NOVEL WEB Chapter 172
“What do you mean by that?”
Cartel, surprised by Adrian’s statement, quickly composed himself and countered.
Although it was overshadowed by the Borus Empire, it was a historic nation serving as the leader of the kingdom alliance opposing it.
With pride for such Sylvania, Cartel found it hard to dismiss Adrian’s words about having no future.
“Do you know what I saw in the Empire?”
“I understand that the Empire is vast and populous, but our Sylvania….”
“It isn’t about material gain.”
“What then are you trying to say?”
“It’s culture.”
Adrian did not believe that the economy or military would threaten Sylvania.
The Empire had its dangers tied to its size.
There were no friendly nations around, and many within were just waiting for the Empire’s collapse, so they never fully utilized that immense power.
“Your Highness! Our Sylvania has a rich history and culture to be proud of. Right now, you are referring to the Empire’s….”
“That’s not it, Chancellor.”
Adrian knew well what Cartel was getting at.
Sylvania had a historical advantage over the Empire, boasting esteemed orchestras and theaters, drawing nobles from other countries to experience them.
Thus, Sylvania held a firm pride, believing it could never be inferior to the Empire in culture.
“Are you familiar with these?”
“This is….”
Cartel instantly recognized the items Adrian presented.
“They’re fairy tales and comic books trending in the Empire.”
“Exactly.”
“Do you mean to say that such trivial things would dictate the kingdom’s future?”
“Trivial, you say….”
As Cartel’s irritation grew, Adrian shook his head and replied.
“How many of our Sylvania commoners can read or write, excluding the nobility?”
“That is….”
“Recently, over half the populace in rural villages of the Empire can read.”
“Eh? How is that possible?”
“Because of this.”
Adrian lifted the fairy tale books and comic books that Cartel deemed trivial.
“Can you believe the commoners learned to read for this?”
“Just because of this….”
Though Cartel might have been a bit stubborn, he was no fool.
He understood well what it meant for commoners to learn to read.
‘Even if only 30% of the Empire’s commoners can read, how many talented individuals would arise?’
A large population also meant a higher probability of genius.
However, the majority of the population, being commoners, often wasted their potential simply because they were illiterate.
This is why every nation strives to provide various educational opportunities to the common folk.
‘What good does learning bring? If they can farm well, that’s enough.’
Commoners, preoccupied with immediate survival, saw no necessity to learn how to read.
As such, encouraging literacy among common folks was nothing short of a dream for those managing the nation, if not the nobility.
Of course, they understood that higher consciousness among the commoners might pose a burden to the monarchy, but as long as the royal system was maintained correctly, the gains far outweighed the risks.
“That’s not all.”
Now that he realized Adrian’s claims were not in vain, Cartel’s expression shifted.
Focused on Adrian’s continuing words, he listened closely.
“This is a work by the Chancellor, correct?”
“Are you aware of it?”
What Adrian held was a copy of the “Iron-Blooded Alchemist,” made under Cartel’s direction.
“If I had remained in the kingdom, I would have thought like the Chancellor.”
“This was a failure.”
“Do you know why it failed?”
At Adrian’s question, Cartel pondered for a moment before answering what he considered the reason for the copy’s failure.
“First, the nobility were the problem. They disliked the idea of seeing a copy like commoners would.”
Cartel believed that the noble class, who should set an example, obtaining genuine Empire pieces had led to a bad trend that caused his duplication plan to fail.
“It was not just that.”
“Then there are other reasons?”
“This is the original; this is the copy. Do you see the difference?”
Cartel compared the original Adrian brought out with the copy he had instructed to create.
‘What’s the difference?’
At a glance, it seemed like the only difference was a slight variance in color and cleanliness.
However, thinking Adrian wouldn’t have made this comparison for no reason, Cartel picked up the book, opened it, and compared them once more.
“What?! There was such a difference….”
Only then did Cartel realize his mistake.
It seemed the paper quality of the copy, aimed at selling at a low price, had been significantly poor.
‘I read it just once and it’s already falling apart.’
‘Even if it’s cheap, isn’t this pushing it too far?’
‘I saw someone with a genuine Empire edition; it looked brand new even after dozens of reads.’
In fact, just because the nobles sought genuine Empire originals didn’t mean the commoners mindlessly followed suit.
