Wizard: Become stronger by drawing cards from the potions variety show

Chapter 797

"No problem, boss. After all, you're the one who pays my salary!"

Lucy agreed readily, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

This approach was exactly to her liking. Even if the new boss hadn't told her to, she was already planning to do it this way.

She nodded to herself, and couldn't help but admire in her heart: the new boss was indeed meticulous in his work, and he had left almost no flaws in his actions.

Thinking about it this way, I'm really lucky to be able to work for him.

After all, she's seen plenty of "bad teammates," and only those who've experienced it firsthand truly understand how rare a reliable partner is.

"Boss, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"What you need to do right now is stay safe and hold your position. That's the biggest help you can give me."

"boss?"

"Um?"

"Your actual age... isn't that high, is it?"

"This is none of your business," Noah said calmly. "You just need to focus on your own duties. I don't want to interfere or get involved in anything else. But I can tell you clearly—our goals are aligned."

Noah had just finished speaking when a long, drawn-out chime suddenly rang in his ears.

The sound was ethereal and strange, like the long roar of an ancient whale, or the resonance of an ancient bell.

He couldn't immediately pinpoint the source of the sound, but his intuition told him that something had happened.

Everything around them froze instantly.

All the scenery began to rotate and shrink inward, and his body gradually transformed into a floating phantom, drifting between reality and illusion.

Noah felt his consciousness being pulled upwards by some force, as if slowly waking up from a long dream.

However, unlike the vague dreams of ordinary people, his "dreams" were terrifyingly real—every detail was personally experienced, and every moment was unforgettable.

His eyes shot open.

The soft light of the independent performance hall shone down. It was from here that they entered the script.

Compared to the public performance halls set up by the government, this place is indeed much more private; at least when it reopens, there won't be a crowd of onlookers staring at you.

This relieved both of them, making them feel much more at ease.

They moved their somewhat weak bodies.

Having immersed myself in the world of the script for over a year, I've long since grown accustomed to the resilient body within that world.

Now, back in reality, their relatively frail bodies created a stark contrast for them.

"AI Coverage 2: The Hidden Corner...that's interesting indeed." Noah murmured the title of the script he had just finished. Sure enough, new information was already appearing in his mind:

[AI Coverage 2: The Hidden Corner has ended]

[Acquired new series script: AI Coverage 3: Apocalypse Day]

"It sounds like the final battle is about to begin," Noah couldn't help but mutter.

Ava's clear voice came from beside her: "Speaking of which, wouldn't it be safer for us to develop step by step? Judging from the script's progression, it always triggers after completing a major achievement."

"The 'Hidden Corner' in the second act was likely because we tampered with 'Hound Type I,' completing the creation process from scratch and successfully meeting the AI's requirements, which allowed it to conclude smoothly."

"From this perspective, if we wanted, we could actually delay for a longer period of time, accumulating more experience and information. If we can make good use of the time allotted for each scene, we will have a much better grasp of the subsequent actions."

Ava's thinking is very clear.

In the world of AI, their script time is theoretically unlimited.

If they can extend the timeframe for each stage, they can be better prepared.

Noah pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "That was indeed my first reaction, but upon closer inspection, it might not be a good thing."

"How to say?"

"Now that we know this is a 'script,' there must be an 'audience.'"

"Regardless of the audience, a great show must be engaging. If we, as the main characters, perform too ordinarily... I'm worried it will cause problems."

Of course, all of the above are just Noah's speculations.

But Ava nodded solemnly.

Noah's speculation was not without merit.

Since the story is presented in the form of a script, there will naturally be requirements for the script itself.

While there's no direct evidence to confirm this, it's also impossible to disprove it. It's always better to be cautious.

More importantly, they have achieved their initial goal and successfully filmed the second act. In this era of ubiquitous AI surveillance, they have carved out a "hidden corner" free from AI monitoring.

Only those who have personally experienced that era can understand how difficult it was.

