Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: The Literature Contest Concludes
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"Wow."
Sponsorships were pouring in.
[Wow! M-4 has sponsored 10,000 Dragon Stones!]
[Wow! Galaxy has sponsored 40,000 Dragon Stones!]
[Wow! SF-Werewolf has sponsored 180,000 Dragon Stones!]
[Wow! Omega has...]
It went without saying, but receiving sponsorships from these mysterious benefactors wasn't just my privilege alone.
Countless other authors were getting them too, and naturally, they talked about the criteria.
The authors figured there were three main criteria.
'The effort put in by the author, the work's influence, and the subject matter.'
Stories written with care got more sponsorships than sloppy ones. The key here wasn't "good"—it was "hard work." Even if the final product was mediocre after endless revisions and edits, the sponsorships still came.
Then there was influence.
This correlated somewhat with popularity, but not always. Even a blockbuster averaging over 30,000 purchases might get little or no sponsorship if readers skimmed it without remembering the protagonist's name.
Finally, the subject matter.
Real-life inspired stories drew big sponsorships. That extended to social-issue novels and even journalists getting them.
And in that regard...
[Wow! M-4 has sponsored 2.97 million Dragon Stones!]
The sponsorships for *When New Sprouts Emerge* were top-tier.
"297 million won."
Lately, I was making money in the tens of billions, so it didn't make my hands shake or draw cheers like before. But who could call this sum small?
'To think it'd pull in sponsorships on the level of *Shine Light Heroic Saga*.'
Incredible. It was true that these mystery spenders—nicknamed "Furries"—were dumping insane cash into the novel scene, but nine-figure sponsorships were exceedingly rare.
Hundreds was the norm; a thousand was the max. Nearly 300 million was a staggering amount.
Oh, for reference.
"Furry" was the online slang for these enigmatic sponsors. It had nothing to do with furries or beastkin—just suspiciously rich donors. It was also a derogatory term because their tastes strayed far from normal sensibilities.
"Anyway... with this, the Empire Contest is over."
I checked Novel Arena, where the top banner read [Contest Ended], and reviewed the final purchase totals.
Emperor Knight Never ultimately landed at 3rd on Novel Arena. It barely scraped into the top 10 by average purchases but surged via a storm of uploads.
Some authors grumbled, "Quantity over quality?!" But what could you do? That was Novel Arena's rule.
And the talk of the town: *When New Sprouts Emerge* settled at 15th.
No superpowers for the protagonist, female lead, barely any romance—and what little there was shifted to middle age in part 2 and old age in part 3. A novel like that cracking the top 20 was unprecedented in genre contest history.
'The rest all averaged out.'
Two in the top 50, eight in the top 100, and the rest didn't even rank.
They all gave it their best, but pulling popularity in an isekai world where civilization levels differed so vastly wasn't easy. Emperor Knight Never and *When New Sprouts Emerge* were the outliers.
But it didn't matter.
I'd serialized over 600 works!
'I bulldozed with numbers.'
I'd dropped underperformers immediately and pumped out new ones. Dropping series was usually the most hated reader offense, but mine got no backlash—view counts barely hit double digits, so readers understood.
"Eh, that's just finding direction. Once the winners and examples set the bar, it'll improve... Time to buy stocks with this royalty check and patch the forum boards."
To revive literature in Ardenia, building a "serialization forum" was the surest bet.
Sure, only players could access it... but Humanity Empire players were multiplying at a scary rate.
"Log in."
I entered Ardenia and handed Flower the scoresheet.
"Announce it."
"The legendary pet's owner will finally be decided."
"Awards in a month. Here."
"Yes, Your Majesty... Oh my."
Flower skimmed the scoresheet and gasped.
"Surprising, right?"
"Yes. Who would've thought it'd turn out like this... What's this bonus score?"
"Well, if I had to say."
I chuckled and stood.
"Sponsorship from the transcendents."
* * *
New Year dawned. A time of brutal cold sweeping most of the continent, save the south.
Five years ago, everyone would've barricaded indoors. Now, things were different.
"Wow! Sis! It's so hot! Even short sleeves are too much!"
Hayes, driving the carriage, replied to the red-haired girl who looked early to mid-teens.
"They say underground is warmer than the surface. Plus, with this many using the underways."
The eight-lane underways teemed with people.
Some strolled with a simple bag; others rode horses, oxen, alpacas, camels—every mount imaginable. Carriages pulled by one or two beasts, up to six or seven.
Huge crowds, but the vast, well-zoned underways had zero traffic issues. They walked or galloped lanes divided by speed. Roads reinforced with transcendent-grade elemental power stayed dust-free and rock-solid.
Underways were naturally dim, but lanterns and magilights everywhere prevented collisions.
"Last rest stop before Earth Castle! Quench your thirst with cool groundwater and try White Castle's specialty—lizard skewers!"
