Zing-.
The employees at the Somerset Workshop were all gathered, watching with wide eyes as the sound of gears turning came from a square-shaped box, with light seeping out.
Suddenly, a puppy bouncing around was projected onto the screen installed on the wall, and gasps of admiration flowed from the crowd.
“This is animation!”
The eyes of the artisans, who had been diligently developing the technology related to the projector under Rupert’s instruction, sparkled with excitement.
They had heard explanations multiple times before, but they had only vaguely understood what kind of machine it was. They had thought, since it was similar to a video playback stone, that they could just use that, and there was no need to create such an object.
They realized it was a significant misunderstanding.
“It’s completely different from photos or videos! This is an entirely different item.”
“How can a picture move so naturally? It feels like the picture is a living being.”
“Now I finally understand why Young Master said this machine was necessary.”
The artisans immediately grasped the biggest advantage of animation compared to regular video.
While the image of a puppy was moving now, what if it were a dragon instead?
Photos and videos are limited by time and space, but animation can show exactly what the author imagined, free from those constraints.
For instance, making Rupert’s fairy tale book or comic book into a video was difficult because they were fictional and didn’t exist in reality.
How could they create the moving wooden puppet from Pinocchio or reproduce the alchemy and chimeras from Iron-Blooded Alchemist?
But with the projector they created, it was possible to play back pictures, so all of that could be done.
Plop!
However, amidst the amazement, the projector suddenly sputtered with a burst of flames and then stopped working, smoke rising from it.
“Not again!”
Seeing the first prototype they had finally created after months of research and collaboration with others meet its end, they all let out a collective moan.
“Could it be the film’s fault?”
“I think the film’s surface isn’t uniform, causing it to not turn smoothly inside the machine.”
As screams filled the room, only Rupert and Kroon calmly opened the machine to check its insides.
Looking at the charred surface of the film, the two were quite composed. They never expected a perfect product from the start, so their reaction was understandable.
Rupert and Kroon thought that since the projector they were creating was a new thing never before seen in another world, it was only natural to encounter trial and error.
They knew that if they had to work without the help of the Mage Tower and the Alchemy Guild, it might have taken years to achieve even this level of progress.
“Can we create an object that can project for at least 10 minutes in about a month?”
“10 minutes… It’s short, but it feels long.”
Rupert had in mind to show the first demonstration of this projector at the Imperial Academy’s graduation ceremony.
Since it was a gathering place for talented individuals from across the Empire, he thought that introducing animation there would surely be an outstanding promotional opportunity.
However, Kroon warned him that it might not be as easy as it seemed.
Given that the prototype had barely played for less than 30 seconds before it broke down, there was a lot of work to do to increase the runtime by over 20 times.
“Oh man, I already have to adjust for a new type of book this time too.”
Kroon complained about the endless workload.
But contrary to his words, he was the first to jump into the task of creating new items, so Rupert wasn’t worried.
Even now, Kroon was urging the artisans who were crying over the broken machine to move back to the workshop.
‘He says making a magazine-style book means having to change the machine entirely.’
Every time they switched from fairy tale books to comic books to comic magazines, the equipment and materials they needed changed, causing them a lot of trouble.
At least they were continually producing fairy tale books and comic books, so it wasn’t a pointless investment, but the increasing amount of money spent along with the growing profits made it quite a significant expenditure for Rupert.
If this animation business were to fail, it could potentially make them stagger.
‘But if we can see animation in another world, that alone is worth it.’
Rupert initially thought of this as more of an indulgence—his first since gaining some financial breathing room—rather than expecting to make a profit.
Memories of watching cartoons on TV all day during summer vacations flooded back to Rupert’s mind.
The countless animations he had seen back then remained one of his greatest memories, and he wanted to leave that legacy for the children of this world as well.
‘Now I need to focus on the academy and the magazine.’
Since improving the projector and film was outside his area of expertise, he resolved to concentrate on what he could do.
*
Being a painter in another world was just perfect for starving to death.
Those with connections to the nobles could survive by painting portraits or landscapes, but for others, it was common to fight over work.
In the past, there had been mural and holy painting projects run by a cult, which made things a bit better, but after a few unskilled individuals made a mess, their reputation plummeted, and work became exceedingly scarce.
Recently, however, things began to change.
“I need your painting!”
Ever since Rupert’s fairy tale and comic books became a huge hit across the Empire, the demand for painters skyrocketed.
Especially after the Yuren Merchant Association took charge of distributing the books, events shocked all merchant associations in the Empire.
‘It’s not just about the book sales!’
‘Aren’t the guests who came to buy books also purchasing other items?’
‘Not to mention! They’re buying all the necessities in order to fill the requirements to become VIPs at the goods store!’
In reality, the money the Yuren Merchant Association made from selling books was not that significant.
Excluding labor costs, it wasn’t a substantial profit, yet they spreading the publishing business widely was mainly due to the sizable additional benefits that came their way.
Even nobles, who weren’t even potential trading partners, started buying items to get their hands on the latest editions of the books, and commoners also gladly utilized the Yuren Merchant Association while buying their books.
Before they knew it, the Yuren Merchant Association had risen to become the best association in the Empire, and no one could deny that Rupert’s books were at its center.
Just a few months ago, it had been impossible to name a single top merchant association, as everyone had grouped them into seven major associations, making their rise nothing less than nonsensical.
–We also have to sell our own products!
If they just sat back and envied the Yuren Merchant Association, they wouldn’t qualify as merchants.
Naturally, they were busy bringing in skilled painters, even offering generous payments, and the painters were experiencing an unexpected boom.
But initially, many associations struggled or even failed because things did not go as planned.
‘Why aren’t our books selling!!!’
They spent huge sums recruiting storytellers and excellent painters, yet their books didn’t sell and they suffered great losses.
Sadly, the quality of Rupert’s fairy tale and comic books was simply too high for them to compete.
‘What is this? It’s just a cliché story!’
‘And this? Isn’t this just the original chivalric literature?’
‘Tsk, Rupert’s illustrations have so much vividness!’
As other associations’ books were released, Rupert’s sales actually increased, to the point that they were practically boiling over with frustration.
But,
“Well, this is somewhat decent to look at, right?”
“Hmmm… Iron-Blooded Alchemist* has ended, so there’s nothing else to read; should I give this a try?”
“I do prefer stories with knights, after all.”
They didn’t give up after their initial failures. They continued to release works and gradually improved their quality, resulting in other works also slowly gaining popularity.
Of course, the biggest reason was that Rupert’s work, Iron-Blooded Alchemist, had recently concluded, and people unable to stand the emptiness were looking for other stories.
Furthermore, no matter how popular Rupert’s works were, he couldn’t write in every genre, so there were readers welcoming new works to suit their tastes.
Thus, painters who had nearly faded from existence in the Empire were rekindling their spark through fairy tales and comics.
*
“Is there any way to improve this a bit more?”
Rupert’s books weren’t just causing a sensation in the realm of illustrations; his work, especially Iron-Blooded Alchemist, had fans among not just alchemists but also engineers.
“I can’t believe you actually managed to create a new type of Golem’s Arm!”
Among them, the interest surrounding the new Golem’s Arm that Kroon made and the Crown Prince wore for the first time was tremendous.
A steel Golem’s Arm that moved as freely as a real human arm? Engineers felt it would be a dream come true to see it in real life.
So, as more and more people began coming to the Somerset Workshop daily, begging to see just a glimpse of it, they reached a point where they displayed prototypes in their goods shop.
In truth, the production of the new Golem’s Arm was incredibly complicated, and the materials required were very expensive, making it unreasonable for widespread adoption.
Thus, Kroon had determined it would be impossible to commercialize it until improvements were made, yet engineers had different ideas.
-Does it need to move perfectly?
Of course, moving freely like a real arm would be ideal, but engineers believed that even simple movements would be a great help, even if it lacked some finesse.
Durability was the same.
While it might not matter for knights or mercenaries, it would suffice for ordinary people to wear something that was adequately sturdy. Thus, they sought to maintain the same design while exploring ways to reduce the quality instead.
As a result, various minor versions of the new Golem’s Arm began to be released.
“That’s okay; let it be. It’s a good thing.”
Rupert, who was usually highly sensitive to his own interests, willingly disclosed the production methods and even encouraged others, thinking many people would benefit if the new Golem’s Arm spread widely.
He had never intended to make money, and since the new Golem’s Arm Kroon created wasn’t practical for commercialization, Rupert was satisfied with the current situation.
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terimakasih Atas bab nya
Cant to see everyone going insane to the next level when the first animation officially released