To escape AI surveillance and create a secluded corner means never being exposed to AI's view from beginning to end.

However, technological growth is linear, accumulating bit by bit from scratch. If one is not careful, AI will immediately be subject to regulation.

Noah and Ava, through their talent and hard work, gradually took the lead, carefully concealing their true intentions, and eventually successfully integrated into the AI.

Even so, controlling or even overthrowing AI remains an extremely difficult task.

At least it's a good start.

Noah and Ava rapidly exchanged consciousness through their symbiotic connection; a vast amount of information was transmitted in the blink of an eye. They slowly rose, and before they even reached the door, they heard an excited voice approaching from afar.

Light footsteps accompanied a cheerful tone: "Noah! Ava! You two siblings have given me a wonderful surprise!"

The man arrived in a flurry, his face beaming with undisguised joy. He gestured wildly with his hands and rushed to the two men in a few strides.

Noah recognized him as Li Xian, the man who had recruited them into the company. He was beaming with excitement, almost incoherent.

"Did you know? Just now, on the performance rankings for 'AI Coverage,' your salaries skyrocketed by nearly a hundred times! This series topped the potential rankings and ranked twenty-first on the overall rankings."

In this world, pay directly reflects the value a role can bring. A hundredfold increase means that the actor brings something real from the script.

"That's amazing! You've pioneered a completely new way to beat the game! Although this method requires a certain level of skill and luck... it at least proves the potential."

At this point, Li Xian closed his eyes in rapture, exclaiming, "Wow, my judgment is absolutely spot on!"

"To be honest, with the completion of the second act, all permissions for the first act were also unlocked. Now, almost all film and television companies, including those old fogies, have to come to me begging for access to specific scripts."

"Your performance in Act Two was absolutely amazing! Your extraordinary learning and computing abilities, the matching research and development capabilities, and that system of abilities... it can be adapted to almost any world."

"I'm confident that if you maintain this level of performance and complete Act Three, you'll definitely achieve phenomenal success!"

From the moment he entered, Li Xian's mouth never stopped, his excitement overflowing.

"Oh right, I almost forgot to mention the important matter—your privileges have been upgraded; you're now partners in the company. That means from today onwards, you also have a share in Giant Serpent Pictures."

Noah had anticipated the earlier praise, so his reaction was lukewarm. But the last sentence truly surprised him.

"Mr. Li, I remember company policy states that you must be a first-class actor to be promoted to partner, right? We just got our actor status..."

Li Xian waved his hand repeatedly and patted him on the shoulder: "Special cases require special handling! Although you're not officially a first-class actor now, with your abilities, which first-class actor dares to say they can easily outshine you?"

"If I gave you more time to replicate 'Hound Type 1' and the android in reality... if one isn't enough, then two; if two aren't enough, then ten! Noah, you have the capability now, so be confident."

"Honestly, I prefer the you in 'AI Coverage,' who was goal-oriented and ambitious, and I admire that."

Noah smiled calmly.

After awakening his memories, he knew clearly that everything before him, though seemingly real, was actually an illusion.

During his year in the world of scripts, he met all sorts of people and learned all kinds of knowledge. Both his mindset and abilities are now completely different from before.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Li."

Li Xian waved his hand dismissively: "Why are you being so polite with me? Even if I give you shares, I'll be the one sitting back and collecting the money. The more successful you are, the more I earn. In fact, I should be thanking you."

"The two rough gems we discovered back then have unexpectedly blossomed so quickly. I knew you would succeed, but I didn't expect this day to come so soon. You are truly my lucky stars!"

"By the way, Noah, Ava, the Actors Guild will likely make your script the official version later. If they come to discuss it, I hope you'll agree."

Li Xian's tone suddenly became serious.

Ava blinked. "Is this a requirement for being a partner?"

"Of course not," Li Xian shook his head, "this is just my personal suggestion."

