Chapter 58: Premiere of "Goblin Slayer"
On this seemingly ordinary day, Norsrick suddenly trembled once again, and the undeniable source of the tremor was the bustling Norsrick cinema that had been making waves recently.
As for the reason behind the tremor, it was quite evident. It was because the director, Durin Edward, who had previously directed "Konosuba God Blessings On This Wonderful World," had once again produced a new film and announced the premiere of the new movie!
Instantly, not only did Norsrick explode with excitement, but even several towns not far from Norsrick had people rushing towards it, eager to witness the splendor of the new film firsthand.
Soon, the announcement of the new movie screening in Norsrick directly facilitated a wave of communication between towns in this world with limited transportation and underdeveloped information dissemination, leading to efficient information synchronization across the vast lands of the southern region in a short period of time.
The fundamental cause behind all this undoubtedly was magic, or more precisely, teleportation magic circles.
Yes, as soon as the news spread, some wealthy individuals who had the means to use teleportation magic circles began spreading the word, inadvertently accelerating the spread of information.
Banil, who managed the Norsrick cinema, initially planned to sell premiere tickets at a high price, setting it at five gold coins each, aiming to earn money from the affluent.
However, to his surprise, not only the wealthy but even some moderately well-off audience members emptied their pockets and rushed to see the movie upon hearing that premiere tickets were priced at five gold coins each. In the end, he had to set the price at a staggering fifty gold coins per ticket to limit the overwhelming crowds.
Nevertheless, even facing the price of fifty gold coins, which was enough for an average person to live on for a year, many wealthy individuals still rushed to purchase tickets, and the premiere tickets were quickly sold out.
This highlighted the scarcity of entertainment options in this world, where most people had more money than they knew what to do with. After all, most nobles in the southern region still held a stance of resistance against movies. Those who could afford the fifty gold coin premiere tickets were either well-off or owned mines, essentially all being prominent regional merchants.
Therefore, Banil couldn't help but realize the potential spending power of these individuals. Even if he tried to downplay it, he couldn't ignore the fact that the movie industry would likely see a boom in the future. As a result, he almost idolized Durin, the inventor of the movies, as a deity. If there were figurines in this world, he would have ordered Durin's director figurine and worshipped it three times a day.
In fact, the Norsrick cinema had completely shed its past identity as a theater. Not only was the stage completely dismantled, but the elaborate layouts of old musicals at the entrance had also disappeared entirely.
If Banil's stern father were still alive, he'd probably be furious enough to climb out of his coffin. Due to Banil's father's passing, Banil now worried whether his father, who valued the theater more than anything else, would rise from his grave in anger.
On the other hand, for ordinary civilians, although the premiere tickets were selling at such high prices, the audience didn't seem to mind. After all, they knew that the prices for regular screenings would surely drop soon. They just needed to wait a little longer to experience the same thing as the wealthy. What did it matter?
...
In the Norsrick cinema, all the crew members of "Goblin Slayer" had gathered, including some adventurers from the North who were curious about the movie. Almost everyone had arrived in the distant South with the help of teleportation magic circles.
In this scenario, Durin glanced at the adventurers from the North who hadn't seen the movie yet, then turned to Banil, who seemed a bit nervous, and asked, "Can the plan to develop the Norsrick cinema chain in the North be executed? I entrusted this task to you because I trust you. Otherwise, I would have had the Alyssa Guild leader handle it."
"Of course, Director Durin! During the days when you were shooting the new movie, I never stopped working on expanding the Norsrick cinema. Now, the Norsrick cinema has conquered half of the theaters in the South, and even cities without local theaters have developed outdoor cinemas. So, please teach me how to build cinemas in the North! I will make sure that the movies directed by you, Director Durin, are spread throughout the entire empire!"
Seeing Banil's excited demeanor, Durin simply nodded slightly and then turned to look at the main cast of the movie.
Currently, the actors who played the Goblin Slayer, along with the half-elf girl, lizardman, and dwarf, were all gathered here. They appeared quite nervous because they knew they would soon appear on the screen. They had never experienced this state before, so all they could do at the moment was take deep breaths to ensure they wouldn't lose their composure when they stepped on stage after the premiere.
In contrast, Daphne, who had seen movies before and knew what they were, was in a better state...
She was currently burying her head in the guard's arms, trembling, and probably wouldn't come out until the end of the movie premiere.
"You guys... Anyway, the premiere is about to start, and when it's over, I'll need you all to come up and take a photo together."
Although there was no photo session during the previous premiere of "Konosuba: God Blessings On This Wonderful World," that was mainly because the premiere was too rushed, with only a few people from the Adventurer's Guild attending.
But this time, it's clearly more formal, so a photo session is a must. Most importantly, most viewers are used to seeing a closing ceremony at the end of stage performances. Plus, they really want to meet the actors, so Durin decided to include this session.
...
The premiere stirred up quite a commotion. When General Wilhelm arrived in Norsrick with Knight Commander Wilcliff and Ryne, the whole city was buzzing with talk about the new movie. Everyone seemed eager to sneak into the theater and watch the entire premiere secretly.
As for the excitement, not to mention Ryne's enthusiastic expression, Knight Commander Wilcliff was the first to speak up: "Movies? What a bore! They're just made-up stories. Only sissies would enjoy them. Real soldiers would rather pick up their weapons and chop off the heads of the enemy on the battlefield, even if it's just an ordinary goblin!"
In response to the Knight Commander's words, General Wilhelm chuckled. "That's quite like you. If it weren't for your monster extermination plan back then, there would probably still be monsters all over the Empire. You've done well over the years. So, even though your birth village was destroyed by monsters all those years ago, you should let it go by now."
"Let it go? How could I?! Even if I die on the battlefield, I will never forgive an evil monster! So, General, let me go back now. I refuse to waste my time on such boring things as watching movies!"
In response to Wilcliff's earnest words, General Wilhelm realized he couldn't persuade him and stopped speaking. He quickly led the two of them to the entrance of the Norsrick cinema.
Seeing the movie posters plastered at the entrance, Ryne exclaimed excitedly, "Goblin Slayer? Is this the new movie that's been circulating in the streets? The name is quite interesting. By the way, is the movie in this style? It feels like the movies I saw on flyers before were more lighthearted..."
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