Fortunately, after seeing the lich next to him who was confused about the setting but still focused, Du Lin breathed a sigh of relief and realized that as long as it is a good story, no matter whether it is a group drama or not, no matter what the identity of the protagonist is, it will be able to attract the audience in the end.
"What's next?"
Unconsciously, when the beginning of "Fate Zero" was finished, the lich beside Du Lin suddenly made a dissatisfied sound. The soul fire in its body was rising rapidly at this moment. At the same time, Du Lin realized that the other party might have become a terrible urger and said hurriedly: "Well, this is what I meant by unfinished before. Although I have planned the story for a long time, due to various troubles in filming, it will take some time to truly complete it."
"I see... .."
Only then did he belatedly recall what Du Lin had said before, and realized that he had been completely immersed in the movie without even realizing it. The lich, who had almost forgotten who he was, felt quite strange at the moment, and he couldn't help but said anxiously, "You said it could be finished in a month or two? Can't it be faster?"
Yes, if this lich thought that one or two months was not a big deal before, now for it, not seeing the sequel of "Fate Zero" for one or two months is more painful than killing it!!
To sum it up in one simple sentence, without fate, I would die!
Chapter 88: Come to work in my company!
Chapter 88
"You just said 'can't it be faster'?"
In response to the lich's remarks, Durin smiled as if he had expected it, and said, "In fact, I have an opportunity to speed up the production process, but I need a little help from you."
"... ..."
Unexpectedly, the human in front of him was waiting for him. The lich realized something and slowly sat back in his seat. The soul fire in the center of the skull's eyes glanced at the imaging crystal on the table from time to time. He tried to remain calm and said, "Tell me, human, what do you want from me?"
Obviously, the lich thought that Durin was trying to negotiate with it by saying this at this moment, trying to use the new thing like movies to exchange something of his own, which could be power, the secret of immortality, or it itself as a congenital lich...
But none of this mattered to it. After all, even if Durin and the others hadn't come, this lich would have been bored enough to self-destruct and fall into a long sleep. Now that it had finally seen something that could cheer it up, it naturally found it difficult to remain calm.
In fact, from the moment it finished watching the beginning of "Fate Zero", it had been able to remain calm, but when it thought about seeing the subsequent story of "Fate Zero", which it really couldn't do without Du Lin, it no longer had any intention of negotiating.
In response, Du Lin realized the lich's thoughts and spoke slowly after considering his words: "What I need is very simple, that is, I hope you can come to work at our Edward Studios."
"????"
In response to the lich's confusion, Du Lin quickly explained to it a lot of things about Edward Studios and work. To sum it up in one sentence: Come to work in our company, food and accommodation are provided, five insurances and one fund, and the salary and benefits will definitely satisfy you!
That's right, because he would unconsciously start telling jokes when he was a little nervous, Du Lin started talking nonsense at this moment. When he finally stopped the car, the lich in front of him had been fooled by him and was lost.
"Ahem, anyway, to put it simply, I hope you can use your power to help us create the best movie special effects! During this period, I will not restrict your personal freedom, nor will I borrow your power to do anything unrelated to the movie. Is that okay?"
Although he said so, Durin still felt a little guilty. After all, he was currently negotiating a contract with a being even more terrifying than the Headless Horseman. The other party might kill him if he was in a bad mood, and he really had no place to seek justice. However, knowing that he was in such a dangerous situation, Durin still stated such conditions, which showed how much he wanted the help of the lich.
"Movies? Special effects?"
Finally, after finding the key words in Durin's rambling words, the lich slowly raised its terrifying head and replied, "Do you want me to help you make the movies just now?"
"Yes, actually I have been thinking about this problem before. After all, the script of "Fate Zero" has very high requirements for special effects. The previous two films were able to rely on my ability as a great magician to complete most of the arrangements, but this one is really a bit too much. With your help, I think our production progress will definitely be improved by a breakthrough, and the subsequent plot will be able to advance all the way and be completed within a month. It may become possible!! In this way, the second and third parts of the movie "Fate Zero" can be directly put on the shooting schedule!"
Originally, what bothered Du Lin the most was the special effects. Unlike the other two films, the filming of "Fate Zero" was simply a torture for the special effects artist. At least Du Lin did not think that he could complete the arrangement of all the special effects in the movie by himself. Speaking of special effects, isn't a lich with super-level strength the best choice
"Wait, you just said part 2 and part 3 of Fate Zero? Is there more than one part to this movie?"
