Chapter 71

After the spread of the “Imperialism Theory.”

I clutched my head, lost in thought.

“I must not turn red at all.”

I wanted to become the Head of the Gallery, but I didn’t want my body and mind to blush here.

I worried I might end up with some strange stigma later, but surprisingly, the Gallery remained quiet.

“What the heck, no one is mentioning it?”

At first, it seemed like strange posts were popping up one by one, but now even mentions had vanished.

Especially Fron, who had been rampaging about the “Imperialism Theory,” had completely stopped uploading any posts.

Seeing that there were no mentions even by the next day, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Did I get away with it?”

I thought that maybe I hadn’t been affected as much as I had anticipated.

After taking a breath, I began choosing books to sell in the Marketplace.

Of course, I selected them one by one, visually inspecting them in the shop.

I couldn’t let even one strange book be released to the public.

[Les Misérables] – 10P

“This should do it.”

So I found one book.

It was a novel that had been loved by the public for as long as the previous two fairy tales.

Right, it was a novel.

But a shortened version of the story, simplified for easy understanding, had been uploaded under the fairy tale category.

The content was conveniently limited to the first part, which everyone remembers: the story of the mayor who stole bread and ended up in prison, focusing solely on Fantine.

“Above all, the art style is so cozy.”

It looked like a fairy tale book made relatively recently, and the art style felt familiar and warm.

Of course, the content was tragic.

“Shall I reduce the quantity this time when selling?”

It’s good to spend points.

But the imbalance between the points I had and the mana pills was a little, no, quite severe.

Points can be exchanged for mana pills, but mana pills can’t be turned back into points.

No matter how much mana pills were a means for gaining experience, it seemed necessary to be cautious.

[Set the selling quantity to 100.]

So I decided to sell the books in phases, first and second.

“Alright, let’s go.”

[New items have been registered in the Marketplace!]

I released Les Misérables into the Marketplace.

[Level Up 6 → 7]

[New Feature ‘Good Deed Points’ Unlocked!]

“Oh?”

A new feature was unlocked simultaneously.

*

[Good Deed Points Level 1]

As a reward for good deeds performed without compensation, points are refunded and an additional 50% is granted.

Future gifts received as a token of gratitude will be excluded from the compensation criteria.

Limit: Month/10,000p

Total refunded amount to date: 0p

A new feature was opened.

Uniquely, this wasn’t a new functionality within the Gallery, but rather a new source for acquiring points.

From what I gathered, it seemed that if you accrued good deeds, the system would reward you with points…

“What? This is amazing!”

Until now, to maintain the Gallery, I had occasionally given items away for free.

Or I had sold things at or even below cost.

Since the world had been destroyed, there was no choice.

But now, that was no longer the case.

The system had stepped in to fill that gap.

“And it even pays out in points?”

Not just mana pills, but points!

“Let’s start right away.”

[Strawberry Cream Cake] – 30p

I decided to utilize this system and immediately bought a cake from the shop.

Then, holding the delivered cake, I barged into Penny’s room.

-Bang!

“What, what are you doing!”

Penny, lying on her bed, jumped in surprise and shrank away.

I handed her the entire cake in one go.

Penny’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Enjoy!”

“Huh? Thanks!”

Though she looked bewildered, she quickly broke into a smile as if she owned the world.

Penny particularly loved cakes and pastries.

I had heard that outside there was only food such as monsters, contaminated water, and meat.

Leaving Penny behind, I quietly returned to my room to check the system.

[You have performed a good deed. 30p has been refunded.]

[Additionally, 15p has been granted.]

Limit: 30/10,000p

“Hoho!”

And all the points I spent came back, or rather, more than that.

The system was like a god, and I was invincible.

I gave out cakes to all the struggling blue slaves too.

[The Head of the Gallery has delivered a ‘Strawberry Cream Cake.’]

Full-Peel Elf: Cake? Cake!!!

I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: So delicious…

I Will Not Die Even If I Am a Vampire: (Speechless… Vampire vibes)

[You have performed a good deed. 60p has been refunded.]

[Additionally, 30p has been granted.]

Your good deed has been converted into points.

“I can’t contain this joy…”

When I spend, money comes back.

Now that this crazy formula has emerged, shouldn’t I spend even more?

I reveled in my happiness and entered the concept thread.

But then, a unique title caught my eye.

[Title: Announcement of Central Library Opening]

Author: Lloyd

Long time no see.

I just wanted to say that we’ve opened a Central Library in our Kellierhton Kingdom.

We are engaging in activities like book donations and lending, so please take a lot of interest.

(A pic of a ruined noble’s mansion)

(A pic of the newly transformed library)

– Whoa, look at that!

– The exterior looks so clean; it makes me want to go in.

– Hmph, but it’s nowhere near as good as the Elardrien library.

N: What’s with this elf?

N: Oh… is it WWE after a long time?

– But there’s already the Melgall Wiki.

– lol who cares.

– 137.7.32 (World Tree vibes)

It was news that a new library had opened in Kellierhton.

And it quickly drew a lot of attention, gathering eyes in an instant.

– Culture? Is it food-related?

– Eating three meals a day? Are you nobility?

– Enjoying leisure? What a loser?

