Shooting *The Godfather* in Syracuse: The Integrated Arts Troupe / The Sicilian Lady's Invitation and a Role?

I'm a Director in Arknights; Success Means Not Getting Banned Author: Xu Shi Ziqian

Synopsis:

"Texas, the Second Godfather is supposed to be the kind of person who kills without blinking. Can you stop sounding so awkward when you call Madam Sicily 'Dad'?!"

"Theresis, you're playing a prime minister who was propped up by others, understand? The character you're playing doesn't have your iron-fisted methods. He isn't that domineering. Act a little weaker."

"Wei Yenwu, the Emperor Jiajing specialized in the art of balance! He wasn't some wise ruler. He was muddleheaded—act more muddleheaded, got it? Also, that line, 'My money,' didn't have enough force. Do it again!"

Chen Qi came to the world of Arknights. With the Prestige System, he ultimately chose a path that would neither offend powerful figures nor fail to draw their attention—becoming a director and making films!

Thus, Chen Qi filmed "The Godfather" in Syracuse, exposing the bottomless abyss of the Mafia; filmed "Yes, Prime Minister" in Victoria, satirizing politics and civil servants; filmed "The Ming Dynasty 1587" in Great Yan, subtly mocking imperial court struggles...

And that wasn't all. He wanted Texas to play the Second Godfather, invited Theresis to personally portray Prime Minister Hacker, and had Old Wei the Second play the Emperor Jiajing...

"Our principle in filmmaking is that whether it's movies, television series, or even animation, we can make it all."

"Getting released counts as victory. Not getting banned counts as success."

The Integrated Cultural Troupe Films "The Godfather" in Syracuse

Congratulations, Host. You have completed the mission "First Pot of Gold": Film a movie in Lungmen and achieve considerable impact.

Based on the considerable influence gained by the Host's film "Young and Dangerous: The Mob," this mission reward will be calculated according to the viewers attracted by the Host's film and the attention of important figures.

Rewards are as follows: High-concentration Oripathy Inhibitor x1 (can be diluted into ten doses for suppressing Oripathy infection), Any Song Redemption Voucher x1, Any TV Series Script Redemption Voucher x1.

Calculating Prestige reward. The Host's film caused considerable impact in Lungmen, with key organizations such as Penguin Logistics and the Lungmen Guard Department responding to it. Total Prestige gained: 22,451 points. After deducting the Host's previous Prestige loan, 11,451 Prestige remained.

The following are reviews from important figures recognized by the system. Would you like to view them?

"Yes." A clear male voice spoke. Sitting inside the tent, Chen Qi soon saw a virtual screen visible only to him appear before his eyes. One review after another slowly scrolled down at a suitable pace.

Exusiai: "I went to see it with my friends! When the crew was filming, I brought them supplies, and I thought the scenes where they kept filming group fights looked so cool! So I went to the premiere right away! It really was great! (Five-star rating)"

Sora: "At first, I was a little resistant after hearing it was a violent film, but it turned out to be unexpectedly good. This was also the first time I'd seen a movie where Infected people made up almost ninety percent of the cast. The director's attempt to convey a sense of righteous vengeance also got my blood pumping. All in all, it's a very thoughtful film. I hope I'll have the chance to work with Director Chen Qi in the future. (Five-star rating)"

Texas: "The actors' performances were commendable. Both the street brawls and brotherhood had a strong sense of drama. What I liked most was the director's refusal to indulge the audience's kind wishes when depicting the cruel side of gangs. There was no praise or embellishment whatsoever. This is not a story that deserves embellishment. (Four-star rating)"

Croissant: "Made a lot selling scalped tickets. Great movie. Thumbs up for you. (Five-star rating)"

Lappland: "Good movie. That's all. (One-star rating)"

...Something strange seemed to have slipped in there. Chen Qi's face darkened at the sight, but he quickly put the matter aside. Reviews from the Lungmen Guard Department also appeared before him.

Chen: "As a senior superintendent of the Guard Department, I should oppose this kind of violent movie, but in the end, I approved it. The characters in this film made no effort to conceal their desire for wealth or the bloody stench of the underworld. Lungmen used to be like this as well. The Guard Department's dedication is precisely to ensure that such a past never happens again. (Five-star rating)"

Hoshiguma: "I was fortunate enough to make a cameo in the movie. As a member of the Lungmen Inspectorate, I shouldn't be reminiscing about such a past, but Director Chen Qi's script truly portrayed gang life vividly and thoroughly. That past should come to an end. (Five-star rating)"

Swire: "It was filmed quite well! As expected, my Swire's eye for talent is excellent. Any movie I sponsor will succeed. Looking forward to working together next time. (Five-star rating)"

Lin Yuxia: "I went to see it with Dad. Dad said it was good, but he wanted to ask the director why it felt so real. Did the director hire professionals? (Four-star rating)"

Wei Yenwu: "Wenyue liked it very much, but as Lungmen's ruler, I should not encourage this kind of movie to be released in Lungmen. The harm it could do to young people is immeasurable. But the film itself was decent enough. Keep up the good work. (Original rating: three stars. User canceled original rating and changed it to five stars.)"

