Directing in the Ark, Success If Not Banned

"Cheers!" XN

Everyone held their champagne glasses, taking a shallow sip of champagne. After that, Madam Sicily turned to look at Texas and her group, calling out softly:

"Mike, Sonny, Tom, Fredo."

"Yes, Father." X4

However, Madam Sicily's soft call was almost immediately answered by the four children from the movie. It was only after a moment, accompanied by a burst of laughter from the hotel, that the four realized they had gotten too immersed in their roles, reflexively addressing Madam Sicily as "Father."

However, none of them showed any embarrassment, not even Madam Sicily. Upon hearing the four children call her "Father," she smiled faintly and said softly:

"Children, please forgive me for using the film's address just now, because all I wanted was for you to call me that."

"I've never had children in my life, but in this movie, I experienced what it's like to be a father. In a sense, children, you have fulfilled a wish of mine."

Speaking of which, Madam Sicily turned her head slightly to look at Chen Qi beside her. After receiving a slight nod from Chen Qi, Madam Sicily finally made her decision.

"—Children, you all have your own fathers, so you don't need to call me 'Father' anymore."

"But, if you don't mind, I would be very happy if you could call me 'Godmother'."

As soon as Madam Sicily said this, the hotel fell silent. No one had expected Madam Sicily to make the four her godchildren at this time.

It was important to know that in Siracusa, the status and responsibilities of a godfather or godmother were no less than those of actual parents. As the creator of Siracusa's order and the de facto power holder of the Grey Hall, the weight of being called "Godmother" was enough to make the four hold significant influence in Siracusa.

For a moment, people from countless families looked at Texas and the other three with envious and jealous eyes. Finally, after a round of exchanged glances among the four, facing Madam Sicily's outstretched hand, Texas was the first to step forward.

"...Godmother."

Texas bowed respectfully and kissed the back of Madam Sicily's hand. Following suit, Si Ye, Chastisement, and Giovanna all kissed Madam Sicily one after another.

"I am very happy, children. You have all shown your potential in this movie."

Madam Sicily looked at the four children before her and smiled sincerely, saying softly:

"The future of Siracusa may be in your hands. I hope that one day in the future, you can remember the familial bond this encounter has brought you, allowing you to work together to forge the path for Siracusa that you believe in."

As Madam Sicily finished, cheers and applause once again echoed through the hotel. Texas, Si Ye, Giovanna, and Chastisement exchanged glances and couldn't help but share a knowing smile.

With the end of the wrap party celebrations, everyone from Penguin Logistics could no longer stay in Siracusa. They needed to return to Lungmen. However, before they left, Chen Qi entrusted them with a more important matter.

"So, Emperor, regarding the promotion of 'The Godfather' in Lungmen, I'm leaving it entirely to you."

"Don't worry, just for the song you gave me, I'll put in a good word for you with Wei Yanyu. Just wait for your movie to be successfully released in Lungmen!"

The Emperor shook hands with Chen Qi using his fins. He also didn't forget to make a good friend of Chen Qi—perhaps in the future, Chen Qi would need his help with more movie promotions and premieres in Lungmen, or even Yan.

"From now on, if you ever need us girls for anything, feel free to contact us. If you have any difficulties, we'll be there to help you right away."

"Well then, goodbye! We look forward to you returning to Lungmen to film again someday!"

The Emperor and the four women from Penguin Logistics bid farewell to Chen Qi. As the landship started to move, Chen Qi watched them slowly depart Siracusa... until a piece of clothing was draped over his shoulders.

"Thank you, Talulah."

"What did you ask them to do?" After draping the jacket over Chen Qi, Talulah couldn't help but turn and ask, "I heard you talking about promotion and premieres earlier... Do you want to promote 'The Godfather' in Lungmen as well?"

"Our last movie was just banned in Lungmen. I'm afraid that Wei Yanyu won't let our movie be released again so easily, will he?"

