Chapter 282: The Power of Newspapers.

A love of gossip is something all humans share.

The arrival of newspapers had caused quite a sensation across the Austin Continent.

With transportation so underdeveloped, news traveled slowly between regions. Something noteworthy might happen in one place, only to take six months or even a year to reach the rest of the continent. By the time news spread from east to west, it was already old and had lost all its novelty.

The weekly newspaper published by the Mages’ Guild, however, delivered information with unprecedented speed.

For example, a merchant in the eastern Serix Empire had a priceless gemstone stolen. People as far away as the Dalia Empire in the west soon heard about it. A week later, a mercenary captured the thief in the St. Nia Mountains, and the merchant recovered his gemstone after paying a substantial reward.

Ordinarily, such a minor theft would have attracted little attention beyond the immediate area. Once it appeared in the newspaper, however, the response was entirely different.

The journalist turned the incident into a serialized story, presenting each development in carefully researched, precise prose. People across the continent eagerly followed the case.

Countless readers speculated about the merchant's identity, what sort of precious gemstone had been stolen, whether the thief would be caught, and which mercenary company had taken the job. The endless discussions surrounding the case brought a surprising amount of entertainment into people's daily lives.

Some gambling establishments even began taking bets, devising all sorts of schemes to tempt people into wagering on the outcome. When the truth finally came out, some celebrated their winnings while others lamented their losses.

The merchant became famous. The thief became famous. The mercenary company became even more famous. And ordinary people had something new to discuss over meals and drinks.

Such was the power of newspapers.

Beyond reporting current events, the newspaper also introduced a special column where adventurers could submit accounts of their exploits.

Any sufficiently engaging story could be published, and its author would even receive payment.

Adventurers had always loved telling stories about themselves. Otherwise, why would so many of them write autobiographies? Now that they had a way to share their adventures with readers across the entire continent, they were itching to participate. Those with a talent for writing submitted their own manuscripts, while those less gifted with words hired ghostwriters.

For every issue, the publishers selected the two best adventure stories. Any story that continued for more than ten installments would be collected and published as a book.

This sent the adventurers into an even greater frenzy. Manuscripts poured into the newspaper's editorial office like falling snow.

The weekly newspaper was substantial, with eight pages per issue and an astonishing variety of content.

National affairs, economic news, entertainment gossip, missing-person notices, lost-property announcements, job advertisements, commercial promotions, literary works—anything useful or interesting could find a place in its pages.

A newspaper wasn't expensive, either. At just one silver coin per copy, even ordinary citizens could afford it.

Its circulation expanded at an astonishing rate. Within a month, newspapers had spread across the entire continent. Wherever there was a branch of the Mages’ Guild, there were newspapers for sale.

Initially, some countries dismissed the newspaper as unworthy of attention. By the time its influence had grown enough for them to consider suppressing it, however, it was already too late.

Besides, no one dared challenge the authority of the Mage Sovereign. Those in power could only swallow their displeasure and warn the younger members of their families to watch their behavior.

Why?

Because the newspaper's gossip section practically stripped certain scandalous young nobles down to their underwear.

A young lord from a certain duke's family was having an affair with a widow. A count's daughter was a notorious social butterfly. A prince from some kingdom was fooling around with his personal guard...

Scandals like these appeared one after another, leaving royal families and aristocrats sweating nervously.

Had anyone else been responsible for publishing such stories, their estates would have been raided and their families ruined long ago. Unfortunately for the nobles, the newspaper was published by the Magic Tower. There was nothing they could do.

Since they couldn't touch the powerful organization backing the newspaper, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and let it continue.

After two years, reading the newspaper had become an indispensable pastime for people across the continent.

Through its reports, readers were shocked to discover just how much turmoil existed elsewhere in the world.

The Kingdom of Cecilia was particularly horrifying. More than a decade earlier, a coup had taken place there, and its current king, Danton Trik, was revealed to be a tyrant who had murdered his own brother and usurped the throne.

Even after seizing the crown, he hadn't put away his butcher's blade. Not only had he issued continent-wide warrants for the fugitive prince and princess of the former royal family, but he had also invaded neighboring countries. Over the past decade or so, he had annexed five or six kingdoms, leaving devastation in his wake and countless people suffering.

By now, eighty percent of the territory between the Woba Grand Canyon and the Uniba Swamp had fallen under Cecilia's control.

There was no shortage of people with a strong sense of justice. After reading the reports, some traveled to the affected regions themselves, gathered firsthand evidence, and submitted their findings to the newspaper, confirming the accuracy of its earlier coverage.

