it simply, they got tangled up way too deeply thanks to the connections of their predecessors.
So here’s the deal: Hans’s dad, a big-time merchant, brought Johann’s dad, a totally broke noble, on board as his ‘legal advisor.’ Why? Because you can’t even stick your business card in the door without a noble title if you want to join a government project!
For Johann’s dad, who was about to give up his noble status at the Ministry of Heraldry, this was basically a lifebuoy. In reality, Hans’s dad thought he was just getting a cheap title rental out of the deal.
What Hans’s dad didn’t see coming was:
– “…Excuse me? Our Johannes Merchant Guild has been picked to supply materials for the Imperial Capital’s maintenance project?”
Turns out, Johann’s dad was a way better ‘legal advisor’ than anyone imagined. He thought he was just boosting the guild’s prestige by throwing their name into a government project, but somehow ended up taking on a crucial role in the whole circus.
This project was pushed by the Emperor back in that day—who’s now just a retired old man—using all the power of the Imperial Family.
Honestly, back then, the Johannes Merchant Guild wasn’t ready for such a massive undertaking. But, hey, once you snag a big contract, there’s no backing out; it’s not exactly a ‘take it or leave it’ situation.
They had to hustle their way through to make it work. Current size and capabilities? Who cares!
High risk, high return! They either flopped, got their guild taken over by the Imperial Family, or somehow made it work and became the talk of the empire. With a little help from Johann’s dad, Hans managed to use every shady and extra-legal trick in the book to pull off the contract.
They made the leap from a mid-sized to a giant merchant guild!
– “Haha! Thank you! This is all thanks to you, Advisor!”
– “You’ve worked hard, Guild Master!”
And just like that, they became inseparable partners! They even promised that when they had kids, they’d split the guild name ‘Johannes’ between their first-born sons. Johann was born first; Hans followed later. That’s how it was set.
Thus began their ridiculously strong bond.
“Today will finally be my victory.”
“Ha! We’ll see who the Lord smiles upon!”
“Tsk, tsk, give up your stubbornness. Haven’t you learned anything from losing that duel?”
“It’s you who should quit being unreasonable! I bet I’ve won more duels overall!”
“Only because you were a fast-growing kid back then! Lately, I’ve been the victor! Clinging to childhood glory is kind of pathetic, you know.”
“And you refusing to admit the truth is even more pathetic!”
Even with the ‘Homer’ writer watching them, they were just as ridiculous as usual. They had created a ruckus at an awards ceremony challenging each other to duels, so this was pretty normal.
Homer—who’d been watching them with a smirk—finally introduced himself.
“Hey there, nice to meet you! You might’ve heard from Herodotus, but I’m Homer. He had some urgent business, so I’m here instead.”
“It’s an honor to be called by you, Homer.”
“Great! Did both of you bring your works?”
The two, as if they had been waiting for this moment, pulled out their works from their bags. And just like that, their little showdown kicked off!
* * *
Johann’s novel was pretty much a ‘historical novel.’ To showcase the theme of adventure, he set it against a backdrop where most maps were still a mystery, writing a biographical piece about an adventurer’s guild. It kind of looked like he took inspiration from Don Quixote or a literal ‘travelogue’ instead of a novel.
Hans’s novel, on the other hand, was your classic ‘revenge story.’ The protagonist, roaming around various countries preparing for revenge, really left an impression. It seemed to draw deep inspiration from The Count of Monte Cristo, with sprinkles of fantasy elements from the Conan saga here and there.
What was especially odd was the complete lack of ‘detective novel’ vibes.
Both guys appeared to have worked hard to dodge any lingering flavors of a classic detective tale to tackle the fresh theme of ‘adventure novels.’
I smiled at the two of them, who were giving me intense stares, and placed the manuscripts down on the desk.
“Both are good! Each has a distinct style that’s entertaining!”
“Yes!”
“Since the genres are so different, it’s tricky to compare them directly… You heard from Herodotus, right? We’re planning a ‘themed publication.’”
“Yes!”
“Recently, I heard from a writer I know that the evaluation of a work should be left completely to the readers. So, how about we decide the winner through a reader vote this time too?”
