The book Teo handed her.
Lykke’s eyes quickly scanned the Korean text.
Unlike the continental common language, Runic, speed-reading wasn’t difficult.
Her reaction after roughly grasping the content?
“It seems more interesting than I thought.”
Admiration came out involuntarily.
It was sincere admiration, unlike when she saw Animal Farm.
“This ‘Song Dynasty’ country, it’s as if it actually exists.”
The setting passed the test, at least.
The background of the book was the Ming Dynasty disguised as the Song Dynasty.
A novel with a Chinese setting.
In medieval terms, this was the height of originality.
For an intellectual like Lykke, it was bound to earn extra points.
“It’s not a country made up without sincerity. You can glimpse a lifestyle and culture completely different from the continent.”
What supported the high praise was the detailed depiction of life.
Even she thought it was impressive.
Even the prices of unfamiliar objects were meticulously recorded, as if a page of history had been transferred as is.
In addition, the authentication of various detailed parts, such as recipes for foods she had never seen before, was perfect.
It was a setting sufficient to pique Lykke’s interest.
“The story itself is also interesting. It’s sure to be fun.”
The story seemed to match.
Because the setting was so unfamiliar and she had only skimmed it, she didn’t know well, but it didn’t seem like an ordinary heroic tale.
She couldn’t help but want to read it properly.
…Until the beginning, that is.
-Flip.
“Besides, it’s a story that spans several volumes. This is bound to be interesting… Hmm?”
She paused while turning the page.
Her body stiffened.
In the volume she happened to pick up…
-A mass of explicit descriptions appeared.
“Hng, hngh!?”
‘What is this…?’
Explicit expressions, detailed positions, and so on.
She swore it was a level of obscenity she had never seen before.
She couldn’t even understand how someone could write something like this.
…This wasn’t just a reaction seen because she was a virgin nearing thirty, and a virgin from Valentia with strong religious overtones.
The sexual elements used in this novel were truly unconventional.
Foot fetishism, represented by ‘foot binding,’ was basic, and sadomasochism, voyeurism, and fetishism, commonly called SM.
All sorts of paraphilias were written.
‘Besides, how can a woman have relations with a ca, ca, cat…!?’
With even hints of bestiality, it was all said and done.
It was only natural that Lykke was shocked.
Her trembling gaze turned forward.
“Teonar, this, this is….”
“‘The Golden Lotus,’ it’s better than you think, right? It’s a masterpiece among those written at this time.”
‘It’s strangely less well-known in Korea, though.’
At that, Teo wagged his tail.
It was a look that showed confidence in the novel she had chosen to spread Korean.
Then, she began to explain the novel.
“What kind of novel is this…”
The Golden Lotus. One of the four masterpieces written during the Ming-Qing Dynasty, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China.
The way to explain the greatness of this novel was simple.
All she had to do was recite which works were in the other Four Great Classical Novels of China.
Even Water Margin, called the origin of martial arts novels, was only third among the Four Heavenly Kings.
What was above that?
Journey to the West, famous for Sun Wukong.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, considered the best military novel in history.
Modern people would surely be amazed as soon as they heard it, saying, ‘It’s on the same level as those!’
‘They wouldn’t understand if I explained it like this, would they?’
“There are even scholars who study this one work for their entire lives.”
The explanation tailored to the Middle Ages was over.
Thanks to that, Lykke’s eyes widened.
She wondered if what she understood was correct.
“Research, isn’t that something only high-ranking mages do…?”
“Yeah. Of course, they can’t use magic, but they’ve probably studied much more than mages?”
“You mean intellectuals who have devoted their entire lives to learning to devote their lives to this one thing!?”
“That’s what they do? Papers are constantly being published.”
“Oh, my.”
She stuttered.
She couldn’t understand what this book was that Teo was saying so much about…
‘Even if not right now, it might be like that in a few hundred years.’
It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand.
She was an immortal who lived for ten thousand years.
It was probably common for novels written during her play to become the subject of research hundreds of years later.
She nodded involuntarily.
“It’s certainly a well-written novel. The sensual descriptions seem a bit excessive, though.”
‘My face is all flushed.’
Of course, she only understood.
Her reluctance to those explicit descriptions was still there…
Teo didn’t notice at all.
“Why are you like this over this? It’s nothing.”
‘I’d understand if Leo said that, but you don’t seem to have the qualifications to say that, no matter how I look at it?’
Her senses expanded slightly.
She checked Lykke’s current attire with mana echolocation.
Then, what she felt was the holy relic she wore on her body. A dress with an exposure level that was hard to find even in modern times.
…In many ways, wasn’t it a very open outfit?
It was only natural that Teo mistook her for an ‘open’ monarch in a different sense from Leo.
As a result, harmless sexual harassment began.
‘There are explicit descriptions… but compared to that outfit, it’s cute. She probably won’t care.’
“Anyway, what are your impressions after reading it? Is it to your taste?”
The hatchling’s innocent eyes twinkled.
It was a reaction that came purely out of curiosity about how a medieval person would read this, but,
“……!!?”
‘To, to my taste? How can you ask such an outrageous question.’
It was like a bolt from the blue for Lykke.
