Directing in the Ark, Success if Not Banned

Manfred was also exceptionally respectful towards the general who had taught him knowledge and power since childhood, speaking word by word: "We are following your orders, supervising the residents of Londinium in building the Shard Tower and the aerial fleet… for the survival and rise of our Kazdel."

"It's just that, during this time, the workers and residents of Londinium have grown increasingly resentful of us, with strikes and riots occurring incessantly."

"And as for suppression… I must say, Victoria's city defense forces are of no use. They merely obey our orders and don't truly instill any sense of urgency in the Victorian populace. In fact, we even hope they don't join the riots."

"So, you've come to ask me to requisition Sarkaz mercenaries to suppress the riots?" Theresis had already guessed the reason for Manfred's visit, and the reports he had received were among his concerns.

"Coincidentally, several high-quality Sarkaz mercenary groups have recently joined us, and I can assign them all to your command."

"Thank you, General." However, having achieved his objective, Manfred did not leave immediately. After a moment of silence, he continued to ask: "...General, although I did come for this matter, I have one more thing to ask."

"Speak," Theresis replied concisely.

"Although the workers in Londinium are currently producing weapons and equipment for us non-stop, whether it's construction or the assembly line, perhaps the riots of these people are not due to our identity, but due to excessive pressure."

Manfred, at this moment, downplayed the severity, not dwelling on how much pressure the people of Victoria were under. He simply said, "I think it's really not cost-effective to waste a large amount of military force and time repeatedly on suppressing riots."

"And I can't possibly hand over the suppression to the others; otherwise, they would surely make a show of the corpses of Londinium's workers piled high, which would only be counterproductive."

"...This is indeed a problem."

Theresis frowned slightly upon hearing this, temporarily setting aside the political affairs in his hands. He stood up and walked to Manfred's side, supporting him with both hands as he said:

"Regarding Kazdel, some members of the Royal Court are still at odds with us, and there are those who do not support us and are very dissatisfied with our current progress in Londinium."

"At this juncture, if our efficiency in Londinium decreases, those members of the Royal Court will surely gossip about us. Therefore, we cannot consider reducing the workload of the Londinium workers at this time."

"I understand, General, but what I'm trying to say is, shouldn't we also find a way to minimize riots and internal strife as much as possible?" Manfred certainly understood the complexities of the Kazdel Royal Court. He immediately said:

"During the workers' few rest times, we should make efforts they can see, allowing them to vent their stress within that limited time, rather than them deadening themselves by getting drunk in taverns. This way, with fewer riots and internal conflicts, our efficiency will also greatly improve."

"...Since ancient times, methods for people to vent their stress have always been somewhat unsavory," Theresis mused for a moment, then asked Manfred:

"And we cannot have the Sarkaz women open their legs to outsiders, nor vice versa. You should understand this."

"No… General, why don't we try a simpler method?"

Manfred saw that his general had misunderstood his intention, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face, but he quickly recovered and said normally: "What about movies? Most people living in Londinium have televisions, and I think it's a great way to pass the time."

"...Movies, huh? It's been a while since I've heard of such a novel thing," Theresis sighed with emotion. While televisions were commonplace in Victoria, they were an unattainable luxury for the Sarkaz in Kazdel.

"But with such a convenient and fast means of dissemination, the content inside is always so uninspired, only making people drowsy."

"Then why don't we make the content broadcast on television more interesting?" Manfred suggested here: "Some classic old dramas from Victoria have been broadcast countless times and are still watched by people. Perhaps we should broadcast some popular themes that the public enjoys."

"...We've been doing that recently. In fact, the repetition of television programs has become so monotonous that it's annoying even as background music."

Theresis felt extremely helpless when he said this. The Sarkaz were skilled in anything related to war, but when it came to art… they were completely clueless about entertainment.

Even Theresis was like this. He had the mind of a regent and could manage two countries without issue, but when it came to art and entertainment, he found it more difficult than handling political affairs.

"We don't have any talented individuals under us. As for traditional Sarkaz art… I don't think the locals would be willing to watch it."

"No, General, I believe that professional matters should be handled by professionals."

Manfred felt that the time was finally right and said to Theresis with a light laugh: "I recently heard from my soldiers that the workers in Londinium are all discussing a movie that's a huge hit in Syracuse."

