Manfred treated the general who had taught him knowledge and strength since childhood with exceptional respect. He said carefully, "We are following your orders, supervising Londinium's residents as they build the Shard Tower and the Aerial Fleet... for Kazdel's survival and rise."
"However, during this time, the workers and residents of Londinium have grown increasingly resentful of us. Strikes and riots have emerged one after another."
"As for suppression... I have to say that Victoria's city defense forces are useless. They only obey our commands; they cannot truly make Victoria's people feel intimidated. We even have to hope none of them join the riots."
"So you came to request Sarkaz mercenaries to suppress the unrest?" Theresis had already guessed why Manfred had come. What Manfred reported was also one of the matters troubling him.
"Conveniently, several capable Sarkaz mercenary groups have recently joined us. I can place them all under your command."
"Thank you, General." Yet Manfred, having achieved his purpose, did not leave immediately. After a moment of silence, he continued, "...General, while this matter is indeed why I came, there is something else I wish to ask."
"Speak." Theresis was concise.
"Although Londinium's workers are constantly producing weapons and equipment for us, whether in construction or on the assembly lines, their unrest may not be because of our identities, but because of the excessive pressure."
Manfred avoided the more serious points, saying nothing of how immense the pressure on Victoria's people was. He merely said, "I believe it is not worthwhile to repeatedly waste so much military strength and time suppressing riots."
"And I cannot hand suppression over to the others. Otherwise, they would surely make an example of Londinium workers' corpses piled into mountains. That would only backfire."
"...That is indeed a problem."
Theresis frowned slightly at this. Temporarily setting aside his administrative work, he rose, walked to Manfred's side, and helped him to his feet with both hands.
"Over in Kazdel, several members of the Royal Court still only pretend to cooperate with us. And those who do not support us are very dissatisfied with our current progress in Londinium."
"At a time like this, if our efficiency in Londinium declines, the Royal Court will use it against us. Therefore, we cannot consider reducing the workers' workload."
"I understand, General. But what I mean is, should we not find a way to reduce the riots and internal unrest as much as possible?" Manfred naturally understood the complexity of Kazdel's Royal Court, and he continued, "During the little rest time the workers have, we should make some visible efforts to let them vent their pressure within a limited period, rather than leaving them to drunkenly collapse in taverns like lifeless corpses. That way, riots and infighting would decrease, and our efficiency would improve greatly."
"...Since ancient times, methods of relieving people's stress have tended to be somewhat filthy." Theresis thought for a while, then asked Manfred, "And we cannot have Sarkaz girls spread their legs for foreigners. The reverse is equally unacceptable. You understand that."
"No... General, we can use a simpler method."
Seeing that his general had misunderstood, Manfred showed a hint of embarrassment. However, he quickly recovered and said, "What about films? Most people living in Londinium have televisions. I think that would be an excellent form of entertainment."
"...Films. It has been a while since I heard of such a novel thing." Theresis sighed. Television, ordinary in Victoria, was an unattainable luxury in the eyes of Kazdel's Sarkaz.
"But although it is such a convenient and swift means of communication, its content is always so lacking in substance that it only makes people drowsy."
"Then why do we not make the content shown on television more interesting?" Manfred suggested, "Several of Victoria's classic old dramas are still watched even after airing countless times. Perhaps we should broadcast subjects the public enjoys."
"...We have been doing that recently. Rather, the television programming has become so tedious that even using it as background noise is irritating."
Theresis felt deeply helpless when he spoke of this. Sarkaz excelled in anything related to war, but when it came to art... to entertainment, they understood nothing at all.
Even Theresis himself was like that. He possessed the mind of a Regent, and managing two countries at once was no problem, but whenever he thought of art and entertainment, it felt harder than handling state affairs.
"We have no one talented in such matters. Sarkaz traditional art... I do not think the locals would be willing to watch it."
"No, General. I believe professional matters should be handled by professionals."
Manfred felt that the moment had finally come. He smiled lightly and said to Theresis, "I recently heard from my soldiers that Londinium's workers have all been discussing a film that has become wildly popular in Siracusa."