"Many child actors have limited talent and average ability. Their success is often accidental, which is to say, it depends on luck. In addition, the scripts they can play are not very high-quality."

"For these types of actors, I usually advise them to keep their scripts and quietly make their money. Maintaining the uniqueness of their abilities is the only way to continue earning income and stay competitive."

"But you are different. You are the only group in 'AI Coverage' that currently has a chance of achieving a perfect ending. It can be said that your version is the optimal solution for this series. In this case, your choices and direction are very likely to become the 'standard answer' for the story."

"But more importantly, it's the characteristics you demonstrate in the scenarios described in the strategy guide."

"Of course you can stick to the script, explore along the existing route, find more possibilities, and gradually improve your abilities, so that one of you... uh, I mean two people can enjoy all the benefits. But frankly, with your abilities, doing so would be too wasteful."

"You can completely 'subcontract' this part and let more people help you explore. They will take a share of the profits, but their abilities will be fully accessible to you. Their exploration will, in turn, help you improve your ability system, which is equivalent to exchanging a portion of the cost for a lot of time. And you can use this time to explore other scenarios."

"More importantly, you are a 'twin script,' which is quite friendly in terms of scalability, flexibility, and entry threshold, and has a huge potential user base."

"That's why I said you're about to become famous overnight."

"Of course, this is just my suggestion. If you disagree with the official proposal, the association may assign other companies, or even people within our company may take on the task of exploring this direction. Once someone succeeds and is willing to contribute the script, that portion of the profits will go to them."

After listening to Li Xian's explanation, Noah finally realized the importance of the script to the actor.

Actor pay reflects their value and determines how many scripts they can actually earn in real life.

This portion of the payment usually needs to be paid by the actor himself, but sometimes the entertainment company or performers' association will also cover it.

If you submit your script through an official channel, you will be added to the Actors Guild's "whitelist".

Afterwards, any actor who enters the script through official channels, or even those who enter by simulating using association resources, will have a portion of their fee paid to the original creators, namely Noah and Ava.

While it may not be as lucrative as exclusive development, it offers the advantage of stability and continuity. Accumulating wealth gradually can actually lead to faster wealth accumulation than developing independently.

Noah understood this very well: it was essentially a choice about the return on investment.

If few people exchange scripts, their gains will be limited, and they will lose their uniqueness as the ability becomes more widespread.

However, if many people redeem their tokens, they will reap substantial rewards and solidify their leading advantage. Furthermore, the increased ability of more people to understand this script will promote the prosperity of the entire capability system and open up more application scenarios.

Without a doubt, in the world of "AI Coverage", whether it is the superpowers displayed, the AI-based combat assistance system, the bionic robots, or even the "miracle skills" that have not yet been successfully analyzed, they are all extremely valuable script capabilities with a wide range of applications - which means that their scripts will definitely not lack buyers.

"I agree. I'll talk to the actors when they arrive."

Li Xian clapped his hands and laughed: "I knew you would make a wise decision! To be honest, your vision and decisiveness are nothing like someone from the slums. Sometimes I even suspect that you might be the illegitimate son of some big company boss."

"Mr. Li is joking."

"I truly believe that. The company will assign a specialist to liaise with the association regarding the negotiations, and we will absolutely ensure that you do not suffer any losses."

"What you need to do now is get some rest and get the third act done at a high level as soon as possible."

"AI Full Coverage is great... By the way, besides you guys, a few other people from the company have also been cast in this project. If possible, I hope you can take care of them."

Noah raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are there other people in our company? What are their names?"

When he asked that question, he already had the answer in his heart.

"Lina, Yuri, Lucy, and Harry."

Noah smiled.

Sure enough, they were all familiar faces. I wonder if they had awakened any of their memories.

Seeing Noah's smile, Li Xian carefully instructed, "It would be best if you could take care of him, but it's okay if you can't. After all, you are the main characters, so focus on your situation and performance."