Chapter 88: CH 84

April 17th, 2023

Literature, art, language, technology, theater, religion, customs, way of life, architecture, and so on.

There are various types of culture, and the power that culture holds is so enormous that it cannot be fully expressed. 

If you have a good culture, it has the effect of making people follow it “voluntarily”. Like a drop of ink in clean water, the power of culture slowly influences from within, rather than superficially. 

It is not a shallow idea that is implanted through brainwashing or education, but rather, the effect is bound to be excellent when you naturally follow it as you encounter that culture. 

Moreover, in this world that is close to the medieval era, the most influential culture is undoubtedly “art.” 

As previously mentioned, art includes music, painting, sculpture, crafts, and so on, and the masters who are hailed as the best in each field possess a tremendous status in the world. 

In addition, the world of art is also mixed with Elves, who laid the foundation of civilization, and Dwarves, who are called the craftsmen’s race.

The Beastmen are a warrior race and have little interest in the arts, while the Demons, instead of the arts, focus on humanity, so they have no particular pride in the arts.

The country of culture, the Ters Kingdom, recognized the power of culture early on and concentrated on cultural strength, resulting in its growth into a powerful nation that even the Minerva Empire cannot easily confront.

The reason the Minerva Empire cannot pressurize the Ters Kingdom, despite its formidable military and economic power, is because the culture of the Ters Kingdom has already permeated into the roots of the Empire.

The Empire has therefore changed its course to maintain a balance by plundering the culture of the Ters Kingdom, rather than trying to wage a conquest war with force. 

If the cultural strength of the Minerva Empire becomes similar to that of the Ters Kingdom, the title of cultural powerhouse will become meaningless, which is why the Empire is seeking opportunities. 

The Ters Kingdom is also mindful of this and is currently waging a cultural war against the Empire, even though it is not spilling blood.

“I understand that, but why are we holding an exhibition in our territory, not the capital? And why delay the reopening of Halo Academy for this?”

I retorted to the woman sitting across from me with some dissatisfaction and bewilderment. Honestly, it was difficult to grasp what was going on.

The woman with golden hair, Rina, who was sitting opposite me, smiled sardonically with a more troubled expression than before. She seemed to have nothing to say either.

However, one has to know what is going on to at least understand it. Rina knew that, so she quietly opened her mouth.

“…At first, we didn’t plan on holding an exhibition in the Empire either. But since you’re not yet subject to the Empire, and all the renowned artists are in the Ters Kingdom, we just wanted to show that our Empire is making efforts. That’s all.”

“By the way, the Ters Kingdom suddenly passed on the exhibition to the Empire, right?”

“That’s right. I don’t know why, though.”

Rina sighed deeply, feeling frustrated with the current situation, and gave her answer. Although her response left me feeling somewhat helpless, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

We were currently in the reception room of the Michelles’ mansion, where Rina had come to find me as soon as the decision to hold the exhibition in our territory was made. 

Not only Rina but also Leort had come to find us, but he had gone to see my father first. They were probably discussing the matter in a different reception room by now, rather than the one where Rina and I were.

‘According to what my mother told me, it’s not just a simple exhibition…’

As I took a sip of the tea brought to me by a maid, I recalled the information my mother had given me. Until I heard it from her, I had thought it was simply a concept similar to fan art, but as I listened to the story, it far surpassed the level of fan art.

If we were to compare it to a past life, groups like the Lirus Orchestra would be like Beethoven composing and playing, and the painter Imar would be exhibiting his own works. Furthermore, theater groups could be considered Hollywood-class.

It was all thanks to my work, Xenon’s Biography, that stars from all over the world had gathered and formed the exhibition.

‘A culture that anyone can easily enjoy…’

As this phenomenon appeared, new cultures were also emerging to the surface. Although art in this world originally had some profound aspects, reminiscent of the medieval era, with the appearance of Xenon’s Biography, the paradigm began to shift.

It’s not a culture that requires a certain level of education to understand and appreciate, but a culture that anyone can enjoy casually. 

It could be called “snack culture” borrowing terminology from a past life, but there are many different aspects to it in various places. Literary snack culture is a culture that emerged with the proliferation of the internet and smartphones, and no one knows how it will change in the future, as it was a work that became a global hit.

