[Humans and orcs have been living in peace for a long time now, thanks to the wise decisions of several monarchs and the people of both countries' yearning for peaceful development. However, as the saying goes, everything will turn into its opposite when it reaches its extreme. Long-term peace has spawned countless shadows, which may come from the upper class, the lower class, or the outside. In this regard, what you and I have to do is to find a way to allow the Orc Kingdom to move forward in the tide before the next storm comes.]
Chapter 124: Television Station and New Crew
Chapter 124
When they heard that "Kara no Kyoukai" was recruiting actors, the actors of the Snow Flower Theater rushed to the audition site as soon as possible after a short rest. It was obvious that they attached great importance to this opportunity. There was nothing they could do about it. After all, although "Fate Zero" recruited a lot of people last time, it could only be said to be less than half of the number for a large theater company. The others were not even qualified to act as extras and were purely there to help out.
When they learned that there was a new movie, the enthusiasm of the group was unprecedentedly high. After all, who wouldn't want to gain the same popularity and attention as the actors who starred in "Fate Zero"
Yes, the release of "Fate Zero" has brought the influence of the film to a new level. The actors of the Snow Flower Troupe have become even more popular, so much so that these people have to wrap themselves up tightly when going out on the street recently, otherwise if they are recognized, it will definitely be a spectacular scene with thousands of people emptying the streets.
Of course, in this situation, the treatment received by the good and bad actors is completely different. For example, when Chase and his wife are recognized, they are often chased by a group of people asking for autographs.
When the actors who played Caster and Ryunosuke Akutagawa were recognized, they chased them for days in an attempt to beat these two extremely bad villains to death. As a result, the two actors lost the desire to go out for a short period of time. Even though Du Lin told them that a fan meeting would be held later to alleviate this impact, their psychological trauma was obviously not going to go away.
In short, seeing that the actors from the same Snow Flower Team as themselves have gained such high popularity and attention, and learning that there are new movies to audition for, the actors who didn’t get the main roles last time are now gearing up for it. However, they don’t know that this time, Du Lin has already relied on his superior memory as a great magician to decide on the candidates in advance according to the results of the last audition!
... ... ..
A week passed quickly, and when Durin came to the Mage Tower to teach for the second time, the number of old mages present had obviously decreased significantly. There is no doubt that these people must have been frightened by the terrifying difficulty of learning magic all over again.
After all, in fact, magical alchemy is almost completely different from other magic. Compared with magic that relies more on understanding, or innate magic, magical alchemy is more like programming in another world. Not only is the basic part very boring, but you also have to master a completely independent special "language" before you can really learn it. Only by learning this language can you have the weapons to open up this other world.
Faced with this new era of knowledge that is enough to destroy their worldview, most of the old magicians are no longer able to start learning from scratch. For them, it is very difficult just to change themselves and truly realize the fact that they are not even as good as an apprentice.
Therefore, apart from the real students of magic alchemy and some high-level magicians who still persisted, the only people who took Durin's course this time were a few old magicians above the level of grand magician sitting at the back of the classroom. Among them were Hohenheim, the dean of the Imperial Mage Academy, and Sage Rosa and Grand Magician Stritch who had reached a deal with Durin.
At this moment, facing the crowd who were expecting him to say something thought-provoking again, Du Lin changed his crazy boasting style from last time and said calmly: "I think that under the careful teaching of Vice Dean Scar this week, everyone has a deep understanding of magic alchemy and understands its difference from other magic, right?"
"... ..."
In this regard, both the great wizard and the ordinary students showed confused expressions. After all, they didn't know what Du Lin meant by this, although they did understand the strangeness of this subject in various senses this week...
Although the development of the discipline of magical alchemy is very short, since the initial predecessors invested almost selflessly in the research of this field, in fact, whether it is the systematic knowledge of magic circles or the selection of runes, there has already been a set of clear standards. After Durin assisted Scar in organizing all the previous knowledge, including the knowledge in the notebook Scar gave him, from a modern perspective, he realized that magical alchemy is essentially a process of programming, but compared to the programming in another world, the other world uses computer 0s and 1s, while this world uses basic lines and ancient characters. It can be said that this world itself is a giant "computer", and the magician's use of magic power is like typing a cheat code on the keyboard.
