Chapter 194: The Screening of "Steins;Gate" Comes to an End! (2)
At the top of the Mage Tower.
After the many Archmages finished watching "Steins;Gate," they immediately felt the same frustration as everyone else.
After all, no matter what the status of the person experiencing it, the abrupt cliffhanger made anyone want to grab the culprit responsible and beat them up.
Of course, as the most intelligent mages in the empire, the Archmages present didn't lose their composure too much. Once their frustration subsided, they quickly regained their focus and began analyzing the movie.
"Although the viewing experience of this 'Steins;Gate' isn't as good as previous films, it offers many thought-provoking elements."
"Exactly! This is the first time I've seen a story created based on imagined futures; it gives a sense of enlightenment."
"Let's not even mention the various magical alchemy props; the construction of the worldview within the story itself is very interesting. It has a complete system for researchers, where each researcher has their own role, conducting various advanced studies, and those who lead these studies are just ordinary people without special abilities."
"In the world of 'Steins;Gate,' since there are no mages, the task of exploring the truth and breaking down the world falls on ordinary people, who are actually able to use experiments to study the world..."
"This, in a way, overturns the principles established at the inception of the Mage Tower, which claimed that mages are extraordinary beings chosen by heaven, responsible for guiding humanity and seeking the truth."
"In the past, all mages took pride in being mages. Although they established a nearly mutually beneficial and equal system within their group, in some ways, they also became too set in their ways, alienating themselves from the countless ordinary people in the world."
"But our world does possess the extraordinary power of magic; ordinary people can't even see the various elements in the world nor possess the capability to conduct magical experiments. This reinforces the idea that mages are indeed the chosen ones."
"However, that's just our opinion. If one day, the power of magic could truly be utilized and studied by millions of ordinary people, the development of magic at that time would be beyond imagination."
"Is this really possible...?"
"Perhaps this is the future."
"…"
The discussions among the Archmages fell into silence.
In an instant, various visions of the future flooded their minds. Coupled with the many details from "Steins;Gate," each Archmage felt as if their spirit had been struck.
"It seems the changes in this world exceed our imaginations; we mages can no longer remain complacent. We should progress with the times."
"What do you mean?"
The words from Dean Hohenheim surprised the other Archmages, who were uncertain as to why he would say such a thing.
After pondering for a moment, Dean Hohenheim slowly replied, "Perhaps we mages can no longer remain isolated as we did before. We should act as part of this empire and guide the future direction of this nation."
"This…"
Upon hearing Dean Hohenheim's words, the other Archmages were taken aback, clearly not expecting such astonishing statements.
But seeing Hohenheim's serious expression, devoid of jest, the gathered pinnacle mages of humanity fell into contemplation, starting to consider matters related to the future of this country—and even the future of humanity as a whole.
.....
The first day of the Frost Film Festival in the southern region concluded, but the enthusiasm of the audience was clearly not so easily extinguished.
After leaving the cinema, all the viewers immediately flocked to various taverns to boast and, in reality, to find like-minded individuals to discuss the film.
Although His Majesty Emperor Hubbard held the highest rank, he still participated in this grand interaction, laughing and chatting with those around him about their movie-watching experience.
Since the local people did not recognize that they were standing before the emperor of the empire, they were exceedingly "enthusiastic," eagerly sharing everything they could think of.
The conversations shifted from the film's plot to gossip about the actors, then to southern trade, and eventually even to the state of the empire—covering an impressively wide range of topics.
Even Emperor Hubbard was astonished by the level of chatter among the people of the southern region, noting that some of their discussions were even more informed than those of some professionals in the empire.
It was then that the emperor suddenly realized, due to the advanced printing industry in the empire, the cost of publishing books was low. Thus, the flow of information among the general populace was not as restricted as he had assumed.
Although ordinary books lacked images, the text alone was sufficient to convey a wealth of knowledge. Coupled with a relatively low illiteracy rate, traditional printed materials significantly enhanced the public's awareness.
Moreover, with the emergence of films and television, this new medium was about to fill that gap.
While the world could not yet be called an information explosion, it was nonetheless but a step away from rapid information circulation.
The majority of the population were by no means ignorant or uninformed.
This realization profoundly shocked Emperor Hubbard; indeed, during the first half of his life spent on the battlefield and in the royal palace, he had never gained as much insight as he had in these few days interacting with the masses.
Consequently, he inwardly resolved to eliminate the obstacles facing the development of television and film in the empire before he abdicated, aiming to usher in a true cultural and informational prosperity for the entire empire!
"Now that we've seen what needed to be seen, it's time to leave."
In the evening, Emperor Hubbard spoke to himself.
At this, the knights by his side immediately adopted serious expressions. After all, while they were pretending to be close friends of the emperor outside, they had not forgotten their roles as his subordinates.
Princess Amy felt a bit reluctant but understood that this outing was not entirely above board; if they returned too late, the palace would likely be in chaos.
Similarly, the orc prophet, who had been chatting with the southern folks, discreetly collected himself, feeling he had become too absorbed in the movies and had forgotten to gather information about the empire, instead getting lost in shallow discussions.
At this moment, just as both parties were preparing to leave, the back door of the tavern suddenly swung open. Saiki entered, pushing a cart filled with printed books.
Facing the crowd's confusion, Saiki calmly announced, "The 'Fate/Zero Heroic Spirit Setting Collection' and 'Steins;Gate Character Collection,' both personally written by Director Durin, are now available for sale across the southern region, priced at 2 silver coins each. If you need one, come to me."
"Holy cow!"
Upon hearing the tavern keeper's words, the crowd erupted into excitement. Everyone rushed to Saiki's side, eager to snatch up the booklets that cost only a few copper coins to produce.
This astonishing scene left Emperor Hubbard momentarily stunned, but he eventually laughed and joined the knights in the frenzy to grab a copy.
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