All the reviews from the Lungmen Guard Department were here. It could be said that Chen Qi's first film had been a tremendous success in Lungmen. Whether from the reactions of these characters deemed important by the system or from the Prestige he had gained, Chen Qi had achieved his goal this time.

"With this, I can redeem more high-concentration inhibitors and give them to everyone in the crew. There are so many people in the crew, and almost all of them are Infected. With this, their lives can be extended a little longer."

As for box office earnings... to Chen Qi, they were nowhere near as meaningful as the Prestige he gained. As long as he could help everyone in the crew live on, then the promise he had made back then would have been fulfilled.

"Chen Qi? I've gathered everyone. You said you wanted to hold a meeting, right?"

Outside the tent, a cool female voice rang out. Chen Qi immediately closed everything related to his system and smiled.

"Everyone's here? Then come in, everyone. FrostNova, you come in too."

As Chen Qi's words fell, FrostNova drew back the tent flap. Soon, one member after another who held considerable importance within the crew appeared before Chen Qi.

Assistant Director Talulah, executive director Alina, production manager and secretary FrostNova, cinematography lead Mephisto, art lead Mephisto, sound lead Ethan... all the members responsible for crucial work throughout the crew attended this meeting.

Of course, Patriot was also outside, serving as both head of security and public relations minister. However, he was too large, and under normal circumstances, the crew did not need to handle "public relations," so Patriot did not join the discussion.

This was Chen Qi's crew: the Reunion Movement—no, that had been its name nearly half a year ago. With Chen Qi's arrival and guidance, the Reunion Movement had now changed its name to the "Integrated Cultural Troupe."

Once everyone had taken their seats in the tent, Chen Qi, who bore the major responsibilities of both director and screenwriter for the troupe, was undoubtedly the backbone of the entire team. He looked around at everyone present, gave a light cough, and spoke.

"Everyone's here. We've just traveled all the way to Syracuse and established ourselves, so I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"It feels like we haven't heard bad news in a long time since leaving Lungmen." Talulah, seated closest to Chen Qi, imperceptibly shifted a little closer to him and spoke on behalf of everyone.

"Tell us the bad news first."

"The bad news is that I received a call earlier from Mr. Wei Yenwu, Lungmen's ruler." Chen Qi looked at everyone and spoke with a somewhat helpless expression.

"Mr. Wei Yenwu said that our 'Young and Dangerous' was well-made, but because it contained a great deal of bloody violence and had become too famous, it would be bad for Lungmen's public security. So he intends to ban and remove it from release within Lungmen in a month."

"He dares?! That Old Wei the Second! We barely left, and he already dares to take down our movie?!"

The moment Chen Qi said this, Talulah shot to her feet from her chair in an instant and slammed the table as she shouted, displaying quite the same bearing as her sister Chen Huijie in the Guard Department.

Clearly, their reunion and time together in Lungmen had caused Talulah to pick up some of this senior Lungmen superintendent's temperament. After all, the two women shared an exceptionally consistent attitude on one issue: neither of them took Wei Yenwu seriously.

During their time in Lungmen, Wei Yenwu's attitude toward their crew had been fairly good. Coupled with the fact that she and Chen Qi had only recently reunited after a long separation, Talulah had not rushed to settle accounts with Wei Yenwu. But now that they had left Lungmen, Wei Yenwu pulled something like this, and Talulah immediately refused to stand for it.

"I'm going to Lungmen right now to find Old Wei the Second!"

"Calm down, Sister Talu. He's Lungmen's ruler. Honestly, by Great Yan's current standards, it would already be difficult for our movie to even get released. Old Wei was already taking a major risk by allowing us to screen it."

Chen Qi immediately grabbed Talulah's wrist, signaling for her to calm down. The originally furious Talulah lost more than half her anger after Chen Qi soothed her. She pouted, sat back down, and muttered.

"I'm just upset. Chen Qi, you worked so hard to write that script, and the movie worked so hard to become such a huge success... yet it's all going to be wasted like this..."

"We didn't spend that much money, did we? Most of the prop expenses were sponsored by Swire, and we only spent twenty days filming this movie."