After thinking in this way, many truths can be easily solved. For example, a magic circle itself can be decomposed into several structures, which correspond to the properties, effects, forms, and magic transmission channels of the magic circle. If the magic circle composed of so many parts is separated, it is simply the most basic flowchart in programming. The only difference is that compared to the program that will execute itself as long as it is input, the magic circle still needs external magic power to be charged.
All in all, although these things are very complicated, after Du Lin analyzed and summarized them with a modern perspective, many things became simple, just like when you really learn programming, you only need to think about what kind of program you need, and then write the beginning and end, and fill in the process in the middle.
Of course, even though Durin has an innate advantage as a modern human soul, he does not have enough time to analyze all the basic magic arrays that are as numerous as stars. So in this case, it is inevitable to inject fresh blood into the discipline of magic alchemy.
In short, after explaining so much, one can imagine the students' mood at this moment. After this knowledge that seems to subvert the worldview of normal magicians is instilled in them as if it is a matter of course, the soil needed for the growth of new knowledge has been created.
"Anyway, since you have already understood the basics of the magic alchemy discipline, I will not repeat it. In fact, the purpose of my coming here today is not to simply teach, but to recruit you freshmen."
"recruit?"
In response to Du Lin's words, everyone present showed confused expressions. In response, Du Lin just said lightly: "Yes, let me be frank. Are you interested in participating in the preparation of the empire's first TV station?"
"What? Television?"
All of a sudden, everyone present showed confused expressions, and looked at Du Lin on the stage curiously.
In response, Du Lin, who was too lazy to explain, just said silently: "This is the most cutting-edge new project of mine and Vice Dean Scar in magic alchemy. Those who are willing to participate can gain certain credits and a certain salary subsidy. Okay, let me ask again, does anyone want to participate?"
Suddenly, compared to the silence just now, at this moment a group of ordinary students excitedly raised their hands. After all, not to mention that the new technology represents the most cutting-edge knowledge, the credits themselves are extremely attractive to these freshmen.
On the other side, Dean Hohenheim, who was sitting at the back, looked at the lively scene with a twitch and raised his hand involuntarily.
... ... .
After class, Durin, who had recruited enough staff to start a TV station, walked out of the back door of the classroom with satisfaction. He also told Sage Rosa and Wizard Stritch, who he had called from afar, why he had called them.
"Let us be actors?"
In response to Rosa's confusion, Du Lin just said silently: "Yes, actually when I met you, I felt that you were very suitable for the two roles in "Kara no Kyoukai". I have already gathered enough leading actors and extras from the theater troupe I know. Now I just need you two. As long as you are in place, the filming will start as soon as possible."
"Uh, but acting and stuff?"
Seeing the two wizards' hesitation, Du Lin just slowly said, "Don't worry. As highly accomplished wizards, I believe you will be able to act well. You have to give it a try anyway."
"... ..."
In this regard, Rosa, who understood what the other party had been planning, sighed slightly and then said, "Whatever, since Master Durin has given us such great help in the spiritual and soul disciplines, it should be no problem to just perform... ..right, Stritch?"
"Probably... ..no."
Obviously, the mouth that eats the food is soft, and the hand that takes the food is short. Even the seemingly strict Stritch could not say no and agreed to Du Lin's request.
In response to this, Du Lin smiled immediately and took out the role scripts of 'Aozaki Touko' and 'Araya Soren' that he had prepared long ago. He smiled and handed them to the two people in front of him, saying, "Then you should take the scripts first. Because the character Araya Soren played by you, Master Stritch, has not been subdivided in the plot yet, you still have a long time to prepare. In contrast, Sage Rosa, you have to come to Northrick where I am tomorrow to gather, and then we will set off together to the city where the filming is taking place!"
"Uh, okay."
Rosa, who had never had any filming experience, agreed to Durin's words almost blindly. Of course, after attending several courses on magic alchemy, she did become curious about this new knowledge, including the production of movies.
