Chapter 887
Chapter 887
Anton, Paul, and Eric ended their tour early that day because Mironor needed to head to the venue he had rented for the one-night cinema event featuring The Lord of the Rings. Eric was still forlorn that his cousin wouldn't allow him to attend the festivities.
Paul kept reminding Eric that they had already seen the movies and that their fathers would probably thrash them if they failed to return to the ship that night. He only managed to cheer his cousin up after promising that he would do his best to persuade Anton to let them watch the films again at a later time.
Since Anton was in a good mood, he added to Eric's misery by telling them about the cosplay event that had taken place while he was traveling from Rendindura to the Gale Continent aboard the Amelia.
"What is a cosplay event?" Eric asked.
Even Paul and Mironor looked curious.
Anton explained how cosplay events worked. His two friends' eyes sparkled with excitement, and even Mironor looked intrigued.
The idea of people dressing as characters from different movies and gathering for a massive celebration filled with attractions inspired by those films was unlike anything they had ever seen.
Anton told them about the merchandise the merchants aboard the Amelia had created before the event. He described how an ordinary warehouse near the port had been transformed into locations inspired by various movies.
Some booths had been designed to resemble Rivendell, while another recreated Bilbo Baggins' birthday party. There had been many other attractions as well.
He told them how everyone had been filled with excitement and joy throughout the event.
Even the usually serious Paul looked enthusiastic as he listened. When Eric asked whether Anton planned to organize a cosplay event aboard the ship, Anton explained that hosting such a large event required an enormous amount of work.
The cosplay event he had attended had been organized by four extraordinarily wealthy nobles from New Drennor. They had succeeded because they possessed the wealth and manpower necessary to make it happen.
Anton also pointed out that since the passengers aboard their ship had only seen a handful of movies, organizing a cosplay event based on so few films would be premature.
He noticed a familiar gleam in Paul's eyes, which meant his friend was already coming up with another money-making idea inspired by the cosplay event.
Anton simply shook his head inwardly.
As long as no one got hurt, he had no intention of discouraging Paul's enthusiasm for organizing activities aboard the ship.
The voyage to Izmorta was incredibly long and, at times, monotonous. In Anton's opinion, it was only natural for the younger passengers to seek activities they could look forward to during the journey.
Mironor asked for more details about the cosplay event. Since it had been held on an island where the locals had never seen the movies before, he wondered how it had become such a success.
Anton explained that before the cosplay event took place, the wealthy nobles had done exactly what he was doing now—they had organized a one-day screening of The Lord of the Rings.
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Although the locals had only watched the trilogy, they had enthusiastically joined the festivities and managed to put together costumes inspired by the films.
The real stars of the event, however, had been the passengers of the Amelia. Having spent weeks aboard the ship, they had enjoyed plenty of time to craft elaborate costumes. As a result, the quality, creativity, and variety of their outfits far surpassed those of the locals.
Mironor's curiosity only grew.
The group paused for a moment, and Anton projected several video clips of cosplay conventions from Earth onto the ground using his Browser Sharing Globe.
Paul, Eric, and Mironor watched in fascination. Before long, several pedestrians stopped to watch as well, captivated by the colorful scenes unfolding before them.
Anton knew this wouldn't be the end of it.
Just like the forest elves, the Meronoma elves would almost certainly ask him for copies of the movies.
To Anton, that simply meant another opportunity to earn more money.
When they arrived at the hotel where Anton was staying, he informed his friends and their elven guide that he would be busy the entire following day.
"What will you be doing?" Eric asked.
Anton merely shrugged.
"Magic things."
Eric could only sigh.
Anton then asked Mironor what time the movie screening would begin.
"It starts at eight in the evening," the elf replied.
Anton reminded him that the three films had a combined runtime of more than seven hours.
Mironor simply smiled.
"It isn't unusual for events here to last throughout the night."
Afterward, Paul and Eric returned to the ship, while Mironor headed to the venue to oversee the preparations for the screening.
Meanwhile, Anton spent his time editing footage recorded by his Browser Sharing Globe.
He wanted to compile the highlights into a coherent and entertaining video to show his family.
By the time the movie event was about to begin, he had finished editing and hurried to the venue.
He was genuinely surprised by the sheer number of people still streaming toward the temporary cinema.
When he arrived, the massive venue was already packed with thousands of people from various races.
Anton couldn't help but be impressed by Mironor's ability to attract such a large audience.
By the time the movie began, every seat had been filled.
The enormous venue remained pleasantly cool despite the crowd, and Anton could sense traces of environmental magic at work.
Soon, the lights dimmed, and the film began.
Anton wasn't interested in watching the movie itself.
Just as he had done with the forest elves, he focused entirely on the audience.
Once again, he wasn't disappointed.
Their reactions closely mirrored those of the forest elves.
Mironor had informed him that there would be a ten-minute intermission after each film.
As Anton watched the people of Meronoma Island experience The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time, he began considering how much he should charge for the movies.
He didn't want payment in spellbooks since there was a good chance they would be unusable once he reached Izmorta.
Nor did he know the value of Izmorta's currency or whether its gold coins would have any practical use during his travels.
Mana stones seemed like the most sensible form of payment.
The problem was determining a fair price.
After some thought, Anton decided the best course of action was to seek advice from someone knowledgeable.
The captain of the Melinda or Invincible Olemena would likely have a good understanding of the value of mana stones.
Since he planned to return to Rose Manor the following day, he also intended to consult Raymond, the family's butler.
Anton did not doubt that Mironor—or perhaps elves with even greater authority—would eventually ask to purchase more movies from him.
When that happened, he wanted to be fully prepared.
Long-lived races such as elves often sought new forms of entertainment, and movies represented something entirely novel to many of them.
Moreover, films had the potential to create countless new industries, from costumes and posters to collectibles and souvenirs.
Even cosplay events could become remarkably profitable if organized properly.
Anton suddenly wondered why Ramona had never considered introducing such events in Ormunda.
After about an hour, he quietly left the venue and returned to his hotel room to rest.
He planned to return to Rose Manor early the next morning.
Since the ship was scheduled to depart Meronoma Island the day after, Anton wanted to be back at the manor by the afternoon.
He fully expected the elves to approach him about purchasing more movies, and he intended to be ready when they did.