Chapter 32: Celebration Banquet
Compared to Earth, where filmmakers have to pay various promotion fees and taxes before receiving any box office revenue, the conditions proposed by the Adventurers Guild are extremely favorable. Not to mention that theoretically, Durin didn't spend a single penny on the investment for this film, making it all profit. Therefore, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
Upon hearing Durin's explanation that "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World" has finally reaped rewards, the celebration banquet, which was supposed to end, continued seamlessly. Excited beyond belief, the group found no reason to sleep and decided to extend the celebration by relocating to a vacant booth in a nearby tavern for a second round of revelry.
"I never thought we could actually make this much money, Durin. It's truly beyond my imagination," Zat, who had rekindled his childhood relationship with Durin during these days, addressed him with the familiar title once again. Durin, unfazed by the shift, accepted this familiarity and chuckled after taking a sip of sweet wine. "This is just the beginning. If my estimations are correct, the real profits will come from the actual screenings. Though this form of cinema hasn't quite caught on in this world yet, I believe the Southern Border Adventurers Guild won't disappoint me this time."
Indeed, the Southern Border Adventurers Guild's goal is to encourage more people to become adventurers. Therefore, rather than focusing solely on profits, their primary aim is to ensure widespread circulation of the film. They are willing to spare no expense in promotion, aiming to spread "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World" to every corner of the Southern Border.
Consider this: the town of Nosrick alone has over ten thousand residents, and with surrounding villages, the population easily reaches tens of thousands. Although there's no official census in this world, the estimated population of the entire Southern Border is at least in the millions. With such a vast population, even if only a fraction of them—say, one-tenth—gets exposed to "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World," the film is bound to achieve remarkable success, far exceeding the modest figure of five thousand gold coins.
Of course, to prevent these folks from getting too carried away, Durin didn't reveal his thoughts but instead shifted the topic, saying, "Anyway, the official filming of 'Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World' will inevitably be scheduled soon. Due to the lengthy filming period, which may last for nearly half a year, I'd like to inquire about your upcoming schedules here. If there are any conflicts, I can adjust the timing."
Indeed, since the upcoming filming will involve snowy scenes, mobile fortresses, and other issues that can't be quickly resolved, the filming period will inevitably be lengthy. Therefore, Durin had to confirm the availability of these lead actors in advance to prevent any situations where they couldn't be found later.
"I'm free whenever, or rather, I'm your personal knight now, Durin, so whenever works for you is fine by me," Zat replied. Durin simply nodded silently in response and then turned to Helena beside him. She didn't hesitate either and said calmly, "I'll need to go back to the Mage Tower to handle my leave of absence paperwork in the summer. Otherwise, they might consider me a missing person. And since you can make money here, Durin, I can confidently go back home and tell them I've found a good-paying job."
"Yeah, I remember your family's financial situation wasn't great. But why did you accumulate such a large debt under those circumstances?" Durin joked.
"I've said it's for a great cause. Mortals wouldn't understand..."
"Yeah, yeah. Can you please clear your debts before talking about great causes?"
After teasing Helena, Durin shifted his gaze to the least noticeable girl among the main actors, the one who played Darkness, whose name he still hadn't been told.
Faced with his inquiry, she seemed quite flustered but quickly assured him that she didn't have any pressing commitments and would prioritize filming if it continued. From her demeanor, it was evident that she had become enamored with the experience of acting, a second life of sorts.
Apart from her, Wiz and Beldia, the two undead, were essentially relying on Durin. Without him, these two wanted individuals didn't know where to go. Therefore, with the main cast essentially confirmed, there shouldn't be any unresolved issues with the other actors.
"Now that these matters are settled, it's time to talk about you, Lawrence. Do you remember we discussed filming an advertisement for your store?" Durin inquired.
"Um, yes, I remember. But Mr. Durin, the rental fee you provided is enough for my Monster Shop to continue operating. At a time like this, filming an advertisement for me..." Lawrence hesitated.
Seeing Lawrence's uncertainty, Durin reassured him with a smile, "Don't worry. After hearing what I had to say, the Adventurers Guild also intends to include an advertisement for the guild in the film. So, this minor issue shouldn't concern you."
"That's great, then."
Seeing Lawrence's smile, Durin asked with confusion, "By the way, where's the orc girl who was with you earlier?"
"Oh, she went back because she was too tired. But she's clearly very interested. She kept asking me to inquire about the sequel's storyline from you during the celebration banquet," Lawrence chuckled.
Hearing Lawrence's words, Durin simply smiled silently and remarked, "It would be great if most people could enjoy this film. After all, the subsequent storyline will be even more interesting."
As Durin's words trailed off, the group of actors, hesitant to directly demand the script from the director and writer, Durin, due to their roles, eagerly spoke up, led by Zat, who played the protagonist. "What will happen next? As the protagonist, I should at least get some amazing divine weapon and achieve something grand, right?!"
In response to his words, Durin simply smiled and shook his head silently.
"Hahaha! Zat, how could you become some amazing adventurer? Besides, I, portraying Aqua, always embody the demeanor of a goddess, right?! I even displayed formidable strength when facing the Headless Knight. If it weren't for me, how could we have defeated such a powerful foe?!" Aya exclaimed.
Again, Durin shook his head in response to Aya's words and directly stated, "As I've said, this is a comedy. There are hardly any elements of monster-slaying or leveling up, so don't expect your characters to become stronger or more formidable."
After that, Durin refrained from divulging any more details about the upcoming plot. After all, keeping some mystery about the storyline was necessary, and it also prevented these folks from spoiling everything.
However, realizing they couldn't pry any plot details from Durin, the group resumed their casual chatter about "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World," much like discussing power levels in another world. Aya's earlier comment had sparked a debate among the main actors about their roles in the final battle. The argument revolved around who played the more significant role in the last battle.
"If it weren't for Zat discovering his weakness, how could we have defeated him so easily?!"
"Huh? Wasn't it because of Aqua's formidable strength that we won?"
"Explosion magic is the most powerful!"
"Darkness... Darkness also held off the enemy for quite a while..."
Each actor defended their character's role in the battle. However, since the battle couldn't have been won without any one of them, the argument naturally led nowhere. In this situation, a certain beheaded knight who had already met his end couldn't help but interject, "If it weren't for Durin, the director, forcibly scripting my demise, how could I have fallen in such a place?!"
"..."
Watching the group bicker, Durin couldn't help but deeply feel that his decision to produce anime was an incredibly correct choice!
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