Directing on the Ark, Success if Not Banned

Promoting cooperation with other forces? Publicizing Siracusa? These points did elicit some reaction from Silver Ash.

Currently, Siracusa's development beyond self-sufficiency is primarily in tourism. However, due to its extreme isolation, most people haven't even heard of the country. While tourism has seen some growth, it's mostly limited to people from neighboring nations.

Still, tourism has allowed Siracusa's families and the elders of the Manjuin to see some benefits. If, by seizing this opportunity, a truly powerful director could indirectly promote Siracusa's tourism industry... then some of Silver Ash's future endeavors would be much easier.

Furthermore, with more people arriving, there would be more business opportunities and chances for cooperation with various factions. Not to mention, Silver Ash had also heard that this director, Chen Qi, would even find him a collaborator, provided he took on a role.

"Are you going? Then I'll come with you."

Oracle, sensing Silver Ash's subtle shift, smiled slightly and said, "I also want to witness firsthand who this legendary director is, the one who filmed a drama that caused Victoria to split."

"Precisely, this person is worth meeting." Silver Ash smiled faintly but didn't agree immediately. Instead, he asked Jian on the other end of the phone, "What role did Director Chen Qi want me to play?"

"He said it's the monarch, the head of a nation," Jian replied calmly to his president's question. "Though he mentioned it requires playing an older character, making it difficult to recognize the original person. Still, he needs someone whose temperament fits the role."

"It's very safe, and this identity is quite fitting," Oracle quipped from the side. After a moment of thought, Silver Ash gave his response.

"—Tell Director Chen Qi that I will head to Kazimierz as soon as possible. After I've watched his drama and film, I'll give him my reply."

With that, their call ended. Jian quietly placed Chen Qi's phone aside. She wasn't in a hurry to get ready, as her role only required a brief appearance at the end of the film. Chen Qi had requested that a few people of different races be present during the bus conversation in Victoria at the end.

Naturally, the Blood Knights had the same arrangement as Jian. However, they all knew that acting was just a side task. Their primary purpose was to relay information to Kazimierz's officials, ensuring that Chen Qi's film didn't contain anything detrimental to Kazimierz.

However... the Supervision Committee still hadn't informed them of the specifics. Even Jian and the Blood Knights didn't know what constituted "content detrimental to Kazimierz."

"It sounds like he's filming a movie about Victoria, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Is this our chance to get something for nothing from Kazimierz? Just by providing protection for a while, we won't be blamed by any faction in Kazimierz anymore?"

"...The Supervision Committee even promised me they would improve the living conditions for the Infected." The Blood Knight, responding to the call, nodded, feeling a sense of awe at the generosity of Kazimierz's officials this time.

"It feels like a dream... Although both of us have gained honor and status in Kazimierz, I must say, Kazimierz isn't that generous a nation."

"Regardless, we just need to do our jobs. Once this 'protection' duty is over, we can finally leave in peace, without fear of being hunted or anything else."

Although Jian said this, she still felt something was amiss... The "Silvermane Knights" within the city, and the various concealments by Kazimierz's officials, all seemed to hint at some plan brewing.

No one knew, or rather, besides the high-ranking officials of a few countries currently eyeing Victoria with covetousness, no one knew that their actions were all centered around the prelude to war.

Not just Kazimierz and Ursus, but even Leithania was currently mobilizing troops. The grand division of Victoria had prompted these countries, which still had the capacity to wage war, to want to carve out a substantial piece from the now-weakened Victoria.

The four nations that had once carved up Gaul were now, three of them, uniting once more to divide the land and resources of another country.

Meanwhile, while Chen Qi was still preoccupied with casting for "Darkest Hour," two individuals he had long anticipated had already returned to the crew while they were still setting up the scene.

"Director Chen Qi! I've brought Xi Bao!"

At the film set, Nian, as expected, brought Xi. Through some special methods from Yan, they had traveled from Huiqi Mountain in Yan to the Great Knight's Domain in Kazimierz within a few days. Chen Qi also saw a few people in black clothes who, after dropping off the two women, left the scene almost immediately.

However, before leaving, these individuals from Yan didn't even have time to catch their breath. As they retreated, they said:

"Two 'Sui' fragments have arrived in Kazimierz and have sought out this notorious Chen Qi... What exactly are they trying to do?"

"It seems they want to film a movie? Probably."

