Chris Nolan looked intently at Hayashi Aoyama, extending his hand first. "Hello, I am Chris Nolan."
Hiroshi Oumi was immediately stunned. That name...
'Is it really the one I'm thinking of?'
But now wasn't the time for speculation. He had just planned to translate for Aoyama.
However, Aoyama also spoke up, responding in kind. "Hello, I am Hayashi Aoyama, the author of Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners."
His response was spoken in fluent English, complete with a slight natural accent that hinted at native-level familiarity.
The room lit up at his statement.
No one expected Aoyama to speak English, let alone with such incredible fluency.
In the Federation, knowing English wasn't particularly rare. Chris Nolan's introduction had been basic, so Aoyama understanding it was expected.
But when Aoyama introduced his own work,Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners,it sounded effortless.
This proved his conversational skills were top-tier.
In the Federation, even students who passed advanced proficiency exams or scored high on college entrance tests rarely possessed conversational fluency.
Usually, only specialized foreign language majors or students prepping for overseas studies had that level of requirement.
Yet, Aoyama was just a mangaka. Since when did mangaka need conversational English?
They certainly didn't.
Thus, his fluency was quite the surprise.
Of course, Aoyama had acquired [Official Language Fluency] from a system reward.
He could translate and communicate between any of the six official UN languages effortlessly.
English was one of them, making his skills second nature.
Realizing there was zero communication barrier, Chris and Miles were even more delighted.
"Is this gentleman really..." Hiroshi Oumi smiled and asked Chris Nolan.
Even though Chris had joined the ranks of top directors, general audiences usually only knew the name, not necessarily the face.
Furthermore, names were common in the West,there were dozens of James and Emilys, just like Zhang Weis back in the Federation.
"Yes, this is Chris Nolan, the director of Inception," Miles said. "Chris is very eager to secure this script."
"Then let's take a seat inside and talk," Hiroshi Oumi said with a smile.
"Sounds good." Miles and Chris nodded. They entered the conference room and sat down to begin negotiations.
"My friends, you should know why we are here," Miles said, cutting straight to the point. "We at WB Pictures are very eager to cooperate and acquire the cinematic rights to Edgerunners."
"How much are you offering?" Hiroshi Oumi asked smoothly. "Are you buying the film rights separately, or do you want the television rights with it?"
"If budget allows, we want all of it," Miles said without hesitation.
They wanted both film and television.
"And the price?"
Miles thought for a moment before answering. "750 million Yen. How does that sound?"
"750 million Yen for both bundled together? That is too low," Hiroshi Oumi chuckled.
"It isn't low at all. Cretaceous Park only went for 300 million Yen," Miles argued. "750 million Yen for the bundle is an show of sincerity."
"Add another 300 million Yen. I don't believe Edgerunners is inferior to Cretaceous Park," Hiroshi Oumi countered with a steep demand. "Plus, Edgerunners has the Federation's backing market. This is a win-win for you."
"No, 1.05 billion Yen is too high. And there is no such thing as guaranteed profit in filmmaking."
"975 million Yen, take it or leave it. That's our limit."
"I can add 75 million Yen max, not a cent more. We still need to pour a heavy budget into visual effects for the production."
...
Both sides devolved into hagglers at a night market, tossing numbers back and forth.
This was the true face of business,active, raw, and unvarnished.
"900 million Yen! That is our limit!" Miles finally stated.
"This..." Hiroshi Oumi looked conflicted. "Actually, do you know what Fox offered us?"
"How much?" Miles frowned.
"1.2 billion Yen," Hiroshi Oumi said with a sly smile.
This wasn't an bluff; Fox truly had tabled an 1.2 billion Yen offer.
Miles broke into a sweat, cursing Fox in his mind for driving up local market prices.
But looking at Hiroshi's smile, he realized something.
"Since you haven't dismissed our offer, that means you have other ideas, right?" Miles asked.
"Correct. A few hundred million Yen difference doesn't change the structure for us," Hiroshi Oumi said. "What we truly want... is a masterpiece."
"I see. You want the film to elevate your global reputation." Miles understood and nodded.
"So, 900 million Yen is acceptable. But in one word: why?" Hiroshi Oumi shrugged. "You need to give... well, you need to give Aoyama-sensei a reason."
He looked at Chris Nolan. The answer was already in front of them.
Chris Nolan looked at Hayashi Aoyama and spoke. "Actually... before coming here, I read the complete Edgerunners manga over ten times."
"To be honest, I was stunned by your brand of madness and talent."
At those words, Aoyama felt slightly flustered.
"Cybernetic enhancements and cyberpsychosis aren't just about body modification or mental decay. It's deeper."
"Before it, sci-fi usually depicted futures spotless, orderly, and worshiping mechanics. But the future in Edgerunners is different,it is damp, dark, where human spirit and morals have collapsed, leaving only ruins and tragedy."
Chris Nolan continued with increasing passion. "It is a grotesque, expansive masterpiece wrapped inside an agonizingly beautiful tragic romance. A work of madness that leaves readers dizzy. I can only describe it as an triumph."
"This is exactly why I want to make it. On the big screen, it can achieve so much more."
His eyes burned with intense drive. "It can function like Inception or The Dark Knight, forcing audiences into deep reflection and bringing a new tide of thought to the cinematic industry!"
Aoyama blinked. Hearing Chris Nolan's words, he felt inclined to call him... a Cinema Devil!
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
A/N: I see the comments about pacing, and it seems I might have been a bit too hasty according to some readers. Writing a book can be difficult to satisfy everyone due to distinct preferences, but I will follow my original vision. I will slow down slightly, covering original sequences, readers/industry reactions, with occasional slice-of-life and supportive subplots. Thanks for the support!
T/N: reminder, A/N and T/N is different! ill use T/N if needed.