Chapter 22 – Educational Book (3)

What was Hanslow Jin to Bentley Publishing?

A gold nugget that fell from the sky.

The second coming of Jesus.

A saviour.

In any case, a publishing house is still a business.

And the most important thing for a business is money.

Hanslow Jin, the publisher's greatest killer item, changed the company's fate entirely.

But to Richard Bentley Jr., the third-generation president of Bentley Publishing, Hanslow Jin was more than that.

"He is a pioneer."

Peter Ferry, weekly serialization, Vincent Villiers.

All three were bold attempts that were unimaginable in contemporary Britain, and they all succeeded.

As if he had seen the future and knew these would succeed.

Well, if he truly had peered through the veil of time to glimpse the future, he would have invested in stocks rather than merely writing, but Hanslow Jin seemed to have no interest in that, so probably not.

The important thing was that Hanslow Jin could see the "path to success."

So, simply following his lead promised boundless glory for Bentley Publishing.

Those two reasons were enough.

Richard Bentley Jr. thought so, but...

This was truly unexpected.

"It really wasn't a textbook..."

"I told you it wasn't."

***

Goodness, you don't believe people, do you?

What Bentley was looking at was an educational book I co-authored with Lewis Carroll, based on my idea.

The basic framework was the chronicle of the legend of King Arthur.

Arthur, the son of King Uther Pendragon, grew up hiding his identity in a knight's house and, guided by Merlin, pulled out Excalibur, and so on.

However, the knight mentioned here was not one who fought on horseback.

It was a knight of board games.

"What on earth is this 'Number's Duel', Mr Jin?"

"It's the main theme of this educational book."

I said confidently.

It was a battle story, but not a simple one.

In this world of 'mathematical knights,' life did not end physically.

However, people had 'experience' that could be quantified into 'Number Cards', and through training, they could manifest these metaphysical concepts into reality.

And when conflicts arose, they duelled by comparing the numbers on their cards.

The winner would take the numbers from the loser, and someone who lost all their cards would die or become enslaved to the victor.

The rules of the duel varied for each participant.

Initially, it was a simple method of comparing the numbers, so the person with more experience was naturally at an advantage.

But as the story progressed, relics with the power of 'formulas' like Excalibur were introduced, allowing the weaker to use these formulas to turn the tables.

"If you look at the mock duel between Arthur and Kay at the beginning, you'll understand."

"Hmm... indeed."

Originally, Arthur had the cards for 2 and 3, while his stepbrother Kay had the card for 5.

Without Excalibur, Arthur couldn't win against Kay no matter what.

Arthur, lacking the power of formulas, could only present his numbers, and since Kay's 5 was higher, he was bound to lose.

But after obtaining the 'multiplication' formula contained in Excalibur, he could create 2×3=6 to defeat Kay's 5. That was the basic rule embedded in this novel.

Initially, it seemed simple.

Even Lewis Carroll protested.

"This... this only includes the four basic... operations! How can anyone learn anything from this!"

"This is just the prologue. It's just a taste. Later, we'll use more complex magic!"

At first, when people duelled, higher numbers would win, but before Arthur became king, during his adventures with Bedivere, Kay, and Merlin, they would encounter monsters and fantastical creatures that couldn't be defeated simply by presenting higher numbers.

They would have to create formulas that matched the exact numbers of these creatures, or else they would lose their cards and only empower their opponent.

So, they would need to create formulas to match various situations, and later on, use fractions, decimals, negative numbers... and eventually irrational numbers for secondary mathematics.

Anyway,

"Wow... this is..."

"What do you think?"

"Honestly, it does feel a bit childish."

Well, of course.

I had no choice but to nod.

The essence of the 'defamiliarization' technique is the balance between the known and the unknown.

People quickly accept what is familiar and take time to accept what is unfamiliar.

Thus, the game itself was made as simple as possible, and the story was chosen to be the familiar and straightforward legend of King Arthur.

And, because of that...

"But... the more I look at it, the more I find myself drawn to it."

"Isn't it?"

"Yes. Did you say it was written by Lewis Carroll? To be honest, each sentence is... ahem. I'm sorry, but it's more engaging than your writing, so I kept reading."

What a pointless remark.

I gave Bentley a brief glare, but there was no helping it.

Among native English speakers, Lewis Carroll was one of the top writers, while I was just a Korean writing in a makeshift manner. If my writing were better, it would be an imbalance.