Chen Qi comforted Talulah beside him, trying to ease the little dragon girl's anger. Seeing this, everyone seated there turned their gazes elsewhere and pretended not to notice...

Mephisto even covered Ethan's eyes, since he had no idea what was happening, while his own gaze wandered toward the top of the tent as if checking for holes.

"Then what's the good news, Chen Qi?" FrostNova was the only person in the group who had not looked away. She calmly broke up the interaction between Chen Qi and Talulah and asked in a cool tone.

"The good news is that we traveled all this way to Syracuse to film our next movie, and I have very high hopes for this one." Chen Qi immediately released Talulah's hand and announced the news to everyone. Alina promptly asked from beside him.

"The next movie we're filming? I remember Chen Qi, you already told everyone about it, didn't you?"

"'The Godfather.'" FrostNova picked up the conversation and calmly named the next film. "I remember it's a Mafia-themed movie, one of the most popular genres in Syracuse right now."

"It's a genre that practically prints money here—but earlier, people came to cause trouble for the crew, saying they didn't support an outside force like us making a Mafia movie."

"Those were people from the families, right? I heard my master mention them." Executioner, who was relatively familiar with Syracuse, joined the conversation from the other side and said to Chen Qi, "The locals are very hostile toward outsiders."

"They said our movie was slandering and tarnishing their families' image. Mr. Patriot only drove them away yesterday..."

"Then can we really still make this movie?" Mephisto, the youngest member of the crew, offered his opinion with some trepidation.

"Won't those family people cause trouble for us? What if they don't let us film? Or just ban our movie outright?"

"What's even more frightening is whether they'll use their local influence to threaten our crew, or even threaten Director Chen Qi." Mephisto immediately pointed out what they should be most worried about.

"It might not just be a ban. It could turn directly into a manhunt..."

"It must be because of what happened in Lungmen, right? They must have learned that 'Young and Dangerous' is about to be banned. Everyone's lives could be in danger now."

Everyone in the crew felt a lingering fear upon hearing this. Yet subconsciously, they all seemed to have forgotten that before transitioning into members of the Cultural Troupe, they had been part of a vicious Infected violent organization. Their time in Lungmen had made them subconsciously forget that they were hardly weak and defenseless.

Even if the families wanted to make a move against them, they would have to weigh their strength carefully. There were several people in this crew powerful enough to rival natural disasters...

"Everyone, don't worry. I've actually already given copies of the script to the families."

Chen Qi's words immediately drew everyone's attention. Before anyone could question why he had done such a thing, Chen Qi confidently answered.

"I had Mr. Patriot make several trips and personally deliver the script into the hands of the heads of the major families. I also asked them to offer more valuable suggestions."

"Additionally, I said they were welcome to send people to supervise the filming process. If there's anything we don't film properly, their family professionals can offer on-site guidance."

"...You mean we're letting Mafia people act in the movie?" Talulah immediately understood Chen Qi's meaning. Chen Qi nodded in reply.

"I believe that after reading the script, the families' attitude toward us will change. Whether it's slander or smearing, they'll understand after reading it."

"And if they agree, we can not only invite some professionals to play supporting roles and improve the movie's details, but also present an even better result."

"For now, all we need to do is prepare for filming, right?" Talulah immediately took over. The group, which had been somewhat gloomy because of the news that "Young and Dangerous" would be banned, all began smiling again. They knew that Chen Qi was so confident because he clearly had everything under control.

Talulah and Alina especially, having already read the script, had no worries at all that the families would agree to their filming—if all else failed, they could beat the families into agreeing. Of course, they would not use such a method unless necessary.

"So now all we need to worry about is the lead actor?" Talulah immediately grasped the key issue and asked Chen Qi, "Do you have any good ideas?"

"Of course. We even have an actor we can invite without spending a single Lungmen dollar, and she can absolutely handle the role."

As he spoke, Chen Qi took out his planning sheet. Soon, everyone's gaze focused on the striking first line.

"Second lead, role: Mike Corleone, identity: Second Godfather."

"Lead actor confirmed. Best casting choice: Cellinia Texas."

Madam Sicily's Invitation and Participation?

"Jun Jun, I'm leaving this package to you. Make sure you personally deliver it to The Emperor and Texas. It contains our sincerity."

"I'll do it, Chen Qi. Leave it to me."

After the meeting ended, Chen Qi kept Executioner behind alone. Some time later, he handed the package he had prepared to her. After receiving it and weighing it slightly, Executioner could not help asking curiously.

"But what exactly is in this box? It doesn't seem very heavy."

"It contains a song and a letter I intend to give The Emperor. I hope he likes them and agrees to let Texas join our crew to play the second male lead."

