Directing in the Ark, Success if Not Banned

"—Well, as it happens, I do enjoy the feeling of climbing to the summit."

Silver Ash had no reason to refuse such a beneficial offer, and he quickly shook Chen Qi's hand to confirm his participation. The Oracle beside Silver Ash also silently expressed approval, shaking Chen Qi's hand warmly.

"Then, have you decided on the roles for the two of us, Director Chen Qi?"

"Ah, the script has been revised and we can officially begin. Your positions have been decided; you will play the new Emperor taking the throne and the old Emperor abdicating." Chen Qi clearly stated his opinion, as localizing "Darkest Hour" for Terra was a considerable undertaking.

However, the roles for the Oracle and Silver Ash were quite clear. They were the two characters with the most screen time in the film "Darkest Hour." The Oracle would play the role of "Chamberlain" from the original film, while Silver Ash would play "Churchill." Of course, in the current film, they would have a relationship as the Second and Third Emperors.

"I'll give you both your scripts shortly. Once you're familiar with your characters, we'll prepare to shoot the first scene of 'Darkest Hour.'"

"Then, happy collaboration."

With the addition of Silver Ash and the Oracle, Chen Qi's confidence in filming "Darkest Hour" soared. Both of them could perfectly embody their respective roles. With the actor issue resolved, half of the film's production was settled.

But just then, Chen Qi's phone suddenly rang. Silver Ash and the Oracle, being considerate, chose to leave temporarily. In his room, Chen Qi opened his phone and saw a message from Theresia.

Theresia's opening line immediately plunged Chen Qi, who was isolated from current events, into immense shock.

"Director Chen Qi, I have unfortunate news. War has broken out once again."

"War? Theresis declared war on the Dukes of Victoria? Or did those dukes start infighting?"

Chen Qi hadn't expected this. Although he knew this war would inevitably start when Victoria was in turmoil, he had thought it would begin after he finished filming "Darkest Hour" or "Braveheart."

His current progress, as a film crew, was already incredibly fast, yet it still couldn't keep pace... But soon, Theresia's message shattered Chen Qi's thoughts.

"No, it's not a civil war, but an external enemy." Theresia, having temporarily evaded all surveillance, sent Chen Qi the current situation in Victoria:

"According to the information I received from my brother and General Manfred, the armies of Ursus, Kazimierz, and Leithania are launching offensives from three different directions towards the territories of Victoria's eight dukes."

"Their stated reason is 'to prevent a coup within Victoria and to assist the dukes in suppressing Victoria's complex situation'… but it's clear that this excuse is nothing short of undisguised invasion."

"The situation in Londinium is still relatively stable. My brother does not wish to clash with the armies of other countries, so Londinium is retreating behind the front lines as a whole. But undoubtedly, the war will escalate. Victoria, now leaderless and scattered, fighting individually… defeat is only a matter of time."

"...It seems, in the end, I still can't change anything."

Upon receiving this news from Theresia, Chen Qi couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. He sent a message back to Theresia with a wry smile, writing:

"I thought I could change all of this, but it seems I was still too slow."

"No, I think you still have a chance, Director Chen Qi. Or rather, if your initial wish to change everything through film was naive, then the current situation might truly unfold as you said."

However, Theresia responded with her support and encouragement. She knew Chen Qi's original intentions and didn't dismiss them. Initially, she also thought the possibility of movies stopping a war was very small.

But now that war had broken out, Theresia felt that this hope had become even greater.

"War is a wall that those who haven't experienced it want to enter, but those who have experienced it want to break free from with all their might."

"Now that the war has begun, the possibility of stopping it may not appear immediately, but Director Chen Qi, you still have a chance to change all of this—I believe you can do it."

"You managed to split Victoria with a single television series, and now I believe your film can also change the current situation."

"We Sarkaz will help you, and Sarkota will also help you. You have the most reliable allies from both sides to promote your work, so you don't need to worry that your film and your voice won't reach the ears of the people of Victoria, or even the entire continent."

"But first, you need to have confidence in yourself, just like before. I believe in you."

"To make everyone hear your voice, to make those high-ranking superiors hesitate because of your words and actions, you need to display enough influence. When no one can stop the influence you bring, and they feel fear because of your impact, everyone on the continent of Terra will hear your voice. My brother, all of us Sarkaz, believe you can do it."