"In the past, with Victoria's financial power, any interesting entertainment on Terra would have reached them immediately. But we cut expenses for television stations and radio stations and used the funds for more meaningful things."
"Because of that, Londinium's workers have some complaints. That is what the soldiers reported to me."
"You mean we should send people all the way to Siracusa merely to discuss allowing this film to be shown in Londinium?" Theresis immediately grasped the key issue. He asked flatly, "And how long would that stabilize things? A month? A week?"
"No, General. Why do we not invite the film crew that made it directly to Londinium and have them make films that Londinium's people want to see?"
Manfred finally voiced his idea. Smiling, he said, "I heard that most of this crew are Infected. They were once a film crew transformed from an organization called the Reunion Movement."
"Reunion Movement? I have heard of that violent organization. Their leader, Talulah, is somewhat interesting... she could serve as a general in her own right."
Theresis's intelligence network was extensive. He intended to take revenge on every country that had ever campaigned against Kazdel, so he had some information even about what had happened on the Ursus tundra. He said, "But later, the Reunion Movement disappeared without a trace. So they went to Siracusa? And became a film crew?"
"Clearly, they are using another method to earn public recognition for the Infected community, and they are already halfway successful." Manfred nodded lightly. "Both films they shot in Lungmen and Siracusa were huge successes. Especially this one in Siracusa, a film called 'The Godfather.' It earned them considerable fame in Siracusa. Even Siracusa's Grey Hall helped with their production."
"The moment the film premiered, it caused an enormous sensation. My subordinates collected reviews of it, and Siracusa's people hold it in very high regard."
"I think this Infected film crew might make up for what we lack. They could create more entertainment for us and soothe the spiritually deprived people of Londinium."
"...Then what should we offer to invite them?" Theresis slowly asked after a silence. Hearing that he had clearly softened, Manfred continued.
"I heard that the crew's director, a Yan man named Chen Qi, has been arranging purchases of Oripathy inhibitors ever since the film premiered, injecting medicine into every Infected member of the crew."
"Fortunately, Londinium's medical department has a large stockpile of Oripathy inhibitors. And although nearly all of our Sarkaz army is Infected, our army has no need for such things..."
"—The stronger a Sarkaz is, the more severe their infection. We Sarkaz are practically born fused with Originium. Death is our destination." Theresis nodded as well. After hesitating for a while, he looked at Manfred and said flatly, "I will consider this matter. First, I will see whether their work is worth the trouble of going all the way to Siracusa to invite them."
"Manfred, have your people record that film causing such a stir in Siracusa tonight... It is called 'The Godfather,' correct? Have them record it. I will watch it in my chambers tonight."
"Yes, General."
Manfred revealed a delighted expression. He thought highly of his own proposal, because there was one thing he had not said—he had already watched the film.
Although, as a Sarkaz, Manfred could not relate much to the Mafia elements or Siracusans' views on family and kinship, the character portrayals and plot design had genuinely made him interested in something other than war for the first time in a long while.
He believed this crew would not disappoint Theresis. Therefore, he immediately arranged for his subordinates to play the recorded film in Theresis's chambers that evening.
That night, Theresis finally got to watch a pirated recording of "The Godfather."
Then Theresis did not sleep at all that night.
Theresis: I Have an Offer You Cannot Refuse
"You are leaving in such a hurry? Will you not stay in Siracusa a little longer, Director Chen Qi?"
The next day, Madam Sicily looked in surprise at Chen Qi, who had come to visit. Chen Qi had already explained his purpose: they were leaving Siracusa.
Madam Sicily, who had been delighted by the enormous success of "The Godfather," felt that something was off. However, Chen Qi did not want to explain too much. He only wanted to take the crew to another country as soon as possible.
The attention Chen Qi had received from Theresis through the system yesterday made him deeply uneasy. As a transmigrator, even if Chen Qi was not obsessed with the plot, he knew Theresis, that major boss, quite well—the man was someone he could not afford to provoke.
Theoretically, Chen Qi should not have needed to worry about Theresis. Most likely, Theresis had merely happened to watch Chen Qi's film and taken some interest in it... After all, the crew had no conflict with Theresis. They were not Rhodes Island, whom he regarded as a thorn in his side.
