When the documentary "The Infected" was first released, it was a huge hit in Kazimierz. In a country like Kazimierz, where capitalism and tradition collide and gradually trend toward a balance, the Chamber of Commerce's attitude toward the Infected depended entirely on the value the Infected could bring.
After this documentary exploded in popularity in Columbia, Kazimierz imported it almost a week later. Furthermore, Kazimierz's capitalism was, to some extent, learned from Columbia. So, a film hyped by Columbia would naturally be hyped by Kazimierz's capitalists as well. The result was an extremely strong reception, just as expected.
Influenced by this documentary, many ordinary people gained a deeper understanding of the Infected.
However, it's impossible to completely change the status of the Infected with just one documentary. At most, it makes some ordinary people realize the difficulties of the Infected, but it can't substantively change anything.
When Sona finished watching this documentary, she was moved to tears by the incredibly realistic footage and the raw emotions and themes expressed. Like the vast majority of Infected seeing it for the first time, she felt: *Finally, someone understands me.*
At the time, Sona was also extremely grateful to the directors who shot this documentary.
She was well aware of the social status of the Infected and understood the immense pressure these two directors faced to release this documentary—pressure not just from public opinion, but from many other factions as well.
At first.
When Sona first learned of Lucas Reeve, she didn't immediately connect him to the documentary's director.
Just now... reminded by the news, Sona realized this serious problem.
"Mr. Reeve, are you really the director of this documentary?"
Sona's bright eyes widened, and her crimson squirrel tail wagged nonstop with excitement. Her long, fleshy thighs pressed together, rubbing up and down. Her small body leaned forward, looking at Lucas Reeve with excitement.
Sona never expected that two people she deeply admired were actually the same person!! Sona looked up to the Radiant Knight. Later, after this documentary was released, Sona admired its directors. And now, after Lucas Reeve had helped her so much, Sona completely idolized Lucas Reeve.
And yet!
The director and Lucas Reeve were actually the same person!!
This feeling was just too blissful!!
Lucas Reeve hadn't expected Sona to be so happy. He scratched his face and nodded.
Seeing Lucas Reeve admit it again, Sona excitedly poured a cup of tea, then sat on the bed, cross-legged. She propped her chin on her hands, which bloomed like a flower. She was adorable: "Mr. Reeve! Mr. Reeve!! Can you talk about your creative process? How did you create such a masterpiece!!!"
"Here, Mr. Reeve, have some tea~"
Sona instantly recovered from the tension she felt facing that silver-haired young lady earlier. Her mouth, as usual, started running a mile a minute.
"Mr. Reeve, I heard that many artistic creators get a burst of inspiration and then spend several, even ten or twenty years accumulating experience before creating an incredible masterpiece. Mr. Reeve! To create such a great work, you must have gone through countless hardships, right?"
"Err....."
Sona's question stunned Lucas Reeve.
Hardships?
Countless hardships?
Ten or twenty years of creation?
What are you talking about?
Lucas Reeve just told the truth: "Err... Little Squirrel, the truth might be a bit heartbreaking, but I have to say, we spent less than half a month shooting this documentary. Including the initial scriptwriting, it was less than a month all told. And... it wasn't some burst of inspiration. It was a friend of mine, the other director you saw, Nian. She wanted to shoot a documentary, I suggested this topic, and then I just gave Nian a *tiny* bit of help, and the documentary was done. Honestly, I was just helping out for fun at first. I never thought it would get popular....."
"Huh?"
Sona froze.
Her cute face stiffened, flashing a 'Confused Squirrel' meme expression.
"Wait, Mr. Reeve, you didn't spend a full ten years shooting it?! Trekking across mountains and rivers, scrapping hundreds of thousands of shots, and nearly sacrificing yourself multiple times?"
"Huh??"
This time it was Lucas Reeve's turn to be baffled.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Err... that's the rumor going around. That Mr. Reeve and Ms. Nian spent ten years together to film this documentary."
"......"
Seeing Lucas Reeve remain silent.
Sona asked: "A rumor?"
"Indeed."
