Chapter 528: Attention Seeker(1)
Chapter 528: Attention Seeker(1)
As everyone knew, before the appearance of the Xenon Chronicle, the books in this world were exclusively filled with profound, dense philosophy.
Even the educated nobility found them abstruse; many were impossible to understand, let alone interpret. To borrow Isaac’s phrasing, they were like CSAT English problems that even a Brit or an American couldn't solve.
Because of this, even those who received an education inevitably distanced themselves from books unless they had a specific interest. One only had to look at how the number of literature students at Halo Academy was pathetically low before the Xenon Chronicle craze.
Even if someone with talent appeared, the established elite who held a tight grip on the status quo would view them with nothing but disdain. Most published authors were nobles, and even if one published anonymously, they were bound to be discovered the moment the elite decided to dig.
Furthermore, cases like the Xenon Chronicle, which became a global hit, were almost non-existent. Most new sprouts were trampled before they could even bloom.
[Xenon didn't just make difficult books easy. He created new vocabulary and ensured that literature could be enjoyed by everyone, not just a specific class.]
The Xenon Chronicle shattered the existing paradigms of the literary world. It possessed a level of readability and prose that made every sentence come alive in the reader's mind. It took difficult concepts and refined them into simple language, all while maintaining pure entertainment value.
Literary merit and mass appeal—it went beyond simply killing two birds with one stone. Isaac’s past life had a significant influence on this. Though Isaac himself didn't fully realize it, many of the terms he used were brought over from his previous world.
He introduced various terms derived from Baduk, such as "life and death," "vulnerable points," "strategic placements," and "brilliant moves." However, since he was essentially creating words that didn't exist in this world, he never forgot to include footnotes.
If it weren't for those explanations, readers would have been too busy trying to "interpret" the text like any other book. Adding those footnotes turned out to be a stroke of genius.
[This is a book read only by the foolish. Books should not be easy.]
[Reading such ignorant books will only make one ignorant as well.]
[It is nothing more than mere entertainment. There is nothing to be gained from reading it.]
The famous figures of the literary world, who held absolute power, criticized the Xenon Chronicle one after another. They were already annoyed by the appearance of a book so fundamentally different from their own, and its soaring popularity only fueled their insecurity.
They wanted to track Isaac down, but it was difficult since he kept his identity strictly hidden at the time. Above all, because the entire world's attention was focused on him, they couldn't take any direct action. They could only flood the press with criticism.
[Books are not written to be solved like riddles. They are a medium for conveying knowledge.]
[If our descendants cannot read and understand a book, then why does it exist? It’s nothing more than kindling.]
[Books should be accessible. But at the same time, they must contain profound philosophy. Making sentences unnecessarily difficult does not make the philosophy deeper.]
However, the number of people already captivated by the Xenon Chronicle was far greater. Moreover, there were many who harbored latent dissatisfaction with the old guard, forcing the critics to shut their mouths. The atmosphere was such that they felt they might truly be ostracized if they spoke up. It wasn't an exaggeration; a few critics who spoke out of turn were quietly buried by public sentiment.
Now that Isaac’s influence pierced the very heavens, no one would listen to such criticisms anyway.
[The success of the Xenon Chronicle has led to a surge in book sales...]
[Philosophers are calling this the 'trickle-down effect.' The mere act of being introduced to books through the Xenon Chronicle...]
[As book sales increase, the overall standard of literature students at the academies is rising.]
[The number of applicants for the literature departments at Ters Academy and Halo Academy has increased significantly...]
Furthermore, since an unexpected trickle-down effect had occurred, staying silent was the best course of action. Not only nobles but also commoners began to pick up books. A new wind was blowing through the literary world, all thanks to the Xenon Chronicle.
Of course, because the series was so popular, a publisher once tried to hold a contest similar to it and got lambasted for it. Nevertheless, the popularity of books continued to rise daily, and that didn't change even after the Xenon Chronicle concluded.
