At Cinnati's home.
The once-arrogant Arts Committee member was now slumped awkwardly in a chair, his eyes bloodshot.
The notification pop-ups on his phone had long been turned off. He didn't even have the courage to look at those glaring messages.
"How did it come to this?" Cinnati asked himself silently.
He knew MiHoYo was a giant in the entertainment industry, and he also knew that once he had MiHoYo absorbed after Okhema, the conflict between the two sides had already become irreconcilable.
But at first, he hadn't been too worried. Because behind him stood another cultural giant with enough money.
Before Amphoreus aired, he had already made preparations to deal with a possible public opinion crisis.
He had Herdo's promise and Hollywood's media resources. So he thought the pressure from public opinion would be manageable.
However, The first episode?
Just the first episode?! The wave of public opinion that swept toward Cinnati was not small at all, but terrifyingly massive.
His grudge with Okhema Theatre was nothing more than wanting to squeeze a small theater and gain some political capital.
This kind of thing had been commonplace in the past. So why did everything change the moment it landed in MiHoYo's hands?
Why were those ordinary people empathizing so strongly with Aglaea and the others? What was going on with this so-called "local sentiment"?
In Cinnati's eyes, that so-called local sentiment wasn't worth mentioning at all. Yet it was precisely this sentiment that now made him feel an extreme hostility from the people.
Some people were even shouting that he should die. What kind of brainwashing soup had MiHoYo fed them, to make so many people so quickly stand on his opposing side?
Give me a break. MiHoYo was the outsider here. He, Cinnati, was a member of the Arts Committee!
Why?! Completely baffled, Cinnati had no choice but to overturn all his previous PR plans.
The current public opinion situation wasn't something he could fix just by coming out and saying a few words of apology.
Cinnati sat in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest.
In his anxiety, he stared at his phone. Not long after, the phone rang. It was Herdo.
As if grabbing hold of a lifeline, Cinnati hurriedly took the call with both hands and said excitedly, "Mr. Herdo! I finally got your call."
Herdo's voice was as calm as ever. "Cinnati, I know you're not feeling well right now. This call is specifically for you."
Cinnati was like a drowning man clutching at a straw. He poured out all his pent-up emotions.
"Mr. Herdo, have you seen the public opinion outside? They're completely insane. For the sake of a play, they're willing to tear apart even someone ."
When he finished, Herdo replied calmly, "Stay calm, Cinnati. First of all, you have to understand that this wave of public opinion isn't just about the story itself."
"The narrative of a local pearl being neglected, then cherished and saved by an outsider, is inherently very easy to spread. And MiHoYo just happens to be playing the role of the 'talent scout' in it."
"And you, unfortunately, have become the person nailed to the pillar of shame."
"Ordinary people are very easily hijacked by this kind of narrative."
Herdo's precise analysis made Cinnati quiet down. This big shot really did have a sharp eye.
"Then what should I do?" Cinnati gritted his teeth. "I watched their first episode. Their story… there are almost no obvious flaws, and the production quality is too good."
As soon as the first episode came out, Cinnati had watched it… The more he watched, the more shocked he became. The story was extremely compelling, and the production was almost insanely refined.
But Herdo had his own countermeasures.
"You're still too young, Cinnati." Herdo sneered and said, "If you can't find obvious flaws, then look for hidden ones. Or… create them."
"Our media machine has already been activated, and top drama critic Ross will be reviewing the third episode."
"Yes, its first episode is complete, intricate, and has delicate character building."
"But…"
"It lacks the most direct thing, the thing that can pierce straight into the audience's hearts."
At this point, Herdo paused, giving Cinnati time to digest the information, then continued,
"This war we're fighting against MiHoYo, its stage is classical Greek culture."
"And what is the core of ancient Greek drama?"
"It's tragedy, my friend. You know yourself. When you were watching it, didn't you notice that?"
"Nikador's story twist is pretty good, but it's just a twist."
"The real core lies in the inescapable tragedy of fate."
"It's the struggle and downfall of heroes in extreme adversity!"
"MiHoYo is being too protective of their characters. Or rather, that undertone of 'hope' they carry is limiting the full release of tragic power!"
Herdo's words made Cinnati's eyes gradually light up. It was as if he had seen a lighthouse in the fog.
"You're right… So…?" He asked tentatively.
"So!" Herdo's tone suddenly rose, full of confidence. "The weapon we've prepared for you, and for this war, is already finished as well."
"I just finished watching the first completed episode of Olympus."
"We don't have time like MiHoYo to spend months laying down world-building. Because of the universality of Greek mythology, we've already saved a lot of that effort."
"So we go straight to the core."
"Prometheus steals fire and is chained to a cliff, suffering day after day; Agamemnon marches to Troy and personally sacrifices his daughter; Heracles collapses into despair after madly slaughtering his wife and children."
Herdo's impassioned words made Cinnati gradually imagine scene after scene. As a Greek, these familiar stories made his whole body tremble.
And Herdo kept painting an even more beautiful picture for him.
"Our first episode will have explosive pacing."
"It will directly deliver a powerful emotional impact to the audience."
"No gentle, slow-burn storytelling like Amphoreus, only the most direct pain and suffering."
"We will let the audience experience a roller-coaster of emotions within a single episode."
"We'll make them cry their tears dry before leaving the screen."
"At that time, while people are still immersed in the shock brought by Olympus, our media will start coordinating attacks on the steady-paced first episode of Amphoreus."
"The media will question: who understands Greece better? MiHoYo that is overly hopeful and protective of its characters, or us, who dare to face blood and fate head-on and present the true core?"
Cincinnati's breathing grew more and more rapid. There was no need for Herdo to spell it out.