Theresia sent a flood of messages to Chen Qi. She didn't receive an immediate reply and understood why.

Convincing someone to reach their peak requires immense support. She had to make Chen Qi feel that support, as if by following her plan, he wouldn't need to worry about anything else.

Theresia also had her own considerations. The greater the future influence of her Sarkaz friend, the better it would be for the Sarkaz people as allies.

As for how to fully tie this ally to their cause... Theresia clearly knew what Theresis had told Chen Qi outside Londinium back then.

She hadn't confessed to her brother yet because the time wasn't right. And when that day came... Theresia believed that a director who could influence all of Terra, as an ally of the Sarkaz, would leave the kings of the royal court with no room for objection.

Chapter Eighty: "Darkest Hour" Begins Filming, Chen Qi Unleashes His Potential

That evening, Chen Qi couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Theresia's words from her phone kept echoing in his mind.

Chen Qi could tell that Theresia's words carried a certain agenda... Chen Qi didn't truly consider the acknowledged queen of the Sarkaz tribe a naive fool. She and Theresis merely had different methods, but she was still a monarch.

However, Theresia's words did touch Chen Qi once again, making him ponder his future path and the future of himself and his crew.

He didn't ponder for long before Talulah entered the room. With just one glance at Chen Qi, she understood what was troubling him.

"...Doctor Kal'tsit just sent us a message. The armies of three countries are instigating war in Victoria."

"Although it's just the beginning now, the friction is escalating. It's estimated that a full-scale war will break out in a few days."

Talulah naturally sat down beside Chen Qi, observing his pensive silence. She also understood Chen Qi's current thoughts and said comfortingly:

"It's okay, Chen Qi. Some things we just can't stop... With our current filming progress, we were never going to be able to do anything before the war started."

"But what we're doing now isn't meaningless. Rather, at this point, no one on this land is willing to do anything to stop the war except us. Your decision to do this already makes you a top-tier good person."

"Don't put any more pressure on yourself. Besides, aren't all the things we're doing now still for this very purpose?"

However, Chen Qi didn't immediately respond to Talulah's comfort. He remained silent. Seeing this, Talulah smiled slightly, cupped Chen Qi's face, and chuckled softly:

"You... you always think of yourself as too weak. You're not weak at all right now. You have me, Bodega, FrostNova, and even people from two races supporting you. If ordinary people had so much power at their disposal, they'd be trying to conquer mobile cities. Yet, you haven't had any such selfish thoughts."

"Just for that, you are infinitely stronger than those kings and generals who only know how to bring trauma and death to this land, Chen Qi. What you're doing is something they couldn't achieve even with millions of soldiers."

"Things you can't do?" Chen Qi slowly came back to his senses upon hearing this. Talulah nodded as well, her tone solemn and filled with complete admiration, saying word by word without any favoritism:

"Yes, Chen Qi, you are influencing everything on this land with a power that has never been seen before."

"You might not know it yet, but Syracuse has improved even the Mafia's conduct because of your film 'The Godfather'; and now, Victoria has been torn apart because of your TV series."

"Which of these achievements couldn't be done by those monarchs, even with their armies? But you've accomplished what they couldn't, just through movies and TV shows."

"You are changing, influencing, and even shaking everything on this land in your own way, Chen Qi. You are doing a great deed that no one has ever done before."

"So, go ahead and do what you need to do with peace of mind. We all believe your choices are correct."

As she said this, Talulah gently rested Chen Qi's head against her chest. She poured in almost all the feminine charm she could muster at that moment, comforting Chen Qi and firming his resolve in what he was doing, saying:

"Let the high and mighty leaders of this land see the shocking power you can unleash, beyond their imagination. Then, they will be afraid and terrified, just like Ursus fears the non-existent second season of 'Yes, Prime Minister' in Theresis's hands. Let them fear everything about you, so they never dare to act rashly again."

"...Are you saying I should turn myself into a nuclear bomb?" Chen Qi found it amusing. However, Talulah didn't quite understand and stared blankly at Chen Qi, asking:

"Nuclear bomb? What's that?"

"Ah... it's a type of weapon of mass destruction. Just one can bring devastating destruction to an area the size of a mobile city, and for many years afterward, no life can survive there."

"It sounds terrifying." Talulah nodded upon hearing this. She had grown accustomed to the occasional incomprehensible words that slipped out of Chen Qi's mouth, but she was gradually beginning to understand his meaning.

"But, if someone held such a terrifying thing, wouldn't anyone provoke them? After all, such a weapon could inflict unbearable trauma on any country."

"What's more, if its range could be chosen." Chen Qi said slowly, his eyes beginning to brighten. He seemed to be gradually understanding what Theresia had said before, about "making the entire continent of Terra hear his voice."

In the past, Chen Qi had been extremely cautious in handling his relationships with people, not only for himself but also to prevent the Art Troupe from being seen as a thorn in the side by other factions and countries.

To survive, he had transformed the Reunion Movement from a violent organization into an unremarkable film crew. He had worked hard to lead everyone through this transition, allowing them to be accepted by the public in a different way, all to prevent everyone from returning to the days of living by the sword and being hunted.

But now, it seemed... with what he was doing and the people he was interacting with, they only seemed to need everyone to see their capabilities for those people to stop treating them like pushovers.

"So, have you figured it out?" Talulah noticed Chen Qi's increasingly bright eyes and asked with a joyful expression.

"Yes." Chen Qi nodded and looked at Talulah, replying:

"To prevent such things from happening in the future, and so that we won't be lambs led to the slaughter."

"Tomorrow, let's prepare to start filming 'Darkest Hour.' As for how to promote it... I think our Sarkaz and Sarkot friends will have a way."

Just as Chen Qi and Talulah were congratulating themselves on recovering from their emotions, Koschei, listening to their conversation, felt a strange sense of threat.

"My dear daughter... you have unleashed an existence that will make the continent of Terra tremble. From now on, he will use words and ink as his weapons and armies, changing and influencing everything on this land."

If it were in the past, Koschei would never have thought that anyone could cause any impact by making movies. But now, with the support of both Sarkot and Sarkaz for Chen Qi, coupled with his talent that was already considered a threat by the high-ranking officials of various countries, he was truly starting to worry.

This guy... could accelerate the division of a country with one drama, so what if his future scripts could bring about more influences of the same magnitude?

Especially since most people in this world had limited cultural education. When so many people opened the door to a new world for the first time, what kind of upheaval would it bring?

Koschei dared not think about it. He could only be grateful that Chen Qi was not a lawless person, and he did not take pleasure in seeing people suffer or countries divide... otherwise, the current situation in Terra would probably be even more unpredictable.

"...Oh well, these things don't concern me anymore."

"I can only hope that His Majesty the Emperor of Ursus and those old nobles are smart enough not to offend the wrong people."

Thinking this, Koschei slowly returned to Talulah's consciousness. He could no longer manage anything else. He peacefully returned to his daughter's consciousness, looking forward to a future that would not lack entertainment.

The next morning, the Art Troupe's filming began as usual. All the actors woke up very early that day because the first scene of "Darkest Hour" was about to begin.

"The first scene is an argument in parliament. Leithania suffers a great blow in its first encounter with Gaul. Victoria cannot stand idly by and watch Leithania's army be defeated, so it also sends troops to support Leithania, thus encountering a strong offensive from Gaul."

"In the early stages of the war, the battle situation was extremely unfavorable, which further exacerbated Victoria's internal conflicts."

"The Victorian Parliament was clearly dissatisfied with Emperor Frederick III's rule and began to look for a new successor to the throne, played by Mr. Silver Ash, Frederick III."

"This is an unjust war... whether it's Gaul, which initiated the war to make Bolivar its vassal state, or Leithania and Victoria, this war is unjust. But at least, for the people of Victoria at that time, this war was absolutely just for them."

"The conflicts between Gaul and their neighbors deepened, and their grievances had been accumulating for a long time, finally erupting on this day. They understood the principle of 'fish rots from the head down,' so in the hearts of the Victorians, this war was just."

Chen Qi was listening to Chen Qi's speech, along with Silver Ash, Oracle, Vina, who were about to participate in "Darkest Hour," Warfarin, who played Silver Ash's wife in the film, and Alda, who played one of the original successors in the movie, "Halifax," but in Chen Qi's film, she was a candidate for another Frederick III.

Chen Qi initially had reservations about casting Warfarin as Silver Ash's wife in the film. After all, the wife in the movie was a strong woman with aristocratic demeanor, capable of making "Churchill" obedient like a kitten, possessing both strength and gentleness.

