A group of people who know they are going to die tend to act with great decisiveness.
As another round of revelry among the people of Greece came to an end, and everything sank into the midnight hour, the administrative order banning the broadcast of Honkai: Star Rail in mainland Greece was issued.
In a country where even repairing a water pipe could take three or four months, such efficiency was practically divine intervention.
But from this astonishing speed, one could also catch a glimpse of just how frightened these people were.
Just as the news of the ban had barely been released from the Art Committee and the Ministry of Culture, the news reached MiHoYo Headquarters, and Xia Wen received word of it.
But Xia Wen was not surprised in the slightest. After his allies in Greece had sent him information more than a month in advance, Xia Wen had been preparing for everything that followed.
Inside the office, the lights were brightly lit.
Besides Xia Wen, Sunday and Aventurine were also there. The office lights stretched the shadows of the three men long across the floor.
"As expected, they still went through with it."
Xia Wen looked at the computer screen and smiled.
Aventurine leaned against the armrest of the sofa, his legs crossed. He toyed with a gold coin in his hand, repeatedly flipping it between his fingers, and asked with a half-smile: "So, how many hours did they take?"
"From the meeting to making the decision, and then issuing the administrative order, I bet twelve hours. Looks like I still underestimated their determination."
As he finished speaking, Aventurine tossed the coin into the air and caught it steadily.
Sunday stood upright before the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands clasped behind his back. Gazing at the nighttime scenery around the company's vicinity, he calmly said, "Fear compresses the decision-making cycle. When a person realizes that they may not live to see tomorrow, they will finish in an hour what they should have spent a long time considering."
"The problem is..." Aventurine sat upright, the coin stopping between his fingers.
"They chose the stupidest method. A ban."
"In the age of streaming media, that is equivalent to handing the market over to someone else. Their citizens will use VPNs; they'll look for pirated copies. And don't these so-called 'cultural figures' even know the most basic principles of geopolitics?"
"In Europe, them imposing a ban doesn't mean everyone else has to ban it. After imposing the ban, they'll still have to find a way to convince others not to take advantage of the situation."
"Coincidentally, in France, thanks to Director Furina, we have made several powerful allies."
Aventurine deliberately emphasized the words "powerful allies." Because those few people were indeed quite formidable.
Judging by their status and abilities, there was only one way to describe them: if you wanted mechanisms, they had mechanisms; if you wanted raw numbers, they had raw numbers.
"They simply had no choice."
Xia Wen finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it immediately made the atmosphere in the entire office grow quiet.
"When a person sees a problem but has neither the courage to face the truth nor the ability to change or solve the problem, they will choose to make sure that other people cannot see the problem either."
Sunday turned around and gently nodded in agreement.
"The boss's words are consistent with my understanding of them."
"Truly delightful. I really want to know how those people on the Art Committee are reacting right now. Unfortunately, I can't see them. Otherwise, it would certainly make an excellent dish to accompany a drink."
Aventurine spoke with a somewhat malicious amusement.
"Don't worry. We'll see it very soon."
Xia Wen leaned back on the sofa and took a sip of coffee to refresh himself. Looking at the two standing next to him, he calmly stated the plan he had already prepared:
"Our allies in Greece, Aris, will mobilize the power of the Mavromi family, temporarily making certain gray-market activities legal. For example... piracy. And to a certain extent, they will turn a blind eye to certain actions that 'violate the regulations.'"
"And that shipping magnate, Evangelos Marinakis, will launch a financial offensive. He will organize private gatherings throughout the streets and alleys of Greece, essentially gatherings for people to watch the film."
"Ms. Eleni of the Thessaloniki School will immediately begin using major platforms and media outlets that support our side to launch a counteroffensive in public opinion."
Not to mention the French Ministry of Culture represented by Neuvillette. Even just these local Greek allies were all heavyweight figures.
There is an old saying that goes: "The friend of your friend is not your friend."
The same principle applies to cultural bans.
The two major families, the Mavromi family and the Marinakis family, each had their own influential figures whom they supported, cultivated, and relied upon. Within the boundaries of the rules, they enjoyed a certain degree of privilege.
For example, Evangelos could organize viewing gatherings centered in Thessaloniki and extending throughout Greece. When someone came to inspect or question them, Evangelos could simply find some excuse to brush them off, claiming it was a personal action, a private activity, or even dragging out a long string of miscellaneous legal provisions.
Just as the people in the Arts Committee had said when they banned Amphoreus: all they needed was an excuse to impose the ban, because of their influence.
When opposing this ban, Evangelos could say the same thing, because he also had considerable influence.
As for piracy, this was the most ruthless means of striking back. Once MiHoYo completely gave up all revenue in Greece, pirated copies would be everywhere.
Previously, watching Honkai: Star Rail in Greece still required payments through MiHoYo's official website or on other streaming platforms.
Now, they wanted nothing. Everything would be free.
As for the public-opinion offensive, this was an even more important means of stirring up the anger of the people.
"But none of this comes without a price."
"The amount of pressure our allies can withstand is limited."
"Before we reach that threshold, if we still cannot make the Art Committee and the people backing them give up and acknowledge the changes Amphoreus has brought to Greece, then we will lose."
Xia Wen calmly stated the decisive point of this war.
The influence and money of the three allies were not unlimited, and their opponents possessed these things as well.
"Agreed." Sunday suddenly said, "The key to this war lies in who can gain more recognition, and whether that recognition can shake the people who truly hold power within Greece."
Then he continued his analysis calmly:
"In this land of Greece, the reason the Art Committee has been able to dominate for decades is simply because the people have 'accepted' that they should possess this authority."