"—That's why I gave the Emperor and the others the promotional PV for our movie 'The Godfather'." Chen Qi smiled faintly. He was clearly very satisfied with the quality of the promotional PV and said confidently:

"Once everyone in Lungmen is interested by our promotional PV, but finds out that the movie is only showing in Siracusa, they'll definitely find ways to learn about our movie through the internet."

"By then, when the public outcry in Lungmen grows, we can then proceed to discuss the release with Officer Wei Yanyu... At that point, Wei Yanyu won't be able to stop us."

As a transmigrator, Chen Qi understood these tactics all too well. Nowadays, whether it's movies, TV shows, or anime releases, they always like to show you a three-minute PV first, using some lines from the plot that they consider good to reveal the worldview and information, telling you what kind of tone the work has.

Even mobile games nowadays have started using PV promotions, showcasing their "financial strength" with various edits and special effects, then attracting players who were fooled by the PV to spend money like water.

Even the original game developer in the world he transmigrated to liked to use the tactic of "I have an announcement: I will make an announcement tomorrow."

But regardless of how it's done, the PV promotion tactic is indeed helpful for people to understand what kind of movie 'The Godfather' is, especially on Terra, where communication and transportation are inconvenient, and people from different countries on the same continent might not understand each other's lifestyles and cultures at all. Therefore, a PV to help them understand the movie is even more necessary.

"That's why I chose a Yan song that best fits our movie and invited the popular rapper, the Emperor, to perform it. With so many buffs, the promotion of 'The Godfather' in Lungmen will definitely be a success!"

"I see... So that's why you used the song 'In the Name of the Father' to invite the Emperor and everyone from Penguin Logistics. You had this idea all along."

Only now did Talulah understand why Chen Qi had used a song to invite the Emperor. At first, she thought it was to cater to his preferences, as the Emperor really liked rap music.

Now it seemed... the Emperor was actually working for Chen Qi. All the hard work she had put into practicing the song was actually going to be used as background music for Chen Qi's promotional PV.

...Never mind, seeing how happy the Emperor looked, he seemed quite willing, so that's good.

"Be ready. In a few days, we might receive a call from Chen Sir and the others."

"Mhm, I believe you."

As Chen Qi was feeling smug, Talulah gently embraced one of his arms, leaning her body tightly against him.

Soon, Talulah's tail wrapped around Chen Qi's thigh, constantly sending a signal to Chen Qi—a signal to fulfill a promise.

It seemed like tonight wouldn't be peaceful... Chen Qi smiled faintly but didn't resist Talulah's hint. Instead, he eagerly picked up Talulah and slowly walked towards the back entrance of the hotel.

Chapter Nineteen: Swire Hears "In the Name of the Father"

A few days later, in the Lungmen Guard Department, Swire was handling her duties as a senior superintendent as usual. The affairs of the past few days had made her look a bit overwhelmed.

"What's the deal with the last two brawls? Report." Madam Sicily propped her head up with one hand, listlessly waiting for her colleague from the Guard Department to report. Even without listening, she could probably guess what happened.

"Yes, the first incident was two days ago, and the most recent one was last night. A group of kids, between twelve and eighteen, clashed with Infected while fighting for territory in the slums. Quite a few people were injured."

The member of the Guard Department couldn't hide his troubled expression. He could already sense the Senior Superintendent's impending rage, but he could only brace himself and continue reporting:

"These kids fighting Infected for territory are all non-Infected. When our Guard Department personnel arrived, they even tried to attack the police... After being apprehended, they confessed to their crimes without hesitation."

"They all watched 'Young and Dangerous,' were drawn to the brotherhood and gang conflicts depicted, and started having these bizarre ideas. They went to the slums to play a game of quick revenge and ended up clashing with Infected."

"Fortunately, Miss Lin Yuxia and the Rat King's people always arrive in time to minimize casualties. The injured Infected are receiving treatment, and these children are all at the Guard Department waiting for their parents to bail them out."

"Bail them out?! Lock them up for fifteen days! Argh! I'm so sick of this!"

