At the moment when Amphoreus exploded online.
Inside the Garden at MiHoYo's headquarters, the lights were blazing bright.
The classical garden that had originally been meant for filming Huohuo's scenes in Fyxestroll Garden had temporarily been turned into an open-air barbecue venue.
Shimmering light strings were hung along both sides of the stone paths, and a row of barbecue grills had been set up beside the rockery and flowing water.
The charcoal fire was burning hot, sparks rising into the air.
"Come, come, come! The first batch is ready!" March 7th, wearing an apron printed with Pom-Pom, carried a large tray of sizzling, oil-dripping grilled meat as she weaved between different tables.
"Wait a second!"
"Don't rush!"
"Finish cutting yours first! Cut yours first, then cut hers!"
March 7th was busy beyond words.
Whenever someone needed grilled meat, she would set down a plate.
Although she was tired, seeing how happily everyone was eating made her feel warm and pleased inside.
"What's going on, March? It's actually this delicious."
"Why haven't we ever seen you show off this skill before?"
Stelle and Himeko were sitting at the same table. With a piece of beef stuffed in her mouth, Stelle mumbled as she spoke.
"Ahem, even though I really want to say I grilled it myself…"
"Actually, it's all thanks to Blade's secret sauce."
March 7th coughed lightly and glanced toward the distance.
At the grill beside the rockery, the taciturn Blade, dressed in black, stood behind a barbecue rack, skillfully turning long skewers of meat.
Next to Blade, Phainon was learning from him.
He watched closely, imitating every move. From time to time, he even picked up some seasoning and sprinkled it on.
It actually looked somewhat convincing.
Blade shot him a sideways glance, black lines practically appearing on his forehead. "Don't flip it so often. And also, what you're holding is sugar, not salt."
Phainon cried out in surprise and fumbled to switch the seasonings. After a flurry of chaotic movements, the meat somehow ended up looking even more tempting.
But his nose was covered in charcoal ash, making him look both silly and funny.
"Ah… I just wanted to help everyone out a bit," Phainon said with a bitter smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, "mockery" came from beside him.
"I told you you're a disaster in the kitchen."
"You just had to show off. Looks like you're definitely losing today."
Mydei was bare-chested, sweat glistening on his skin. But he clearly looked much more skilled than Phainon.
"Don't get cocky. This barbeque party is still long. What if I have a sudden epiphany later?"
Phainon laughed and shook his head, refusing to back down. "What do they call it here again? Oh right, I'll awaken. Once I awaken, you're done for."
The two of them were in the middle of a cooking showdown.
After the party ended, everyone's evaluations would be the key to deciding the winner between them.
While the two argued and grilled meat at the same time… Not far away, by the lotus pond, Aglaea, Anaxagoras, and Ratio were sitting at a stone table.
Ratio held a can of cola in his left hand and an academic book in his right. He read while taking occasional sips of ice-cold cola.
That said, the noisy atmosphere of the party made Ratio frown slightly as he read.
But he didn't leave. Or perhaps, he was enjoying it too.
Beside him, Anaxagoras was discussing several subtle script revisions in the Amphoreus screenplay with Aglaea.
But Aglaea clearly didn't want to talk about that anymore.
Facing Anaxagoras's verbal barrage, she softly asked, "Ratio, what do you think of Anaxagoras's suggestion?"
Ratio lifted his gaze. He had actually been eavesdropping the whole time, no, listening properly to Anaxagoras's ideas.
He glanced at Anaxagoras, then set his book down, straightened his collar, and said seriously, "I think it's stupid."
"Oh?" Instead of getting angry, Anaxagoras slightly raised his head and looked at the professor. "So, that means you've got some brilliant ideas of your own?"
After that, the two of them turned the stone table into an academic debate arena.
Their calm yet barbed exchanges, filled with refined wording and cultured verbal attacks, made Aglaea click her tongue inwardly.
