Chapter 115: English Tax
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
[Faith (11673/10000)]
Two days later, aboard a long-distance train bound for Los Angeles.
Colin opened his eyes. A flicker of confusion crossed his face as he looked at the [Faith] value displayed in text.
During the Great Depression, communication was not yet well-developed; the most common methods were letters and telegrams.
Limited by the technology of the era, Colin, being on the train, naturally couldn't learn of the events unfolding in New York in real-time. It was even less likely for him to know about the panic incident triggered by the latest issue of his serialized story, *Superman*.
From his perspective, all he did was sit on a train and make a round trip between the Dual Worlds.
In the blink of an eye, his [Faith] had surpassed ten thousand and was still climbing.
"I never expected the Prankster King storyline to be this popular."
Muttering to himself, Colin shifted his gaze from the [Faith] value to another line of text.
[Powers—Super Speed (Black Iron)]
[Power Description: In his debut, Superman was faster than a speeding train. Later, he could outrun a bullet fired from a gun. In the latest comic, Superman can already run nearly as fast as sound.]
Supersonic speed?
Aside from the growth of [Faith], which had exceeded his expectations, the new installment was meant to unlock [Super Speed], one of the Powers he had planned all along.
Perhaps due to the limitations of the [Black Iron] rank, the newly unlocked [Super Speed] power was restricted to subsonic levels.
Colin had already anticipated this.
After all, in the comic, he had only briefly depicted Superman flipping through pages at an incredible speed. The subsequent power settings were entirely fleshed out by supplementary text.
On the speeding train, Colin turned his head to watch the receding scenery outside the window.
If he could, he would have loved to race the train to see just how far his newly unlocked [Super Speed] could go. Although the text description clearly stated that his initial speed already surpassed a train's, without a real comparison, he couldn't get a clear sense of it.
However, considering the suppression of Powers in the Main World and the not-so-cheap train ticket he had paid for, Colin ultimately abandoned the idea.
After all, he had paid for his seat. Why would he bother chasing the train like those 'passengers' hanging off the sides outside?
...
Los Angeles, outside Central Station.
Roy Disney took out a handkerchief to wipe the small beads of sweat from his forehead, adjusted the hat on his head, and stood in the main hall by the train entrance, quietly awaiting Colin's arrival.
The previous issue's crossover between Superman and Mickey Mouse had a phenomenal effect.
Not only were the sales of Superman action figures in New York impressive, but the sales of merchandise toys and books featuring Mickey Mouse also saw a year-over-year increase of over thirty percent. Furthermore, Disney had received a licensing application for Pluto. Clearly, the cartoon dog had also been influenced by the Crossover Comic, although the price offered wasn't particularly high.
But then again, Pluto was not one of Disney's primary cartoon characters.
It was precisely because of the profits from the crossover that Roy Disney was willing to stand under the Los Angeles sun in May, waiting for Colin's arrival in the high heat.
Although Colin's main purpose for this trip to Los Angeles was not Disney, Roy had already made his preparations. He planned to use this meeting to persuade Colin to engage in a deeper level of cooperation between Disney and the Messenger Newspaper. Roy Disney was even prepared to offer up the Licensing Rights for the Mickey Mouse Comic Strip.
In any case, for Disney, Animation was the main focus.
As for everything else, as long as it could be exchanged for sufficient profit, Roy didn't mind transferring it.
In front of the train station, just as Roy was contemplating how to persuade him, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a familiar figure walking out of the station. The man was wearing a white shirt and carrying a suitcase, making his way through the crowd. It was the very guest Roy was waiting for.
"Colin, long time no see."
Seeing him, Roy no longer hesitated and immediately stepped forward to greet him.
"Long time no see, Roy."
A hint of surprise flickered in Colin's eyes upon seeing Roy waiting for him outside the station, but he quickly concealed it, shaking his hand with a smile.
"It must have been a tiring journey."
Considering the distance from New York to Los Angeles, Roy proactively reached out to take the suitcase from Colin's hand. "I've already booked a hotel. You can get some proper rest."
Colin did not refuse Roy's enthusiastic hospitality.
He got into the automobile driven by Roy. On the way to the hotel, Colin's gaze shifted from the Los Angeles streetscape outside the car to Roy Disney in the driver's seat.
Colin had a vague guess as to the reason for the man's enthusiasm.
Although Roy was eager to discuss cooperation, he exercised restraint and didn't bring it up right away.
He took Colin to the hotel he had booked in advance.
"I'll come by at nine tomorrow morning... Before then, you can get some good rest..."
At the door of Room 309, Roy gave Colin a brief instruction before turning to leave, having no intention of disturbing him further.
Watching the man's back disappear around the corner of the hallway, Colin silently retracted his gaze.
He carried his suitcase into the room.
Colin closed the door, casually picked up the newspaper that was on his suitcase, and opened it.
The *Los Angeles Times* was the largest daily broadsheet newspaper in the Western United States. Its influence and status were second only to *The New York Times* and *The Washington Post*, earning it the title of America's third-largest paper.
He had just requested it from the hotel's front desk. After several long days on the train, he needed to catch up on what had been happening.
"...Over a hundred independent merchants in Los Angeles have united to protest against the government."
The wave of Unemployment from the Great Depression continued, affecting not just New York, but Los Angeles as well.
The *Los Angeles Times* briefly reported on the news of bankrupt merchants, stating that in May alone, dozens of small workshops in Los Angeles had gone bankrupt due to their inability to stay afloat, and this phenomenon had already begun to spread to large chain stores.
"Protests sparked by the English Tax are still ongoing. Besides New York, small protest groups have also appeared in Los Angeles. People are worried about their livelihoods, and many can no longer afford to pay more taxes. Although the New York government has stated that it will not continue to tax the use of the English language, declaring it a completely illegal and fictitious event, many citizens remain suspicious..."
"English Tax?!"
Looking at the news brazenly reported in a secondary section of the *Los Angeles Times*, a strange expression appeared on Colin's face.
So, this was the truth behind the sudden, massive increase in his [Faith].
(end of chapter)