Chapter Seventy-Six: Nian: Dusk, Sis Is Taking You to Make a Movie! / Chapter Seventy-Seven: Nian and Dusk Visit-Filming Is Ready to Begin

Młynar murmured this to himself. Now, his decision had clearly broken away from everything related to Kazimierz. He only wanted to protect the people he wished to protect.

Nian: Xi, Sis Is Taking You to Make a Movie!

A few days later, Nian rushed at top speed to Huiji Mountain, where her younger sister Xi lived in seclusion. She had practically ignored her agreement with the Imperial Calendar Bureau, slipping out from under its surveillance without authorization and heading straight for her sister.

Nian did not care how much turmoil her actions might cause for the Imperial Calendar Bureau or even Yan. After she barged straight into Xi's painted world without a word, the two sisters fought for three days and nights before Xi reluctantly agreed to hear why Nian had come.

"So you came uninvited just to show me those things you filmed, the ones called 'movies'?"

"If that is why you came, I think you should go back. I may be living in seclusion here, but I have still heard of your reputation as a director of terrible films."

As the youngest of the Sui siblings, Xi did not have a good relationship with Nian. Still, she had heard a thing or two about what her brothers and sisters were doing outside, so she looked down on Nian's hobby.

If Nian made good movies, then Xi could at least have something to pass the time during her seclusion. She was a homebody, not some stubborn old fossil. She was the second-youngest among her siblings, after all, not so old-fashioned that she thought every new form of cultural expression was beneath contempt.

But... Xi truly had nothing to say about Nian's movies. One of them had nearly put her to sleep, and that alone had left Xi with no favorable impression of Nian's work.

"Relax, relax! This time, it isn't a movie I made! And I didn't come to drag you into watching one. I came to ask you to help me—no, to help Director Chen Qi make a movie!"

Nian did not care at all about Xi's assessment. She had some self-awareness, after all. More importantly, getting Xi to agree to help Chen Qi make a movie was the urgent matter.

"...Chen Qi? Who is that?" Because of her seclusion, Xi knew nothing about Chen Qi, who had become "notorious" among Terra's upper echelons.

After all, although The Godfather had been shown in Lungmen, Xi's secluded residence was far too remote for it to reach her easily. As for Yes, Prime Minister, while Yan had not treated the show as a looming threat the way Ursus had, it still understood that it would be best if the Sui did not see it.

What if the Sui watched it, suddenly gained some insight, decided to change their approach, pretended to submit to the imperial court, and then tore Yan apart from within?

Although the Sui were currently very well-behaved, with some even guarding Yan's borders, Yan had never let down its guard against the threat they posed. After all, those not of our kind must harbor different intentions...

"You don't even know Director Chen Qi?! He's the most famous director on the entire continent now!"

Nian had not expected her sister to be so utterly detached from worldly affairs. In truth, though, not many people outside Terra's upper circles knew Chen Qi. Most people only knew The Godfather and Yes, Prime Minister, neither of which bore his name, and both had been banned. Most people had no idea that he was their director.

Fortunately, Nian had anticipated this. She pulled out a tape from her pocket and said to Xi:

"All right, all right. I knew you wouldn't know anything. Come on, take a look. I figured you probably wouldn't be interested in The Godfather, so I brought you something you'd like!"

"This is one of Director Chen Qi's masterpieces! I hate to say it, but this television drama puts me to shame. It's also the work that made him famous across the continent!"

"I even heard that the imperial court set up a special group specifically to study this television drama!"

"...What is it called?" The moment Xi heard that Yan's imperial court was studying it, her interest was piqued. She knew Nian was not lying to her about this.

"Yes, Prime Minister!" Nian proudly announced the drama's title. Though it had nothing to do with her, the thought of filming with Chen Qi in the future made her especially proud. "It's a political satire comedy! It even split Victoria apart! Isn't that amazing?"

"...Boring."

The moment Xi heard the show's premise, the little interest she had felt vanished. She shook her head and said, "Politics... the most boring subject in the world. Political satire is even worse. It is the sort of thing that people cannot understand even when it is laid out right in front of them."

"Hey! Xi, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't talk nonsense! It's a masterpiece!"

"If the show were really that bad, would a country as big as Victoria have split into nine pieces just because it aired? How do you know it isn't good if you haven't even watched it?"