The release of Blood and Iron was no different. Countless people rushed to buy it, eager for anything written by Isaac.
However, a problem arose.
[If Xenon had given more detailed warnings, the damage might have been less.]
[There is a vast difference between knowing and not knowing.]
[But Xenon is not a god. Furthermore, Luminous and Mora have stated that the responsibility does not lie with Xenon...]
[Even so, isn't it true that he just stood by and watched the damage happen?]
After the Great Depression, a very tiny "crack" had formed. A small fissure appeared in Isaac’s reputation, which had once seemed absolutely unbreakable.
Isaac had made efforts to resolve the Great Depression, albeit a bit late, and things actually showed signs of improvement after the introduction of the magical locomotive. However, a small minority of people still looked upon him with cold eyes. Regardless of the outcome, it was a fact that people had suffered because of the Great Depression.
The fickleness of humanity, which Mora had demonstrated through her ascetic training, was beginning to show its fragments. Of course, even with a blemish on his record, his fame was such that no one dared to challenge him openly. Even if they did, people would only look at Isaac with sympathy, and the challenger's cries would be drowned out.
But what if, instead of a direct assault, someone pried into that tiny "crack"? What would happen then?
"Is that really true? The story that Hitler turns into a madman and massacres countless people?"
"Can you take responsibility for those words? If this is a baseless lie, you won't be forgiven!"
The nation of culture, the Kingdom of Ters.
In the plaza of Kerchersheim, the kingdom's capital and one of its most beautiful regions. As a nation of culture, it was famous as a city where numerous artists came and went, boasting of their works.
The plaza was always bustling because of the gathering artists, but today it felt even noisier than usual. No, it was noisier, because a massive crowd had gathered in one spot.
In the center of the buzzing crowd, a makeshift platform had been erected, and a man stood upon it with an air of confidence.
"What I say is the truth! Xenon is merely deceiving us with his wicked prose! You must not be fooled!"
The man had wrinkles across his face, suggesting his age, and his expression looked stubborn and grumpy. If Isaac had seen the man on the platform, his face would have reminded him of a certain former US President.
The difference was that his hair was a brownish-black rather than bright blonde, but the middle-aged man's surly impression was incredibly distinct. This man was currently doing more than just disparaging the Hitler who appeared in Blood and Iron; he was tearing him to shreds.
"Never trust Xenon! That man is deceiving us with a wicked plot!"
The man shouting at the top of his lungs in the plaza was North Fin Lamus. He was a noble of the Kingdom of Ters and had once been a master novelist in the literary world. He was one of the writers who had been socially buried after criticizing the Xenon Chronicle during its peak.
And now, he was garnering immense attention by tearing Blood and Iron to pieces.
"Hey! Didn't you get crushed for doing the same thing during the Xenon Chronicle? Just stay home and write your own books, you old man!"
A commoner who recognized North’s face pointed a finger and criticized him harshly. In any other country, he could have been dragged away immediately for insulting a noble, but this was the Kingdom of Ters. "Freedom" was legally guaranteed here, and even if he were dragged away, the Commoners' Assembly would step in to protect him.
Perhaps because of that, once the commoner’s sharp criticism broke the ice, others joined in.
"Yeah! There have been so many interesting books coming out lately, so why are you acting up all of a sudden? Have you gone senile?"
"Let's hear it then. You're saying that Hitler—who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, and is even a vegetarian—commits massacres? That sounds like a cat barking like a dog."
"Hahahaha!"
As expected of the kingdom of culture. When a commoner offered such a colorful metaphor, the plaza instantly erupted in laughter. North felt a surge of anger at the phenomenon of people being more interested in mocking him than listening to his voice, but he barely managed to suppress it.
Hadn't he expected at least this much? He just had to explain slowly from now on.
‘Of course, I don't have any proper evidence, but...’
To be honest, he couldn't provide evidence. He was just making wild claims. Had he even read Blood and Iron? He had. But it only fueled his irritation.
Because it was the next work of Isaac, the author of the Xenon Chronicle, which had caused a massive tidal wave in the literary world—including himself. When the Xenon Chronicle ended, he thought that low-quality work was finally over.
The changing winds of the literary world? He thought he could easily change them back. With Isaac gone, who would dare to hold their ground?
But then, what do you know? Not long after the Xenon Chronicle ended, Blood and Iron appeared. It even pioneered an entirely different world, a new genre called "Fantasy." In a different sense, its impact was even stronger than the Xenon Chronicle.
For North, who had once lived a life of honor, it was a situation that could give him a heart attack from sheer stress. Having already fallen from grace after criticizing the Xenon Chronicle, he was spending his final years in a miserable, pathetic state.
‘But it doesn't matter. As long as I can leave a bigger stain on that damn reputation...!’
In that situation, an opportunity had arrived. The Great Depression had broken out as a butterfly effect of Blood and Iron. A single blemish had appeared on Isaac’s sky-high reputation, and actual victims had emerged.
North aimed for this. He had waited for the right moment, synthesizing the words he had previously fed to the press. All to make that blemish even larger. To give a massive middle finger to Isaac, the man who had ruined him.
Crucially, didn't he have a very reliable "sponsor"? They had promised to be his backer as long as he played his part well.
And today was that day. Utilizing a cold, calculated rage rather than a hot one, he shouted with all his might.
"As I said before, Hitler and Nazi Germany are villains! Do you truly believe the process by which Hitler took power was righteous?"
"Then how did he take power? Did Hitler do something illegal? It was all legal."
He was countered. As one citizen said, Hitler took power "legally." The problem was that that legality turned into a dictatorship and gave birth to the horrific monster known as Nazi Germany.
At least looking at the process itself, there was no issue. The same went for illegalities. In the already thoroughly rotten Weimar Republic (Germany), there wasn't a single person who didn't commit something illegal. People were currently under the impression that Hitler had no choice but to commit evil to save Germany.
"That is exactly why Nazi Germany is unacceptable! If a country is rotten, one should start a revolution. What is the difference between relying on one man and having a king born?"
"Is that so? Now that you mention it, it does sound plausible."
"No, wait. The Weimar Republic had a monarchy too. They just gave up their power. Wouldn't a revolution be difficult?"
When he provided a very appropriate analogy, the citizens began to share their opinions. North did not miss this chance.
"Furthermore, Hitler has always held dangerous ideologies! Just think of the Elves before the Race War! The Elves considered all other races besides themselves to be inferior! It’s a good thing the gods were at the highest peak; if they weren't, the Elves would have treated us like slaves!"
"Those pointy-ears were a bit like that."
"Putting it that way makes it sound very convincing. But didn't the Elves destroy themselves in the Race War?"
"We humans aren't much different, anyway."
North was clever. He disparaged Hitler by appropriately applying reality so that the crowd could understand more easily. It seemed like the agitation was proceeding smoothly, but one citizen raised their hand high and countered fiercely.
"Then how do you explain this! 'The authority of the state can never be an end in itself; for, if it were, any kind of tyranny would be inviolable and sacred. If a government uses the instruments of power in its hands to lead a people to ruin, then resistance is not only the right but also the duty of every individual citizen!' This is a quote from the book Hitler wrote, Mein Kampf!"
"Ugh..."
"If Hitler commits massacres as you say, he would have ordered the people to do it. Even if everyone were crazy, would the people accept that? They’d rather start a revolution!"
As expected of the land of le révolution, it all came back to revolution in the end. However, North couldn't find any counter-argument to those words.
Of course, what Hitler was doing now was strictly a "dictatorship," but at least it wasn't "tyranny" yet. Since the default setting for the people of this world was monarchy rather than democracy, it resonated even less.
‘Dammit. Fighting back with the truth, how cowardly.’