Lucas Reeve finally understood why reading comprehension questions rarely use contemporary authors. Because... the questions the teacher writes are also based on their own understanding. If they use works from authors who died many years ago, the teacher's interpretation becomes the correct answer, irrefutable. But if they use a contemporary author's work, awkward situations can arise.
For example...
*Why were the curtains the protagonist saw at the end of the novel blue? This primarily expresses the author's indignant protest against what they have seen and heard.*
Author: "Actually... the curtains were just blue. No other reason."
Question-setter: "Get lost, you're just a lowly writer. Do you understand the author, or do *I* understand the author?"
A bunch of media outlets spread rumors, and then many audience members started to imagine how difficult it was for the director to shoot the work... In reality, it was done in half a month. Incredibly fast.
Originally, Lucas Reeve thought Sona would be a little disappointed.
After all, the tragic backstory behind a work is often a huge bonus point.
Like modern luxury goods. Are they really better than normal products? Sure, maybe a little better. But the price is so much higher mainly because they tell a good story. The merchant weaves a complete story behind the product, and with this story's bonus, the price multiplies many times over.
However, Sona wasn't disappointed at all. In fact, she admired him even more.
"Amazing! Mr. Reeve! You finished such a great masterpiece in only half a month!! You're a genius!!"
Err...
What a thought process.
"Instead of discussing my documentary, shouldn't the focus be elsewhere?"
Lucas Reeve pointed at the TV.
"The news says... it seems Infected can now participate in the official Knight Major events..."
"Mm..."
Sona was still immersed in the fact that Lucas Reeve was the director, just humming in agreement. After a moment, she finally seemed to process it and her eyes flew wide.
"Huh??"
She quickly looked at the TV.
"Eh?? It's really allowed??"
"Mr. Reeve! Why would the Chamber of Commerce do this?"
Sona frowned. She knew very well that in the past, Infected couldn't participate in official matches, and if you couldn't participate, you couldn't get a knight title. But now, this restriction was being relaxed?
"Could it be related to you killing those bigwigs, Mr. Reeve?"
Lucas Reeve shook his head.
"It's not related."
"When those people were alive, they were called bigwigs. But dead, they're just six corpses."
"Their deaths won't have the slightest impact on the Chamber of Commerce or Kazimierz. Because a company that large no longer depends on one person's presence. Even the chairman. For a company that big, the chairman is just a screw, albeit a very large screw. Losing him still has no real impact. They just need to find a replacement."
Lucas Reeve continued his analysis, while Sona tilted her head, staring straight at Lucas Reeve, listening intently.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Chamber of Commerce probably already made this decision. They just weren't sure if the audience *wanted* the Infected to participate in the Knight Major, so they kept dragging it out. My documentary just happened to give the Chamber of Commerce an excuse. They saw considerable value in the Infected, so they just went with the flow."
"Capital chases profit. If persecuting the Infected brings profit, they will persecute them. If protecting the Infected brings profit, they will protect them. I estimate they need new traffic, new hype. And riding this wave of popularity is the Chamber of Commerce's choice."
Lucas Reeve looked at Sona and smiled slightly: "But, regardless of the Chamber of Commerce's choice, the opportunity is here now. Do you want to be a knight, Little Squirrel? Or continue living a peaceful life with your two million?"
Sona didn't hesitate at all. She nodded: "I want to...."
"The knight I admire most is the Radiant Knight... Mr. Reeve, honestly, the only reason I started down the path of an underground knight is because I admire the Radiant Knight. I want to become an outstanding knight like her. 'Champion Knight' is just a title. What I admire is the spirit of the Radiant Knight. Since the opportunity is here, I won't give up, Mr. Reeve."
"Besides...."
Sona smiled: "After all, if I become an official knight and get famous, the income is very high. Two million isn't enough to live on for the rest of our lives. We still need to earn money. And... I want my family to live a good life. The kind of carefree life where they don't worry about food, drink, or fun, where they can eat well and dress well every day. So, I must become an official knight."
Sona looked at Lucas Reeve with determination. Lucas Reeve suddenly laughed.
