Directing on the Ark, Success if Not Banned

Chen Qi also knew very well that World War II, as depicted in "Darkest Hour," would be somewhat difficult for Terra. This is because in World War II films, bombing raids were a constant threat hanging over everyone's heads, leading to many scenes being filmed in air-raid shelters.

However, since Chen Qi had already made up his mind, these were no longer problems. Terra wasn't exactly without bombing capabilities; for instance, Ursus had such war machines, though their mobility was a different story.

Furthermore, artillery, Originium Arts, natural disaster manipulation, and so on could achieve similar effects. Therefore, Chen Qi wasn't worried about failing to achieve the desired impact of the film "Darkest Hour."

After all, the entire film "Darkest Hour," aside from the oppressive atmosphere at the beginning, also featured a scene in the final half-hour where the Prime Minister sat in a subway, discussing the future with the people and uniting their will.

Such a scene could also be seen as a reflection of Gaul's eventual downfall... After all, Gaul was destroyed. While it might not be ideal to associate Germany with Gaul, thankfully, people on Terra would never think the same way Chen Qi did.

After all, someone as despicable as Germany currently had a somewhat similar counterpart on Terra in the Sarkaz. However, Chen Qi wasn't filming the part where several countries were beating up Kazdel, so it wasn't a big issue.

As for how to choose the actors... Chen Qi probably already had an idea. He understood that at this point, he likely couldn't return to Victoria, and to achieve the desired effect, he needed to find a country similar to Victoria.

"Darkest Hour..."

However, Vina and Nian's attention was quickly drawn to this part. They had to admit that "Darkest Hour," whether in its concept or current situation, was exactly what a divided Victoria needed most!

It told the story of how Victoria's monarch led its people through the most difficult times. It also served as a good image reversal for the cabinet and parliament members who, due to "Yes, Prime Minister," were now seen by the public as little more than "vermin."

Although these cabinet ministers and parliament members were indeed vermin in peacetime, when Victoria truly needed them to stand up and defend it, they would still do so without hesitation! This was Victoria's glory, and they wouldn't allow anyone else to tarnish it!

"Good, this movie is good!"

After Chen Qi briefly explained the story depicted in "Darkest Hour," Vina immediately felt that this might be the best choice! It would be excellent to show the disappointed citizens of Victoria a moment of Victoria's glory!

This caused Vina, who usually appeared quite languid, to show a rare expression of joy. She could already imagine how the people of Victoria would empathize when they saw "Darkest Hour."

Victoria had also experienced dark times, even darker than the present, but past monarchs had managed to turn the tide and never gave up or surrendered. Today's Victoria certainly couldn't be so lackluster; they had their own glory.

Vina could even envision how much change the film's final line, "We will never surrender," could bring to Victoria!

"This idea is really good! 'Darkest Hour'! The scene at the end where the Emperor chats with the common people, I think it'll be a huge hit!"

"What about the other movie! What's the anti-war movie you're planning to make?!"

At this moment, Nian was certain she would help Chen Qi. Such a masterpiece would definitely add a significant work to her own somewhat modest filmography!

As for the anti-war movie... honestly, even if Chen Qi's proposal followed the same formula as a few existing anti-war films on Terra, Nian would still help him.

After all, Nian herself didn't know what new angle could be brought to the anti-war theme.

"For the anti-war movie, I already have a template." Chen Qi then proceeded to tell Nian and Vina about the films he had decided to make, saying confidently:

"The name of this movie is 'Braveheart.'"

"'Braveheart'?"

However, as soon as Chen Qi finished speaking, Vina and Nian instinctively repeated the title. But at that moment, they both felt... this name didn't sound like an anti-war movie. It sounded more like it encouraged war.

Could it be that Director Chen Qi had fallen into the trap of making films that were nominally anti-war but, as they progressed, became grander in scale with more sacrifices, thus inadvertently becoming films that encouraged war?

Vina and Nian harbored these questions, but Chen Qi, not noticing their expressions, continued:

"This film tells the story of the friendship between four people and one beast. They come from different countries but are all drawn into war. The protagonists are ordinary people struggling to survive amidst the conflict, and through their perspectives, we will see the cruelty of war, as well as love and humanity within that cruelty."

"I plan to use the battle of the Four Emperors' meeting in Gaul as the main stage, allowing four individuals from different races, who narrowly survived numerous great battles, to relive a piece of history and contrast the cruelty of war through love and friendship."

Seeing war through the eyes of ordinary people? Using love and friendship to highlight the cruelty of war?

