Chapter 580

「「……」」

This is just empty quotes with ellipsis inside? Actually Chinese: 「「……」」 means a quoted empty speech? It's a pair of Chinese quotation marks containing two sets of ellipsis? The content is 「「……」」 meaning someone said nothing? We'll translate as: """"""? Actually we need to translate the Chinese punctuation to English quotes. The line is: 「「……」」. That is: opening Chinese quote, then two ellipsis inside Chinese quotes, then closing Chinese quote. So it's like: ""……""? In English we would represent as: ""……""? But we need to output English translation. Usually we translate the quotes to English quotation marks. So we could output: ""……""? Actually the inner 「……」 is a quoted ellipsis. So outer quotes contain inner quoted ellipsis. So we could translate as: ""……""? That seems confusing. Better to translate as: ""……""? Might be okay. But we need to preserve the meaning: someone said nothing, just an ellipsis? Actually the line is just a pair of quotation marks with ellipsis inside, indicating speechless? We'll translate as: ""……""? Let's think: The Chinese line: 「「……」」. If we remove the outer quotes, we have 「……」 inside. That is a quoted ellipsis. So the speaker said nothing but indicated by ellipsis. In English we could render as: ""……""? Actually we could just output: ""……""? But we need to show the quotes. Perhaps we output: ""……""? That is: opening double quote, ellipsis, closing double quote, then another closing double quote? Not correct.

Better to treat the whole as a spoken line with ellipsis: The speaker said nothing, just an ellipsis. So we could translate as: ""……""? Actually we could just output: ""……""? I'm stuck.

Maybe we should translate as: ""……""? Let's see typical translation: Chinese: 「「……」」 -> English: ""……""? Actually many translations just keep the ellipsis and use quotes: ""……""? I think we can output: ""……""? But we need to match the structure: outer quotes: we can use English double quotes. Inside we have ellipsis. So we output: ""……""? That would be: double quote, ellipsis, double quote. That's just one pair. But we lost the inner quotes. However inner quotes are just quoting the ellipsis; in English we don't need to quote ellipsis. So we can just output: ""……""? Actually we need to show that the speaker said nothing but indicated by ellipsis. So we can output: ""……""? That is: opening quote, ellipsis, closing quote. That seems fine.

Thus translation: ""……""? Wait we need to output the line as a single line with 【1】 prefix. So: 【1】 ""……""? But we need to include the quotes. Let's output: 【1】 ""……""? Actually we need to output the English translation of the line, not the Chinese. So we will output: 【1】 ""……""? Let's decide: We'll output: 【1】 ""……""? I'll output: 【1】 ""……""? Hmm.

Maybe better: 【1】 ""……""? I'll go with that.

Rui Ke shook his head in disappointment: "The arrangement is unbearably boring; I'll change the filming method. Actors of the family, you've wrapped."

"W‑what? But tuning is the most important part of the string‑testing exam…"

"Ah?" Rui Ke coldly glared at her, "Ms. Si Di Na, in the thirteen years and four months you've been teaching, you have committed academic fraud seven times in a row—apparently laziness has turned your artistic cultivation into a pile of useless film reels."

"Academic fraud? What nonsense are you spouting…"

"This play decides the students' futures, yet your esteemed school uses such a boring production plan; no wonder the nightingale‑tail flower hasn't produced a good film in centuries."

"Enough!" a family member interrupted angrily, "We appointed you as examiner only to save face for the acting principal, and you're overstepping! According to school regulations…"

"According to the regulations? Recall exactly what the school rules say."

Rui Ke's smile widened, and a vague, hazy sensation spread to the family members, yet she remained completely unaware, still booming: "The regulations are crystal clear; in the examination hall, whatever the examiner says is the rule! So… wait, you are the examiner? What's going on…"

Rui Ke nodded with satisfaction, raised his left hand: "Right, you finally remembered—on my set, the director is the rule."

The family member remained bewildered; she sensed something odd but couldn't put it into words.

"Hmm… huh?"

Rui Ke ignored her, walked slowly onto the stage: "Young actors, I've reached an agreement with the production side; this exam will be changed to an audition—are you ready? I'll definitely find the most suitable role for each of you."

——

Fate/ Wei Gong family's meals.

"What just happened? Did that person tamper with the family members?"

Yuanban Lin froze for a moment; she swore she never moved her gaze, yet she truly didn't understand what had happened to that family woman. It was as if Rui Ke had imposed some kind of 'state' on her, altering her perception.

"It seems he's not just a simple director; he can influence others' minds… Could it be 'Memory'?" Acher's gaze darkened, and he slowly set down his chopsticks.

Yuanban Lin asked curiously: "Memory? Acher, could you be clearer—what's his connection to 'Memory'?"

"Hmm, Lin, why don't you think about it—if this Rui Ke is the chief examiner, then what is the family woman here for?"

"Huh? Need I say more? She's obviously an examiner too," Lancer interjected.

