Chapter 347: The Shengcheng Residents Urging for More

"New World News"

【Front Page Headline: The Mourning Glory of the Temple: Prince Roxay Kelin Holds Funeral for His Father, Pope Personally Presides to Bestow Blessings, Highlighting Family Honor!

Yesterday at noon, the Imperial Shengcheng witnessed a century-defining funeral that will go down in history amidst solemn and majestic bell tolls!

The heir to the Kelin family, flowing with ancient and noble blood, Prince Roxay Kelin, held a grand memorial prayer and burial ceremony for his late father, Prince Watching Nan Fu Kelin, at Saint Clement Cathedral.

The ceremony was personally presided over by the respected Pope Gregorius IX, and the scene was solemn and elegant. Distinguished guests attending the funeral included Regent Granville Bota, Duke Albert Valencia, Count Kasit Silfin, Marshal Lako Aiberg, and others. They collectively expressed their respect and condolences to the Kelin family and highly praised the piety and noble character of Prince Roxay Kelin.

In his eulogy, Prince Kelin stated: "My father was loyal to the Empire and faithful to Saint Xisi all his life. From now on, I will inherit his will and continue to contribute strength to His Majesty the Emperor and the people of the Empire."

That moving scene caused all the citizens in the square to shed tears of sorrow, and under the prayers of the crowd, the radiance of divine favor even appeared over Saint Clement Cathedral!

Good people have their own heaven-sent protection; let us bless Prince Kelin and bless the wandering souls abroad, that they may all find the way home under the guidance of the Holy Light!

Currently, the coffin of Watching Nan Fu Kelin has been buried in the cemetery of Saint Clement Cathedral under the blessing of Gregorius IX.

Additionally, Prince Kelin announced the charter of the Templar Order at the end of the funeral and presented it as a gift to the citizens of the Empire in the name of the late Prince!

】

【Second Edition · Exclusive Serialization: "The Drifting Chronicles of Baron Kosia"

—The strange adventure story of Imperial Baron Titch Kosia: recounting how he survived a shipwreck, drifted alone to the coast of the Jana Continent, lived on the beach near the Sun Stair Mountains for nearly ten years, and finally how he was incredibly rescued by the Imperial Navy. Written by himself.

"Prologue"

I, Titch Kosia, was born on a sunny day into a decent baron family in the suburbs of the Shengcheng. Although my family was not overwhelmingly powerful, we had some assets, enough for me to receive a good education and live a comfortable life without worrying about a livelihood. My father always hoped I would be like him, content with the status quo, manage the family's land, eventually marry a lady of equal standing, and spend my life in a plain and decent manner.

However, deep in my heart, there always seemed to be an invisible flame burning, an ambition that was not content with the status quo driving me. I was not satisfied with the limited income from the estate, so I invested the family property into commercial trade, which was full of both risks and opportunities. At first, there was indeed some small success, but a wrong judgment caused all my previous efforts to go down the drain, and I even ended up with heavy debts.

To regain my lost honor and wealth, I staked my remaining assets on a sturdy merchant ship, the "Bai Jing," and personally led the fleet, fully loaded with the specialties of the Shengcheng, sailing toward the legendary New Continent where gold was everywhere.

The day we set sail was calm, and the seagulls in the harbor sang songs to see me off. My heart was full of confidence, thinking this voyage would be the beginning of my comeback. Sadly, the messenger of the gods who held fate seemed to have already arranged a completely different script for me... to punish my endless desire and greed.

When our fleet sailed into the depths of the boundless ocean, a storm without warning pounced on us like a hellhound, and the sky turned darker than the deepest night in an instant.

The gale roared, whipping up waves as huge as mountain ranges, easily playing with our sturdy ships in the palm of its hand!

My main mast snapped in the first wave of impact, emitting a heart-wrenching groan; the sailors' exclamations and prayers were soon swallowed by the roar of thunder and the giant waves smashing against the hull, and in the end, only I was left on the deck.

I gripped the broken rudder tightly, watching helplessly as the "Bai Jing" was completely torn to pieces by a row of earth-shattering giant waves.

The bone-chilling seawater swallowed me, and I struggled in the endless darkness and chaos until the last piece of ship plank slipped from my hands, and my consciousness sank into the abyss.

I don't know how long I drifted in that dark, cold seawater. Perhaps it was an instant, perhaps it was eternity. When I regained consciousness, I was lying on a strange beach scorched by the scorching sun.

The salty sea breeze blew over me, and apart from the wreckage of the broken ship and the sound of endless waves, there was no sign of human life.

