Chapter 579 – Publishing Contracts and Manuscript Fees

000

After returning to the Dark Dragon Company and informing them of the business, Cleon and his party were escorted by Calia to Herti’s office.

As always, Herti was skimming through various papers with his cat Bahamut on his lap her, skimming through them skillfully, and the sight of him moving his brush her with his eyes closed made him feel like a craftsman.

“Author, I want to know the identity of ‘Canon’. Is it…”

“Ah. I thought some of the novels he was writing might be hints at what we’re after.”

Hearing Cleon’s words, Hertie closed her mouth for a moment with a rare troubled face, then he let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong? …Is it hard to tell? Did you sign a contract like that?”

When Layla asked Herti’s question, as if puzzled by Hertie’s reaction to her, Hertie nodded with a slightly worried expression.

“No, it’s okay about the contract… But the hard part is as Layla said. We don’t know what kind of person Kanon is either.”

As she spoke, she put down the brush she was holding and moved it over Bahamut’s head on her lap.

“It was hundreds of years ago that Kanon signed an exclusive publishing contract with us. From his first work his to his latest work his, only we can reproduce the manuscript. But manuscripts are found really occasionally and suddenly. In some cases, it takes literally months, and in others it takes decades. None of us have ever seen Kanon in person, nor do we know where it lives.”

“… He really makes me curious about his true identity. Then, does n’t that mean it might not be just one person? If anyone calls themselves Kanon…”

When Cleon listened to Herti’s explanation and replied, Hertie shook her head and denied Cleon.

“It’s not that many unspecified people call themselves Kanon like that… I don’t think so. They’re properly paying manuscript fees and royalties.”

“How? You don’t even know where you live?”

From what I’ve heard so far, neither Hertie nor the Dark Dragon Company knows the real name, gender, age, and address of the unknown author, Kanon.

Nonetheless, if there was a flow of money between the writer and the merchant, it was an unmistakable fact that there had to be a point of contact somewhere.

“That’s using a bit of an unusual method.”

Then, Calia would intervene from the side and answer their questions instead of Herti.

“What is it? He Buried it somewhere and told me to go find it?”

When Layla smirks at Calia’s words, Calia looks at Layla with a slightly surprised face.

“…No, really?”

I guess she didn’t expect to be surprised by what she said.

Layla spoke in amazement at Calia’s reaction to her, and Hertie responded with a bitter laugh.

“Yes. It’s embarrassing. It’s just as Calia said.”

At the same time, the story that Herti explained was the story of the ‘transaction method’ that has continued from the time ‘Canon’ and ‘Dark Dragon Merchants’ first started trading until now.

001

Hundreds of years ago, the Amryong Chamber of Commerce was buzzing with parcels arriving at the current lord of the Chamber.

What arrived was a similarly worn book wrapped in a worn-out cloth.

The book, which is thought to be the author’s handprints, has the name of the author, ‘Canon’, and the contents are a novel based on history.

A page of history that people don’t know much about.

The story, which unfolds as if it were pulled out and stretched out on both sides like melted cheese, was different from the existing interpretation to the extent that historians foamed at the mouth.

However, the content that makes you look forward to the next one, an unprecedented development even in terms of the times at the time.

Thanks to the depiction as if it came to life right in front of your eyes, the Sanghoju of the time became a prisoner of the canon’s book at once.

You can’t see this great book alone. Sang-ju Sang-joo, who thought he wanted to somehow get people to read this book, searched for the author and tried to find the author, but the result of the investigation was that there was no such person.

In the end, even though the Dark Dragon Company couldn’t find the canon, they mass-produced the book and published it in the East.

As a result, Kanon’s books evoked a lot of attention even at the time, and were a hit among nobles and commoners alike.

It was in the hands of people after going through several trials.

Thanks to this, the Amryong Company made a big profit, and if someone acknowledged that this book was their work, I was thinking of giving him a portion of the profits-

A week after the book started selling, just as the Dark Dragon Company thought, a letter arrived at the company, just like when the previous manuscript arrived.

In that letter, there was a letter claiming to be Kanon and a part of the manuscript for the next work that seemed to prove it.

Upon first seeing the article, the merchant recognized that it was Kanon himself, and Kanon claimed in the letter that he was also entitled to part of the money from the sale of the book.

