Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 60 Heavenly Palace Chapter: Prequel "Opening Ceremony"

In the early morning, the sun rises slowly, like a paintbrush in nature's hand, gently sketching a beautiful morning scene and heralding the quiet arrival of a new day.

At this moment, Ming, who had returned to Japan a few days ago, was sitting quietly in the spacious and peaceful courtyard of the Okamine family home.

Due to the competitive situation, Kotaro voluntarily chose to leave the mansion. His father and mother were both far away in Tokyo and had not yet returned.

Normally, no one else visits this place, so there's no need for Ming to hide in his room at night.

A little while later~

After tidying up some items, Ming slowly stood up.

"Hoo~" Ming stretched lightly, loosening his slightly stiff body, and glanced at the time on his flip phone.

"Looks like I should head to Tiangong City to check out my publishing house that I mentioned yesterday was finished renovating," Ming said.

Then, holding the still-sleeping chestnut in his hands, he stepped out of the yard.

Sunlight shone on him, casting a long shadow.

After leaving the house, Ming first headed towards the mountain hut. As Ming approached the door, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face, and then he raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and a middle-aged woman with a full head of white hair appeared before us; she was Aunt Saori.

Upon seeing Ming arrive, Aunt Saori greeted him warmly and said kindly, "Oh, it's Ming! You're here!"

Ming smiled and nodded, politely greeting Aunt Saori.

Then, Ming briefly greeted Iwahira, who was busy inside the house.

"Good morning, Uncle Iwahira! I'm sorry, I can't come to help out because I'm also opening my own business. Please understand."

After saying hello, Ming turned and left the mountain house, walking along a winding path.

As he walked, Ming entered a quiet alley.

The walls on both sides of the alley are tall and mottled, with the marks of time clearly visible. The stone path underfoot is covered with moss and weeds because no one has walked on it for many years.

When his gaze fell on that familiar yet unfamiliar pit, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

That was nine years ago, when he was resisted by Mio while trying to protect 'her'.

At that moment, Mio easily slammed the heavy object in her hand into the ground, instantly creating a large crater in the hard soil.

Now, nine years later, the pit still exists, as if time has frozen here.

"What bad luck." Ming turned his head away, then took out a chip from his sleeve and stuck it on his temple.

"Display device activated [Tristan]"

"User confirmed, access granted to Gangfeng Ming Klein!" An electronic voice came from beside Ming's ear.

As the electronic voice faded, a suit of mechanical armor swiftly enveloped his body. This manifestation device, named [Tristan], was now on his body.

This is Kai, a mechanical knight whose entire body is silver-gray, with his main body largely covered.

A light, flowing robe draped over his left shoulder, a standard-issue magic longsword hung at his waist, and a standard-issue magic longbow was attached to the back of his right hand. The eyepatch that had covered his left eye was now covered by a detector.

Ming lightly flicked his hand, storing the longbow back into his side armor. Then, he casually stretched his body to check if he and his equipment were still performing well.

Ming nodded in satisfaction, confirming that everything was in optimal condition.

Immediately afterwards, Ming activated the optical camouflage device. A faint light flashed, and he instantly became indistinct, as if blending into his surroundings.

Then, he reached out and gently cradled the chestnut, which emitted a faint fragrance, in his arms.

After making these preparations, Ming took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and exerted slight force with his feet. The deep black covering his body condensed into a substantial domain of freedom, and he soared into the sky in one breath.

Ming flew through the air, holding chestnuts, while the scenery below unfolded like a painting.

Twenty minutes later, it flew to a small alley in Tiangong City, very close to its publishing house.

Ming landed slowly, deactivated the optical camouflage and display devices, and returned to his normal appearance. He carefully held the chestnuts, as if they were rare treasures.

I just stepped out of the alley and looked at my newly renovated publishing house.

"Indeed, it's like a meticulously crafted work of art," Ming commented expressionlessly.

However, just as I was admiring my masterpiece with great joy, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of my eye.

The person stood leisurely to one side of the entrance to the publishing house. Judging from the outline, it looked like a woman. She wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, had long black hair that looked rather plain, was holding a drawing board in her hand, and had a bulging bag hanging on her shoulder.

A sense of curiosity welled up in Ming's heart, and he walked towards the woman.