Right now, even though she is asked to play a role, it would not be a big loss if she could see the filming of a movie during this period.
Chapter 125: Three Episodes in a Row
Chapter 125
Early the next morning, Durin gathered a large group of people in front of the only teleportation array in Northrick and prepared for the inter-town teleportation.
These days, Northrick's teleportation array service has been more popular than ever. You should know that in the past, this teleportation array might not be lit for several months, and the high-level magicians in charge of the teleportation array stayed in the Mage Tower most of the time.
However, with the popularity of the movie, the teleportation array can be seen shining almost every day. The high-level magician who owns the energy point of the Northric teleportation array has even made a fortune during this period, and has become one of the few hidden rich people in the Mage Tower. Of course, he also knows who has brought him so much wealth, so he completed the transaction with Du Lin privately early on. At least Du Lin and the people he called did not have to pay a penny in handling fees when using the teleportation array.
In short, Durin, who had already made plans, took a look at the bustling crowd, then decisively opened the teleportation array, and in the next moment, everyone present suddenly came to the town, Winter City, which was previously designated by Durin as a possible filming location in the future.
Yes, since the setting of "Kara no Kyoukai" is completely the modern world like "Fate Zero", what Du Lin needs to adjust are mainly the plot issues. The requirements for the location are not very high, or the only requirement is just a very tall building to overlook the scenery.
For this reason, Durin decisively chose the North as the filming location, because Winterfell and several cities around it had extremely high walls built during the war, which made them perfect as filming locations.
Therefore, as early as when he decided to film "Kara no Kyoukai", he had already agreed with Guild President Elisa, whom he had not seen in the North for a long time, to come to this distant border city to shoot the movie.
... ... .
The reunion with Guild President Elisa went very smoothly, or perhaps it was because of the other party's inexplicable attitude, that Du Lin and his companions were treated as VIPs. With all kinds of guides and waiters following closely along the way, Du Lin estimated that if the other party hung a banner on the scene, it would be like a company from another world welcoming leaders who came to inspect.
After a conversation with Guild Leader Alyssa, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Durin finally understood the reason for this. It was all because of the movie "Goblin Slayer" that was previously released in the North.
Yes, the release of "Goblin Slayer" in the North not only solved the problem of reckless young adventurers in the North, but also promoted tourism in the North to some extent.
During this period, many wealthy businessmen in the South and some nobles who were willing to accept movies became interested in the North, the most dangerous land in the empire, after watching "Goblin Slayer". While bringing enough guards, they all came here fearlessly to see what the environment of Goblin Slayer was like.
In fact, this is indeed natural. After all, Dooling clearly stated the filming location in "Goblin Slayer". Anyone who is a little careful will notice it. In this case, as the influence of the movie gradually expands, it is completely expected that the tourism industry brought by the cultural industry will flourish.
Of course, for the Duke of the North who has inexplicably enjoyed the economic benefits brought by the tourism industry, he naturally has to thank Durin and the Northern Adventurers' Guild that filmed "Goblin Slayer". This has directly led to the improvement of Guild President Elisa's voice in the North, which is why the current treatment that can be said to be meticulous care has come about.
However, although this treatment was indeed very comfortable, and many actors even felt flattered, after arriving at the Adventurer's Guild, Durin immediately asked Guild President Alyssa to remove this kind of ceremony, and said simply: "Ahem, I brought these people here to make a movie, not to travel. It's too weird for you to use the same tactics you use to deal with merchants and nobles."
In response, Alyssa, who had just reacted, said helplessly: "There is nothing we can do about it. After all, some nobles just like this kind of thing. I thought Director Du Lin, you are also a noble and would like this kind of ceremony..."
"Pfft, your misunderstanding is really stereotyped. Anyway, tell these people to stop it. Is the venue I asked you to build ready?"
After hearing what Durin said, Guild President Elisa nodded and said, "Well, I have already discussed this with the nobles who manage those abandoned city walls. In fact, they are also very happy that these abandoned buildings can be revitalized through the movie shot by Director Durin. Of course, I guess they actually hope that those places can also develop tourism like the previous "Goblin Slayer"."