For a time, the Kingdom of Cecilia found itself at the center of a storm of public condemnation. Several prominent writers could no longer restrain themselves and published scathing commentaries, using their pens to denounce the usurper.

Danton's reputation plummeted.

Perhaps realizing that his crimes had been exposed to the entire continent, Cecilia had suspended its military expansion over the past year. The neighboring countries that had yet to be invaded were so relieved they could have wept, and their admiration for the newspaper knew no bounds.

It was the newspaper that had given them a chance to catch their breath.

After learning about these developments, Shu Li was utterly impressed by the Mages’ Guild's efficiency.

The newspaper had finally demonstrated its tremendous influence and usefulness, laying the groundwork for Seriu and Troupe Leader Ximu's return to the Kingdom of Cecilia.

Speaking of Troupe Leader Ximu, Shu Li still shuddered at the memory.

Anyone who had spent an entire week under the scrutiny of those foxlike eyes of hers would understand.

Ever since Seriu had passed along Shu Li's suggestions for reforming the song-and-dance troupe, Ximu had rushed to the Central Court with her performers. She promptly cornered Shu Li and bombarded him with questions about what exactly a stage play was.

Patiently, Shu Li explained the concept of stage plays, the preparations involved, and how a performance was supposed to work.

That would have been manageable on its own. But Ximu actually demanded that he personally direct a play so she could see how it was done.

What else could Shu Li do?

He could only rack his brains, painfully dredging up and piecing together everything he remembered from his previous world. He wrote a script, trained the actors, and personally took on the role of director, eventually staging a production of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf at the magic academy.

The response was overwhelming. The academy students couldn't get enough of it and pooled their money to hire the performers for another five shows.

Afterward, Ximu took her troupe to perform at a theater in Igya City. Thanks to publicity from the magic academy, the city's residents flocked to see them. Every ticket sold out in less than half a day.

Having tasted success, Ximu was unstoppable. In less than six months, the Milia Song and Dance Troupe had become famous throughout the continent.

How had its popularity spread so far?

With the newspaper advertising its performances, it was practically impossible for people in other countries not to hear about it.

As the number of scripts and performers increased, stage productions became richer and more spectacular. Other song-and-dance troupes rushed to imitate the trend, theaters sprang up everywhere like mushrooms after rain, and perceptive investors began providing financial backing for performing companies.

The Austin Continent's entertainment industry was beginning to take shape.

When the newspaper began reporting on the Kingdom of Cecilia, Ximu brought a stage play she had been perfecting for some time to the theater, using thinly veiled satire to expose and ridicule the kingdom's affairs.

Anyone with eyes could tell exactly whom the play was targeting. Public contempt for Danton Trik only deepened.

Shu Li hadn't expected everything to proceed so smoothly. He was delighted for Seriu and Troupe Leader Ximu, and things seemed to be moving in a better direction.

The past two years had been incredibly fulfilling for him. Every day brought more work than he could possibly finish. Ilio trained him so relentlessly that he barely had the strength to drag himself through each day, leaving him no energy to spare for other concerns.

For example, investigating whether Ace was actually the Elven King.

He was already exhausted enough. Where was he supposed to find the energy to think about that?

Last week, a new batch of Fairy cubs had emerged from the Fairy Nursery.

Shu Li and four other Little Fairies requested two days off from Ilio, then happily traveled back to the Elven Kingdom through the Mother Tree's roots before flying to the divine tree.

There were seven Fairy cubs in this batch, three boys and four girls. Every one of them was fair-skinned, soft, clever, and adorable.

Unfortunately, the moment they saw Shu Li, they opened their mouths and burst into a rendition of Brave Sperien.

Shu Li's face immediately went blank with exasperation.

The eight ten-year-old Little Fairies from Misina's batch, who never missed an opportunity to stir up trouble, quickly joined the seven newborn cubs and began singing together at the tops of their lungs.

Shu Li endured the performance with gritted teeth, handed out the gifts he'd bought for them outside the forest, and seized the first opportunity to escape back to the magic academy.

Once he finished his training and returned to the divine tree for good, he was definitely going to apply to become an introductory teacher for the Fairy cubs.

He would put an end to the tradition of teaching newborn cubs to sing Brave Sperien, no matter what!

Today, the weather was clear and sunny.

After finishing his purification work, Shu Li went from dormitory to dormitory, knocking on his friends' doors and urging them to get out of bed.

