I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

---

We defeated Eleborn and returned to our original bodies after severing the link with the World Tree.

Immediately, I informed the Elves of the atrocities committed by Eleborn.

“Th-That can’t be! How could such a thing be said about His Majesty King Gideon!”

As expected, the Elves refused to believe my words, claiming they were lies.

So I said—

“There are witnesses.”

I presented the World Tree itself, which they revered so greatly, as a witness.

Of course, Clarice’s Mother, Enlir, who had returned to her original body, supported me.

“Brother Gideon was murdered by Eleborn.”

With the testimonies of Princess Enlir and the many souls of the World Tree, I was able to convince the Elves.

“Now, is it just the Ancient God left?”

After cleaning up, I went to deal with the Ancient God.

According to the original history, the Eldar Kingdom was destroyed by an Ancient God eroded by demonic power.

“There’s no need to intervene.”

However, meeting the being known as the Ancient God changed my mind.

The Ancient God was rampaging merely because Eleborn cast a spell at the Grand Duke’s command; in fact, the Ancient God was a gentle being that showed no aggression unless attacked first.

“Let’s go back.”

The Ancient God, a massive creature with immense battle power, coexists with nature.

Leaving behind the Ancient God, a distant ancestor of dragons, I departed from the Eldar Kingdom.

Although I did not leave with a warm farewell due to their gloomy history, they would eventually come to thank us with the passage of time.

“Ah. It feels familiar. This sensation.”

Thus, I returned to the Academy after a long time.

It felt as if I had come here unintentionally, pulled by inertia.

I could say this place felt like my true home.

Despite possessing great wealth, I threw myself onto the bed in my attic dormitory and rolled around.

“By the way…”

However, my allotted time for rest was not lengthy.

I had pressing matters to attend to right before my eyes.

Namely, the northern subjugation campaign.

I needed to conquer the north, ruled by Lilith, one of the Lords of Hell.

“There’s about… a year left?”

And I had roughly a year of leeway until I would confront Lilith.

I could have originally allotted about two years comfortably, but given the recent movements of the demons, I thought a year would be the limit.

Most likely, within a year, the invasion of the demons would intensify before I had the chance to strike at Lilith.

‘Things are going to get busy.’

Thus, I decided to act before time caught up with me.

I would establish and implement all plans and ideas necessary for the northern subjugation campaign.

“First, persuade Adrian Graham.”

The first step was to persuade Adrian Graham.

It was logical since Adrian Graham was destined to be offered as a “sacrifice” to Lilith; if I used this point well, it would be easy to inflict fatal wounds on Lilith.

“Second, establish a defensive line.”

The next step was to create an impenetrable defensive line.

In fact, Lilith’s true ability lies in her capacity to dominate and control countless monsters through ‘mind control,’ and should that mental manipulation lead to a massive horde of monsters descending, it would undoubtedly result in catastrophic human loss, obliterating most of the northern territories.

“I need to build an impenetrable defense.”

Thus, I planned to establish a vast defensive facility similar to the “Maginot Line.”

I thought that if this line fell, it would be the end.

‘It’s going to require massive funds.’

However, creating such a facility would necessitate an enormous amount of money.

Even France’s Maginot Line cost nearly 7 trillion won when converted, and the sturdier and more expansive “Northern Defense Line” would undoubtedly require even more.

“I’ll need to ramp up business.”

So, I decided to expand my business activities.

Of course, I was already making a lot of money, but I would need even more for the massive defensive line.

Currently, I needed to fortify not only the northern defensive line but also my own city.

Additionally, I had plans to create new weapons like the “Hulk Buster,” requiring even more substantial backing.

“The film industry.”

Then I considered the film industry.

The current film industry in this world was stagnant, mostly displaced by ‘theater.’

This was because theater in this world utilizes various spells and special effect devices to create fairly immersive plays, allowing them to draw audiences in far more realistically than traditional theater.

“But it’s still not like movies.”

However, what I envisioned was modern cinema.

The kind of magical level of direction and mise-en-scène that could never be achieved solely through theater. If I offered such commercial and artistic elements to the public, they would undoubtedly be captivated.

In other words, I could turn my territory into a cultural city.

“Eve, I have somewhere to go.”

The next day, I immediately set my plans into action.

I took my assistant Eve and visited the largest theater troupe in the Empire.

“Ah! Count Fix! What brings you to our theater? Welcome! Please come in!”

The head of the theater troupe, who had contacted me ahead of time, welcomed me with exaggerated gestures and expressions, just as if performing a play.

While sipping tea at the table, I got straight to the point.

“I want to buy your troupe.”

“…”

The reason I wanted to purchase this troupe.

It was simple; producing films requires quality actors.

The actors belonging to the “Imperial Theater Troupe” were all proven stars, incredibly popular among the nobility.

My first goal was to transition them into movie actors for my business.

“Hmm~. That’s a bit difficult to say.”

However, the head of the troupe looked perplexed, fiddling with his mustache.

“Well, Count Fix, who has never even seen our performances, may not quite understand, but I am the world’s best playwright and director, yes. Asking me to sell the troupe is like asking me to sell my dreams, you know? Pfft… Besides, you want to get into the film industry? Hahaha! That’s quite a risky proposition! Although I do hope you achieve remarkable results, it’s going to be tough for a film to outdo theater!”

As he spoke, he rambled on about the limitations of ‘video transmission magic’ and various production limits, concerns about not being able to capture sound effectively, and other such countless complaints, but I merely glanced at Eve and nodded once.

