Vivienne noticed the dynamic between Arthur and Firfel. She felt something she couldn't quite understand, but it was clearly... jealousy.
Vivienne sat beside Firfel and chatted with her until Arthur returned with her tea.
"So, what's this venture you're talking about?" Vivienne asked Arthur.
Arthur sighed. He'd initially planned to invite only Firfel to join his "anime venture" - believing she'd make a good voice actor for testing their completed anime clips.
But since Vivienne was here, he might as well invite her too.
"Well, it's about the 'anime studio.' If you're interested, you can come along," Arthur said to Vivienne.
"Anime Studio?" Firfel and Vivienne exchanged confused looks.
Arthur smiled. "Yes, it's animation. Like the cartoons in Empirica."
"Like Mr. Mouse?" Vivienne asked, sharing another glance with Firfel.
"Something like that," Arthur said wryly. "The Anime Studio is still in its preparation stage. Two weeks ago, I hired dozens of artists to work on anime clips - some are already completed." Content originally comes from NoveIＦire.net
"Really? Let's see!" Vivienne exclaimed.
Arthur drove them in his car to a small rented building - his humble anime studio.
When they entered, Firfel and Vivienne were surprised to find artists busy at work.
What caught their attention most were the TVs and peculiar typewriters on each desk.
Arthur smiled at their bewildered expressions.
"Hey, aren't those the things you showed us months ago?" Firfel recalled.
Arthur nodded. He was less secretive now - computers were patented, and already revealed at the electronics expo.
Besides, copying "Hellfire OS 1" would prove extremely difficult.
"Those are computers," Arthur explained. "They help the artists create animation."
The "Hellfire OS 1" came equipped with animation programs.
All artists had signed NDAs through contract scrolls, magically preventing them from discussing their work with outsiders.
The manager spotted Arthur mid-conversation. "We weren't expecting you!"
The artists looked up from their work.
"Just checking on everyone's progress," Arthur smiled.
The manager and artists shared knowing chuckles.
"This is Firfel and Vivienne," Arthur introduced. "They're here to see our completed anime clips."
The manager grinned at the two girls. "Wow, demon lord, you have two beautiful girlfriends."
Firfel and Vivienne both blushed at the comment.
Arthur flicked the manager's forehead, making him yelp, "That hurt!"
Steve, the manager, felt the power behind that casual flick. Though it seemed gentle, the pain was surprisingly intense.
"You deserved it," Arthur smiled. "These women are actresses from my agency. Show them proper respect."
"Understood, demon lord!" Steve saluted.
"Now, take us to the private room to view the anime clips," Arthur said.
"Right away, demon lord!" Steve quickly obeyed.
As they followed the manager, Firfel leaned close to Arthur. "Why does he call you 'demon lord'?"
Vivienne, overhearing, perked up with curiosity.
"Well..." Arthur chuckled, unsure how to explain properly.
But he gave them the brief version:
Two weeks ago, while searching for artists, Arthur encountered Steve.
Back then, Steve had been a gang boss, running illegal operations.
His gang employed artists to create counterfeit money. When Arthur started hiring artists with good pay, some of Steve's artists secretly applied.
This caught Steve's attention, leading to a confrontation where Arthur defeated Steve and his gang. Now they worked at Hellfire's anime studio.
As Arthur told the story, Steve nearby blushed with embarrassment. "I really thought demon lord was an easy target back then. Didn't expect him to beat me and my boys like that!"
Firfel and Vivienne stared at Arthur in amazement.
They reached the private room, where Steve used the projector to show their completed animation clips.
The soundless clips of "Dragon Ball" and "Naruto" still impressed Firfel and Vivienne - the colored animations looked far more spectacular than famous cartoons like "Mr. Mouse".
"What do you think? Impressive, huh?" Arthur smiled. The computers had made such animation possible.
"It's incredible..." Firfel nodded in amazement.
"So this is why you're taking a break from directing? You're focused on these animations?" Vivienne asked.
"Yes," Arthur confirmed. "I believe animation has incredible potential."
He continued, "And when televisions start selling throughout the Horn Kingdom, my channel 6.9 'Hellfire' will get high ratings thanks to these anime programs."
Firfel, Vivienne, and even Steve exchanged confused looks.
Arthur realized people in this world weren't familiar with concepts like "TV ratings" and "channel programs."
He patiently explained in simpler terms.
"So you're going through all this effort just to show these animations on television?" Vivienne asked skeptically.
Firfel nodded. "Yeah... Isn't television a risky business decision? The media says TV is just a waste of effort and money. They say many shows in Empirica went bankrupt because running them costs too much, with no profit coming in."
Arthur understood their doubts. It was true - channels in Empirica had closed due to financial losses.
But that was because they hadn't done things right, like securing advertisers and sponsors. Rather than explain the complexities, he simply said, "Don't worry, I won't rely solely on TV. We'll sell copies of the anime episodes too, so we'll still earn money."
After discussing the technical aspects, Arthur led Firfel and Vivienne to the recording studio. "Here, you can voice characters for the anime."
The soundproof studio featured anime clips projected onto a white wall.
"Pick which character you'd like to voice," Arthur gestured at the playing animation.
"I'll voice that blue-haired girl," Firfel pointed at Bulma.
"That's Bulma," Arthur confirmed. "You can read her lines from the script on the stand while matching the character's mouth movements."
Vivienne took her turn next, choosing Sakura from the Naruto test clips.
Firfel went first, attempting a thirty-second scene.
She tried her best, but struggled to synchronize her voice with the character's mouth movements.
Through the recording booth's glass, Arthur observed Firfel's performance.
"Did everything follow the guidelines for lip sync timing and dialogue pacing?" Arthur asked Steve.
"Absolutely, demon lord!" Steve assured him. "I followed your instructions precisely!"
Arthur nodded, then helped guide Firfel through the process. Gradually, she found her rhythm and voiced Bulma more naturally.
"Excellent work!" Arthur praised.
"Thanks," Firfel beamed.
"My turn!" Vivienne rushed into the recording booth.
They watched as Vivienne voiced Sakura. Though she also struggled initially, she seemed to have a natural talent for voice acting, adapting more quickly than Firfel had.
Arthur nodded approvingly, wondering if Vivienne's success came from sharing personality traits with Sakura - both being passionate yet reserved, though he couldn't be certain.
"Let's watch the clips with your voices added," Arthur suggested. He signaled the sound staff with a thumbs up, and they began processing the audio.
Soon they viewed the Dragon Ball and Naruto scenes featuring Firfel and Vivienne's voices.
Watching their performances, Arthur thought, "They have great potential..."
Firfel and Vivienne felt a unique satisfaction watching the anime clips with their voices.
The feeling was similar to watching their movie performances, yet distinctly different.
They turned to Arthur. "When will you complete the animations?" Firfel asked first.
"Why? You seem excited," Arthur chuckled.
Firfel nodded eagerly. "I really want to voice Bulma when the animation is complete! Can I?"
"Of course," Arthur agreed. He'd already planned to cast her as Bulma, but Firfel had beaten him to suggesting it.
"Me too!" Vivienne chimed in. "I had so much fun voicing Sakura!"
"Alright, alright..." Arthur smiled. Though he hadn't originally planned for Vivienne to voice Sakura, he now believed she'd be perfect for the role.
"It'll take a while before several episodes are complete," Arthur cautioned. "Plus, this anime studio isn't registered as a company yet. We're waiting for local government approval before hiring more artists."
Firfel and Vivienne nodded in understanding.