Chapter 154: Preparations Underway for the Frost Film Festival!
The greater the dream, the harsher the reality.
To prepare for the Frost Film Festival, Durin decided to have four films begin shooting simultaneously at different locations. On paper, this seemed like a flawless plan, maximizing efficiency to produce several movies at once.
However, once the actual work began, Durin quickly realized what a nightmare it would be.
His promising day ended the moment he woke up, as Durin was forced to start preparing for the filming of Steins;Gate without even having time to brush his teeth or wash his face.
But before he could finish his preparations, word came from Chase's team that just one day into the production of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, they were already running into problems.
As a result, Durin had to drop everything and rush to Norsrick in the South to resolve a series of issues on set, including but not limited to actors causing trouble, a small-scale strike led primarily by Aya, magical power blockages in the filming equipment due to the snowy environment, and even a ghost created by Wiz going on a rampage, which began to affect the entire city...
By the time Durin resolved everything, the day was nearly over. Exhausted, he returned to the Imperial Mage Academy, only to be ambushed by Scar before he could even rest.
The alchemical product known as television still lacked quality assurance, and Durin, being the most skilled magical alchemist, had to personally fix the numerous issues cropping up.
Thus, he worked through the night, casting over thirty layers of buffs on himself to successfully repair all the televisions.
And then he realized it was already morning.
But before he could even take a break, the cast of Steins;Gate, including Gebrun, arrived at his door as planned to begin filming.
Despite the bloodshot eyes and the overwhelming fatigue, Durin gritted his teeth, nodded, and dragged himself to the prepared set in the clubroom at the Imperial Mage Academy.
After a chaotic setup, Durin finally announced with a loud voice:
"Actors ready, all stages prepped. Now, Steins;Gate: The Butterfly Effect of Fate begins filming!"
With that, Durin nearly collapsed, his mental energy utterly drained.
And with the filming of The Garden of Sinners still ahead of him, Durin didn't even have the strength left to force a bitter smile.
...
The Eastern Region of the Empire, the coastal city of Arkance.
Durin had visited Arkance once before when filming Fate/Zero. The traces left behind by the production had transformed this city into a popular tourist destination for people from the Southern Region.
Although there were no cinemas yet in the Eastern Region, the sudden influx of tourists had sparked the locals' curiosity about this new phenomenon called film. Some were so captivated by the movies sweeping through the Southern Region that they even traveled there just to watch one. A portion of these Easterners, deeply enamored, decided not to return home and instead settled in the South.
This time, Durin returned to Arkance specifically to film The Garden of Sinners: Episode 5 - Paradox Spiral. He made the journey because, as previously explained, he had filmed the first four episodes of The Garden of Sinners in one go, but only released three. This was a precaution to have a backlog in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Thus, he was now here to shoot the fifth episode, Paradox Spiral.
The reason for choosing Arkance in the Eastern Region was straightforward: the massive skyscraper depicted in Paradox Spiral could only be found in a bustling coastal city like this.
The world Durin inhabited was vast, with a variety of races beyond the seas, including but not limited to elves, dwarves, goblins, mermaids, giants, and even the legendary dragon race. In contrast, the continent where humans lived had only one neighboring Orc Kingdom and a scattering of smaller nations, mostly populated by demihumans, making it relatively homogeneous in terms of species.
Due to its thriving maritime trade, the Eastern Region was the most developed area in the Empire and the closest to modernity. The fact that Fate/Zero was filmed here was proof that Arkance had some modern elements in its scenery, which contributed to the smooth production of the entire movie.
Upon arriving in Arkance, Durin went straight to the filming location, where the crew was already waiting for him.
Previously, the crew of The Garden of Sinners hadn't been introduced. Durin had carefully selected these individuals from various theater groups in the Southern Region. Each member had gained substantial experience during the filming of Fate/Zero, which is why the production of The Garden of Sinners had gone so smoothly.
The lead actors of The Garden of Sinners, portraying Shiki Ryougi and Mikiya Kokutou, were also the stars of the famous Southern theater troupe, Butterfly Dream, once renowned alongside the Snowflake Troupe in the Southern Region. Thanks to Chase's good relationship with them, and even having their contact information, Durin was able to successfully recruit such an excellent troupe.
At this moment, in addition to the Butterfly Dream Troupe and other crew members, the Archmage Rosa and Professor Stitch had also arrived on set.
The two of them were staring in surprise at the various setups along the eastern shoreline, looking slightly puzzled as they asked:
"What is all that? Is something being filmed over there?"
"I don't recall any scenes in The Garden of Sinners that require shooting by the sea."
In response to Rosa and Stitch's comments, Durin calmly replied, "That's not for The Garden of Sinners."
"Then what is it for?" Rosa asked, still confused.
Durin simply smiled and said, "Do you remember the final scene of the first chapter of Fate/Zero?"
"The final scene? Wait, you mean that one?"
Suddenly, as Rosa and Stitch looked on in shock, a massive, terrifying shadow appeared over the distant sea.
At the same time, the numerous facilities set up along the coast simultaneously activated a large barrier, enveloping everything within it.
Although ordinary people's perception had been blocked, Durin, Rosa, and Stitch, being an archmage and a grand mage, could still see everything inside clearly through their immense mental power.
"This is... Could that really be an actual eldritch god? How could such a thing be summoned?"
Faced with Rosa's astonishment, Durin merely smiled and said, "It's only natural that Edward Studios, as the finest film production company, would have some special staff on hand, wouldn't you agree?"
--------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy