Guild

After the film screening ended, in the lobby outside the White Thorn Flower Theater.

"No... why did the demon die in the end?! He was so good to Belle! I can't accept this!!"

Sansa kept wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. She was also a girl with exceptionally active tear glands. This was already the second handkerchief she had used, and she had borrowed it from Helan.

"Aren't you citizens of the Holy Country of Messiah supposed to be cold and merciless toward demons?"

This was Ciri's fourth time watching it. She had long since prepared herself mentally and could hold back her tears during the touching scenes, instead beginning to pay attention to the little details in the film—for example, just how many shots am I in?

Sansa, sitting beside Ciri, was another matter entirely. When the film reached its ending, she immediately broke down in tears.

Ciri knew of the Holy Country of Messiah. That nation had always advocated the belief that "demons are nothing but evil invaders" and bore nearly a century of hatred toward demons. It could be said that the demons' negative image had been shaped by the country's missionaries as they traveled the world preaching their doctrines.

In Joshua's words, they were mindless demon-haters.

"Th-this is different..."

Ciri's question left Sansa somewhat at a loss, but she still firmly stood by the belief that Belle and the demon had to be together—and not just together, but happily ever after.

The reason was the first part of the film. Especially when the demon formally accepted Belle, Sansa had been enveloped by an emotion called "romance."

A truly outstanding tragedy was one that showed the audience the most beautiful things, then smashed them to pieces without mercy!

"Stop crying. It's only a story."

Seeing Sansa weep as she complained that the story should not have ended so sadly, Helan felt some of her pain as well. She gently patted Sansa's back, comforting her in that way.

Sansa's reaction left Joshua fairly satisfied. The people of this world had not yet been brainwashed by religion to the point of becoming idiots. Though Sansa was a citizen of the Holy Country of Messiah, a nation centered on religion, she still retained her own thoughts.

Of course, that might also have been because Sansa had always studied in Nolan.

Now that Joshua knew this, he no longer needed to worry about the theater being besieged by a mass of Holy Army soldiers. After all, this was the territory of mages.

"My lord, the backdrop wall you requested will be completed tomorrow. By then, everyone in Nolan will be able to see the film's poster."

Taking advantage of this time, White Thorn Flower Jazz finally managed to free himself from the condemnation of a noblewoman and began reporting the latest progress of the promotional work to Joshua.

"As soon as possible. And add more ticket outlets."

Joshua had already taught the mages under White Thorn Flower Jazz how to use Source Crystal Stones for projection. Although the White Thorn Flower Theater had declined in recent years, as its manager, White Thorn Flower Jazz still possessed a certain degree of influence throughout Nolan. In particular, he had many friends among the nobility of various countries—though most of them were noblewomen.

"I had already begun preparing that. Also, this is the contract I drafted for you."

White Thorn Flower Jazz's business sense was somewhat lacking, but it was not entirely absent. He could imagine the kind of frenzy Beauty and the Demon would stir up in Nolan. The White Thorn Flower Theater would certainly welcome another historical peak, and naturally, he did not dare neglect Joshua, who had brought all this about.

After all, Joshua was currently the only person in the world capable of making films! Joshua certainly would not be satisfied with just Beauty and the Demon. More outstanding films would surely be born from his hands in the future. If all of them premiered at the White Thorn Flower Theater... White Thorn Flower Jazz did not dare think any further. It was a hypothesis exciting enough to make his heart condition relapse!

"I get eighty percent?"

Joshua glanced over the contract. It was entirely a commercial contract based on Nolan's Patent Law. Its terms could be summed up in one sentence: "Do nothing and just count the money." Moreover, the ticket revenue split had changed from seventy-thirty to eighty-twenty.

"I still have some savings, my lord... I imagine producing such a magnificent work must have required a great deal of funding. To me, money is merely a number needed to maintain the theater," White Thorn Flower Jazz said.

He truly was a dramatist wholly devoted to art. Joshua did not refuse White Thorn Flower Jazz's goodwill, since his next plans really would require a massive amount of financial support.

Joshua signed his name on the contract and returned it to White Thorn Flower Jazz, who carefully put it away.

"My lord, leave all the remaining work to me. If your new work needs actors, please do not hesitate. I will help you find suitable candidates."

In fact, the suitable candidates White Thorn Flower Jazz mentioned included himself... As a dramatist who also worked as an actor, he eagerly hoped to be chosen for Joshua's next film. Even a minor role would do.

"Actors? Come to think of it, it really is time to start working on that. I plan to establish a Commercial Guild."

The popularity of Beauty and the Demon would continue for a long time. All Joshua had left to do was wait slowly for the film's reputation to ferment throughout Nolan.

And once Beauty and the Demon became a hit, people would certainly start paying attention to those behind its production, as well as the logo at the beginning.

There would definitely be no shortage of people like White Thorn Flower Jazz who wanted to become film actors. Joshua also had no reason to turn away an actor with decades of performing experience, so he planned to formally establish an entertainment company.

In Nolan, the organization closest to a company that Joshua could think of was a Commercial Guild.

"My lord... do you intend to go into business?"

"No. This guild will be more like the guilds established by Spellcasters, except the work done by its members will take forms such as acting and painting."

Joshua planned to establish a Commercial Guild that would develop across games, films, and music. Its name had yet to be decided. He had actually wanted to call it the Earth Entertainment Guild, but that sounded a little strange.

"Then, my lord, may I join? As for the guild headquarters, I think I can provide one."

White Thorn Flower Jazz knew that Spellcasters established guild organizations. Such organizations generally accepted commissions from others in exchange for payment, a line of work favored by mercenaries who treated mages as combat professions.

"Thank you for the offer, White Thorn Flower Jazz, but I don't think this place is suitable for conversion into a tavern."

Guild headquarters... A company needed an office building. Joshua did have a property in Nolan that he could invest in—the property owned by the businesswoman Ma Linna.

After being robbed by bandits, Ma Linna had lost her goods and, for the time being, her identity as a merchant as well. Joshua was willing to lend her a hand; he just did not know whether she would be willing to change careers from merchant to innkeeper—the innkeeper of the Hearthstone tavern, which was also the future guild headquarters in Joshua's plans.