Director of the Ark: A Journey to Success
Chapter 71

The significance of winning an award and changing a country / Kristen and Victoria's filming invitations?

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Secondly... Chen Qi's interest in the Sarkaz and Theresia gave Theresis, who was hoping to bring Theresia back to life, hope that Chen Qi would ally with the Sarkaz.

"I told you before, Director Chen Qi, if Wang Mei were alive, I would definitely introduce you two to each other."

"Based on my understanding of the Queen, she must have a great fondness for you—if all of this were truly feasible, I would certainly use this method to bind you to the Sarkaz clan."

"This is no joke, Director Chen Qi."

Theresis's tone was solemn, as if he would definitely marry Theresia to Chen Qi if Theresia were really alive. However, his seriousness made Chen Qi, who now spends every night chatting with Theresia, feel a little ashamed.

In particular, Talulah's eyes, which looked like she wanted to chop him into pieces, made Chen Qi realize what his fate would be tonight.

After Chen Qi obtained the bloodline of "Sui", he had already found an opportunity to test it with Talulah... The result was that Chen Qi, who used to lose miserably, could now hold his own for a while, letting Talulah have her fun before losing miserably himself...

This outcome immediately brought Chen Qi, who had just been feeling a little smug, back to reality. And Talulah's look in his eyes meant she was likely to avoid thinking about women for the next week...

Chapter 119: Winning an Award Can Change the Value of a Country

"Chen Qi? Are you alright? You look a little tired. Did you not sleep well last night?"

The opening of the film festival on the second day was arguably the most grand film festival in Victoria's history. In the past, even though Victoria has always paid great attention to culture and art, and has never been willing to lag behind Leithania in terms of cultural export, this film festival was clearly extraordinary.

After all, many of the so-called "actors" invited this time are actually prominent figures in the Terra. Moreover, these people all have one thing in common—the movies they starred in were all created by Chen Qi.

Victoria invited Chen Qi to this film festival out of goodwill, and it's clear that Chen Qi and his co-stars basically swept all the major awards this year.

Regardless, the process still had to be followed. After Chen Qi and Talulah, as representatives, walked the red carpet and took their seats at the awards ceremony, the woman sitting next to Chen Qi, who had already changed into a cheongsam and put on sunglasses, was looking forward to receiving an award for her (and Chen Qi's ) work. However, she noticed that Chen Qi's condition seemed a bit off.

Especially when she saw Chen Qi looking like he hadn't slept well and his face was a little pale, Nian was startled—who could have made Chen Qi like this? Wasn't he Feranmut like her?

"It's nothing, I just feel... I might have been a bit too confident. This experience has actually made me realize who I really am."

Chen Qi shook his head and subconsciously glanced at Talulah beside him, but all he got was a rather smug look from Talulah. Chen Qi could only silently lower his head.

Chen Qi couldn't understand why, even though he possessed the "Blood of Sui," he still couldn't suppress Talulah. After all, this wasn't a real fight, just a contest of physical strength. Why was he still no match for Talulah?

Logically speaking, "Sui" should at least be a [god], right? Talulah is just a native of Terra, so how come even though I have the "Blood of Sui," I'm still no match for Talulah?

[Although the host possesses the "Blood of Sui," which strengthens their physique, the "Blood of Sui" only grants the host an upper limit to their combat power; the lower limit is only slightly improved.]

[If the host uses reputation points to increase their strength, the boost from the "Blood of Sui" will become increasingly significant, and the upper limit of power that the host's body can withstand will also increase.]

[Otherwise, given the host's original physique, even if the host's current reputation points could increase your strength by half, your physical body might not be able to withstand this power. The "Blood of Sui" compensates for this.]

Now, the system's prompt has cleared up Chen Qi's doubts. However, when Chen Qi heard that the "Blood of Sui" didn't seem to bring him much convenience at the moment, but might even cause him trouble in the future... he felt a bit overwhelmed.

Brother Chongyue... this gift you gave me is really a hot potato... Chen Qi couldn't help but think to himself, and his desire for reputation points grew even stronger.

He needs to quickly come up with a solution, preferably one that can generate a lot of reputation points. In terms of reputation points, TV dramas are obviously much more profitable, as they are paid per episode. However, the problem is that there are currently no commissions to have him make TV dramas.

Chen Qi couldn't help but feel anxious. His biggest worry was that he wouldn't Protection everyone in the Art Troupe. Now, the Oripathy hanging over their heads had been resolved thanks to Rhodes Island's stable supply line. However, with the Art Troupe's rising fame, Chen Qi was even more eager for strength.