Certainly, the rapid tempo made the prose flow like rap. A genius is a genius, after all.

"What do you think as a parent?"

"As a parent... are you referring to my children?"

"Yes."

Ah, I hadn't had the chance to mention it, but Richard Bentley Jr. was also married, with a son and a daughter.

Currently, they were staying at his predecessor's house, meaning his father's.

"As a parent, would you like to read it to your children?"

"Now that you mention it, it was said to be educational... Hmm. Mathematics is indeed a subject where initial understanding is crucial. We hired a tutor for our children for their education, but they always disliked it. But with this... Yes, I think they would enjoy reading it."

Thank goodness.

I nodded with a broad smile. The zeal for education seemed similar across countries.

In Asia, it was the only solution, so it was particularly prominent.

"But, Mr Jin?"

"Yes?"

"While I appreciate you bringing such a valuable proposal... what about "Peter Ferry and the Fairy Forest" and "Vincent Villiers"?"

His gaze suggested he hoped I wasn't planning to serialise three works simultaneously.

I waved my hands in denial.

"No, no. Even I can't handle three projects at once. I would truly die from overwork."

"Really?"

"Really. This is just a draft."

That's why we were proceeding with it as a standalone book. Unlike magazine serialisations, there was no fixed schedule for its continuation.

Moreover, educational novels required more self-contained stories, making a standalone book a better format.

So, I would just draft the story, and Lewis Carroll would write the main text.

Then I would review it and pass it to the publisher.

Once the initial story review was done, Lewis Carroll would continue writing the rest without my help.

By the time I left Surrey, he already seemed enamoured with this world.

"A world where the depth of mathematics becomes power... In such a place, even I... would like it."

I might have to caution him against creating a Mary Sue character.

Anyway, if things went well, the publisher could handle further refinement without my direct involvement.

This would reduce my burden even more.

Despite this, the royalty split was an incredible 7:3!

Of course, I got the 3. Initially, I was going to give it all away but managed to persuade him otherwise. Eventually, we decided to allocate a portion of the proceeds elsewhere.

Even so, the ratio was still disproportionately high considering the effort involved.

Anyway, with this, the educational book was settled.

"Shall we receive our guest now?"

"Ah, yes. I'll bring him in."

"No need. I heard everything from outside."

The door suddenly opened with a bang.

A short but stout old man entered, his eyes blazing.

"It's our first meeting, but you seem familiar. Curious, given that you look different from what I expected."

"What a coincidence. I feel the same. Although, I've seen your photos a few times."

"Hahaha, your spirit is just as I expected. No, even more."

The old man extended his arm towards me. I grasped his hand.

It was solid like a rock, yet warmer than that.

"Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Call me Mark Twain."

"I'm Jinhansol. Please call me Hanslow Jin, sir."

***

"Hoo, hoohoo. Hoohoohoo."

Around the same time.

Near Marylebone, London.

A middle-aged man, who hadn't been outside for months, stared at the freshly completed manuscript with bloodshot eyes and dishevelled hair.

Perfect. A truly perfect manuscript was finally born.

"It's been a long period of humiliation and persecution."

Damn fanboys.

If an author decided to kill off a protagonist, so be it. How could they protest and hold demonstrations over it?

No, that much could be understood. Citizens had the right to express themselves and assemble.

But sending abusive letters, threatening the family's lives with 5700-character manifestos, and holding a non-existent character's funeral outside his house was too much.

Even the publisher, who should have stopped this, only whined about declining sales and now demanded a resurrection.

Arthur Conan Doyle found it unbearable.

"But this ends it!"

Hahaha! Arthur burst into wild laughter.

It was understandable.

The 17th-century French Protestantism, the Huguenots' oppression under the Edict of Fontainebleau, and their pilgrimage to America in search of religious freedom.

An ambitious narrative that brought all this to life.

A grandiose world, profound human portrayals, perfect historical accuracy—this was a flawless masterpiece!

Undoubtedly, it would be remembered as the greatest historical novel in British literary history.

Of course, there was a small note in the corner acknowledging the support of the Royal Society of Literature. It was part of the contract, after all.

"Market, bow before my perfect novel! Awaken true pride and patriotism!! Wahaha!!"

Finally, under the name of Harper & Brothers, Arthur Conan Doyle's magnum opus was released to the market.

And.

To everyone's surprise.

No one... paid any attention.

It was summer.