A farmer’s eyes widened.
It was because of the ‘comics’ that the peddler had brought out.
‘Are all of those drawings? All of those books?’
Even at a glance, each book was filled with drawings.
Although they were only made of black lines, the number was enormous.
Moreover, there wasn’t just one or two of these books.
Even the merchants couldn’t fathom how this was possible.
“…Kuang! The End!”
‘It actually works.’
It was natural that they couldn’t guess.
The one who had taken the initiative to create this was none other than Teo.
She had perfectly remembered the comic version of ‘The Golden Lotus’ that she had seen in the past and printed it.
The result was more than 99 percent identical to the original.
Not only the dialogue but even the lines were exactly the same, as if copied by a copier.
It was a glimpse into her intelligence, which had been inhuman even when she was human.
“How can this be….”
“That’s not important. Just stand here and read it!”
“…I can just look at it? Without paying?”
“Of course! The other races who sold this to us allowed us to stand and read it too.”
But the merchants were busy recommending the comics, not caring about anything else.
Unlike existing books, they even made the unprecedented offer of allowing people to stand and read them.
It was thanks to the low price of the comics.
‘It’s already four times cheaper than cheap novels. It’s okay if it gets a little dirty while reading.’
That’s because this comic was…
First of all, Teo magically created the printing plate in an instant.
She had brought only the result without any time or effort.
Since all the facilities were in place, mass production was a piece of cake with just the printing plate.
It was churned out from the printing factory.
Thanks to the reduced labor costs, the final selling price also became cheaper.
[Master? If you’re going to do this, couldn’t you finish the novels in a few seconds if you stepped in?]
[I can’t get involved in everything. We need to train technicians.]
[Then should we have our minions work on the comics instead? It seems simple enough if it’s just engraving on iron plates.]
[Why waste valuable manpower on something like comics? This is just bait, so don’t worry about it.]
‘I need to develop the comic industry someday, but for now, books with letters come first.’
Anyway, this was the bait product that Teo had created, the comic version of The Golden Lotus.
The merchant held it in front of the farmer and gently shook it.
Meaning, ‘Aren’t you curious? Just take a look,’ just as the other races had done to him.
The calloused hand grabbed the comic.
“If it’s free, then… um?”
-Pause.
The farmer’s shoulders stiffened.
And he, like someone encountering a new civilization, was about to praise it with all sorts of fanfare…
“…What kind of monsters are these?”
‘They’re disgustingly ugly!’
The praise didn’t happen.
The ‘deformation’ unique to Japanese manga, a method of intentionally distorting and drawing the human body.
That was quite foreign to medieval people.
“It looks like it was made by demons.”
The anxiety about the unknown soon turned into fear.
How could a book full of drawings be an ordinary book? It must be an evil forbidden book.
He felt such an instinctive rejection…
“Ah, don’t worry about that. It’s a formally imported product approved by the temple.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. Would I sell something like that? I’d be burned at the stake if I got caught.”
“I guess. A well-dressed merchant wouldn’t do that to someone like me.”
The rejection faded faster than expected.
It was thanks to the reluctant permission from the temple.
The farmer, who had shed his prejudice, finally picked up the comic properly…
-Flip, flip.
“What are these divided boxes?”
“You read them from right to left.”
“Hoo… wow, look at this?”
He immediately exclaimed.
…It was a natural reaction.
The first meeting with the female lead, Pan Jinlian, who appears from the beginning, is extraordinary.
For some reason, Pan Jinlian is stuck in a tree and can’t move.
The protagonist gets excited while smelling her fallen shoe.
And you can even see her private parts when you look up the tree.
Even the farmer, who didn’t know Hangul and wasn’t familiar with Japanese manga expressions, immediately realized.
This was lewd.
“Good heavens! A picture of a woman mingling bodies is so brazenly drawn!”
“Wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Of course! Besides… good heavens, he’s sucking on that with his mouth?!”
The content lived up to the heightened expectations.
The female lead even gets on top of the man.
Not to mention the various positions.
The foreignness of the drawings was no longer an issue.
The biggest advantage of comics, the fact that you can enjoy them even if you don’t know how to read, shone.
“Why is this woman doing this with an old man? Not the young man from the beginning?”
“Hehe, you’ll know if you read it yourself. It’s written in more detail in the book.”
“Ugh… even so, it’s a waste to give this money for just a picture….”
“Did you know? I’ve read both the comic and the novel, but the comic is at a healthy level.”
“Is it that much? Even though the picture is so explicit?”
“It’s a bit much to say this, but I was on my way as a peddler and couldn’t stand it and lowered my pants.”
“If you say that much, I can’t help it. Give me one copy, including that Hangul textbook!”
“Yes!”
Thanks to that, the comic version of The Golden Lotus began to sell like crazy.
The lower classes, who were caught in the commercial trick, began to hold The Golden Lotus one by one.