Given that the copy was cheaper than the genuine article, commoners likely would have bought it if the quality were comparable.
Unfortunately, no matter how cheap the copies were, their inferior quality made them easy to pass over, even by commoners.
“Currently, animation is trending in the Empire.”
“I have heard of it, but I have yet to see it in person.”
“I plan to bring it directly to the kingdom soon.”
“Eh? Your Highness! With just these fairy tale books and comic books, the kingdom is already facing severe consequences!”
“Then we must bring it in.”
Despite Cartel’s franticness, Adrian remained calm.
“Culture isn’t something you can stem simply by trying to stop it. The more we try to block it, the more we become just frogs in a well.”
Having been by Rupert’s side, witnessing the forefront of the Empire’s culture, Adrian had the utmost certainty.
Over the past year at the Academy, he had constantly witnessed the influx of new cultural trends and their impacts, leading him to believe that if they did not ride this wave, they would be left behind.
“We share a border with the Empire, which means we cannot evade its influence.”
-Then we must utilize that to survive!
The Empire’s culture had already spread throughout the entire Sylvania continent.
Some nations attempted to stop it, while others had already succumbed to the allure of these new trends.
‘If we cannot become Yuren, then let’s be like Vera.’
This was a saying circulating recently in the Empire’s commercial districts.
Joining hands with Rupert, using culture as a weapon to conquer the Empire’s commercial districts and rise to prominence as the foremost merchant association instead of merely one of the seven.
However, merchants were even more amazed by Vera’s ascension to the second place among the seven merchant associations.
‘The Vera Merchant Guild, once estimated to dwindle, seized the second spot among the seven with an advanced merger.’
At first, the Vera Merchant Guild aimed to keep pace with the Yuren Merchant Association but soon concluded that it was falling behind and swiftly pursued a strategic merger instead.
Initially, there were whispers of discontent:
‘Tsk tsk, the Vera Merchant Guild has really fallen behind.’
‘Indeed, though Yuren is thriving, they shouldn’t just crawl under their competition.’
‘Soon this will be reduced from seven merchant associations to six.’
With no dignity to speak of, they criticized the Vera Merchant Guild for bending the knee to a rival, but that reaction quickly changed once Vera began its successive successes.
From the Somerset Theater project to launching membership programs and boosting exports, everything Vera ventured into flourished, asserting tremendous power over the Empire’s commercial districts.
As Yuren swiftly grew, it lacked the foundational strength to manage its scale, making the formidable support of the Vera Merchant Guild the perfect partner.
Thus, the Vera Merchant Guild quickly succeeded in claiming the second-in-command position behind the rapidly expanding Yuren.
People then coined the new proverb: if you can’t become Yuren, be like Vera.
“It would already be quite difficult to catch up to the Empire’s cultural initiatives, even if the citizens begin culture projects on their own.”
“Then the kingdom level support is essential.”
“Eh? Are you saying it needs to be pushed that far?!”
“We cannot bring down the Empire with mere swords anymore.”
Wondering whether such late cultural boosts could even match the Empire, Adrian explained the direction the kingdom must take.
“Even now, kingdoms must unite to face the Empire. What if some among them decide to ally with the Empire?”
At Adrian’s words, Cartel felt a chill run down his spine.
The kingdoms were all too aware of the Empire’s ambition to unify the continent, which is why they were tightly cooperating just to keep the Empire at bay.
If any alliance were to falter, they would truly have no way to prevent the Empire from moving forward.
“They would all know that if their union breaks, it’s only a matter of time before their turn comes as well; there’s no way they would do something so foolish!”
“The Empire is attempting to accomplish that impossible feat through culture.”
Adrian believed he understood the power of culture more than anyone in the kingdom.
Thus, the only way to stand against the Empire was for the Sylvania kingdom to possess a culture that rivaled theirs.
‘An individual cannot compete with Professor Rupert’s works, no amount of effort will suffice. Thus, those must be supported on a kingdom level.’
“The Crown has just returned to the palace.”
The conversation with Cartel concluded with the voice of an attendant announcing the king’s return.
“I must meet with my father first.”
Adrian thought that if everyone knew what he was preparing for the kingdom’s cultural revival, they would undoubtedly be astonished, and he proceeded on his way.