"Texas is still an employee of Penguin Logistics, after all. Whether she can participate depends on what her boss, The Emperor, says. So I can only try to appeal to his preferences."

Chen Qi had gone to great lengths to invite Texas. In his letter, he had done everything possible to guarantee Texas' safety while coming to Syracuse to film. He had even said that if they were worried, all of Penguin Logistics could come to supervise.

Chen Qi practically wished for that situation to happen. Then several people from Penguin Logistics could make cameo appearances too. Sora, especially, was an idol-level figure. If she could appear in his movie and he did not even need to pay her a single Lungmen dollar in salary, that would be an incredible bargain.

To that end, Chen Qi had gone all out and used the Song Redemption Voucher he had just received. He hoped this redeemed song would allow The Emperor to see his sincerity.

"Then go and return safely, Jun Jun. You're our crew's chief cinematographer, so don't let anything go wrong."

"I won't let you down, Chen Qi." Light that had not existed half a year ago shone in Executioner's eyes. These past six months had drastically changed her once-dim life. As an Infected person, she had never imagined that her life could still have anything to do with happiness.

Everything had been brought by the man before her... He had led the Reunion Movement onto an entirely new road, one that did not require violence, bloodshed, or sacrifice to win everyone's recognition.

Ever since arriving in Lungmen, since the day Executioner regained all the respect and dignity she had once lost and no longer suffered humiliation for being Infected, she had sworn that she would devote her entire life to this man.

There were quite a few people in the Integrated Cultural Troupe who thought the same way as Executioner...

Unfortunately, she had arrived too late. She was just a little unqualified.

Just then, before Executioner could think any further, she suddenly felt a chill down her back. Her entire body immediately tensed, and her slightly flushed cheeks turned icy in an instant. She stopped all movement at once.

"Anyway, don't worry about me. I'll bring the lead actor you want back from Lungmen at full speed. I'm leaving now!"

"...She left in such a hurry. I wonder whether Jun Jun brought enough supplies to make it to Lungmen." Chen Qi watched Executioner dash away in a flash, failing to notice that the fur on her exposed tail had frozen stiff at that moment.

However, FrostNova soon entered, and Chen Qi's attention was quickly drawn to her. When he saw that her face was still somewhat pale, he immediately stepped forward and asked with concern.

"FrostNova? You were able to walk during the meeting, so you seem much better. How do you feel now?"

"...Much better. Thank you for the medicine you gave me earlier. I feel like my Oripathy has been suppressed."

One of FrostNova's hands instinctively clutched the wrist where she had received the injection. It still felt somewhat weak, but compared to the feeling of her Oripathy flaring up at first, FrostNova was much better now.

"Thank you, Chen Qi. Back then, I thought I was going to die. Fortunately, you bought medicine and saved my life..."

"That medicine must have been expensive, right? And our crew had only just begun making our first movie, so we didn't have much money... How did you get that medicine, Chen Qi?"

"Dummy, I'm a director. If I can't skim some money off the sponsors, can I still call myself a good director?" Chen Qi spread his hands and spoke as though he were used to such things.

"Luckily, I managed to squeeze a little money out of that rich woman Swire's sponsorship. It came in handy just in time—enough to buy medicine for you, FrostNova. You could say my little nest egg as a thrifty, household-managing director finally proved useful."

Chen Qi's answer to FrostNova's question was utterly straightforward, and the excuse was truly flawless. Even FrostNova knew that skimming money from sponsors was completely normal for a film crew.

But Chen Qi himself knew that he had not skimmed Swire's sponsorship money. Swire had only sponsored Chen Qi's movie because she was a senior superintendent and had a good relationship with Talulah.

However, Swire was actually a stingy rich woman. She spent where she needed to spend, but she was extremely calculating when it came to unnecessary expenses. Based on the script, she had calculated Chen Qi's production budget for this movie exactly. The sponsorship was neither a penny more nor less, just enough to use.

It was far too difficult to squeeze money out of Swire... Of course, if Chen Qi had told Swire when FrostNova fell ill, she definitely would have given him money. But the situation had been urgent. Fortunately, Chen Qi's system allowed him to take out a loan, which was why he had been able to save FrostNova in time.

Now, Chen Qi's loan had already been repaid through the success of "Young and Dangerous," so there was no need to make FrostNova feel burdened over this matter.

In the future, he would redeem even more Oripathy inhibitors from the system. Once he had sufficient Prestige, he would definitely redeem the most expensive medicine in the system—the one capable of curing Oripathy.

Oh, right. In the future, he would also need to find a way to get involved with that black-hearted island that employed child labor. He wondered whether they could research a way to mass-produce the medicine his system redeemed... If so, everyone in the Cultural Troupe could be saved.