She didn't say anything, just quietly poured herself a glass of red wine and relaxed as her brows eased.
This lively atmosphere spread throughout the entire garden.
In the bamboo grove, Hyacine and Tribios gathered around Robin, listening as she softly hummed a small tune in a Greek melody.
Sunday followed beside Xia Wen, quietly chatting with Aventurine.
Each of them held a glass of champagne, as if they were attending some important formal occasion.
At another table, Sparkle was covering her ears, utterly fed up as Rappa crazily rapped freestyle right next to her.
The others wore expressions of "serves you right" and snickered quietly.
As for Xia Wen, he stood inside a gazebo in the garden, leaning casually against a pillar, a glass of fine wine in his hand.
He wasn't wearing formal attire today, just something simple, yet he was still ridiculously handsome.
Xia Wen looked at the noisy scene across the garden, a faint smile on his lips.
"This feels unreal," he murmured quietly to himself.
Aside from the Aglaea, Phainon and the others, not far away Furina was like a cheerful blue jellyfish, talking on the phone with Neuvillette.
She smugly introduced the achievements of Amphoreus' first episode, talked about the new friends she had met, and of course couldn't resist bragging about how much she herself had contributed in this episode.
All these people gathered together, it was truly dreamlike.
Thinking that, Xia Wen walked to the edge of the pavilion.
"Everyone." His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
The laughter and chatter at the party naturally faded away, and all eyes turned toward him.
Xia Wen raised his glass.
"First, a toast to Amphoreus Episode One,"
"Our global viewership numbers have already exceeded what anyone could reasonably imagine."
He paused, then chuckled lightly. "To be more specific, it's roughly… Hmm, Aventurine, how much was it again?"
Aventurine stood up under the corridor, raised his glass, and answered elegantly, "1.8 times, boss."
"Mm, that's right."
Xia Wen nodded, his tone relaxed, as if he were just commenting on the weather. "So everyone can finally sleep well tonight."
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
"And then, a toast to our new members who came from afar,"
Xia Wen's gaze shifted to the group from Okhema. "Aglaea, Tribios, Phainon, Mydei, Cifera, Caesar, Anaxagoras, Hysilens, and ...Castorice."
His eyes swept over them one by one, then lingered a moment on the girl who was staring straight at him in a daze.
Only after Castorice's ears turned bright red and she lowered her head did he smile and look away, continuing:
"The explosive response to the first episode proved one thing, that a good story, whether in a small Greek town or in MiHoYo's universe, can ignite people's hearts all the same."
"By the way, Cinnati ended up becoming a huge laughingstock now."
At this point, Xia Wen's smile grew even wider. "I just scrolled through my phone and saw that on social media, the popularity of the term 'Cinnati' is already close to that of 'Amphoreus', of course, in the sense of a clown."
Hearing this news, the reactions from the Okhema group were the most intense.
Anaxagoras let out an unabashed whistle. Aglaea clapped lightly with elegant poise. Mydei and Phainon looked at each other and bumped fists.
Of course, they harbored hatred toward Cinnati. A few weeks ago, everyone in the theater had been extremely downcast, as if the weight of the world was pressing on them.
If they hadn't met MiHoYo and Xia Wen, they didn't dare imagine what things might have become.
"To the boss." Everyone raised their glasses.
Xia Wen accepted it calmly.
Then, he thought of something else.
"Cinnati and Herdo's so-called 'Olympus' series is going to start airing next month."
"There's a high chance they'll go all out on hype during this short window, smear Amphoreus, and ride its popularity."
"I hope everyone can stay calm when you see related news."
"You just need to remember one thing, we'll use what we're best at: telling stories, telling a story so good that their counterattacks will look ridiculous."
"That's all."
The new members looked at Xia Wen.
Their hearts felt incredibly steady. This boss was flamboyant and arrogant, yet fiercely protective of his own.
Following behind him, it felt like any difficulty would be shattered.
