However, because they were aware of its terrifying implications, the group immediately moved past this topic, just as they had when the discussion about Fate/Zero had abruptly halted when it came to the relationship between souls and the seventh rank. After all, the Arch Mages present had all lived through the chaotic times that had once disrupted the entire academy. Even if they hadn't directly experienced it, they had at least heard about it. They understood how such ideas could distort the social order today. Even though human mages were now forever disconnected from the seventh rank, it was still better than seeking it forcibly and risking the destruction of their own kind.
As the conversation fell into silence, the closing theme of The Garden of Sinners played on the distant television. Just as one of the Arch Mages was about to stand, a hurried voice from Ska stopped him, and all the attention in the room quickly shifted to him.
Sensing the enormous pressure from the gathered Arch Mages' gaze, Ska hurriedly said, "T-Television... It's not the same as movies. It doesn't end just because the credits roll... just wait a bit longer..."
Upon hearing his words, not only did Arch Mage Rosa look surprised, but even the other Arch Mages, including Administrator Hohenheim, showed expressions of astonishment. Sure enough, after the first chapter's post-credits scene of The Garden of Sinners ended, the screen suddenly changed, and the words "Coming up next: The Garden of Sinners Chapter 2: A Study in Murder - Part 1. Stay tuned after the break for even more excitement!" appeared in bold letters.
At the same time, Ska, realizing that it was his turn to appear, nervously adjusted his attire. Guided by a student offstage, he walked toward the stage with a live broadcast camera.
This news shocked not only the mages in the room but also the students in the academy's hall. They were all taken aback, confused by the mention of an advertisement. Even some of the new students from the southern regions displayed subtle expressions. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the words "The Garden of Sinners Chapter 2: A Study in Murder - Part 1."
"Wow, there's more? Two episodes in a row?"
"Two episodes in a row? This is amazing! I hereby declare that Senior Durin is my most admired mage!"
"Look how happy you are. If they air a third episode later, you might even kneel and call him 'Dad'!"
"Hey, if there really is a third episode, I'll be the first to call him 'Dad!'"
"I've noted it down. Don't back out when the time comes."
"..."
In any case, the students' excitement was palpable, reflecting the mood across all of Nosrick City and the Imperial Mage Academy. The audience who had just watched the exciting first chapter of The Garden of Sinners were now like eager lambs, thrilled to hear that the second episode was coming. It felt like the arrival of a feast—everyone eagerly ran to share the news, feeling ecstatic, as if it were the New Year.
However, when they discovered that the advertisement would last for half an hour, the excitement quickly waned. They began to complain, calling the director heartless, unaware that the future Edward would be even more ruthless.
Nevertheless, many students still found the super-long commercial quite interesting. After all, for these incredibly bored individuals, whether it was an ad or the main feature didn't matter, as long as it was something to watch and pass the time.
As Ska began his introduction to the so-called "television," the group of mages were astounded. They hadn't expected that the device was created by Magitech Alchemy, and from the looks of it, it seemed like they were planning to promote it as a product.
As expected, on the screen, while Ska's initial performance wasn't very impressive, he quickly recovered with the help of two students standing by and took out a script written by Edward himself, reading it aloud: "Earlier, I introduced our Magitech Alchemy's new product—television. Now, I'm sure all of you are wondering when it will be available for purchase. Well, don't rush. Because our technological development isn't fully complete yet, we have only produced a hundred televisions. Fifty of these are already available for use at the Imperial Mage Academy and Nosrick City's taverns, so you, the viewers, are the very first batch of users to experience television in the empire."
"What about the remaining fifty? Good news, good news! The other fifty units will be sold through an auction. The auction will take place at the square in front of the Nosrick Cinema headquarters. Anyone interested in films can participate in this auction. Even those who aren't interested are welcome to join. We will also have a lucky draw, where one lucky person will receive a free television. Additionally, we will be recruiting advertisers here. Anyone interested in advertising can sign a contract with the manager of Nosrick Cinema, Baron Baniel, to allow their advertisements to be aired. Of course, you will need to create your own advertisements, and the price for selling will be based on the duration of the ad."
"That's all I have to say."
As Ska finished speaking, he glanced at the time. It was perfectly timed at fifteen minutes. The remaining time was just enough to show the Alchemical Magitech promotional video and a trailer for Fate/Zero. Indeed, before they had signed up any advertisers, there wasn't much they could show. But once the astute businessman got involved, the ad time could be worth tens of thousands of gold coins. This also helped fill the gap created by not being able to earn ticket revenue from the film.
Ultimately, the goal was to make money. While television might not seem profitable now, in a market still waiting to be developed, the eventual profits could far exceed what movies earned. After all, while movies only earned money from ticket sales from ordinary people, television could rake in profits from wealthy and powerful businessmen. The nature of the two industries was completely different. Of course, even without the television market, Edward could still make a living from movies alone, perhaps even more than from television. But as he had said before, his goal was to change this era. Simply bringing films from his memories into this world wasn't enough—what he truly wanted to change was the very nature of entertainment in this world.
<+>
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