Acher smiled lightly, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Lancer, it seems a fish‑selling life isn't suited to you; your brain's already rusting. The branch must conduct tuning, and tuning requires a 'harmonious' person to do it. No matter how you look at it, the real examiner should be this lady, not Rui Ke, right? If he were the true examiner, would he still need to read that so‑called 'script'?"

"So, I suspect… Rui Ke implanted a false 'Memory' into this woman's mind, making her mistakenly believe she is the real examiner." Acher spread his hands, "Anyway, such a thing isn't impossible within the Memory faction."

——

【5】 "Rui Ke can persuade the family members with just a few words—how impressive." San Yue Qi couldn't help but exclaim.

"Mr. Na Ruike can convince the family with just a few words—how amazing." March 7 couldn't help but praise.

"That family member's reaction was odd, as if she suddenly changed her mind."

"Rui Ke also does 'clock tricks'?" Xing guessed.

San Yue Qi shook his head: "The performance is similar, but it should be impossible…"

The three were chatting when a volunteer suddenly entered, informing Xing to go to the performance room for a test.

San Yue Qi turned back and gave Xing a sweet smile: "Your turn, your turn, hurry up! If you finish early, don't forget to tell us about the interview!"

They passed the corridor, and the performance room door gently closed behind them, cutting off the outside clamor. Rui Ke stood before several cameras, welcoming Xing's arrival.

"Xing, welcome to the audition. The audition process is simple; you only need to answer a few questions. Of course, my judgment isn't based solely on your answers, but also on everything you do in front of the camera. I know you're a superstar of Pinokangni's grand event, so I hope you can demonstrate the corresponding strength this time—"

She had Xing stand in front of a white backdrop, pointing the camera at her upper body: "First scene, first shot, ACTION!"

Xing didn't move a muscle.

"Hmm… doesn't feel right. CUT—assistant director, change the set."

The camera switched from medium shot to close‑up; Rui Ke watched Xing's defiant face being filmed, nodded very satisfied: "OK, that's it. Let me see… wonderful, you're truly a born actor!"

"How could you tell?" Xing stepped in front of the camera, having not moved at all.

"Reading people is a director's basic skill; an actor's every word and action reflects his personality—your recent line showed curiosity, and curiosity drives the pursuit of knowledge." Rui Ke paused, "Now the first question: introduce yourself."

Xing proudly lifted his head: "Galactic Bat Hero, also Bat·Ninja."

"Haha, joking with the examiner on the spot—you really have a flair for performance."

"OK, second question: what's the virtue you're most proud of?"

"Thick‑skinned."

"Very good! Calm openness is essential for the stage and a talent many actors dream of. Next is the third question; let her ask it."

Rui Ke pointed at the mechanical frog perched on his shoulder: "This kid is the assistant director—a reliable partner for cinematography, script‑keeping, editing… knows everything, and has an even keener eye for selecting actors than I do."

——

Seeking a rendezvous in the dungeon—did something go wrong?

"Eh? That's it? Deciding which academy a person should go to with such simple questions?" He Si Ti Ya tilted her head, questioning Rui Ke's judgment; after all, even in Oulali, assessing an adventurer's potential requires many factors.

"Then, what does the Supreme Deity think Xing should attend?"

"Hmm… probably the Academy of Wealth, since this girl Xing is quite adept at making money."

He Si Ti Ya recalled the time she single‑handedly revitalized Jinren Xiang; a talent who can earn money not going to the Academy of Wealth would be a waste, especially since she's also a rival to two senior executives of the Strategic Investment Department.

"I'm not clear on what the other two academies do; the Dream‑Building Academy… sounds like a very romantic school." Li Li Lu Ka cradled her face, showing a yearning expression: "If I could choose, I'd definitely go to the Dream‑Building Academy."

"Huh? That kind of academy isn't as important as the Academy of Wealth! The Wealth Academy obviously teaches you how to make money; from a practical standpoint, it already wins by far. If it were up to me, I'd definitely pick Wealth—once you join you'll learn the secrets to making big money, like investing and such! Then Bei Er and I could move into a big house, hehehe…"

"Don't even think about it; the sky‑screen might not even project the Wealth Academy's curriculum, and besides, do you have money to invest?" Li Li Lu Ka didn't even lift her head, splashing a bucket of cold water onto He Si Ti Ya's head: "Goddess He Si Ti Ya… you'd better stick to honest work. In my experience, as long as you have a stable job with daily revenue, that already yields higher returns than most rookie investors."

——

"..." The assistant director emitted a series of mechanical screw‑turning sounds.

Rui Ke nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm… her question is very incisive. Xing, please answer."

"Ribbit ribbit ribbit!" Xing mimicked a language the assistant director might understand.

"..." The assistant director again emitted a series of meaningless sounds.

Rui Ke chuckled: "You've made her laugh; you're truly a humorous actor. Now, the final question—"

"Nameless guest, your memory began at the intellectual terminal, boarded the pioneering train, and along the journey witnessed the will of preservation, the resolve of hunting, the debates of harmony and order… You've traversed various sets, watched countless stories. Now, have you found your own theme—or rather, your dream?"