Re-written date: 7 / 13 / 2025
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Chapter 50: Film Promotion in the South
Tansan City—more of a town, really—was located on the southernmost tip of the southern territory. Despite its designation as a city, it was no more developed than a modest village. Because of its remote location, it rarely saw visiting merchants, let alone wandering tourists.
The only real road leading out of Tansan connected it to the distant southern metropolis of Nosrick City, but even so, travel between the two places was rare. Tansan was a self-sufficient border town. For its people, just being able to live and eat modestly was already a blessing. Most residents had neither the resources nor the courage to venture beyond their home.
As for merchants from other regions, the city's isolated geography and lack of valuable local products made it far from an attractive destination.
Because of all this, the residents of Tansan often lagged behind in terms of current events. Even something as major as a royal succession in the Empire would only reach their ears through gossip brought by the occasional traveler or roving peddler.
But on this particular day, something very different happened in the sleepy town of Tansan—something completely unprecedented.
Doyle, a blacksmith's apprentice in the city, had just finished helping his master with the day's forge work and was hurrying home when a lively commotion down the street caught his attention.
"What's going on? Why's it so crowded over there?"
Spotting a familiar face in the group, Doyle approached a fellow apprentice from the local paint shop and asked, "Hey, what's happening here?"
"Oh, Doyle, you're just in time!" the boy replied cheerfully. "That's a group from Nosrick City. I heard there's even a mage among them! Apparently, they're some kind of traveling troupe or something. I think they do stage plays or whatever. Though, I'm not sure where they plan to perform here. It's not like we have a theater."
"Stage plays, huh…"
Doyle's expression immediately dulled with disappointment. He stole a glance at the crowd forming around the newcomers, but then shook his head and turned away.
He'd once seen a stage play when visiting a neighboring town. Honestly, it had bored him to tears—people standing on a wooden platform, yelling, singing, and overacting in ways that made no sense to his younger self. He'd nearly fallen asleep. Compared to that, even the street performers and circus tricks in the markets had been more exciting.
So when he heard this new group might just be another troupe doing more of the same, Doyle lost all interest and turned to head home before sunset.
However, just as he was about to leave—
"Yeah, I heard it's a movie. Old Norry told me about it last time I went into the city. Said it's some new kind of thing—super fresh, super fun. Even little kids were laughing so hard they couldn't stand."
"Right? I heard that too. It's something even the noble lords haven't gotten to enjoy yet, but somehow we get to experience it? Unbelievable."
"When I went into the city last time, I caught a glimpse of one of those movie places from a distance. I didn't have time to watch it myself, but everyone coming out looked ridiculously happy—like their wives had just given birth to eight kids or something! Look, I even kept the flyer I got back then. No matter what, I have to see what all the fuss is about this time."
Overhearing the casual chatter of nearby townsfolk, Doyle stopped in his tracks.
A moment ago, he'd thought this whole thing sounded like a waste of time. But now, hearing these things—he couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity returning. Maybe this "movie" wasn't the same old thing after all.
Although Doyle still suspected that the adults were probably exaggerating things—they were the type to make a big deal out of anything—he couldn't help but feel a growing curiosity. He'd always been interested in unusual stuff like this, and more importantly, it wasn't like he had anything better to do at home anyway. Hanging around here for a bit couldn't hurt.
As the excited chatter continued around him, the group at the center of the crowd began their preparations. With the beat of drums and the clang of cymbals, a large white cloth was hoisted up in the middle of the square. Meanwhile, a few workers began directing the crowd into orderly lines to maintain some semblance of organization.
Then, to Doyle's confusion, a man stepped forward from the center of the group and raised his voice loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Since Tansan City doesn't have its own theater, today's film screening will be held outdoors. We will be sealing off the central plaza for this purpose. Admission is five copper coins per person. No outside food is allowed. Anyone caught sneaking food in will be asked to leave immediately."
The no-food rule came from lessons learned during earlier screenings in Nosrick City. At first, they'd been lax about it, which led to people munching through the entire movie, disrupting others, and leaving behind heaps of trash. It ruined the experience for everyone.
With no seat limit for this open-air screening, it wasn't hard to imagine what kind of disaster might unfold if people were allowed to bring food. So this time, they'd decided to lay down strict rules from the start.
Just as the crowd was still murmuring in surprise over these announcements, a soft glow suddenly appeared on the large white cloth in the distance—and in an instant, the crowd's attention snapped toward it.
"By the gods... what kind of magic is that?"
"That looks amazing! Is that... the movie?!"
"Wait, and it only costs five copper?!"
Before long, the teaser trailer began to loop on the screen, and the town square practically exploded with excitement.
Some people simply stood there dumbfounded, while others came to their senses quickly and took off running toward the plaza. Doyle, of course, was among them.
Just sixty seconds of that trailer was enough to shatter all his earlier doubts. The moment he saw those moving pictures flickering across the white screen, all of his skepticism vanished. Now, he had only one goal in mind—get into that plaza before the crowds flooded in and claim a spot to watch this incredible "movie" thing.
He completely forgot about going home on time.
When he reached the square, he was greeted by the sight of a large, cordoned-off area, with a massive screen dominating the center—so big that even from outside, those with decent eyesight could make out the moving images on it.
"One ticket, please!"
Without hesitation, Doyle shoved the five copper coins he'd earned from his day's apprenticeship into the hands of the ticket vendor. He thanked his luck and his strong legs for allowing him to be among the very first to enter the plaza.
And just like that, as more and more people filtered in—while even more gathered outside, hoping for a peek—the very first movie screening in the remote border town of Tansan, the farthest corner of the Empire, officially began.