Chapter 71: Chapter 71 “Ghostwriter” and Literary Master (Please Follow)
All three plate craftsmen were eager to demonstrate their skills before the King and the Crown Prince, and immediately took their stone plates to make serious attempts at printing.
All three were experts in printing, and stone plate printing was indeed overly convenient and simple. All of them were successful in their first attempt.
However, the eldest craftsman, noting some flaked-off dry ink on the stone plate, suggested,
“Your Highness, perhaps the ink primer could be thicker.”
Joseph nodded, “The specific consistency of the ink will need to be adjusted by yourselves.”
He only had a general knowledge of the stone plate printing process, and the technical details of the craft would still have to be perfected by these experts.
The craftsmen immediately began discussing:
“We should add some bitumen.”
“Yes, we could also try adding some resin…”
“Your Highness, there’s another problem,” a middle-aged craftsman suddenly said, “The method of stone plate printing differs greatly from copper coins, such as the pressure and angle of the imprint. The former printing machines probably can’t be used directly.”
“That…” Joseph was momentarily taken aback, as he was an outsider when it came to the specifics of printing machines.
He looked at the craftsman and asked, “Can you modify the printing press?”
The craftsman immediately shook his head.
Just as Joseph was pondering whether to seek out the workshop that made the printing presses, a somewhat modest but very confident voice came from beside him: “Perhaps, I could be of help with this.”
Joseph turned his head to see Louis XVI looking at him with an eager expression.
His eyes lit up at once; this man was a top-notch mechanical craftsman, and his “assistants,” who made locks, were famed masters. Wouldn’t altering the operation of a printing machine be a breeze for them?
He immediately performed a chest salute and smiled, “You truly are the savior of the stone plate printing technology. I propose that this new printing press be named the ‘King’s Printing Press’!”
Afterward, as Joseph observed the royal workshop bustling and too busy for him to assist, he returned to his sleeping quarters, knowing it was time to start preparing the content for the publication.
He summoned his clerk and gave him a brief outline, instructing him to write a novel based on it.
The clerk took the order and did not return until it was dark.
Reading the manuscript, Joseph felt speechless—the sentences were smooth and the argument was coherent, but the character portrayal was stiff, with no sense of immersion.
He sighed. The gentleman’s expertise was in drafting formal documents. It seemed that hiring professional writers was necessary for novel writing after all.
He had no choice but to instruct Eman to find several authors as soon as possible.
Eman was highly efficient. The next day, right after Joseph finished his breakfast, four authors of varying ages and appearances appeared before him.
Of course, this was also because these authors originally resided in the Palace of Versailles.
After the greetings, Eman began introducing them to Joseph one by one: “Your Highness, this is a renowned Parisian man of letters, Earl Bomasha.”
Joseph was surprised: “Bomasha? ‘The Marriage of Figaro’?”
The old man with gray hair and thick nearsighted glasses immediately bowed slightly:
“I am extremely honored that Your Highness has read my play.”
Joseph couldn’t help but feel somewhat amused; he had just been looking for a few ghostwriters, and Eman had directly brought him literary giants.
He hurriedly praised the great writer in earnest.
Eman then continued with the introductions, “This is Viscount Saint Pierre…
“This is Barret…”
Not one was an ordinary person; all were notable figures in the French literary scene.
Joseph felt numb, but since everyone was already there, he decided to impose on the writers to play the role of ghostwriter.
He turned to the four masters, smiled, and said, “I need someone to help me write the stories I’ve conceived into novels.
“After the novels are published, the manuscript fees will be yours to keep, and I will pay an additional two livres for every 500 words. What do you think?”
Regardless of what they thought internally, the writers all owed the Crown Prince the courtesy, so they bowed and nodded, “It would be an honor to serve Your Highness.”
However, they were all quite curious as to how many stories the Crown Prince had that necessitated the hiring of four people.
Joseph wasted no time, promptly taking everyone to the study, organizing in his mind some of the most thrilling stories from his past life, selecting a few, and then began to assign the tasks.
“Viscount Saint Pierre, the story you will be writing is about a young man named…”
Joseph almost blurted out that familiar name but quickly thought to better tailor it to the French taste, and thus, he revised, “A young man named Hurter Xiao and his story of growth.”
Saint Pierre took notes with a hint of disinterest, doubting that a thirteen-year-old Crown Prince could come up with any fascinating stories.
Joseph continued, “Hurter Xiao was born into a family of alchemists.
“As soon as he was born, he possessed extraordinary alchemy talents that far surpassed those of his family’s generation.
“However, at the age of twelve, he accidentally put on a ring, and after that, everything changed.
“His alchemy abilities began to regress. Three years later, during the alchemy test, he was barely assessed as ‘Alchemist Third Grade.’ His family members also began to mock and discriminate against him.”
Saint Pierre couldn’t help but interject, “That’s truly unfortunate. What was the problem with that ring?”
“I will explain that later,” Joseph teased, continuing, “The hardest thing for Hurter Xiao to accept was that his fiancée, a genius girl from the Alchemist Knight Order named Elizabeth, one day came to his house and proposed to terminate their engagement in front of all his family members.
“Because she felt his talents were too inferior to match her own.
“Hurter Xiao suffered a great insult and argued adamantly. To avoid damaging her family’s reputation due to breaking off the engagement, Elizabeth put forward a proposal: To compete in alchemy with Hurter Xiao in three years, and if he lost, the engagement would be void.
“Hurter Xiao bravely accepted the challenge and declared with ironclad conviction, ‘Thirty years on the east of the Seine River, thirty years on the west! Do not insult a young man for his poverty!’
“After this engagement fiasco ended, Hurter Xiao suddenly discovered the secret of his ring…”
Saint Pierre was already captivated by the story and impatiently asked, “Your Highness, what happened next?”
Joseph smiled slightly, “Please write down these parts first, and then I will tell you what happens next.”
Saint Pierre nodded reluctantly, then exclaimed, “Your Highness, this is a most fascinating tale! I will do my utmost to write a narrative worthy of it. Oh, by the way, what is the name of the novel?”
Joseph pondered briefly and responded, “Let’s call it ‘Breaking Through the Azure Sky.’
Viscount Barret, who was standing nearby, eagerly approached once Saint Pierre left, hoping to hear a sensational story as well.
Joseph cut straight to the chase, “You will write about a lady’s story.
“Her name is Cleis. One morning, she wakes up with an especially painful headache, only to realize she is lying on her desk. The notebook open beside her has a sentence written on it, ‘Everyone will die, including me’…”