I struggled to stand up, looking around at this desolate coastline, with only one thought in my heart—I am still alive.

And all this, perhaps, is Saint Xisi's test for me... (To be continued)

】

The funeral at Saint Clement Cathedral had already drawn to a close, and in the next day or two, this century-defining funeral remained the focus of heated discussion in the streets and alleys of the Shengcheng.

Nobles praised Prince Kelin's emphasis on tradition as well as his grace and elegance, while citizens talked enthusiastically about the supreme honor of the Pope's personal attendance and the newly established Templar Order.

Young men dreaming of expanding the Empire's territory were already boiling with blood, wishing they could immediately board a ship to the Jana Continent to fight for the glory of the Empire and the Holy Light!

However, amidst this quiet and noisy daily life, a new wave was silently infiltrating the lives of the citizens of the Shengcheng.

Shengcheng, Sage Street.

The afternoon sun was warm and pleasant, and the "White Dove Cafe" by the street was filled with the rich aroma of coffee and the buzzing exchange of people chatting easily.

Mr. Clark, the accountant, was a regular here. He usually ordered a cup of black coffee and spent an hour reading the "Shengcheng Daily News" to understand the commercial trends inside and outside the city.

However, unlike in the past, the newspaper in his hand today had been replaced by an obscure "New World News."

The front page of this newspaper reported in detail on the funeral that had shocked the whole city yesterday. Its content was detailed and informative, and the writing was relaxed and easy to understand, making it worth a read.

However, what truly attracted Mr. Clark was the second page—that "Drifting Chronicles of Baron Kosia," whose title was so long it could almost be considered a short essay.

He read the prologue in almost one breath, completely forgetting the cup of coffee in front of him that was gradually cooling.

"My god, that storm... it was simply like the roar of hell!"

He muttered to himself unconsciously, leaning forward, his eyes fixed tightly on the words on the paper, as if he himself were on the "Bai Jing" struggling in the giant waves.

Especially when he read about the Baron being swallowed by the seawater and finally waking up miraculously on the beach, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Saint Xisi above!"

A citizen sitting at the neighboring table was clearly a fellow enthusiast. He looked up, cast a knowing look at Mr. Clark, and lowered his voice.

"Sir, are you also reading Baron Kosia's story? That story is written so thrillingly... isn't it?"

"Yes, it's incredible!"

As if finding a soulmate, Mr. Clark responded excitedly, "I really want to know what this poor Baron will do next! And what exactly is on that strange land?"

His fingers trembled slightly with excitement, and he turned the newspaper to the next page full of anticipation, his eyes searching eagerly on the layout.

However, there was nothing.

The next page was some unimportant city anecdotes and a few small advertisements.

Mr. Clark was stunned. He quickly flipped through the newspaper again until he returned to the end of the prologue on the second page, only then did he see that line of text like a devil's whisper—

(To be continued)

???

"Damn it! What's next? How can it just end?!"

An irrepressible groan squeezed out from Mr. Clark's throat.

He felt his heart being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, then hoisted high, neither able to go up nor down.

The suspense of the story, the worry for the Baron's fate, the curiosity about the unknown continent, all turned into ten thousand ants crawling on his heart and liver, making him sit on pins and needles.

He put the newspaper down irritably, then couldn't help but pick it up again, repeatedly looking at the words "To be continued," as if he wanted to burn through it with his gaze to see the words behind it.

And he was not the only citizen here cursing that line of "To be continued."

Although newspapers in the past would serialize some short stories, they always had a beginning and an end, and would never disappear after leaving behind such an ambiguous ending like this irresponsibly.

Not long after, Clark heard a curse from afar.

"Damn it! Which newspaper office is this 'New World News' run by? To actually use such a shameless method to keep people in suspense!"

The man in the bowler hat cursed indignantly, but his body made a very honest decision, "They had better post the sequel to the story in the next issue of the newspaper! I swear, once they finish telling this story without a beginning or an end, I will absolutely not buy another issue of this crappy newspaper! Not even one!"

Hearing his curse, the man sitting not far from him drank a sip of coffee and said with a wry smile.

"Friend, I think you'd better worry about whether you can even buy it. This kind of small newspaper sells out very quickly. I just wanted to buy another copy from the newsboy to take back for my wife to see, but that lad told me it was already sold out... Saint Xisi above, they only printed 2,000 copies of such a wonderful story! Are they doing this on purpose?!"