These words momentarily stunned Vina and Nian. Before this, they had never considered that an anti-war theme could be viewed through the perspective of ordinary people, and that it would also portray friendship and love.

Generally, anti-war themes on Terra featured omnipotent hero protagonists who repelled enemy attacks time and time again, either sacrificing themselves heroically or refusing to yield even as their comrades fell, thereby emphasizing the cruelty of war.

However, in most of these films, the audience was captivated by the heroic protagonists and wished they were the main characters, yearning for a heroic sacrifice. This inadvertently turned into a desire for great achievements and a life well-lived... The anti-war effect was lost, and instead, everyone wanted to be a hero.

However, Chen Qi's proposal this time made the eyes of the two women light up. They were already beginning to feel that both "Darkest Hour" and "Braveheart"... would achieve unprecedented success upon their release!

"Director Chen Qi!" At this moment, Nian suddenly looked up, her expression solemn as she said to Chen Qi, "I admit it, you are definitely the strongest opponent on my path to becoming a great director! I've decided to stay in your crew first to learn your filmmaking methods and scriptwriting abilities!"

"When the time comes that I feel I can compete, please be sure to have a cinematic showdown with me! Until then, I will follow you!"

"—Welcome aboard, Nian."

Seeing Nian's immediate high praise, Chen Qi warmly welcomed her. With Nian, his long-dreamed-of sister, Xi, would not be far behind!

With Xi, Chen Qi would be confident in producing any future masterpiece! She would undoubtedly be a capable member of his crew!

Chapter Seventy-Five: Preparations for "Darkest Hour," Actions of Various Countries Towards Victoria?

"Well then, I'll go find my silly sister now. I'll borrow these TV series you've planned for now!"

"Don't worry, with these, I'll definitely be able to coax my homebody silly sister into coming out willingly—even if she's not willing, it doesn't matter. She can't beat me, her sister anyway. I have a hundred ways to make her crawl out of that painting!"

After Chen Qi shared his plans for his next two works with Nian, Nian resolutely threw herself into Chen Qi's film and television endeavors and immediately offered him her solution.

In order to solve the problem of needing large-scale scenes and numerous extras for "Darkest Hour" and "Braveheart," Nian first thought of her own sister, Xi, who could solve these issues.

Her sister could instantly create battlefields that would normally take a lot of time and effort to set up, complete with scenes of widespread casualties, and even some of the more exaggerated weapons.

For the sake of smooth filming, Nian naturally had to go find her sister for help. Although this might make some people nervous, Nian decided to go alone to save a lot of time.

"I'll bring my silly sister to find you as soon as I locate her. But where are you planning to shoot? Are you really going to Kazdel?"

"No, we're going to Kazimierz."

However, before bidding farewell to Nian, Chen Qi had already chosen the filming location for "Darkest Hour." It was the only country on Terra that still had a true "parliamentary" system. This was where Chen Qi planned to film "Darkest Hour" and conduct casting.

The Darkest Hour and Braveheart are different from Yes, Minister. This drama requires a large number of main and supporting characters, and Chen Qi cannot return to Londinium to film. Therefore, the only option seems to be Kazimierz, which has a parliamentary system, largely overlapping races, and a similar level of prosperity in its mobile cities.

Thus, after Nian set off alone to find her sister, Chen Qi shared his thoughts with Kal'tsit and the others, and quickly received Kal'tsit's support.

"Kazimierz... Rhodes Island is still looking for partners. If we can seize this opportunity to establish official trade relations with Kazimierz, that would be a good approach."

After some thought, Kal'tsit also felt that Rhodes Island could leverage the fame of Chen Qi's film crew to negotiate business deals with other forces and countries.

Moreover... considering that Chen Qi's film crew is now too famous and might cause unnecessary disturbances, Rhodes Island, as an internationally neutral force at least on the surface, could perhaps provide guarantees for the crew, giving the Kazimierz authorities some peace of mind.

"Also, if the Oripathy inhibitors that the crew members need are nearby, we can deliver them to you as quickly as possible."

"Then, without further ado, Rhodes Island, proceed towards Kazimierz."

"Oh, and Operator Nearl, please take Miss FrostNova and make initial contact with the Kazimierz officials." Kal'tsit did not forget to have the former Ursus Knight, Nearl, represent Rhodes Island in Kazimierz.

"This is Mr. Chen Qi's idea. He said that as a Kazimierz native, you would be more familiar with Kazimierz's internal affairs. Miss FrostNova needs to depart in advance to obtain official permission from Kazimierz."

"I understand."

