Chapter 23: The Plan for a Theatrical Version

The black crows circled around the old mansion, and the location where the Headless Horseman and Viz were situated happened to be on the outskirts of Nosrick. At this moment, this usually desolate place was crowded with people. This was because Edward had just received Belldia's consent and summoned all his subordinates here.

As soon as they arrived, Belldia's appearance immediately caused a commotion among the crowd. These people, who had never seen an undead before, now looked at him with expressions akin to those who had just seen a gorilla in a museum. Edward had already explained Viz and Belldia's situation and announced that they would also participate in the filming process.

Although it was difficult for them to accept it all at once, the crowd chose to trust Edward's decision. Wendy even borrowed the kitchen of the old mansion bought by Viz to make dinner.

"Viz and the Headless Horseman, can't you eat anything since you're undead?"

To Edward's question, Viz smiled and replied, "I can eat, but Mr. Belldia can't. After all, if a lich can barely retain a human form, the Headless Horseman, to which Belldia belongs, should be considered as something like a zombie, with all his bodily organs already rotten away."

Understanding the situation, Edward, who had originally wanted to say something more, stopped when he saw the Headless Horseman and Zat happily discussing knight swordsmanship in the distance.

At night, when most people went to bed, Edward had no intention of resting at all. While the events of the past few days continued to swirl in his mind, he sat under the oil lamp and began modifying the script for the upcoming scenes.

Originally, according to Edward's plan, he would at least film a complete series and then release it in episodes. However, now that he had gradually recruited enough actors to shoot the film, he couldn't help but realize that the plot they could shoot seemed to only be enough to cover the part where they defeat the Headless Horseman.

After all, not to mention the large amount of expenses required for the bosses like General Dong and the giant machine castle in the later plot, even the later plot seemed a bit difficult to handle. The protagonist group's residence still needed to be found, and in short, no matter how you looked at it, it wasn't a situation that could be easily resolved.

Therefore, Edward ultimately decided to abandon the idea of filming a TV series and instead planned to make a movie for the first time, stopping at the part where they defeat the Headless Horseman, condensing all the previous plots, and finally mixing them into a feature-length film!

"The total runtime is probably about an hour and a half, which can be considered as a collection of episodes for a theatrical version. I just wonder if the people in this world can accept such a long movie."

Due to the fact that Edward had never seen any stage plays or dramas before, he didn't know how long the people of this world could accept a movie. However, after some thought, an hour and a half should be the most suitable length. After making some modifications and connections in the plot, a theatrical version proposal script that Edward was quite satisfied with appeared in his hands.

At the same time, Belldia walked over from the side. This undead, who did not need to sleep, came to the table and saw the stack of scripts. He was surprised and said, "Is this the script you mentioned, Edward? Can I take a look?"

"Sure, but try not to disturb them, okay? After all, normal people need to sleep."

"Haha, I still have some self-control."

Belldia placed his head on the table, adopting a eerie angle to peer at the script lying on the table. With the old mansion and candlelight as backdrop, Edward could guarantee that this scene could scare quite a few people.

Shortly after, Belldia, who had previously said things like "I'm the Headless Horseman, I don't laugh" and "You should trust the professionalism of a former knight," managed to achieve the achievement of "True Fragrance" about three minutes later. His head and body had separated, and he struggled to hold back his laughter, even as Edward, who had already anticipated this outcome, quickly cast a soundproof barrier with magic.

Seeing the barrier in place, Belldia, who couldn't hold back any longer, continued to laugh heartily while reading the script. At the same time, he couldn't help but say, "Hahaha! Ahem... Haha!! This is so amusing! I thought I had completely lost the emotions of a human after hundreds of years. By the way, Edward, are you asking me to play the role of this Headless Horseman in the story?"

"Well, that's about it, but my filming isn't like a stage play. It will be recorded by specialized memory crystals and then shown to thousands of people in this world using imaging crystals."

Hearing this for the first time, Belldia, whose head was lying on the table, looked extremely surprised. However, he smiled and took a seat, nodding. "In that case, although I would like you to give me a more decent role, it seems I can't ask for too much."

"Haha, don't underestimate the charm of the Headless Horseman in this story. Although he's portrayed as an antagonist, most people won't feel disgusted by him when they watch this story."

"Well, that's true."

With that said, after flipping through the story once again, Belldia suddenly asked in surprise, "By the way, Edward, is there no mention of the church in your story? Although it seems that there are people who believe in the goddess, why isn't there a mention of the Church of the Holy Light, which worships the Light God? You know, those people are very narrow-minded. They might define you as a messenger of demons and declare that what you're producing doesn't conform to the doctrine."

To Belldia's question, Edward simply said, "I have considered this, but for now, there is no solution, or rather, there is no need for a solution. After all, I haven't planned to take the films I make outside of the Southern Territory for screening. The Southern Territory is still under the jurisdiction of the Grand Duke Victor, and this land has not been influenced by those charlatans."

"...!"

Unexpectedly blunt, it took Belldia a moment to react before bursting into laughter. "Well said! Those guys are nothing more than charlatans. The establishment of the empire has nothing to do with the so-called gods they worship. These self-proclaimed messengers of gods have no right to judge anyone!"

Clearly, Belldia had been pursued by the church for years. Although he understood that it was due to his undead status, he still harbored quite a bit of negative sentiment towards the church. Edward's attitude of completely disregarding the church's influence was in line with his preferences and, in a sense, liberated him.

"Anyway, let's go back and rest for a while. We'll officially start shooting tomorrow!"

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