Chapter 21: The Voice of Professionals
On the first Monday of November, a sample copy of the Journal of Agricultural Science arrived at the ranch.
It was a thick academic journal with a serious dark green cover, bearing the journal name and issue number in stark white font. Alex was surprised when he slit the package open—he had never subscribed to such a dry publication.
Flipping to the Table of Contents, under the "Academic Trends" section, he saw his pen name.
The title was purely academic: "Analysis of the Accuracy and Popular Science Value of Livestock Epidemic Prevention Knowledge in the Manga 'Silver Spoon'." The authors were three researchers from the State Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine.
The article was eight pages long, illustrated with screenshots from Chapter 20 of Silver Spoon. Beside each image—the dull eyes of a sick cow, the rigorous disinfection process, the isolation barriers—were annotations analyzing which depictions were accurate, which were artistic stylizations, and which could serve as teaching references.
The conclusion read: "While ensuring storytelling, 'Silver Spoon' restores the actual operation process of livestock epidemic prevention quite well... It is recommended as auxiliary teaching material for animal husbandry students."
Alex held the journal, reading it for a long time in the morning light.
This wasn't praise from an entertainment magazine, nor was it compliments from forum fans. This was a serious academic journal, an evaluation made by professionals with a critical eye.
He placed the journal on his desk and continued opening other packages. An appointment letter as a consultant from the Agricultural Association, a letter of thanks from the Bureau of Animal Husbandry, and lecture invitations from several agricultural colleges—of course, he politely declined them all.
But the appointment letter and the thank-you letter were tangible. The appointment letter bore a red official seal, and the thank-you letter had the signature of a director. He put these together with the journal, took a photo, and sent it to Sue Vance.
Ten minutes later, Sue called.
"Did you see the journal?" Her voice held a suppressed excitement.
"Yeah."
"People from the Institute of Animal Husbandry contacted us. They want to reprint parts of Chapter 20 for use in their training manuals," Sue paused. "They're paying copyright fees."
"That's fine."
"Also, the State Department of Education issued a document listing Silver Spoon in the 'Recommended Reading for Primary and Secondary Agricultural Science Popularization' official list. Not the extended reading list, the official list."
Alex held the phone, silent. Outside, his father, John, was feeding the herd, his movements practiced and rhythmic.
"The situation is different now," Sue continued. "Those voices questioning 'lack of professionalism' can shut up now. Endorsed by an agricultural science journal, recognized by the Bureau of Animal Husbandry, recommended by the Dept of Education—this isn't just an ordinary comic anymore."
"I know."
"But the pressure is greater too," Sue pivoted. "You are now the representative of 'professional manga.' Every technical detail in every chapter must stand up to scrutiny. There can be no more mistakes."
"I understand."
After hanging up, Alex opened his computer. There were a dozen unread emails in his inbox—interview requests from agricultural magazines, cooperation intentions from agricultural technology stations, guest lecturer invitations from agricultural universities.
He deleted them one by one, leaving only one. It was from the State Institute of Animal Husbandry, worded rigorously. He replied granting permission for the reprint and directing the consultancy offer to the editorial department.
Then he opened the forum. The thread "Is Silver Spoon Overrated?" was still on the front page, but the wind had changed direction.
The latest reply was from half an hour ago: "The latest issue of 'Agricultural Science' has published an article affirming it. Are some people still sour about 'lack of professionalism'? Does your face hurt?"
Alex closed the webpage and started drawing Chapter 21.
This chapter was about feed formulation. Cows at different growth stages need different nutritional ratios. It was dry material, math-heavy, but essential.
{The classroom was silent except for the scratching of pencils. Hachiken stared at the chalkboard, which was covered in a dizzying array of numbers—crude protein percentages, TDN values, and dry matter intake.
"It's not just mixing grass," the teacher explained, tapping the board. "It's chemistry. It's math. If you get the ratio wrong, the cow doesn't produce milk. Or worse, she gets sick."
Hachiken looked down at his worksheet. It was a mess of erased calculations. He stayed up late in the dorm common room, surrounded by reference books, his eyes red and heavy. He punched numbers into his calculator, frustrated, erasing and starting over, until finally, as the sun peeked over the horizon, the numbers balanced out. He slumped back in his chair, exhausted but satisfied.}
Alex drew with great detail—feed ingredient tables, calculation formulas, experimental data. He captured the specific exhaustion of mental labor.
Halfway through, his phone rang. Local number.
He picked it up. "Hello?"
"Is this the Walker residence?" A middle-aged man's voice, very polite.
"It is."
"Hello, I am Chief Robert Williams from the County Animal Husbandry Bureau," the other party introduced himself. "We saw the article in Agricultural Science and wanted to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead."
"Our county is promoting 'Scientific Breeding' and wants to print a batch of brochures. We want to use some images from your manga in the brochure, accompanied by text explanations." Chief Williams paused. "Of course, we will pay copyright fees and cite the source."
"That's fine. Please contact my editor for details."
"Okay, okay, thank you!" Williams hesitated. "Also... I have an presumptuous request. We want to invite you to be our county's 'Scientific Breeding Ambassador.' No need to show your face, just use your name..."
"Sorry, that's inconvenient," Alex said. "I only create; I don't participate in publicity."
"Understood, understood!" Williams said quickly.
Hanging up, Alex continued drawing. The pen scratched against the paper. This was the chain reaction brought by professional recognition—first journals, then government departments, then grassroots units. His work was infiltrating reality in ways he hadn't anticipated.
In mid-November, Chapter 21 was released. This chapter was more technical, with lots of calculations and tables, but Alex handled it well—using paneling to turn boring data into visual content, connecting knowledge points with Hachiken's growth arc.
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When Sue called, her tone was much more relaxed. "Reader feedback is very good. They said 'I didn't expect feed ratios could be drawn so interestingly.'"
"Good."
"One more thing," Sue said. "Manga Critique published a new article."
(To be Continued)
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