CH 93

The autumn breeze swirled the withered yellow leaves and whirled them down on Lake Pal. When the weather gradually turned cold, the tables and chairs placed by the lake were cleaned up.

The boat was docked on the shore. Unknowingly, there’s a nest created by waterfowls under the deck. Maybe you can take out a bird’s egg inside.

The roof of the rose garden is all cast with stained glass.

When the sun shines, it looks colorful and beautiful from the outside. Although the roses inside have temporarily withered, some other flowers planted under Xia Zuoyi’s order are still thriving.

Roses bloom only once a year. They like sunlight and are resistant to cold and drought. They need to grow in a ventilated environment and have strong adaptability.

But they don’t like stagnant water, otherwise, it will cause its flowers and leaves to fall off, or in severe cases, it will even cause the death of the entire plant.

There are also many different varieties of roses.

For example, a four-season rose can always bloom and last until the cold winter.

Xia Zuoyi felt it’s a pity that the roses will wither in June and July, so he mentioned it to Udit in passing.

After that, Udit kept this matter in mind—he wanted to plant four-season roses in the coming year. Now he began looking for someone to study how to grow them.

After visiting the rose garden and checking how each flower blooms, Udit then followed one of the paths into the castle.

He held two bouquets of roses and phoenix tail orchids with faint fragrance in his hand, one bouquet is delicate and beautiful, the other is white and charming.

He walked through the corridors of the castle and up the stairs to the door of the largest study room on the third floor. He knocked—when he heard a soft voice coming from the room, Udit couldn’t help smiling, then twisted the doorknob and gently opened the door—

This study is the most spacious and largest. In addition to the most basic facilities, such as tables and chairs, fireplace, and decorations, there’s a lot of big and soft cushions specially made by Xia Zuoyi. 

A small wooden fence was erected on the floor to the right in the middle of the study room, dividing the room into two parts.

On the smaller side, tables and chairs are placed next to the fireplace for official use, while on the larger part are all made of soft cushions, squeezed together.

It’s very comfortable and warm at first sight. People couldn’t help but want to fall into it immediately.

These cushions were sewn into cute shapes such as cat’s paws and other animal shapes, following the ready-made plushies as a reference. They’re all made by Xia Zuoyi.

Brown Sugar likes to hold the panther cushion in his mouth, drag it to the corner, step on it with his paws, and then lie down on it to sleep.

Sometimes, when Xia Zuoyi worked in the study and got tired, he would lie down on the cat’s paw-shaped cushion and take a nap with a pillow that looked like Green Dumpling. This is his happiest time after the weather turned cold.

When Udit entered, he was lying in the middle of the fluffy group, holding a book.

His legs were covered with a thin blanket. When he felt hot, he kicked one leg out and dangled his bare feet beside Egg Yolk. After a while, he kneaded Egg Yolk’s golden hair on the soles of his feet.

Udit first put the two bouquets of flowers in his hands on the windowsill under the sun. The rose was left by the window, while the phoenix tail orchid was taken away and placed on the desk.

After sorting out some scattered paper documents on the table, he turned and walked into a pile of soft cushions, crossed over Briquette’s huge body to Xia Zuoyi, and then gently pulled the small thin blanket for him.

Immediately afterward, Udit stood up and began reporting today’s news in an orderly manner.

“My lord, the first batch of newspapers have all been printed and are now being transported to the newspaper stands built in Wissas and Fort Comoy. They will be sold later…”

Xia Zuoyi had already sat up.

He closed the book in his hand, picked up the first printed sample newspaper on the nearby low table, shook the crumpled paper, and read the content again.

—The newspaper is folded in half, with writing on the front and back, and is divided into three sections.

One is the important events in Desinian Territory, such as reporting on urban construction, changes in officials, new policies, etc.

The second section is to report some practical knowledge, like health preservation and disease prevention… 

The third section is to publish serialized articles, stories, and so on.

Xia Zuoyi not only put the beginning of “Story of the Gods 4” on it but also put some poems praising the God of Creation provided by the church priests.

Finally, the key advertisements are circled—those who are interested in writing stories are welcomed to submit their articles in the newspaper stall within the registration period, with their names, ages, and home addresses attached.

If it’s selected for publication, the manuscript fee will be calculated according to the number of words. The following are the specific requirements and content of the submission…

Before the registration was stopped, Renault had specially cast an iron submission box in accordance with Xia Zuoyi’s requirements.

Within three days, the person in charge of newspaper publication affairs will unlock it and take the manuscripts away. After the manuscript is selected, someone will be sent to notify the contributor and pay the manuscript fee…

In this way, after the “Story of the Gods” is over, he won’t be afraid that there will be no follow-up work. From the side, it can also urge everyone’s enthusiasm to learn literacy.

The newspaper company has just been opened, so the scope of circulation is bound to be small.

The information that can be published is also very fixed, confined only to the Desinian Territory.

After all, some real-time updated information also needs people to collect and investigate. Places far beyond the territory are currently beyond reach.

Xia Zuoyi’s plan is to wait until the newspaper company is slightly improved before discussing with Orville and Archibald to open branches in the Archiayoli Territory and the Anas Kingdom.

Newspapers are divided into countries and types of the published content.

He’s just not sure whether this matter should be discussed with the Pope.

