Starting as a Manga Editor

Chapter 46: Preparation

It was obvious.Li Xue had also finished reading the twenty or so manga works that had been released early for the Manga Award — or more accurately, she had read the two works under Tang Yao’s heartfelt recommendation, which were also the ones Tang Yao herself had drawn.

There was no need to talk about Human Head Balloon; Li Xue had already read that one.But Fate/Zero — this was Li Xue’s first time seeing it.

Because Tang Yao hadn’t been able to find a chance to show her earlier.

After all, it was drawn later — to meet the Manga Award schedule, Tang Yao had just barely finished it and immediately sent the manuscript off to Shang Tao.

So, just like ordinary readers, this was Li Xue’s first time reading Fate/Zero — the manga Tang Yao had once mentioned... was originally meant to be a game concept.

And after reading it,Li Xue’s only reaction was — This, as just a game concept!? What a waste!

More importantly, it wasn’t just Li Xue who thought it was good — the readers clearly loved it too.

In this situation... it was the perfect opportunity for Tang Yao to make a debut as a mangaka!

So,Li Xue immediately called Tang Yao.

"Miss Li, I’m aware of the situation on the website too…"Tang Yao couldn't help but chuckle at the big sister’s excited voice:"But I really don’t have any plans to become a mangaka.""...You really won’t even consider it?"Li Xue paused, then continued to persuade her:"With the way Fate/Zero started… it’s totally ready for serialization."

"No need to consider."Tang Yao, lying on Xun’s thighs, stared at the ceiling and said calmly:"If I really wanted to serialize it, I wouldn’t have handed the manuscript to Shang Tao in the first place.Although the response after releasing it has been a bit beyond my expectations, my decision won’t change.Besides…"

Speaking of this,Tang Yao thought back to their earlier conversations and joked:"I’m planning to steal you away from Wenxin Press, you know.How could I go become a mangaka…?What would you do then? Turn yourself into an editor? And you don't even specialize in male-targeted works!Of course I have to aim for higher ceilings in the gaming world — that way, I can earn more money and bring you out of Wenxin...bring you home!"

"……"

Li Xue suddenly fell silent.

At the same time,Tang Xun also looked at her sister’s face.

Tang Yao noticed and gave Xun a questioning look —What’s wrong?

But Xun either didn’t understand or didn’t want to interrupt.She just kept quietly staring.

"…Actually, I don’t care that much about being a deputy editor,"Li Xue’s voice came again — but this time, there was no excitement.Instead… there was a hint of shyness?

Why did her tone sound so weird?

Tang Yao was a little puzzled, but she temporarily shifted her gaze back from her sister’s face and replied:"I do care.Anyway, my mind’s made up.Miss Li, please just help me contact that relative of yours."

"I already have…"

On the other end,Li Xue seemed to take a deep breath, murmured something inaudible, and then her tone slowly returned to normal:"But about Fate/Zero… what’s the plan?You put it on the website for promotion, right?So how are you planning to handle the updates?""Hmm… wait until the hype gets even bigger."Tang Yao thought for a moment, then said:"Then on Tuesday or Wednesday, I’ll start releasing it at a weekly pace — for free."

"Release it for free?"

"Yeah, to avoid any unnecessary copyright disputes."

"And after it’s fully released? Will you publish a volume?"

"Uh…"

"You haven’t thought about it?Volume royalties are a major part of a mangaka’s income — they can account for up to forty percent.Even if you update for free and don’t care about manuscript fees, you absolutely shouldn't give up on volume publishing.Given the current popularity of the manga, as long as the later chapters stay strong, the volume will definitely sell well."

"I really hadn’t considered it…"

"Then give me some time.Let me think about it and make a plan for you.Free serialization is fine, but we can’t just give up the future income."

"…Honestly, it feels a little too early to be talking about all this."Hearing how serious Li Xue sounded, Tang Yao felt a little awkward and hesitated:"We’re barely at the starting line.It’s only just a good beginning — and I really shouldn’t be causing you more trouble."

"This isn’t trouble at all!"Li Xue answered immediately:"Even if it was trouble, I’d still help you…But I have to confirm one last thing:Tang Yao, are you really planning to resign?"

Tang Yao gave a firm answer:"Yeah."

Li Xue was quiet for a few seconds, then said:"Then promise me this:If you fail, don’t give up on yourself.Promise you’ll come back and draw manga.If that happens, I’ll even resign and become a freelance editor to support you.I really don’t care about the deputy editor position."

"Okay."

"Then start preparing yourself…I’ve set up a meeting with my relative for Wednesday.I’ll have him meet us downstairs at the company, and I’ll go with you."

"……"

Hearing that,Tang Yao immediately sat up from the sofa, smoothing out her messy hair, and asked:"Miss Li, really?"

"Yeah.But getting an investment isn’t easy.Even if Fate/Zero is super popular right now… if it ends up failing—"

"I know. I’ll be mentally prepared."

"Then let’s talk more about it on Monday at the office.I have to think about the free serialization and volume publishing issues.Also… for Wednesday, make sure you dress a little more maturely—Actually, never mind, the way you usually dress is fine."

"……"

After that, the two chatted a bit more before finally hanging up.

Tang Yao slowly put her phone down, took a deep breath, then exhaled, forcing herself to calm down.

Finally…she had reached the most crucial step — getting the money.

Although there were still tons of problems ahead,this was undoubtedly the most important step.

"…Miss Li."

At that moment,Tang Xun, seeing her sister had finished the call, spoke up:"Was that a coworker?"

"Yeah, a friend I met at the magazine company."

Tang Yao came back to her senses, smiled brightly, and nodded:"A really good friend!"

She could tell —Li Xue genuinely cared about her situation.

And for that, she was truly grateful.

Tang Xun hesitated for a moment, then asked:"…It’s a woman, right?"

"Huh?I called her 'Miss Li.' If not a woman, what else?"

"Oh…"Tang Xun lowered her gaze and thought for a bit, but didn’t ask anything more.

"Let’s not talk about that now, Xun."Tang Yao stepped down from the sofa, came to her sister, and reached out her hand seriously:"I need your help with something very important."

Tang Xun lifted her snowy chin slightly, looking at her sister, who was beautiful even in plain pajamas, and placed her little hand into Tang Yao’s palm:"What is it?"

"Help me pick out some clothes."

Tang Yao pulled her up and led her into the bedroom.

Then,Tang Yao stood still, slightly spread her arms, and said earnestly:"Xun, I need a set of clothes that leans more toward a neutral style… something that’ll make me look more mature."

Even though Li Xue hadn't pushed the point earlier, Tang Yao had picked up the hint —and she agreed.Since she was going to meet someone to ask for money, she needed to present herself properly.

Hearing that,Tang Xun shook her head:"…That doesn’t really suit you. And we don’t have clothes like that at home."

"Then something more feminine is fine too."Tang Yao hesitated, then compromised.

Fine.Screw it—whatever it takes!

"……"

Hearing that, Tang Xun didn’t say anything else.She sized up her pajama-clad sister for a moment, then turned to start digging through the closet.

About five minutes later.

"Xun, just asking, but…why are you bringing out stockings and high heels?"

"You said you wanted a mature look, didn’t you?"

"...Maybe let’s not, after all."

……

At the same time.While Tang Yao was busy preparing her outfit,the Manga Award’s popularity… continued to climb.

But as time went on—the Manga Award, which had initially gained massive attention thanks to Ou Congquan,gradually became less about him…and not even about the Manga Award itself anymore.

Because most readers weren't discussing the Manga Award at all —they were talking about a certain mangaka.A mangaka with a weird name — Third-Rate Artist.

And as readers’ discussions spread,the popularity of those two works skyrocketed even more, drawing more and more readers in.

Thus creating a positive feedback loop.

And then—

Even Kang Ming,who had already heard from Tang Yao that Ou Congquan had changed the storyboards and thus wasn’t paying much attention to the Manga Award anymore,ended up reading the two mangas.

And after he finished,his reaction was the same as most readers —he couldn’t believe how incredibly fun the mangas were!!!

But—

Besides marveling at how interesting they were,after reading Fate/Zero, Kang Ming also felt a deep admiration… and a spark of inspiration.

"Holy relics, Heroic Spirits and Servants, Command Spells, Heroic Spirit Summoning, Holy Grail War…"Staring at the final page of Fate/Zero, Kang Ming muttered excitedly:"Where on earth did Editor Tang find such a mangaka!? This is amazing! These settings are pure genius!If this were turned into a game…"

Thinking that far,inspiration seemed to explode inside him.He couldn’t help but open a document and start jotting down ideas based on the manga's existing settings.

At the end of the day,this newly recruited editorial staff member still loved games the most.

So when he saw fresh, innovative settings—his first instinct was to think about making a game.

Only—

The manga hadn’t revealed much of its world yet.

Before long, Kang Ming hit a block.

He looked up again, grabbed the mouse, and flipped back to the Fate/Zero webpage, getting ready to reread it for more inspiration.

But as he stared at the black-and-white manga on the screen,he suddenly snapped out of it—and laughed self-deprecatingly.

...What am I even doing?

The manga wasn’t finished yet.He was already an editor—what was he doing daydreaming about this?

Besides,like it’s even possible to make it into a game.