As soon as she heard about such incidents again, Madam Sicily, who had been under immense pressure lately, predictably exploded. Fortunately, everyone in the Guard Department had long anticipated the signs of the tigress's outburst and were mentally prepared.

However, everyone could understand Madam Sicily's outburst. The workload of the Guard Department had indeed increased significantly compared to before. Just in the past few days, the number of brawl incidents they had to handle had more than doubled.

The root cause of all this, these apprehended children, all pointed their fingers at the highly controversial movie released in Lungmen a few months ago – "Young and Dangerous."

It had to be said that the movie "Young and Dangerous" had given a much-needed shot of adrenaline to Lungmen's film industry, which had been in a slump. Lungmen had produced many stories about police officers, but few had focused on so-called gangsters.

A movie completed in just over twenty days vividly showcased Lungmen's appearance from more than twenty years ago. However, while adults saw more of a historical account, young people focused more on the brotherhood and violence within the story.

The simplest form of violence could awaken the destructive desires within people, especially since "Young and Dangerous" had extensive descriptions of "righteousness," which made these thugs become "heroes" in the minds of children whose worldviews were still incomplete.

Especially considering how well most children were protected by their parents these days... they harbored suppressed desires, and after watching "Young and Dangerous," their subconscious impulses were ignited.

"D-Don't worry, Superintendent Sicily. I heard Director Wei plans to announce the ban on 'Young and Dangerous'..."

Seeing Madam Sicily's anger, the member of the Lungmen Guard Department quickly tried to console her. "'Young and Dangerous' has already been completely banned in Lungmen. Currently, only fragments and pirated versions are circulating online. As long as we enforce a complete ban, coupled with the efforts of our Guard Department, we can definitely turn the tide."

"Are you forgetting I invested in this movie? I'm a major shareholder!"

Hearing this only made Madam Sicily angrier. She felt truly caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she was annoyed by the increasing workload brought about by "Young and Dangerous." On the other hand, as an investor, she had to admit that the profits from "Young and Dangerous" were quite substantial.

Initially, Madam Sicily hadn't held high expectations for this movie. It was only because of Talulah's return, and considering she was Chen's sister and her childhood friend, that she invested in a movie favored by someone she knew.

Especially when a movie was finished in just over twenty days, Madam Sicily was already certain it would be a shoddy production... With a "what the heck, might as well" attitude, Madam Sicily had heavily promoted the movie, already expecting to lose money.

But now, the great success of "Young and Dangerous" surprised Madam Sicily, and at the same time, it showed her the return on her investment. Yet, just as she was starting to see the returns, Chief Wei Yanyu was going to ban the movie!

She had just started seeing her money come back!

Madam Sicily was frustrated. She had approached it as a losing venture, only to be pleasantly surprised that there might be profits to be made, but then her hopes were immediately dashed. Madam Sicily was furious, but she didn't know who to direct her anger towards.

"Forget it, forget it. You can leave. Let me have some peace and quiet..."

Madam Sicily waved her hand, her face full of a headache, and asked everyone else to leave the office. She felt very tired and needed a break from work.

"I'll check my phone. Any interesting news lately? Hopefully, it'll help me forget this annoying matter."

"Later, when Xiao Ta's boyfriend... Chen Qi, wasn't it? Although he's quite talented, I'll never invest in this kind of bloody and violent movie that's about to be banned again. It's troublesome enough to screen in Lungmen, let alone in Yan!"

Madam Sicily muttered to herself as she opened Lungmen's entertainment app. On the current Terra continent, each mobile city generally only received news within that city and wasn't well-informed about external affairs. Therefore, even for entertainment videos, they could only see those filmed or produced within Lungmen.

"Huh? What's this... news from Penguin Logistics? The Emperor released a new song?"

Soon, Madam Sicily noticed a top trending news item among a sea of low-quality videos. Staring at the "over ten thousand likes" tag, she immediately recognized the Emperor's penguin figure on the video cover.