"The Greeks recognize their professionalism, recognize their authority, and recognize that they represent authentic Greek culture."
"But after Amphoreus appeared, this kind of recognition had already begun to change."
"People began to feel that anyone can understand Greek history, anyone can promote Greek worldwide as long as they had the medium to post their creations. Recognition was shifting, moving away from the Arts Committee."
Aventurine suddenly began applauding.
He looked at Xia Wen, a hint of madness in his smile. "Boss, to be honest, what I'm doing with you right now might be the biggest gamble I've ever taken in my life."
"It's starting to excite me."
The shrewd gambler knew the weight of Sunday's words. And he was genuinely excited about this enormous gamble he was taking alongside Xia Wen.
Just like the storyline concerning the Council of Elders in Amphoreus.
When people no longer recognized the Council of Elders, the Council of Elders lost its power.
Even if the Council of Elders had possessed overwhelming authority before that, losing it required only a single instant.
Because everything, including the bans and the overwhelming power, was built upon people's recognition.
Their power, came from the people. When the people no longer regarded the Art Committee as an authority, but instead saw it as an obstacle to Greece's resurgence, the Art Committee would lose the legitimacy of its existence.
Every order they issued would be treated as a joke, and thus lose its power.
As long as the threshold at which recognition shifted could reach this level, victory would come.
The reason Aventurine was excited was precisely because he had realized what they were doing now, in Greece and as an extension to the world.
MiHoYo was doing something truly terrifying. Honkai: Star Rail had risen in the streaming era, starting with web dramas that the major traditional entertainment industries had never taken seriously.
Step by step, it had gradually devoured a share of the entire world, eventually surrounding all the traditional entertainment industries.
Of course, this was a major undertaking.
If they won, it would be cultural hegemony.
Oh, right. The boss didn't like calling it that. The word "hegemony" didn't quite fit the boss's values, so Aventurine beautified it as "cultural GM."
If they lost, everything they had done before would vanish like smoke.
Amphoreus and Star Rail could be banned by a group of interested parties, while other regions could face the same kind of treatment.
This was truly, all or nothing.
But Xia Wen paid no attention to Aventurine's excitement.
Because he was thinking.
His mind went back to when he had first arrived in this world. At first, he had only wanted to make a series, to film a story that he loved the most.
Later, he gradually felt a power that did not belong to him beginning to emerge around him.
It was the power of culture. Whether you called it knowledge, or described it using anything else, neither quite captured the point.
What exactly was the power of culture? The quality of the work? The number of fans?
Xia Wen now felt that it was neither.
It was something more fundamental. It was the power to touch people's hearts, awaken resonance within them, and thereby change their perceptions and behavior.
In the past, this power might have been constrained by distribution channels and costs.
But due to streaming, in the present, everything had changed. High-quality content could directly and unobstructedly reach every individual, this power was completely unleashed.
"What are you thinking about, Boss?" Sunday walked over to Xia Wen and asked gently.
"I'm thinking about what the power of culture really is."
Xia Wen spoke softly.
"Have you found the answer?" Sunday asked with a gentle smile.
"Sunday, you're the one among us who has observed the changes we're making to the world most deeply. I think that, at this moment, you should have arrived at that answer."
Xia Wen laughed loudly.
"But at a moment like this, I think it would be better to have at least a little sense of ceremony. For example, it would be better if the answer came from your mouth."
Sunday modestly deferred to him.
Xia Wen did not refuse. He lowered his eyes, and his voice gradually became steady, as though he were recounting a universal truth:
"Resonance creates recognition; recognition creates belonging; and belonging brings people together around a shared identity."
"That is the power of culture."
"Of course, there's another phrase that fits even better here."
"Whoever the audience chooses to stand with is the one who possesses the power."
Aventurine began applauding again.
"Well said, Boss. Should we do something about it? Otherwise, after saying something so profound without actually doing anything, it feels like we'd be wasting our time."
"Now?"
Xia Wen raised his head, the corners of his mouth lifting.
The expression on his face was no longer merely confidence.
It was, an uncontrollable, suppressed madness.
"Yes. Now."
Facing his boss's smile, Aventurine tossed the coin high into the air.
"Then let's begin the tide of a new era." Xia Wen stood and announced.
The coin spun beneath the lights, reflecting tiny fragments of light, before finally falling back into Aventurine's palm.
But Aventurine did not look at which side of the coin had landed face-up. Because before the coin had even been tossed, its outcome had already been decided.
So this round… would be a total sweep.
…
At the two ends of the Earth.
On one side was a dying struggle in the twilight.
On the other was a group of people whose ambition had become arrogant enough to turn into madness.
And now, all of this, would be proven by the sunrise rising in the East.
…
Early the next morning.
Global social media, every platform was flooded with news of the ban that had taken place in Greece.
Whether they were intelligent or foolish, everyone could vaguely sense the devastating consequences.
The war had officially begun.
And on Greek soil itself, the flames had also been lit.
When people woke up early that morning, what greeted them was not dawn, but a joke so infuriating that it felt like an April Fool's prank.
"Honkai: Star Rail can't be watched in Greece anymore?"
"It's been removed from every platform!"
"This is a joke, right?! This has to be a joke!"
"What the hell are those parasites doing?!"
"Why are they banning Honkai: Star Rail?! A series like this! A series that has allowed Greece to bloom with vitality again, why are they banning it?!"
"Are there any normal people left in the Art Committee?!"
"I'm so angry I can only laugh."
"So now there's really no one behind us anymore. My Amphoreus, my Okhema, our Chrysos Heirs! There are so many of them!!"
In the dawn, the Greeks received, in the form of a hellish joke, a limited-time experience pass of Aglaea's golden webs.