"If that's the case, then there's no problem. Guild Master Alyssa will take us to the agreed-upon filming location. I'm going to explain the script to the actors first."
As he said that, Du Lin slowly turned around, and behind him, all the actors of the first chapter of "Kara no Kyoukai" had gathered here. Of course, the number of main actors in "Kara no Kyoukai" was much less than that of "Fate Zero", so most of them were just ordinary extras, and only a few were the main participants in this movie.
However, as the leading actress, except for the Great Sage Rosa who was specially called by Durin to play Aozaki Touko, the actress who played Ryougi Shiki was not from the Snow Flower Troupe. She was a young girl who Durin selected based on the last audition under General Wilhelm. Because her appearance and temperament were very similar to Ryougi Shiki, he chose her as the female lead without any doubt.
The reason for choosing people from the army was mainly because they were the elite of the empire and had the absolute strength to complete the difficult actions in the story. Otherwise, if he just found an ordinary person from the troupe, Du Lin really couldn't think of how to let ordinary people perform the battle between Ryougi Shiki in the plot.
As for the actor who plays Mikiya Kuroto, he is an ordinary member of the Snow Flower Troupe. He also played Weber in "Fate Zero" and played an insignificant passerby role in the clock tower section. Because of his temperament and acting skills, he was selected by Durin after the audition.
Originally, Doolin was worried that the two actors came from different places and there might be deviations when performing such a plot, so he planned to let them get used to each other first. However, to his surprise, when the actors were selected and gathered together, he found out that the actor who played Ryougi Shiki and the actor who played Kuroto Mikiya were childhood sweethearts who had known each other since childhood. They had only met less frequently over the years because of their respective ambitions. Now that they got together again for acting, they recognized each other in an instant.
Du Lin, who just learned about this situation, was also surprised for a while. After all, he chose the cast completely based on his intuition, and he didn't expect to pick such a pair of childhood sweethearts with a very good relationship so accurately. However, this also saved him from spending time for the male and female protagonists to get used to each other, which is why all the preparations before shooting were completed in just one week.
In short, in addition to the three main actors in "Kara no Kyoukai", there is another main actor, and that is the boss, Mujo Kirie. But in fact, rather than being an actor, it is better to say that she is a supporting role playing her true self. That's right, the actor who plays Mujo Kirie is the undead banshee summoned by Leticia after she asked Saeki for some magic materials, and the number of summons is according to the number in the "Kara no Kyoukai" script.
After the cast was assembled, the filming of "Kara no Kyoukai" started at the fastest speed. This time, Du Lin did not even think of broadcasting the entire seven chapters of "Kara no Kyoukai" episode by episode. As the premiere of the TV, he planned to broadcast three episodes in a row! !
To this end, he has thoroughly arranged his entire summer schedule, and while all his time is fully booked, there is still more than enough time for the subsequent filming of "Fate Zero"!
Chapter 126 Preparations before the Release
Chapter 126
A month passed. Although the lunar calendar of this world was different from that of the other world, it was at most mid-July. After finishing a series of troubles, Durin finally returned to the Alchemy Tower of the Imperial Mage Academy. At this moment, the Alchemy Tower had changed a lot compared to the past. At least the appearance was much cleaner, not to mention that the smell of people inside was getting stronger and stronger. Of course, compared to the luxurious and upscale Mage Tower next door, the Alchemy Tower today is still a magician organization that cannot be called large-scale.
Compared with a month ago, the biggest difference of the Alchemy Tower today is nothing else but the huge magic circle engraved on the top of the tower that can be seen from afar. Although not everyone can understand the function of this complex magic circle, every magician can realize the complexity of this magic circle.
But in fact, although it looks complicated, after completely following the programming ideas and nested concepts given by Du Lin, this seemingly complex magic circle is actually just a matter of time to make as long as there is a clear idea.
“Although I had thought about the transition from cable TV to wireless, it was still shocking to see it in person…”
Yes, in the invention of television, the unreasonable logic of this alien world called magic played a role again, completing the nested magic circles to build a special field with invisible connections, and acted as a signal tower. Based on the previously designed video phone, as long as an 'antenna' that can receive the signal from the signal tower is 'plugged' into the phone, the prototype of television is completed.
