Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

In front of Sarah Maidani stood a three-story building, though it covered a vast area of land.

The logo on the rooftop had been redesigned. What was once a black planet resembling a black hole now featured a ring of eight orbiting stars—symbolizing the eight major Hollywood studios.

"Wow! Are we really going to shoot the movie here?"

Carrying her jewelry box, Sarah Maidani twirled excitedly in front of the building, clearly impressed by its size.

"Come in and see! You're going to love this place."

Lucy Piddle opened the door and led the giddy young girl inside.

The interior had already been completely renovated. The audition area that had previously been cleared was preserved, while the rest of the space had been divided into functional sections. The first and second floors were working areas, equipped with green screens, props, and various sets. Three large double-height spaces at the front and rear allowed for wirework and the construction of indoor sets—yes, building houses inside a house.

The set for The Sixth Sense had already been completed, and a significant portion of the film would be shot here, with the rest done on location. The design of this set was modeled after the selected exterior location.

The entire third floor was reserved for company offices and guest rooms, with both Regulus Black and Lucy Piddle having their own offices.

These offices also doubled as bedrooms, making them private areas where no one was to enter without permission.

Though the building was only three stories tall, Regulus Black had installed elevators at both the east and west ends. These were primarily for transporting goods and for his own convenience.

"Regulus! Do I get an office too?"

Sarah Maidani flopped onto Regulus Black's large sofa, messing up her burgundy hair and dress.

"You're a rookie actress. What would you need an office for? Maybe once you become a top-tier star."

Regulus poured her a glass of grape juice. As a model, she had to maintain strict control over her diet, so she couldn't eat freely.

Sarah accepted the grape juice and sipped it slowly. Finally, she even stuck out her tongue to lick the last drop from the glass. Her eyes remained fixed on Regulus Black the entire time—this little minx was clearly trying to seduce him again.

But Regulus Black wasn't someone who let teasing go unanswered. He reached out and wiped the grape juice from her lips with his finger, then calmly sat upright and wiped his hands with a napkin, smiling at the slightly disappointed girl.

"No fooling around during work hours. Got it? We must not reveal our relationship in any way, so channel all your focus and acting into the movie."

Regulus understood perfectly what was on the young girl's mind. Though a simple memory-erasing spell could deal with any prying eyes, it was better to avoid trouble altogether. Exercising a little self-control wouldn't kill anyone.

"Clean and smooth!"

With a flick of his wand, Regulus magically tidied up the mischievous girl, who looked like a kitten that had just rolled around on a bed.

"Here, this is the script outline. There are some differences between the screenplay and the novel. Take time to study your part carefully."

His tone turned cold as he handed the script to her, reverting to his usual demeanor.

Realizing she had upset him, Sarah quickly put on a demure and obedient expression as she accepted the script. Yet she was once again drawn in by his dark, brooding aura, and admiration welled up inside her.

Such a transparent little thing—her every thought written on her face. Watching her obediently reading the script while sneaking glances at him now and then, Regulus felt a twinge of pride. This extraordinary little girl was his.

When director Guillermo del Toro arrived, he found the two of them quietly reading the script, surrounded by a warm, father-daughter atmosphere. Sarah fit the role perfectly—he couldn't imagine where Regulus had found such a young actress.

Soon after, Naomi Watts arrived on her own by taxi.

With all the lead actors present, the four of them held their first script discussion meeting.

Director Guillermo couldn't quite understand why they were having a script meeting. In his opinion, Regulus Black should just start filming. Once he was in the zone, his energy would elevate everyone else.

"Well, even though I'm the lead actor, investor, and screenwriter for this film, that doesn't mean I'm some kind of omnipotent genius. There are a few minor issues in the script that I think we should resolve together."

Hearing this, Guillermo immediately began flipping through the script. He had read it before and found nothing wrong with it—his immense trust in Regulus had played a big part in that.

But Regulus himself knew that this kind of blind trust wasn't helpful when it came to addressing real problems.

Although he could control and influence those around him through magic, could a film still affect every audience member after it was released?

Naomi Watts flipped through the script as well. As a newcomer, she didn't dare to criticize Regulus Black's mistakes, but after reading the script carefully, she couldn't find any issues either. She had no idea what this so-called problem might be.

"You all didn't notice it, did you?"

Regulus Black seemed a bit disappointed. Had everyone placed too much trust in him?

"I didn't notice any problem. But if you really think the script needs revision, Regulus, I can immediately bring in a familiar screenwriter. As long as we don't change the core storyline, tweaking the details is no problem for a professional."

Director Guillermo del Toro patted the script in front of him. Even though he still hadn't identified the issue, if Regulus Black said there was a problem, then there must be one. The only thing to do now was fix it.

"Regulus! Are you referring to something in the character dialogue? Like the situation where your character exists and doesn't exist at the same time?"

The golden-eyed girl had no reservations or deference like the others and bluntly voiced her observation.

"Yes! That's exactly what I meant. I do want to convey the distinction on the surface, but I can't find the right words to express it."

Regulus Black was deep in thought, trying to articulate the issue he wanted to convey.

"In the scenes where the male and female leads are conversing, from the male lead's perspective, it's clearly a two-person conversation. But from the female lead's point of view, it could be either a conversation with someone else or simply her talking to herself. If we can highlight that distinction, then when the truth is revealed at the end of the film, the audience will realize the earlier dialogue wasn't what they thought it was. What they believed to be the truth all along turns out not to be the real truth."

Such a convoluted explanation completely lost Naomi Watts, who failed to grasp the point. Sarah Meidan, however, kept nodding in agreement.

Director Guillermo del Toro flipped through the script again, carefully reading the dialogue between the male and female leads. Since he already knew how the story ended, he understood the challenge—how to make the same lines take on a new meaning because of the ending. In Regulus Black's script, that distinction wasn't fully achieved.

"Regulus! Looks like you'll need to bring in another screenwriter—someone skilled in fine-tuning dialogue."

Guillermo del Toro took off his glasses and began thinking about who among his contacts would be most suited for the job.

"I'll leave the screenwriter to you, Guillermo. For now, we should start filming. The crew downstairs is almost ready. Let's make sure the first scene gets us off to a good start."

The very first scene would be the ending of the entire story, featuring a background character who would appear just once. That actor was already in position.

Ding-dong! The doorbell rang.

Regulus Black, playing the male lead, appeared at the door and opened it. Outside stood an elderly man, clearly a bit agitated.

"May I ask who you're looking for?"

The male lead, clearly not recognizing the visitor, took off his glasses and asked with a puzzled look.

"You're Mr. Black, right? I'm one of your loyal readers. I came to ask about the continuation of some of your earlier books."

At the old man's feet were several books. These were all props, authored by Regulus Black. Some had already been published, some hadn't, and a few were books for which he had acquired the rights—though they weren't yet adapted for film.

Crimson Manor, Ghost Ship, Sleepy Hollow, Sixth Sense: Golden-Eyed Girl, Witch: Mellow, Ark 1024.

These books were bundled together, all visibly worn, clearly having been read many times.

"I've written sequels for some of them, others I haven't started yet. You know how it is—writing requires inspiration."

Black explained patiently, since the person in front of him was a loyal fan.

"But I can't wait any longer. I'm seriously ill and may not live to see you finish them—especially when there are so many left."

The old man's hand trembled as he pulled a handgun from his coat and aimed it at Black.

So he was a hitman-reader—here to threaten the author for not updating fast enough!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

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