"…I see. So this would be the content of Volume One."
Chikako looked down at her notes, where she had written out the entire plot that was set to take place in the city of Tingen.
It was the story of a transmigrator becoming a Beyonder, joining the world's official organization, meeting friends from other Beyonder factions, and forming bonds of friendship.
But this wasn't a comedy. From the very beginning, the story showcased the cruelty and indifference of that world. Beyonders weren't blessed, but pitiful individuals struggling against madness.
They faced insanity and death at every moment. That was the reason for their high pay.
It was a vivid story, filled with pain and reason, a chronicle of steady progression.
It was a story of searching for one's origin and also a story of revenge.
Having grasped the general structure of the narrative, Chikako now clearly understood the allure of a fully realized world turned into a story.
"It's even more fascinating than I expected. With so much material to work with, I think I can complete the first draft quickly. I'll rely on your guidance then, Mr. Ren."
With such a wealth of detailed content, Chikako's confidence in turning this story into a proper manuscript had grown significantly.
"I'll need to finish the first draft quickly, otherwise it'll start holding everything up."
"Miss Ayako is already getting impatient? But the cleanup work for the city shouldn't be progressing that quickly, right?"
Ren looked puzzled.
The construction speed for Tingen City wouldn't be especially fast, particularly since they were still in the initial phase of demolishing old buildings.
And that inland river meant to run through the whole of Tingen... that alone was a massive undertaking, not something that could be completed quickly.
Given that, was Ayako really already feeling pressed for time?
"Ren-sama, you may not know this, but Ayako is mainly anxious about the next stages. This story is intended to be adapted into a TV drama, and there's a lot of preparatory work to be done before filming. For example, casting the right actors."
Chikako began explaining.
Construction couldn't be rushed, but filming a drama didn't just require sets and locations. It needed actors too, and casting them was far from simple.
"Choosing the cast isn't easy. And once the actors are selected, they need training specific to the story."
"'Lord of Mysteries' is an ensemble drama. The core of it is showing the contrast in personalities and actions between different characters. Like the protagonist, who is a modern person unlike anyone else in that era. Then there's Miss Audrey, and other uniquely defined characters."
"Since each character is so different, they'll all need different kinds of training."
"And since this story is long, the filming period will also be lengthy. Besides finding suitable actors, Ayako is preparing ten-year, even twenty-year contracts."
"Main roles with significant screen time definitely require long-term agreements, to prevent problems down the line."
Chikako wasn't new to the drama production process, so she knew well the kinds of issues that could arise during filming.
Of course, she didn't think any actor would dare make trouble on a project backed by the conglomerates.
If anyone really tried, they probably wouldn't last a single episode before getting sued into oblivion and reduced to a lifelong extra.
Still, the contracts had to be airtight.
"While Tingen's construction is ongoing, it's a good chance to form the cast and begin training."
"Besides casting, I also have my own responsibilities."
What determines the final quality of a drama is the script. It all starts with the foundation.
As a Beyonder herself, Chikako had great confidence in handling the script.
She had read an immense number of books and had the literary accumulation to match. Not only could she write the story of Lord of Mysteries, but she could also handle the script adaptation.
The key was whether she could quickly outline the story and turn it into a flawless script.
"While things over there aren't finished yet, I need to hurry up and complete Volume One."
"Alright, then I'll leave the story to you. I'll be counting on you."
"Of course. It's an honor."
Chikako had no complaints about being tasked with writing the story. In fact, she was genuinely excited, as if she were writing the holy scripture of a god she worshipped.
It felt like she was writing a story that belonged to Ren as the main character.
That was something any devout follower would wish to do, and yet the task had fallen to her.
What a tremendous blessing this was.
However, it was also a matter that had to be treated with the utmost seriousness. Chikako understood that this story would, in the future, become the "Bible" of the Church of the Fool—a chronicle of a god's path to ascension.
"Riiing, riiing!"
The sudden ringtone broke the atmosphere between them.
Ren took out his phone and glanced at the screen. The caller ID read "Miwako Sato." He immediately picked up.
"Rare to get a call from you on a weekend. Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. It's the weekend, so I was hoping you'd ask me out, but instead I got called in for an emergency shift."
Even over the phone, Ren could feel the disappointment in Miwako's voice.
"Ahem, how about next weekend then? Your work has already made us miss out on a lot."
"Tell me about it. During the week, the police department is overloaded. And sometimes I even get stuck with weekend shifts if my luck's bad. But things are finally starting to settle down now. With all the patrols and overtime we've done, the local crime rate has definitely improved."
"As for next weekend... yeah, I'll make time no matter what."
Having been absent from so many things, Miwako felt she had to participate next time or risk becoming completely irrelevant.
"By the way, what's the real reason for the sudden call?"
"…Ah, right, almost forgot. Someone called in a threat to the National Stadium. He's possibly armed, and is inside the stadium making indiscriminate threats against the police. That's why I got called in."
"I see."
Ren instinctively rubbed his forehead.
If he remembered correctly, the National Stadium was right below them.
So... the armed criminal was somewhere in the stadium?
(To be continued.)