Learning Hangul was a bonus.
“This is a consonant, and this is a vowel….”
“Is this how you write it?”
“If you’ve learned the final consonants, that’s enough. Now, if you just use the skill book, you’ll be learning Millenial.”
“Oh! I can read it now!!!”
The literacy rate in Valentia began to increase at the hands of the merchants.
Slowly, but surely.
Hangul spread among the lower classes.
“Peddler, I’ve been waiting eagerly for when you’d come!!”
“When are you selling the next volume!?”
“Don’t worry. This time, I’ve brought as many as five volumes!!”
“Oh! That’s goo… why did the price go up again?”
“Do you know how hard it was to get these these days because they’re so popular? I barely managed to get these by paying a premium.”
“…Tsk, give it to me anyway.”
The Golden Lotus sold like hotcakes in response.
Even if the merchants played tricks in the middle, the sales were still strong.
Not only in Valentia, but…
In all of the continent except for the Kaiser Empire.
“Teo! I checked while flying, and Hangul is spreading smoothly!”
“How many humans have learned Hangul?”
“It’s still in the spreading stage, but… you said it, right? Starting is half the battle!”
“That’s true. Now it’ll spread like wildfire.”
It was an encouraging result even from Millenial’s point of view.
Even Lucia, who was in charge of cultural transmission, was humming with excitement.
She seemed very happy that Hangul, which she mistakenly thought Teo had created, was spreading.
“….”
‘They’re learning Hangul to see something lewd? Humans’ desire to reproduce is something to behold.’
But Teo was calm.
This was just as she had planned.
There was nothing particularly surprising about it.
The really surprising thing was something else.
“More than that, Teo? Are you perhaps into the things that come out in The Golden Lotus?”
“Huh?”
-Slyly.
“If you want, I, I, I… will do everything for you!!”
Lucia was suddenly using seduction.
In a subtle composition where important parts seemed to be visible but not quite.
‘If I seduce her like this, it might work!!’
It was clear what she had misunderstood after seeing The Golden Lotus.
She thought that Teo’s taste was subtle seduction, the tantalizing exposure that came out in the comic version.
Because of this, Lucia was expressing her desire to connect with Teo with all her might, but,
“…Kuang!!?”
‘Why is a kid who learned law from me acting like this!?’
Teo was just surprised, not seduced.
She couldn’t help it.
“Lucia? Your age this year is….”
“It’s been twenty-three years since I’ve been with Teo! My body and mind are all ready♡”
“Y, you might be an adult, but I’m still a hatchling?”
“……Yes?”
“I know you’re in heat, and since you’re a precious disciple, I’d like to help you relieve it if possible, but there’s a problem.”
Her transparent pupils turned to her.
I understand that you’re in heat after seeing that because you’re also a different race, but it’s a bit unethical.
That’s what it meant.
Thanks to that, Lucia was stunned.
“What do you mean…?”
“Since you’re the only Dragonkin, it’s natural that you want someone who’s at least similar, but sorry.”
“T, then how many more years do I have to wait?”
“I’m a hatchling until I’m 500 years old, so 477 years?”
‘Is this right, Mother?’
[That is what Teo said. If you feel the urge to reproduce, Lea will help you, so please focus on survival until you become an adult.]
‘…I didn’t have any sexual desire even when I was human? And would I even ask my mother to help me with that in the first place?’
Teo was also dizzy thanks to Leah, but anyway.
Lucia’s seduction ended in vain.
“If you’re in a hurry for a male, should I raise a good Dragonkin for you? As your partner.”
“I, I hate anyone but Teo!!”
“Then are you going to be alone all that time? It’s half of your life?”
“…I can endure it. Anyway, if I wait five hundred years, can I really be with Teo?”
-Snicker.
“If your mind doesn’t change by then?”
‘She’s taking five hundred years lightly. Well, if I evolve her into a few Dragonkin later, her mind will change.’
“…I’ll wait!”
‘The day Teo becomes an adult, I’ll pick her up right away…’
Somehow, an unmanageable blank check had been issued.
This was for the future Teo to handle.
* * *
While such things were happening in Millenial, Hangul continued to spread.
Riding on the railroads connected to each country, it was literally spreading like wildfire.
“Ugh, I don’t know why such vulgar things are so popular.”
“It doesn’t suit us elegant people.”
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
The Golden Lotus was effective, but its limitations were also clear.
It didn’t work for most women, strange men who weren’t interested in this kind of thing, or the high-class people with dignity.
It was a moment when the Hangul literacy rate, which had been steadily rising, was in danger of stalling.
…If it had stayed like that, it would have stalled for sure, but,
“You there. Why are you scattering expensive paper on the ground?”
“Ah, this?”
“Yes. If there’s something strange written on it….”
“You don’t have to worry.”
-Smile.
“—This is called a ‘newspaper’.”
Before long, an era came when you would be left behind if you didn’t know Hangul.