Chapter 147

Martin doesn't yet realize that he has "accidentally" affected Britney, and right now, Britney is thinking about him.

The journey he had already embarked on to New Zealand was just the day before Martin left the United States. His new album, Martin 2.0, was released.

It was rather bold of him to release the album without any promotion or a charting campaign—he simply packed up and left. This showed how confident Martin was in the "quality" of the album.

Of course, his confidence was well-placed. Martin was incredibly popular at the time. First, there was Michael Jackson, who saved people at a concert, and then the blockbuster success of Hide and Seek, where Martin was the screenwriter, soundtrack composer, and star...

The true driving force behind Martin's fame, however, was Michael Jackson. With 1.5 billion fans worldwide, Michael's influence was immense.

After the concert, many of Michael Jackson's fans publicly declared their support for Martin's new album, 663, with their actions matching their words.

Martin 2.0 was released with an initial 300,000 copies, which sold out within three days—an astonishing speed. To put that into perspective, this was more than the entire month's estimated sales for Columbia Records' distribution department.

Even Michael Jackson himself came forward to support his "brother." Despite his poor relationship with Motuola, Michael had no qualms about singing Martin's praises.

Michael Jackson knew the album was worthy of praise. Tracks like Unstoppable, That Girl, Baby, USmile, and Boyfriend could easily have been singles for any other artist, yet Martin released all five at once. Crazy? Absolutely.

The sales numbers for Martin 2.0 were equally staggering. The album sold 300,000 copies in its first three days and reached 1 million copies sold within ten days. Though the numbers began to decline, it still hit 2 million copies a month later. Media outlets predicted that the album might reach "diamond" status within eight months.

This wasn't the age of the internet, where online purchases could easily skew numbers—every diamond record was a true accomplishment, a mark of undeniable success.

The track Baby, under Martin's interpretation, exploded with even greater energy than it had in the original timeline. In just one week, Martin 2.0 topped the Billboard album chart, and Baby topped the Billboard singles chart. Both songs began their long reign over the charts.

Other artists who had released songs or albums at the same time were simply out of luck. When faced with this "magic album," they didn't stand a chance.

At the Lord of the Rings set, Martin returned to a hero's welcome.

"Gentlemen and ladies, I'm back. Did you miss me?" Martin greeted everyone with open arms, channeling a "Return of the King" gesture. Behind him were two assistants, each hauling a large suitcase.

"Guys, I've brought gifts for all of you. Come quickly and greet His Highness the Prince!" Peter Jackson was the first to approach, patting Martin on the arm with a smile. "You're finally back. The Fellowship of the Ring just isn't the same without the Elf Prince."

Orlando Bloom also stepped forward to congratulate Martin. "Martin, congratulations on the success of your movies and albums. We've all missed you while you were away."

"Hey Orlando, how can you speak for everyone?" Elijah Wood joked.

Orlando grinned and replied, "Don't you miss Martin?"

Elijah Wood replied, "No!"

Then he quickly added, "I mean, no, wait… I do miss it. Especially the gift Martin brought. Let's see what it is!"

Elijah's quirkiness had everyone laughing. Martin laughed too and signaled for his assistant to open the suitcases.

These assistants had been assigned to Martin by Jeff. As Martin's fame grew, so did the complexity of his life. The more successful he became, the more support he needed.

While everyone was distracted by the gifts, Martin winked at Liv Tyler and gestured toward Cate Blanchett.

Kate remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the interaction, but in reality, her heart was warmed. It was another sleepless night ahead for her.

Liv Tyler approached Martin, looking up at him in surprise. "Martin, have you grown taller again?"

Liv, who was 1.78 meters tall in shoes, used to look down at Martin slightly, but now she found herself looking up.

Martin smiled and nodded. "You're 1.8 meters tall in shoes, and now you're the dwarf in front of me."

Liv pouted, "Humph, wait until I put on high heels, and we'll see who's taller."

"Alright, we'll set the competition for a year from now."

"No, that's not fair—who knows how tall you'll be by then!" They both laughed, and as the others continued to look at the gifts, Martin quietly pulled a small box from his pocket.

"The gift for you is different from theirs," Martin said with a grin. "But to avoid suspicion, you should still check out your suitcase and pick out something ordinary."

"What is it?" Liv asked, surprised.

"It's just a small piece of jewelry. Put it away, and look at it when you get back," Martin said, smiling.

"OK, thank you," Liv replied with a warm smile.

That night, the familiar sounds of dolphin calls echoed through Liv Tyler's room as she and Martin had a karaoke contest.

When Liv reached the peak of her "singing," Martin cast a charm spell and planted a "love seed" in her heart.

An hour and a half later, the room was peaceful again, with Liv Tyler deep in sleep, content and exhausted.

Martin, unaffected, acted as if nothing had happened, as if singing karaoke hadn't drained him at all.

With the hallway empty, he quickly slipped into the next room—Cate Blanchett's.

The door to the Elf Queen's room was wide open, and she had clearly been waiting for him.

When Martin shut the door behind him and looked around, he saw that Cate had collapsed onto the bed, likely exhausted by the loud sounds from next door.

"What are you—" she started, but Martin gave her a knowing smile.

With a subtle flick of his fingers, he cleared the lingering odor from the air.

Cate rolled over in bed, wrapped in a quilt, with only her head exposed.

"Come on, Martin," she murmured softly.

Martin didn't rush. He took out a small, elegant box from his pocket, opened it, and retrieved the necklace inside. He then walked over to the bed.

"A gift for you, Kate."

"Oh, put it on me, Martin," she replied with a playful smile.

Martin placed the emerald necklace around the pale neck of the Elf Queen. Then, as if on cue, they began the second round of karaoke for the night.