"In the past, with Victoria's financial resources, they would be the first to know about any interesting entertainment projects on Terra. But we cut the expenses for television and radio stations and used them for more meaningful things."

"As a result, the workers in Londinium have some grievances—that's what the soldiers reported to me."

"You mean to say we should send people all the way to Syracuse just to discuss with them about having this movie shown in Londinium?"

Theresis immediately grasped the crux of the issue and asked indifferently: "And how long will this stabilize the situation? A month? A week?"

"No, General, why don't we directly invite the film crew that shot this movie to Londinium and have them shoot movies that the people of Londinium want to see?"

Manfred then revealed his idea with a light laugh: "I heard that the film crew is mostly composed of Infected, and they were reorganized from an organization called the Reunion Movement."

"The Reunion Movement? I've heard of that violent organization. Their leader, Talulah, is quite interesting, though… a capable general."

With Theresis's intelligence network, he sought revenge against all nations that had conquered Kazdel. Therefore, he had information even about what happened in the Ursus snowfields. He then said:

"But later, the Reunion Movement disappeared without a trace. Did they go to Syracuse? And become a film crew?"

"Clearly, they are finding other ways to gain recognition for the Infected groups, and they have already succeeded halfway," Manfred nodded lightly and said:

"Their two films shot in Lungmen and Syracuse were both great successes. Especially the one in Syracuse, a movie called 'The Godfather,' which earned them considerable fame there. Even Syracuse's Grey Hall assisted in their filming."

"This movie caused a huge sensation as soon as it was released. My subordinates collected reviews of the film, and the people of Syracuse have given it high praise."

"I believe this Infected film crew might be able to fill the gap we have, helping us create more entertainment to appease the mentally deprived populace of Londinium."

"...Then what should we offer them to come?" Theresis asked slowly after a period of silence. Hearing Theresis's apparent softening, Manfred continued:

"I heard that the director of the film crew is a Yan person named Chen Qi. After the movie was released, he has been busy procuring Oripathy inhibitors and injecting the medicine into each Infected member of the crew."

"Coincidentally, Londinium's medical department has a large reserve of Oripathy inhibitors, and while our Sarkaz army is almost entirely composed of Infected, our army doesn't need those things..."

"—The more powerful the Sarkaz, the higher their infection level. We Sarkaz are almost born integrated with Originium; death is our destiny," Theresis nodded. After some hesitation, he first looked at Manfred and said indifferently:

"I will consider this matter. Let's first see if their works are worth us going to great lengths to invite them from Syracuse."

"Manfred, have your people record that movie that caused a sensation in Syracuse tonight… it's called 'The Godfather,' right? Have them record it, and I will watch it in my chambers tonight."

"Yes, General."

Manfred's face lit up with joy. He was quite optimistic about his plan because there was one thing Manfred hadn't mentioned – he had actually already watched the movie.

Manfred, being Sarkaz, didn't really identify with some of the Mafia elements or the Syracusan family values within the film. However, the character development and plot design genuinely piqued his interest in something other than war, which was rare for him.

He felt that this film crew wouldn't disappoint Theresis. Thus, he immediately arranged for his subordinates to have the recorded movie played in Theresis's palace that very evening.

That night, Theresis got his wish and saw the bootleg version of The Godfather.

Then, that same night, Theresis didn't sleep at all.

Chapter 26: Theresis: I'll Give You an Offer You Can't Refuse

"Leaving so soon? Won't you stay in Syracuse for a while longer? Director Chen Qi."

The next day, Madam Sicily looked somewhat surprised as she watched Chen Qi, who had come to visit. Chen Qi had already explained his intentions: they were leaving Syracuse.

This made Madam Sicily, who was still happy about the great success of The Godfather, feel that something was amiss. However, Chen Qi didn't want to explain further, only wanting to quickly take his crew to other countries.

The attention he had received from Theresis through the system yesterday made Chen Qi feel very uneasy. As a transmigrator, even if Chen Qi wasn't a plot-focused person, he was quite aware of Theresis as a major boss – that guy was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Theoretically, Chen Qi shouldn't have to worry about Theresis. It was likely that Theresis had only coincidentally watched Chen Qi's movie and happened to be interested in it... After all, their crew had no conflict with Theresis; they weren't Rhodes Island, considered a thorn in his side.

