While in America, a science knowledge book unexpectedly became a hit, and the "Southern traitor" Mark Twain was being transformed into the embodiment of the frontier spirit.
In Britain, the 1895 general election was taking place.
"Punish the government!! How long must we watch these Liberal scoundrels ruin our country?! Justice for Gladstone, Primrose, and Campbell-Bannerman! The Conservative Party will become the 'DawnBringer' and promise a new dawn for the Empire!"
"One more chance, despite the hatred!! Freedom for Ireland! Equal votes for all!! No more chances for incompetent and greedy aristocrats like 'Gregory Villiers' to hold power ever again!!"
In the original history, the British Liberal Party lost its prime ministership to the Marquess of Salisbury, and the internal strife within the party remained unresolved. Eventually, a faction of the Liberal Party split off to form the "Liberal Unionist Party," while Irish nationalists broke away to form the "Irish National Federation," leading to a devastating defeat. It took another ten years before the Liberals could recover and regain power.
But now, things are different. Due to the subtle influences of modern intervention, the Liberal Party gained two key advantages.
Firstly,
"Calm down, everyone!! If we continue to fight among ourselves like this and the Conservatives take power, we'll lose everything—Irish Home Rule, voting rights expansion, all of it!!"
Henry Campbell-Bannerman quickly took control of the Liberal Party.
In the original history, he was the politician who successfully healed the party's internal strife and led it back to power.
He allied with those who could be allied with and discarded those who couldn't.
Although he only served as prime minister for one month, Campbell-Bannerman did his utmost to resolve the internal conflicts alongside Gladstone.
As a result, he successfully formed a coalition with the Labour Party and the Irish National Federation.
Secondly,
"Was the Bank of England's decision to save Barings Bank in 1890 truly the right one!?"
"In the end, the London Stock Exchange couldn't punish President Litherdale or former President Gibbs! So who is really to blame?!"
"Answer me, Marquess of Salisbury! You were the prime minister at that time, weren't you?!"
Last year, the British financial world was rocked by a small snowball launched—no, rolled—by a certain novelist, the Barings scandal.
Though the legal disputes were all resolved and faded into obscurity, it was more a case of the boiling pot being set aside rather than the fire being put out.
Litherdale, who was the Governor of the Bank of England at the time, retired into private life (rumours circulated that he spat at the bank's front door, but this was never confirmed). However, the man who was prime minister during the crisis was still active in politics—none other than the current Conservative leader, Robert Gascoigne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury.
In an instant, the frames of "Salisbury the Economic Fool" and "The Conservatives, the Cause of Economic Downturn" were established, and the Liberals launched an all-out assault.
Of course, these two advantages didn't completely guarantee a Liberal victory.
After all, the narrative of punishing the government always holds sway in politics.
And so, the result was:
"We won! We actually won!!"
"Damn it, not again!!"
The Conservatives, 326 seats.
The Liberals, 256 seats.
The Irish National Federation, 72 seats.
Others, 15 seats.
If you only considered the Conservatives and Liberals, the Conservatives won and should have taken the prime ministership. However, the Liberals formed a coalition with the Irish National Federation.
Thus, with a combined 328 seats, Campbell-Bannerman barely managed to hold on as the 49th prime minister.
"But the situation isn't favourable for us to do anything right now. First, we need to consolidate internally."
Before raising a celebratory glass, Campbell-Bannerman met with Gladstone and said this, and Gladstone agreed, calmly suggesting,
"Ask the Marquess of Salisbury to serve as Foreign Secretary. After all, he's got plenty of experience."
"That's a good idea. In exchange, we can negotiate for concessions on economic policy and voting rights."
And so, history slowly began to ride the golden spin of the snowball.
***
Around that time,
"Whew."
I looked down at the manuscript with satisfaction.
Finally, finally, this hellish manuscript is done.
Peter Perry series, Volume 8, Peter Perry and the End of Eternity.
It's the book that says goodbye to Peter, who has been with me for the past five years.
"Even now, when I think about it... what a bizarre debut it was."
When I heard that a book I never thought would catch on in this era was suddenly the best-seller in London, I was utterly flabbergasted.
I chuckled as I remembered Mr. Bentley from that time. It was truly unbelievable back then.
Nevertheless, thanks to it, I've now formed connections with Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll, and Mark Twain, had plays based on it, and even become friends with the crown prince... In many ways, it's been an incredibly fortunate book.
If it were up to me, I'd want to keep going with it. But.
"That's not possible."
Maybe if it were an omnibus like Sherlock Holmes, but I originally set up Peter Perry as an adventure series, specifically for short stories.
Imagine if I were to stretch Peter Perry for not just five years but ten, twenty years with my own greed.
Wouldn't the quality collapse? I can assert it would.
Even in modern times, there were those who wrote such series. Be it serialized novels, web novels, light novels, or comics.
