I am a literary giant in Japan

The Moscow International Publishing House was somewhat well-known in the Tsarist Russian publishing industry, but it was incomparable to the then-dominant "New World" and the undisputed leader "Modern Man".

However, its backer and actual controller was Vladimir, a rising star in Tsarist Russian politics.

This alone allowed the Moscow International Publishing House and its affiliated literary magazines to dominate the Tsarist Russian publishing world.

Vladimir's ruthless methods are well-known, and those who oppose him rarely have a good ending.

With the endorsement of this powerful political figure, the editors of the Moscow International Publishing House are arrogant and often adopt an indifferent attitude towards industry peers or literary figures, saying things like, "Whether I accept manuscripts or not is my business. You can write or not, and if you don't want to write, there are plenty of other people who will."

In late May 1995, Dmitry Muratov, an editor at the Moscow International Publishing House, rode his beloved bicycle to the company's office building as usual.

Moscow International is great in every way, except the salary isn't very high.

Moreover, under Secretary General Vladimir's high-pressure and transparent management, all opportunities for personal gain were eliminated. Even an editor like him, who had worked for more than ten years, couldn't afford a car with his meager salary.

In this respect, the editors at Moscow International are no match for editors at other publishing houses.

But power is like a syringe of adrenaline that stimulates the nerves; once you've experienced it, it's hard to resist the wonderful sensation it brings.

This is the core reason why, no matter how low the salary, the editors at Moscow International are unwilling to leave this "walled city."

However, Dmitri is somewhat different from those editors who are deeply entangled in the temptations of power.

Even in his fifties, he remains dedicated to content creation, hoping to use his limited time and energy to help Moscow International cultivate a group of outstanding and prolific writers.

He personally admires the operating model of the Japanese publishing industry, where the author cultivation system, which is based on editorial responsibility, easily produces outstanding local writers.

The strong binding model between writers and editors also maximizes the connection between the two, minimizing external interference.

Unfortunately, his ideas were seen as outrageous by a group of conservatives in the Russian publishing and literary circles.

No one was willing to support him, and the publishing house didn't dare let him go all out.

Even in such a harsh working environment, Dmitry successfully nurtured several new writers who gained a foothold in the literary world of Tsarist Russia.

"I hope today will be another day to look forward to." Dmitry finished a quick prayer at the company entrance and was about to step forward when he was suddenly stopped by the editor-in-chief, Vasily Shurov, who rushed over.

Vasily was a high-ranking executive poached from the newspaper "Trud" by Moscow International, and one of the few editors in the publishing house who was recruited through "poaching".

He enjoyed a very high reputation and status in the Russian publishing industry, and was one of the very few senior executives in the publishing house who were willing to support Dmitry.

Without Vasily, Dmitry would most likely have been ousted by his colleagues.

"Good morning, Editor-in-Chief Vasily, what can I do for you?"

Dmitry had to tip his hat to Vasily, who was younger than him, in the breeze, but it was a gesture he did willingly.

“You’ve come at the perfect time, Professor Dmitry.” Vasily smiled and shook hands with him again, then gestured for him to walk and talk. “I have a very important task for you.”

"It would be my pleasure." Dmitry knew Vasily wouldn't betray him, so he smiled and nodded, then walked into the office building with him.

Only then did Dmitry notice that a tall and imposing middle-aged man was standing next to Vasily.

The man exuded a striking presence; his eyes held an imposing air even without anger, making him the kind of guy you shouldn't mess with.

Dmitry was only stunned for a moment before quickly realizing what was happening: "You, you are Secretary General Vladimir?!"

“It’s me, good morning, Teacher Dmitry.” Vladimir smiled and nodded in response.

Dmitri was completely dumbfounded.

The legendary behind-the-scenes boss, the most popular figure in Tsarist Russia's political circles, and the chosen one who is very likely to succeed Yeltsin in the future.

Such an important figure appeared at Moscow International Airport without a sound, without a single bodyguard, and just stood there talking to him without any precautions!