Xi's contempt for Yes, Prime Minister greatly displeased Nian. It was the first time she had spoken so seriously to her younger sister, every word full of defense for Chen Qi.

In truth, Nian knew she was something of a Chen Qi fan herself. She had never said so aloud, but she knew full well that his imagination and creativity were things she could never learn, no matter how long she lived.

Nian could only imitate; she lacked the ability to think for herself. That was also why she ranked near the bottom among the twelve siblings. It had taken her a very long time to understand these truths, all for the sake of gaining that little bit of insight.

That was why she loved movies and creation. It was as though she could use images to express her thoughts—but clearly, while she was good at imitation, her own ideas were all terrible.

That was why she admired Chen Qi and envied him for having so many wild, unconstrained ideas. She wanted to stay by his side and learn from him, so she could... have more ideas that truly belonged to herself.

It was also the first time Xi had seen Nian respect someone so deeply. After a brief stunned pause, she pretended not to care as she took the videotape from Nian's hand and said flatly:

"...Then I'll watch it. But I doubt it will be anything interesting. I'll treat it as a way to pass the time."

Xi took the tape and swept the longsword in her hand. Ink splashed down, and an old-fashioned television and DVD player appeared within the painting.

Then, as Xi inserted the tape, the first episode of Yes, Prime Minister slowly began playing before her.

When she saw Huck, played by Theresis, and Bernard, played by Manfred, discussing the joke about various countries' military strength, Xi still remarked with obvious disdain:

"It is nothing but slander. If war truly broke out, they would absolutely stop at nothing for their own interests. This is merely a joke born from a brief era of peace and proves nothing."

When the episode reached the part where Huck, as Prime Minister, did not even have lunch to eat and proposed inviting a foreign ambassador to dinner every day to solve the problem, Xi continued:

"Boring satire. This is even more exaggerated. How could the head of a nation be unable to settle something as simple as lunch? And this Humphrey fellow is far too inflexible. This should be an easy matter to resolve, so why obstruct it?"

"It is merely an artificial conflict created for dramatic effect. Nothing remarkable."

Yet as Yes, Prime Minister continued, Humphrey delivered more and more famous lines and showed off his talent for convoluted sentences. Meanwhile, Huck remained unmoved and even tried his best to push through his reforms. Gradually, Xi fell silent.

In the end, to stop Huck's reforms from being implemented, Humphrey had no choice but to find him a cook as a compromise. Nian clearly noticed the long-lost, shy smile that appeared on Xi's face.

"Have we still not decided on someone to play the emperor in Darkest Hour?"

"Not yet... This emperor is somewhat unusual. He... is plain-looking, but extraordinarily bold and resolute. I added some unnecessary details to him, but the most important thing is recreating the majesty and courage of an emperor that do not match his appearance."

"His looks are easy enough to handle. With Rob Rata's makeup skills, even a handsome young man could be made to look like a shabby old man... The problem is that I still cannot find an actor with the right aura for that emperor."

Chen Qi was caught in a bout of frustration. Their group was still speeding toward Kazimierz, but he had run into trouble finding someone to play Frederick III.

After all, in Victoria's history, the person who turned the tide and insisted on fighting Gaul had been the emperor himself, not the Prime Minister. To recreate that history, the protagonist of Darkest Hour had to become the emperor, which raised the casting requirements even further.

"I have looked over everyone at Rhodes Island, but I have not found anyone with the right temperament... This person needs the aura of a leader, and unfortunately, no one at Rhodes Island or in the Art Troupe fits the role."

"Not even Vina?" Talulah could not help being startled. Chen Qi shook his head with a wry smile.

"She is still too green. I have already arranged for her to play Layton's female secretary in this movie. She might be able to handle that role, but an emperor or Prime Minister... she is not there yet."

"We need to find a natural leader. Someone who can shoulder immense responsibility in a crisis, someone with that sort of presence... It will not be easy."

Chen Qi was troubled. Such an important leading role had remained vacant for so long. Kal'tsit had recommended several candidates from Rhodes Island, but each had been rejected. What Chen Qi needed was an aura that came naturally.

Simply put, he needed someone born to fit that kind of character. Only if he truly could not find one would Chen Qi settle for an "actor."

