Having taken care of everything, Xia Wen slept soundly and happily.
Ayaka also clearly sensed the shift in Xia Wen's mindset.
So the following morning, while Ayaka was still asleep, Xia Wen quietly got up, washed up feeling refreshed, and headed to the office.
The contract had already been completed last night thanks to Topaz and Aventurine's overtime effort.
This way, once everyone was brought back, they could officially begin the next phase.
"But honestly, running into Aglaea and the others like that really gave me déjà vu."
"It's just that in the version of the story I know, it was Stelle and the train crew who saved everyone."
"Stelle's luck? I'm taking it all! Kekekeke."
Xia Wen amused himself as he spoke.
He casually sent the completed material to the group chat.
Instantly, replies popped up.
...
March 7th: The early bird gets the worm! The early March gets good news! Yay! Another newcomer joined! Is the next main storyline finally ready to start filming?
Tingyun: claps But boss, why haven't we received any updates at all?
Stelle: Bad news, everyone! Last night, in my dream, a great being bestowed a revelation upon me! They told me my luck is turning!
Dan Heng: Did you drink alcohol last night? And read novels?
Stelle: Ah, Dan Heng, how did you know?
Dan Heng: …Your top priority right now is to uninstall that XX Novel App.
Stelle: Tch, boring. Boss! I want to see the boss! I want to know the next main plot immediately! I'm so bored! I want to film something new!
...
Looking at the trio's chatter in the group,
Xia Wen suddenly had an idea.
Why not take the three of them along on this trip to Greece?
They would have to work together long-term anyway.
...
Xia Wen: Stelle, Dan Heng, March, I'm going to Greece to pick up the newcomers and hold a contract-signing ceremony. You three come with me.
March 7th: Greece?? Whoa! A company-funded trip?! Yay!!
Dan Heng: No problem.
Stelle: What an attitude! They actually dare to trouble the boss to personally pick them up. Hmph! Seems like it's time I teach them a lesson. This child must not be kept!
Xia Wen: hiss… Dan Heng, go explain to Stelle what a sense of proportion means.
Stelle: Hey hey hey, What are you doing?! I was wrong! I was wrong! I won't act crazy again!
Xia Wen: Anyway, it's settled. Get ready. There'll be a media press conference this time. I'll have Furina send the details to the group later.
...
After finishing the chat, Xia Wen got up and began to prepare.
Aventurine and Topaz would also be flying together with him.
At the same time, some connections arranged by Ningguang were now going to be put to use.
That Cinnati and the Art Committee… after all, they were the local power.
But among a group of local powers, there were internal divisions as well.
And after Xia Wen explained the situation to Ningguang, her reaction was very interesting.
She simply let out a soft laugh over the phone, then gave him the contact information of several people.
Each contact came with detailed evaluations.
...
First: Elios Marinakis
A young Greek shipping tycoon whose family foundation has long sponsored cultural and artistic causes.
They believed that Greek culture had lost global competitiveness because of the decaying institution, the Art Committee, which monopolized the right to define cultural standards.
Their goal was to let Greek culture truly go global.
Ningguang's evaluation:
"Our interests align to some extent. He views MiHoYo positively. His family is very influential in Greece, and, most importantly, has strong representation in the art world."
...
Second: the Mavromi Family
An old aristocratic family whose wealth and influence spread across Greece.
The current patriarch, Aris Mavromi, is a silver-haired gentleman.
He privately funds multiple archaeological projects and classical theatre festivals, holding significant influence.
Like the young tycoon, this old man firmly believes Greek culture should not be buried in this era.
Moreover, he believes Greek culture should maintain its core essence while integrating deeply with modern global media, shedding heavy shackles and dogma to achieve rebirth.
He doesn't care what medium one uses to express Greek culture.
Even if foreigners reinterpret Greek artistic features in their own way, as long as the Greek essence remains, it is still Greek culture.
Even using hip-hop to tell Greek mythology stories would delight him.
His favorite saying:
"True modernization of Greek art is when you can't see Greek culture anywhere, because it's everywhere."
Ningguang's note:
"Aris watches Honkai Star Rail every Saturday at noon."
...
Finally: the Thessaloniki School
A group of playwrights and critics centered around scholars.
Their academic foundation is solid; their papers and critiques are influential in the cultural sphere.
Their leader, Ailine, is known for her sharpness and radicalism.
Ningguang's evaluation was long:
"A group dedicated to deconstructing classical narratives and merging them with modern social issues, extreme progressives. They also greatly admire the concepts of Aeons and Paths in Star Rail."
But she emphasized one warning:
"Be careful. They are the radicals among radicals."
After reading the profiles of these three "local powers,"
Xia Wen's curiosity grew.
He had MiHoYo gather news covering all three factions.
After reading them, he immediately noticed their common trait.
It wasn't that they all admired MiHoYo.
That was only the surface.
Whether Elios the young tycoon, Aris the old aristocrat, or Ailine the sharp-tongued scholar, they all voiced a shared consensus:
Modern Greece is undergoing the most covert and thorough cultural let-down in its history.
And the one responsible is on the other side of the… ocean.
Thus, all three were representatives of Greek localists.
They clearly realized that Greece was being overshadowed by Hollywood's "universal values" and new-age media.
As for the Art Committee and those conservative loyalists, they weren't protectors of Greek culture at all, but tactic accomplices.
At that moment, Xia Wen immediately understood why these three factions were influential locally, yet the Art Committee remained controlled by the so-called conservatives.
Ah. so the conservatives had powerful backing.
Well then, everything made sense.
If MiHoYo really wanted to hold a grand event for Okhema according to plan, indeed, they'd need the help of these people.
Approvals, documents, all required connections.
After all, this was another country. And in such places, one truly needed powerful connections with the locals.