Dmitri almost thought he wasn't fully awake.

"Oh, hello, Secretary General Vladimir!" Despite being the oldest of the three, Dmitry was acting like a flustered rookie.

“Let’s talk as we walk. This matter might be a bit tricky for your Moscow International.”

Vladimir had already bagged up Igor's translation of *My Apprenticeship* and given it to Vasily, who read it carefully and was immediately awestruck by the novel. He also felt immense admiration for the author's audacity in depicting Tsarist Russia in the 1870s and 80s.

If a Russian author had written something like this, it wouldn't be considered a capital offense, but once such a work was published, he would essentially have no further connection with the Russian literary world.

Vasily admired writers who dared to write and speak out and were extremely capable, but unfortunately Kitagawa Hide was Japanese, and the copyright of "Childhood" was still with "New World".

Then Vladimir told him that he planned to buy all the copyrights to Alyosha's autobiographical trilogy and hand them over to Moscow International, and that "My Apprenticeship" was the first project he was going to launch.

This was the first time Vasily had ever seen a bigwig like Vladimir so attentive and interested in a novel. He guessed that this might be one of the indicators of power shifts in Tsarist Russia, and thus became even more interested in "My Apprenticeship".

As an editor at Moscow International, Vasily wasn't worried about the political leanings and radical ideas revealed in the novel.

Moscow International is practically a state-run media outlet, and with such a powerful backer, even if its magazines published novels that vehemently denounced the Tsar, probably no one would dare to come knocking on their door.

Upon discovering Vladimir's deep affection for "My Apprenticeship," Vasily immediately recommended his trusted lieutenant, Dmitry.

And that's how this scene at the elevator entrance came about.

Upon seeing Vladimir, a prominent figure in the political arena, arrive at the company alone, the employees of Moscow International were immediately terrified and dared not utter a sound.

Vladimir didn't seem to care much about the stares of those around him. He went to the editor-in-chief's office with the two men, and without even closing the door, they openly discussed the publication of "My Apprenticeship".

"The impact of 'Childhood' on Tsarist Russia is unprecedented in a century, and it goes without saying that countless readers are eagerly awaiting the publication of the second part of Alyosha's autobiographical trilogy."

But Childhood was firmly held by New World, and without the first part to promote it, we suddenly released the second part.

After learning that the bag contained "My Apprenticeship," Dmitry first resisted the urge to immediately investigate, and then shared his thoughts with Vladimir and Vasily.

He didn't want poor operations and marketing to bury a top-notch classic, but Moscow International had powerful backers, so its marketing and operations were indeed among the worst in the publishing industry.

Before he could finish speaking, Vladimir interjected, "The copyright to *Childhood*? I've already asked *New World* for it. From now on, *Childhood* belongs to our Moscow International."

Regarding your question about cooperating with the publicity campaign, I don't think there's anything to worry about.

Demeter looked horrified, glanced up at Vasily, and when he saw the editor-in-chief nodding with a smile, his old heart almost couldn't take the huge shock!

Is this the power of the Secretary-General of the National Security Council?

Can you just take a competitor's top-tier product without a second thought?

This is a novel that Kitagawa Hideo genuinely signed a contract with "New World" and received a buyout price for!
Dmitri didn't know exactly how much "The New World" paid to buy "Childhood," but it was certainly enough to pay his salary for hundreds of years.

"Well, if that's the case, then there's really nothing to discuss about publicity."

"Just publish 'Childhood' again before it's published in 'In the World'."

Dmitry was very familiar with these matters, and it seemed that Vladimir and Vasily were also prepared to entrust this task to him.

"I think the most difficult part is the opposition." Vladimir also dared not ignore the voices of the descendants of the Russian nobility and those who benefited from the Tsarist system.

They controlled every aspect of Tsarist Russia, and if they really wanted to destroy "My Apprenticeship," even the Moscow International would find it difficult to promote the novel on a large scale.

“Do you have any good suggestions, Professor Dmitri?” he asked, turning his head.

This is Vladimir's ultimate goal in coming here.

