Novel Publication

"Good, good! What a wonderful book!"

The owner of the Spring Beauty Bookstore in the Land of Fire's capital became engrossed in the book Karn gave him. Only after finishing the manuscript of the first volume did he snap out of it and shout; once he came back to his senses, Miki gave Karn an embarrassed smile.

Then, reluctant to let the story go, Miki asked, "Karn-san, do you have the rest of this book?"

"Of course. I've already finished writing it. But Miki-san, shouldn't we discuss business first?"

Karn raised an eyebrow as he asked. He had absolute confidence in the novels he had brought, mainly because the shinobi world was currently a cultural wasteland. Before coming to the Spring Beauty Bookstore, Karn had bought a few bestsellers to read, but none of them were remotely worth his time.

All that encouragement and glorification gave him a splitting headache. In short, they weren't satisfying, and they gave him no desire to keep reading.

So when Karn brought out novels that represented the best of another world's storytelling, there was no way he wouldn't make money. Even the bookstore owner was this engrossed; this novel was bound to be a massive hit.

"Of course we should. For a writer of your caliber, Karn-san, I can authorize a twenty-percent royalty."

That was all Karn needed to hear before he shook his head, cutting Miki off. "You're showing far too little sincerity, Miki-san. Before coming here, I read through the Spring Beauty Bookstore's so-called 'bestsellers.' All I can say is... heh. And I have two more novels here that are every bit as good as the one you just read. If that's all you're offering, I'll have to take my leave."

"Wait, please wait."

Upon hearing Karn's words, Miki hurriedly stopped him.

"You said you have two more books of comparable quality, Karn-san. Could I take a look at them?"

"Of course, but you'd better not try to finish them both in one sitting, Miki-san. We won't have enough time."

With that, Karn took the first volumes of the other two novels out of his backpack and handed them to Miki.

Miki eagerly began reading as soon as he received them, and the story immediately drew him in. Anyone who ran a bookstore had to have at least some ability to judge novels, and Miki had great confidence in his own eye for quality.

After a while, a cough from Karn brought Miki back to his senses. He smiled sheepishly, then picked up the last novel and began reading.

After looking through them all, Miki let out a long breath. If time hadn't been so short, he really would have wanted to read the rest of the stories in one sitting. It had been a long time since he'd been this absorbed in a novel.

"A thirty-seven-percent royalty, Karn-san. That's the most sincere offer I can make. I doubt anyone in the entire shinobi world would offer you more."

Miki spoke with a solemn expression. Royalties for novels in the shinobi world generally ranged from ten to twenty-two percent. He had raised his offer straight to thirty-seven percent while still shouldering the costs himself, which was a considerable show of sincerity.

If he hadn't been certain that all three were excellent books guaranteed to sell well, Miki would never have done this.

"Then it's settled, Miki-san. Once we've signed the contract, I'll give you the first three volumes."

Karn smiled at Miki, though he decided to skip the handshake. He had no desire to shake hands with someone who had been jerking off.

Karn and Miki soon signed the contract, and Karn handed over the contents of the first three volumes. He also suggested opening a bookstore in Konoha; with its population, there was a sizable market there.

Jiraiya had earned at least several hundred million from three books. Karn had no reason to pass up that kind of money when all it took was moving his fingers to bring in a steady stream of income.

After settling matters with the Spring Beauty Bookstore, Karn took another stroll around the Land of Fire's capital. It was dozens of times more prosperous than Konoha, and its population alone was beyond anything Konoha could match.

Over the next stretch of their stay, Karn treated the two squads of Konoha ninja guarding him to several fine meals. Although the chunin leading them repeatedly declined, Karn and the four genin eventually persuaded him. As long as they didn't drink alcohol, having something to eat didn't violate the shinobi code. Besides, this was the Land of Fire's capital, hardly a dangerous place. They could afford to relax a little.

People found it harder to criticize someone who had fed them. As long as these ninja still had a conscience, after enjoying several fine meals at Karn's expense, they wouldn't be too harsh when reporting on the mission back home. They might even paint him in a slightly better light.

After spending two days exploring the Land of Fire's capital, Karn had gained some understanding of the shinobi world's economy and level of development. Overall, it was roughly equivalent to the 1970s back in his world: many supplies were scarce, and industry was only just getting started. Yet little attention was paid to that sector, and neither the nobles nor the daimyo cared about its potential.

That gave Karn plenty of opportunities. The confectionery factory was his first step. Next, he would gain control over food supplies and manpower. Once he had built up enough strength in the Land of Fire, he would expand into small countries without hidden villages, where he could easily seize control of an entire nation.

After leaving the Land of Fire's capital, Karn visited many of its prosperous towns, taking notes as he went. Eventually, he returned to Kawaki Town, where he decided to establish his confectionery factory.

It was neither too close to nor too far from Konoha, placing it within a safe range, and there were no bandits or brigands of note nearby.

There were also plenty of civilians, so Karn could easily recruit a large workforce if he opened a factory. For management, he could hire more people from the Senju Clan, people like Xia Chuan. Their childhood training and their clan's legacy ensured that no truly wicked people would emerge among them. All that remained was training them in the necessary professional skills.

He needed to get the confectionery factory underway as soon as possible. After returning to Kawaki Town, Karn went straight to the local Land of Fire official. Following their negotiations, he bought a sizable plot of land and hired a construction crew in town to build a substantial factory and warehouse according to his plans.

Buying the land and building the factory and warehouse alone cost Karn several million ryo, and he still hadn't purchased the equipment. After asking around, he learned that the shinobi world had none of the equipment he wanted, so he planned to return to the Marvel Universe to buy some production machinery. Models from twenty years ago would be enough. Meanwhile, the civilians near Kawaki Town could grow cocoa trees for him.

Karn stayed in Kawaki Town for another three days. By the time his commissioned mission was nearing its deadline, he had finished arranging the confectionery factory's construction. All that remained was to inspect and accept the work when the time came.

With nothing else to attend to, Karn returned to Konoha.