As I pondered the influence of Xenon’s Biography, I carefully put down my teacup. With the noise of the clattering street, Rina’s blue eyes fixed on me.

“Let’s put Ters Kingdom aside for now, but why does it have to be our territory? Are they deliberately letting everyone know that the author of Xenon’s Biography lives here?” 

Startled by my sharp question, Rina quickly raised both her hands, a different reaction from when she usually treated me with a mask. It means that she regards me as an equal and is reflecting on her past mistakes. As I thought so, Rina hastily explained.

“No, that’s not it at all. It was purely a coincidence that the venue was decided on the Michelle territory. I’m sorry to say this to you, but Michelle territory is a newly allocated territory with almost no characteristics. However, it’s a territory given to a hero who defended the borders, so the potential for development is very high.”

“Come to think of it, I heard that development of the territory will begin in three years.”

I slowly recalled at Rina’s explanation. It was a story I heard from the carriage driver heading to the Academy. Anyway, it was a story I had heard somewhere.

“Right. The potential for development is high, and the distance from the capital isn’t too far. It’s natural for Michelle’s territory to be chosen. Moreover, Lord Hawk isn’t interested in politics, so it wouldn’t matter if we gave him our support.”

“Father seems to be getting more white hair though. Have you both come to an agreement?”

“My brother is trying to persuade him now. Of course, Lord Hawk will prioritize your opinion, but…”

Rina trailed off, looking at me. If it was before, she might have pressured me with a smirk, but now she was politely asking for my approval.

In this strange, reversed relationship, I thought hard. To be honest, I wanted to say yes right away.

However, considering the size of the exhibition, it was ambiguous whether it would be easy to accept. 

As Rina said, our territory only has potential and no unique features like other territories’ specialty products or diverse food options, or even the discovery of precious minerals. We don’t have any of these distinguishing features.

But that doesn’t mean my father’s abilities as a lord are insignificant. He was granted the title of Baron only five years ago and officially received the territory two years ago. The mansion itself existed since before I was born, but my father didn’t become a proper lord until after he retired.

“Hmm…”

I thought and thought in my head. Should I focus on reality, or should I focus on the masters’ works? Even if I were to approve, if my father didn’t agree, it wouldn’t work. On the other hand, if my father agreed, but I didn’t like it, it wouldn’t work either.

In the end, we came to the conclusion that I needed to discuss it with my father. While looking at Rina waiting for my answer, I expressed my thoughts.

“I’ll talk to my father first. Even if I’m okay with it, there are many difficult practical aspects to consider.”

“Don’t worry about that. We still have two weeks until the exhibition. During that time, we can get support from the capital and the palace. Luckily, Michelle territory is close to the capital, so we can resolve everything in three days.”

Rina, who was rarely enthusiastic, had a strong determination in her blue eyes. She would never give up easily.

Looking at it from a previous life perspective, this event was like an Olympic event. If we give up, we will be throwing away our money and reputation. And that opportunity will naturally pass on to the Ters Kingdom. They may even be targeting this opportunity in the Ters Kingdom.

Externally, it’s just an exhibition for fans of Xenon’s Biography, but politically, it’s a complicated festival. It may seem like an international celebration to ordinary people, but for politicians, it’s complicated.

‘I need to be prepared for the worst.’

If I get exposed, the situation will become complicated.

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Of course, it will be relatively safe for me because I have a rare fraudulent skill, ‘stop serialization’ or ‘stop writing’.

However, the world is wide and there are many crazy people. As we could see in the high-level theft incident, some crazy person might be targeting me.

Until now, I had been worried about revealing that part of me, but I became convinced after the draft theft incident. As I was thinking to myself, a curious thought came to mind, so I asked Rina a question. 

“But what if it doesn’t work out? What will we do?” 

“We’ll have to hold it in the capital city regardless. The capital is currently overcrowded, so it’ll be difficult to hold a normal event, but it’s possible if we push it.” 

“So, the reason we’re holding it in our territory is because of that? It’ll be easy to do since it’s empty.” 

“Exactly.” 

“So, do you know who’s coming?”

For large-scale events like this, important guests are sure to attend. Considering the relationship between the Minerva Empire and the Ters Kingdom, each country’s rulers will probably send representatives rather than coming themselves. 

Sure enough, the names that came out of Rina’s mouth were very familiar to me.