But Chen Qi hadn't forgotten that his crew did have someone truly worthy of Theresis's attention – the last pure-blooded Wendigo, Patriot!

What if Theresis, knowing they had become famous for their movie, had learned about Patriot? What if he knew the last pure-blooded Wendigo was with their crew, and this iron-fisted Regent decided to snatch him away?

And Patriot was FrostNova's adoptive father, so FrostNova would absolutely not allow Patriot to be taken away. Given Theresis's personality, the kind who could tolerate even his own sister being "resurrected," what wouldn't he do?

He might as well make Mr. Patriot "vigorous in his old age," force him to pass down his pure-blooded Wendigo lineage through some method, and create his own Wendigo army!

Although Chen Qi knew that without other pure-blooded Wendigos, his idea probably wouldn't work... considering the Originium Arts of this land and the sheer number of Sarkaz oddities, it wasn't impossible.

No, they had to get out of here quickly! Although his crew appeared to have high combat power, they were no match for Theresis's regular Sarkaz army. Even sending a Bloodborne Archon might be enough to give the crew a hard time.

He couldn't let FrostNova's father be captured by Theresis as "breeding stock," forced to live out his remaining years with his scarce "essence" being extracted daily, leading to FrostNova having a bunch of new siblings!

As for why they had to leave Syracuse so quickly... Actually, Chen Qi was mainly worried that if Madam Sicily tried to protect him in this matter, she would fall out with Theresis. Given Syracuse's current situation, it could barely hold its own territory on Terra, and it was no match for someone like Theresis who pursued a path of military strength.

Having stayed in Syracuse for so long, even though he only interacted with the Mafia... everyone had treated their crew very well. Chen Qi didn't want to implicate them because of his own affairs, nor did he want to implicate Madam Sicily. Therefore, leaving voluntarily was the best option.

Of course, he couldn't say this to Madam Sicily. Chen Qi had a ready excuse:

"Our kind of crew is destined to wander constantly, looking for jobs, until we earn enough money for everyone to retire."

"As a director who also serves as a screenwriter, I need to travel to different places on this continent to find inspiration. Once I've gathered enough material, I might be able to write some really good scripts."

"...In that case, it would be inappropriate for me to stay any longer."

Although Madam Sicily could tell that Chen Qi's departure was for other reasons, she didn't press further. She casually asked, "So, Director Chen Qi, what are your plans for your next stop?"

"Let me think—probably Kazimierz? I think I can find some good inspiration there."

There weren't many countries on Terra. Chen Qi and his crew wouldn't be going to Ursus anytime soon. Siracusa had a harsh climate, and the locals would likely be wary of their arrival.

Kazimierz was much better. It had knights, and due to the Commercial Union, it was relatively more open. If Chen Qi took his crew to Kazimierz, filming would also go more smoothly.

More importantly, if Chen Qi and his party were in Kazimierz, it would be extremely difficult for Theresis to send people to find them. Kazimierz was also a military power, a country that survived in the cracks between Victoria and Ursus, so Theresis wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous.

"In that case, the only thing we can offer with respect is some supplies and a landship," Madam Sicily said, nodding.

"I will arrange it. Then, I wish you a bright future, Director Chen Qi."

"...Even though that's the plan, I still feel very uneasy."

"Should I buy it? Buy this mini-map to feel at ease? But this mini-map is so expensive!"

A few hours later, sitting on the landship gifted by Madam Sicily, Chen Qi appeared to be deeply worried. In front of him, within the [Shop] displayed by the system, the item [Terra Continent Mini-Map] was currently very appealing to Chen Qi.

[It can display all situations within a ten-kilometer radius centered on you, with gray indicating neutral units, blue dots indicating friendly units, and red dots indicating hostile enemy units. The system can determine the color of the dot based on whether the target is hostile to the host.]

[Furthermore, the mini-map can record areas the host has explored, but only situations within ten kilometers of the host will be displayed. Areas explored beyond that range and unexplored areas will not be shown.]

—In other words, it's the same as the mini-map in that classic work from a certain company that exited the domestic market, Chen Qi quickly understood. And he also realized how useful this thing was.

