[124] The TV Station and the New Crew
Chapter 124: The TV Station and the New Crew
Upon hearing that "The Garden of Sinners" was recruiting actors, the members of the Snowflake Troupe immediately rushed to the audition site after a brief rest. They clearly valued this opportunity immensely. It's understandable, considering that although "Fate Zero" recruited quite a few actors last time, it still involved less than half of the troupe. Many others didn't even qualify for minor roles and ended up just helping out on set.
This time, the enthusiasm among the actors was unprecedented. After all, who wouldn't want to achieve the same level of popularity and fame as those who starred in "Fate Zero"? The release of "Fate Zero" had elevated the influence of movies to new heights, and the Snowflake Troupe members had gained significant attention. They had become so famous that they had to cover themselves up when going out to avoid being mobbed by fans.
Of course, the treatment of actors playing heroes and villains differed greatly. Actors like Chase and his wife were often swarmed by people asking for autographs. On the other hand, actors playing Caster and Ryuunosuke faced hostility, with people wanting to beat up these villainous characters. This negative reception made them reluctant to go out, even though Durin had promised fan meetings to help mitigate this impact.
Seeing their fellow troupe members gain such popularity, those who didn't get major roles last time were eager for the new auditions. However, they were unaware that Durin, using his exceptional memory as a grand mage, had already preselected the cast based on previous auditions.
...
A week passed quickly. When Durin returned to the Mage Tower for his second lecture, the number of senior mages in attendance had significantly decreased. Undoubtedly, many had been deterred by the daunting difficulty of learning an entirely new branch of magic.
Magical Alchemy, unlike other branches of magic that rely heavily on intuition or innate talent, resembled programming from Earth. Not only was the foundational material extremely tedious, but mastering it required learning a completely independent and special 'language'. Only by mastering this language could one wield the tools necessary for exploration in this new realm.
Confronted with this paradigm-shifting knowledge, most senior mages found it impossible to start over. For them, simply accepting the fact that they were no better than novices was challenging enough.
Thus, this time, the attendees of Durin's lecture were mainly actual students of Magical Alchemy and a few high-ranking mages who persisted. Among the few elder mages present were the head of the Imperial Mage Academy, Hohenheim, and those who had struck deals with Durin: Archmage Rosa and Grand Mage Stitch.
At this moment, facing the crowd eagerly awaiting more thought-provoking insights, Durin shifted from his previous boastful style and calmly said, "I believe that under Vice Principal Scar's diligent teaching this past week, you all have gained a deep understanding of Magical Alchemy and realized how it differs from other forms of magic, right?"
"..."
In response, both the archmages and the regular students showed puzzled expressions, unsure of Durin's meaning. While they had indeed noticed the peculiarities of this field over the past week...
Despite the short history of Magical Alchemy, the relentless dedication of its early pioneers, who invested their efforts without expecting returns, had established a clear standard for both the system of magic circles and the selection of runes. After Durin had helped Scar organize all the existing knowledge, including Scar's own notes, from a modern perspective, he realized that Magical Alchemy was fundamentally akin to programming. However, instead of using the 0s and 1s of computers, it utilized basic lines and ancient symbols. Essentially, this world itself was a massive "computer," with mages using magical power like inputting cheat codes on a keyboard.
With this perspective, many concepts became clear. For instance, a magic circle could be broken down into several structures, each corresponding to its attributes, effects, form, and mana transmission channels. Combining these parts into a complete magic circle was analogous to creating a flowchart in programming. However, unlike a program that runs automatically, a magic circle requires external mana for activation.
In essence, although these concepts were complex, Durin's modern analytical approach simplified them. Just as a programmer would think of the desired program, write the beginning and end, and fill in the processes, Durin organized Magical Alchemy in a similar fashion.
Of course, despite Durin's inherent advantage of a modern mindset, he didn't have the time to decode every foundational magic circle. Therefore, it became necessary to infuse new talent into the field of Magical Alchemy.
Explaining all this, it was clear what the students were feeling at this moment. The knowledge, which seemed to overturn the established worldview of conventional mages, was being imparted as a natural progression. This laid the groundwork for the growth of new knowledge.
"In any case, since you've grasped the basics of Magical Alchemy, I won't repeat myself. In fact, my purpose today is not just to teach a simple lesson but to conduct a recruitment among you newcomers."
"Recruitment?"
Hearing Durin's words, everyone present showed puzzled expressions. Durin calmly continued, "Yes, let me get straight to the point. Are any of you interested in participating in the establishment of the empire's first television station?"
"What? A television station?"
Suddenly, the crowd was bewildered, each person curiously looking at Durin on the stage.
Durin, who had no desire to explain further, simply stated, "This is a cutting-edge project in Magical Alchemy that Vice Principal Scar and I are working on. Those who choose to participate will earn some academic credits as well as a stipend. Now, let me ask again, who wants to join?"
Immediately, the room, which had been silent just moments before, erupted with excitement. The ordinary students eagerly raised their hands, driven by the allure of gaining knowledge in a new technology and the appeal of earning academic credits.
On the other side of the room, Dean Hohenheim, sitting in the back, glanced at the lively scene and couldn't help but raise his own hand as well.
...
After class, having successfully recruited enough staff to launch a television station, Durin left the classroom with satisfaction. He then approached Archmage Rosa and Grand Mage Stitch, whom he had summoned, to explain why he had called them.
"You want us to be actors?"
Rosa's confusion was met with Durin's calm response, "Yes, actually, when I first saw you, I thought you would be perfect for two roles in 'The Garden of Sinners.' I've already gathered enough lead and supporting actors from the theater troupe I know. Now, I just need you two. Once you join, we can start filming immediately."
"Uh, but acting and all..."
Seeing their hesitation, Durin gently coaxed, "Don't worry. As highly accomplished mages, I believe you can easily adapt to acting. At least give it a try."
"..."
Understanding what Durin had been planning all along, Rosa sighed slightly and said, "Fine. Since you have helped us so much with the study of Spiritual Soul Magic, performing in a film should be manageable... right, Stitch?"
"Probably... not an issue."
It was clear that even the usually rigid Stitch couldn't bring himself to refuse after accepting so much from Durin. Reluctantly, he agreed to the request.
Smiling, Durin handed them the prepared scripts for 'Aozaki Touko' and 'Araya Souren,' saying, "Here are your scripts. Since the scenes for Araya Souren, played by you, Stitch, are not due for some time, you have a good amount of preparation time. On the other hand, Rosa, you need to meet me in Norsrick tomorrow. We'll head to the filming location together."
"Uh, okay."
Having no prior filming experience, Rosa agreed to Durin's request in a state of bewilderment. However, after attending several Magical Alchemy classes, her curiosity about this new knowledge, including film production, had been piqued.
Even though she had to play a role, the opportunity to witness a movie being filmed firsthand made it worthwhile.
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