But Chen Qi had not forgotten that his crew truly had someone worth Theresis's attention—the last Pureblood Wendigo, Patriot!
What if Theresis had learned of Patriot through the fame of their film and discovered that the last Pureblood Wendigo was in their crew? What if that iron-blooded Regent simply came to take him away?
Patriot was FrostNova's adoptive father, and FrostNova would never allow him to be taken away. Besides, given Theresis's temperament—he could even tolerate his own sister being "revived"—what was there that he would not do?
Would he not just make Mr. Patriot "prove his vigor in old age," force him to pass down the Pureblood Wendigo bloodline somehow, and build an army of Wendigoes for himself?
Although Chen Qi knew that without any other Pureblood Wendigoes, his idea probably could not work... considering the Originium Arts on this land and the sheer number of bizarre Sarkaz, it was not impossible.
No, they had to run quickly! Their crew might look quite strong in combat, but they were no match for Theresis's regular Sarkaz army. If he sent a Bloodborne Archon, that alone might be enough to give everyone in the crew a miserable time.
He could not let FrostNova's father get captured by Theresis and used as a "stud," doomed to have what little "essence" remained in his old age extracted every day, only for FrostNova to end up with a whole pile of younger brothers and sisters!
As for why they had to leave Siracusa so quickly... Chen Qi was mainly worried that if Madam Sicily tried to protect him because of this, she would become enemies with Theresis. Given Siracusa's current situation, it could barely hold on to its own patch of land on Terra. It was in no position to compare with a military powerhouse like Theresis.
They had stayed in Siracusa for so long, and although they had dealt only with the Mafia... everyone had treated the crew very well. Chen Qi did not want to implicate them because of his own affairs, much less Madam Sicily. Therefore, leaving on his own initiative was the best choice.
Naturally, he could not tell Madam Sicily that. Chen Qi had already prepared an excuse.
"A crew like ours is destined to keep drifting around and looking for productions until we have earned enough for everyone to retire."
"As a director who also serves as screenwriter, I need to travel around different places on this land and look for inspiration. Once I have gathered enough material, perhaps I can write a very good script."
"...If that is the case, then forcing you to stay would only make me seem inconsiderate."
Although Madam Sicily could tell that Chen Qi was leaving for some other reason, she did not press further. She merely asked casually, "Then, Director Chen Qi, have you decided on your next destination?"
"Let me think—probably Kazimierz? I feel I should be able to find good inspiration there."
There were not many countries on Terra. Chen Qi and the others would not be going to Ursus anytime soon. Siracusa's climate was harsh, and the locals would likely be very wary of their arrival.
Kazimierz was much better. It had knights, and thanks to the Commercial Federation, it was relatively open. If Chen Qi took the crew to Kazimierz, filming would go more smoothly as well.
More importantly, if Chen Qi's group was in Kazimierz, it would be much harder for Theresis to send people after them. Kazimierz was also a military power. As a country that had survived between Victoria and Ursus, it was not somewhere Theresis would dare act too recklessly.
"In that case, it seems the only respect we can show is to provide you with supplies and a landship." Madam Sicily nodded. "I will make the arrangements. Then, I wish you a bright future, Director Chen Qi."
"...Even though that is the plan, I still feel uneasy."
"Should I buy it? Should I buy this Mini-map for peace of mind? But this Mini-map is so expensive!"
Several hours later, seated aboard the landship Madam Sicily had gifted them, Chen Qi looked deeply worried. In the shop displayed by the system before him, the Mini-map of Terra was now exceptionally tempting.
It could display everything within ten kilometers of the host, represented by a dot. Gray indicated neutral units, blue indicated allied units, and red indicated hostile enemies. The system could determine the color of a unit based on whether it held hostility toward the host.
Furthermore, the Mini-map could record areas the host had explored. However, only the area within ten kilometers of the host would display current conditions. Explored areas outside the detection range, as well as unexplored areas, would not display anything.
—In other words, it worked like the Mini-map in that classic game from a certain company that had already been driven out of the domestic market? Chen Qi quickly understood, and he also understood just how useful this thing was.