Mr. Clark finished his long-cold coffee absentmindedly, carefully folded the "New World News," and placed it properly into his briefcase, as if it were some precious treasure.

He made up his mind that the first thing he would do when he went out tomorrow would be to snatch a copy of the latest "New World News" from the newsboy to find out the fate of Baron Kosia and that mysterious continent.

His mind was now full of beaches, deserted islands, and the Baron drifting in the wilderness... as if he himself were that poor man abandoned on the beach by the storm, enduring the scorching sun.

On this day, in countless corners of the Shengcheng, many citizens like Mr. Clark were experiencing that sweet and painful "torment."

The newspapers in the Shengcheng had never published such an interesting story, especially since the protagonist of the story was no longer a princess or a knight, but an ambitious, even rebellious man.

He was not content with the shade of his ancestors, wanted to venture out and build a career, was punished by fate, and then opened up a path to wealth in the wilderness with his own wisdom and courage.

Not only that, this marketing method of serializing novels in newspapers and cutting the story at the most exciting position was also something the citizens of the Shengcheng had never seen before.

Just like that, an obscure newspaper successfully broke into the vision of the citizens of the Shengcheng with its bizarre and fascinating adventure story, and with an irresistible posture, became their most eager anticipation for the next morning...

Similar to the heated discussion about "The Drifting Chronicles of Baron Kosia" in the streets of the Shengcheng, at this moment, the birthplace of the story—the office of "New World News"—was also in the center of a noisy storm.

This start-up newspaper office was located on Kasenjie, known for its dilapidation and depression in the Shengcheng, but its office was completely different from the surrounding environment.

Bright sunlight shone through the spotless glass windows, illuminating the tidy office. The floor here was swept clean, and documents and papers were also neatly arranged by category.

And all this was thanks to the group of diligent children taken in by Mr. Ding Ge Kayuona.

Nowadays, besides the orphans who came to help with chores, the newspaper office also hired a group of young people who graduated from nearby community colleges. Kosair kept his promise, offering the former a salary of 1,200 copper coins per month, and the latter even 3,000 copper coins per month.

Although this money was not a huge sum, compared to their not-so-heavy workload and the average wage level of the Shengcheng, it was already a generous treatment that was enough to be envied.

Naturally, the salary of an officer was not enough to support the expenses of the newspaper office, but fortunately, they soon received sponsorship from "Baron Kosia" himself.

Including the novel currently being serialized in the newspaper, it was also part of the sponsorship from this Baron.

He didn't want a manuscript fee, only proposing that after the story was finished, a portion of the publishing income be shared with him.

In short, thanks to the help of Baron Kosia, Kosair's newspaper office was able to open up the situation so quickly and carve out a bloody path in the red-sea newspaper industry.

Considering that he would leave the Shengcheng for the Empire's Xuebang in a few days, Luo Yan planned to come and check on the operation of the newspaper office before leaving.

This was an important chess piece he left in the Shengcheng, although this piece was still very small at the moment.

Just as his carriage stopped at the entrance of Kasenjie, he was attracted by the scene before him.

A large crowd of people was squeezed in front of the newspaper office, blocking the already narrow street completely.

Among these people were decent and shrewd publishing merchants, reporters from other newspaper offices with notebooks and sharp eyes, and more were ordinary citizens with eager faces—they were clearly all loyal readers of "The Drifting Chronicles of Baron Kosia."

"May I ask when the next issue will be out? We are willing to pay double the price to pre-order!"

"I am from the Lion Publishing House, hoping to talk to the president of your office about the publishing rights of this book!"

"Can't you write a little more? Such a small segment every day is really torture!"

"Is this really written by Baron Kosia himself? Why is the version I heard at the harbor not quite the same?"

Noisy requests and inquiries rose one after another, surrounding the small newspaper office like an iron bucket.

Just then, someone in the crowd had sharp eyes and saw Luo Yan getting off the carriage.

"Look! It's Prince Kelin!"

An exclamation that suddenly rang out attracted everyone's attention.

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into a more fanatical commotion than before.

"My god! Even Prince Kelin is here!"

"I didn't expect you to be a reader of 'The Drifting Chronicles of Baron Kosia' too, Prince? Do you think Baron Kosia can survive?"

"Are you out of your mind?! Baron Kosia was ennobled by this Prince! 'Hiss... I remember now! Prince, which episode do you appear in? I started watching from the episode you appeared in!'"

They surged toward Luo Yan excitedly, hoping to say a few words to this noble figure who was also "chasing the update."