He already knew what would happen when the time came. The current wave of public attacks against him would completely reverse, even turning into a force that would help lift him to the very top.
MiHoYo would be utterly defeated in this war.
"So, Cincinnati, you have to hold on," Herdo said after explaining everything, his tone light. "The public opinion you're facing right now will instead become part of our narrative."
"A local bureaucrat who was almost wrongly hurt, but was discovered and helped by our Hollywood, becoming a true counterexample."
"Once the first episode of Olympus airs and public opinion flips, you'll need to step forward and tell the audience that you're the one who truly supports the revival of local Greek culture."
"And that Okhema and MiHoYo are the real outsiders."
"Tell the Greeks that giving up support and becoming part of Hollywood's narrative is the future of Greek culture."
The call ended.
Cincinnati slowly put down his phone. The nerves that had been tightly wound finally relaxed.
He leaned back into his chair, let out a long breath, and a sinister light reignited in his eyes.
"Lacking tragedy… cherishing the characters… yeah…" Savoring Herdo's words, Cincinnati's lips split into a smile. "Just wait, Aglaea, and that damn consultant too. You'll taste total defeat. The real show is only just beginning."
Soon. The Cincinnati who had stayed out of sight all this time convened a grand meeting inside the Arts Committee.
At the meeting, Cincinnati was high-spirited and began his speech.
"Right and wrong are hard to judge."
"But critics have all noticed that it is precisely on this land, where tragedies and epics were born, that the rise and fall of so many narratives have been decided."
"Not long ago, I set out from the Arts Committee office to begin rectifying local discourse power, bringing dormant voices back to life."
"Everywhere I went… one could say I held the people's expectations in my hands."
At this point, Cincinnati paused. "That scene of vigorous vitality, of all things competing to flourish, is still vivid before my eyes. Could it be that in just a few short months, this place will become my burial ground?"
Then, under the gaze of all the committee members, Cincinnati went on speaking at great length without stopping.
As for what exactly he said, most people had already blurred it out. They only remembered that in the end, Cincinnati delivered one resounding line.
"In short. The advantage is with me!"
...
Not long after.
The overwhelmingly positive reviews that Amphoreus had enjoyed on global social media began to be hit by a massive attack.
"Amphoreus is too refined and lacks the heartbreaking tragedy."
"MiHoYo sharpened the knife but doesn't dare to really swing it. Cowards!"
"Support the return of true tragedy! The core of ancient Greek drama is the fall of heroes, the inescapability of fate, not just the growth of heroes!"
"The Greek culture in MiHoYo's eyes is too clean. What we're expecting is an epic drenched in blood and fire!"
All kinds of hashtag topics sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain.
Soft, hardcore culture, only this is real.
Topics like these kept increasing.
On short video platforms, malicious comparison edits also became more and more common.
They spliced together warm scenes from Amphoreus, where characters escaped danger and supported one another, with tragic classic drama scenes.
Added personal music, then slapped on inflammatory text.
"Which portrayal do you choose? A safe fantasy? Or real pain?"
Supporters and opponents nearly beat each other's brains out in the comment sections.
Meanwhile, the official promotion of the Olympus project also rode this wave of traffic straight into takeoff.
A large number of bloggers from global media networks joined in to build hype.
All kinds of short video trailers were released like crazy.
Prometheus bound to a windswept cliff, his agony and struggle as his liver was devoured.
Agamemnon's tortured expression as he faced his weeping daughter.
Although these scenes were exquisitely produced with top-tier special effects, highlighting the deep industrial foundation, the ugly faces and out-of-place people of color that appeared in them also made many viewers cringe hard.
But the moment they voiced any opinion, it was like they had created a monster-spawning cage.
Large numbers of "void creatures" would immediately flood into the comment section and start frenzied attacks.
You're not inclusive enough.
This is progress.
You're discriminating against women.
All kinds of "magic" bombarded them in turn.
The people posting were just ordinary folks, how could they withstand this kind of firepower?
Most of them deleted their posts. And they couldn't help but start wondering: wasn't it supposed to be okay to speak frankly?
Of course, if they voiced that doubt, they would face even more terrifying attacks.
Under all these measures. The promotional effect of Olympus was extremely strong.
At the very least, many people remembered that provocative and confident slogan:
"Face destiny on Olympus, experience the real Greece."
What Herdo, or rather, the promotion team behind him, wanted to do was not simply to deny Amphoreus, because that series existed as it was, and its quality was right there for all to see.
Over-smearing it would instead create a large number of die-hard fans. Once ordinary viewers realized that what they saw didn't match what they'd heard, they might flip over to the other side out of sympathy.
Their real intention was to plant a framework of comparison in the audience's minds. Amphoreus is pretty good, but not authentic enough, not deep enough.
So as to pave the way for the first episode of Olympus.
As the main base of the public opinion war. They were even figuring out how to gradually erode and rewrite the world in ordinary people's minds.
Of course. All of this was premised on Herdo and the elites behind him judging Amphoreus correctly.
These people were, of course, confident that their judgment was absolutely accurate.
MiHoYo cherished its characters and wouldn't truly create ancient Greek–style heroes that made audiences feel despair!
...
When the surge of false news erupted.
What reaction did MiHoYo have internally? No reaction.
Everyone just kept eating and drinking as usual. Sparkle even registered a bunch of accounts and went wild trolling on all the major platforms, having a blast.
Within online circles, she even became a minor opinion leader. She was dubbed the "MiHoYo Terminator."
Sparkle, who had originally been annoyed to death by Rappa, finally got a new target to vent on.
And all of her accounts had one thing in common, a personal signature.
Just one word. "Fun."