Chapter 100.1

Arad’s pulp-making methods and printing techniques were taken at face value by the people of the North.

To them, it was simply a way to produce books cheaply and in large quantities.

“In the Empire and the Kingdoms, there’s something called a gazette. It’s a book published monthly by large merchant guilds or royal courts, compiling the latest news.”

Indeed, cheaper and more plentiful books meant faster and wider dissemination of information.

However, the development of papermaking and printing had benefits beyond mere communication of information.

It marked the birth of the masses.

And if there were a business most effective at fostering the masses…

It was the media—specifically, newspapers.

“A gazette… I’ve read about that in books,”

Maria, an avid reader, nodded as if recalling her knowledge.

“You’ll be in charge of that gazette business. For reference, we’ll be publishing ours every three days.”

“E-every three days?!”

“What’s so surprising? Ultimately, our goal is daily publication.”

“!!”

“With current printing, papermaking, and magical communication tools, it’s entirely feasible.”

My statement made Maria frown, her expression darkening.

She wasn’t alone—others involved in similar ventures also looked uneasy.

“Using magical communicators, we’ll gather news not only from the High Tower and across the North but also from the rest of the continent and publish it regularly.”

“I’m not sure if I can manage that alone…”

“Don’t worry. The High Tower and Arad Group will assist with information gathering. After all, we’ll be running the same business.”

“If Arad is doing it, isn’t there no need for us?”

“On the contrary, the more newspapers, the better. Each paper can adopt its own tone and perspective, shaping articles in different ways.”

“??”

I could almost see the question marks floating in the air. Tone? Perspective? Media outlets? What’s that?

“Don’t overthink it. Once you see a few examples, it’ll make sense. I guarantee anyone who loves books will find this work exciting and enjoyable.”

Of course, we’d also need to print illustrations and photographs, include short stories or comics, feature advertisements, provide weather forecasts from the Mage Council, manage embargoes, set journalistic guidelines, and offer educational comics or quotes for readers with limited general knowledge. We’d even need political cartoons and training programs for journalists.

But I decided to leave those details for later. Judging by their current expressions, if I explained too much now, they might abandon the whole idea and run.

For industries like printing, ceramics, clothing, and alchemy, where Arad Group needed to assist from A to Z, Arad Holdings would retain 60% of the shares.

The managers would hold only 5-10%, with the rest filled by issuing shares.

For industries like lumber, mining, art, and construction—where entrepreneurs were already operating—higher ownership percentages were offered.

“Anyone here interested in buying shares in these budding enterprises?”

In the Federated Kingdoms, particularly in the Republic of Feze, the concept of stocks and securities trading was already established.

Thus, this would mark the North’s first foray into stock trading.

“Just in case, I’ve prepared share certificates. These are enchanted with authentication magic.”

I pulled out certificates from my subspace bag. With the company name written in magical ink, they became nearly impossible to counterfeit.

“So, we’d be buying shares in these companies?”

“And their value would grow as the companies grow?”

“Why not buy a few, just to see?”

“If the Northern Sorcerer is investing, it’s unlikely they’ll fail…”

Recently, the Northerners—especially those present—had grown wealthier.

Many of them kept expensive subspace storage boxes at home, using them like personal banks.

While shares in Arad Group weren’t available as it was privately held, anyone could invest in the new startups.

“Chairman Jin~!”

“Hmm?”

A soft voice called out from the side.

It was a group of mages.

“We’d like to request some investment, too~.”

“Investment? For what kind of company?”

“Well~ not exactly a company~. We’re thinking of starting a research lab for magic.”

“A research lab?”

“Yes! Studying magic costs so much money!”

“That’s right! Working at the Academy, factories, or construction sites barely covers it!”

“Ah…”

For a moment, I considered whether establishing a dedicated research lab was necessary.

After all, I had knowledge of Arcane-Punk technology from 100 years in the future.

“How much do you need?”

Despite my initial hesitation, I decided to invest.

I wasn’t going to be here forever.

The North needed the foundation to advance magical engineering on its own.

That day, I truly wrung every drop of productivity out of the High Tower.

With this, I hoped I wouldn’t need to attend another royal court meeting for a while.

After a light banquet with the Rensletian entrepreneurs starting their “startups,” the meeting finally concluded.

I briefly caught a glimpse of Chief Teo arriving to fetch Maria, looking visibly worn out. I silently offered him my condolences.

Parting ways with Mary, I trudged home with my guards in tow.

The three-story building in the inner palace, once called the “headquarters,” had effectively become my private residence.

Thanks to the Bluetooth series, even Jarvis, the building’s caretaker, no longer stayed late into the night.

For the first time in a while, I had the house mostly to myself (aside from the guards stationed on the first floor).

My personal time was nothing extraordinary.

I simply took a shower using the Bluetooth shower system and collapsed onto my bed, feeling refreshed.

“Ugh…”

As soon as I lay down, a groan escaped me. My body felt heavy, as if it would melt into the mattress.

What was it…? I felt like I remembered something important during the court meeting earlier.

Just as sleep began to overtake me, a stray thought surfaced in my mind.

What was it? What could it have been?

I had briefly recalled something during my conversation with Mary, only to have it slip away.

“…”

Feeling the frustration of a thought just out of reach, my eyes began to close. My vision blurred, and my mind began to dim.

“!”

Then suddenly,

“Marriage! Heir! Return!”