And in that letter, he ordered half of the book’s proceeds to be buried in a place he designated.

If he didn’t do that, it was accompanied by a ridiculous threat that he would not write a new book anymore, but it was an effective threat that couldn’t be more effective for Sanghoiju, who was already a fan of Kanon.

However, the upper house also had an idea.

It must have been the judgment that if Kanon found out where he lived, he would be able to monopolize the rights to the work, as well as support his creative activities from his company.

From preparing the money to burying it in the location designated by the merchant, it was as requested by Kanon.

After that, several members of the company hid themselves around it, trying to catch Kanon, the writer, in the scene where he was looking for the money.

However, it seemed that I had already read their thoughts.

Somehow, even after several days of hiding, the person presumed to be Kanon did not come to retrieve the money.

In the end, after about a week of hiding, the people of the upper world, who could not wait any longer, decided that the letter was a joke and tried to recover the money by digging the pit where they buried the money again.

However, when they dug up the ground again with a shovel, the money bag they had buried was gone.

Naturally, everyone there was perplexed.

There was no trace of witchcraft or magic, and I looked around to see if they had dug a tunnel.

Even if you dig a little, you will hit the hard rock layer, and it was a place where you could not dig a tunnel without using a large excavator.

However, with the money already gone, Sanghoe had no choice but to give up and return to find Kanon.

And after another few months, Kanon sent a new manuscript and contacted me to put in the manuscript fee in the same way.

Even after that, there was a bounty that would give a huge amount of money to those who find Kanon’s identity, or they would reward them even if they only brought back Kanon’s sightings.

I tried most of what I could do as a high society, but in the end, I failed to grasp the identity of Kanon until the life span of the current high society ended.

Nevertheless, Kanon sent manuscripts every few years, and regardless of the death of the merchant, he continued to write and received money from the merchant.

The contract between Kanon and Sanghoi, which continued in this way, has continued to this day, hundreds of years after his first work his, ‘The Tale of the Twin Shrine Maidens’.

002

“He was such a well-known writer… The first thing I heard was because books don’t come in the kingdom?”

“Yes. One of the conditions for handing over the manuscript was that it was sold only in the Eastern countries. The merchants at the time thought that alternative historical novels in the Eastern countries could not be sold in the kingdom, so there was no case of handing over the manuscript to the kingdom. It’s like.”

After Herti answered Laila’s question, he quietly drank the tea.

“When was the last time you received a manuscript?”

“I think it was about three years ago? I remember it because I went with the people who asked for money bags myself. Right Calia?”

“Yes. As Herti-sama said, the last time I published a book by a canon author was three years ago.”

“Have you read Tokoyo?”

“Yeah, I don’t read books like that… So I didn’t even know the name. I usually stayed inside the temple and didn’t go out.”

At Cleon’s question, Tokoyo shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Well, it was a bit unexpected, but it was probably just something I didn’t like.

Even Cleon couldn’t read what her expression was like behind the mask of her.

“By the way… To write for hundreds of years. It’s very likely that he isn’t a ‘human’. This, I’m even more curious about, the identity of the writer.”

Lila makes a V with her thumb and forefinger and brings it to her chin, while Cleon talks with her “Hmm” And a look as if she is deeply concerned about something.

“The handwriting changed in the middle… Wasn’t there anything like that? If that’s the case, you might think that someone is writing the writing in succession.”

“Ah. If that’s the case… That didn’t happen.”

At Cleon’s words her, Calia shook her head and answered his question her.

“Rather, should I say that the handwriting is too neat … Her manuscript didn’t feel like it was written with a ‘human hand’ somewhere.”

“Hehe… That bothers me. Can you show me?”

At Lyla’s request, Calia called Herti’s name for her.

Perhaps, that part requires the permission of the upper house lord.

“Of course. If knowing her identity her is for the sake of the Eastern country, then there is no reason to refuse. Besides, I am also concerned about the identity of the writer who twists and turns the history that people know for hundreds of years. “

With Herti’s permission her, Calia bowed her head and she walked out of her office with a slithering, natural step-

Soon after, she returns with a wad of paper in her hand.

“The most recent manuscript I received… It’s ‘The Smiling Warrior’.”

“The smiling hero… Rani, is it possible that the story is related to Lecia?”

