episode_0156

“Hey, it’s already 5 o’clock!”

“It’s true! Hurry up, if you don’t go now you won’t be able to see the first part!”

The children playing in the village square checked the time and started running quickly.

The children ran so fast that they were out of breath that they were at a loss for words, and it was none other than the village’s Yuren upper branch.

-The showdown begins now!

In the space provided in front of the top of the Yuren, there was a small crystal ball.

And on the screen installed in front of the crystal ball, an animation was playing.

The new animation is what children and adults alike are all watching with rapt attention.

“Mister, you came in without buying a ticket, right?”

“No… that’s it.”

“If you are not a member of the top membership of Yuren, you will have to pay the fee.”

“Okay, I’ll give it to you!”

The man who was pointed out by the clerk immediately took a coin out of his pocket and calculated the fare.

“Tsk tsk That’s not even that much for a membership month, and membership members also earn reward points when they buy items at the top of the Uren, so you’re saying you’re saving that?”

“And since they even show animations, it’s like they’re really digging the ground to do business.”

People who came to see were shocked when they saw someone who had sneaked in and been caught.

The new animation, “The King of Cards,” is different from existing animations.

‘Unlike the Ice Kingdom, it will be a short film, but it will be aired in 24 episodes instead of one.’

Those who heard the plan to make an anime adaptation of The King of Cards, which was first announced at the card tournament, had some questions.

The amount of manga serialized up to now was too much to make into one story, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they would turn a work that was still being serialized into an animation.

But as if he had anticipated this, Rupert came up with a new method again.

‘There is something we are developing in cooperation with Matap.’

When Rupert was developing the projector, he felt regret.

‘It’s possible for Ice Kingdom to be released in theaters, but other animations like Iron-Blooded Alchemist and others that I’m considering right now will be difficult.’

There were also different types of animation, such as theatrical versions, TV versions, and OVAs.

TV had to be ruled out as it was impossible to make.

In the first place, I didn’t even know how to make it or what the principles were, and even if I did know, I couldn’t possibly think of building the infrastructure and parts for it.

That’s why, if a feature-length work were to be animated, it would have to be made in OVA format.

OVA stands for Original Video Animation, and while it is not popular in Korea, it is a common format in Japan, a country known for its animation.

Since it was a method used to view videos using a playback device such as a DVD, there was no problem in making long videos into multiple parts, so it was a method mainly used when turning serialized comics into animations.

But the problem with the projector Rupert made was that it was too expensive to be used in the Somerset Theatre rather than in ordinary homes.

or other fairy tales or animated films could have been shown at the Somerset Theater.

In the case of other works that are currently being planned, there was an incident where they had to be screened for 24 hours in order to be shown in theaters.

That’s why Rupert started working with Matap to research a new method.

‘How much storage space can the video playback stone hold?’

‘About 30 minutes.’

‘That’s enough time, but the problem is that I have to play an animation, not just a video.’

When preparing for the animation , Matap had cooperated with Somerset’s request for research into projectors.

But even when they actually made it, they were half in doubt.

‘Why are we developing such useless things when we have a video playback stone?’

But soon the Somerset Theatre appeared and the first animated film, The Ice Kingdom, became a sensation, giving them a huge shock.

The power of the projector, which they had never imagined while creating it, and the ability to utilize it shocked and impressed the magicians.

‘This is the way for wizards to go!’

There was a time when power-hungry wizards dabbled in black magic.

Not long ago, there was even an incident where a group of black magicians attempted to summon a demon by sacrificing the people of the imperial capital.

The public perception of wizards was that they were mysterious, but many believed they were dangerous.

The fact that things have improved to this extent is thanks to the dedication of several wizards, including Yustav, to the world.

And these days, there are more and more magicians who study magic for the convenience of people rather than for battle.

Rupert was the one who fueled that trend.

‘I want to conduct joint research with Somerset!’

Since most of the things Rupert requested from the Tower of Magic had major implications for the entire Empire, young wizards who wanted to make a name for themselves volunteered to help with the research.

As a result, we were able to develop a new technology that would allow Rupert to store animation footage in film format on the existing video playback stone in the tower.

