Chapter 4850

"A person becomes strong for certain reasons, and weak for the same reasons," Hanix said.

"A righteous person, because they uphold their beliefs and resist temptation, is not easily lured into traps, yet they may miss opportunities or suffer defeat due to an inability to let go of certain things. An evil person gains many advantages outside the rules by unscrupulous means, but by disregarding rules, they provoke public outrage and are ultimately expelled due to their ill repute."

"A person's advantage can entirely be their weakness. Their strength can also be their weakness. I have seen many such people. They are exceptionally gifted in magic, yet precisely because of this, they overindulge their desires and are ultimately consumed by magic."

"A person can be both intelligent and highly talented, yet short-sighted and eager for quick success—this is not contradictory. One can be very knowledgeable and accomplished in mystical and magical theory research, while also recklessly exposing themselves to danger in pursuit of greater power—these can coexist."

"Saffir possesses astonishing magical talent, even rivaling that of the Supreme Mage in power, and yet he squanders it all through his own desires—this can also coexist."

"When facing the Supreme Mage, he holds his ground due to his strong command of magic; when facing a lesser mage, he is defeated utterly by his own arrogance and greed. This simultaneously reveals his strength and weakness, without contradiction or conflict."

Greed nodded. "Hanix makes sense. A person can indeed be both strong and weak. For example, Iron Man with anxiety disorder is like that.

You can't say he isn't strong. His technological level and research capabilities are unmatched. Yet defeating him is simple—his anxiety disorder nearly destroyed him.

As the saying goes, character determines destiny. Two people with equal talent in a certain area will differ greatly depending on whether their temperament is calm or impatient, ambitious or not, inclined toward collectives or solitary—these factors make them utterly different.

If Saffir possessed both great strength and sound character, he should be the Supreme Mage. Conversely, if the Supreme Mage who wields great power has an overly fragile inner self, they might become like Saffir.

They are like two branches of the same fate line, different fruits from the same cause, mutually illuminating the truth of magic: magic is the fulfillment of thought, and character matters more than power.

Marvel's magic is like borrowing. Precisely because of this, if you lack resolve and are too greedy, you will surely be dragged into a pit by demons; but if you are firm enough and resist temptation, even gods can do nothing to you.

"Exactly," Chris said, standing up and pacing before the fireplace. "I've been thinking: what concept should we convey to the children? Of course, broadly speaking, it's that evil does not prevail, justice must triumph."

"But if this weren't a magic film, merely an ordinary school story, we could still portray this theme. The protagonists accomplish heroic deeds of justice through their kind hearts, teaching children to reject evil and uphold justice. Then where lies magic's uniqueness?"

"Now I have a clue. Unlike other films, magic is a wholly new power. It can be mastered and learned, even by such young children, just like firearms in ordinary society."

"If you obtained a gun, what would you do with it?" Chris paused, then continued, "Would you use it to help others, or simply to shoot those you dislike?"

"We cannot make a film where children shoot people with guns. That would be too blunt, possibly inspire unhealthy imitation, and could never be released—parents wouldn't let their children watch."

"But using magic is different. Parents and children alike will find magic wonderful and miraculous, unaware that magic and firearms are the same. In good hands, it upholds justice; in bad hands, it harms others—even more severely than guns."

"Thus we must use magic to teach children this lesson: when we gain great power, we should use it to make the world better, not to harm our fellow beings and the innocent—those who rely on strength to oppress the weak will inevitably reap what they sow."

"According to this theory, we should design Saffir as a negative example. He wields immense power, yet does not use it on the righteous path, instead becoming obsessed with using power to bully others or endlessly plunder resources, ultimately defeated by the Supreme Mage and reaping his own bitter fruit."

"His weakness lies in his character, his strength in his magic. Young mages might thus exploit his character flaws to escape him. Meanwhile, grown young mages facing such a powerful mage would also feel great pressure."

"Let's do it that way." Chris punched his palm. But soon he stopped pacing, sat back down, and looked at Greed, saying, "But then this character would become much more complex. You must simultaneously show his strength and his character weaknesses. Can you pull it off?"

"It depends on what you design as his greatest weakness," Greed said.

"This lady already said it—arrogance and greed. Yes, these two traits are most easily found in geniuses. Because they are talented, they become arrogant and disdainful; because they seek greater power, they become excessively greedy. I think these two are fine—what do you think?"