After all, unlike his alliance with Orville and Archibald, the Saint Airo Empire won’t easily allow outsiders to station in. Moreover, there’s the Ed Chamber of Commerce in the empire… He had just pitted the other party.

If Xia Zuoyi wants the Thorns Chamber of Commerce and newspapers to enter the Saint Airo Empire, although he has the help of the Nagabi Chamber of Commerce, he’ll certainly be maliciously prevented by the Ed Chamber of Commerce…

When contradictions are aroused, it will cause trouble instead.

But this matter cannot be let go.

The heroine Samielle Phoebe is a citizen of the Saint Airo Empire. The beginning of the novel also takes place there. In case the source of the epidemic is also…

He doesn’t want to miss any possible information.

He finally decided to send a letter to the Pope first. If the Holy See allowed it, the resistance of the Thorns Chamber of Commerce settling down in the Saint Airo Empire would be much less.

After thinking about it for a while, Xia Zuoyi put down the newspaper sample in his hand, raised his head, and asked, “Is there any news from the Alchemy Tower recently?”

Udit shook his head, “None, my lord.”

Xia Zuoyi frowned.

Before the outbreak occurs, all he can do is to find ways to find the source and prevent it in advance.

If it can’t be found, it’s also necessary to make adequate responses. Medical disinfection is indispensable. People’s health protection is an important way to resist the epidemic.

In this way, more attention must be paid to sterilization.

Simple disinfectants are soapy water, saltwater, and so on, while professional ones are iodophor, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, etc.

However, drugs such as medical disinfection can not be made easily. It requires chemical methods and preparations…and the raw materials and production tools are still extremely lacking.

The alchemists in the Alchemy Tower haven’t made any progress yet, Xia Zuoyi understands.

Although he can exchange detailed production methods and steps from the system library, it’s difficult for a skillful woman to cook without rice1, and there’s still no hurry to make disinfectant.

Maybe he should find a way to start with something else…

**

More than a month later.

Newsboys carrying messenger bags began to appear in the streets.

These newsboys were uniformly dressed in dark green one-piece clothes, with small hats on their heads and red scarves around their necks. They carried packages full of newspapers and walked on the street to sell them.

—”Selling newspapers! Selling newspapers! The fifth chapter of “Story of the Gods 4″ is published today. Be the first to see it!”

Some pedestrians passing by beckoned the newsboy to come over, hand him a copper coin, and then take away the newspaper being handed over.

The newsboy left with a smile. After passing by the soldiers patrolling the street, he would stop earnestly and perform a nondescript salute.

Daina bought a newspaper and directly turned to the third-largest section to read the fifth chapter of “Story of the Gods 4″…

When he finished reading it in a while, he gave it to Mike beside him with a sigh.

“Since there’s a newspaper, this story has been published one chapter every seven days… Tsk, it’s enough to read.”

As Daina spoke, he took a piece of lemon candy from the small pocket tied around his waist and put it in his mouth. He said with one cheek bulging, “Mike, you haven’t bought one today right? Then I’ll give this to you. Anyway, I don’t like reading other information on it.”

Mike took it and looked back. “Isn’t there a new story besides the Story of the Gods? Don’t read it?”

Daina shook his head uneasily, “The love story between the noble lady and the noble young master who pretends to be poor is boring.”

Mike thought it was very interesting. He heard that this story was really written by an aristocratic young master. In order to study how the poor lived, he went to experience it himself.

It seems that because of the intention and truthfulness of the writing, the lord published this in the latest issue after the selection, which is quite popular.

He and Daina were in charge of patrolling Wissas this month. In front of them, two accompanying newsboys ran past. Mike called them to come and bought another newspaper.

Most of these newsboys are orphans and live in orphanages. When the newspaper company released the information about the need to recruit newspaper sellers, they came spontaneously.

The lord especially gave an order that the soldiers patrolling the city should always pay attention to the safety of these children.

With candy in his mouth, Daina asked Mike why he still bought another one?

Mike: “Taylor has been stationed in Cerro recently.”

“There are no newspapers sold there. He asked me to help him buy all the newspapers he couldn’t read during this period and he’ll read them when he returns.”

Cerro was a city in the former Gaynor Kingdom.

Now the entire Gaynor Kingdom has become part of the Desinian Territory so soldiers are often mobilized there.

“I need to take home the one you gave me.”

Mike’s father has long been a loyal reader of the newspaper, and can’t wait to hold it in his hand and read it every day.

Thinking of this, Mike began to sigh again.

—Their family was once slaves, but everything has changed since the enlistment in Wissas.

He’s now a company commander, and his father, who has never understood a word, can now read two or three lines smoothly…

—Praise the God of Creation, thank you my lord!

Mike couldn’t help chanting prayers for the lord in his heart.

He hopes that the lord will grow up safely and healthily every day. He heard that newspaper companies have also been opened in the Archiayoli Territory and the Anas Kingdom. Maybe they’ll be able to learn new things about the other two territories through the newspapers sent soon.

Mike folded the newspaper three times and put it in his arms. He couldn’t help looking forward to it.

Translator’s Note:

Okay, I edited it because I couldn’t help myself XD. Please do let me know if I used the newspaper company correctly or if I should change it. I did some research but was still confused so…