Looking at the boiling crowd, Luo Yan was also a bit dumbfounded for a moment, and could only appeal for them to be a little calmer.

Sarah and two manor guards protected him tightly, their eyes sharp and ready for battle.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, fortunately, Centurion Kosair arrived in time with two city defense cavalrymen.

The tall horses and the cold armor on the soldiers immediately calmed the fanatical crowd down quite a bit.

"Citizens, calm down! The publishing house hasn't printed it yet, even if you guard here it's useless, the newspaper isn't delivered to your hands from here!" Looking at the citizens surrounding Prince Kelin, Kosair was sweating profusely, fearing that something might go wrong.

Fortunately, Prince Kelin was a calm and easygoing person and was not unhappy because of the enthusiasm of the citizens.

Under his gentle yet dignified persuasion, the restless crowd finally dispersed reluctantly.

"Prince, are you alright?" Kosair dismounted and trotted quickly to Kelin, his serious face full of concern.

Luo Yan smiled and waved his hand.

"I'm fine, I just came here on a whim to take a look, I didn't expect to cause such a commotion... It's added trouble to your work."

"Not at all... it's us who gave you a scare." Kosair said with a red face, embarrassed.

It was clear that those citizens were coming for the newspaper office, but Prince Kelin took the cause of the matter upon himself, which was undoubtedly a big help to him.

After the chaos subsided, a young man in his twenties walked out of the newspaper office quickly.

He was Ding Ge Kayuona, who now also served as the president of the newspaper office.

Looking at Luo Yan, he rubbed his hands unconsciously, his face carrying a bit of shyness and awkwardness, but more of heartfelt enthusiasm and gratitude.

"Prince Kelin... I'm really sorry, I've added trouble to you. Thank you for your kindness in resolving the siege for us."

Luo Yan smiled and shook his head, signaling him not to mind.

"It's just a small effort, President Cayona. Seeing the newspaper so popular, I am also genuinely happy for you... it shows that you haven't let down my good intentions."

"That goes without saying, I, how could we dare to let down your good intentions!" Kayuona's face was glowing with red light, and he hurriedly made a gesture of invitation, "You came to inspect our work, right? This way please!"

"No need to be so nervous, I'll just wander around by myself, you go do your work."

Smiling and soothing him, Luo Yan took the silent Sarah and walked into the newspaper office.

This three-story office building was converted from a residential house, the office rooms were narrow and seemed a bit cramped, but the decoration was very warm, and the floor was also very clean... clearly, the people working here all treated this place as their home.

Walking into the second-floor office, Luo Yan's gaze passed over rows of crowded and busy desks and chairs, and soon stopped on a familiar face.

That was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old.

His green face was written with a maturity that did not match his age, and a crutch leaned against the side of the table.

At this moment, he was meticulously checking the documents on the table, seemingly helping with some simple text work, and learning while working.

Luo Yan's eyebrows raised.

It was rare for someone of this age to be literate.

"... Prince?! Why are you here?"

White noticed Prince Kelin walking into the office at a glance. In surprise, he hurriedly supported the table and wanted to stand up to salute.

Luo Yan smiled and reached out, pressing gently on his shoulder, stopping him from standing up.

"No need for formalities, I just came here to take a look." His voice was gentle, his gaze sweeping over the other young editors and children in the office who stood up upon hearing the sound, "You continue with your work, don't let down the expectations of the readers outside the door."

His words carried a reassuring power, and the originally nervous crowd breathed a sigh of relief one after another, sitting back in their seats.

Luo Yan's gaze fell back on the glowing boy.

It was also at this moment that he suddenly noticed a manuscript at White's hand, on which were drawn several graffiti that made him feel familiar.

"This is?" Looking at that manuscript, he asked curiously.

"It's abstract art, Prince! You should be very familiar with it!"

Seeing the Prince notice his work, White immediately introduced it familiarly, his eyes shining with light.

"Recently, this concept has been very popular in the art world of the Shengcheng, especially in the circle of young people. It's just a pity that there are not many people willing to invest in this new style... You know, those big nobles only invest in painters who have real potential and reputation, while most of those willing to chase this new trend are some obscure young people."

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows, already having a guess in his heart: "Are you writing a report on this art trend?"

"Sort of," White said excitedly, "But more of it is related to an art exhibition with abstract art as the theme!"

Hearing this, Luo Yan was almost choked by his own saliva.

"Abstract art... art exhibition?"

"That's right!"

White's tone was full of identification with new things, and he nodded excitedly.