But... it had not come to that yet. Chen Qi had high hopes for Darkest Hour, so he could not be careless with the casting. Every role had to be perfectly chosen!

Just as Talulah saw Chen Qi at a loss, Koschei's voice suddenly rang out in her mind, chuckling softly.

"Do not worry, my daughter. If necessary, I will step in. Dress you up, use my manner of speaking and voice, and you will certainly fit the role."

"—Forget it. I do not think you meet the requirements either, my dear father." Talulah's lips twitched slightly as she replied, "We are looking for a leader who can shoulder responsibility in a crisis and endure humiliation for the greater good. Chen Qi has already judged you. You are merely a schemer."

"Hmm... I cannot refute that."

Koschei readily accepted the assessment. He knew he was unsuitable. Even with his agents spread across Terra, though, it would be difficult to find Chen Qi an appropriate candidate.

After all... which lord would willingly lower himself like Theresis and act in a film? Theresis had a direct stake in it and could not refuse, but the other lords had no such reason.

While they were considering the matter, the group arrived at Kazimierz's Grand Knight's Dominion. Soon, as the landship came to a stop, everyone knew they had reached their destination.

"—Welcome to Kazimierz's Grand Knight's Dominion, Director Chen Qi, and members of the Integrated Cultural Troupe."

"I am Ioletta Russell, Grand Knight Commander. On behalf of Kazimierz, I welcome you all."

Outside the city gates stood an elderly woman in knightly attire, a longsword hanging at her waist, waiting for Chen Qi and his group. Chen Qi immediately disembarked from the landship and shook hands with the Grand Knight Commander. Soon afterward, Koschei's voice sounded in his mind.

"Kid, be careful. The city guards around us are different."

"Their bearing is clearly not that of ordinary city guards. If I am not mistaken, they are Kazimierz's elite force, the Silvermane Knights."

Koschei's words made Chen Qi realize it immediately. The rows of knights around them, clad in silver armor and gripping halberds, carried an imposing air that truly made him feel threatened.

This time, however, before Chen Qi could speak, the Grand Knight Commander smiled and said to him:

"We received word from you earlier. We have already arranged accommodations for everyone. In addition, we have assigned two reliable assistants to Mr. Chen Qi, so that you may remain in contact with us at any time."

As she spoke, the Grand Knight Commander stepped aside slightly. Chen Qi soon saw two figures walking toward him—one clad in blood-red armor, the other a cold-faced woman with a slender figure.

"These two are champions of Kazimierz's competitive knight tournaments: the Black Knight and the Blood Knight." The Grand Knight Commander introduced them to Chen Qi. "They are familiar with the Grand Knight's Dominion and can ensure the safety of you and your Art Troupe. Whatever you need, you may convey it through them."

"Please guide us." The Blood Knight and the Black Knight answered in unison. Chen Qi's gaze immediately settled on the slender Black Knight.

The Black Knight was slightly taken aback. Her expression instinctively turned cold—but she soon noticed that there was none of the greed men usually showed toward her in Chen Qi's eyes... He seemed to be looking at someone else through her.

At that moment, the Black Knight's intuition was correct. Through her, Chen Qi had truly thought of a possible casting choice... Although the chances of that person agreeing were low, perhaps he could give it a try?

Nian and Xi Arrive, Filming Preparations Complete

At that moment, amid a range of snow-covered mountains far from Victoria, few people remembered that within this snowy realm of perpetual snowfall, there was actually a country called Siracusa.

As a religious nation, Siracusa was isolated from the world, closed-off and conservative, with treacherous terrain... All these factors meant that its people had scarcely ever seen the outside world. They lived self-sufficient lives all year round and worshipped their gods.

Yet naturally, there were exceptions in such a snowy land. For Siracusa, the president of Karlan Trade and head of the Shiwaish Family—Enciodes Shiwaish, hereafter known as Silver Ash—was the "exception" who most encouraged development and commerce in this conservative land.

"Regarding this Karlan Trade order with Victoria, I have already sent someone to negotiate with the duke. He said our order will need to be delayed. Victoria is preparing for war now, so he may not be able to continue selling military equipment to us."

Recently, Silver Ash had been rather overwhelmed. Victoria's sudden split had caught this president, who had spent years developing Siracusa while receiving somewhat limited information, completely off guard...