"4-person overnight for just 50 gold~! Day use 15 gold! Rest up!"
State-run rest stops dotted the underways, serving empire citizens.
Hayes watched, nostalgic.
"It's changing so fast..."
Compared to five years ago, it was beyond imagination. Even more so recalling the pre-regression world.
The Great Emperor, the Savior—his presence was that monumental.
"So many people on the move."
Red, the red-haired girl in the carriage, muttered.
She'd been a noble house slave; Hayes, knowing her [future], had saved her amid thousands of foes.
"That's how big this contest is."
"So someone else wins the prize. Why rush like this?"
"It's a festival alongside the awards. Plus, they say Earth Castle is gorgeous."
"More than Iron Castle?"
"Didn't you see the floating text? 'Castle of Art and Festival.' Flashier than a steel-and-giant fortress, obviously."
Hayes smirked and urged on Sting, pulling the carriage.
Onlookers whispered.
"Iron-armored rhino..."
"Jealous... Wasn't that His Majesty's ride once?"
"Look at that shiny hide... Gonna buy one someday when I'm rich..."
Earth Castle—least populated of the eight mythic citadels—now swarmed with masses. Not just far-travelers like Hayes and Red; countless empire folk who could afford trips flocked for the festival and awards.
Thus, on awards day...
Hundreds of thousands packed Earth Castle.
"Waaaaah!"
"Emperor Majesty!"
Humanity Empire's great emperor, Han Jaeyeon, faced the 1st Empire Literature Festival winner amid roaring cheers.
"With your astonishing skill, you moved heaven and earth. Thus, I, Han Jaeyeon, Emperor of Humanity Empire, bestow the Literature Nova Medal, 5th-grade Author Certificate, and Legendary Pet Selection Right. Winner, step forward."
"Winner, step forward!"
At the knights' echoing command, the winner rose.
A calm elderly man.
Rozarian Tree.
"Well done."
"An honor, Your Majesty."
She ultimately claimed victory. Emperor Knight Never dominated total purchases, but post-completion sponsorships flipped it all.
It got sponsorships too—but 8 million won couldn't hold the throne.
"Your options are these. Come forth, Kasim."
Boom!
"Ooh—!"
The crowd gasped at the spectral white drake.
"Roaring Drake Kasim. Issues Divine Roar, flies swifter and nimbler than a swallow. Ride him, cross the continent in a day."
In the past, unaware of cash shop persistence, Jaeyeon deleted Kasim monthly to import him. With reliable subordinates, he'd planned a drake legion.
'Just a dream.'
Kasim, granted not pulled, recognized him as master even when transferred. Subordinates could summon but not command—hence the issue.
In the end, Jaeyeon synthesized them all.
Not a total loss. He gained equivalent legendary pets.
"Come forth, Jenta."
Whoosh.
A 5-meter giant landed beside Jaeyeon. No human, obviously. One-eyed: a Cyclops.
"Cyclops Samurai Jenta. Heavenly Bright Dragon God Style instructor—not super useful. But... strong."
No mount, no buffs—just overwhelming combat power. Players who pulled him used him over buffer pets in auto-hunt.
"And last."
Jaeyeon dismissed Jenta and summoned the next.
"Come forth, Sweet Home."
Pop!
With a light bang, a small house appeared onstage. Citizens gawked in wonder.
"House of Serenity: Sweet Home. Far vaster inside than out, guarantees near-absolute safety within."
A housing pet. Creates safe zones anywhere; passive recovery buffs inside.
Citizens groaned in awe.
"God, even for legendaries..."
"Not just Kasim—they're all insane. A swordmaster giant? Legendaries are Sword Master-tier at least!"
"And that house? Summon anywhere? Near-absolute safety..."
Amid the amazement, Rozarian stayed composed. Eyes closed then open, she asked.
"Your Majesty. Might I know the difference between base and bonus scores?"
Jaeyeon paused at the unexpected question, then smiled.
"Base is popularity. Bonus is from a special few."
"I see."
"Decided?"
She nodded.
"Yes. My choice is..."
Rozarian chose. A grand festival followed, but she retreated to her lodging, citing fatigue.
"Popularity."
Door shut, the room hushed magically. Rozarian opened the forum.
It held contest winners plus emperor-posted works. She'd read them repeatedly.
Unbeknownst to her, they were Earth novels. Transcribing Ardenia to Earth worked both ways.
"Popularity..."
She smiled faintly, picked up her pen. Her life-spanning work just ended, yet inspiration boiled.
Who'd guess late in life she'd burn so bright?
"That's why life is fun."
Scratch scratch.
Rozarian calmly titled her new work.
[After the Gate.]
Then the subtitle.
[How to Live as a Writer in a Fantasy World.]
Of course, the contest was over.
But...
The seeds of Ardenia's genre literature...
Were just beginning to sprout.