The words ‘Do you see me as that kind of woman’ came up to the root of her tongue.
“I, I… ahem.”
‘This is Teonar’s work. I have to speak well.’
Of course, she couldn’t deny it outright.
It was written that a person named Soso-saeng was the author, but in the circumstances, this was a work written by Teo himself.
She couldn’t condemn this simply because it was lewd, and,
‘It’s also true that it’s literarily outstanding.’
The detailed depiction of life in the Ming Dynasty.
For that alone, this novel deserved to be highly praised.
‘Besides… I’m not without interest either….’
The interest of encountering pornography for the first time was a bonus.
In the end, she pondered for a long time and nodded slightly.
Her face, famous for being emotionally faint, turned bright red.
“It seems to be a truly great novel. It’s only a brief skim, but there are definitely parts that are to my taste.”
“Really? Which part did you like specifically? The slightly lewd part?”
“Do I have to tell you even that?”
“I’m not a human male, and I’m a dragon anyway, so it’s okay, right? There’s only the two of us here, so tell me honestly. What was the most impressive part?”
“…The most shocking thing was the part where they have relations with animals.”
“The part where the white lion and Pan Jinlian come out? When did you see that far? You must have liked it a lot?”
“….”
‘The most embarrassing thing is that you’re asking purely without any ulterior motives….’
On this day, Lykke regained the shame she thought she had lost since she started wearing holy relics.
* * *
In the end, The Golden Lotus took a place among the trade goods of Millenia-Valentia.
Despite the sexual descriptions, proudly.
“Your Majesty, our order expresses strong concern about this novel. This is a wrong value….”
Thanks to that, the temple expressed strong concern, but,
“Shall I convey the order’s wishes to Teonar?”
“No, that’s.”
“If you wish, I will arrange a meeting for dialogue.”
Lykke ignored it in a simple way.
She thoroughly separated the temple and the royal family, and said, ‘If you have something to say, do it yourself.’
In a way that put all the responsibility on the order.
Of course, if they really protested, it would be a headache, but,
‘Tell them to protest directly? To the dragon who half-killed and half-saved four hundred holy knights?’
“…We only recognize it because it is a work of art, not pornography.”
The priests quickly accepted reality.
Public morals and prophecies were not more important than life.
Thanks to that, The Golden Lotus, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China.
Sales begin.
-Clatter.
“…I bought it because I was bored on the way to the market, but I don’t know what kind of book this is.”
‘Money, alcohol, women. I can’t even guess.’
The first to buy the book were peddlers.
In a way, it was natural.
They had started trading with Millenia, but they were the ones who sold it to the mainland.
Besides, wasn’t the existing means of transportation a carriage?
It took forever just to move by carriage.
There was a limit to killing time with leather crafts.
Buying a few cheap books from Millenia was a reasonably rational consumption.
‘I learned Millenia language with a skill book, so, let’s see….’
-Flip.
“Wow, look at this?”
What about the evaluation of The Golden Lotus after reading it?
It couldn’t be bad.
Most peddlers were men, and they had accumulated this and that on the long road.
What would happen if you gave something like this to such people?
Of course, it was ‘used’ rationally.
It was fun and even practical, so it was only natural that good reviews poured out.
“Did you see that? The book that the monsters are selling.”
“…Did you smell the money too?”
“I wouldn’t be a merchant if I didn’t think about selling it after seeing this.”
In addition, merchants realized the marketability of this.
A lewd novel recognized by the order.
It couldn’t help but sell.
Not to the existing demand group, the nobles, but to the commoners.
‘This isn’t to the taste of the nobles. In the first place, it’s too easy to read, so even more so.’
‘But it’s a different story for commoners. This kind of thing works better.’
‘Korean can be learned in 2 hours. Even the ignorant will roughly understand it in a day.’
‘Even the money to learn Millenia language is a few copper coins. It’s possible because they’re selling skill books on purpose cheaply.’
‘After teaching Korean, if I bring these and sell them….’
-Gulp.
‘It’s worth a try.’
The merchants’ eyes flashed.
They were thinking of making a fortune with these lewd books.
‘That’s what the monsters were aiming for….’
‘What does it matter! I’m making money!’
Reluctance to be at the forefront of spreading alien race characters?
There was none at all.
They were not so foolish as to be swayed by patriotism in the face of the opportunity to preempt a new business.
“Ahem. I knew it was cheaper than going to a brothel. I can’t even imagine that a farmer like me can learn to write.”
“Yes! Such a product in the world, if you buy it now, it’s only one silver coin….”
“But you know what? It’s just writing anyway, do I really have to buy it? I can’t even imagine.”
Of course, sales were not easy as the merchants thought.
The unique setting of The Golden Lotus was, in other words, a barrier to entry.
Unlike the relatively smart merchants, it was difficult for commoners.
They just read the beginning and shook their heads.
‘That’s why they’re commoners. I can’t help it, I have no choice but to take out ‘that’.’
To that, the merchants…
“It’s not just this. There’s something better.”
“What is it?”
-Rustle.
“—It’s called manga. It’s a picture of the contents of The Golden Lotus.”
They took out their ultimate move.