Goddess Kaleidoscope

Fortunately, Gulig had some sense and didn't go around shouting for help. The clan chiefs he approached were all old friends with whom he had a good personal relationship. Therefore, out of consideration for their old friendship, although they rejected Gulig's joint proposal, they at least didn't betray him.

"Don't be so angry. Fear is a human instinct, and not everyone has the courage to overcome it. Speaking of which, you've only interacted with the upper echelons of these dwarven clans, haven't you?"

"Yeah, this is something we can't do in a big way. We can't make it known to everyone, can we?"

"Then let's try a different approach. Since the upper classes of these clans are generally conservative and unwilling to participate in risky activities, what about the lower-level dwarves? Especially the hot-blooded young generation, we can try to contact them directly and try to win them over."

Lude knew that although the dwarves were divided into clans, they did not prohibit members of the clans from moving around. As long as there was no deep hatred between them, the movement of people was actually quite frequent.

For example, the Steelwhip Clan led by Gulig has many dwarves from the Goldenaxe Clan on his side because his brother-in-law is the patriarch of the Goldenaxe Clan. His two nephews, Yorn and Charlotte, are now following him. Meanwhile, High Priest Winig comes from his mother's family, the Copperstick Clan.

Gulig can fully utilize his advantages. He is a hereditary viscount of the Kingdom of Duran, has his own fiefdom, and owns an ancient dwarven city, making him very influential among the dwarves.

Rebellion against the Earth Mother Goddess can wait; let's focus on promoting the dwarf race's national revival and winning over the young people first.

Fortunately, Lud has a film company, which can facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation with the Steel Whip Clan in terms of external publicity.

So the two dwarf brothers decided to linger in Pinetown for a while longer, partly to take a paid vacation and relax, and partly to watch Ludwig make a movie. But they were more interested in the equipment than the movie itself.

The dwarves also have similar things to cameras and projectors, but the process of making memory crystals is extremely complicated and requires top alchemists with high magical skills to make them. In addition, the images are only inside the crystal ball and cannot be projected on a large screen like a projector.

Dwarves are known for their obsession with technology, which is almost a defining characteristic of the race. However, this is not a stereotype, but rather a consensus reached through education.

It's important to understand that dwarves have consistently enjoyed the numerous benefits of technological superiority throughout history. Even now, hundreds of years after the fall of their kingdoms, they still live comfortably in human lands thanks to their various exquisite crafts. Some countries even have explicit regulations granting dwarves residing within their borders preferential treatment, solely to attract them to serve their nations.

After all, blacksmiths are an important human resource in the military field, and their skill level is related to the equipment level of the army. Naturally, the more "high-end technical talents" like dwarves, the better.

Seeing that Gulig was interested in the two machines, Lud thought to himself, "I've been waiting for you to fall into my trap." He immediately and generously offered that he had no secrets from the dwarf brothers and that he could provide the relevant technical blueprints to the Steelwhip Clan free of charge. He was also willing to order a thousand projectors at a price of fifty gold coins each, and would continue to order more in the future.

The reason Lud was so generous, seemingly eager to give money to the Steel Whip Clan, was because he had a long-term vision.

Compared to the various benefits that movies can bring, the production profits of these two machines are negligible. It doesn't matter if they are all given to the Steel Whip Clan, as long as they can use the vast majority of their production capacity to produce projectors in the coming period and build these thousand projectors as soon as possible.

At Lude's request, Brothers Pictures plans to build 200 cinemas this year within the Kingdom of Duran, covering all large and medium-sized towns with a population of over 10,000. Each cinema will require at least five projectors, so 1,000 projectors is already a conservative estimate.

It must be said that the Brotherhood's wealth accumulated over the past two centuries is astonishing. The cash stored in their secret vaults alone amounts to hundreds of thousands of gold coins, not to mention the vast amounts of rare treasures and real estate. Although the source of this wealth is shady, mostly related to gambling, prostitution, and drugs, it is still meant to be used.

Rudd had known all along that the dwarves would be interested in projectors, so he readily gave them the technology and put them in charge of manufacturing them.

As for the issue of secrecy, Ludwig is more than happy for these technologies to be widely disseminated, because ultimately, a film's success depends on its content, and in this respect, Ludwig is truly second to none.

After the cooperation was finalized, Lud produced the blueprints on the spot. Technically speaking, this was no challenge for the Steelwhip Clan. The dwarves had long been familiar with assembly line production, and Lud had later taught them about "standardization," so mass production began in no time.