"—Regardless, we must report this matter to His Majesty." One of the younger members of the Imperial Calendar Bureau spoke up, "Now, with two fragments under the protection of Director Chen Qi, who is also sheltered by Sarkaz and Sakota, this situation is not optimistic."

"Victoria's division has greatly shocked the Emperor, and he has instructed us to treat this Director Chen Qi with caution."

"We can only hope he can keep his mouth and hands shut and doesn't write anything reckless." One of the Imperial Calendar Bureau members said this. However, the gradually escalating tensions across Terra made the higher-ups in Yan smell something unusual...

Terra's situation was changing, and the person who had tipped the scales was actually a minor director.

If it were truly necessary, perhaps they should report to His Majesty and consider having this director break his neutrality, utilizing his talents to benefit Yan...

"However, it's not suitable at the moment, it's still slightly... insufficient."

Chapter 78: Xi: Please insult Yan a few times in the future.

"Nian, you're finally back! I've been waiting with bated breath!"

Upon hearing that Nian had finally brought Xi to Kazimierz, Chen Qi rushed to welcome them almost immediately. However, before Chen Qi could even greet the two women, Xi's figure practically lunged out first.

The next moment, Chen Qi felt his shoulders being suddenly pressed down by Xi. Before Chen Qi could react, he found himself staring directly into Xi's blood-red eyes.

"Where are the last four episodes?"

"Huh?"

"The last four episodes of 'Yes, Prime Minister'! Don't you have the recordings? Nian said you do!"

Xi, upon seeing Chen Qi, became inexplicably agitated. However, Nian quickly pulled her "embarrassing sister" away and said apologetically to Chen Qi, "I'm sorry, Director Chen Qi! To get my melon-eating sister out of the painting, I had to use some other methods!"

"I showed her the first four episodes of your 'Yes, Prime Minister' and deliberately didn't show her the last four, just to see if she'd be interested in the show. I didn't expect this girl to like it so much that she came to find you without a second thought!"

"She even called the Imperial Calendar Bureau... Don't they know that our affairs shouldn't implicate Director Chen Qi? My melon-eating sister is still young and doesn't understand, Director Chen Qi, please don't blame her!"

Xi: "Don't spout nonsense! I didn't see you resisting them bringing you here either!"

Xi immediately broke free from Nian's grasp. She regained a bit of her natural composure and quiet dignity, then carefully scanned Chen Qi before saying, as calmly as possible, "You are Chen Qi? The director who filmed 'Yes, Prime Minister'? You haven't disappointed me. I was worried about what I would do if the director of this drama had an ordinary appearance."

...So you're a member of the appearance association? Oh, me too, so it's fine then. Chen Qi thought about Xi's critique of his appearance upon their first meeting. Clearly, this shut-in hadn't spoken to strangers in a long time and couldn't find anything else to talk about.

Xi, oblivious to this, continued, "I've already heard from Nian about what you plan to do. I'm willing to help you, but I have a request."

"I can see that you are a very capable playwright, and you are from Yan yourself, aren't you? With your current state of wielding your pen like a blade, within five or six years, the Yan court will inevitably feel the tremors you bring. Entering officialdom, your future is bright."

"And if you have that day in the future, don't forget our support for you today. We also hope that in the future, you can use your pen and ink to change the situation for people like us... who are not accepted, as much as possible."

Xi had a lot on her mind after watching "Yes, Prime Minister." Although she had less of a concept of how Victoria's civil service system operated than most people on Terra, she still smiled at the vivid plot.

She later thought about the reason: the foundation of "Yes, Prime Minister" didn't require you to understand Victoria's civil service system. As long as you were human and understood "human relationships," you could basically watch it without pressure.

Beyond that, Xi also thought of another aspect – if this Chen Qi could express such bitter and difficult politics in such a humorous and witty way, then if he became an official in Yan in the future, could he also change their situation in this way?

Although this idea was a bit naive, and Xi thought the possibility was very low, even a slight misstep could bring Chen Qi a fatal disaster…

That's why she used the word "as much as possible." She didn't really expect Chen Qi to repay her in this way… but what if?

"It's fine even if you just mock them a few times sarcastically. I'll consider it your repayment."

Xi's words startled both Chen Qi and Nian. Nian, in particular, was shocked by her sister's boldness. This timid, silly sister only had a bit of a temper with her, but she was terrified of all her other siblings, let alone the imperial court.

