[200] Playing Television at the Southern Conference?

Chapter 200: Playing Television at the Southern Conference?

The Constantine family is a renowned ducal house in the southern region of the empire.

From the moment the empire was founded and its four regions were delineated, the southern region has always been under the control of the Constantine family.

However, despite Duke Constantine being the de facto ruler of the southern region, the majority of the populace has a faint impression of him, as though he has never appeared in public.

Moreover, this lack of visibility isn't limited to the current Duke Constantine; it has been the hallmark of the Constantine dukes across generations. This family exudes an inexplicable aura of mystery.

Even so, the duke's status and authority grant him an unrivaled legitimacy in this region. Every major decision in the south must pass through Duke Constantine's personal review and approval before implementation.

That said, there is one matter in which the Constantine family has refrained from making any decision: the recent rise of films sweeping across the southern region.

It's worth noting that film is a newly emerging industry that has dismantled old conventions with storm-like momentum and created immense wealth. Any ruler would at least seek to intervene or secure a share of this booming industry.

Yet, the southern duke has chosen to completely ignore it, showing no involvement whatsoever, as if he has no interest in this new enterprise.

This peculiar attitude has left all the southern nobles puzzled. To unravel the duke's intentions, they have flocked from across the southern region to the duke's residence.

....

Accompanied by Winry, Durin arrived at the Southern Duke's mansion from Edward Castle. The moment they reached the scene, the familiar grand structure appeared before Durin's eyes.

As the residence of the most powerful noble in the south, the Southern Duke's mansion naturally matched its owner's status in scale. While it might fall slightly short of the royal palace in the imperial capital, it was still one of the most magnificent structures of its time.

Of course, as a transmigrator with the memories of a modern individual, Durin was not particularly impressed by such architecture. He strode forward confidently, stepping into the mansion without hesitation.

Upon entering the venue, he found it already crowded with nobles dressed in lavish and elegant attire.

As a baron, Durin's rank placed him among the lowest echelons at this annual gathering. Under normal circumstances, his entrance would not have drawn much attention.

However, Durin was far from an ordinary baron. Whether as a Grand Mage or the pioneer of film and television, his real influence and stature far exceeded that of anyone present.

As Durin entered, the eyes of all the nobles turned toward him.

"Is that Durin?"

"The heir of the Edward family this generation?"

"The youngest Grand Mage in history?"

"The legendary figure who created films and television, and revived the study of magical alchemy?"

"..."

As Durin entered, the nobles present displayed complex expressions.

Among them, some young men accompanying their elders had initially been haughty and arrogant, but their faces dimmed the moment they saw Durin. The stark contrast between them and Durin, who was of a similar age, was already unimaginable—a heavy blow to any ambitious young person.

Meanwhile, the young noblewomen's eyes sparkled with interest. If it weren't for Winry's ever-watchful and sharply defensive gaze, they might have swarmed over to engage in an "in-depth exchange" with the legendary young mage.

In contrast, the high-ranking southern nobles with real power narrowed their eyes, their minds spinning with calculations.

After all, regardless of Durin's character, the film industry he represented was an unimaginably lucrative business. Everyone wanted a piece of it.

In this feudal nation, where capitalists had yet to emerge, the feudal nobles formed the largest and greediest interest group.

Previously, they had been unable to exploit Baron Barnier or find any way, direct or indirect, to participate in film production and distribution. Their frustration had been palpable.

Now that the creator of films, Durin himself, had appeared, they were eager to approach him with every possible temptation, hoping to join this transformative industry and claim a share of its dazzling profits.

However, their plans were doomed to fail.

At the same time Durin stepped into the hall, a golden-haired girl in an elegant gown approached, flanked by her guards.

"Long time no see, Durin."

The girl was Daphne, whose appearance had become far more formal compared to her previous priestess robes. Accompanied by her ever-present female bodyguard, she greeted Durin with a calm smile.

Durin nodded, mildly surprised, clearly taken aback by her dramatic transformation and struck by the newfound elegance in her demeanor.

Beside him, Winry's wariness grew even more evident, but given Daphne's status as the Duke's daughter, she dared not say anything. She simply followed closely behind Durin, not leaving his side for a moment.

Daphne smiled calmly and said, "It seems like you're not very interested in social gatherings like this, Durin. Coincidentally, neither am I. Since the annual meeting won't start for a while, how about I show you around?"

"..."

Caught off guard by her sudden suggestion, Durin had no time to react before she led him out of the hall.

Once they were alone, Daphne dropped her earlier facade and smiled warmly.

"It really has been a while, Director Durin. I must apologize for disappearing so abruptly last time, but I had no choice. Speaking of which, several films premiered during the Frost Film Festival, didn't they? I couldn't catch them right away, but I managed to get tickets at the festival's end. They were absolutely fantastic!"

Durin stared at her, stunned by her sudden shift to a livelier demeanor. After a moment, he muttered, "That's quite the dramatic difference. With acting skills like yours, you're clearly a natural-born performer. I might need to give you more roles in the future."

"Ugh, Director Durin, are you a devil?"

After this brief teasing exchange, the two shared a laugh, quickly falling back into their familiar rapport.

When it came to their shared disdain for aristocratic etiquette, Durin and Daphne were remarkably alike.

Of course, this near-soulmate-like rapport caused both Daphne's female bodyguard and Winry, who was trailing Durin, to display subtle but increasingly wary expressions.

After chatting briefly about recent events, Daphne suddenly brought up a topic.

"By the way, Director Durin, isn't The Garden of Sinners Episode 5 releasing today?"

"Uh… if I think about it, yeah, it should be. I've left all those details to the Alchemy Tower to handle. How did you know that?"

"My father told me."

"What?"

"He's actually been paying attention to films and television for quite some time now. The last time he summoned me back, it was related to this."

"What?!!"

"And my father plans to screen the film publicly during the annual meeting, so that all the attending nobles can watch it together."

"WHAT?!!!"

Hearing Daphne's absurd statement, Durin thought he must have misheard and stood frozen on the spot, utterly dumbfounded.

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