“What?”
“Sounds good!”
Johann sounded a bit stunned, while Hans nodded enthusiastically to my suggestion.
This reaction made perfect sense. If the winner was up to reader votes, Hans’s novel, with its straightforward blockbuster ‘revenge plot,’ would probably snag way more votes.
Both of them had been avid readers of Half and Half, so they knew how the reader voting worked.
Johann raised his voice a bit too late.
“But, wouldn’t that be a bit unfair for me?”
“Ha! Johann, you’re not planning on backing out now, are you?”
“Not at all! But the deal was to have our works evaluated by Homer and Herodotus…”
“Didn’t they say they would evaluate via a reader vote? Accept it!”
“You both need to chill. This reader vote will be a bit different from the last Half and Half.”
“What?”
“I was thinking of introducing a rating system—likes or preferences.”
I explained my new reader voting method to them. This time, they’d still get voters sending their opinions by postcards, but readers could also rate each work! We’d decide the winner based on these ratings.
“Like grading a Hamlet performance?”
“Similar, but a bit simpler… Five stars for the highest score, with star count deciding the score. If they loved it, five stars; if it was terrible, just one star. Something like that.”
“Hmm… It does seem pretty sensible.”
If this reader vote worked out, I was thinking about getting magazines or publishing houses involved to regularly rate works in the future. That’d make it way easier to find fun novels.
I had a plan—a solid plan to devour interesting novels!
* * *
The adventure project, including “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “Fifteen Boys Adrift,” along with the historical novel and revenge tale written by the two, got published together.
The first work that caught readers’ interest was “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Given that it was published under the pen name ‘Herodotus,’ this meant that Herodotus’ work was getting even more love than Homer’s novel.
“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a masterpiece! Who else could so fantastically and vividly illustrate the deep sea? Mapping out the ocean beneath the sapphire surface is not something just anyone can achieve. The vast ocean knowledge packed into the novel is almost magical. Truly the work of the author of ‘Sherlock Holmes!’”
“Absolutely! I found myself drawn to ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ more than ‘Fifteen Boys Adrift.’ If I could explore the depths, I’d spend a fortune!”
“By the way, I’ve heard that among wizard artifacts, there’s a craft that can dive underwater.”
“Is there really such a thing as a submarine?”
“If there’s a locomotive, there must be a submarine too!”
“Whoa!”
This stirred up a lot of interest because, you know, who doesn’t love the latest tech? An airplane popped up in The Little Prince, but since it was a fairy tale, not many paid much mind to it. A lot of folks didn’t even know what an airplane was, thinking of it as some mini airship or balloon.
But “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” was a different ballgame. The principles behind submarines, ocean currents, sea flora, and tons of knowledge made it a solid kickstarter for ‘scientific novels.’
Plus, it was brimming with Jules Verne’s progressive enthusiasm! Because of this, folks began buzzing about adventure and technology, and suddenly, investment in magical engineering started pouring in.
“Please, let me ride that submarine at least once!”
“Uh… Well, it’s still a bit unstable, so it might be risky for people to ride. The danger lies in… the sea has something called water pressure…”
But it wasn’t just “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” that grabbed all the spotlight. Homer’s new work, “Fifteen Boys Adrift,” also drew considerable attention, surprisingly gaining a lot of traction among older nobility.
“Son, today I’ll read you ‘Fifteen Boys Adrift!’”
“Yay!”
It seemed more like a middle-aged dad enjoying a story filled with kids’ innocence and enthusiasm than a teenager. Thanks to this, kids got to experience “Fifteen Boys Adrift” too.
“I used to be brimming with such passion too. Ah, I was so young back then… Looking back now, it seems a bit silly. Hehe… Interested in hearing about my childhood?”
“Dad.”
“Yes, my son?”
“Quick, read the next page!”
“Alright…”
And while the Empire was abuzz again over the new releases, Homer, the mastermind behind it all, was greeted by an unusual guest.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Andy, the Duke of Kapeter.”
“Pardon?”
“Just call me Andy.”
“Pardon?”
He found himself facing a quirky knight dressed like a wandering knight.
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