He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 88



Only Krnovel

Episode 88 – I am…

“Is this really you, Dr. Goddard? I’ve been wanting to meet you since I heard about the rocket! Could I get your autograph?”

“Of course.”

Dr. Goddard shook his wrist once and picked up his pen.

There were dozens of sheets of paper for signing on the table.

“Honey, why don’t you take a break? You can even go to the bathroom for a bit.”

“I guess I should do that. I’m going to collapse at this rate. I didn’t know getting this much attention would be so hard.”

Goddard stretched after handing over the sign.

I didn’t even have time to properly rest because I was dealing with people who came flocking in from the morning.

‘Should I go out and get some fresh air?’

As he was trying to pass through the bustling crowd, a boy came into his sight.

A young face of about ten years old and a unique outfit.

The boy was staring at the bottom of Goddard’s rocket.

‘Are you interested in the nozzle? Kids are usually only interested in the rocket body.’

Goddard approached the boy.

“Little one, where are your parents? Are you lost?”

“Hast du diese Rakete gebaut?”

“Are you from Germany by any chance? What is that thing called Deutschland?”

Goddard scratched his head as he looked at the boy who nodded.

“I don’t speak German. Guten Tag? Or was it Guten Morgan?”

When the boy burst into laughter, Goddard laughed along.

“You seem to be interested in rockets.”

“Rakete. Rakete.”

“Yeah, this is the nozzle part where the flame comes out. Well, even if I explain it to you, you won’t understand…”

Goddard approached the rocket with the child.

“The nozzle is connected to the internal mechanical devices so that its posture can be controlled even in the air.”

The boy seemed to vaguely understand the explanation using gestures.

The boy gestured around the rocket, asking for explanations.

“If you’re interested, I’ll give you a booklet. If you look at the pictures in it, you’ll be able to understand it, even if it’s just a little bit.”

Just then, a woman came running, panting.

“Werner, I’ve been wandering around for quite some time trying to find you!”

The woman bowed her head to Goddard and apologized.

“Thank you for looking after the child. I don’t know why a kid who can’t even speak English would be left out of the group.”

“Are you on a family trip to Europe?”

“Oh, it’s not a trip. It’s a child selected by the International Exchange Association. I’m the person in charge of the field trip.”

“It’s an international exchange association…”

Goddard muttered.

Another project Hitler was pursuing.

“Have a good time in America, kid.”

He smiled and shook hands with the boy. Then, a commotion was heard from the side.

“Hey, look at that.”

“Are you holding any kind of event?”

“You said that Sicklegruber would be there today, didn’t you?”

When I turned my head, I saw a white figure. It was covered in armor from head to toe.

“Isn’t that the Dark Lord? I think it was originally black.”

Goddard muttered.

A man in white armor was walking briskly past.

What on earth is going on? If today really reveals the identity of the cycler…

“Mr. Hitler?”

＊＊＊

‘This is seriously going to kill me.’

How do cosplayers walk around doing this?

Escorted by Richter and other staff members, I crossed the convention hall.

The armor was heavier than I thought, so it made a metallic clanking sound every time I walked.

“Look over there, Dark Lord!”

“But wasn’t the armor originally black? Why is it white?”

Children with lightsabers gathered around.

All made of wood.

‘Thank goodness there’s no radium paint.’

Even thinking about it now sends a chill down my spine. What kind of news would have broken out if they had approved it?

“Wow!”

“In the name of the Republic! Die!”

A lightsaber fight that broke out unexpectedly.

I fought hard and pretended to lose narrowly.

Now, let’s slowly go to the podium.

“The Dark Lord is escaping! Catch him!”

I barely managed to get the kids out of the way and went up to the podium. The area was already filled with reporters.

‘Thanks to Chanel, it became an issue easily.’

At my request, Chanel pretended to be drunk and spread rumors to reporters.

Schicklgruber will appear at this convention and is rumored to be close friends with Hitler.

Both are true.

