Chapter 206: Happiness Comes Too Suddenly

Chapter 206: Happiness Comes Too Suddenly  

Duke was unaware that not only his master, the God of Death, but even the gods of the multiverse held little regard for Interconnected Film.  

...  

"Is the Internet God arrogant and conceited, or does he possess unique insight? Instead of replicating the ready-made Opera House, he’s actually creating Interconnected Film? What kind of film is this? It’s just magical imagery!"  

"Exactly! Even recording some magic spell effects would be better than this idiotic story! The Undead Lord? Virgin blood? Hahaha, has the Internet God already been killed by some lunatic who stole his godhood?"  

"Who would watch such trash? It’s permeated from start to finish with the childishness of kids playing house."  

Within the Greg Duchy, the gods of the Kaman divine system gathered once again in the Wisdom Goddess's Faith to discuss the unfolding situation.  

With the launch of the Dark Web, it became clear that the God of Death had freed himself from the task of withdrawing commoners and had now turned his aggressive gaze toward the multiverse.  

Fortunately, his first target was not the gods of the multiverse but rather competing with the Internet God for users.  

This allowed the gods of the multiverse to breathe a slight sigh of relief.  

It also fostered a mentality of sitting back to watch the tigers fight, enjoying the spectacle.  

"We must admit, the God of Death remains our greatest threat! From replicating the Dark Web to now launching something entirely different from the Internet’s functions—if he continues developing at this rate, there may soon be no place left for us!"  

"Indeed!"  

The gods of Kaman couldn’t help but sigh, their hearts filled with deep apprehension toward the God of Death!  

At this moment, similar discussions among the gods of the multiverse were blooming everywhere.  

The Internet God’s actions were simply too baffling and arrogant in their eyes!  

Honestly, even if he wanted to innovate, he could have at least replicated the Opera House first!  

Instead, he went straight to creating so-called Interconnected Film, with its sole movie being so low-intelligence that it was downright laughable.  

Still, given the Internet God’s already formidable influence, this foolish move allowed the gods to relax slightly.  

What the gods of the multiverse didn’t know was that even one of the film’s creators, the Music Goddess Aphnora, harbored doubts about Yu Sheng'an.  

Of course, Aphnora wasn’t questioning the concept of the movie itself but rather its effectiveness.  

As they prepared for its release, she couldn’t help but say, "Ajef, maybe we should revise the plot a bit more. I feel like it’s still too... simple."  

She hesitated to call it childish.  

This movie had been almost entirely simulated by her using illusion magic.  

Yu Sheng'an, meanwhile, was responsible for filming.  

A true husband-and-wife shop.  

Naturally, her specific illusion expressions were entirely directed by Yu Sheng'an.  

To be honest, during filming, she had questioned Yu Sheng'an countless times.  

For example:  

What exactly is Dark Magic?  

No magic requires virgin blood!  

And what’s this "setting" thing?  

Isn’t this setting too absurd?  

A limestone cave couldn’t possibly trap an Undead Dragon—its magical power is enough to dissolve even the hardest rock, at most slowing it down!  

A poor boy would never have the strength to kill an Undead Dragon!  

Fine, even with magic artifacts, he wouldn’t be able to activate them!  

Not even if he exhausted all his essence blood!  

...And so on. The list of such details was endless.

However, under Yu Sheng'an's forceful insistence, the movie was ultimately produced according to his vision.  

Only minor details were adjusted to accommodate Aphnora's feelings, making them slightly more reasonable.  

"Don’t change it! Trust me! Movies are all about being easy to understand. I’m making this for the common folk at the bottom, not for mages or even gods. If it’s too complicated, the commoners won’t get it at all. Once the market matures, we can gradually add complexity and depth."  

Yu Sheng'an explained somewhat helplessly.  

Did he not realize this movie was unrealistic?  

Of course he did.  

If they truly pursued realism, this movie shouldn’t even exist in the first place.  

First, the idea of a dragon kidnapping a princess was practically impossible.  

If a dragon openly demanded something, which human Empire would dare refuse?  

Second, even if it did happen, the king wouldn’t dare issue a bounty—he’d do everything in his power to cling to the dragon’s coattails.  

Lastly, a poor boy would never be able to slay a dragon. Even if the dragon lay there motionless, it wouldn’t be possible.  

But Yu Sheng'an still decided to make it this way!  

Why?  

Because movies are about spiritual entertainment, the fantasies of the little people, a fantastical journey to another world.  

If you strip away all the commoners’ fantasies, the movie loses its flavor.  

Of course, Yu Sheng'an wasn’t dismissing high-intellect films.  

On the contrary, he enjoyed watching them too.  

But different roles call for different responsibilities.  

As a god, he knew exactly what he wanted.  

What he wanted was Source Essence.  

And who had the most Source Essence?  

The trillions of commoners across the multiverse.  

So if he was going to make movies, his first priority was to cater to this core audience—this was called market positioning.  

Would anyone watch an extremely convoluted tale of political intrigue, mind games, or even a near-documentary?  