"--It's alright, Chen Qi. Everyone and I will continue to entrust everything to you as always."

Talulah also sensed Chen Qi's emotional change, and without hesitation, she grasped Chen Qi's hand, which was slightly warmer than usual, and smiled faintly:

"And you, as always, entrust everything to us. Believe that we can overcome this difficulty together."

"... With you here, I've always felt at ease, Talulah."

Chen Qi's mood was somewhat relieved by Talulah's words, and he took Talulah hand in return. Meanwhile, Nian looked on with a sour expression, pretending to be engrossed in the awards ceremony, but in reality, he was already starting to feel envious of Talulah and Chen Qi's relationship.

Nian is someone who fears loneliness and hopes to find someone who shares her interests, is willing to joke around with her, and comfort her when she feels lonely.

Now it seems she has found such a person and such a group, but unfortunately... the person she found doesn't seem to have her whole heart, or even most of it.

"How wonderful... If only I had met him sooner..." Nian thought wistfully to herself, but she suppressed her feelings and turned her gaze back to the stage.

That year's Victoria Film Festival was so grand and unprecedented that even the host was a baron.

After presenting a few small awards, the Baron turned his gaze back to the cue cards in his hand and announced:

"And now, we're about to welcome our first major award! The most prestigious and coveted award in Victoria every year—the Best Actor award!"

"Now, let's turn our attention to the nominated male actors who have given outstanding performances this year, and their representative works."

First nominee: Enciodes Silverash for his role as Frederick III in Darkest Hour!

As soon as the Baron finished speaking, the camera immediately focused on Silver Ash. The president of Karlan Trade looked surprisingly serious. He was determined to win the award, but there was also a rare lack of confidence in him.

After all, this award is of great significance to Silver Ash. It can not only shape his image in the hearts of the people of Siracusa, but also enhance his family's influence in Siracusa, and even greatly benefit the development of Siracusa.

It's fair to say that Silver Ash is the one who can most directly feel the benefits of this award, but clearly, his competitors are also extremely "formidable," making him feel considerable pressure.

"Second nominee: Yes, Prime Minister, Jim Hacker - Theresis."

"Third place, Braveheart, by Emil Młynar Nearl!"

The Baron announced each of the nominees, and each name and familiar work was met with a round of applause from the audience. Even the excited viewers and fans waiting in front of their televisions were hoping that the award would be given to their favorite actors.

"The awards ceremony is about to begin!" Amiya was also extremely excited at this moment. Because Amiya herself had not received an invitation, she could only stand aside and watch this scene with the fans. But she still couldn't hide her excitement and asked Kal'tsit on the other end of the phone:

"Dr. Kal'tsit, who do you think deserves this award? Wow... I feel so conflicted! Everyone acted so well, and I love all of these performances! I feel like anyone who gets the award would be deserving!"

"... Amiya, the result was already decided long ago, it wasn't your decision." Kal'tsit replied calmly from the other end of the phone.

"If I had to guess, I think there's a high probability that it's either Theresis or Enciodes. One is trying to appease the Sarkaz, who still need to protect Victoria, while the other is doing what's better for the people of Victoria, because 'Darkest Hour' has patriotic connotations for Victoria."

"What?! I think Uncle is great too! Uncle will definitely win the award!" Maria's voice came from the other end of the phone, but Amiya quickly focused her attention on the stage, waiting for the results to be announced.

"The winner of the Best Actor award is—" The Baron left everyone in suspense, and the entire audience held their breath. In the absolute silence, even the sound of heartbeats could be faintly heard.

" --Darkest Hour! Enciodes Silverash!"

"Whoosh!" XN

After the Baron announced the final winner, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall. Silver Ash was even a little incredulous, and it took him a moment to stand up before a faint smile appeared on his face.

This is enough to show Silver Ash's heartfelt joy and surprise at this moment. This award is of great significance to him. He can even see from this option that the future development of Siracusa will be smooth sailing!

"Awesome! It's you, bro! You won the award!"

"Great! It's you, Master! You really succeeded!"

"Unbelievable... the lord actually won against that Sarkaz regent!"

Meanwhile, in the remote Siracusa, Enshia, Exusiai, and Matterhorn watched Silver Ash stride confidently onto the stage to receive his award, each one unable to hide their excitement. They had been on tenterhooks for a long time, fearing that their master would return empty-handed from the awards ceremony on behalf of Siracusa.

But now, they don't need to worry anymore. The most prestigious award in Victoria's Secret has been won by Silver Ash, and from now on, Silver Ash has become a figure who can go global in a sense.

"... I never expected it to actually succeed."