I’m going to reveal it today, and I’m the Cyclegruber myself.

As soon as he went up to the podium, reporters started asking him questions.

“Are you really Mr. Sicklgruber?”

“Why have you kept your identity a secret until now?”

“Is it true that Mr. Schicklgruber also designed this New Frontier car?”

“What about the rumor that it’s a group and not an individual…”

“What is your relationship with Mr. Hitler?”

“Where is Mr. Hitler now?”

The air was hot from the camera flashes going off right before my eyes.

I guess it’s time to start watching the show now.

‘How can I make the announcement to have the most impact?’

This was the decision I made after dozens of hours of deliberation.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Are you unable to speak?”

I waved my hand silently and slowly raised my helmet.

The helmet is completely taken off…

I stared at the people who had fallen into silence.

“I am the Iron Man…”

this.

I almost misspoke.

“Sickle Gruber.”

Suddenly, a pure white flash enveloped my vision.

Reporters, without exception, stand up.

“I am Cyclegruber.”

I looked at the surprised faces and smiled.

＊＊＊

The next morning

“It was a really great move. All the newspapers are publishing articles and we are getting so many interview requests that it is almost overwhelming.”

Edward Bernays poured out his words.

“The Ford advertisement was completely forgotten. How on earth did you come up with this marketing plan? If you had planned this from the beginning and kept your identity a secret…”

“No, it wasn’t to that extent.”

The reaction was certainly heated.

In fact, more people were interested in the issue itself than in the identity of the cycle gruber.

Should we say that the belly button is bigger than the stomach? A huge event that the public can enjoy through the media.

‘If you think about it, it’s closer to a circus.’

There is a difference in that the fun is provided through newspapers.

Are there any people who love entertainment as much as Americans?

“This was exactly the issue that the slightly shabby convention needed. Rocketman sales immediately increased by three to four times.”

Bernays continued, panting.

“How about extending the convention by a few more days? It would cost more, but we could get a lot more visitors.”

“I’ll have to talk it over with Richter. I guess I’ll have to row when the tide comes in.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No matter what, I didn’t know it would attract this much attention.”

“That’s not unreasonable. Mr. Hitler is such a unique person. Don’t you usually think of rich people living in big mansions and playing golf and cricket?”

Bernays laughed along with me.

“But he’s a tycoon who draws comics and designs cars himself. And he even develops new drugs. He runs a company, sponsors rockets, develops new drugs, and writes the most popular comics in America.”

Bernays shook his head.

“It’s amazing that one person did all this.”

“I didn’t develop the new drug myself, but… I guess I wasn’t wrong.”

If I hadn’t commissioned the mold research, the discovery of penicillin would have been much later.

It is said to have brought commercialization forward by several decades.

“Mr. Hitler is a symbol of the new American spirit. There is something innovative and new about him that is different from the old.”

“Then let’s keep pushing that concept.”

Most of the marketing strategies I use also come from Bernays.

It feels strange to hear praise directly from the father of marketing.

“Then shall we go out now?”

I put my helmet back on and headed for the exit.

People flocking from all over.

“Is it really true that Herr Hitler is Schicklgruber?”

“In episode #34 I swung a laser sword, how come my arm still remains…”

“Can gunshots be heard in space?”

“Please look this way just once!”

Burns detectives cleared the way through the crowd.

‘Come to think of it, I invited the Levine kids too.’

I was so busy that I didn’t have time to meet you.

Have you come and gone already?

As I was thinking that, a commotion was heard coming from the exit.

Are the reporters gathered again?

I hope nothing happened.

Detectives took the lead in investigating.

After a while, they all came back, giggling.

“I think it would be best for you to just go, Mr. Hitler.”

“What is going on?”

“It looks like the fans have prepared a small send-off party. Let’s go quickly.”

“You call this a farewell party?”

What does that mean?

I went out to the exit wearing my armor.

The first thing that caught my eye was…

Costumes from Rocketman?