Sure, some would, but nowhere near as many as the commoner demographic.  

Besides, the multiverse’s film industry was just getting started. Making overly complex, highbrow films now would only be shooting themselves in the foot.  

So taking a story everyone had heard—like rescuing a princess—and throwing it onto the big screen, pioneering the market with visual spectacle, was more than enough for now.  

Once the market was established, they could gradually upgrade, adding depth, innovation, ideology… and so on.  

As for the audience? Well, you harvest leeks slowly—what’s the rush?  

Under Yu Sheng'an’s autocratic decision, Aphnora couldn’t sway him and had no choice but to agree to upload the movie.  

As the film went live, Aphnora’s mood grew increasingly complicated, feeling like she’d just added another cringe-worthy memory to her life.  

"Let’s make another one!"  

After the upload, Yu Sheng'an exhaled, ready to strike while the iron was hot and produce another film.  

His mental state was excellent right now.  

Or rather, the novelty of filmmaking had him buzzing, his mind overflowing with endless inspiration.  

Even a casual effort could become a movie, so why not capitalize on the momentum?  

If the God of Death dared to copy them? Fine—let him copy one, release one. While they were at it with cultural invasion, they might as well aggressively build their fanbase.  

They could even deliberately drop some trailers to keep the audience hooked, forcing them to camp on Interconnected Film to catch the latest releases.  

"Let’s take a break. I’m a little tired," Aphnora said tactfully.  

She wanted to wait for the market’s feedback before moving forward.

If the results aren't good by then, it would be the perfect opportunity to persuade Yu Sheng'an to revise the plan according to her ideas.  

"Alright!" Yu Sheng'an nodded.  

At that moment, the two of them were in a secluded valley, where a roaring waterfall cascaded down, pooling into a tranquil pond.  

The banks of the pond, which should have been trampled into mud by wild beasts, had long been smoothed over by wood magic, transforming into lush greenery—a paradise untouched by the outside world.  

This was the scene where the male and female leads emerged from the underground river of the limestone cave.  

It was also the final segment of the movie shoot.  

So after filming here, the two of them had stayed behind.  

Aphnora sat on a large boulder, propping her chin in her hand, staring blankly at the waterfall beside her. A faint rainbow rose from the mist below the falls, breathtakingly beautiful.  

Yet the stunning scenery did nothing to lift her mood.  

Yu Sheng'an watched Aphnora's absent-minded expression, her slender back exuding a sense of loneliness and desolation that tugged at his heart.  

"I'm sorry. Have I been too stubborn?"  

Yu Sheng'an walked over and sat down beside Aphnora.  

"Hmm?"  

Aphnora was taken aback, not expecting Yu Sheng'an to apologize on his own.  

"No, it's fine!" Aphnora smiled, then added after a moment's thought, "You don't need to apologize. I understand. After all, most who become gods tend to be quite domineering."  

Her words gave Yu Sheng'an pause.  

He suddenly recalled another perspective on war from Blue Star:  

—Those who climb to leadership positions are often highly aggressive, whether overtly or covertly, inevitably shaping their teams in the same mold. From companies to nations, the pattern holds.  

The statement was extreme, but upon reflection, wasn’t there truth to it?  

He had never particularly liked the Prophecy God Phoebus precisely because he could sense that, though Phoebus worked diligently, he had his own ideas.  

Yes, he was too independent.  

Millennia of godhood had made it impossible for him to fully submit to anyone.  

Phoebus sought a patron, not a ruler.  

Understanding this, Yu Sheng'an felt a sudden clarity.  

"What about you? Why are you content to wander outside the ranks of the gods?" Yu Sheng'an asked.  

"My godhood was forced upon me," Aphnora murmured.  

Yu Sheng'an froze at her words, then after a long silence, said, "So was mine."  

Aphnora abruptly turned to look at him, her eyes wide and flickering with uncertainty—was he just humoring her, or was this the truth?  

Yu Sheng'an met her gaze with unwavering honesty.  

Aphnora suddenly broke into a smile. "Now I finally understand why you’re so different from the other gods. Experience shapes character!"  

Indeed, Yu Sheng'an's godhood hadn’t been seized through bloody battles or schemed over with meticulous patience.  

That was why he had always upheld the principle of mutual benefit, rather than the cutthroat wariness and zero-sum games of the gods.  

Yu Sheng'an was stunned.  

Not because of Aphnora's piercing insight.  

But because—that smile of hers made his heart skip a beat!  

"Ah—"  

Before Yu Sheng'an could recover, Aphnora suddenly let out a shriek, even throwing her arms around him in excitement.

"What... what's going on?" The happiness came too suddenly, leaving Yu Sheng'an a bit dazed.  

Aphnora released her embrace, her face filled with excitement. "Source Essence! Can you feel it? So much of it! You were right! You really are a genius!"  

At this very moment, nearly solidified Source Essence surged wildly toward their true bodies through the *Saving Princess Hedi* sub-project, an endless torrent!