Chapter 157: The Frost Film Festival Begins!
The Frost Festival is the longest-lasting event of the empire's winter season.
Its origins are now shrouded in mystery; it might have been born from a devastating cold disaster during the early days of the empire or perhaps from the first miraculous appearance of the Goddess of Ice...
Regardless, the Frost Festival has become a celebration comparable to the empire's annual national ceremony.
However, the comparison here isn't in terms of festivity but rather in duration and scope.
Unlike the national ceremony, which takes place during the New Year and is confined to the capital, the Frost Festival spans the entire empire.
From the borders to the capital, from the four corners of the empire to the royal castle at its center, when the Frost Festival arrives, everyone sets aside their work to embrace the unique atmosphere that winter brings.
Of course, since the empire's winter is extremely cold, most people dare not venture outside during the Frost Festival and prefer to stay indoors.
Families, worried about their children catching colds and having to pay for church priests to treat them, strictly forbid them from going out, so the streets are often empty of pedestrians.
Thus, the Frost Festival's level of excitement can't compare to the national ceremony, nor even to a regular holiday.
In fact, due to the suspension of tourism and commerce, the Frost Festival is far less lively than usual, living up to its name as a "Frost" Festival.
In the empire's past, the Frost Festival held more of a cultural significance, a time when everyone would stay home, recount stories from the past, and pray for a bountiful and peaceful year ahead.
People would pass through the coldest part of the empire's year in boredom, not seeing much value in those days.
But this year's Frost Festival is destined to be different.
In the southern regions, about a week before the festival, cinemas and TV taverns began running large-scale advertisements, with huge banners clearly printed with the words, "Frost Film Festival: Four Great Films Await! Let's ignite the cold winter days!"
At the same time, posters for "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," "Fate/Zero," "The Garden of Sinners," and "Steins;Gate" were plastered all over the entrances of cinemas and TV taverns, catching everyone's attention.
While at first glance, the slogan might seem rather silly, the influence of the films themselves more than makes up for it. The moment the people of the southern region saw this, they were all fired up.
"No way, it's really happening!"
"Yay! It's the Frost Film Festival!"
"Woohoo! Finally, we don't have to be bored and cooped up at home during the Frost Festival!"
"Norsrick Cinema! Forever the best! Director Durin! Forever the best!"
"I'm so hyped!"
" ... "
Cheers erupted from the excited crowd, with people gathering in front of the cinema, eagerly awaiting the event. Some were so prepared that they had already brought blankets to use for camping out to secure tickets.
Faced with this overwhelming enthusiasm, Viscount Banil quickly called in the town's soldiers to maintain order and officially posted the start time of the Frost Film Festival along with the rules for selling tickets.
Even so, the people's excitement couldn't be contained. In the end, Banil gave up on trying to control the crowd, leaving a small group of soldiers to manage basic order while letting everyone else gather around the cinema, chatting excitedly.
After their initial burst of enthusiasm, people soon noticed something unusual about the cinema's schedule.
"Why are the only films on the schedule 'Fate/Zero' and this new one, 'Steins;Gate'? Weren't there supposed to be four movies?"
"Huh, didn't you see? Out of the four films, two are being shown in cinemas, and the other two are airing on TV. The times are already posted."
"What? Let me see!"
"Oh no, what's going on? On the day of the Frost Festival, the cinemas are showing the second chapter of 'Fate/Zero' in the morning and 'Steins;Gate' in the afternoon. Meanwhile, at the same time, TV will be airing a marathon of 'KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World' and the fourth episode of 'The Garden of Sinners'!"
"What? They're showing them both at the same time? Are they making us choose?"
"Monsters! They're absolute monsters!"
"God, why are you making me face such an impossible choice?!"
"How am I supposed to pick? Just kill me now!"
Suddenly, cries of frustration spread through the crowd as people struggled to accept the dilemma of having too many good options. They were overwhelmed by this "problem of too much happiness," falling into a state of agonizing indecision.
Of course, not everyone was so troubled. Some people actually felt that having options added to the festive atmosphere, and spreading out the crowds meant the cinemas and TV taverns wouldn't be as overcrowded as last time, when tickets were sold out and the venues were packed.
In fact, this was precisely why Durin had planned the simultaneous film and television showings from the start.
The Frost Film Festival, being the first event where movies and TV were broadcast on such a large scale, was something Durin had been planning for a very, very long time.
To transform this entertainment-starved world, where people's spiritual lives were generally empty, into the world he envisioned, Durin had been preparing for this for a long time.
After all, the cultural revolution he aimed to ignite couldn't be achieved with just one or two films!
What he sought to change was the very way people perceived the world, challenging the seemingly unshakable rules of this society.
To accomplish this, he envisioned an entire industry, one that would renew people's understanding of culture and reshape their modes of entertainment.
This plan went far beyond building one or two cinemas; it involved infusing new content into the culture itself.
The Frost Film Festival was merely the starting point of this grand scheme.
Perhaps there would be numerous obstacles on this path, and if he continued, even the southern region, which had seen such overwhelming success, might betray him, rendering all his efforts futile.
But since he had resolved to change this dull world, Durin was determined not to stop.
He firmly believed that regardless of whether he succeeded or not, this world would eventually undergo a transformation!
...
The day before the Frost Festival.
Durin returned to the Norsrick headquarters, the Edward Studio.
Facing a tavern full of people who were already so hyped for the new films that they could hardly focus on work, he smiled and said:
"All the films have been successfully completed! Tomorrow's Frost Film Festival will begin as scheduled, without any delays!"
"Ohhhhh!"
In an instant, everyone in the tavern erupted in genuine cheers of joy!
At the same time, all the people of the southern region eagerly awaited the arrival of the Frost Film Festival with great anticipation!
----------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy