Rupert had now been in this other world for over a year.

During that time, which could be considered brief, the culture of the Empire had changed significantly.

In the past, the most popular entertainment for nobles were the occasional knight tournaments or the traveling theatrical performances that toured the Empire.

Meanwhile, for the common folk, their main form of cultural enjoyment was listening to the wandering bards sing of the adventures of heroes in the local taverns.

But after Rupert began publishing books, things started to change little by little.

“Three books checked out. The return date is the day after tomorrow. Please note that late returns will incur additional fees.”

“Well, it’s about time! I reserved this new release two weeks ago, and only now do I get to borrow it.”

Recently, Rupert, along with the Yuren Merchant Guild and many others, had been publishing comic books and fairy tales at a rapid pace.

For the commoners, whose wallets weren’t particularly deep, it was difficult to afford buying all these books.

That’s when bookstores emerged to meet the needs of those who couldn’t afford to purchase every book.

Bookstores existed before, of course, but these new shops specialized in selling or renting only comic books and fairy tales, offering a lifeline for those who wished to read but found the prices too high.

For the price of a single book, people could rent dozens of volumes, making it a highly efficient system.

Moreover,

“This Cinderella is quite rare. Are you sure you want to sell it?”

“I know, but what choice do I have? As valuable as it is, it’s not more important than my family’s current situation.”

Bookstores also functioned as a place to buy and sell used books.

For those with disposable income, they could continue buying books, but many preferred to sell books they had already read in order to purchase new ones.

These stores bought used books and resold them at cheaper prices, making them especially popular among commoners.

Of course, comic books didn’t yet match the volume of traditional bookstores in terms of variety and availability.

Thus, they also started selling merchandise like figures alongside books.

In particular, the Somerset Merchandise Store was known for its limited-edition figures, so when people missed their chance to buy directly, they would flock to bookstores to search for those rare items.

“Where on earth did you find this?”

“I stumbled upon it after visiting the Somerset Goods Store in the estate.”

The owner of the largest and most famous bookstore in the capital fiddled with his magnifying glasses, carefully inspecting the item once more.

“This Pinocchio figure has never been sold at the goods store.”

“Is that so? A child was playing with it, and its detailed craftsmanship caught my eye, so I bought it for a hefty price.”

The man who had come to have the item appraised spoke with a hint of disappointment.

While visiting Somerset, he had seen a local child playing with the Pinocchio figure, and its craftsmanship had piqued his interest.

Believing himself to be well-versed in merchandise, he purchased the figure, which he had never seen before, for a considerable sum.

‘This? Our boss gave it to me as a gift!’

The child didn’t know where it had come from, only that it had been a gift from his boss, which led the man to the bookstore that was renowned for its expertise in appraising such items.

However, hearing that the figure had never been officially sold by the Somerset Goods Store, he was left disappointed.

‘Was it a fake after all?’

The official merchandise from the Somerset Store was of such high quality and so meticulously crafted that it was highly coveted—and expensive.

As a result, counterfeit goods occasionally circulated in the market.

‘In the Empire, getting caught selling counterfeit goods could cost you your head.’

Since offending the royal family could result in serious consequences, these fake products were often produced outside the Empire’s jurisdiction and smuggled in by traveling merchants who sold them in small quantities.

Rupert and the Yuren Merchant Guild didn’t pay much attention to these counterfeit products.

‘After all, our goods are designed to be sold at a premium to nobles, not commoners.’

‘Exactly. In fact, seeing how shoddy the counterfeit goods are will only make people want our official products even more.’

From the start, their business strategy had been to sell books at low prices while selling merchandise at high prices to nobles. Since the shoddy quality of the counterfeit goods was mostly an issue for commoners, they didn’t consider it a major problem.

They knew full well that their primary customers, the nobles, wouldn’t buy fake goods, especially when the official ones were clearly superior in quality.

In fact, the contrast between the poor-quality counterfeits and the official products only served to highlight the quality of the genuine goods, which boosted sales.

“But this figure… despite not being an official product, its craftsmanship is suspiciously genuine.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There’s no place capable of producing such a counterfeit right now.”

As he answered the man’s question, the bookstore owner continued to closely examine the Pinocchio figure.

The seamless joints, the fine sculpting, and the precision with which the figure’s body parts fit together were characteristics of official products, something no counterfeit had ever managed to replicate.

Countless attempts had been made to imitate this precision, but all had failed—yet here it was, displayed in this figure.

“Could this be…?”

“Explain in terms I can understand.”

The bookstore owner’s hands trembled, and his voice quivered as he answered.

“The Somerset Workshop produces not only officially released goods but also what are known as ‘phantom items.’”

“Phantom items?”

“They are limited-edition goods made in the early days, exclusively for a select few.”

“So, could this be…?”

The man nodded as the bookstore owner continued to examine the figure.

Without a doubt, this was one of those fabled phantom items.

“There seem to be more people at the auction today than usual.”

“Of course, there are. It’s because that item is going on sale.”

Soders Auction House, famous for hosting all manner of rare items from across the Empire, was bustling with activity.

The auction house operated on a strict membership basis, where status didn’t matter—only wealth.

The items up for auction ranged from dwarven weapons and potions infused with elven magic to ancient relics, making it a place where one could find things nowhere else.

But this auction was drawing even more attention because of a particularly special item on the block.

“It’s because of the last Agora that this item ended up being put on sale.”

“Until now, no one would even consider selling it, no matter how much extra money was offered.”

“Well, of course. Why sell an item that’s only going to increase in value over time?”

The item in question had come from a baron’s estate.

One of the nobles who had sided with the Imperial Parents’ Association during the recent Agora was forced to auction it off to pay restitution.

“The dwarven double-edged axe has been sold. Now, let’s move on to the next item!”

At the auctioneer’s signal, the lights dimmed, and the sounds of busy preparations echoed through the room.

The previously auctioned item was cleared away, and the next was readied.

“I know many of you have gathered here today for this very item.”

—The first edition limited release of Rupert Somerset’s fairy tale Cinderella!

As the auctioneer’s words finished, a spotlight illuminated the stage, revealing a single book carefully placed on a pedestal, its cover displaying the title Cinderella.

“I’ve never seen that in person before!”

“I’ve seen another noble show it off at a banquet once, but that was a later edition.”

“A first-edition limited release, huh?”

The nobles murmured in admiration as the image of the book, magnified by magic, was projected for all to see.

Rupert Somerset’s first work, Cinderella, had become the talk of the Empire.

Nowadays, the book could easily be purchased anywhere, but that had stripped it of any special value.

What they sought was one of the 110 legendary first-edition copies.

There were the 10 specially illustrated copies Rupert had personally customized for individual clients and the 100 copies he had printed for general sale—these first editions were the stuff of legend among collectors.

‘They say the material of the first edition is entirely different from the later hardcover versions.’

The first editions of Rupert’s early works were incredibly popular among collectors.

But of them all, the custom-illustrated and first-edition copies of Cinderella were practically priceless.

In fact, even with the skyrocketing prices, no one was willing to part with their copy.

‘This book is my daughter’s treasure! How dare you even think about buying it.’

All of the owners were nobles, and most of them had purchased the books for their children, so no matter how much the price increased, none were willing to sell.

But when news spread that one of Rupert’s opponents from the recent Agora had been forced to auction off one of these legendary first editions to pay for reparations, collectors from across the Empire flocked to Soders Auction House.

“Now then, let’s begin the auction for the first-edition copy of Cinderella!”

As soon as the auctioneer’s voice rang out, paddles began shooting up across the room.