But I've rarely seen anyone maintain quality over fifty volumes with a single story.
The closest might be a legendary pirate comic artist? Ah, that person did slip up once and come back, didn't they?
So this is, as the title says, the end of eternity. An end for eternity.
A novel that knows when to end will remain forever in the hearts of its readers.
"So please, stop crying."
"Sniff, but, author······!"
"Ah, don't let snot fall on the manuscript."
"Sniff······ You're really the best son of a bitch······!"
Now he's openly cursing. I shook my head with a smile.
If you think about it, aside from the Miller family, Mr. Bentley was the first fan of Peter Perry.
Yes, I understand the sadness of a favourite novel ending. Still, Peter should end here to be released in the most beautiful way.
"Sniff, but, won't this affect the play negatively?"
"Well, we can just put out a hardcover edition around that time. Maybe include one or two side stories."
"Good grief······ You're ruthless."
Ruthless? It's just everyday stuff in the 21st century. I grinned and confidently said.
"More importantly, it's time to start thinking about the next project."
"Oh, indeed. Author, do you have anything in mind?"
"Hmm, let's see."
As I deliberately dragged out my response with a smile, Mr. Bentley's eyes began to show signs of anxiety.
It seems they're still suspecting that I might be focusing on Strand Magazine.
Just to clarify, Mr. Bentley is not incompetent. Quite the opposite—he's quite capable. As a businessman, he actually maintains things better than I do.
Initially, people were worried about Weekly Temple, but it eventually found its footing.
Now, it's one of the popular magazines with contributions from prominent authors like Herbert George Wells and Bram Stoker. I even recently signed Oscar Wilde.
So why would I leave this company?
While Strand Magazine is doing well thanks to DawnBringer, it's not as vital as the company that saved a failing business.
It's not that Mr. Bentley being my editor and secretary is convenient because he is unaware of such matters. Absolutely not!
Well, Herbert Greenhough Smith, the editor at Strand Magazine, has indeed been very helpful with DawnBringer, particularly with its weaker mystery aspects. But the vector is different.
In the end, it's a matter of pros and cons.
Anyway.
"For the next project... Yes. I'm planning to go with a young protagonist again."
"A young protagonist. Certainly, it fits as a sequel to Peter Perry and aligns well with the main audience of Weekly Temple."
"Yes. And this time, I'm thinking of breaking away from the academic genre and focusing more on adventure."
"Adventure, you say?"
"Yes."
Honestly, the biggest issue with the academic genre is its limited setting.
In a play, this is an advantage.
But when writing a novel, it becomes quite frustrating.
I've written everything about Oberon Academia, but the justification to deviate from it is vague, leading to repetitive descriptions... So I ended up creating problems by having the characters travel around.
And.
"We should also start gearing up the label."
"Indeed, as you said. Since math and science were successful, if we publish the next novel under that label, it could receive even better reviews."
"Ha ha, that was part of the plan. Although, it's somewhat of a different story."
It was an idea inspired by Oscar Wilde's serialized work and the success it achieved in North America.
"So, the subject I'm thinking of is... Cultural Anthropology."
More specifically, it's a new series to rival the previous academic learning novels.
It's called Treasure Hunt.
***
Somewhere in a London bar.
"Long time no see, James."
"Thank you for inviting me, Patrick. I never imagined we'd meet again like this."
Once, one of Britain's premier Sherlockian clubs, the Baker Street Irregulars.
Although they often clashed with the leading Hanslowian club, The Song of Santrella, their shared identity as fans of the same novel series led them to join forces in boycotts, despite their conflicts.
Of course, always as comrades.
And they weren't alone.
Here, seventeen leaders from six Sherlockian clubs and eleven Hanslowian clubs, totalling around 500 members, had gathered in one place.
"You know why we're all here, don't you?"
"Of course."
The end of Peter Perry.
This was an act that could not be ignored.
A disaster that had befallen London.
Even if the Queen were to die, Peter Perry must not end!
They gathered with this resolve.
"Listen! We who have gathered in this café were introduced to Peter Perry, Sherlock Holmes, and some through DawnBringer, Vincent Villiers!"
"Some may support Ioril, others may support Marv. There may even be those who support different heroines with niche tastes!"
"However! For now, set aside those conflicts. Though we may be inherently incompatible, even those from different origins, let's now support each other! Not to see the conclusion someone desires, but to prevent the end of our light, Peter Perry!!"
"Uooooo!!"
Thus, despite the end of the elections and the calming of London's cafes.
An unnecessarily grand coalition to prevent the novel's conclusion began.
"... Everyone has lost their minds."
Amid them.
'Am I truly the only sane one here?'
A naval officer, who had discreetly entered in disguise, was fiddling with his temples while absent-mindedly playing with his fountain pen.