The Ursus Knight, codenamed Nearl, nodded at this. She held the scripts for both films, The Darkest Hour and Braveheart, and a determined glint flickered in her eyes.

She knew that what she held in her hands might be able to prevent the impending civil war in a divided Victoria. It might not stop it, but perhaps these two films could reduce the casualties of this civil war to the lowest possible level.

Nearl also had other plans. Gazing at the two scripts in her hands, Nearl clearly thought of her family members.

Whether it was The Darkest Hour or Braveheart, Margaret felt that there was a suitable role for a family member in each of them, and with his aura, he could perfectly embody these characters.

And this would undoubtedly be a good thing for the family, especially Braveheart. The knights of the Nearl family should promote such anti-war films, which would also be very beneficial for the image of Kazimierz knights. She had no reason not to support the release of such a film.

This way, not only would it benefit their family, but perhaps—her uncle could also bid farewell to his torturous, never-ending work schedule with a new identity?

"Chen Qi, what is this man trying to do? Why choose this particular time to film in Kazimierz?"

A few days later, at the Supervision Committee in Kazimierz, high-ranking officials of Kazimierz quickly received the permit from the Art Troupe represented by FrostNova, along with the guarantee documents from Rhodes Island.

These documents immediately received great attention from the entire Supervision Committee of Kazimierz. They held several meetings overnight because the members of the Merchant Union did not know who Chen Qi was; as long as they paid enough money, they would permit any film crew to come and film.

But the Supervision Committee, as the highest administrative body of Kazimierz, thought about things that the Commercial Union could never imagine! They were worried, worried about what the "infamous" Chen Qi intended to do by coming here.

"Could it be that our recent strategic plan has been exposed?" one Knight Commander couldn't help but ask:

"Our troops are still being mobilized, and Ursus has also contacted us, hoping to use our border to allow their 'tour group' to pass through."

"It's obvious that the high command of Ursus and we are thinking along the same lines. Everyone wants to take advantage of Victoria's division to get a big piece of the pie!"

When the recent strategic direction of Kazimierz was mentioned, the members of the Supervision Committee all appeared spirited. Clearly, Victoria's division brought joy to some and sorrow to others, but for the high command of Kazimierz, they were absolutely delighted.

After all, Kazimierz had a very difficult time in the past few years. Their territory survived in the cracks between the two powerful nations of Ursus and Victoria. Victoria had a slightly easier time a few years ago due to the lack of a unified leader, but friction with Ursus had always existed.

The Ursus war machine was an empire that needed constant warfare to operate. After their defeat in the east against the Eastern Nation, they couldn't possibly turn towards the Eastern Nation again in the short term. So, who else could they attack to the west besides Kazimierz?

Although Kazimierz's soldiers fought bravely on the front lines, the fact remained that the front line was constantly retreating.

And now, the time for Kazimierz to hold their heads high had finally arrived! Although Ursus was not divided, Victoria, these Perro things, had finally split apart!

The Supervision Committee was excited, so happy! After so many years, they had finally found an opportunity! Before, they couldn't defeat anyone on either the east or west fronts, but now, a place that was easy to bully had appeared. If not now, then when should they go to war?

The Supervision Committee of Kazimierz notified the border defense forces almost immediately. While holding the eastern front, they would go all out to expand into the western front! They aimed to take advantage of the time while the various dukes within Victoria were engaged in civil war to immediately send the Kazimierz army into the fray, occupying several of Victoria's border mobile cities under the guise of "preventing a coup in an allied nation"!

Ursus's reaction was also swift. Even a "tour group" composed of army corps had already been formed, intending to use Kazimierz's border to "tour and offer condolences" in Victoria. Everyone could guess Ursus's intentions.

For this reason, the Supervision Committee of Kazimierz had even reached an agreement with Ursus on which mobile cities would belong to Kazimierz and which would belong to Ursus, just like the four nations dividing Gaul back then. Now, they were going to divide Victoria's territory!

But at this very moment, Chen Qi and his party arrived, saying they wanted to film in Kazimierz. What did this mean?

The members of the Supervision Committee would not consider this a coincidence. After all, who was Chen Qi? He was the "culprit" who caused Victoria to split into nine pieces so early! If not for his filming of Yes, Minister, Victoria would likely have taken several more years to gradually reach its current state.

And now, such a person wanted to film in Kazimierz. To be honest... everyone was a little scared. Who knew if this "infamous" big shot intended to film a TV series similar to Yes, Minister in Kazimierz, and then Kazimierz would also split apart the next day...

