How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World -
Chapter 487: Big and Beautiful (2)
“Blood and Steel” Volume 9 is set to depict the outbreak of the Great Purge in the Soviet Union, Stalin’s absolute power, and the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Reporting a soldier who went to poop as missing? That kind of thing can be brushed off with a little military-style packaging.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Following my father’s advice, I won’t make a joke out of the military, but the Japanese army really was a bunch of fools.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/However, they were only like fools—not actual idiots. Just look at Korea and China. Because of that damn culture, they got swallowed up by Japan, didn’t they?
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Anyway, the Sino-Japanese War will be depicted that way, but it’s definitely not the end. With plenty of time left, the narrative will once again shift to the German perspective.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/This time, I plan to include an illustration I received from Karls at the end. Hitler and Guderian, smiling contentedly as they look at tanks being produced in the factory.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Originally, their meeting should have been portrayed earlier, but there were barely any opportunities to include it, so it was only mentioned in passing.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/But now it’s about time to start preparing for war, so I need to bring them in. Only then will readers instinctively sense, “Ah, Hitler is preparing for war.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/‘Still, just mass-producing tanks without reason would seem weird.’
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/ The first tanks appeared during the latter part of World War I. If you look at records from that time, tanks were nothing short of terrifying. SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/A giant chunk of iron rolling around, impervious to machine guns—it was terrifying, no doubt.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/While the U.S. joining the war was the main reason for Germany’s defeat, tanks also played a significant role.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/But since they were the very first tanks, they often broke down and could be blown up by grenades. They weren’t designed to withstand anything stronger than machine guns, so they exploded easily.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/‘In other words, that’s how crazy trenches and machine guns were.’
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/That’s why I plan to depict World War I through Hitler’s nightmares.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The horrific life inside the trenches, the constant bombardment from above, the enemy’s machine guns spewing fire, and comrades falling one after another.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Depicting WWI as a nightmare doesn’t break realism. Honestly, even the real Hitler must’ve had nightmares about it.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/He was a soldier and knew better than anyone how terrible trench warfare was. He was also one of the people who most strongly felt the need for tanks.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/‘It was because he knew the horrors of trench warfare so well that he could push for innovation.’
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/An interesting point: Manstein was demoted due to incidents caused by Hitler’s power struggle with the military.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Later, by chance, he came into contact with Hitler and proposed Operation Sickle Cut—which led to France being crushed in just six weeks.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/At that point, Hitler must’ve seemed like a literal savior sent from heaven to save Germany.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/In fact, after conquering France, the German public responded to Hitler with fanatical enthusiasm.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/‘I’m curious how people will react when they see the Night of Broken Glass.’
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The Night of Broken Glass was an event that broke out at the end of 1938 and marked a turning point toward the Holocaust. It also showcased Goebbels’ terrifying propaganda skills.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Given the atmosphere at the time, already filled with “Jews are dangerous” sentiments, the event made things much worse.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/‘Come to think of it, all kinds of events erupted in 1938.’
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Not just Kristallnacht, but also the Munich Agreement, the annexation of Austria, and many more events occurred in rapid succession.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/And just a year later, Germany invaded Poland, marking the start of WWII. True war wasn’t far off.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/I wonder what people will think when they see the steel war machines that will be featured. Even just tanks alone will make them wonder, “What the heck is this?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“So these replaced cavalry?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Yes. In terms of top speed, they’re similar to horses. They have excellent armor and offensive capability—a true mobile steel fortress. You can think of it as carrying a cannon.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Hoh…”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/My father showed interest as he looked at the tank drawn by Karls. I had explained it before, but this was his first time seeing it illustrated.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/And the one shown in the drawing is the Panzer I. It’s quite different from the tanks we usually imagine.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/For one, the main gun is rather short, and though it’s fast, its armor is lacking. It can be pierced by any weapon stronger than a machine gun.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“It may be a mobile fortress, but it looks too heavy. Wouldn’t it be vulnerable to faster or long-range attacks?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“You’re right. Though it looks like an invincible fortress, it has a lot of weaknesses. Still, there’s a reason why tanks had to be developed. I mean, Dad, you wouldn’t charge into arrows bare-chested, would you?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“I do.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“… …”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/I’m speechless. Maybe I shouldn’t use my father as a standard.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/When I blinked and made a dumbfounded face, my father chuckled.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Others might struggle. But as you said, if such a weapon existed, it would make advancing much easier. Especially in siege warfare—it’d be highly effective.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“…Yes. I suppose so.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/There are no sieges, though. WWII wasn’t about castle sieges—it was about entire cities becoming fortresses and defending themselves.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Still, even if it’s made of steel, once it loses mobility, it’s just a hunk of metal, right?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/As I answered hesitantly, Adelia pointed at the picture with her finger.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/She was pointing at the wheels—in other words, the tracks. The symbolic part of a tank, invented to cross rough terrain.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Then, with a naïve expression, she proposed a shocking tactic.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“If you target this part, wouldn’t it be easy to take it down? Then it wouldn’t be able to move at all.”
“How exactly?” SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/
“Run up to the side and cut it with a sword. Wouldn’t that work?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“………Sis. I’ll say it again: where I come from, there’s no mana or magic.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/That’s a strategy straight out of an alchemy manga—a tactic worthy of a cool middle-aged general who deflects bullets with his sword and slices cannon shells in half.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/He even slashed a tank’s tracks with a sword and threw in a grenade to destroy it from the inside.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Of course, that character was ridiculously overpowered, and only a few knights could pull that off in reality.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Ordinary knights wouldn’t even get close—they’d be riddled with bullets before they could.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/My father, however, is an exception. He’d probably just tank it all and smash it with an axe. He even withstood a dragon’s attack, so machine guns are nothing to him.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Still, if the tracks are broken, it definitely loses mobility. It can be repaired, but it can’t move until then.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“So many pros, but also many cons. It really breaks common logic.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Adelia nodded, and my father gave his assessment.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Still, the merit is incredible. Especially the fact that a ‘soldier’ can operate it instead of a ‘knight.’ The very idea of ordinary soldiers moving a fortress is outrageous.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“That’s the beauty of science.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Production is a pain, but with just a bit of training, even a common soldier can operate it. It means population can directly translate into military power.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/From the moment the gun was invented, the relevance of knights gradually began to decline. After all, a gun is a universal equalizer that anyone can use.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Of course, the likelihood of knights becoming completely obsolete is very low—because mana holds infinite potential.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Still, I’m curious. Who would win in a fight between a tank and a knight? Oh, not that I want a war or anything!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“At the very least, there won’t be a war during your lifetime.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Right?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/There would be no war.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/It’s just that the protest broke out in the most unexpected place.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/★★★★★
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/In this world, where the Industrial Revolution never happened, most tasks are done manually—everything from weapons to everyday necessities.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Yet shortages were rare. As previously mentioned, the dwarves, a race of artisans, had been mass-producing goods.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Even in Machina, enormous wealth was amassed by harnessing the dwarves’ powerful manufacturing capabilities, with the height of prosperity occurring during the Racial War.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/However, this prosperity bred greed and spread negative perceptions like “never do business with dwarves.” Above all, the suffering endured by public artisans—i.e., the factories—was indescribable.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/They were scorned, abused, and barely paid.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Still, they endured. Dwarves, by nature, have greater stamina than humans and recover from fatigue quickly. Even under brutal conditions, they bore it silently.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“We are not slaves! Give us time!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Sweet rest like cold beer! Warm lodging like hot sausages!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“The demons were saved through The Chronicles of Zenon. Then why must we suffer even more?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/But no longer. Even dwarves with their cheerful nature have their limits.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/There had been many close calls, but never before in history had the line truly been crossed—until now.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Look at my hands! The skin’s peeled off from handling paper all day! How am I supposed to drink beer with these?!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“I’ve been cut so many times by paper that I’m infected now! Look at my fingers! Do they look normal to you?!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The dwarves protesting gathered in the plaza in fierce resistance. Fatigue was deeply etched into their faces, and their hands were in ruin.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/They were dwarven factories involved in papermaking.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Ask anyone what material is most mass-produced now, and most would answer “paper.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/From The Chronicles of Zenon to Blood and Steel, the works of Isaac have had a global influence, resulting in an explosion in demand for paper.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Truth be told, up through The Chronicles of Zenon, they managed to hold out. If labor was short, they’d just bring in more from elsewhere.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/For efficiency, engineers like Ains kept developing new techniques.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Thanks to these technologies, book shortages decreased and global distribution became feasible.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Let us sleep for eight hours a day! All we want is to sleep!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“A child collapsing from overwork—does that make any sense?! Are you raising even children as slaves?!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/But behind it all lay the sacrifices of the dwarven factories.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The Chronicles of Zenon and Blood and Steel brought immense wealth to Isaac and Musk, but the nation that benefited most was Machina.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Why Machina and not the Minerva Empire? As mentioned before: paper. Machina was the only place capable of large-scale paper production.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Technically, Alvenheim could also mass-produce paper via magic, but their traditionalist mentality made them scoff, “Why bother?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Helium was a different story—their magic lacked the precision for mass production, and their isolation had weakened their foundational academics.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/So, only Machina could mass-produce paper—and they knew it.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/As a result, dwarven factories were literally ground down, and eventually, they could take no more and poured into the plaza.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“If you’re going to blame that damned Zenon, go ahead! He saved the demons—so why not us? Is this racial discrimination?!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“The Mother Earth will not stand for this! We only want a comfortable life!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Machina was no fool—they had foreseen the possibility of such unrest. But every time, they invoked Zenon, i.e., Isaac, to calm the workers down.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“If you don’t work, production of the Prophecy Books will stop. Do you want the entire dwarf race to be scorned?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/In a world where divine authority is strong, fear of the gods is also deep. So the dwarven factories bottled their discontent and kept churning out paper.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/But even patience has its limits. The final spark came when a young dwarf collapsed from overwork and died due to lack of treatment.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The factory owner not only refused compensation, but even hurled insults at the dead child. At that point, a protest was inevitable.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Machina’s response was brutally simple.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Arrest them! Throw them all in jail!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“You bastards! Hrk—!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Aaargh!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Brutal suppression and violence. Then imprisonment.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The protestors were many, but no match for trained soldiers. Machina, after all, is a capitalist nation with a powerful centralized government.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Naturally, all nobles obey the king. The protest suppression followed standard protocol.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“P-please, have mercy! I just…”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“How dare a factory try to protest?! That’s grounds for execution! Understand?! Shut up!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The protestors scattered in terror. Those caught were immediately dragged to prison.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Everyone knew what would happen in those prisons.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Dwarves watching from afar were devastated by the grim reality.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“…It’s not like we wanted to be born as factories.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“True that,” someone replied.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The Chronicles of Zenon saved the demons. But…
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Is Zenon really a savior? Why are things getting worse for us?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Hey! Watch your mouth! You’ll get taken away if someone hears you!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/Unexpected victims had emerged.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Ains! Did you hear there was a protest in the plaza today?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/“Of course I did. I’m planning to go meet them soon. But, hey, my wheel keeps getting stuck in a hole—what should I do?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:"'<>,.?/The spark of revolution had been lit.
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