The subsequent filming progressed smoothly. Following the orderly exits of Archer, Berserker, Lancer, and Saber, the first Servant battle came to an end.
After a transitional scene featuring Caster, the explosive hotel sequence was completed without significant issues.
Although this world lacked explosives as known on Earth, it did have equivalent materials.
Whether through overcharged magic crystals or an alchemical tool described in Ska's notes that had similar effects, replicating the explosion wasn't too challenging.
The terrifying explosion, akin to a high-level blast spell, indeed drew the attention of everyone in the town.
However, after Edward's liberal use of "money magic," most people decisively chose to turn a blind eye.
With the hotel explosion scene wrapped up, the next major segment to film was the critical battle in Einzbern Castle.
The filming location was moved to the forests behind Arkans.
Edward quickly finalized the filming schedule, though the thought of the upcoming scenes still made him feel overwhelmed.
To be specific, beyond the enormous sea monster summoned by Caster in the final scenes, the battle also required a portrayal of Kayneth's Volumen Hydrargyrum.
Recreating its effects had given Edward the most trouble during the screenplay's development. Initially, he couldn't think of a magic equivalent for it in this world.
However, after some research in the Grand Library of the Mage's Tower, he finally found a solution: fluid manipulation magic.
Despite its name, fluid manipulation magic wasn't tied to water affinity. Instead, it was a general mental magic, effectively a weaker form of telekinesis.
Even mages without natural water affinity could use this skill.
In contrast, most water-related spells here leaned toward healing magic, akin to weak holy light, while offensive and defensive spells typically relied on ice rather than water.
With fluid manipulation magic in hand, Edward then splurged on a large batch of mercury, originally intended for magical research, from the Mage's Tower.
He now had everything needed to mimic the effects of Volumen Hydrargyrum.
As Edward watched the mercury form into a stable defense under his control, he nodded in satisfaction.
Fluid manipulation was indeed an excellent stand-in for Volumen Hydrargyrum.
Combined with mercury's inherent defensive properties, this adaptation was remarkably effective.
In a world like this, Kayneth's Volumen Hydrargyrum could be considered top-tier magical design.
Meanwhile, creating Kiritsugu's iconic guns was still a work in progress.
Edward originally intended to replicate an electromagnetic railgun, but the unstable supply of lightning-element energy proved problematic.
As a result, the current prototype relied on a combination of fire and wind element magic arrays to propel projectiles, effectively making it a magic-powered firearm.
Furthermore, by integrating a wind element spell like Arrow of Precision, this rough imitation had the basic functionality of a real gun.
Once again, the quirks of this magical world had offered an unexpected solution.
Apart from Kiritsugu and Kayneth's fight, this segment also included two other battles: Saber and Lancer's clash with Caster, and Kirei's confrontation with Irisviel.
From a technical perspective, these two battles were much simpler to film, so Edward didn't invest as much effort there.
After tidying up the script, filming began in earnest.
<+>
While Edward was filming Fate/Zero in the eastern territories, the seeds he had planted during his birthday banquet—regarding movies and video communication—were beginning to sprout among the nobles in the Imperial capital and other major regions.
In no time, nobles across the empire became aware of this new invention called "movies" emerging from the southern territories.
Wealthier nobles immediately sought out cinemas, while those less fortunate could only dream of the day theaters might expand to their regions.
Meanwhile, video communication technology had been integrated into the Mage's Tower's newly established patent system, with the Alchemy Tower managing its deployment.
Ska had been tirelessly working on "laying telephone lines" day and night, leaving him no time to rest.
This was unavoidable.
Apart from Edward, Ska was the only one in the Mage's Tower with a solid foundation in alchemy.
However, the influx of patent royalties significantly alleviated the Alchemy Tower's financial woes, leaving Ska both exhausted and elated.
Students lingering at the Imperial Mage Academy grew accustomed to seeing queues outside the Alchemy Tower's teleportation array, filled with well-known mages waiting to register for video communication services.
This chaos stemmed from the fact that only senior mages who had attended the Mage's Tower council were privy to the innovation at this stage.
Once regular mages learned about it, likely coinciding with the Alchemy Tower's official opening for new admissions, things would escalate even further.
Even under these circumstances, the Alchemy Tower was already chaotic.
Who could have guessed that the typically genteel senior mages would resort to physical altercations over line disputes?
In the end, the Academy's enforcement division had to intervene to restore order.
<+>
The advent of video communication technology had one surprising side effect: the number of housebound mages increased dramatically.
Where once mages might reluctantly attend gatherings or conferences, they now had no reason to leave their homes.
With a simple activation of the array, they could instantly communicate with distant colleagues. Why bother going out?
Of course, the system wasn't without flaws.
The teleportation-based "dialing" system was still something of a black box, and occasional cross-connections were a frequent bug.
For example, some mages hoping to flirt with female colleagues instead found their call answered by gruff men.
The disappointment on their faces was beyond description.
All in all, the new technology greatly enhanced the daily lives of mages, particularly those inclined to stay indoors.
However, the greatest beneficiaries were the nobility, who, though not mages themselves, could now employ mages as intermediaries.
Even so, the current magic infrastructure—heavily reliant on mana resources—meant that these advancements remained confined to those who could afford it.
For now, the changes sparked by Edward had primarily elevated mages into a new kind of resource rather than democratizing magic for the masses.
<+>
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