"Yes, what I just showed you is just the beginning of the first part. According to my plan, this "Fate Zero" is a long-term large-scale production."
"... ..."
After hearing Du Lin's words, a certain lich realized that he had a long way to go in his pursuit of the new chapters and almost wanted to die. He also said helplessly, "Okay, although I can provide you with some help for the movie, I have to make it clear in advance that I am an undead. Even if a freak like you is willing to talk to me, I don't believe that other humans can accept me."
Yes, this is the reason why the lich was really willing to communicate with Durin. It was because Durin did not show fear when he saw the lich for the first time, but talked to him on an equal footing. Otherwise, if it were someone else, he would probably have his soul drained out and used as a sacrifice by the other party at the first moment.
In the final analysis, this is because the undead have been portrayed as an evil existence like demons under the propaganda of the church over the years. If an undead wants to integrate into human society, he must either hide everywhere like Beldia in the past, or hide his identity like Saeki in the past... ... .
"I understand. I also know the attitude of humans towards the undead. But you can rest assured. After all, even Beldia has opened a tavern in our area. It is very popular. Even a scary-looking skeleton like you will be able to blend in soon. Of course, the premise is that you don't use your power at will, and you can't hurt humans at will. If that happens, I think you will lose the right to watch movies directly, even if you kill me. After all, it is common knowledge in the wizard world that soul manipulation spells are ineffective against beings above the Grand Magician."
As he spoke, Du Lin showed a pure smile, which was both his bluffing and his statement of fact.
In response, the lich, who also laughed, just silently opened his bony hand. On that hand was the lifeblood that no lich could ignore. It could be said to be a bone box that was equivalent to the lich's life.
"Take it."
Du Lin was stunned by the other party's attitude of not taking his life seriously. He first looked at the life box in his hand burning with soul flame, and then looked at the lich in front of him. He couldn't imagine that the other party put his life in his hands just to watch a movie.
In response, the lich's skeletal face seemed to be smiling as he said, "Didn't you say that I must control myself in order to watch the movie? To be honest, after becoming an undead, the thing I am worst at is controlling myself. Beldia over there should be very clear about this, so this can be considered as an insurance policy to prevent me from being unable to control myself."
"Well, wouldn't a soul agreement be better in this case?"
"Have you forgotten that I can't read?!"
"Oh, really. So how did you become a lich? Leticia?"
Du Lin belatedly read out the name that emerged from the soul fire in the life box. Stunned, he stared blankly at the feminine name, then glanced at the figure in front of him that was only a skeleton left, and his expression became stiff.
In response, upon hearing this ancient yet familiar name, the lich's soul fire suddenly shot out of his eyes, and then he suddenly replied irritably: "You ask me, who should I ask?!"
Chapter 89 Spoilers
Chapter 89
The Einzbern Castle is sealed in ice and is located deep in the mountains where no one lives. It was used by ancient magicians to secretly preserve their lifelines.
On this day, the castle and the forest around it were freed from the snow and wind for the first time in a long time.
On days like this, no matter how busy and tired her father was, Illyasviel and the guard Kiritsugu would go for a walk in the forest outside the city. This was one of the unwritten agreements that the newly born Einzbern family had made over the years.
At the same time, the summoned Knight Heroic Spirit was having a friendly conversation with Irisviel, the apparent Master, in the castle. Although the conversation could not be heard from such a distance, Kiritsugu could still tell how the young-looking Knight King was mocking him in a bad tone.
After all, an upright knight and a despicable assassin like Emiya Kiritsugu could never be compatible, which was one of the reasons why Kiritsugu was unwilling to participate in the conversation over there.
Time always seems to pass quickly in the Snow Country. The search for the winter buds of walnuts ended with Illyasviel's victory. After the competition, the two of them walked leisurely on the way back, just like an ordinary father and daughter.
"Next time, we'll have to wait until Kiritsugu returns from Japan."
The daughter holding Kiritsugu's hand looked up at her father with a smile on her face, while Kiritsugu tried to look calmly at the face that could not be looked at directly, and replied: "Yes... Next time, Dad will definitely not lose."
"Haha, if you don't work harder, the gap will be 100 people."
Illyasviel's smug smile was too cruel and heavy for a man who had shouldered so many things. After all, he knew very well that the outcome of this war would probably be disastrous.
However, if you are lucky enough to survive the next war...
Kiritsugu did not underestimate the death battle that awaited him, but he also knew that he must win. Although he had prepared in advance to exchange his own life for victory, what if, what if he survived after winning... ...
