T/N: I tried my best to translate this chap, sorry if some parts still don't make sense.
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"You guys, seriously. I think the shots are already great. There's no need to reshoot!"
"Excessive reshooting will seriously wear down the actors' enthusiasm!"
"I'm the assistant director. What I say goes!" Furina stood with her hands on her hips and said sternly.
Half of that was sincere, and half of it was an excuse. Mainly… she really didn't want to work overtime anymore!
These people were just too dedicated! Under Furina's strong insistence, the energetic group finally gave up the idea of reshooting.
They each sat in their seats, scrolling through their phones. Still immersed in the shock brought by these numbers.
Aglaea slumped softly into her chair, rubbing the corners of her eyes for a while before finally calming down.
She took out her phone. Instead of browsing social media or checking those data reports, she opened a push notification.
It was from the official account of the Greek's Theatre Association.
A short message had been posted there.
"Congratulations to Honkai: Star Rail on its global achievements. This is a win-win cooperation between Greek and MiHoYo. Through the story of Star Rail, Greek drama has regained its vitality."
Aglaea pressed her lips together and read the message over and over again. Her gaze drifted off into a daze.
What moved Aglaea wasn't the congratulatory tone in the message. It was the fact that this group of proud people had finally put aside their arrogance and were willing to lower their heads and admit, that Greece's drama world had long been on the brink of decline.
With their previous attitude, they would never have said something like "a win-win with MiHoYo," nor would they have admitted that it had "regained vitality."
In their eyes, the heritage left behind by classical Greece had always been the absolute pinnacle.
Even without promotion or adapting to the new era, it would supposedly continue on forever.
But in reality… almost no one cared anymore. Except those old relics. The phrase "regained vitality" was basically a disguised admission that the influence of classical Greek culture had already fallen behind the new era.
When had their attitude changed?
Was it because of the astonishing data from the second episode of Amphoreus?
That was probably it.
Aglaea didn't believe Okhema, or rather, themselves, had enough weight to make that group change their stance.
After all, back when her family hadn't yet fallen into decline, she had once brought a script to seeking cooperation.
Those people hadn't even bothered to reply to her.
"Heh…" Aglaea revealed a relieved yet slightly mocking smile.
Beside her, Hyacine had completely curled up on the sofa, holding her phone far away from her face.
She kept closing her eyes, bringing the phone closer, then opening her eyes again.
"Six… six hundred million…" Hyacine muttered to herself, her voice trembling slightly.
"Oh no, oh no! How can there be this many people!" She tossed the phone aside, hugged the pillow on the sofa, and buried her face in it.
Before this, she had estimated that the global audience for Star Rail might reach a few tens of millions at most.
That number alone had already nearly suffocated her. Who would have thought, the real number would be this outrageous.
"My part is coming up soon in the next episode. That's my most important highlight scene!"
"Six hundred million people… no, maybe even more… that many people will see me shouting 'For Amphoreus!'"
"What if my expression isn't determined enough? What if my emotions aren't strong enough?"
"Can they fix it in post-production? They should be able to fix it, right?!"
Clutching the pillow, Hyacine's voice was already trembling like she was about to cry.
"Don't worry, Hyacine." Tribbie leaned closer at that moment and comforted her gently.
"We all think those scenes you performed were great!"
"Really?" Hyacine still buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled.
"Teacher Tribbie! You can't lie to me!"
"I'm not lying. If you're not confident, I can practice with you." Tribbie said with a soft smile.
"Mm!" At the mention of practice, Hyacine finally lifted her head. Her eyes sparkled.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Teacher Tribbie." From now on, she would work ten thousand percent harder to repay the love of the fans, and she absolutely couldn't let the company down.
"But, Teacher Tribbie… Aren't you nervous?" Hyacine asked curiously.
Tribbie had looked cute and soft the whole time, without showing the slightest bit of pressure.
"I'm not nervous." Tribbie shook her head and blinked. "Because six hundred million is just too big of a number… I don't really feel anything about it."
As she spoke, Tribbie took out her phone and opened another page.
It was a forum spontaneously organized by the small town where the Okhema Theatre was located.
Very simple and crude. The people posting there were mostly local townsfolk.
"That kid Phainon used to come to my shop all the time to buy bread. My wife even said he didn't look like a star. But seeing him on TV now, he really does look the part!"
"Seeing everyone from the theatre become so popular puts my mind at ease. It's rare for our little place to produce so many superstars!"
"Hahaha, now people are coming everywhere to visit Okhema. My business has gotten much better because of it."
"Our town's name has suddenly become famous too!"
"It's really emotional. Back then Miss Aglaea and everyone handed out free tickets in the square, and hardly anyone came to watch. Now in the blink of an eye, the whole world is discussing them."
"When they left Okhema, we even went to see them off. At the time I thought it might be the last time we'd see them, because I believed everyone from Okhema would definitely become huge stars!"
Compared to the massive number of six hundred million, every single post on this small forum made Tribbie's nose sting.
She could almost picture the face of each person who wrote them. For example, the owner of the bakery right at the theatre entrance.
And those young people who had always stubbornly tried to promote Okhema.
And the simple support from these people always made Tribbie feel at ease.
