Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 164

“What could possibly lie beyond the Eastern Continent?”

Lambus muttered to himself, staring at the sprawling map of the continents laid out on his desk.

Having recently read The Great Treasure in Manafia, he was deeply inspired. Growing up in the East, the sea was a familiar presence for Lambus. His father, a fisherman, often took him along on fishing trips. Each time, Lambus would gaze at the endless horizon, wondering what lay beyond.

"Stop thinking about nonsense. You’re not a merchant; there’s no reason for you to venture out there," his father would admonish him whenever Lambus expressed his desire to sail toward the distant horizon.

And his father had a point. Even in familiar waters, sudden changes in weather could claim lives. In the uncharted regions of the sea, surviving was close to a miracle.

“No one who ventured beyond the Eastern Continent ever returned,” he reminded himself aloud.

But after reading The Great Treasure, Lambus could no longer suppress his adventurous spirit.

“To reach the lands beyond the Eastern Continent, I’ll sail west!”

The western route remained an uncharted mystery. While there were merchant ships traversing the waters to and from the Eastern Continent, no one dared venture westward, a territory veiled in complete obscurity.

Debates about the world’s shape raged on: some believed the world was flat, as created by the goddess Gaia, while others argued it was spherical. Lambus firmly believed the latter.

"The stars don’t lie. The world is undoubtedly round," he thought.

As someone who worked the sea, Lambus could distinguish constellations based on the seasons. The gradual shift in the stars' positions through the year had convinced him of the globe’s curvature.

He had long asserted that to discover what lay beyond the Eastern Continent, one needed to sail westward. Yet no one believed him.

Until now.

"Navigator Wanted! Brave sailors needed to search for the Great Treasure!"

Rumors swirled that Rupert’s The Great Treasure hinted at real-world secrets, sparking a wave of investors eager to fund expeditions.

This was Lambus’s golden opportunity.

"I’ll be the first to reach the world’s end!"

Armed with his maps, charts of seasonal star patterns, and unwavering determination, Lambus left his home. He only needed one person—just one—to believe in him, and his journey could begin.

In Sylvanian territory, a crucial gathering of all kingdoms, excluding the Empire, was taking place.

The Kingdoms’ Alliance Conference, a historic assembly with centuries of tradition, was in session. The attendees—high-ranking officials, royals, and influential nobles—held sway over the continent’s balance of power.

“It’s been a while, Chancellor K’nak Sunamun.”
“Indeed, it has, Duke Hale.”

Before the official discussions began, a grand banquet was held. This time, the host was none other than the desert kingdom of Aramen.

“Aramen always leaves a unique impression, no matter how many times I visit,” Duke Hale commented, his gaze fixed on the performers on stage.

Draped in flowing garments, the dancers moved gracefully as aromatic incense wafted through the air, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

“It’s no surprise. Being in the desert, Aramen has developed a culture all its own,” Chancellor K’nak Sunamun replied.

Unlike Duke Hale, who had visited Aramen several times and grown accustomed to its peculiar charm, first-time visitors were already captivated.

"It’s no wonder some nobles make regular trips here just for this," Hale thought as he observed the mesmerized crowd, silently reminding himself to remain vigilant.

The seductive allure of the dancers, combined with the hazy ambiance created by the incense, seemed to lull the senses. It was precisely for this reason that diplomats visiting Aramen were always briefed to stay on guard and not fall under its spell.

“Would you mind if we briefly discussed today’s agenda?”

“Of course. Please, follow me to a private room.”

K’nak Sunamun led Duke Hale of the Kingdom of Labas to a prepared chamber.

It must be about that, K’nak thought.

The experienced and shrewd Duke Hale wasn’t the type to seek a private discussion without a significant reason, and K’nak suspected it was related to a matter currently weighing heavily on his mind.

As soon as they were seated, Duke Hale placed a book on the table with a quiet thud.

“This is the most popular item in the Kingdom of Labas right now.”

The book’s cover read The Steel Alchemist.

“You’re a step behind.”

“Pardon?”

K’nak Sunamun, unfazed, produced a book of his own.

