Chapter 885
Chapter 885
Anton, Paul, Eric, and their elven guide, Mironor, spent a couple of hours admiring the luminous flowers of the Twilight Garden. They also couldn't help but admire the beautiful elven maidens frolicking among the glowing blossoms.
The most amusing part was that whenever the three young men tried to approach them, the elven girls would simply giggle and dart away. Under normal circumstances, such treatment would have been discouraging, but the girls never truly left. They would retreat until they reached a certain distance before stopping to look back at them with playful smiles.
To Anton, Paul, and Eric, it almost seemed as though the girls were inviting them to continue the chase.
Mironor merely smiled and shook his head.
Anton already knew what was happening.
During his stay in the Forest Elf domain, the twin sisters he had shared a bed with had told him about the playful courtship customs of young elves. The girls in the Twilight Garden were behaving exactly as they had described.
They were teasing the human youths.
Anton had no intention of telling Paul and Eric what he knew, nor did he mention it to Mironor. Everything was harmless fun, and chasing after the girls gave the two young men a chance to burn off some of their boundless energy.
After a while, Paul finally realized what the elven maidens were doing and let out a resigned sigh.
"I'm hungry. Let's just go eat dinner," Paul said.
"Wait! I think they'll let us get closer soon!" Eric protested.
Anton laughed.
Paul shook his head.
"They have no intention of letting us get anywhere near them," he said. "Much less hold their hands."
"What a pity," Eric lamented. "I really wanted to know what the skin of a beautiful elven girl feels like."
Mironor chuckled before leading them out of the Twilight Garden and toward a restaurant that he believed would satisfy three perpetually hungry young men.
As they walked, Anton decided to tease his friends.
"I've slept with elven girls before. In fact, I slept with two at the same time."
He paused dramatically.
"They were twins."
"I don't believe you!" Eric exclaimed.
Paul simply sighed.
"I do."
Eric stared at his cousin.
"Why?"
"Because Anton is ridiculously handsome, a Supreme Rank wizard, a master magic-item craftsman, and the creator of movies in this world. He could probably have any woman he wanted."
Eric fell silent.
After thinking it over, he reluctantly admitted that Paul's reasoning made sense.
For a brief moment, every young man present—including Mironor—felt a twinge of envy.
Seeing their expressions only made Anton grin even wider.
When they arrived at the restaurant Mironor had chosen, Anton was surprised to learn that it was owned by a human. Customers of many different races filled the establishment, giving it a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
"This place serves hearty meals," Mironor said. "I think you'll enjoy it."
Once the food arrived, the dishes were fairly ordinary, but they were delicious and, more importantly, plentiful.
Anton, Paul, and Eric descended upon the meal like starving wolves, causing Mironor to shake his head in amusement.
After they had finally eaten their fill, Mironor turned toward Anton.
"I heard Paul mention that you're the person responsible for the movies. Is that true?"
"Yes," Anton replied. "Through my magic, I can open a dimensional window to the place where those movies originate. Then, using one of my bloodline spells, I copy them. That's why my family was able to open a cinema."
"My relative who visited Ormunda couldn't stop praising the movie he watched on the Gale Continent," Mironor said cautiously, as though afraid of offending him. "Would it be possible for me and some of my friends to watch one of your movies? He said it was the greatest story he'd ever seen. It was called The Lord of the Rings."
The moment Paul and Eric heard the title, both of them became animated.
They enthusiastically praised the films, talking over each other as they attempted to summarize the story for Mironor. Their explanations were so disorganized that Anton doubted anyone unfamiliar with the movies could follow them.
Even so, both of them repeatedly insisted that Mironor's relative had been right.
"They're the greatest movies I've ever watched," Eric declared.
"I wish I owned copies of them so I could watch them every week."
Anton smiled.
"If you'd like, I can lend you copies of all three The Lord of the Rings films."
Mironor's eyes lit up.
"But not for free," Anton continued. "I want you to organize a temporary theater tomorrow night and charge admission. Eighty percent of the proceeds will go to me."
He smiled.
"In return, aside from guiding us tomorrow, you'll also need to advertise the event and make sure plenty of people attend."
Mironor immediately nodded.
"That won't be a problem at all. I know many people who can help, and I already have the perfect venue in mind. It can accommodate a large audience."
"I want to watch them again!" Eric exclaimed.
Paul immediately disagreed.
"No. Let the elves enjoy them instead. We've already seen the movies. If we ever want another viewing, I'm sure Anton can arrange one."
Mironor became even more excited.
"I won't even rest tonight," he declared. "I'll start organizing everything immediately. I don't want to disappoint you with poor attendance."
Anton retrieved a Mini Globe of Browser Sharing containing the trailer for The Fellowship of the Ring and handed it to Mironor.
He patiently taught the elf how to operate the magical device.
Fortunately, the globe was simple to use.
Using one of the restaurant's walls as a screen, Mironor quickly learned how to adjust the image size and control the volume.
He expanded the projection until it filled the entire wall.
The moving images immediately captured everyone's attention.
Conversation throughout the restaurant gradually died away as every diner turned to watch the trailer.
When it finally ended, the room erupted into excited chatter and countless questions.
Mironor walked to the center of the restaurant and cast a spell that amplified his voice.
"What you have just seen," he announced, "is the trailer for The Fellowship of the Rings, the first of three movies that will be shown tomorrow evening at the Hall of Ordinances."
He then announced the ticket price.
Anton, Paul, and Eric were all startled by how expensive it was.
Surprisingly, none of the restaurant's patrons seemed shocked. They accepted the price as perfectly reasonable.
"If only a hundred people come tomorrow, you'll make a fortune," Eric whispered.
Paul shook his head.
"I think it'll be much more than that. I'd be surprised if fewer than several thousand people showed up."
Anton merely shrugged.
He wasn't particularly concerned with how much money he earned.
Still, having additional funds would certainly be useful once he arrived in Izmorta.
Besides, he had no intention of attending the screening himself.
He had watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy so many times within such a short period that he doubted he could sit through it again for at least another year.
After finishing his impromptu advertisement, Mironor hurriedly escorted Anton to one of the finest hotels in Meronoma.
"This room is complimentary," the elf said proudly.
Paul and Eric, however, politely declined.
"We have to return to the Melinda," Paul explained. "Before we left earlier, we promised our families we'd spend the night in our cabins."
Apparently, both of their fathers had begun feeling guilty about letting their sons continue relying on Anton's generosity.