"You really wrote the ending as a tragedy."
Bone Duke sat angrily on the long table in the hall, watching Joshua busy with the editing work.
Bone Duke should have been furious that those lowly humans had entered his territory, but after watching the complete rough cut of Beauty and the Demon, two tiny flames of Soul Fire overflowed from his eyeless skeletal sockets like tears, and he even felt a little melancholy.
However, Bone Duke had not been sad for long before remembering that the screenwriter of this film was right beside him! So Bone Duke hurried over to personally send Joshua some blades.
"If Duke is dissatisfied, you can write the script yourself and give it a perfect ending."
Joshua held a Charcoal Pencil and sketched the shape of a sphere without even looking up as he answered Bone Duke.
"Your Highness, are you saying I can change the ending?"
Bone Duke's rather unfriendly tone made it sound as if, with Joshua's permission, he truly intended to forcibly alter the ending.
"What I mean is that you can use this story as a template to write the story you want in your heart. Anyone can do that."
This kind of creative approach Joshua described was called adaptation on Earth, or fan fiction among more niche circles.
The later film versions of Beauty and the Beast were basically all adaptations of the original work. Whether they were made by Disney or the French, they were all called film adaptations rather than the original work. Joshua was the same.
Joshua did not oppose the people of this world adapting Beauty and the Beast. He even encouraged them to do so.
After all, it was precisely because of countless adaptations that this story had spread so widely...
Joshua had only one requirement for these adaptors: they had to add the original author's name at the end of their work—Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Madame Beaumont was the original author of Beauty and the Beast, a French female writer.
This was also Joshua's own requirement for himself. He had never intended to claim these works as his own in another world. After all, he had come to this world to spread Earth's culture, not to plagiarize Earth's culture in this world.
As a qualified cultural disseminator, this was the most basic requirement.
"I have not fallen so low as to humiliate myself."
After thinking it over, Bone Duke gave up on the idea. He truly had no talent for creation.
"Then, Duke, may I presumptuously ask... could you tell me your full name?"
Joshua stopped drawing. Ever since signing the contract with Bone Duke, Joshua had only known Bone Duke's given name, not his surname.
"Your Highness, what meaning is there in asking that?"
"Because I need to tell the audience who composed the soundtrack for this film."
Joshua completely blackened a sufficiently long sheet of paper, then wrote the final credits over it in white paint. Naturally, Madame Beaumont, the original author of Beauty and the Beast, came first. Second were I Nuo, who played Belle, and Zennas, who played the prince. Joshua also recorded every name of those who played the ghosts inhabiting the animated furniture, including several villagers who made guest appearances and Ciri Lloydel.
"My surname is unimportant. Your Highness only needs to remember my name. That will be enough to satisfy me."
Bone Duke seemed especially averse to his surname, but since it was Bone Duke's own request, Joshua ultimately wrote only Bone Duke's name: Music by Shu Luoni Ka.
The remaining string of credits was entirely Joshua's name—director, planner, scriptwriter, prop provider, sets, cinematography, editing, and so on, all Joshua Anoroth.
After spending so much effort making this film, Joshua naturally had no intention of being modest when it came to promoting himself.
Once Joshua finished making the end credits, all that remained was the opening.
An opening was nothing more than displaying a production studio's logo. After considering it carefully for a while, Joshua drew the symbol of Earth on a white sheet of paper and wrote "An Earth Production Studio Production" beneath it in both Chinese and English.
It looked a little silly, but this endlessly rotating blue planet would become Joshua's signature logo in the future. After all, these films, novels, and games all came from Earth.
Joshua created the rotation effect using the simplest method of flipping through a picture book. He had not yet figured out how to record images into the program he had written.
"Finished."
After producing the opening and ending, Joshua recorded them separately into Source Crystal Stones, announcing that the final version of Beauty and the Demon had been successfully completed.
"Duke, this is for you as a memento."
Joshua took out an empty Source Crystal Stone, made a copy, and handed it to Bone Duke.
More than a hundred Source Crystal Stones had been used during the filming of this movie. After learning the white magic Ciri had taught him, Joshua could reuse these Source Crystal Stones, so not much had actually been consumed.
"Does Your Highness intend to screen this film in the human world next?"
Bone Duke accepted the Source Crystal Stone Joshua handed him. He had long heard of Joshua's ambitions. Joshua did not intend to stop at letting one or two hundred people watch this film. Joshua's ambition was the entire world!
"Of course. The first stop is Magic City, Nolan," Joshua said.
However, Joshua had not yet decided on the screening venue. He would ask Ciri about it later. Ciri knew the human world better than Joshua did.
At that moment, a ghost suddenly floated over to Joshua. He was Bone Duke's butler, and he had played the teacup in the film.
The butler placed a badge on the table beside Joshua's hand, then vanished.
Joshua picked up the badge. The engraved mark on it was exquisitely detailed, resembling a bouquet of flowers, and it contained a kind of magic that words could not describe.
The badge itself appeared to be quite old, with many worn marks on its surface.
"This is..."
"Something from a long time ago. It is of no use to me anymore. Your Highness may take this badge and seek help from humans with the surname Dalk. If I am not mistaken, that family should be in the theater business now," Bone Duke said.
"I understand."
Bone Duke's badge had undoubtedly opened a new door for Joshua, but Joshua did not ask further questions. Bone Duke hated his surname so much that he must have had a past he did not wish to mention.
"Then I'll take my leave for now. Duke, the next time I visit, it will definitely be to invite you to perform at some theater. Also, here is the sheet music I organized."
Joshua gathered the things on the table and pushed a thick stack of sheet music toward Bone Duke. It recorded some works by Earth's Music Masters.
"A performance... I do not expect such an almost impossible thing to happen. But, Your Highness... if you make another film, you must give it to me beforehand."
As if he had found some priceless treasure, Bone Duke carefully put away the sheet music Joshua had given him, then spoke to Joshua.
Had he become addicted to watching films? This form of entertainment was indeed far too novel for the residents of this world.
"Of course."
After agreeing to the request, Joshua carried his Suitcase all the way to the gates of the duke's castle.
Ciri had already been waiting outside the castle for a long time.
"We're about to return to the human world. Are you excited?"
Joshua walked down the stairs, came to Ciri's side, and asked.
"Return to the human world? Wait... forget that. Hurry up and play another round of Tennis for Two with me!"
Ciri issued Joshua a challenge. Ever since the filming had ended, Ciri and Joshua had been constantly playing Tennis for Two against each other. Of course, the final result was Ciri's miserable defeat at the hands of Joshua's ten Consecutive Wins.
It had completely aroused Ciri's competitive spirit.
"Can we play after we get on the carriage?"
"Fine."
Joshua had originally thought this little game was not very entertaining. To him, it was not even enough to pass the time, since he had already grown aesthetically fatigued from playing all sorts of AAA masterpieces on Earth.
But the essence of Video Games was to bring joy to players, and Tennis for Two brought Ciri immense joy, no matter how simple the game was.
Ciri immediately ran onto the carriage Zennas was driving, then patted the seat beside her to signal Joshua to sit down quickly.
"..."
Joshua could already foresee what Ciri would become once the Internet age truly arrived.
And Joshua felt that era was not far away, because he had already kicked open its door in an exceedingly brutal fashion.
Before you continue