"A good look in your eyes. In that case, training starts tomorrow morning. If you want to become an official knight, your current level isn't good enough."
"Yes!! Mr. Reeve!"
————————
Columbia.
Raythean Medica.
Nearl, as usual, was accompanying Shining and Liz. Because this new Oripathy suppression medication was about to enter the final trial phase, everyone in the core lab had been working overtime. Especially the little boy's father. Seeing the Oripathy on his child recede day by day, he worked with increasing excitement and vigor. His sense of belonging to Raythean Medica grew stronger and stronger. He probably wouldn't leave even if a foreign company offered him several times the salary. Of course, when it came to money, no company could really outbid Raythean Medica.
"What are you thinking about, Sister Nearl?"
Jessica had also been in the lab these days. Seeing Nearl spacing out outside, she smiled and ran out.
Nearl was staring at her phone screen, somewhat lost in thought.
"Ah... Jessica."
Nearl only snapped out of it when Jessica walked over.
"The Kazimierz Chamber of Commerce has lifted the restriction on Infected participating in the Knight Major."
"So, Sister Nearl, do you want to go back?"
"I...."
Nearl froze, not knowing what to say. She looked up at the distant moonlight and murmured: "I don't know either."
"Even after all these years, I'm still a little lost."
—————————
Kazimierz, Great Knight Territory, Chamber of Commerce.
On the top floor of the tallest commercial building in Kazimierz, the magnates representing the highest power of the Chamber of Commerce were sitting at a huge round table. As the public face of the Chamber of Commerce, Councilman Barton was also seated to the side this time. Because this time, three people, shrouded in darkness, whose specific features couldn't be seen even in the light, were sitting neatly in the main seats. These three were the true spokespersons of the Chamber of Commerce, the fourth-level magnates, whose status was identical to the Darksteel Azurites of the Armorless Union.
And at this round table, the seats that originally belonged to the two council members, Taylor and Corbett, had been replaced by two unfamiliar faces. Just like anyone else who died, those two would no longer be remembered.
According to rumor, even the third-level magnates changed from time to time, but the fourth-level magnates, like the Darksteel Azurites, were eternal.
Councilman Barton, as the host of the meeting, said: "The decision to allow the Infected to participate in the Knight Major has been very well received throughout Kazimierz. According to statistics, 80% of the public expressed approval or interest in this decision. The attention on the upcoming Knight Major regular season has also doubled compared to last year's regular season."
Everyone present was very satisfied with this result.
Attention is basically linked to money.
More attention means more money.
The fourth-level magnate sitting in the lead seat said: "This is an opportunity. I don't want a repeat of the last few events. Especially! I don't want another thorn in our side like the Radiant Knight. I need a champion knight who is completely under our control, and one who has an extremely high reputation and is adored by the people. Preferably, a champion knight like the Radiant Knight. That way...."
Councilman Barton said: "Please rest assured, Chairman. We will all do our utmost to cultivate an Infected knight, ensuring that this Knight Major's champion is an Infected knight. One who possesses influence rivaling the Radiant Knight and the Black Knight, and whom we can firmly control. This time, we will absolutely not allow any mistakes!"
"Mm...."
The Chairman in the main seat nodded: "As for the deaths of Taylor and Corbett, I have already entrusted the investigation to the Armorless Union's Darksteel Azurites. You can all rest assured."
Hearing that the Chairman had actually entrusted the Darksteel Azurites, many of the council members present let out a heavy sigh of relief.
They had been terrified these past few days.
They didn't dare go out, afraid that assassin would target them. They only forced themselves to come today because they knew the fourth-level magnates would be attending the meeting personally. Now, hearing the Chairman had entrusted the Darksteel Azurites, everyone was much more at ease.
What did the Darksteel Azurites represent?
The absolute leaders of the Armorless Union, and the three strongest in the Union. Their strength was miles above the lower-ranking Lazurites. No one knew just how strong the Darksteel Azurites were, but it was said that in terms of individual power, they were at the absolute peak in Kazimierz! Since these three were personally taking action, the council members were relieved.