North couldn't find a proper rebuttal to that either. However, facts are always easily buried by fabrication and agitation. Thus, he quickly regained his composure and shouted to drown out the citizen's voice.
"T-That is exactly why Hitler is dangerous! He only captured the hearts of the crowd through luck, eloquence, and speeches! It is shown throughout the book that he is a hollow man! Which means those words are nothing more than a spear pointed at himself!"
"Can you tell us which volume that appears in?"
"You have to find that for yourselves! There are too many instances, so I can't remember exactly right now."
The ultimate evasion skill: If you don't know, look it up yourself.
When North used this kind of inescapable logic, the citizens only reacted with discomfort but couldn't come up with a proper answer. Normally it would be an evasion, but right now, it could be seen as an insult to Isaac, implying they hadn't read his work properly. Above all, his confident attitude made them hesitate to step forward.
"Can you take responsibility for those words? What will you do if Xenon steps forward to stop you?"
A citizen asked, seemingly uneasy at North’s excessive behavior. It wasn't just empty talk; to them, North’s actions were inherently unsettling. It was at a level where no one would be surprised if divine punishment struck him down.
Insulting the protagonist(?) Hitler was directly linked to insulting Blood and Iron. Naturally, Isaac would react sensitively.
"I have simply gathered evidence and formed an opinion! But if Xenon steps in to interfere? Then that would mean I am right! Is it not so?"
"Hmm... that makes sense too."
"Come to think of it, it was the same during the Jin and Lily incident."
There was even a clear precedent: the Jin and Lily incident that had sent the world into shock and horror. An event where a mere rumor had terrified countless Jin-Lily shippers. The only difference was that that had been instigated by a demon worshipper, while this was being done by an ordinary person.
Because there was such a precedent, it was difficult for Isaac, or anyone else, to intervene.
"Then, Mr. North, what is your goal in standing there? If Hitler really does cause a massacre, then what on earth is Xenon trying to say by publishing Blood and Iron?"
While everyone was in a state of confusion, someone brought up the ultimate objective. We get that Hitler is a bastard. But if he shows that, his reputation will only drop, so why do it? What exactly is Isaac trying to say through Blood and Iron? That was the most important point.
And when the question he had been desperately waiting for was finally asked, North cheered inwardly.
‘Well done, Jax!’
Of course, the person who said those words was someone North had planted in advance. The agitation was the same. He had learned from Blood and Iron that this was how agitation was supposed to be done. He hadn't written the books he was supposed to write and had instead learned something completely useless.
Regardless, North put on a more confident expression than ever before and shouted with all his might.
"That is to dye all the readers of Blood and Iron with the madness of fascism or communism! Just as Machina started a revolution with communism, he wants us to follow a similar path!"
"What does that mean?"
"He wants us to become murderers?"
When a statement that significantly crossed the line came out, the crowd fell into confusion once again. North didn't hesitate and continued his agitation.
"That is why I called it a wicked plot! Don't you all feel it? Even if Hitler does something slightly wrong, you just brush it off, saying 'he could do that'? Furthermore, the nobles are copying Hitler’s and Stalin’s mustaches. Xenon is gradually tainting us!"
Just as North said, Isaac was writing in that way to deliver a shocking twist to the readers. Whether North knew this or not, the result was a different kind of backstab.
However, there were facts that even North, who was leading the agitation, did not know.
"Hitler is a tyrant! You must never trust him!"
Hitler was a demon who went far beyond a mere tyrant.
"A person killing another person is evil, but Xenon is injecting the idea into you that such evil is common sense!"
He far surpassed being a simple bastard; he was a complete and utter bastard. When a bastard does something crazy, if there is a reasonable justification, it can be excused to some extent. However, when a complete and utter bastard does something crazy, justifications are tossed aside, and it is judged as pure "evil."
"You must never believe him! You must wake up now!"
Unfortunately for North, he was only agitating that Hitler was a bastard. Without even guessing that he was something far beyond even a complete and utter bastard.