บท 71: Chapter 71: "Ghostwriters" and Literary Giants
Chapter 71: "Ghostwriters" and Literary Giants
The three plate engravers, eager to prove themselves before the King and the Prince, each took a stone slab and began their work with great seriousness. All three were experts in the printing trade, and lithography was indeed a simple and efficient method. They each succeeded on their first try.
The oldest engraver, however, noticed that some of the dried ink on the stone slab had begun to flake off. He suggested, "Your Highness, perhaps the base ink should be made thicker."
Joseph nodded. "You'll need to experiment with the exact consistency."
Joseph only had a rough idea of the lithographic printing process. The technical details would need to be refined by these three experts.
The engravers immediately began discussing amongst themselves:
"We should try adding some asphalt."
"Yes, we could also test it with resin..."
One of the middle-aged engravers suddenly spoke up, "Your Highness, there is another issue. The method of lithographic printing differs significantly from copperplate printing, especially in the pressure and angle required for printing. The existing presses might not work directly."
Joseph paused, realizing that as an outsider to the trade, he hadn't considered the printing presses. He turned to the engraver and asked, "Can you modify the press?"
The engraver quickly shook his head.
As Joseph pondered whether he needed to find a workshop that manufactured presses, he heard a shy yet confident voice say, "Perhaps I can help with that."
Joseph turned to see Louis XVI, who was looking at him with eager anticipation. His eyes lit up—Louis was an expert mechanic, and his "assistants" were famous masters. Modifying a printing press would be an easy task for them.
Joseph immediately bowed and said with a smile, "You've truly saved the lithographic printing technique. I suggest that this new press be named the 'King's Press'!"
With the royal workshop bustling with activity, and nothing more he could contribute, Joseph returned to his quarters to begin preparations for the content of the new publication.
He summoned his scribe and dictated a brief outline, instructing him to turn it into a novel.
The scribe returned by nightfall with the completed manuscript, but Joseph was left speechless. While the language was smooth and the structure clear, the characters were stiff and lacked any emotional depth.
With a sigh, Joseph realized that his scribe was skilled at drafting official documents, but writing novels required a different expertise. He then instructed Emond to find a few professional writers.
Emond was efficient. The next morning, just after breakfast, four writers of various ages and appearances were brought before Joseph.
It helped that these writers already lived in Versailles.
After they paid their respects, Emond introduced each one:
"Your Highness, this is the renowned Parisian literary figure, Count Beaumarchais."
Joseph was surprised. "Beaumarchais? The author of The Marriage of Figaro?"
The elderly man with gray hair and thick glasses immediately bowed slightly. "I'm deeply honored that Your Highness has read my play."
Joseph couldn't help but smile. He was just looking for a few ghostwriters, but Emond had brought in a literary giant.
After praising the celebrated writer, Joseph turned to the others.
"And this is Viscount Saint-Pierre... And this is Barre..." Each was a prominent figure in the French literary world.
Joseph felt a bit overwhelmed. Since they were already here, he decided to let these literary giants moonlight as ghostwriters.
He smiled at the four writers and said, "I need someone to help me turn the stories I've conceived into novels. After the novels are published, you will receive the full royalties. Additionally, I will pay 2 livres per 500 words. What do you think?"
Regardless of their personal feelings, the writers could hardly refuse the Prince's request. They all bowed, saying, "We are honored to serve Your Highness."
However, they were all curious about how many stories the Prince had in mind, considering he had summoned four writers.
Without wasting any more time, Joseph led them to the study. He quickly organized the most exciting stories he had read in his previous life and selected a few to assign to each writer.
"Viscount Saint-Pierre, your story is about a young man named..." Joseph almost mentioned a familiar name but quickly adjusted it to suit French tastes. "Named Hunter Shaw."
Saint-Pierre, seemingly disinterested, jotted down notes, doubting that the thirteen-year-old Prince could come up with anything remarkable.
Joseph continued, "Hunter Shaw was born into a family of alchemists. From birth, he displayed extraordinary talent, far surpassing his peers.
"However, when he was twelve, he put on a ring he found by chance, and everything changed. His alchemical abilities began to deteriorate rapidly. Three years later, during an alchemy test, he barely managed to be ranked as a 'Level Three Alchemist.' His family began to ridicule and scorn him."
Saint-Pierre commented absentmindedly, "How unfortunate. What was wrong with the ring?"
"We'll get to that later," Joseph teased. "The worst blow for Hunter Shaw came when his fiancée, Elizabeth, a genius from the Alchemist's Guild, came to his home one day and, in front of all his relatives, demanded to break off their engagement.
"She believed that his talent was so poor that he wasn't worthy of her. Humiliated, Hunter Shaw argued back. To avoid damaging her family's reputation by breaking the engagement, Elizabeth proposed a contest in alchemy three years later. If he lost, the engagement would be nullified.
"Hunter Shaw bravely accepted the challenge and declared, 'For thirty years, the Seine flows east; for thirty years, it flows west. Never humiliate a young man because he is poor!'
"After this humiliating incident, Hunter Shaw discovered the secret of the ring..."
Saint-Pierre, now intrigued by the story, eagerly asked, "What happened next, Your Highness?"
Joseph smiled. "You'll have to write what I've told you first, and then I'll tell you what comes next."
Reluctantly, Saint-Pierre nodded and then praised, "Your Highness, this is an absolutely brilliant story! I'll do my best to write it as it deserves. Oh, by the way, what should the novel be titled?"
After a brief pause, Joseph replied, "Let's call it Breaking Through the Heavens."
Once Saint-Pierre had left, the eager Viscount Barre approached, hoping to hear another captivating story.
Joseph said directly, "Your story is about a lady named Claire. One morning, she wakes up with a terrible headache. When she opens her eyes, she finds herself slumped over her desk. Beside her is an open notebook with the words, 'Everyone will die, including me.'"
(End of chapter)
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