But it cost sixty thousand Reputation Points in one go—counting all the Reputation Points he had saved over the past few days, that was all he had!
Chen Qi was the type to hoard resources. Unless necessary, he was extremely good at saving up and only spent when he absolutely had to. And the fact that everyone in the Integrated Cultural Troupe was Infected gave him all the more reason to hoard.
After all, if someone's Oripathy worsened someday, he needed enough Reputation Points to exchange for medicine to save them... Although the crew was not short of ordinary Oripathy inhibitors for the moment, highly concentrated and extremely effective inhibitors still had to be exchanged through the system.
Yet the unease in Chen Qi's heart continued to grow... Theresis's attention had left him unable to sit still.
In the end, Chen Qi gritted his teeth. It would not be a loss to buy it, and it was not a one-time item!
"Sixty thousand Reputation Points, paid! Show me the Mini-map!"
Congratulations, Host. Purchase successful. The Mini-map is now active. Host may inspect the Mini-map to determine surrounding conditions.
"Then let's take a look... Oh, Lungmen has indeed already been explored, and a section of Siracusa is visible too."
"And there is a huge stretch of the Ursus tundra... Looking at it now, we really traveled a long way across the Ursus tundra back then."
Chen Qi turned his gaze to the Mini-map. Sure enough, an area he had explored was shown in gray, while far more places were pitch-black and completely invisible.
Naturally, what could be displayed was the area within ten kilometers around Chen Qi. Very quickly, he saw a ring of blue dots around his location—those were everyone in the Art Troupe.
"My own marker is white, while allies are blue. And it seems allies share their vision with me."
"Then are there any other colors nearby? Ah, there is a group of gray—"
"—Gray?"
Chen Qi froze instinctively. Within the visible range of the Mini-map, a group of gray dots was rapidly approaching their side!
At that moment, Mephisto from another landship also sent a communication to Chen Qi.
"Director Chen Qi, I have spotted an aircraft in the distance approaching us. What should we do?"
"...It looks like we can only face them. We cannot escape now. Let us see what they want from us."
Chen Qi glanced at the gray dots on the Mini-map and had everyone stop their vehicles with a trace of hope. Although he did not know what Theresis wanted from them, it seemed that... as long as they had not turned into red hostile units, there was still room for discussion.
And there did not seem to be many of them... only a dozen or so. Unless they had several Bloodborne Archons packed inside, they could not realistically threaten Chen Qi's group.
As the convoy came to a stop, the aircraft quickly caught up with them. Soon, they saw a figure slowly descend from it and approach Chen Qi's group.
"—Members of the Integrated Cultural Troupe, it is a pleasure to meet you."
"I am Manfred, subordinate to General Theresis, Regent of Kazdel. I have not come with hostile intentions. I am merely here on the General's behalf to extend an invitation."
Manfred descended from the aircraft alone. He looked around and saw Patriot and his Shield Guards surrounding him. Everyone held their weapons, watching him with vigilant eyes.
Directly ahead of him, Manfred quickly spotted the person he had come to find. He took several steps toward Chen Qi and said, "You must be Director Chen Qi. I have been ordered to invite everyone from the Art Troupe to Londinium. General Theresis hopes that you can provide some assistance with your particular talents."
"Talents? Sorry, our talent is making films." After meeting the real Manfred, Chen Qi could not help sighing that Little Man really was a model worker. He saved the day repeatedly in the story, and now even finding their crew had been left to him.
Then again, that made sense. Aside from Little Man, Theresis's subordinates had some measure of reason and the bearing of a commander. The rest were all like Bloodborne Archons... so only Little Man could handle this sort of task.
Still, Manfred's mention of talents made Chen Qi reply, "We are no longer the Reunion Movement. I am afraid everyone in the Art Troupe cannot offer General Theresis any help."
"—No. What the General needs is precisely your talent for making films."
Manfred smiled faintly and said to Chen Qi, "After watching your film, the General believes that you and everyone in the Art Troupe can provide the assistance we need most."
"To that end, the General said he has offered terms none of you can refuse."
Before you continue