After all, although magical alchemy is only a new discipline, human research in other magical fields has already reached an astonishing level. To use modern knowledge to make an analogy, it is like a civilization that has not even invented the telephone but has directly developed a nuclear bomb.
In this case, even though magical alchemy has just been born, the knowledge in other disciplines can make up for this discipline, allowing it to break through one difficulty after another in the research field at a speed that seems to be unleashed. Here, we must also thank a certain dean. If he had not joined the research of magical alchemy at an old age and played a leading role, it would probably take a long time for this "signal tower" to be completed.
"How does it feel to have a magic circle of at least quasi-fifth level above your head?"
In response to Du Lin's teasing, Scar just said helplessly with dark circles under his eyes: "Who told you to install this thing on the top of the tower?"
"In order to facilitate the transmission of magic power, the higher the better. If you don't want to, you can also ask the people in the Mage Tower to dismantle the protective sixth-level magic circle on the top. Anyway, it is impossible for a fool to attack this place where the most magicians gather these days."
“… … ..”
Scar was too lazy to talk to Durin. Although he looked very tired, he was obviously still very excited. This was natural. As a major project that had not appeared in the field of magic alchemy for a long time, Scar felt that he had no regrets in his life just by being able to complete it this time. Even if he died suddenly on the spot now, he could go to see his brother with his eyes closed and proudly tell him the current status of the field of magic alchemy. He also knew that all of this was brought about by the young man in front of him.
"Okay, stop standing there and go in first. Have you applied for a patent for the television? How do those old men react?"
"Well, the application has been completed. After all, the dean himself was involved in this patent, so it was easily approved. As for other mages, they don't seem to know what the TV is for, so not all mages have accepted this new thing..."
"Is that so? Don't worry. Anyway, Kara no Kyoukai will be broadcasted exclusively on TV. As long as we give them some hype, these magicians won't take the bait. By the way, how are the preparations for the magic TV station?"
"Yes, it has been tested and is fully functional. Due to the unique properties of the teleportation array, the range of the magic signal transmission is even enough to cover the entire empire. However, the farther away from the empire, the more magic power is consumed. We haven't conducted enough experiments yet, so we don't know what the range of this value is."
"I see... ... "
As they talked, the two walked into the Alchemy Tower and went directly to the top floor through the teleportation array. Compared with Scar's chaotic private office before, this place has now completely become a public TV station office. While the students of the magic alchemy department are busy running around, several great wizards including Dean Hohenheim are debugging the edges and corners of the huge magic circle in the center. This seemingly meaningless action actually affects the operation of the entire magic circle to a great extent. It is also thanks to the huge mental power of Dean Hohenheim, a sixth-level great sage, who takes the lead, otherwise there are many details that even Durin would not notice.
"Hey, you're finally back, how's it going, have you finished shooting the new movie?"
Dean Hohenheim asked this question immediately upon seeing Durin's arrival. Dulin, who was confused for a moment, asked the other party and found out that Rosa and Stritch had let the cat out of the bag before, so that many great wizards, including the dean, knew some of the content of the new movie. Although it was spoiled, the amount of spoilers was not large and they were all very attractive settings. The entire Wizard Tower is now looking forward to the release of "Kara no Kyoukai". Unfortunately, most of them did not know that "Kara no Kyoukai" was broadcast on TV, otherwise these magicians would have rushed to apply for patents.
"Ahem, the filming has been completed anyway, and the release date will probably be decided once you guys have finished the preparations. Before that, we still have to do some promotion first."
"Didn't you say that this was just a test, so it would only be broadcast in the Imperial Mage Academy?"
In response to Hohenheim's surprise, Durin and Scar next to him just smiled at each other, and then the former said, "Yes, but that was just a test of the magic TV. In addition, the test of our first quasi-magic alchemy tool will also begin at the same time."
"What do you mean? Magical alchemy tools? You mean..."