Meanwhile, in Pine Town, filming for "Seven Samurai" has begun. Rude personally took on multiple roles, including director, screenwriter, and cinematographer, leading a crew of over a hundred people who are extremely busy every day.

To be honest, although Lu De loved watching movies in his previous life, dabbling in all kinds of genres and enjoying interviews that told behind-the-scenes stories, he was, after all, a cop. He had never even made short videos, let alone movies.

Fortunately, this is the world's first true film, and the script's quality is not a concern, so Ludwig, who is exploring the path forward, doesn't feel too much pressure. Regardless of the final product's outcome, they have essentially pioneered a new era.

End of this chapter

When it comes to filmmaking, Ludwig is undoubtedly an amateur, barely even knowing a little bit. But fortunately, the rest of the crew are even worse off, completely clueless. So it doesn't stop him from being the best of the worst and maintaining his "master" status.

For this film, Ludwig mobilized a total of over three hundred people, including nearly one hundred and fifty members of the Rainbow Dance Troupe, fifty-five dwarf craftsmen, and over one hundred extras temporarily recruited from the town.

It is worth mentioning that Ludwig also temporarily recruited some senior students who were interested in this topic to come for internships. Ludwig plans to open a film major at the school, so such a good learning opportunity should naturally be made good use of.

Rude was very familiar with the movie "Seven Samurai". He had seen Akira Kurosawa's original film and many other films, TV series and animations adapted or heavily modified from the Seven Samurai script. Therefore, he had a thorough understanding of the plot and the overall pacing.

In the process of localizing the script, the seven male protagonists were set up as mercenaries from different backgrounds, each worshipping a different goddess. Among them, the three characters corresponding to the three sisters were even specially cast as dwarves.

In order to naturally incorporate elements related to the Pantheon, Ludwig added a "prayer scene" to the script. The villagers who came to the city to recruit mercenaries went to the temple to pray and received guidance from the seven goddesses, which enabled them to successfully find the seven mercenaries who were willing to help them.

It's worth mentioning that, since the main characters in the series are male, Servis only got the role of a village girl (Shino), and had the only love story in the entire series with the only rich young master among the seven mercenaries. In the end, they left the village together and had a happy ending.

Apart from these parts, the script hasn't changed much.

To be honest, the filming process went more smoothly than initially expected. Lu De simply "imitated" each scene from memory, and the actors were also quite dedicated. Regardless of their acting skills, whether they were main actors, supporting actors, or extras, they were all very professional.

During filming, Lu De spent most of his time on set, which made many people in the town curious about what the all-powerful Master Lu De had been busy with lately, as he had to get up early and work late every day to run to the small village that had been temporarily built outside the town.

So, as spring plowing ended, the townspeople, who were a little more relaxed, came together to watch. In just a few days, the number of people increased from the initial dozens to several hundred, watching the spectacle across the stream.

Left with no other option, Lu De had to call people over to maintain order on set, to prevent these bored onlookers from appearing on camera. These past few days, the word the crew dreaded most was "reshoot," especially for large scenes with many characters. Each reshoot meant that hours of previous work would be wasted.

On this day, the dwarf craftsmen working for the film crew said that they had finished the track as Lud had instructed, so Lud decided to first test a large-scale scene, namely the scene of the bandit gang rushing into the village to burn, kill, and loot.

This scene will be imagined by the villagers as they discuss countermeasures, so it is a one-sided massacre by the bandits, and the main characters do not appear.

Among the extras playing villagers, many were real people who had experienced bandit raids. Therefore, Lu De only needed to explain the plot to them briefly, and they were able to immediately get into character. The fear and despair on their faces were so realistic that even the actors in the song and dance troupe were ashamed of themselves.

In contrast, the actors playing bandits and brigands lacked the "real-life experience" related to their roles, so their micro-expressions were always a bit off. In the end, Lu De had to work on their appearance, giving them all a "last-century northern wind" look, which finally made them look a bit fierce.

"Wait for my command. When I yell 'Charge!', you all rush down the hillside. Don't worry, those of you playing villagers, all the weapons are wooden props without sharp edges. And don't worry about getting hurt. I'll be right here in charge. Even if you die, I'll pull you back up on the spot!"

With Lude's assurance, the actors felt somewhat relieved (not really), and then took their places.

Since this scene was a fantasy of the villagers in fear, Ludwig decided to film it in a slightly exaggerated, surrealist style.