"There is a kind lady willing to fund it, giving those young artists without fame a chance to show themselves, investing in holding this art exhibition... uh, although, I think this is also related to the fact that her budget is indeed not very sufficient."

Before the Prince could speak, White continued with bright eyes: "Regardless of whether anyone invests... don't you think this is great? I've learned about it, this is a painting method with a very low threshold, whether it's the use of color or the pigment itself, it can be splashed on paper without restraint. My sister even said that she could paint this kind of painting!"

"I! I didn't say that!"

Daiona, who was helping to organize documents on the side, heard her brother's words, and her cheeks turned red "swish" in an instant.

She glared at her brother fiercely, and immediately looked at Prince Kelin nervously, fearing that he would be angry because of this sentence.

After all, she had heard others mention that this trend that swept the young art circle seemed to have been brought about by the lecture given by this Prince at the Imperial Royal Academy of Arts.

Usually, her brother's emotional intelligence was very high, but today he forgot to avoid taboos.

Luo Yan was not so narrow-minded.

But to be honest, he was indeed a bit embarrassed in his heart, especially since he didn't expect that the few nonsense words he said in class would have such a big impact on the young people of the Shengcheng.

However...

This is a good thing.

He pondered for a moment and gave his own opinion.

"I think... this is indeed a good thing. Expressing oneself should not be the patent of the rich and powerful. This world is full of discipline for the powerless. Young people like you should also make your own voices heard. This is the right bestowed upon you by Saint Xisi."

"I knew you would think so!"

White was so excited that his voice trembled, looking as if he would bow to the Prince in the next second, "So, our newspaper office plans to help this art exhibition for free, and the way is... let those young artists who are about to exhibit their works at the art exhibition draw illustrations for our serialized 'The Drifting Chronicles of Baron Kosia'... that is this!"

Saying that, White searched through the documents on the table and carefully displayed a four-panel illustration he had drawn in front of Luo Yan.

Luo Yan looked closely and was dumbfounded again.

Good guy... four-panel comic?!

This was the first word that popped into his mind.

The drawing paper was divided into four squares, outlining a story segment with simple lines.

And the protagonist in the painting, the little person whose head was drawn like the letter "q", was undoubtedly the unlucky Baron Kosia.

He suddenly realized that this creative idea of using simple abstract sketches of color to express characters was simply great!

It cleverly avoided the trouble that might be caused by rashly publishing noble portraits in newspapers, and through this minimalist combination of elements, it made the image of "Little q" Baron even more vivid and interesting, and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

This was something that magic photos couldn't do!

It's just...

The more Luo Yan looked, the more he felt that this "Little q" lying on the beach with an exaggerated expression was so familiar.

He stared at the painting for a long time, and a name buried deep in his previous life's memory suddenly jumped out—

"The Adventures of Tintin."

Grass!

Can't say it's a bit like!

It's exactly the same!

"Prince?"

Looking at Prince Kelin who was in a daze, White waved his little hand in front of him in confusion.

Luo Yan quickly came back to his senses.

He cleared his throat, covered up the waves in his heart, and said solemnly: "I think... this is very creative. Although I didn't expect you to understand 'abstract' art this way, but... this philosophy of not sticking to authority and daring to try is exactly what I advocate. You did a good job, let go and do it."

"Thank you! You are so kind! Thank you for supporting our cause so tolerantly, we will definitely repay you in the future!"

White got a positive answer and smiled embarrassedly.

His expression became a bit twisted, hesitated for a while, but finally summoned the courage and looked at the respected Prince Kelin with eyes full of anticipation.

"Speaking of which, Prince, I think our philosophies are quite compatible. You... are you really not considering adopting me? I'm very easy to raise, really."

Daiona felt tight in her heart upon hearing this, looked at her brother nervously, and then glanced at Prince Kelin quickly.

A hint of worry appeared in her eyes, as if she was afraid that her most important family member would be snatched away by this big shot.

However, the little girl's worry was clearly unnecessary.

Luo Yan was not interested in little boys, just smiled gently and reached out to pat his head lightly.

"The legend of the Shengcheng is better left in the Shengcheng to shine, and I am about to leave here."

White's face was written with disappointment, but soon he showed an innocent smile again, looking at him with expectant eyes.

"Then will you come back to see us?"

"Of course, and, it won't take long."

Luo Yan's gaze carried a hint of encouragement and expectation, and he continued to say with a smile.

"And before that, let me take a good look at to what extent you can do this 'trivial little thing'."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 348 =====