However, there are no ifs and ifs after all. In order to save everything, he must abandon everything in advance.
It has always been like this. Once Emiya Kiritsugu falls in love with someone, he will be cursed to have to bear in his heart the awareness that he will lose that love. That is the fate he bears that is equivalent to his ideals.
"How long will Kiritsugu and Mom's work take? When will they be back?"
Suddenly, the daughter at the side asked in a cheerful voice, unaware of her father's distress.
"Dad, he will be back in about two weeks. As for Mom, it may take a long time..."
"Well, Ilya also heard about it from her mother. She said it was a farewell forever."
Kiritsugu felt a certain pressure from his daughter's honest answer. While his body was almost losing strength, Illya continued, "Mom told Illya before she went to bed last night that even if she never saw Illya again, she would always stay by her side, so Illya wouldn't feel lonely. So Illya will always be with mom from now on."
"… Yeah… "
Hearing his daughter's words, every cell in his body was shouting at Kiritsugu to hug the girl beside him, but Kiritsugu was also clearly aware of how much red blood was stained on his hands.
Should I use these filthy arms, which have killed so many people that I can't even remember, to hug my child like an ordinary father
However, this child will never be able to be hugged by his mother again. If even Kiritsugu, as a father, abandons that responsibility... Who will hug Illya in the future
At this moment, even Kiritsugu, who had always considered everything with reason, could not help but stop and gently called to his daughter beside him:
"—Hey, Ilia."
Suddenly, Kiritsugu squatted down and hugged his daughter from behind. This was the first time he truly hugged his daughter in eight years.
“…Kiritsugu?”
"Can you wait, Illya? Can you endure the loneliness until dad comes back?"
“Yes! Illya will be patient and will wait for Kiritsugu with her mother.”
That cheerful and bright voice had nothing to do with lamentation. The girl named Illyasviel intended to end this day of memories in joy!
"… Well then. Daddy has promised you that he will not keep Illya waiting for long. Daddy will definitely be back soon."
At the moment when the promise that was destined to be impossible was made, this incompetent father tensed his whole body, endured the thorns called love, and hugged his child tightly.
... ... .
"Did Emiya Kiritsugu... survive the war?"
In the distance, watching the footage of this scene being filmed, the lich Leticia couldn't help but ask, and similarly, the actress who played Irisviel and Leah who played Saber also looked over, showing that they were very curious about this question.
In response, Du Lin, who was still adjusting the camera to ensure that there would be no problem with the image, silently replied: "Survived."
“Huh…”
In an instant, the three (?) women all showed relaxed expressions, and looked at the father and daughter who were about to separate with anticipation, imagining how warm and cozy the scene would be when they reunited, but...
"But Emiya Kiritsugu never came back."
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Lin, who was wiping the snow off the lens, suddenly felt some strong malice. He turned around and saw that most of the staff who knew the script, including a certain lich, were looking at him with incredible expressions. Even Beldia asked in surprise: "But Director Du Lin, didn't you say that Emiya Kiritsugu survived?"
"Yeah, but I only said he survived, I didn't say he won!"
"... ..."
All of a sudden, everyone present realized the situation. Leticia, who had just raised the question, wanted to slap herself in the face, regretting her boring spoiler behavior. As a result, her expectations for "Fate Zero" are getting higher and higher, and she is almost unable to live without watching Fate!
Meanwhile, as the last scene in the Einzbern Castle was finished, Durin suddenly realized that he had been so busy filming that he had forgotten to reconnect to the live broadcast from the capital! Those guys probably thought he was dead now!
Chapter 90: Filming of 'Fuyuki City' Begins
Chapter 90
A lich is a special being whose body dies naturally, but whose soul remains immortal through internal factors or external forces.
Generally speaking, liches are not born naturally. The most common situation is that a powerful magician is unwilling to accept that his soul will perish along with his body, so he chooses to free his soul from the constraints of the body and transforms into a lich after undergoing a special transformation into undead.
Of course, since human society is generally unwilling to accept the existence of the undead, these mages will basically hide in some remote places after becoming liches, otherwise they will most likely be attacked by the Crusaders or the Knights of the Kingdom.
It is quite rare for someone like Wiz to become a lich due to special magic experiments, with his soul and body still bound together. In other words, Durin is not sure whether that guy is a lich now. After all, the biggest characteristic of a lich is that the body will decay due to the separation of the soul, which is not reflected in his case at all.