"Impossible, our strategic plan is strictly confidential. Even the dukes of Victoria should not know about our actions yet."

"Even if this Chen Qi is protected by both Sarkaz and Sarkota, there's no reason for him to know our strategic plan."

This possibility was quickly dismissed. However, after a round of discussion, they still couldn't understand why Chen Qi would come to Kazimierz to film for no reason... especially since his films were so "impressive."

"...Regardless, no matter what he plans to film, as long as he has come to Kazimierz, we must first rectify our internal issues before considering an expedition."

Ultimately, the person who finalized this decision was a highly respected old knight of the Supervision Committee. He slowly stood up and proposed:

"Our strategic plan remains unchanged, but we must first ensure internal stability... Dispatch a squadron of Silvermane Knights back to the Great Knight's Territory. Before this unpredictable guest leaves, this squadron of Silvermane Knights will guard the Great Knight's Territory."

"As long as we guard the Great Knight's Territory and prevent the residents of Kazimierz from knowing about the filming, then no matter how resourceful Director Chen Qi is, he won't be able to influence Kazimierz's situation!"

"Furthermore, urgently recall several arena knights. Accommodate all their requests as much as possible. Their sole purpose is to 'escort' Director Chen Qi, ensuring that the content he films has absolutely nothing to do with Kazimierz! And during the filming period, it will not be broadcast to Kazimierz cinemas through any means!"

As soon as the old knight spoke, he was immediately echoed by the Knight Commanders present. Soon, with several Knight Commanders raising their hands, this response strategy was quickly decided.

"I agree."

"I agree too."

"Good, no information will be leaked to Director Chen Qi, and no matter what genre he plans to film, we will block the news! We will satisfy all their demands except for troop mobilization. After filming, we will send them away!"

However, at the same time, in a hotel in the Great Knight's Territory, Margaret, who had returned home, was anxiously watching her uncle, Młynar Nearl, who was looking at the scripts for the two films in his hands.

After returning home and greeting her sister and aunt, Margaret immediately handed the scripts to her uncle, who had just finished work.

Margaret desperately hoped her uncle would take a role in "Darkest Hour" as the new Emperor, who was appointed in a moment of crisis to shoulder the mission of defending Victoria!

"...So, you don't want to be a knight anymore and want to switch careers to acting, Margaret?"

After a long while, Młynar finally spoke. This middle-aged man, whose past was a blur and who was clearly more than he appeared, spoke with exhaustion, saying softly:

"If that's what you think, I find it much more appealing than being a knight."

"But I won't play this role—I'm not suited to play an Emperor, and I don't have that kind of leadership aura."

"...I understand." Margaret didn't seem surprised by this outcome. After all, she had only come to try her luck, and she knew her uncle most likely wouldn't be interested.

However, Margaret had no idea what Młynar was thinking at that moment... He knew that Kazimierz was about to use force against Victoria, and this "Darkest Hour" was undoubtedly meant to boost morale on Victoria's side!

What would the people of Kazimierz think if someone from the Nearl family appeared in this movie? What would the Supervision Committee think? He couldn't allow the Nearl family to fall into danger, even if... he didn't approve of this opportunistic war against Victoria.

"...However, I am very interested in the protagonist, Eric, from another movie called 'Braveheart'."

Suddenly, Młynar's words caused Margaret's expression to clear up instantly. She looked at her uncle with surprise as he finally relented. Młynar immediately replied:

"It's nothing, I'm just tired of my work lately and was planning to change my environment anyway."

"Besides, as I said before, this job is more appealing to me than being a knight. I'm glad you've changed your mind, Margaret."

Młynar spoke as he slowly stood up, saying, "I'll ask for leave from the company... No, on second thought, it's better to just resign. I really do need to move somewhere else."

"The company isn't going to give me that long of a paid leave anyway. I just hope this isn't a wasted effort this time."

Not a wasted effort... Młynar naturally had his own plans. The impending war between Kazimierz and Victoria made Młynar realize it was time for the Nearl family to leave Kazimierz. Otherwise, as the army suffered repeated defeats, the fires of war would soon engulf the civilians, forcing them to experience its baptism.

Młynar didn't want any of the Nearl children to step onto the battlefield... Therefore, he had to take everyone away, far from the war-torn Kazimierz.

Of course, there was also some lingering "wanderer" nature in Młynar's heart... He knew that the war couldn't be stopped, but what if he could salvage something in his own way?

And... if this movie became a huge hit, would the people he was looking for somewhere on Terra hear his voice?

"...I will protect the children, I will."