The ink war began not with swords, but with sarcasm.
The Royal Herald published its first issue with formal prose, embossed borders, and ceremonial titles. It sang praises of trade routes and flower festivals.
SK News responded with:
"Meanwhile, in Real Life: Fish Shortages, Ghost Sightings, and One Amazing Grandmother Punching a Bandit."
The streets erupted in laughter.
Within weeks, the Royal Herald earned a nickname: "The Sleeping Scroll." Its readership dwindled.
But SK News soared. It published exposés on corrupt magistrates, interviews with refugees, poems from peasant children, rants from reformist scholars. It became a mirror of the people, polished by humor, sharpened by truth.
In noble courts, teeth gnashed.
But in bakeries, on fishing boats, inside schoolhouses—freedom flourished.