Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The End of Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Lü Bu (12)
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Paradise and Hell.
The endless spiral of soaring highs and plummeting lows.
By chopping off the head of the grain supply officer, Cao Cao had once again flaunted his paranoia to his readers across the land.
- Liu Bei has the qualities of a hero and the hearts of the people, so he's no one who should serve under another. Better to deal with him quickly.
- Now the heroes of the realm are gathering under me—killing one man is easy, but it'd cost me the world's favor!
He made the bold call to accept the surrender of the big-eared fool who'd taken money, rice, cities, soldiers—everything—only to flee in nothing but his underpants.
Of course, from a novelistic standpoint, how could you toss aside another crossover protagonist?
Defying the objections of those around him, he took in the big-eared fool.
Combined with the prior episode's plum-induced hallucinations, it sparked yet another rebound for Cao Cao coins.
And so the tale flowed onward...
"Finally, the Lü Bu subjugation arc!"
Even Chloe—who'd grumbled that no high elf could serve under a human—faced reality after Kim Yul's zinger: "Hey, isn't your daddy under a human emperor too?" She started enjoying the novel for what it was.
The rat-faced punk had been reformed at last, stepping onto the righteous path. A milestone for elvenkind.
"So, I'm going on hiatus."
"......What do you mean by that?"
At Kim Yul's declaration,
Chloe blurted out dialect without thinking.
* * *
Hiatus is the devil's temptation itself—something you can indulge anytime, whether waking up in the morning, eating lunch, or lounging in the evening.
With no day job and just writing, I cranked out one chapter after breakfast, one after lunch, one after dinner.
If I had a regular job?
Brain-melted and flat-out by now.
"Hiatus? What're you talking about! Such outrage is unacceptable! Hiatus right here, at this scene?!"
Pushing aside the flailing, pitifully whining punk,
"Instead, I'll tell the story another way."
"Another way?"
Lü Bu was way too hyped right now.
My sown seeds returning as karma.
Still...
For a Hulao Pass locust, that aura was necessary.
Lü Bu was the ironic crossroads of Liu Bei and Cao Cao arcs from the start, so piling on the weight made novelistic sense.
Part 1 final boss vibes.
The issue? Lü Bu's downfall.
Liu Bei version: ultimate warrior-sage, strongest and cruelest, with motives even for backstabs.
Cao Cao version: classic Lü Bu—hothead, stubborn, brute musclehead.
The images were too polar, making joint scenes with Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu a nightmare to craft.
My solution?
"Lü Bu's end goes manga. So give me lots of page space."
Her eyes went wide.
Well, not drawing it myself.
Grad students squeeze out anything if wrung hard enough.
.
.
.
Laid out the plan, basked in Chloe's seal-clapping glee, then headed home.
"Welcome back, Kim Yul."
Historie gave proper respect to the household pillar.
Her recent teen-rebel drift? Fixed with one special recipe:
- M-mi-mi...
- Mi?
- For a lowly thing...! Impressive, though...!
Plan worked.
Berthus Duke's third son—Reggie whatever—took his unilateral beating, paid up, and slunk away whimpering.
I accepted the peace offering on the spot.
Result: lab pantry bursting, menu variety soared.
"Kim Yul, what's on the menu today?"
"Something to look forward to."
"Eehee...!"
The gas-guzzler lit up with happy beams, all obedient.
No such RP scripted, yet huge appetite, gluttonous, even picky palate.
"All your fault, Kim Yul."
"Me? Why?"
"Just recalling that first bread... still sad. How'd humans survive on that? Explains stunted brains."
"Sigh."
Fair point.
When Historie was fresh tin,
Lab finances were rough.
Caesar's tale wasn't unpopular.
But writer pay here or Earth? Meh.
Caesar earnings salary-equivalent: under half isekai office drone average.
Three Kingdoms was social satire for a reason.
Finally rivaled office pay.
Well...
Newspapers gonna newspaper.
Publishing costs hobble books.
Papers split pie with rivals.
Still, brief thanks-prayer to Berthus Duke for the feast-funding donations.
"Work?"
"Edits take longer. But wrapping soon."
"Nice."
Popped a choco lava bun on the way home, one for Historie too.
Watched her work.
Tin traits lingered post-personality; her workflow always mesmerized.
Especially generative AI flex.
Hand on USB, eyes bulge!
Pop! AI landscape pops out.
...Magic world, why code? Thought trashed ages ago.
"That leg's bent wrong."
"Sharp."
"Ugh, that finger... no!"
"Hm...? Looks fine to me."
"Yeah...? Not Earth, after all..."
But fix AI art flaws and my psyche scars.
Still crushed local medieval fantasy art.
Behold, then.
Original Work: Chen Shou & Luo Guanzhong
Story Adaptation: Kim Yul & Various Three Kingdoms Fanworks
Illustrations: Tin Can
Special Thanks: Co■ei Games, Lee Hak-in, Jin Mo, Lee Mun-yeol, Lee Hyun-se... and countless others
The pinnacle of all those ideas and tech...!
* * *
Thanks to magitech of unknown vintage,
Kim Yul and Historie wandered without sensing primitive medieval vibes; the Empire hummed along prosperously.
But cost-efficiency mattered.
Mass-print mass-sell papers stuck to B&W usually.
Front-page color at best.
Costs exploded otherwise.
But.
"W-what the...! This—this must go full color to the world!"
Chloe's dialect-exploding verdict on the manuscript.
Truth Newspaper.
Special edition again.
"Extra! Extra! Truth Newspaper, full color throughout!"
"Two heroes' tale goes manga!"
"Curious 'bout Lü Bu's end? Grab it now!"
Dawn.
Hawkers' yells shattered the quiet.
Two Heroes fans,
even non-fans, snagged Truth Newspaper on full-color bait.
Quibble: politics/international pics also colorful.
But no one craved punk's smirk, dwarf rants, or golden dragon sightings near the capital.
Flip flip—
Literature section.
[Two Heroes: The Imperial Bloodline Hidden—On Hiatus Today]
Bold hiatus for the skill-unhindered serial.
First: Cao Cao arc, 'The Villain Hides His Ambition'.
After saga-long Lü Bu clash, city flooded via water magic (sorta).
Named Lü Bu lieutenants snared one by one.
Finally, Lü Bu captured.
Novel closes; manga picks up.
And they beheld.
Tin Can's computer mastery—generated, edited, Kim Yul-refined essence.
No mere manga.
...21st-century eyes? Obvious AI art panels cleverly sequenced.
Yet.
No instant-print culture in fantasy.
"When... did they start this?"
"Year? Nah, less..."
"One scene, this effort? Who is this author?"
Dabbler painters quaked at the output.
"How're they all so uniquely hot...!"
"Squee, smitten...! Too cool!"
"Cao Cao-Liu Bei ship...! I'm aboard!"
Co■ei beautification base melted girly hearts.
Regulars lost it.
"The great lord's worry was Lü Bu—now surrendered, world's yours! Use me as hound; I'll fetch it all!"
"Lü Bu's life-grip hits hard..."
"Mockery, shame—no matter, alive means future. Can't hate him."
"No—spare him, monster real. Kill now...!"
Lü Bu's obsession, comic refs woven, epic and overwhelming.
Finally.
Talent-loving Cao Cao's hesitation, vivid faces.
Spotlight to sidelined Liu Bei.
- "Forgot what Lü Bu did to Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo?"
- "That big-ear's the least trustworthy scumbag!"
Father-swap pro vs. backstab survivor—Lü Bu's piercing insight contrasted in one frame.
And.
In ink-smeared blackout page, master's-less Fangtian Halberd rusts lonely.
"......"
"Lü Bu exits artistically."
"Novel great, but manga's fire..."
Aftertaste savored.
Turn page.
Post-manga, final ad spread.
[Two Heroes Trading Card Game—Releasing Soon!]
[Collecting Thrills with Stunning Illustrations!]
[Assemble the Novel's Heroes in Your Hands!]
"......?"
"Trading card game?"
"What's that?"
"Board game kin?"
TRPG-style hero-demon lord boards existed.
Pricey dwarf-elf statue land-hoarders too.
But.
Berthus donations funneled to feasts by Kim Yul & Historie.
Ecosystem wreckers craved more coin.
No more rock-hard bread, bland soup...!
Thus.
Raw greed + IP monopoly + effortless premium art =
In pristine fantasy,
Card pack gacha—the vile civ harbinger—stirred to life.