But it cost sixty thousand reputation points right off the bat—that was all he had, even with the reputation points he had accumulated over the past few days!

Chen Qi was a hoarder. He was very good at saving money unless absolutely necessary, only taking it out when it was truly needed. The fact that the Integrated Cultural Troupe were all Infected also provided Chen Qi with a reason to be a hoarder.

After all, if someone's Oripathy spread, he needed to have enough reputation points to redeem medicine to save them. Although the crew didn't lack Oripathy inhibitors for the time being, those were just ordinary inhibitors. Highly concentrated and extremely effective inhibitors had to be redeemed.

But now, Chen Qi's unease was still growing... Theresis's attention was making him restless.

Finally, Chen Qi gritted his teeth—it wouldn't hurt to buy it anyway, it wasn't a one-time use item!

"Sixty thousand reputation points, paid! Show me the mini-map!"

[Congratulations to the host for a successful purchase. The mini-map is activating. The host can determine the surrounding situation by viewing the mini-map.]

"Let's take a look then... Oh, as expected, Lungmen has already been explored, and there's already a section for Syracuse."

"And there's a large expanse of Ursus snowfields... Looking at it this way, the path we took through the Ursus snowfields back then was really long."

Chen Qi looked at the mini-map. As expected, an area he had explored was displayed in gray, while more areas were shown as completely black and unreadable.

What could be displayed was naturally the ten-kilometer radius around Chen Qi. Soon, Chen Qi saw a circle of blue dots around him—those were the members of the troupe.

"My own color is white, and allies are blue. And it seems our fields of vision are shared."

"So, are there any other colored things around? Ah, there's a group of gray ones—"

"——Gray?"

However, Chen Qi was stunned subconsciously, only to find that within the visible range of the mini-map, a group of gray dots were approaching their side at an extremely fast speed!

At this very moment, Mephisto from another landship sent a communication, saying to Chen Qi:

"Director Chen Qi, I've spotted an aircraft approaching us from afar. What should we do?"

"...It looks like we'll have to face them. We can't escape now. Let's see what they want with us."

Chen Qi glanced at the gray dots on the mini-map and, with a sliver of hope, told everyone to stop. Although he didn't know what Theresis wanted with them, it seemed that as long as they didn't turn into red enemy units, there was still room for negotiation.

Moreover, their numbers didn't seem to be that large... only about a dozen people in total. Unless they had someone like a Bloodborne Archon among them, it was unlikely they could pose a threat to Chen Qi and his group.

As the convoy came to a halt, the aircraft quickly caught up with Chen Qi's group. Soon, a figure was seen slowly descending from the aircraft, arriving before Chen Qi and the others.

"——Greetings to everyone from the Integrated Cultural Troupe. First meeting."

"I am Manfred, a subordinate of the Regent of Kazdel, General Theresis. I have not come with any ill intentions, but merely to extend an invitation on behalf of the General."

Manfred descended from the aircraft alone. He looked around; Patriot had already surrounded him with his Shield Guards, all of them holding their weapons with wary eyes.

And directly opposite him, Manfred quickly found the person he was looking for. He strode a few steps towards Chen Qi and said:

"You must be Director Chen Qi. I have been ordered to invite everyone from the Cultural Troupe to Londinium. General Theresis hopes you can provide him with some assistance using your special skills."

"Special skills? Sorry, our special skill is making movies." After seeing Manfred in person, Chen Qi couldn't help but marvel at how much of a workhorse Little Man was, always saving the day in the plot, and now he was handling their film crew's affairs.

But it made sense. Considering that besides Little Man, the only other people under Theresis with a semblance of reason and general demeanor were like the Bloodborne Archons... this was something only Little Man could handle.

However, regarding the "special skills" Manfred mentioned, Chen Qi replied, "We are no longer part of the Reunion Movement. The members of the Cultural Troupe now are unlikely to be able to offer General Theresis any help."

"——No, the General needs your skills in filmmaking."

However, Manfred smiled slightly and said calmly to Chen Qi, "After watching your movies, the General believes that you and everyone in the Cultural Troupe can provide us with the help we need most."

"To that end, the General said he has made an offer that you cannot refuse."