"Of course no problem." Greed smiled at him and said, "Just right—arrogance and greed have both arrived."

Chris went to the study to write the script using the books. But not long after, he came out again and called Greed in.

"I'm a bit lacking inspiration," Chris said, looking troubled. "I'm designing Saffir's meeting with Mephisto. This is Mephisto's first appearance, needing to show his cunning and sinister nature. At the same time, I want to reveal part of Saffir's character..."

Greed thought for a moment, then said: "There actually is a ready-made example—just what just happened. This place is called Hampton, but anciently it was known as the King's Crown..."

Greed briefly explained Mephisto's process of creating the Blackheart Demon. And this indeed gave Chris inspiration. He said while writing: "It could easily be designed that, under the devil's temptation, a region accumulates countless sins. Saffir comes here seeking greater power, wanting to extract sin for his own use. Mephisto discovers his talent and begins to tempt him into corruption..."

"No no no." Greed shook his head. "This would be overly religious storytelling—another Eden and Satan tale. We cannot blame Saffir's evil on Mephisto."

"What?" Chris said, puzzled. "If not Mephisto, then who? It's Mephisto who tempted Saffir."

Greed continued shaking his head: "Whether you want to highlight Saffir's strength or his evil, you cannot make him seem like an ignorant innocent, let alone a victim. Environmental pressure, demonic temptation, unfortunate childhood—none can be the root of his evil."

"Then what is?"

"Himself." Greed said. "Because of arrogance, he has no reverence; because of greed, he is ambitious. All this comes from his own heart, not from anyone's temptation or coercion."

"Even, if you want to set Saffir as the main villain rather than Mephisto, you must let him reveal a natural evil so terrifying it startles even the devil, making Saffir the leader in this relationship—he is the one who tempts Mephisto."

"Hiss—"

Chris stood frozen in silence. In reality, his mind raced, his brain nearly boiling.

Chris is merely a director, not a screenwriter. Although directors cannot avoid understanding screenwriting, he is not formally trained, so he lacks expertise in character creation and dramatic conflict. He truly had not considered shaping characters from this angle.

Can a human really tempt a devil? Would audiences really believe it?

Yet for some reason, when Chris imagined Shiler playing these scenes, he felt it was utterly convincing. If he were an audience member, he would feel it was not the devil tempting Shiler, but Shiler tempting the devil.

However, the camera diminishes a person's presence, and the director's task is to compensate through the lens—even further strengthen the actor's presence. This is also a challenge for a renowned director like Chris.

As Chris pondered, a sudden sound came from downstairs. Greed glanced toward the door, then said: "Keep writing, I'll go check."

As soon as Greed stepped out, he saw Mephisto downstairs. No surprise—this scoundrel came to snatch the child.

Sarah held little Blake behind her, Hanix blocked his front, with Stark and Peter ahead. The children peered from the window beside them.

Mephisto was not particularly arrogant. Precisely speaking, he looked bewildered and helpless. He stared at the infant in Sarah's arms, his expression like: "What the hell is this thing?"

"Long time no see, Mephisto." Greed leaned on the well railing, lowered his head, and smiled at him. "I'm glad to see your filial and paternal side. I didn't expect the devil to have family feelings."

Greed walked down the stairs, eyes fixed on Mephisto, not noticing Chris had already left the study and stood at the doorway, watching him while furiously writing.

Mephisto's expression was as if he had eaten feces. And Greed clearly had no intention of letting him off: "You must be proud of yourself for tricking the Supreme Mage into letting your transformed Blackheart Demon infiltrate Earth, even coming to me specifically to boast—just wait till I investigate, and I'll see your handiwork."

"Too bad a real human wouldn't have such a disgraceful demon father like you. Your relationship with him is the sole blemish on his human bloodline. As your old friend, I naturally want to help you perfect your plan and work. So I acted, removing this last discordant element. Look—now he is a truly perfect human infant."

"You..." Mephisto couldn't help but glare furiously at Greed, wanting to curse but at a loss for words, wanting to flee but too embarrassed.

"I think you've completely missed the point." Greed stepped before Mephisto, locked eyes with his blood-red ones, and said, "Such left-handed methods cannot let you gain descendants with human blood—why not try finding someone to beget a child with?"

"Oh, I forgot—beings like you, to ignite a human soul's flame, need love. Do you understand love?"

Mephisto fell into deep thought. And upstairs, Chris finally understood how humans could tempt devils.