Silver Ash could never have imagined that Victoria, which had been half-dead ever since he graduated from university there, would suddenly split apart some time ago. The eight dukes had not yet formally declared war on one another, but even in Siracusa, where news could only be delivered by letters and word of mouth, Silver Ash had heard of the tension in the air.

...But he still did not know the specific cause.

"There are rumors that a television drama directly exposed the corruption of Victoria's Civil Service System, accelerating the process of its collapse."

Standing before Silver Ash was his friend from his days studying in Victoria, Gnosis Edwise, known as Oracle, now Karlan Trade's CTO. He said:

"Although it sounds absurd, the reports from our several informants in Victoria have been remarkably consistent. Every lead points to a political satire comedy called Yes, Prime Minister."

"I am calling in favors to have someone spend a fortune acquiring a videotape from a local in Victoria."

"—Since when did you believe such absurd rumors?" Silver Ash had always found such stories unbelievable. Having studied in Victoria himself, he gave his own view. "A television drama destroyed a country? Nothing like that has ever been heard of from ancient times to the present. Victoria is an old great power with deep foundations. No matter how sharp a drama's words may be, it cannot destroy a nation because of them."

"That is true." Oracle did not argue with Silver Ash over the matter. He did not quite believe it either; he was merely doubtful because the intelligence from his operatives had been so consistent.

"...By the way, where is that knight bodyguard of yours?"

"Someone from Kazimierz traveled all the way to Siracusa earlier and summoned Jian back to Kazimierz to handle security work." Silver Ash naturally understood that the "knight bodyguard" Oracle meant was Jian. He had spent a great deal of money to hire the woman, a three-time consecutive champion of Kazimierz's competitive knight tournaments, as his bodyguard.

"The people from Kazimierz said they would restore Jian's reputation in Kazimierz and remove her from the Commercial Federation's wanted list. On those terms, they invited Jian back to Kazimierz."

"...It seems that Kazimierz's situation is not optimistic either. This land is becoming more turbulent by the day."

Silver Ash sighed softly. First Victoria had split apart, then Kazimierz had summoned Jian back for security work. Everything made him uneasy.

But just then, a strange sound suddenly echoed throughout the conference hall. If there had been any other Siracusans present, they would likely have been astonished by where the sound had come from.

But Silver Ash and Oracle both knew that it was the sound of a "communicator"—and precisely because it was such an ordinary sound, they immediately became alert.

—Siracusa did not even have a signal, and its local network had not been completed yet. How could a communicator using an outside signal possibly get through?

This strange anomaly put both men on high alert. After hesitating for a moment, Silver Ash accepted the call and asked calmly:

"...Who is this?"

"Ah, it really got through. A place like Siracusa has no signal, yet the call actually connected?"

Jian's familiar voice came from the other end of the line, though her tone carried a measure of surprise as well. Silver Ash was shocked by her call and immediately asked:

"Jian? Aren't you in Kazimierz? How did you get through to my communicator?"

"...I do not know either. That guy gave me his phone and said it could connect anywhere as long as I had a phone. I did not expect it to work even in Siracusa."

Jian was also amazed by the strange phenomenon, but she quickly focused on business and told Silver Ash:

"President, I am in Kazimierz now... Also, I need to tell you something. I am not doing security work anymore. I was chosen to act in a film."

"Act in a film?"

"Yes, act in a film. And this director named Chen Qi asked me to call and ask whether you would be willing to come to Kazimierz as well, to play a role that he currently believes only you can handle."

Jian kept it brief and conveyed Chen Qi's meaning to Silver Ash. "He said he is somewhat well-known as a director on this land. If you have not heard of him, you can come to Kazimierz and see his work."

"He also said that you may have heard of him already. Victoria's split has something to do with a show he filmed."

"So it was him?" Silver Ash had not expected that the creator of the drama rumored to have split Victoria apart was actually in Kazimierz.

Even Oracle beside him was somewhat surprised by this news. But before either man could answer, Jian continued:

"Director Chen Qi said he is inviting you to play an important role. If you are worried about being recognized, he guarantees that you will not be exposed after makeup. He also says that only you can handle this role. In return, he can help facilitate cooperation between you and other forces."

"Furthermore, if you need to make promotional films for Siracusa in the future, he can help with that too. As long as you can play this role, everything else is negotiable."