In contrast, although Leticia looked like a normal lich, after contacting her, Durin realized that this guy was also abnormal. The most intuitive manifestation was that the other party should be an unimaginable and terrifying individual with soul energy so strong that even the great sages could not compare to him, but he couldn't even recognize words. It was really hard to believe that such an existence could become a lich.
In fact, the opponent was indeed a lich, and an abnormally powerful lich... In the end, Du Lin concluded that there were only two possibilities.
One possibility is that the other party is deceiving him, and that this lich was actually a true magician who surpassed the great sage during his lifetime. However, this possibility is quite low. After all, judging from the other party's various performances, Durin really finds it hard to believe that this lich would deceive him for this, and this deception essentially cannot bring about any meaningful changes.
The second is that what the other party said is true, which means that the other party was not a magician before becoming a lich, or that the other party was engaged in a profession that does not require literacy but can also temper the soul. But this also means that the other party is not a lich catalyzed by external forces, but a congenital lich who was naturally born after encountering a death that ordinary people cannot bear.
The descriptions of the innate lich emerged in his mind. While Du Lin vaguely realized a certain possibility, he quickly stopped thinking about it. After all, the other party's life box was in his hands, and he didn't need to worry about the lich betraying him. Moreover, exploring the other party's privacy without the other party's permission was a very despicable thing for Du Lin.
As for the identity of the lich Leticia, Durin finally did not tell the people in the troupe the truth. It was not because he did not trust them, but it was really difficult for ordinary people to accept the existence of the undead.
So in the end, he chose a compromise, which was to tell everyone that he was an actor with a special disguise like the Headless Horseman.
In this situation, for most humans who cannot sense the breath of the undead, even if they accidentally see the white bones exposed under the brim of Leticia's hat, they will not be very surprised. After all, to be honest, the headless knight next door who is running around with his own head is more eye-catching.
After resolving this issue and completing the filming of all the scenes related to Einzbern Castle, Durin could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He realized belatedly that he had forgotten to take care of what happened after the live broadcast was cut off.
... ... .
In the imperial capital, at a banquet hosted by the royal family.
It had been almost half a day since Durin Edward had ended the live broadcast, and because the banquet was originally planned to be held until late at night, no one had left the table at this time. However, after what had just happened, most people no longer had the mood to hold the banquet, and were whispering in private about what had just happened.
Beside old King Hubbard, General Wilhelm had already changed into formal attire. The two had discussed more than once whether to send troops to the Chaos Realm. However, since all this happened too suddenly, even if an emergency call was made now, it would probably take two to three days. By then, if Durin had been killed, they probably wouldn't even be able to collect his body.
"Any news from the Mage's Tower?"
Hearing the old king's anxious words, Scar, who had just returned from the Mage's Tower, wiped the sweat off his forehead and quickly replied: "The dean has mobilized most of the magicians in the Mage's Tower to search for people, but because the magic field over there in the Chaos Realm is too chaotic, ordinary search magic is difficult to accurately locate. Now we can only wait for news..."
Obviously, the news that Durin was in trouble almost alarmed the entire Mage Tower. Of course, the reason was not because Durin was the youngest great magician or something. After all, there was no system of recruiting disciples in the magic world of this world, and most magicians would not scramble for a talented junior. The main reason that made these great magicians go crazy was that the technology of the magic recorder and imaging crystal was still in Durin's hands!
These guys just paid the patent fee to a certain dean a few days ago, but today the person who invented the patent is gone. This made these guys very angry, and some of the hot-tempered ones even planned to go straight to the Chaos Realm.
Hearing the news that the Mage Tower had been dispatched, the old king was slightly relieved and planned to continue chatting with General Wilhelm beside him about Baron Durin Edward. During this process, the entire venue maintained a high level of attention. The only missing person was a certain church bishop who had left at some point in time.
And suddenly, with Scar showing a surprised expression, everyone, including the old king, looked at him at the first moment.
In response to this, Scar slowly took out the alchemical item that reacted and opened it immediately. Then, Du Lin's smiling face suddenly appeared in the eyes of everyone present.
... ... .
After returning to Northrick, after introducing the corporate culture of Edward Studios to a certain lich who had just arrived, Du Lin started working overtime again to prepare for the film. Not only did he call all the actors who had been prepared before, he also asked Chase to gather those troupe members who were still preparing, and he planned to rush to the next shooting location almost non-stop as soon as he returned.