Then Eve pulled out a tablet PC she had prepared earlier.

“Hm? What’s this?”

The head of the troupe showed interest in the unfamiliar object.

Without a word, Eve turned on the screen and played a video she had prepared in advance.

The video recreated the cavalry charge scene from “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” and upon seeing it, the head of the troupe was instantly captivated.

“This, this is…!”

“If the film industry develops, we can achieve this level of direction. What do you think?”

The head of the troupe stroked his mustache, his gaze glued to the video.

However, he still looked troubled as he spoke to me.

“But you know… capturing scenes like this will require enormous funds, right? The elephants, horses, costumes, actors… isn’t that a bit of a difficult scale? Is it really possible?”

He eyed me suspiciously, clearly thinking that I had enlisted all those for the shoot without knowing about the existence of CG.

However, I had anticipated this point, so I gestured to Eve again.

After a moment, Eve nodded and showed the head of the troupe the CG production process.

“…This is.”

“This is called CG. As you can see, this cut features actual actors in costumes, but for this large-scale charge scene, the images are duplicated seamlessly. Like this.”

Eve demonstrated the editing techniques as I spoke.

The head of the troupe looked up at me with shining eyes.

“Then… can you pass this technology to me? If it’s a bit difficult, I could buy the technology—”

“15%.”

“…?”

“Films made using this technology can only retain 15% of the revenue.”

“Ha, ha, ha! That’s a bit much! I mean, isn’t that way too harsh? 15%!?”

“Even that would be dozens of times more than what you’re currently making.”

“Haha! How can you guarantee that!?”

“Because that’s the business I’m in.”

“…”

In that moment, the head of the troupe became speechless.

It seemed he finally grasped who he was dealing with in front of him.

I am the world’s richest person and a businessman who has succeeded in every venture I have undertaken until now.

“Well, you can think of my offer as unfair if you’d like. Please read it over and get back to me later. I need to visit another troupe.”

With those words, I stood up.

Simultaneously, Eve handed the proposal over to the head of the troupe.

His eyes widened as he read it, and he exclaimed.

“Wait a moment!”

He jumped up, calling after me.

He pointed to a specific part of the proposal and exclaimed.

“This, this… is the deposit correctly stated? 26 billion… for our troupe…!”

“…Yes, but well, if you don’t want to accept, there’s nothing I can do. I have another meeting to attend.”

“Wait, wait! Haha! This is a huge faux pas! Let’s discuss this again! You won’t find another troupe like ours even if you visit others! Hahaha! It’s a bit flawed? Our Imperial Theater Troupe is the best in the world, after all!”

The head of the troupe’s eyes lit up at the mention of 26 billion.

Thus, he began to respond positively to all my proposals.

In exchange for the operational rights to the troupe, I signed a contract where I would pay him a deposit of 26 billion and have him serve as the film director.

Though he was opportunistic, he was indeed a world-class playwright and director.

“Shall we start filming right away? First, I need to pass on the technology.”

Having acquired the best cast and director in the world, I swiftly prepared to film.

I decided to remake the head of the troupe’s highest-grossing play for our first release.

***

Three months later.

At the gigantic cinema in my territory, our first film finally premiered.

The fact that I could screen a movie within such a short timeframe was thanks to the cheat key of ‘spells’ and the pre-prepared sets.

“There’s no need to revise the script.”

Moreover, the first release was a ‘remake.’

Because the film, based on a highly successful play, was transferred directly to another medium by the same playwright, it was produced quickly.

– Questioning Edgar Fix’s new business venture.
– Edgar Fix’s new challenge, but this time?
– Most theater experts say, “Video clearly has limitations.”

However, the reaction from nobles and the press regarding my movie preparations was not positive.

They were already content with the theater utilizing spells and believed that experiencing the event indirectly through video would carry less impact than seeing it live.

– We are living in the age of Edgar Fix.
– A flip in public opinion. Edgar Fix proves himself once more. Just how far can he go?
– Count Fix, who conquered the manufacturing industry and now the cultural industry. What will his next move be?
– A former director of the Imperial Theater Troupe, Mr. A, who partnered with Count Fix: “The moment I heard his vision, I immediately realized he would undoubtedly succeed.”

Yet, as the film became a huge hit, public sentiment seemed to take a turn.

Love calls flooded in from everywhere, and positive reviews from reporters and critics poured in.

– Ah, our lord! Haha!
– Please raise the taxes!
– Count Fix’s territory = Paradise.

As a result, the residents of my territory were enjoying immense prosperity.

Countless tourists flocked to watch the movie, leading to explosive sales in the shopping district I had prepared in advance.

“Is it really okay for me… to earn this much money?”

And the one who benefited the most from the successful movie was none other than Charlotte.

Well, it made sense since I had anticipated the film’s success and collaborated with Charlotte to develop massive parks like ‘Starry Park’ and ‘Night Sky Boulevard,’ drawing tourists to the parks and generating massive entry fees.

“Thank you, Ed. For everything.”

Charlotte, who had been living through hardships daily due to a lack of funds for tuition, had now become a wealthy individual.

She broke free from her wretched poverty, now enjoying economic freedom.

“Thank you, but I’m also benefiting from you.”

However, I had merely provided Charlotte with financial freedom; I was the one truly reaping the benefits.

She was a spellcaster with the unique attribute of ‘natural creation’ spells, currently developing a myriad of chemical weapons in the laboratory of my territory.

And at present, the chemical weapon she was working on was…

‘White phosphorus bomb.’

The very ‘Devil’s Rain’ known as the white phosphorus bomb.