-Yuren top membership opens!

Enjoy various benefits with 1 Silver per month.

When you purchase items at the top of Yuren, you earn points (points can be used like cash when they exceed a certain amount).

50 Cooper discount on regular subscription.

You can watch various animations, including the new animation , every quarter for free!

And in line with the completion of the animation video playback stone, a new strategy was also put forward to match it.

That was the top membership of Yuren.

‘This structure may seem like a loss at first glance, but it is beneficial in the long run.’

‘That’s right. At first, people will be reluctant to pay a subscription fee, but once they realize that they are getting so much more for their money, they will subscribe in droves.’

As the number of subscribers increased, the losses would decrease, and at a certain point, sales would increase exponentially.

‘What a truly ingenious strategy!’

It was a sophisticated management strategy that made Esteban clap his hands in admiration.

Of course, Rupert didn’t make it; he just brought it from the Earth, but to Esteban, Rupert looked like a walking lump of gold.

No, even a lump of gold wasn’t enough.

Esteban thought that it would be sufficient to have at least something like orichalcum or mithril, which were called legendary metals.

However, this type of subscription system was very difficult to establish at first.

No matter how many benefits there are, people are basically reluctant to spend money they don’t need to.

‘Membership? Huh! Why would you spend money on something when you can just buy it?’

No matter how good something is, you have to try it to know it, and even if word of its goodness spread, it took time to get people to spend money on its intangible value.

however,

“I really thought I saw the king of cards, so I canceled my membership, but this is really a good thing.”

“I also switched to the top of Yuren right away, and the membership points can also be used at the Somerset Goods Shop, so it’s really the best.”

The one that led the early stages of that difficult business was none other than the animation.

We’ve developed a new video playback stone exclusive to the Magic Tower and new animations, but it’s still too expensive for people to generally afford.

So the idea was to air the animation at a set time every week.

People began signing up for memberships to watch the King of Cards animation play out at set times each week at branches across the Empire.

Now, every Friday at 5 p.m., the makeshift screening room in front of the top of Yuren is packed to the brim.

Places with lots of people are so popular that they need to install multiple screening rooms.

In the case of the capital headquarters where Esteban and Rupert are currently conversing, it could not handle the crowds, so another vacant lot nearby had to be turned into a capital screening room.

“It’s really popular. People wait for Friday to come every week.”

“It’s understandable why nobles are reluctant to come to the theater.”

Because it was so crowded and there were so many children, many people who wanted to watch the animation quietly by themselves often purchased separate video playback seats.

Although it was cheaper than a projector, it was still expensive and was mostly in demand by the nobility.

“But where did you go today?”

“Ah, do you remember the kid named Joy who fought Ada in the finals of the last competition?”

“Ah, I had a great match with that girl… .”

“Yes, I think Ada and I kept in touch after that.”

Rupert couldn’t refuse Ada’s request to go play at Joy’s place.

So, it was Rupert who visited the estate where Joy lived, taking his younger sister with him to play with Ada for the first time in a long time.

“But your expression doesn’t look good.”

Rupert didn’t seem like the type of person who had been having a good time with his brother.

When Esteban asked, wondering if there was something worrying about the dark expression on Rupert’s face, Rupert sighed and answered.

“Joy must have been weak to begin with. She wanted to participate in the last competition so badly that she pushed herself too hard, so she had a hard time even lying in bed.”

“That kind of… .”

Ada, who had been looking forward to a fierce card battle with Joey when she met him again, started to cry when she saw Joey like that, and Rupert was sweating profusely trying to calm her down.

‘Joy… Ada seems very sad.’

Rupert hated seeing his brother sad, and he happened to find out, but he was wondering if there was any way he could help.

However, he was not a doctor and could not use divine powers like priests, so there was no other way.

‘My brother can do anything! So don’t worry, Joy! My brother will make it better!’

Rupert recalled his brother proudly introducing himself to Joey.

Then I felt a little bit better.

‘You can’t make Ada a liar.’

It was Rupert, planning a gift for Joey in his head.