(Arthur POV)
A few days have passed since the "Hellfire Theme Park" opened its gates, and the profits are rolling in faster than I can count. Tens of thousands of dollars, just like that. The park's popularity in the Morningstar Kingdom has skyrocketed beyond my wildest dreams.
Tourists are flocking to Grass City, drawn by the allure of our Middle-earth attractions. The elves, in particular, can't get enough of our mini-Rivendell. Word's even reached their media outlets, with headlines screaming about how Rivendell exists in real life. Talk about free advertising - we've got elves pouring in by the boatload.
Of course, I had to make some adjustments after that chaotic opening day. Hired a bunch of behemoth demons as security to keep our actors safe from over-enthusiastic visitors. Yeah, we had to plaster the place with signs saying "Fake Scene," "Fake Spell," and "Fake Blood."
Might take away from the immersion a bit, but it's better than having another Saruman incident. Keeps the gullible ones from getting too carried away.
The success of 'Lord of the Rings' has earned me an impressive 24.75 million entertainment points.
That's way more than "The Demonfather" ever brought in, which just goes to show how much more popular and impressive "Lord of the Rings" has been.
The box office numbers back this up. We hit 330 million dollars yesterday. The entertainment system's data breaks it down like this: about 44 million tickets sold in the Morningstar Kingdom at 2 dollars a pop. Another 22.5 million tickets went to other countries and kingdoms at the same price.
In the western countries and kingdoms, where tickets go for 3 dollars, we've sold about 66.67 million. According to the {Entertainment System Film Statistics Data}, a total of 132.17 million people have bought tickets and watched the film.
For each viewer, I earn 0.1 points if they're casual fans, 0.2 if they love and adore the film, and a sweet 0.3 points for those who are completely obsessed. With numbers like these, it's no wonder the points are piling up so fast.
My total entertainment points from "Lord of the Rings," "The Demonfather," and "Hellfire Theme Park" have hit a whopping 34.40 million. With this kind of points, I could finally snag some of those impressive skills from the {Magical Shop} that'd give my directing a serious boost.
One skill that caught my eye was "Atmosphere Control," priced at 10 million entertainment points.
[Atmosphere Control: Allowed the user to control the area's atmosphere, adjusting lighting, temperature, and background ambience. (Require mana per use: 20)]
[It can be leveled up with use.]
At first glance, it might not seem like much, but the potential is insane. As a director, I could use this to elevate every scene in my films.
Who knows? If I level it up enough, I might even control the atmosphere of an entire city. Imagine adjusting the temperature, making city folk dance to my tune, turning them into actors under my directorial strings— Whoa. Getting a bit carried away there.
It's an ambitious dream, sure, but why not? I went ahead and bought the {Atmosphere Control}.
Then there was this other skill in the {Skill Shop} called {Cinematic Vision}, worth 5 million entertainment points.
[Cinematic Vision: As a director, you can visualize how scenes will appear in the final cut, complete with editing, special effects, and sound design. This foresight allows you to make on-the-spot adjustments to enhance the scene.]
I bought that one too. The moment I did, I was hit with a wave of flashbacks from filming "The Demonfather" and "Lord of the Rings." After the mental replay, I couldn't help but shake my head.
"I didn't think I could film it like that," I sighed, feeling a twinge of regret. But what's done is done.
I'm now down 15 million points.
After purchasing a skill that cost me 15 million entertainment points, the system unlocked higher-level skills that I can now buy.
Scrolling through the list, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. There was {Time Rewind}—and yeah, it does exactly what you'd think—for a cool 100 million points. Then there's {Voice of Command}, a skill that can order someone against their will, for 30 million points.
The more I scrolled, the more impressed I got. "I need to gain more points!" I muttered, shifting my focus to completing my first computer. Probably this world's first decent computer, at that.
***
(Lucy Morningstar POV)
I've got to hand it to that younger brother of mine, Arthur — he's been unexpectedly helpful. The tax revenue from his film alone is significant, giving a real boost to the kingdom's development. Not to mention, it's done wonders for funding my own luxurious lifestyle. Those super rare potions I've been eyeing? Finally within reach, and they've helped increase my magical abilities more than ever before.
But I didn't just sit on that money. The moment I saw the first day's box office results for "Lord of the Rings," I knew we were in for another tourism boom, just like with "The Demonfather." So I made a calculated decision to invest heavily in our entertainment venues — the amusement parks, circuses, the whole lot.
Even though I haven't seen the film myself yet, I know it was shot right here in the kingdom. That's why I've poured about 70 percent of the film tax earnings — not just from "Lord of the Rings," mind you — into these entertainment investments.
And wouldn't you know it? My instincts were spot on. In just the first few weeks, our kingdom's entertainment venues are already profiting from the surge in tourism. Looking at the latest financial reports, I estimate I'll recoup my entire investment in these parks and circuses within the next two weeks.
Lord Vermilion burst into my office — his habit of barging in without knocking making me frown. "What is it this time?"
The economic advisor cleared his throat before speaking, "Your Highness, we have a bit of a... problem."
My frown deepened. "Out with it."
Lord Vermilion coughed nervously. "Red Berry, the overseer of our entertainment venues, is here to discuss some concerns."
"Send him in," I said curtly.
Red Berry, the scale demon who managed our entertainment industry, slunk in with fear written all over his face.
"What's the issue, Berry?"
Red hesitated before blurting out, "Your Highness, I'll be blunt. Our earnings from the entertainment venues are declining."
I waved dismissively. "That's to be expected. The hype from that 'Lord of the Rings' film is dying down, so naturally, tourism is tapering off."
"It's not that simple, Your Highness," Red shook his head. "We've got competition."
"Competition?" I raised an eyebrow.
Lord Vermilion chimed in, "He's referring to the exiled prince's new Hellfire Theme Park. It's similar to our venues but on a grander scale, capable of hosting thousands of visitors simultaneously."
Red nodded vigorously. "Exactly. People are flocking there instead of our attractions. The ex-prince's film hype isn't fading — it's intensifying."
"And if this trend continues," Lord Vermilion added gravely, "it'll be challenging for Your Highness to recoup your investments in the entertainment industry within the expected timeframe."
As I listened, I felt anger building inside me. I'd thought everything was going according to plan — who would have guessed that damn Arthur would throw a wrench in my grand investment scheme?