On Ennya's side, upon seeing Silver Ash win the trophy, they were all somewhat incredulous, but mostly overjoyed. They couldn't help but ask their maid, named "Ya'er," beside them:

"Ya'er, in that case, may I propose my brother's reform plan to the Grand Elder?"

"Well, now that your brother, Your Excellency, has gained enough prestige, I think even the Grand Elder would take this opportunity to spread the teachings of Siracusa even further, wouldn't he?"

Ya'er, standing beside Ennya, smiled slightly. She was genuinely happy with the outcome— Siracusa was good in every way, except that sometimes his methods of offering sacrifices to "Yelagund" were... well... hard to describe.

If we could let some civilization in, making the believers here more enlightened and reducing unnecessary sacrifices, perhaps that would be a good thing?

"I just never imagined that something I couldn't achieve even after all these years of quietly supporting it would be accomplished by a single film... I really don't know if Director Chen Qi is just too amazing, or if it makes my methods seem inadequate..."

Ya'er... no, Yela, watching this scene, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She had finally witnessed just how immense the influence of the legendary director, who was said to be able to shake the earth, truly was.

Chapter 120: Kristen and Victoria's Filming Invitation?

This film festival was a great success for Chen Qi and everyone involved in Chen Qi films. Silver Ash, as the CEO of a leading company in a small country, almost single-handedly made the world aware of the country of "Siracusa," and that there was such a handsome and charismatic figure as him.

It can be said that Silver Ash's award win this time has, in a sense, made the world rediscover the poor and remote place of "Siracusa". Silver Ash's acceptance speech was impeccable, expressing gratitude and respect to everyone from Chen Qi to Yelagund, and even to his opponents.

Silver Ash knew perfectly well that he was able to win this award entirely because he benefited from the subject matter. The character he played held extraordinary significance in the hearts of the people of Victoria, and "Darkest Hour" was of extraordinary importance to the defense of Victoria. That's why he was fortunate enough to receive this award.

For Victoria, giving Silver Ash this award would offend no one and could even increase the Victoria people's sense of belonging to the new government, so why not?

Next, unsurprisingly, the "Best Actress" award went to Madam Sicily for her role in "The Godfather," while the "Best Supporting Actress" award was won by Texas, who also starred in "The Godfather."

However, Texas was not present, so her Texas, Madam Sicily, represented her.

Chen Qi himself unsurprisingly won several prestigious awards, including "Best Screenplay," "Best Director," and "Best Newcomer of the Year."

It can be said that Chen Qi's first participation in the Victoria Film Festival was a resounding success—although there was suspicion that Victoria was using this to curry favor with Chen Qi, these awards were well-deserved, at least for everyone at Victoria.

However, a small incident occurred during the awarding of another very prestigious "Best Performance Award." Both Theresis, who starred in "Yes, Prime Minister," and the Bloodborne Archon were nominated. It must be said that for two of the three main actors of a TV series to be nominated is quite significant.

However, everyone assumed the award would go to Sarkaz, Theresis Sarkaz regent, and Theresis himself was quite confident about it. But to everyone's surprise, the award ultimately went to the Bloodborne Archon.

Interestingly, Victoria's official actions this time weren't rigged. Although there was some smack of flattery, the process was largely based on official voting data.

It seems that Victoria's official stance is that the Sarkaz are a unified entity, and the key point is simply to move the award to the Sarkaz; who it belongs to shouldn't matter.

"I'm sorry, but I have the upper hand this time, Prime Minister."

Although the Bloodborne Archon didn't care about winning the award, his victory over the Regent made the award take on a completely different meaning.

The Bloodborne Archon was unusually pleased to receive the award, and was surprised that he was the first person to accept the award on behalf of the Sarkaz race. The Bloodborne Archon's elegant appearance also inexplicably changed many people's impression of the Bloodfiend as "bloodthirsty and ruthless killers".

Note that this is just an impression; the Bloodborne Archon did not deny that it was true. It's just that his appearance is not as repulsive as some people who don't know the Bloodfiend imagine—that he's a ruthless killer at first glance.

Theresis remained silent, but a hint of unease flickered between his brows. As the event ended, his gaze immediately fell upon Chen Qi's retreating figure, carrying a large pile of trophies and seemingly already heading home...

"Hehe, I'm famous now! I'm famous now!"

"When I hold these trophies and meet those older brothers and sisters, let's see who dares to say I'm a good-for-nothing street urchin. Can a street urchin win as many awards as me?"

However, the sight of her alone, holding two gold trophies in both hands, with one even wrapped around her tail, and looking so utterly delighted with them, clearly demonstrates how much she values these awards.