It could be said that Xi was one of the people most afraid of Yan, but now she actually desired to use Chen Qi's work to sarcastically strike back at Yan?

Was this something she could say?! Even her eldest, second, and third siblings wouldn't dare to say it!

Or had this silly sister opened some new door after watching "Yes, Prime Minister"? Was she starting to develop in a completely different direction?

"You silly sister! What are you talking about?!"

This time, Nian didn't hold back and smacked Xi on the forehead. Xi's head buzzed from the sudden blow. Nian quickly supported her, a sheepish smile appearing on her face for the first time, and said to Chen Qi:

"Director Chen Qi, my sister has been staying at home for too long and doesn't know how to speak. Please don't take her words seriously!"

Nian knew that these words were not only for Chen Qi but also for the people from the Imperial Calendar Bureau who might still be monitoring them nearby. Nian and Xi had been much more well-behaved in recent years, so the Imperial Calendar Bureau had put less effort into monitoring them, and they still had some freedom. However, this freedom was based on them being apart.

If the two "Years" were to gather, given the character of the people from the Imperial Calendar Bureau, they would have already reported the matter to the court, and it would be uncertain how many eyes would be watching them from behind.

And now, with Xi saying this, it would truly solidify what they were planning to do! This foolish sister of hers! She was going to get them killed!

However, facing Nian's sheepish smile, Chen Qi slowly came back to his senses. He noticed Xi's solemn expression and, after a long pause, hesitantly replied:

"As long as it doesn't bring about a fatal disaster and doesn't harm others… I'll do my best?"

As soon as Chen Qi said this, the entire scene fell into an eerie silence. Until a serene smile appeared on Xi's face, and she nodded, saying:

"...I believe you. Although you are just a mortal, I think you are more trustworthy than many outwardly pious people."

Because Chen Qi didn't make grand promises from the start, generally, those who speak the most are the least likely to deliver in the end. Chen Qi's answer was clearly made after careful consideration.

"So, can we start filming now?"

"Mm—but before that, give me the last four episodes of 'Yes, Prime Minister'."

Xi hadn't forgotten that she hadn't finished watching the last four episodes. She definitely wouldn't start working until she had watched them all.

A few days later, in Kazdel, Theresis was handling state affairs as usual. Beside him, Manfred handed him a stack of documents and said:

"Prime Minister, here is the report from the Military Committee. We have strictly implemented the new labor laws. With the departure of the Self-Rescue Army and the implementation of the new labor laws, the strikes and riots within Londinium have indeed decreased significantly."

"Mm, the residents of Londinium are still very wary of us, but the riots and strikes have indeed decreased." Theresis seemed to have gotten used to Manfred calling him "Prime Minister," as if it were an intimate term among their trio.

Occasionally, Theresis would still call Manfred "Bernard" and the Bloodborne Archon "Humphrey." There were even times during meetings when they disagreed, and the characters' names from the play would slip out, but everyone had grown accustomed to it.

The reason for the arguments was Theresis's new policy: no Sarkaz shall harm or kill Londinium residents without cause, and they shall assist the local residents in rebuilding the collapsed parts of Londinium city due to war. This applied to all Sarkaz.

"The Bloodborne Archon has complained more than once that he has no fresh blood to drink," Manfred reminded Theresis.

"General, forgive me for saying, but if we are to present a united front, we must first stabilize the internal situation. It is not yet appropriate to restrain the Bloodborne Archon."

"—But we cannot let him disrupt the construction of Londinium that we have been working on for so long."

Theresis now had a different idea and said to Manfred, "We are not just appeasing the residents of Londinium, Bernard. What I want to do is turn this mobile city of Londinium into the starting point for Kazdel's revival."

"The current situation is becoming increasingly severe. Victoria is divided, and the dukes are too preoccupied to help themselves. We must take advantage of Londinium while we still can to transport resources to Kazdel and cooperate with the local residents as much as possible."

"Let the Bloodborne Archon endure a little longer, or find a few death-row inmates and capture them from other mobile cities. It doesn't matter."

"...General, the atmosphere recently feels very off. I have a premonition that something big is about to happen." As a general, Manfred showed a hint of unease. This time, before Theresis could even speak, a sudden sound attracted their attention.

...It was the sound of a city defense cannon, but it wasn't from Londinium, otherwise, it wouldn't have been so faint.