The plot initially set the bandit group at only forty members, but in this scene, the number was increased to three hundred, for which the entire cavalry guard was borrowed from the Baron's household. As for the characters' appearance, in addition to mohawks, mad dog collars, and sleeveless leather jackets, Ludwig also painted all the actors with distorted and ferocious facial makeup.

Lude wanted to create a scene that seemed impossible in the mortal world, with a group of monstrous bandits emerging from the smoke.

"I wonder if it will scare the children."

Muttering something under his breath, Lude gestured to Aina, who was acting as a stagehand, to signal the "bandits" on the opposite hillside. Accompanied by the thunderous sound of hooves, the bandits charged forward with strange cries, heading straight for Lude, who was positioned in front of them.

"Very good, let's charge into the village!"

Following Lu De's instructions, the rabid bandits charged directly into the specially constructed village set. The actors playing villagers were instructed not to resist and to be slaughtered unilaterally by the monstrous bandits. Because each person had three "blood bags," and Lu De specifically emphasized that they had to "die" in a gruesome manner, the villagers being hacked down screamed louder than the bandits, and their death postures were extremely exaggerated, creating a "cult film" atmosphere on set.

With filming going smoothly, Ludger, holding the camera, tried to record as much footage as possible for later editing. But just as he was walking among the blood and "severed limbs," a surge of divine power suddenly came from the south.

Lude turned around in astonishment and saw a small cavalry squad galloping towards them from that direction. There weren't many of them, only a dozen or twenty, but each of them was riding a "steed" and was well-equipped, with almost everyone having glowing magical gear.

The cavalry squad was led by a woman, who wore gleaming silver armor and a cloak, and a silver mask. The powerful divine energy emanating from her was also the source of the aura.

Lude was stunned for a moment when he saw this, and before he could stop the filming set that was still in full swing, he heard the masked girl who had rushed up shout in a sweet voice.

"You thugs, stop right now!"

End of this chapter

The group that suddenly appeared was not many in number, but their equipment was excessively luxurious. They were clearly not ordinary adventurers or mercenaries, but they were also definitely not regular troops from any country.

These guys have so many magical items they could buy them wholesale, they're incredibly rich! And the silver-masked girl in the lead is even more outrageous, dressed in what is literally "divine gear," and Lude can feel a powerful divine force emanating from her that is enough to make one's liver tremble.

The cavalry squad charged at an incredibly fast pace, arriving almost instantly. The mages and archers in the squad were the first to launch a ranged attack, raining arrows and fireballs down on the "bandits"—clearly deadly moves.

Because of the loud noise on set, most of the extras didn't notice these intruders. Unable to call for a stop in time, Lu De could only throw down his camera and quickly set up a barrier to block the long-range attack for the extras.

The archer's arrow failed to penetrate the barrier of holy light, but the fireball exploded in mid-air upon impact. A series of loud bangs silenced the previously chaotic film set. Everyone looked up in astonishment, realizing what had happened.

"Stop! Stop! This is a misunderstanding!"

At the critical moment, Lude waved his hands and ran towards the intruder, using his own flesh and blood and four layers of holy light barrier to block the extras who had no actual combat power. Only then did the intruder slow down.

Several heavily armored knights clad in full enchanted plate armor charged to the front of the column. Their powerful momentum caused them to fall slightly behind the rest of the column, eventually stopping just five meters away from Lud. One of them even touched Lud's barrier with the tip of his spear, creating ripples on its surface.

Although the identities of the visitors are still unclear, it is not difficult to deduce from the sight of these gleaming tin cans that they are all nobles, and not just any nobles, but high-ranking ones, who may even be members of the royal family.

At this moment, one of the men in the tin can removed his helmet, revealing a handsome face with red hair and blue eyes. He sat upright on his horse, first glancing at the extras around him who had stopped moving, before looking down at Lud. His gaze was neither contemptuous nor arrogant, but it revealed an indifference that could only be cultivated by someone who had long held a high position.

"Young priest, what's your name? What are you doing?"

“I am Lud, a priest of the Pantheon. The people behind me are not bandits; they are ordinary villagers. We are rehearsing a play.”

"Acting? Wait a minute! What did you just say your name was? Rudd of the Pantheon? Is that the saint who saved Oyster Harbor?"

"Yes, it is I."

"So this is Pine Tree Town?"

"Yes, but no. This is the territory of Baron Cork, and our town is a little further over there."