“What the heck…”

People in costumes stood in two lines on either side.

On the left are the Crusader Knights.

On the right are the Imperial Army.

There was an open passage in the middle. It felt like the passage the bride and groom would walk through at a military wedding.

“For the Republic!”

“For the Emperor!”

The left one holds a wooden lightsaber,

The right hand raised in the Nazi salute.

No, what the hell is going on here?

＊＊＊

October 1921.

The convention continued in a noisy atmosphere.

The newly revealed Hitler Motors car and the identity of Schicklgruber.

The public was excited by the continuous stream of news.

“There must have been other people who drew Rocket Man. Hitler was just lying and pretending he drew it to get attention.”

“They say Hitler himself drew a picture at the event? How did such a businessman find the time to draw a picture…”

Even people who weren’t interested in comics started showing interest in Rocketman, and in big cities like New York, comic book shortages meant that they had to take reservations.

But as its popularity grew, opposing voices also grew louder.

“That German cartoon is corrupting the minds of our children!”

“We must stop any comic book stores from coming to Tennessee at all costs!”

“Aliens! Isn’t that the most unbiblical thing?! God created humans in his own image! We humans are the only intelligent creatures in the world!”

Tennessee State Legislature.

Angry lawmakers came and went into the House chamber.

After the World Wars, science advanced at a rapid pace: radios, automobiles, rockets, and even new drugs.

Even people living in remote areas are now trying to buy a radio.

As a result, the church also suffered from pressure to change.

The number of churchgoers coming to church each Sunday decreased, and psychology lectures became more popular.

In such a situation, the Protestant church was divided into two camps.

Fundamentalists who follow the Bible literally, and modernists who try to reconcile science and faith.

“Isn’t Hitler the one who started this trend?”

“We must do whatever it takes to stop this disease from entering Tennessee! This is a conspiracy of atheists and agnostics!”

“Isn’t the theory of evolution already polluting our children’s minds?! We can’t stand by and watch any longer!”

Southern Tennessee was largely fundamentalist.

After a heated debate, the new law was passed unanimously.

‘All public libraries, colleges and high schools in Tennessee, and all schools receiving public school funds from the state, are prohibited from possessing, viewing, promoting, or selling Rocketman and other anti-Biblical comics and novels.’

‘If you are selling a book that contains more than 30% of the total content as illustrations, you must obtain prior approval from the state government.’

State lawmakers attended a press conference with satisfied smiles immediately after the bill passed.

“I believe this bill is a victory for all Christians in the United States.”

“There will never be another Rocketman debate again.”

But their anticipation didn’t last long, as the media quickly jumped on the bait.

[Tennessee rejects Rocketman!]

[The Fundamentalists’ Counterattack! Rocketman is Banned!]

[21 Things You Didn’t Know About Rocketman. Why Was Rocketman Banned in Tennessee?]

After a week like that.

Two young men from Tennessee chatted over lemon soda.

“That new Rocketman law that just got passed. Why don’t we give it a try?”

“How about testing it?”

“You get caught red-handed reading Rocketman in the library. Then you go to trial.”

“That sounds totally…fun.”

The carbonated water bubbled and burst.

“Will it not be recorded in history?”

===＊＊＊===

Author’s Note

Q: When did cosplay culture start in the United States?

A: The first American sci-fi cosplayer is known as “Mr. Skygack from Mars,” and people dressed up as the character at a 1908 Ohio masked ball.

The first time someone appeared in cosplay at a convention was in New York in 1939, at the First World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).

This popularity gradually spread, and in 1940, the cosplay event became an official program at the 2nd Worldcon.

Although the word ‘cosplay’ was not established at the time, the word costume party was used in Jack Spear’s ‘Fancyclopeida’ in 1944.

In 1952, a contestant wearing no clothes claimed it was a costume, but nudity was banned when the rule “If you’re not wearing a costume, it’s not a costume” was created.

(Source – cosplay, English Wikipedia)