On the cover, besides the Emperor, there were four girls from Penguin Logistics standing in two rows. Madam Sicily was very familiar with them; they often caused trouble and ended up in the detention center, requiring her or Chen to personally handle them every time.

However... their attire this time was very uniform. They were all in suits, ties, and overcoats, wearing sunglasses. They looked so cool?

"Could it be that the Emperor is changing his style this time? He's always had many rap fans; is he planning a transition?"

"The song's title... is 'In the Name of the Father.' Hmm? Is it a promotional video for the movie?"

Madam Sicily quickly noticed the special nature of this song from the video title. Driven by curiosity, she clicked on the video.

Actually, Madam Sicily had never really appreciated the Emperor's rap. Having grown up in Victoria, she was familiar with rap, but she had been cultivated in art from a young age and had a high level of aesthetic appreciation, thus looking down on something as unfashionable as rap.

This time, as Madam Sicily clicked on the video, mentally preparing herself for an extremely noisy rap intro, she was unexpectedly surprised to find... it seemed different from what she had imagined?

"Congratulations on discovering the treasure of the site!"

"One more listen!"

"The more I listen, the more addictive it gets, truly Yan's national essence cool!"

As soon as she opened the video, Madam Sicily was bombarded by a flood of high-level bullet comments, making it impossible for her to see the video screen. Madam Sicily immediately closed the comments and then noticed a string of characters that seemed somewhat unfamiliar. The subtitles below, however, provided a translation.

"Merciful doctrine, thank you for the grace bestowed upon my family."

And with whispers, an elegant cello melody reached her ears first. Madam Sicily quickly discerned the dark, subtly chilling, and mysterious feeling that the melody conveyed.

"For all that I have encountered, and for the sacred love."

"I pray to God, God, for Your grace, forgive me this day."

In the video, Madam Sicily saw clips flashing by, accompanied by someone's prayers and atonement. Some of the people on screen were unfamiliar to her, but some she recognized.

"Isn't that Texas? She seems to be dressed as a man?"

"This language, is it Siracusan? And they're all wearing suits."

But, despite the sophisticated feel, and everyone's attire looking like successful individuals, Madam Sicily sensed something different about them.

That chilling and vaguely fierce aura transmitted through the screen... Could these people be gangsters? I heard there are mafia organizations in Siracusa; are these them?

As Madam Sicily watched with suspicion, distinct sounds suddenly appeared in the video. Inside the church, a Sarkaz priest was preparing for the baptism ceremony. He spoke to Texas, who was dressed in masculine attire:

"Mike, do you believe in the Lord, the Almighty Heavenly Father, the Creator of all things?"

"...I believe," Texas replied indifferently, her face expressionless.

"Mike, do you renounce the devil and all his works?"

At this point, the video fell into a brief silence, with only Texas's voice continuing to answer with cold indifference:

"—I renounce."

"Jup! Jup!"

Suddenly, as Texas finished speaking, two abrupt shouts, accompanied by the sound of a drum kit, startled Madam Sicily, who had been quiet. She jumped.

"Ah—ah—ah—"

Following closely was a woman's voice, like a chant, and the rhythm of the music instantly shifted, becoming eerie.

"That startled me—but it seems quite interesting."

Madam Sicily patted her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. Soon, however, she noticed something different about the song and began listening to this unique track with great interest.

Although a bit strange, it inexplicably felt... addictive?

Madam Sicily didn't realize that she had been staring at the video for over a minute. The intro of the song was so long, it broke many established rules for songs.

Yet, she didn't feel bored. Instead, she was thoroughly enjoying it, which was undoubtedly related to the song's rhythm and the effect presented by the visuals.

Now, Madam Sicily was certain that the movie promoted by this song was related to the mafia. However, she found that the song wasn't as violent as she had imagined; instead, it exuded a strange beauty.

What kind of song was this? What kind of movie was it? Madam Sicily felt she could now watch with great anticipation!

Chapter 20: "In the Name of the Father" X "The Godfather", A Collaboration of Divine Song and Divine Work!