"—All city defense forces, recall immediately! Manfred, come with me to the city wall to observe the enemy situation!"

Theresis stood up almost immediately, and the two of them ran towards the city wall at the fastest possible speed. Several Confessors, in order to protect Theresis, also followed them to the city wall.

As a result, Theresia, who was watching all of this, had already appeared at the city wall, but no one paid attention to her as a mere "vessel."

"It finally happened… war."

"Director Chen Qi, now, will the Sarkaz once again rely on your strength?"

Theresia gazed into the distance, into the yellow sand and haze. Theresia could vaguely sense the spread of the flames of war… She instinctively clutched the phone Chen Qi had given her in her pocket, falling into hesitation.

Should she, or should she not, drag this innocent person into this war?

And if he were truly drawn into it, could he, like Victoria's division, once again halt this war?

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Theresia's Expectations of Chen Qi, the One Who Stirred the Earth

While the war had already begun in Victoria, Chen Qi and his group in Kazimierz were completely unaware of it. After all, Chen Qi had no intelligence network of his own; he merely had extensive connections. If other factions were unwilling to share information with him, he wouldn't know anything.

Moreover, the entire high-level leadership of Kazimierz was currently concealing information from him, fearing that his film might, like it had indirectly influenced Victoria's division, affect the entire war situation—although the high-level officials of Kazimierz also felt this was unlikely.

After all, war is fundamentally different from the environment of peacetime. The turbulence of peacetime might trigger a chain reaction due to some fuse, but the progress of war cannot be changed by one or two movies.

However, even so, Kazimierz's approach was the safest of the safe. Not only did it ensure that Chen Qi's side was kept in the dark about the situation in Victoria, but they even deployed two "eyes," the Black Knight and the Blood Knight, to report on the progress of Chen Qi's films at any time.

Logically, everything should have been foolproof... and on the film crew's side, Chen Qi was also working on the filming of "Darkest Hour," for which he finally met Silver Ash, who was playing the protagonist.

"Well, regarding the military equipment orders you need, Mr. Silver Ash, I can help you make connections—if you don't mind these supplies coming from Sarkaz."

"What a generous offer, Director Chen Qi. Should I say, you truly live up to being protected by both 'heaven' and 'hell'?"

Silver Ash traveled to Kazimierz via the only railway in Siracusa. On the way, he and Oracle finally understood why this most famous director in all of Terra dared to say that one of his plays had split a country—because he truly had that "record."

The information he learned along the way also caused Silver Ash's mindset to subtly change. He thought he was the stronger party in this "negotiation," but upon arrival, he realized that compared to this seemingly unassertive person from Yan, he was the weaker one.

And now, Chen Qi, in order to get him to play the protagonist in this film called "Darkest Hour," could not only connect him with military equipment orders from Sarkaz but even connect him with Rhodes Island for the business of Oripathy inhibitors.

Although the latter was of little use to Siracusa people, as Siracusa had almost no infected individuals, Silver Ash's sister unexpectedly needed these things... He had already been considering sending his infected sister out of Siracusa for treatment.

"You are so generous, don't you need anything from Kal Trade?"

"There is still something, Mr. Silver Ash." Chen Qi also made his own request to the esteemed Mr. Silver in front of him, saying:

"In the future, our film crew may need some filming locations with snow mountain scenery. Although our film crew can solve this problem internally, our set designer might stop working at any time. So, I hope that if we need to scout locations in Siracusa in the future, you can all make things convenient for us."

"If there are any other requests besides this... it would be that I hope you will portray the protagonist of 'Darkest Hour' to the fullest. Additionally, we hope you will help us open up the market in Siracusa, so that every household in Siracusa can see our film crew's movies and TV shows."

Chen Qi would naturally not miss any opportunity to gain more reputation points, even in Siracusa. Chen Qi's current popularity had already covered the upper echelons of the entire Terra continent, with only a few peripheral countries yet to be reached.

But Chen Qi never felt he had too many reputation points. If he could also promote Siracusa to popularize its intranet and television, this would be a stable income, and now he had a legitimate reason to do so, so why not?

"That's it?"

"That's right." Chen Qi nodded, looking directly at Silver Ash's somewhat incredulous expression, and said with a smile:

"Don't think this role is easy to handle, my requirements are very strict, Mr. Silver Ash."