After reaching an agreement with Kitagawa Shu and Kitagawa Entertainment, Vladimir decided to use "My Childhood" to gauge public opinion on the oligarchs.

The seven oligarchs who remained in power in Tsarist Russia controlled almost 60% of the country's economic lifeline. With a flick of their fingers, the entire Tsarist Russia would tremble.

Regardless of whether he has the opportunity to ascend to the highest position in the future, Vladimir wants to thoroughly punish these incompetent oligarchs who only know how to exploit the people.

But you have to eat one bite at a time, and fight one step at a time. If you go straight to the oligarchs and show your true colors, Vladimir will be the one who dies.

Testing public opinion first is a good way to ease tensions.

The problem is how to probe for information, which is a skill. If you don't do it well, probing for information will only alert the enemy.

Dmitri understood what he meant, and after thinking for a while, he replied without hesitation: "In the country, we certainly cannot publish 'My Apprenticeship' openly and honestly while ignoring the opposition from those who have vested interests."

I doubt any publisher would dare to take on this novel.

The novel is a good novel, but judging from its themes and political leanings, it is absolutely unacceptable to those people.

If they object, the publishing house that dares to publish it will suffer.

At this point, Dmitry looked up and glanced at Vladimir.

If it weren't for this powerful figure guarding Moscow International, they wouldn't dare let this kind of novel be published.

Vladimir nodded in agreement, signaling him to continue.

Dmitri continued, "Since we can't avoid the slander and boycott of 'My Childhood' by certain groups no matter how it is published, we might as well use other channels to generate buzz first. This way, eager readers can see it through unofficial channels, and we can also observe the reactions of the opponents from the side."

Dmitry understood that Vladimir wanted to test the possibility of certain political changes through "My Apprenticeship," but he did not want such a test to directly provoke a stress response in some people.

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, suddenly releasing "My Apprenticeship" into the Russian domestic market was more harmful than beneficial.

Teacher Kitagawa, the publisher, Vladimir, the opponents, and others all do not want to see a situation where everyone suffers a lose-lose outcome.

Only readers who are indifferent to the situation would want to see this.

That leaves only one solution.

“Other channels?” Vladimir couldn’t think of any channel that could replace the Russian domestic literary market while still providing him with the feedback he wanted.

"Yes. To be precise, it should be Bulgaria, which once had the exact same system as us and still practices the Tsarist system."

Dmitry mentioned a possibility that neither Vladimir nor Vasily had ever considered—

The book "My Apprenticeship" was released in the Bulgarian literary market, which is closely related to the Russian literary market.

Bulgaria was a staunch supporter of the Soviet Union before its collapse, because they also used the Tsarist system, and still use it today.

From the feedback there, one can basically see the reaction of the Russian people and the descendants of the nobility.

Vladimir can develop a new publishing plan based on feedback from that market, while also using "My Apprenticeship" to test certain things.

The literary market in Bulgaria is similar to that in Tsarist Russia; it is essentially a miniature Tsarist Russian literary scene.

Most importantly, this country is still heavily reliant on various forms of aid from Tsarist Russia, which happens to be overseen by Vladimir, who controls the Security Council.

As long as he is willing to sign documents and make his presence known, the market there will absolutely not dare to reject this novel.

In this way, everyone's problem was solved.

The world, with only the current Tsar of Bulgaria injured, is now complete!

"This is a good idea, and I think it can be implemented immediately."

Regarding the literary market in Bulgaria, I will send people to communicate and negotiate; you will be responsible for monitoring it in real time.

Vladimir was a very decisive person. After making the decision, he immediately got up and returned to the White House office building, and asked his secretary to make a phone call to inform Kitagawa Hide.

"Is the world really over just because the current Tsar of Bulgaria is injured?"

Kitagawa Hide couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, never expecting that the Russians could come up with such an unexpected solution.

But thinking about it, it's true. As the only country still maintaining the Tsarist system, if you don't get attacked, who will? If your people don't rebel, who will? (End of Chapter)