Chapter 708: Chapter 586: The Explosive Magic Movie and the Excited Kingdom’s Citizens_2
However, this was obviously in vain; the stone passed directly through the bishop’s body, as spectators, they were unable to intervene in the unfolding events!
Fortunately, after a bitter struggle, Dave managed to defeat the enemy with difficulty.
Although he had failed to protect his own wife all those years ago, with the power he had obtained, he was now able to protect the happiness of others!
The movie came to an abrupt halt, lingering on Dave’s slightly desolate silhouette. Lasting over three hours, one could only describe it as lengthy, yet the townsfolk watched with rapt attention, even feeling that watching another two or three hours would pose no problem!
Although the movie’s ending was relatively happy, there were still many unanswered questions, such as whether Dave, having become a formal Wizard, would return to the barony he once belonged to and exact revenge on the local nobility and the church for their malfeasance.
As the movie’s producer and the one showing the film, Sean of course understood the audience’s expectations and quickly announced that “Dave’s Legend II—The Secret of the Moon God!” would officially premiere in three months and be shown in cities throughout the Magic Kingdom.
The mere title of the movie was enough to set minds racing; some bolder townspeople even started speculating about the Moon God—what unspeakable acts the deity might have done in secret.
Listened to the discussions of the lowly townsfolk, Tirar, who had also watched the entire movie, felt a chill in his heart, as he could clearly see that the Wizards intended to shake the very foundation of the Moon God’s faith.
So much so that after watching the movie, even he began to think that the deaths of the bishop and those nobles beforehand were satisfying, but in reality, neither the son of the Baron who defiled Dave’s fiancée nor the priests and bishop had actually committed any blatantly outrageous acts.
After all, all the serfs within the domain were the property of their lord; it wasn’t just a matter of defilement—killing them outright would have resulted in nothing more than paying a fine to the church.
In some wild stretches of land in the Empire’s northern border, there was even a tradition of lords claiming the first night’s rights with brides, but many refused to enforce it, as most peasant women were, frankly, unattractive.
Angry at these thoughts, Tirar failed to notice that their unusual behavior had been recorded.
“Number sixty-nine, one hundred thirty-seven, five hundred forty, seven thousand thirty-one, nine thousand five hundred twenty have shown abnormal behavior during the screening. Do we need to proceed with apprehension, Lord Sean?” a male witch whispered, eyeing the townspeople as they prepared to leave the venue.
They cycled the movie through every city within the empire to serve not only as promotion but also as a means of identifying friends and foes.
Those who agreed with the Council’s rule would experience emotional reactions in line with the movie’s plot, feeling sympathy for the protagonist. According to their investigations, however, a few townspeople had watched the entire film with stern faces.
Sean had also noticed these individuals’ irregular behavior, but stopped further action with a gesture. “I already know their identities; they are likely members of the ‘Watchers of the Moon.’ Let’s spare their lives for now! That’s also the order from above…”
“As long as they don’t take any extreme actions, there is no need to concern ourselves with their movements.”
With that said, Sean turned to a Hidden Guard covering his face. “Pim, continue to keep an eye on them.”
“Lord Sean, about the Awakening of the Moon God…” Pim hesitated to inquire, considering the matter to be of paramount importance, though the wizard from the capital seemed to care little about it.
“I’ve already reported it, and once I return to the capital in a few days, I will personally discuss your findings with that senior officer,” Sean explained succinctly.
In fact, during the cycle of the movie across the kingdom, he had received similar intelligence more than once, and the Watchers of the Moon were not the only remnant church organizations across the continent.
The reason for the “Awakening” of the Moon God, he had vaguely guessed some clues. Only a few high-ranking members of the entire council knew that the deity the church worshipped had been captured from foreign lands by that star of magic, perhaps that was why some of the clergy had suddenly regained their ability to cast spells.
As for why he allowed the remnants of the church to act freely, Sean had not figured it out, but the Speaker’s power was unfathomable, and his wisdom vast like the boundless sea, beyond their speculation. Following orders was undoubtedly the right choice.
Seeing that Sean kept his mouth shut and was unwilling to reveal too much, Pim smartly refrained from asking further, speculating in his mind that maybe the “Watchers of the Moon” organization was bait used by the council. Those dim-witted nobles and remnants of the church couldn’t stir up much trouble, while the existence of this organization could lure out those ambitious individuals who opposed the council’s rule from the shadows.
“Alright, we should tidy up and move on to the next location!” After the tens of thousands of townspeople watching the film had dispersed in an orderly manner, Sean retracted the nine projection stones and cast his self-created cleaning magic.
A mysteriously magical breeze blew past, gently lifting tables and chairs that were haphazardly strewn about the ground.
The target of the second gust of magic wind was the fruit peels and other trash scattered on the ground… taking care of dusting and sweeping up as well.
In less than half a minute, the once messy town square was now spotlessly clean.
Sean nodded in absolute satisfaction. His self-created cleaning magic appeared to be quite perfected, now it just needed a name.
Unlike most wizards who focused on researching how to make magic spells more powerful, Sean had little interest in battle. He preferred studying magic that could make life more convenient.
Although the council was still facing some crises, and the development of combat magic was a top priority, there should be enough people working on such magic. Surely, someone had to be responsible for making life more convenient, right?
Sean spent two weeks in the northern borderlands, which was also the last stop of the kingdom’s touring film screening. Afterward, he returned to the capital with satisfaction on an airship, his own work in tow, and was summoned by Lynn at the first opportunity.
“Mr. Sean, I have seen the film you shot. The script is very good, much more exciting than I had anticipated!” Lynn was generous with his praise.
As the kingdom’s first film and Sean and his team’s first attempt at filmmaking, the integration of so many elements turned out surprisingly well, exceeding his expectations.
“Thanks to the book you gave me about scriptwriting and cinematography, I was able to complete the film within six months,” Sean humbly said, pausing before continuing with a hint of emotion. “Recently, listening to the common folk recount their past experiences gave me a lot of inspiration. I merely pieced together their stories.”
The reason his “The Saga of Dave” was a smash hit across the kingdom was an essential factor: the plot was based on real stories, and the actual individuals were cast, resulting in naturally outstanding performances!
Of course, the real Dave didn’t have the plot twist shown in the second half of the film. His fate was much more tragic, and this performance in the play fulfilled a dream he had harbored long ago!
Lynn clapped Sean on the shoulder, praising him a few more times before pointing out some issues he noticed while watching the film.
For example, the duration—an entire film lasting over three hours was just too long. The pacing of the plot was also uneven. Some dull scenes could easily be trimmed or even removed without affecting the main narrative of the movie.
Sean nodded, having identified these issues himself during the hundreds of screenings. Fortunately, the novelty of the premiere was enough for the citizens of the kingdom to tolerate the relatively dull opening.
“By the way, Chairman Lynn,” Sean suddenly remembered the matter at hand and promptly reported, “During this tour, I received quite a bit of information about the Moon God. A Hidden Guard told me that the remaining clergy of the church seem to have regained their spellcasting abilities.”