“First of all, as you expected, you and your father will participate, and Duke Requilis will also be there. Cecily might come to Helium. In the Ters Kingdom, Viktor, the Cultural Ambassador, will visit.”

It might sound funny to call him the Cultural Ambassador, but considering the characteristics of the Ters Kingdom, he would probably be of very high rank. 

Perhaps he would be on par with Duke Requilis. As someone who has to greet guests, it’s a nerve-wracking lineup. However, if I’m well-prepared, I’m confident that I can win the battle. 

“Other countries aside from that?”

“From The Church of Savior, a bishop might come to visit. I don’t know much about the Kingdom of Belarus, but they’re coming because they want to, not for political purposes.”

As the outline of my plan started to take shape in my head, I decided that it would be best to have someone responsible for the face-to-face interactions, even though everything would be taken care of by the royal family.

My father is not without his reputation, and he even has the title of the Red Lion, so there’s no need to worry about being ignored. If all else fails, we can just watch and leave.

‘We need to pay more attention to security.’

Our territory hasn’t even started development, so crime is rare, but we never know.

Above all, there is something that concerns me the most. It’s not the capital or our territory, but the fact that we will be holding an exhibition, and there will undoubtedly be people who are suspicious of it.

The rough drafts from volume two to volume ten are all in my personal desk drawer. I sealed it tightly with a lock, but it’s wise to be prepared in case of a draft theft.

“Rina, I have a favor to ask of you…”

“You want me to focus on security? Don’t worry, I’ll send a group of knights from the palace.”

How do the people around me read my mind so well? It’s amazing.

Still, I should be grateful that they’re sending knights from the palace. I bowed my head and expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you. Honestly, I wanted to see the exhibition too. If the exhibition goes smoothly, I’ll definitely repay you.”

“No, there’s no need to repay us. We just need to work harder to uphold the Empire’s name. You can just enjoy the artwork presented by the artists.”

“You must be under a lot of pressure with the time constraint. Can you really finish everything within two weeks?”

It’s not as big as the Olympics, and it’s an event that is primarily driven by fan enthusiasm, but for leaders like Rina, it’s really important. 

Above all, she feels even more pressure psychologically because the original creator is right in front of her. When I expressed my concern, Rina smiled and replied in a low voice.

“Even if it’s not perfect, we have to do it. It’s money overflowing into our empire, so we can’t not do it even if it’s hastily made.”

Then she looked at me and muttered quietly.

“…I’m sorry.”

It seemed like there were many complex reasons why our territory was chosen. I looked at Rina with a solemn expression and gave her some words of encouragement.

“Stay strong.” 

As for me, I just need to prepare and open a bag of popcorn.

*****

It was around the time when news came out one after another that major figures from various countries around the world would attend the exhibition.

There were growing concerns that the exhibition would not be like an exhibition, and as too many nobles gathered, even the common people began to look around cautiously.

As the eyes of the exhibition’s participants began to increase too much, the artisans gradually felt burdened. They had organized the exhibition out of respect and fandom(?) for Xenon’s Biography, but there was a riot outside.

If things continued like this, there was a high possibility that the original meaning of “culture that anyone can enjoy” would be lost.

Until Isaac’s words, which were left behind a week before the exhibition was held, were revealed.

[Everyone, please put down your pens for a moment and enjoy. So that it can be a happy memory for everyone.]

As soon as those words came out, something amazing happened. News of who would attend from which country disappeared, and only the words that the exhibition was being prepared were mentioned.

Thanks to that, the politically complicated exhibition could return to its festival meaning.

Artists could now focus on their work without feeling burdened.

When everyone who loved Xenon’s Biography smiled with happiness in the festive atmosphere, there was someone who couldn’t laugh…

“Ah, fuck. Those Elders. I missed the timing.”

It was Arwen, the queen of Alvenheim, who missed the attendance timing due to bickering with the Elders.

She frowned as she looked at the newspaper that Rain had delivered.

If she officially declared that she would attend, it would be like striking a match in this festive atmosphere.

Originally, she planned to attend the exhibition to fulfill her personal ambition and to find information on the author. However, the Elders strongly opposed it.

Do they really need to go to such a place? On the contrary, they said they should come to Alvenheim from their side.

Arwen stared at the newspaper intensely and muttered quietly.

“…That won’t do. It’ll be okay for just a day.”

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