The woman seemed to sense his approach, and looked up, her eyes behind her glasses sparkling with intelligence.

"Who are you? Why are you in front of my publishing house?" Ming asked.

The woman just stared blankly, blinking her slightly bewildered eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses.

"My name is Seto Chiyu. I heard that a new art book publishing house has opened here, so I wanted to see if there was any opportunity to collaborate. I'm a painter, you know. I'm probably quite famous in Japan, right?" she said, waving her easel in her hand.

Ming raised an eyebrow. "Painter? Uh... This is a publishing house that collaborates on comics, not paintings."

After hearing what Ming said, Seto Chimu didn't complain. She simply pulled a page from the strap on her shoulder and showed it to Ming.

"A novel? There are no illustrations either." Ming's eyes looked a little strange.

Seto Chimu adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, a gentle yet slightly melancholic smile playing on her lips, and said softly:

"This painting is not actually my work; it was created by a dear friend of mine who has passed away. This friend had an endless love and passion for painting when he was alive, but he was never able to show his talent to the world."

"Now, I want to do my best to adapt this painting into a comic, so that more people can appreciate the beauty and deep emotions it contains. Therefore, I sincerely hope to receive your strong support and assistance."

As she spoke, she opened the easel in her hand. When the easel was fully unfolded, the main subject of a painting was the very building where he worked.

However, unlike the actual scene, this painting incorporates many snow-white artistic colors and some imaginative abstract elements.

Ming was slightly taken aback, a feeling of indescribable surprise welling up in his heart.

"How about this, sir?"

Ming carefully examined the painting. The artwork in the painting seemed to have been given a soul, and every detail exuded a lively atmosphere.

The pure white colors seem to reflect the dreams of the publishing house, while the abstract elements seem to conceal countless stories waiting to be discovered.

“This painting is indeed very unique.” Ming looked up at Seto Chimu, his eyes showing more approval. “However, our publishing house is currently quite full of projects.”

A hint of disappointment flashed in Seto Chimu's eyes, but she quickly rallied. "I understand, but I believe that my work combined with my friend's illustrations will definitely create a fantastic manga. And I can help with the illustrations for free first, as long as you're willing to give this project a try."

Ming hesitated. He knew the industry was risky, and trying something new too easily might disrupt his plans. But the woman's determined gaze and the enchanting painting kept challenging his thoughts.

After a moment of contemplation, Ming finally spoke up: "Alright, we can try doing some preliminary planning first, and if it works out, we can go deeper into cooperation." Seto Chimu's face immediately lit up with a delighted smile, and she quickly thanked him.

Ming led Seto Chimu towards the office, saying as they walked, "However, I must make this clear from the outset: if anything is found to be unsuitable during the initial planning phase, we may terminate the collaboration at any time."

Chiyuki Seto nodded vigorously, "Of course, I will do my best."

After entering the office, Ming called over a few key members and briefly explained the situation. The others looked at Seto Chimu with some suspicion, given how young she appeared.

Sensing the questioning looks from everyone, Seto Chimu took a deep breath, stood up, and began to recount the manga story she and her friends had come up with.

As she recounted her story, the initial atmosphere of doubt gradually dissipated.

"To put it bluntly, you crave innovation. As a renowned artist, you want to adapt your deceased friend's novel into a comic book. However, submitting it to established publishing houses risks it being overlooked. So, you're taking this gamble? You seem quite confident in your judgment." The tone shifted, and the question was asked again:

Does this novel have a title? What's the pen name?

"The Oborozu... alright. As for the pen name, let's use the one my late friend envisioned before he finished writing the book. How about 'Jiangnan'?" Seto Chimu said.

Ming raised an eyebrow slightly. "Jiangnan? That is indeed a very evocative pen name. Since we're going to do some preliminary planning, we need to first determine our target audience. Your story has a unique style, and I feel that the target audience won't be too broad."

Chiyuki Seto nodded. "Yes, I've considered that too. I think it's a very interesting design that blends fantasy and emotion in this story."

After the conversation, the two shook hands. Since Ming had not yet discussed cooperation with any sales area, he told her to go home and wait.

After leaving the publishing company, Chiyuki Seto waited anxiously for news.

Ming didn't stay in the office for long before preparing to leave the community to discuss cooperation with some sales areas.