Summer vacation had begun, giving them two full months of freedom. It was the perfect opportunity to explore the Land of Snow.

After a week of preparations, the Light Squad was ready to set off.

"Good morning, Sperien! Ace! You're both up so early!"

"Morning, Dixio."

"Good morning, Kumandi."

"Where's Budno? Is he still asleep?"

"Angel's already pulling his blanket off!"

"Hurry up! We still have to meet Seriu and the others at the teleportation array."

Half an hour later, all eleven members of the Light Squad, along with their unofficial twelfth companion, Halis, finally assembled at the entrance to the teleportation station in Igya City.

To shorten the journey, they had decided to splurge on teleportation this time. Their destination was a town at the junction of the Central Court, the Pros Empire, and the Magical Beast Forest. From there, they would travel north along the border between the Pros Empire and the Magical Beast Forest until they entered the Land of Snow.

It was both the shortest and the safest route.

Over the past two years, every member of the Light Squad had grown considerably. The four human members had finally shed their status as Mage Apprentices and officially become Mages. During the last month or two, Ilio had dragged them into the Magical Beast Forest for intensive training, and they now carried themselves with noticeably greater confidence.

They were already capable of defeating magical beasts below the fourth rank. Working together, the four had even managed to defeat a fifth-rank magical beast, though luck had played a considerable part in their victory.

With their newfound abilities, they felt confident about their journey to the Land of Snow.

Even if they encountered Black Knights along the way, they wouldn't be afraid.

Speaking of Black Knights, perhaps because of the newspaper's revelations, the Hemon Knights had suffered a dramatic decline in reputation. Countries were gradually restricting their movements, and some major powers had banned them outright.

The Pros Empire was one of the countries that prohibited Black Knights from entering its territory.

That was precisely why Shu Li had chosen a route through the empire.

After their carriage left the Central Court, the roads grew increasingly uneven. By the time they officially entered the Pros Empire, the jolting had become almost constant.

Shu Li felt the cushion beneath his bottom and regretted bringing such a thin one.

They still had at least another week of carriage travel before reaching the Land of Snow. If the roads remained this rough, his poor backside would be split into four pieces by the time they arrived.

"Sigh..." He let out a quiet sigh.

It really had been too long since he'd traveled any great distance. He'd completely forgotten the suffering that came with riding in a carriage.

"I have an extra cushion. Would you like it?"

Ace held out a thick, wonderfully soft cushion.

"Huh?"

Shu Li blushed faintly. He hadn't expected Ace to notice his little movements. How embarrassing.

When Shu Li hesitated to take it, Ace smiled.

"I brought four."

"...Thanks."

Shu Li accepted the cushion and tucked it beneath himself.

Ah, much better!

Come to think of it, why had Ace brought four cushions in the first place?

Shu Li was too embarrassed to ask. Instead, he silently took out his map to distract himself.

Although he'd already studied the map four or five times, now that they were actually on the road, he needed to compare it carefully against the landmarks to make sure they didn't take a wrong turn.

His finger slid northward across the map before stopping over a particular region.

Shu Li froze slightly.

"Huh?"

His exclamation was loud enough to attract everyone else's attention.

"What's wrong?" Kumandi was holding a map of his own. "We haven't gone off course."

Shu Li nodded. "Right, we're still on the correct route. It's just that I've noticed something."

"What is it?" Dixio asked.

Shu Li raised his head and looked toward Hector, hesitating.

Hector was baffled by the look. He brushed the brown bangs away from his forehead and arched an eyebrow.

Could it be...? Has Sperien finally realized how handsome I am?

Shu Li caught that ridiculously conceited look in his eyes and was rendered speechless.

"We'll be passing through Snowo Territory," Ace said, voicing what Shu Li had been reluctant to mention.

Hector's expression immediately stiffened.

Shu Li sighed. "I didn't notice when I checked the map before. I only just realized that our route takes us through Snowo Territory."

Snowo Territory lay in the northern part of the Pros Empire, close to the Land of Snow. Anyone traveling to the Land of Snow by this route had to pass through it.

And Hector had once been one of the heirs to the Snowo family.

After his father's death, he had been stripped of his position as an heir and forced to leave his homeland to study magic in the Central Court.

Passing through Snowo Territory this time would be no different from returning home.

A flicker of self-mockery passed through Hector's silver-gray eyes.

"We're only passing through," he said indifferently. "I don't care. There's no need to disrupt our plans."

After all, who would spare a thought for someone his own family had cast aside?