As Calia said her title to her, she put down a stack of papers on the desk, and Cleon was surprised by the number of pages, and the title once more.

“Yes. It seems to be an adaptation of Lesia-sama’s adventure story when she visited the Eastern country…”

“Where do you want to check?”

When Lila lifts a few sheets from the top of the stack of papers and examines the Eastern characters written on them-

“…Yes?”

Noticing that something, the paper is strange, he raises his eyebrows.

“What… What material is this? Of course it’s not parchment, and it’s not even papyrus. Is there such a stiff, white paper?”

“Ah. That’s… We’re also surprised every time we receive a manuscript. No matter what, we can’t confirm the original material of the paper… Now we’re assuming that.”

In response to Layla’s question and Calia’s answer, Cleon and Tokoyo carefully read the manuscript.

They couldn’t help but be surprised at the papers that had very different characteristics from the paper they knew so far.

If I did it wrong, it was as if I would cut the tips of my fingers with the paper.

“Even on paper… The things written here. No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like it was written with ink and a brush. Rather… A machine? And, maybe it’s ink. It’s neatly processed without smearing.”

And, as Tokoyo said.

The letters of the Eastern countries stretched out on the paper were not visible as they were handwritten one by one.

Manuscripts that appear to have the same characters, exactly the same size, the same shape, and the same habits.

“This… Smells like it.”

Lila examines the paper and raises the corner of her mouth her.

“Is it the smell? Surely the old paper smells…”

When Herti grins and jokes, Layla raises her voice, ‘Not like that!’

“It smells like ancient technology! Paper like this, and writing like this- No, should I say this is printing? I’ve never seen a technology like this before. It’s hard to make unless it’s ancient technology.”

“Print… After all, it’s not a human handwriting.”

Lyla nodded at Calia’s words.

“There are more reasons to seek Kanon. At the same time as digging out what she knows … I also need to see the ancient technology she possesses. Hopefully, she can put the means against Adam in her hands her. Could there be be?”

Layla covers her mouth and laughs ‘Nihihi’.

In her eyes her, there was curiosity and at the same time the pleasure of meeting new technologies.

“But how? From what I’ve heard, he’s the guy who can take a buried gold coin without a trace, right?”

While Cleon acknowledges Layla’s learning spirit her, which is on fire, she is trying to overcome the situation where she is not aware of how to find Kanon.

If it’s Lila, she asks if she’s come up with a method, but she just laughs and answers naturally.

“That must be ancient technology too! You’ll know when you go and check the site yourself. Hertie, can you tell me where it is?”

“Okay. Calia, the map.”

When Herti tells Calia to hand over her map without worrying about Layla’s words her, she leaves her room with a sigh as before, and then she comes back and hands the map to Layla.

“The red dot marked on this map is the place where we ask Kanon to hand over the manuscript fee. Please do not lose it.”

“I know. It’s not as far away as I thought~. It’s a small hill just a little north of Asteris, right?”

As Layla hums her tune, she checks her received map and tries to fold it nicely-

“Eek!? Outside of Asteris!?”

Tokoyo, who was watching it from the side, raised a screaming voice.

“…By the way?”

When Cleon turns his head towards Tokoyo and asks quietly, Tokoyo grabs his head and talks.

“Ugh…Then I can’t go with you!”

“Ah… That’s right. There is a rule that the priestess cannot go outside of Asteris.”

“Is it like that? If it’s like that, it can’t be helped.”

Layla gives Tokoyo heartless comfort and gets up from her seat her.

“Now then, let’s hurry up and get back before the sun goes down! Ancient technology- no no, Kanon is waiting for us~!”

“Oh, hey! Wait!”

Cleon talks to Tokoyo, pulling her own arm and trying to stop Laila from walking away.

“Sorry, Tokoyo. Anyway, thank you for trying to help. The two of us will go back today.”

And, Tokoyo blankly stared at Cleon, who was dragged away by Layla.

When Calia’s hand was placed on Tokoyo’s shoulder, her expression her with her eyes filled with sympathy for her was transmitted.

“No! I really don’t care!!”

The high priestess’s scream resounded throughout the chamber.

001

Pak! And if you think that there is a sound of something sharp digging the ground, there are piles of dug up dirt around you.

The place where Cleon was standing was inside a fairly deep pit.