And Warfarin... seemed too unprofessional. However, Kal'tsit, who recommended Warfarin, offered a different perspective.

"Don't worry, although Warfarin is unprofessional, she is very serious when she needs to be. As long as others don't know her true nature, she won't give a sense of disillusionment."

"Moreover, she wasn't always 'unprofessional.' And as a Blood Demon, she might look young, but she has experienced more than you think, so having her play an older role, as the wife, is no problem at all."

Kal'tsit guaranteed this. Although Chen Qi suspected Kal'tsit of "bringing in capital," he couldn't do anything else since Kal'tsit had guaranteed it.

"It's a parliamentary dispute right from the start? So I just need to act like an old man, both wise and dejected, right?" Oracle, who was playing the role of the original "Chamberlain," asked while receiving makeup from Rob Rata.

"No, wisdom is fine, and a bit of dejection is okay, but not too much."

At this moment, Chen Qi was explaining the situation of the scene to Oracle to help him understand:

"Although your character has resigned due to pressure from the opposition party, you still have the full support of the Conservative faction, so there will definitely be dejection, but your position is still crucial."

"On the other hand, Mr. Silver Ash, your character will be very dejected later. You'd better be prepared. I want you to express that kind of dejection when you've tried everything but it seems irreversible."

"...I understand that feeling. I will." Silver Ash nodded upon hearing this. He was also putting on makeup to look older at the moment. He had transformed from a 1.9-meter-tall handsome young man into a hunched and slightly overweight, but still dignified old man.

"Alright, everyone pay attention! 'Darkest Hour,' Act One! Prepare to roll!"

Chapter 81: An Opening Scene of a Play About Stepping Down? Xi's Lack of Interest in Movies

The first scene of "Darkest Hour" was set in the council hall of Kazimierz. This initial scene required a large number of elderly actors in suits, so Chen Qi specifically asked many local Kazimierz council members to wear fake Aslan or Feline ears, acting as Victorian council members for the shoot.

During the filming, Chen Qi deliberately chose not to turn on the council hall lights. Instead, he left only a single beam of light descending from the ceiling, illuminating a slightly crowded table in the center – this was where all the characters giving speeches in the movie would be.

"Silence! Opposition party!"

"Leader of the Opposition! Clement Attlee!"

The Speaker, seated in the shadows of the long table, repeatedly tried to restore a solemn and dignified atmosphere to the boisterous council. However, the council, now as noisy as a marketplace, was clearly beyond his control.

"Mr. Speaker! My stance doesn't seem to be clear enough!" The leader of the opposition, ignoring the Speaker's words and with the support of countless council members and nobles behind him, continued to expound his views:

"Then allow me to elaborate on my position regarding Frederick II continuing to serve as the Emperor of Victoria!"

"Step down! Step down!" However, the numerous opposition party members behind him had clearly expressed their views. They waved their documents, and paper fluttered down, making the council even more chaotic.

"This Majesty has achieved nothing for years and is incompetent!"

"Incompetent!" The leader of the opposition was immediately echoed by a chorus of agreement. He continued, "We believe the nation is currently facing the threat of invasion from Gaul! Yet we can only sit idly by, entirely thanks to him!"

As the leader of the opposition made his gestures, the camera slowly shifted to another side. High up in the council hall, Koschei, now made to look old, had a somber expression, his face devoid of emotion. Even with the council members and nobles who supported him standing behind him and arguing vehemently, they couldn't alleviate his gloomy mood in the slightest.

Even though Koschei's only experience with councils was at Siracusa's Manju院 and the Three-Party Conference, and Siracusa's Three-Party Conference didn't involve such large-scale factions or nobles... it usually consisted of the patriarchs of three families engaging in talks under the witness of the Holy Maiden and the Manju院 of the gods.

But even with just that experience, Koschei could clearly see from the current scene that if such an Emperor didn't abdicate soon, the outcome wouldn't be a confrontation between two parties, but a split.

Now, abdicating to cut losses and hand over the mess to someone else... was a choice that wouldn't hurt his own interests.

What's more, it wasn't as if there wouldn't be a chance to regain power. Judging from the current situation, he still had so many supporters behind him, enough to influence the balance of power in the council.

"Mr. Speaker, we are in a time of war, a time of war!"