This was understandable, considering this was a world post-destruction.

Survival and food were everything.

In the midst of this, the appearance of a library was truly a refreshing shock.

“But what kind of books will they put in the library?”

The problem was where all the books for the library were going to come from.

The only literature remaining consisted of only those that were burnt in the flames of the Great War.

Currently, all that was left were historical records, half-burned literary books, and various substandard works.

– Will people actually go?

– I don’t think I’m going, lol.

– What’s the point of a library when you can just buy from the Marketplace and read at home?

Clearly, people’s reactions were lukewarm.

“Well, we’ll find out in time.”

But the results are typically something found out over time.

Right now, the library wasn’t that important.

In the meantime, I decided to make use of my new system.

“What day is it now?”

And just in time, as this week would end and the month would reset, my limit would also reset.

I pondered how to allocate my 5,000 points when suddenly the food category caught my eye.

“Well, when in doubt, choosing food is the way to go.”

As much as life had become somewhat easier compared to before, food was always in short supply.

I entered the food category and chose the most straightforward baguette.

“Baguette is a universal food that all races munch on.”

Elves, dwarves, and humans alike all eat bread.

Though there are preferences, it’s the most commonly accepted food.

[Baguette] – 3p

“Is the price insane?”

Of course, prices were surging wildly, and even the cheap baguette I finally found was a whopping 3,000 won.

But considering it was practically free up to 10,000 points, I immediately bought 3,300 of them.

“This should be pretty good.”

While it might be lacking in proportion to the total population, it was certainly better than having nothing.

I calculated roughly by the race’s representation and prepared to distribute to each race’s representatives, opening the Gallery.

However, the public sentiment in the Gallery had already changed.

– Damn, hurry up and hit the library.

– I’m there for the exclusive reads.

– Hold on, what’s this? There are new arrivals at the Central Library in the Marketplace? lol

– Ah crap, another failure on the draw, damn it.

“What the…”

The once tranquil Kellierhton Central Library had become packed with crowds in just one hour after opening.

*

Kellierhton Library.

It transformed an abandoned noble’s mansion into a beautifully artistic library.

It was precisely the mansion where Evelyn had hidden away.

“Using it somehow is better than leaving it abandoned, right?”

Evelyn gazed at the rejuvenated mansion with a satisfied expression on her face.

The mansion, once on the outskirts of town, now fell within the expanded territories of the Kellierhton Kingdom.

Plus, it had attracted plenty of visitors, all thanks to the new items from the Marketplace.

“Please don’t barge in.”

“Follow the queue. After all, the lending of new arrivals from the Marketplace is random recommendations.”

This was because 20 out of the 100 copies of Les Misérables were stored in the library.

“I’ve been waiting since morning!”

“Please, please let me win this time…”

The lending period for Les Misérables was five hours.

Even with the restriction of only being able to read in certain areas of the library, its popularity did not cease.

The impact of the previously revealed fairy tale book had been significant.

And another reason was the vast praise left by those who read Les Misérables.

[Concept Thread: Seriously so freaking sad…]

Just finished reading Les Misérables.

I entered with a light heart and was lucky enough to win.

But while reading… damn, I couldn’t help but curse…

How could someone face such consequences for stealing just one loaf of bread?

If I were in his shoes, I would have ended up like Jean Valjean, stealing some bread—no doubts there.

Yet I genuinely didn’t see that twist coming!

But not being able to snap out of it and regret it too late…

That left me with a sense of lament.

How can such deep content be packed into a fairy tale book?

And what happens to Valjean afterwards?

I heard it’s originally a five-part novel…

I swear, this is going to drive me insane…

[Recommended 5232] [Not Recommended 5152]

– I’m the one going crazy here!

– What does “that person” even mean?

– Why not just say it? It makes me curious as hell, lol.

– Just spill the details!

N: Don’t say it; I haven’t seen it yet!

N: Just tell us the content!

N: … let’s not get into that heated exchange.

N: Author) What am I supposed to do about it?

Due to a spoiler ban warning, the reviews were filled with vague descriptions like that.

Thanks to this, those who had yet to read were risking losing their minds out of curiosity.

And there was one more thing.

Everyone who won and came out was carrying large bags of bread.

Inside was a massive, fragrant baguette that couldn’t even fit fully inside the bag.

– Haha, I won but even got bread?

– The Head of the Gallery is a god, and Kellierhton is invincible.

Instantly, the baguettes were distributed free of charge by the Head of the Gallery.

Moreover, the tragedy that drove Valjean to despair also stemmed from bread, so it fittingly matched the atmosphere.

– Is this the bread that Valjean stole?

– But they said this was handed out for free.

N: Seriously, the Head of the Gallery must be a god?

N: Their mindset is completely different from ours.

N: What exactly does the Head of the Gallery do? They seem like a dignified and revered figure!

This naturally led to praises for the Head of the Gallery.

While everyone was busy writing hymns for the Head of the Gallery, excited about literature and bread…

[You have filled all Good Deed Points.]

[Total additional points granted up to now… 5,000]

“Woohoo!”

The Head of the Gallery was shouting with applause at the pouring rewards.

Completely unaware of what was brewing in the seemingly quiet Fron.