There were traces of digging and burning this place several times, so after finding the map, I knew where to look.

The hill he came to with his shovel was not too far or too high, so he was able to reach it before the sun passed overhead.

Of course, Cleon is shoveling.

Layla had spread a barrier around her to prevent anyone from coming in, and was wary of some kind of magical reaction happening.

Cleon wiped the sweat from his forehead with her with the back of his hand.

The reason the shoveling stopped was because the shovel was blocked by ‘hard bedrock’, as Herti said.

“Lyla!”

“Huh? What came out?”

When Lyla, who was flying while looking around her for a while, came down to the ground at Cleon’s call, Cleon tapped the bedrock with the shovel he was holding.

Then- ‘kang-kang-‘ and there was a sound like metal colliding with each other.

“This… Looks more like metal than rock, doesn’t it?”

There, there was a white wall so strong that Cleon couldn’t dig it out with a shovel.

It has a smooth surface and is white, so it looks like marble, but its strength is incomparable to that.

“It seems to be right… There must be something down here! This is a metal similar to the wall of the laboratory in the wilderness!”

When Layla’s eyes her sparkled, Cleon nodded her head, feeling that he did too.

“…Then, is there an entrance somewhere?”

“Wait a minute.”

When Cleon said that and tried to dig around her more, Layla stopped Cleon and spread her hands her.

“I wish I knew it was this high. It’s faster to lift it all at once with magic than to dig it out with a shovel.”

Then, Cleon and Lyla’s bodies floated into the air.

After Cleon realizes that it is Lyla’s flying magic, she speaks as she feels a strong magical response gathering around her.

“…Don’t use spells that are too strong. You never know what will happen.”

“I know. It just blows away the piles of dirt around here! I’m not that good at wind magic…!”

It was rare for her to specialize in flame magic, but to use magic of other attributes.

Trying to use such intense magic, too, was something she didn’t see very often.

“Wind! Become the blade that turns all worlds into ashes equally! Cyclone Grinder!”

The magic of the gust of wind, activated with a short chant, quickly scrapes away the dirt on the floor where the two of them were standing until just now, and the surface hidden beneath the ground slowly begins to emerge.

Then- I could see a metal roof about as wide as the ground at the top of the hill.

“Bingo! Cleon, over there!”

And what Leila found was a small hole that seemed to be a circular entrance. It was closed, but it was visible that the shape of the groove and the splitting had a structure that only opened and closed that part.

“…Is it really a ruin… This place?”

“Well. At least there’s no way it has nothing to do with Kanon. I deliberately told you to bury the money in a place like this.”

Layla answered Cleon’s question in that way, and she slowly returned to the ground.

And, when the two of them approach the entrance they found and try to find a way to open it.

[Nu, nunnu… Who are you…!]

Suddenly, a voice came from beyond the entrance.

Cleon and Lyla looked at each other in surprise at the frightened voice, but Layla shut her mouth for a moment before replying.

“Yeah. You’re Kanon? I’m Lyla Flamewatch. I’m a wizard.”

[… Eh, Wizard? Why is the wizard here…! There must be only shaman in the eastern country…!]

Her panicked voice echoed in her, and Cleon opened her mouth as if to calm her down.

“Sorry. I apologize for coming so suddenly. Actually, I want to ask you something… About the book you wrote.”

[Chae, a book…? Ho, by any chance… Am I a fan…?]

“Huh? No, we’re-“

Cleon tries to say that, but Lila’s hand her chokes him.

“Ah- that’s right! Yes! I’m a fan of the great author of Kanon, so I came here myself! By any chance, could you open the door for me?”

Cleon looks at Lila as if she is serious.

Hehe. If that’s the case, there’s nothing you can do about it. Suh, I never thought that fans would come for the first time in hundreds of years. Please step back a little…]

However, seeing that such a lie also worked for Kanon, he once again put on a bewildered expression.

Then, when the two of them step back a bit as Kanon requested, the door opens with a vibrating sound.

[That, then… Please come in…]

When the passageway down to the basement, which was dark when it was opened, was illuminated and brightened, Cleon and Layla looked at each other for a moment and nodded.

Cleon goes down first, and Layla goes down after him, and the circular door that was opened closes.

And- the mechanical planks in the lid part moved, collecting the surrounding soil that had been blown away, and hiding the metal roof again.