At the very end of those messages was Tribbie's own reply.
"We miss everyone too. Once we finish this busy period, we'll come home and perform for you again."
Of course, after that reply, many more comments quickly appeared. But that didn't matter anymore.
"Everyone…" Hyacine looked at those messages.
Her eyes also began to tear up, and the pressure she had just felt gradually faded away.
That's right. They originally came from a small place. Their greatest wish was simply to show their own story.
And now, they've already done it.
So there's really nothing left to worry about.
"Alright! To celebrate the great success of Episode Two!"
"The boss just sent me a message, we're having a big barbecue party!"
"Today is a day off!"
At that moment, Furina's excited voice came through the loudspeakers and reached everyone on the set.
Whether it was Aglaea and Hyacine, who had already come to terms with everything, or Phainon, who was still under tremendous pressure, hearing Furina, all of them cast those thoughts aside.
No matter what, this achievement was still the best praise and recognition for them.
Enjoy it! Enjoy this hard-earned joy.
At the same time, a huge sense of anticipation rose in everyone's hearts.
After all, this was only the second episode!
There was still so much more, even better content that had yet to be revealed.
When that time came, just how high would Honkai Star Rail's achievements climb? They could hardly even imagine it anymore.
...
While MiHoYo was celebrating, the impact caused by Episode Two was still continuing to spread.
Aside from its performance numbers, discussions about the content were also growing more and more heated.
In the game, Episode Two was essentially a transitional chapter.
But in the series, it played an extremely important role.
With the almost unlimited resources poured into the production, the two characters, Mydei and Tribios, were both fully and vividly portrayed.
There was hardly any need to say much about Mydei.
Patricide, responsibility, fate.
These core philosophical themes so beloved in classical Greek culture were all presented through Mydei. And while MiHoYo respected the original spirit of those ideas, they also offered new answers.
Mydei's response. Mydei's choice.
Each of them, in the post-modern era, provided a reply fitting for the new age.
Ordinary viewers might not feel it deeply. But for the old-school conservatives, this segment of the story hit their exact sweet spot.
Most of those old conservatives, after watching it, had only one thought in their minds.
Damn?! You can write it like this?! They actually wrote Mydei almost like a god.
What does it mean to face the prophecy of patricide, a perilous future, and the expectations of the people, yet as the new king, choose to sacrifice himself alone to bear everything?
In classical Greek drama, there was often too much emphasis on the ugliness of human nature.
Some would even say it was exaggerated.
But the beauty of a deep and ancient culture revealed itself perfectly at this moment.
Thus, with the core of Greek culture as a foundation, combined with the perspective of modern twists, the result was the beautiful story of Mydei.
In Greece itself, a group of old scholars were currently arguing fiercely because of it.
And besides Mydei, there was also Tribios.
Another heavyweight figure.
At its core, the character incorporated elements of classic roles from Greek drama, but the philosophical focus was actually a direct strike against nihilism.
Alright. Just go watch it and think about it.
Once you see it, you'll be left speechless.
Striking at nihilism is itself the moral high ground in the history of philosophy.
What could those Greek conservatives possibly say about it?
If they wanted to refute the story of Tribios and claim it wasn't "Greek enough," they would have to argue against many philosophers throughout history.
Very well.
Next to appear would be: The author of The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus.
The philosopher of existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre.
These philosophical pioneers who fiercely challenged nihilism formed the first wall.
Then there was the second wall: Immanuel Kant, the towering master of ethics.
And finally, the heavyweight third wall… Aristotle!
The story of Tribios perfectly matches Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero.
It fits the theory of tragic error. A hero who falls into suffering because of fate.
Yet through suffering, displays nobility that arouses the audience's pity and reflection. In the end, the audience experiences catharsis, emotional purification.
Anyone who has seen the final part of Tribios's story, and truly understood the meaning of the words "See you tomorrow," will feel almost as if their emotions have been purified.
At this point, the discussion should have already ended.
But suppose, just suppose.
Even if those Greek conservatives somehow managed to argue their way past the philosophies of all these great thinkers, they would still discover that the real Wall of Sighs was waiting for them ahead.
That's right! It's that man again!
Friedrich Nietzsche! He has returned.
Carrying Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he walks onto the stage once more.
If those Greek scholars claim that Tribios's efforts are futile, that everything is just a meaningless cycle, then they must answer Nietzsche's question:
Are you saying that even when faced with destiny, one should simply stop striving?
Unfortunately, Nietzsche had already proven long ago that mocking futility is itself the most hidden form of nihilism.
The true Übermensch always sees fate clearly and still loves fate.
So anyone with even a bit of reason, anyone who has read a few books, would give up trying to attack Tribios.
Otherwise they'd just be asking to be humiliated. And this was also one of the shocks that Tribios brought to the world.
On Tribios's character, a classic Greek-style character design was used to express modern philosophical ideas.
Using the bottle of the ancestors to hold the wine of later generations.
Completely turning conventions upside down.
And yet, this approach worked astonishingly well.
Tribios's story could be said to be the most widely discussed story in Amphoreus so far.
It directly fits modern tastes. It can effectively heal certain problems that only appear in modern society.
And it's suitable for all ages. Its audience range is astonishingly wide.