She's so happy! She's been a director for so many years, and while her scripts aren't great... her camerawork and directing skills are top-notch! Even if she doesn't win Best Director, she should at least get one of the other smaller awards in Yan every year, right?

However, I later learned that the prerequisite for your film to be nominated and for your excellent basic skills to be showcased is that your film must first become a hit. Without this prerequisite, you don't even qualify for a nomination.

It's like a blind date; the prerequisite for mutual attraction is that you have to pass the test in terms of appearance—not necessarily handsome or beautiful, but at least you have to be clean and not unpleasant to look at, so that the other person will be interested in continuing the conversation.

If someone doesn't even pass muster at first glance, it's unlikely anyone will be interested in exploring the so-called "beauty" in their heart.

As for Nian, her films were the kind that "didn't meet the visual standards," making it impossible for her to be nominated, and naturally, no one would pay attention to her so-called details and skills.

"Hehe, I'm sure everyone saw me going on stage to accept the award, right? Now I'm a famous director! I can finally call myself a great director!"

However, just as Nian was still feeling smug, suddenly, a voice from Xi came from somewhere, saying calmly:

"Your so-called title of 'great director' is just based on the script created by Chen Qi, the set design I was responsible for, and the hard work of everyone in the Art Troupe in filming. You only acted as an advisor, occasionally pointing out some shots that weren't up to par, and yet you can brazenly call these your awards?"

"Don't be so harsh! Just tell me if I contributed anything to this!"

However, Chen Qi and his group were not surprised at all that Xi could transmit her voice over such a long distance. After all, their clothes were all painted by Xi. Strictly speaking, what they wore was Xi's "painting". Xi could naturally convey her meaning to Chen Qi and the others through her paintings.

However, Nian, having been exposed, showed no shame or remorse whatsoever. Instead, he turned to Xi and asked:

"By the way, Xi, have you contacted your older brother? I wonder what his reaction will be when he sees that our work won an award? Will he be happy?"

"... Probably. I think my older brother is probably on his way to Beijing now. This time, 'Braveheart' should be enough to prove that the two of us, and Director Chen Qi, have no intention of rebelling."

Xi remained silent for a moment. She hadn't gone to the event mainly because she was shy and uncomfortable with so many people, especially important figures. But regarding this award, no matter how indifferent Xi was to fame and fortune, she was naturally happy to receive the highest national art award.

More importantly, this would also benefit her and Chen Qi's future... Perhaps in the future, she and Nian would need to rely on Chen Qi to explore a way to live without having to rebel or be assimilated by "Sui," and instead simply as themselves, without being monitored by the Yan.

"If in the future Nian and I, and our other brothers and sisters, can truly live without being monitored... I will be extremely grateful for everything you have done so far, Director Chen Qi."

"I am also very grateful for your trust in me, Xi Nian."

It would be a lie to say Chen Qi wasn't happy about these awards. He was actually probably the happiest person in the room at the time, but he managed to restrain himself from being overly excited and embarrassing.

These three awards have now been added to Chen Qi's system's [Treasure Vault]. Although they didn't unlock many boosts for Chen Qi those rare items, they still gave him a considerable amount of reputation points.

"Director Chen Qi, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Just then, a woman's voice interrupted Chen Qi's good mood. As Chen Qi turned around, he discovered that Kristen, the commander of Rhine Lab, was walking straight towards Chen Qi.

"I have a favor to ask of you." Kristen was very concise, probably because he had been in command for a long time and had become accustomed to a more direct way of speaking.

Facing Kristen, Chen Qi, who already knew from Silver Ash's words and actions that Christen had something to discuss with him, wasn't surprised by Kristen's arrival. Instead, after exchanging glances with Talulah and the others, he took the initiative to speak:

"If it's a request within my area of expertise, I'd be happy to serve the Rhine Lab's leadership."

"I just don't know... what kind of work does Commander Kristen want to use my abilities to shoot? Perhaps it's the cosmos, which is your favorite subject?"

Chen Qi felt that his guess was pretty accurate. Kristen, who was so eager to see him, must be hoping that he could shoot some works about the starry sky and take this opportunity to gain more support from enthusiasts.

Although Chen Qi disliked many of Christensen's decisions regarding Kristen Saria Little Fire Dragon, working for people he didn't like was a common occurrence, and Chen Qi had gotten used to it.

Unexpectedly, Kristen smiled slightly upon hearing this, lowering his tone a bit but still maintaining a touch of pride as he said:

"Director Chen Qi truly lives up to his reputation; he even knows the dreams of a minor Columbia like myself perfectly."

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