In response to Hohenheim's surprise, Durin just smiled and took out a piece of black peculiar ore in his hand, and said, "The last time the caravan from the Dwarf Kingdom came, they just brought the batch of magic stones I wanted. This kind of ore, which contains magic power but ordinary magicians cannot extract the magic power from it, has never been in demand in the human empire. But that is only for ordinary magicians. In fact, for us magic alchemists, this thing is much more valuable than gold. It is a brand new energy that can truly change the world!"
"Magic Stone..."
Looking at the ore in Du Lin's hand that exuded a certain amount of magic power, Dean Hohenheim, who had already understood what he meant, sighed and nodded, "Energy... Energy... I see. I didn't expect that I could still see the day when the world changes at my age. Is this a good thing or a bad thing..."
In short, as Durin handed the magic stone to Scar, the first true magic alchemy item in the human world - 'TV' was officially manufactured.
... ... ..
When Durin finished dealing with the Imperial Mage Academy and returned to Northrick, Barnil came to find him. Knowing his intention, Durin asked without thinking, "Have you completed the plan to acquire and build a tavern in Northrick?"
In response to Du Lin's question, Viscount Banil confidently said, "It's done. Director Du Lin, the area division you gave me was perfect. With enough money, I only took three days to complete the acquisition of the tavern. As for the new tavern, construction started a week ago and it is expected to be completed in a few days."
"Yes, we have only one hundred TV sets for sale for the first time. Including the fifty for sample use, the remaining fifty and a certain amount of imaging crystals will be sold. Have you contacted any merchants who are interested in this?"
"Of course, these businessmen have been planning to sell imaging crystals to me for a long time, but I have not done anything because Director Du Lin said that we cannot promote piracy. Now that I have announced that I can sell imaging crystals, these guys are rushing to take the order like hungry wolves."
"Sure, as long as someone is willing to take over. As for the choice of person, it's up to you, Barnil. The proceeds from this will be directly invested in the production and promotion of taverns. Our goal is to ensure that every town in the southern border has enough taverns that can watch TV within this year."
"Of course, I will try my best!"
Although it was just a polite remark, it was obvious that Barnil really cared about this matter. Even though he didn't understand the point of Durin setting up this TV tavern at first, after all, it seemed that it was far from making as much money as movies, but after the other party explained and showed him a magnificent picture of the future world, the viscount immediately became the vanguard of promoting the TV tavern. He even wanted to pay for the plan himself, but unfortunately, the most critical issue for the TV tavern was not money, but technical issues. At present, it was only promoted in Northrick because they planned to conduct a pilot project here first.
"Okay, I've already prepared everything at the Imperial Mage Academy. Once Northrick has completed the basic publicity and preparation work, the new film will officially begin showing."
The benefit of shooting "Kara no Kyoukai" almost according to the schedule during this period has finally shown itself, and the subsequent preparations can be said to have started smoothly. Of course, Du Lin has only now noticed a mistake he made, that is, no matter whether it is the previous movies, phone calls, or the current TV, the basis of the names are all from another world, and the reason why the other world uses this name is actually determined by the energy itself. Logically, the movies, phone calls, and TVs in this world should be called Magic Shadows, Magic Words, and Magic Visions. However, because he was really not used to it, Du Lin finally did not correct this mistake in the terminology. After all, most people tend not to care about the problem of the name itself.
In short, as long as the pilot screenings at the Imperial Mage Academy and Northrick are successful, he can then promote it on TV as soon as possible. This will also mean that when he shoots the live-action version of the anime next time, he won't have to stick to the single broadcast mode of movies, but can allow the audience to enjoy more fun.
Therefore, under Durin's expectation, the TV Tavern completed the infrastructure construction in Northrick as soon as possible. The tavern, which was almost a new-age activity room for the elderly, had an appearance almost the same as other taverns, but the most unique thing was the box with a special appearance placed in the center. There were all kinds of incomprehensible rune patterns on the bottom of the box, and a base that was slightly flickering and connected to a black magic stone made it even more difficult to understand the purpose of this prop.
For ordinary people, magic symbolizes incomprehension and inaccessibility, so no matter how curious they are, facing such an exquisite magic prop, they dare not go forward directly or ask. Most people turn around and leave after looking at it from a distance.