Seeing that the newcomer was communicable, Lude secretly breathed a sigh of relief and spent a little time explaining the situation to her. The other members of the knight squad also gathered around. The girl in full divine armor removed her silver mask, revealing a stunningly beautiful face that seemed to have a built-in beauty filter. Her light golden hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and standing side by side with the handsome red-haired knight, they looked like a match made in heaven.

As Lude explained to everyone, he observed this unusual adventurer team. The team consisted of twenty-two people, most of whom were young people around twenty years old. While not all the men were as handsome as the red-haired knight, all ten of the women were beautiful girls.

Looking at this rather unusual combination of handsome man and beautiful woman, Lu De had already vaguely guessed their identities.

"Gentlemen... you must be from Taiyang City, right?"

Rude had long heard about the selection of saintesses for the Holy Light Church, which was the most well-known talent show in the world's traditional religious circles.

The selection of this year's Saintess took place about five months ago. At that time, Lud had just arrived in Yanmu City and heard some news but did not pay much attention to it. Later, he returned to Pine Town and learned that no sooner had he left than the current Saintess arrived in Yanmu City as an inspector and dealt with the corrupt Bishop August.

Unexpectedly, more than two months later, the Holy Maiden has led her team from the south back to the north. If nothing unexpected happens, that beautiful girl in divine attire should be this year's Holy Maiden of Light, and her name seems to be Selica.

So Lude confirmed it for a moment, and sure enough, as he expected, the team in front of him was the trial team for this year's Saintess. The other nine girls in the team were all Saintess candidates of the same year, while the men in the team were all followers who came because of her reputation. Their statuses were all higher than the previous ones. The handsome red-haired knight was actually a prince of the Southern Canary Empire and the nephew of the current emperor.

Logically speaking, given the tense relationship between the Canary Empire and the Kingdom of Duran, which could escalate into war at any moment, it would be utterly absurd for an imperial prince to dare to wander around the kingdom's territory with only one attendant.

The problem was that the red-haired knight was not entering the kingdom as an imperial prince, but as a follower of a saintess. As one of the three major global religious sects, the Kingdom of Duran could not refuse the Holy Light Church, and therefore did not prevent the imperial prince from entering.

It is worth mentioning that, in order to curry favor with the Holy Church, various countries would select handsome men with high martial arts skills from their own countries to serve as followers of the Holy Maiden. This had become a political task, and these officially appointed followers were often jokingly referred to as "being ordered to pick up girls."

Therefore, the Holy Maiden naturally had "contestants" from the Kingdom of Duran by her side, though not members of the royal family. The current King of Duran was in his thirties, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to personally participate, while the princes were all still minors. Therefore, they were drawn from collateral branches of the royal family.

It is said that King Durand originally intended to discuss with Duke Gamelin the possibility of sending his eldest son, Rodriguez, to bring glory to the country. The young Knight of the Righteous Light was an excellent candidate in terms of looks, strength, and character, but Rodriguez himself, upon learning of this, unusually refused the king's offer.

As for the reason, Rodriguez stated that he is a follower of the Elven Mother Goddess religion and has been baptized. This ancient religion requires baptized believers to adhere to monogamy and be faithful to their loved ones for life. Therefore, Rodriguez cannot pursue another girl while he already has someone he loves, as this would go against his beliefs.

As for who this sweetheart was, Rodriguez didn't say it explicitly, but the elders around him seemed to know perfectly well, and each of them couldn't help but show a gentle, maternal smile.

End of this chapter

The arrival of the Holy Maiden of the Holy Church of Light is undoubtedly big news for Pine Tree Town, which has been relatively quiet for the past six months.

Therefore, when the Holy Maiden's procession entered the city, it immediately attracted a large crowd of local people who lined the streets to watch. In addition to wanting to see the legendary Holy Maiden of Light, who was incomparably beautiful, they were also very interested in the many royal nobles and young men from various countries who were among her companions.

As the ruler of Pine Town, the elderly Lady Srina, who was acting as regent, also personally came to the town gate with the young baron to welcome them and invited them to stay at her baron's mansion to show her hospitality.

The saintess and her entourage initially wanted to refuse, as they had accompanying personnel and could find an open space outside the town to set up temporary camps. However, after seeing the situation at the Baron's mansion, they changed their minds and gladly accepted the old lady's invitation.

The Baron's mansion in town was completed in early April this year, and the Baron's family has only been living there for a short time.