Chapter 17: Domination and Conquest [1]
The news that the first volume had broken 200,000 copies in its first month reached Alex on a Wednesday morning.
Sue Vance's voice over the phone was unnaturally calm, but every syllable hit like a hammer strike. "203,600 copies. Three reprint runs. All sold out. Bookstores are demanding a fourth."
Alex gripped the receiver, silent.
" The industry is shaking," Sue continued. "An agricultural theme. A rookie author. 200,000 copies in the first month. That number shatters NextGen's rookie record for the last decade."
Outside, the ranch was bathed in golden morning light. Alex watched the cows grazing peacefully and suddenly remembered an image from his past life—a manga sales chart where One Piece dominated the top spot with a towering, terrifying bar graph.
Now, he was on the chart. Even if it was just the rookie chart.
"Also," Sue paused, "the first week sales for Manga Weekly's 'Rural Teacher' series came out."
"How much?"
"37,000." There was a trace of almost imperceptible mockery in Sue's voice. "Their Editor-in-Chief reportedly threw a coffee mug during the internal meeting."
Alex remembered the late-night call from Deputy Chief Zhou, that overly polite voice. In hindsight, that call was probably the final probe—since they couldn't poach him, they decided to clone him.
"Shonen World's 'Fisherman's Son' did even worse," Sue said. "First week, 28,000. Reader reviews are brutal. 'Trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog.'"
"And Era of Blood?"
"Not out yet, but based on the teaser, their 'Agricultural Revolution' is set in a sci-fi future. 'Space Farming' or something." Sue let out a cold laugh. "They can't even copy correctly."
Alex was silent for a moment. "What are the readers saying?"
"Readers?" Sue actually chuckled. "Readers are saying ' Silver Spoon is still better.' There's a thread on the forum titled 'Why All the Copycats Failed' that's already trending. You should check it out."
After hanging up, Alex opened his computer. He rarely visited forums, but the thread Sue mentioned was too prominent to miss. It was pinned on the front page, red text, over three thousand replies.
He clicked it. The opening post was long:
"After Silver Spoon blew up, every magazine rushed out seven or eight farming titles. As a reader who's been following since Chapter 1, let me tell you: You can't copy this.
The brilliance of Silver Spoon isn't the genre; it's the details. The angle of the hand during milking, the reflection of light in the muddy pig pen, the cracks in the soil when potatoes sprout—these are details you can't draw unless you've lived them.
What are the copycats drawing? Muscle men driving tractors to save the world, magical girls farming with spells, mechs harvesting crops. They think readers want 'Agriculture.' Actually, readers want 'Reality.'
What hits hardest about Silver Spoon is its grounded warmth. Hachiken isn't a genius. He fails, he gets lost, he gets tired. But he learns, bit by bit. That growth is the core.
The copycats? The MC is either talented or has a cheat system. Day 1 farming, Day 2 harvest, Day 3 conquer the world. Fake. Hollow. Empty.
So stop copying. You can't keep up. The Dairy King is drawing life; you guys are drawing delusions."
The replies below were dense:
"OP is right! I cried when Hachiken failed milking for the first time because I failed too!"
"I dropped the copycats after three chapters. The MC shouting 'I will revolutionize agriculture' made me cringe so hard I curled my toes."
"I heard the author of 'Rural Teacher' is a city guy who went to the countryside for a 'three-day experience.' LOL. What can you learn in three days?"
"Silver Spoon works because the author actually knows and This copycats doesn't know sht."*
Alex scrolled down page after page. There were analyses of his paneling, breakdowns of details, discussions on plot. Someone was even doing an "Agricultural Fact Check," taking screenshots of every farming task in the manga and comparing it to reality.
On the last page, a highly upvoted comment read:
"I'm an Ag student. My professor used the pig farming chapter of Silver Spoon as a case study in his PPT last week. He said: 'Look, a comic book is more professional than you lot.' The whole class laughed, but then we all went out and bought the volume."
Alex closed the browser and leaned back in his chair.
200,000 copies.
Forum trending topic.
University professor using it as teaching material.
These voices converged into something heavy pressing on his heart. Not pressure, but weight—his pen was actually changing things.
In the afternoon, Alex rode his bike to town to mail his manuscript. He needed to send the original pages of Chapter 16 to Sue. Although digital was an option, he preferred sending the physical pages—the tactile reality of paper was something data couldn't replace.
The entrance to the town bookstore was still lively. Mr. Henderson was directing a clerk to move new magazines inside. He waved when he saw Alex. "Just in time. Got stuff for you."
"What stuff?"
"Several packages." Henderson dragged two boxes from behind the counter. "From the editorial department, and from readers."
Alex opened the first box. It was full of gifts—handwritten letters, homemade cookies, hand-drawn fan art, even a jar of homemade jam with a label: "Thank you, Dairy King, for drawing such a good story."
The second box was from the publisher. Twenty copies of the new reprint of Volume 1. The title page had a gold foil stamp: "Million-Seller Commemorative Edition" (referring to the magazine circulation, presumably, or perhaps a hopeful projection for the series). There was also a letter.
It was handwritten by Editor-in-Chief Lee:
"To Author Alex Walker: Seeing your words is like seeing your face. First month sales broke 200,000, setting a new rookie record for our magazine. This achievement is not luck, but the result of strength. I hope you guard against arrogance and rashness, and continue to cultivate deeply. The editorial department will fully support your creation."
Short, but heavy.
Alex folded the letter and put it in his bag. Henderson watched him and suddenly said, "You're famous."
"Yeah."
"Not just normal famous." Henderson lit a cigarette. "Yesterday, someone from the county publicity department came by. Said they wanted to give you a 'Cultural Publicity Advanced Individual' award. I turned them down, said it wasn't convenient for you."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Henderson exhaled smoke. "I'm just a bookseller. But I've been selling books for years, and I've never seen this—a farming comic crushing all those fighting ones."
He paused. "You know what sells best in the store right now?"
Alex shook his head.
"First is ...."
(To be Continued)
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