This personality, for those who had long since joined MiHoYo, it was already something they were used to.
But for the new members, no matter how many times they felt it, it still never seemed like enough.
"I really want to become someone like him." Phainon took a deep breath, looking at the boss. In his eyes, Xia Wen practically seemed to be glowing.
"You mean, like, cheating your way up?" Mydei joked from the side.
"Huh? No, I was just joking. I only learned that term recently, doesn't it mean something like cheating, or some kind of weird slang?" Phainon froze for a moment, then laughed and shook his head in explanation.
"I was joking too." Mydei rolled his eyes and said helplessly.
In the middle of the room, Xia Wen had already reached the end of his speech.
Originally, he hadn't planned to say so much. But whenever someone joined MiHoYo, they would hold a party.
They had been far too busy with their schedule and hadn't had the chance. So they were making it up now.
"In short, welcome to MiHoYo. There aren't many rules here." Xia Wen raised his glass again, his smile sincere and relaxed.
"Except one." He looked at Furina.
"You can bully me, but you're not allowed to bully silly Furina."
Furina immediately puffed out her chest, her face full of barely concealed pride.
Then she reacted.
"What do you mean 'silly Furina'?!"
"Am I really that silly?!"
The laughter and Furina's embarrassed, angry chasing blended together.
Tonight, MiHoYo was definitely not going to sleep.
And on the other side, Greece.
The atmosphere was completely different.
[Times Guardian: The first episode of Amphoreus, the third main arc of Star Rail, used modern cinematic language to vividly present the magnificent tragedy and core themes of ancient Greece.]
[Athens Daily: This proves the unparalleled depth and universal value of our cultural heritage. It deserves to be told in every form. MiHoYo once again demonstrated its terrifying ability to weave stories. We must pay our respects to them, MiHoYo is truly a giant of culture and entertainment.]
[Thessaloniki City News: When I watched Amphoreus, I felt a shiver. It didn't come from unfamiliarity, but from a kind of resonance, as if a distant kindred spirit had grasped our culture with perfect precision.]
One newspaper after another. None of them held back in their praise. They were practically praising the first episode of Amphoreus to the skies.
This wasn't paid promotion. It was the genuine reaction of Greece as a whole.
Their culture had been brought onto a stage they themselves could never have created, in a way that showed it more respect.
That sense of pride, that feeling of shared glory was almost exactly what every Greek felt after finishing the first episode.
Yet the more pride they felt, the deeper a certain regret became.
This first episode, which had won applause from the entire world, was created by others using their own people.
When they had to rely on the lens of a foreign company to rediscover and become intoxicated by the charm of their own cultural heritage, that regret only grew stronger.
And all of those negative emotions were pushed toward a single person.
Cinnati, and the Arts Committee.
On online platforms, the reactions of the people were extremely direct.
"Look! This is what our myths and philosophy should look like! Not lifeless plaster statues in museums, but living, breathing stories that make your blood boil! #Amphoreus #Greece"
"Every frame is filled with love and understanding for us. MiHoYo understands how to tell Greek stories better than some of our own producers!"
"Aglaea, Anaxagoras… these names are being discussed all over the world now! They're the pride of Greece! Which idiot wanted to destroy Okhema back then?"
"#Cinnati. This bureaucrat from the Arts Committee almost strangled an opportunity that could've made the whole world fall in love with Greek culture again!"
"#Cinnati. Kill him! We should burn his whole family alive!"
"We must hold Cinnati accountable! Because of his stupid greed and suppression, we almost lost Okhema, and the world almost missed Amphoreus! He's the true sinner of Greek culture!"
"I suggest investigating all of Cinnati's approval records! We need to know how many more 'Okhemas' he's buried!"
Ever since the first episode ended, the heat of these topics had been skyrocketing. Public opinion was boiling over.
Cinnati didn't even dare to go outside. Who knew how many hotheadeds were already waiting on the roads in their trucks.