Unlike Hale, K’nak had brought his item out earlier in the assembly, intending to make a statement.

“Card games are the latest craze in our kingdom.”

“What?”

The book K’nak revealed was none other than a volume of The King of Cards, one of Rupert’s newer works that had only recently been published in the Empire yet was already wildly successful in the desert kingdom of Aramen.

Aramen’s people were enamored with The King of Cards, which, coincidentally or not, seemed to reflect their own culture.

“Doesn’t this remind you of our kingdom?”
“Exactly! Look at the motifs and the Thousand Items—these could only come from Aramen!”
“Even though the creator is from the Empire, they captured our culture so magnificently that it’s impossible not to love this!”

Rupert’s previous works, like his fairy tales and earlier manga, had gained traction quietly. However, due to the political tension between the Empire and other nations, these were often consumed discreetly.

But The King of Cards broke that mold entirely.

It resonated deeply with Aramen’s people, giving them a sense of pride as they saw their culture portrayed with beauty and sophistication.

For a kingdom often dismissed as barbaric by outsiders—
“Aramen? Those desert savages?”
“All they have are strange costumes and obscene customs.”
“There’s nothing noteworthy about a land of sand.”

—the validation was transformative. Aramen’s people, long burdened by these stereotypes, embraced The King of Cards as a celebration of their culture.

Even merchandise tied to the series—everything from the manga volumes to card packs—was flying off the shelves. In fact, the card game had gained even more popularity in Aramen than in the Empire itself.

“Did you attend the official tournament in Borus?”
“You too?”

The previous Empire-hosted King of Cards tournament had drawn significant international attendance, a testament to its explosive popularity.

For K’nak Sunamun, it was a headache. People who would normally scoff at anything from the Empire were now eagerly consuming its culture.

“It seems it’s not just our kingdom. The same is happening in Aramen,” K’nak noted.

“Is card gaming really that popular in your kingdom as well?”

“No, alchemy is.”

In the Kingdom of Labas, the craze revolved around The Steel Alchemist.

Discussions in Labas were dominated by fantastical elements from Rupert’s work.

“They say the Empire has perfected golem prosthetics for those who lose limbs!”
“Not just that—look at the transmutation circles in this manga. They’re leagues ahead of anything we’ve seen!”
“Do you think I could achieve that if I studied alchemy?”

Initially, Duke Hale dismissed the influence of books as trivial. However, the rapid cultural shift they sparked in Labas was undeniable.

What began as a trend with fairy tales and manga had evolved into an admiration—even envy—of Imperial culture.

“Our books are just endless knightly literature.”
“Why don’t we have manga like that in our kingdom?”
“The Empire truly is ahead of us in every way.”

Even the nobility, who should have set an example, were the first to adopt Imperial culture as a mark of sophistication.

“I feel like slapping every single one of these nobles!”
“You have my full agreement, Duke.”

Both men sighed heavily.

“Instead of being role models, our aristocrats take pride in being the first to embrace Imperial trends…”
“And that’s not all. Did you see what some of them were discussing earlier?”

K’nak recalled the scene at the banquet hall, where nobles openly flaunted their Imperial goods.

“Do you know what this is?”
“I’ve never seen that book before. Is it one of Somerset’s fairy tales?”
“This is the limited-edition Pinocchio storybook, sold exclusively in the Empire.”
“What? Even Imperial nobles can’t easily get that! How did you manage?”
“I spent a fortune, of course. But it was worth it—this is a treasure.”

Even at a conference meant to counter the Empire’s influence, attendees were proudly boasting about their Imperial acquisitions.

“It’s said you can’t hold a proper conversation in noble circles these days without something from the Somerset Workshop.”
“We have wealth too! We can’t let them outshine us!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, K’nak had proposed a motion to ban the import of Imperial goods at this assembly.

Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely to gain much support.

“Has it already gone too far to stop?”

Their sighs deepened in unison. Both men understood that the Imperial cultural wave was spreading too quickly, fueled by something they could not yet fully grasp.

This pace… it’s far too fast.

K’nak Sunamun couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something behind this phenomenon—something they had yet to uncover.