Chapter 4857: Wondrous Shadows, Marvelous Drama (I)

The film's opening ceremony was still held in Massachusetts. It lies farther north than New York, so it's a bit colder. Two heavy snowfalls had come after Christmas. But the day of the opening ceremony was exceptionally clear, the sky a thorough blue without a wisp of cloud. The magic academy castle blanketed in snow looked like it had walked straight out of an animation.

The cold weather didn't dampen the young wizards' enthusiasm in the slightest. Everyone was running around the castle's great hall. Many of them hadn't seen each other in a long while. For children this age, the time apart was long enough to be called a long-awaited reunion. Everyone sought out their little friends to chatter away. Parents also sat together in twos and threes, chatting.

One could see that there were more parents this time around. The first film's promotional effect had been excellent, and it led many parents, upon discovering their children's magical talent, to think of Ilvermorny immediately. So this year's enrollment was more than double the previous intake, and the great hall was nearly filled to capacity.

The academy's regulations had finally been perfected. There were strict requirements for the age of entry and the age of graduation. Newly admitted freshmen were all the same age. If a child was too young, they would be asked to go home and wait. If they were older, skipping a grade would be considered.

This effectively alleviated the problem of uneven ages within the same grade. If a grade consists entirely of same-age peers, they get along better, which is better for the children's mental health.

Furthermore, Ilvermorny's adult academy had been separated out. Like when they recruited Batman before — he studied alongside the younger children. But that wasn't ideal. After all, mixing elementary school and university together is unsafe on one hand, and on the other it easily leads to bullying.

Fortunately, the castle's interior space was large enough. A dedicated, separate courtyard was designated as the adult academy. Those studying here were generally adults who had awakened magical talent after reaching adulthood, or simply independent mages. It was called an academy, but it functioned more like a research society — especially with quite a few Batmen coming here for advanced study.

The first batch of Batmen had already graduated, but there were certainly some who hadn't made it in time. And they saw those Batmen who had mastered magic punching the Lantern Corps and kicking Olympus Mountain, so naturally they wanted to understand the mysteries of magic and applied to study at the academy.

There were even some Robins in the school. Most were there because Batman was too busy to come, and they had learned about magic from their counterparts, so they wanted to check it out. Most Robins didn't have much magical talent, but a few special ones did, so they stayed to learn.

Currently, Strange himself was mainly in charge of the adult academy. Because so many adult mages were too prone to causing trouble. They could contract demons right off the bat. If that dense, surging magical energy wasn't kept under tight control, it could blow up the whole school.

However, Strange had too many things to manage. Especially now that he had to write electronic medical records himself — though he could use templates, it still took a lot of time. Fortunately, Hanyix's arrival solved his problem.

This powerful witch became the dean of the adult academy, freeing Strange up and allowing him to devote more energy to the film shoot. He had quite a lot of screen time in the second movie as well.

The parts Strange had to perform were actually quite difficult. On one hand, he had to play the dean in the real world — but this dean was fake, and he had to portray the fake dean's disdain and impatience toward the protagonists. On the other hand, he had to play the real Sorcerer Supreme, especially in his scenes opposite Shiler in the Saffir portion, where he had to convey the genuine Sorcerer Supreme's sense of righteousness and power.

You have to understand, Strange had almost never put on the Sorcerer Supreme airs in front of Shiler, so the opening scenes went very poorly.

"Christ Crown..." The Sorcerer Supreme's voice echoed within the meditation chamber. He stood before the table, his features showing a kind of mysterious sharpness in the dim light. He gently rolled up his cuffs, placing his hands behind his back. "Why would you be interested in that place?"

"The New World always has many interesting places." Saffir stood opposite him. Compared to the Sorcerer Supreme's somewhat weathered face, he appeared much younger. "Kamar-Taj is always stuck in its ways. We know very little about that continent. Going to take a look isn't a big deal, is it?"

"What you call enterprising spirit is excessively greedy acquisition of power that shouldn't belong to you. Saffir, that sinful barren land will only let you sink deep into the mire."

Both were in the dim interior; the cinematography obscured their true visages. Saffir's features were much softer than the Sorcerer Supreme's; he didn't look gloomy at all. On the contrary, he exuded a scholar's refined elegance.

You see, the audience already learned from the first film that this guy called Saffir is a vicious dark wizard. Even though he hasn't shown his face or acted yet, he's already notorious.

And when the Sorcerer Supreme speaks Saffir's name, everyone is surprised. Because this young man called Saffir doesn't look evil at all, nor vicious in the slightest — completely unlike the utterly depraved villain they imagined.

Many viewers would guess that maybe he was a good person at first, then experienced some major upheaval that turned him into the demon lord who later struck terror into the magical world.

And the so-called expedition to the Christ Crown might be the crucial turning point. It's meant to let the audience understand how the possibly biggest villain of this whole film series became what he is today.

However, some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that the Sorcerer Supreme seems wary of Saffir. During their dialogue, he appears extremely tense. Many feel it might be because Saffir's magical talent is too good, and the Sorcerer Supreme feels his position threatened, hence the nervousness.

By this point, the Sorcerer Supreme's reputation takes a hit. Because many viewers feel the Sorcerer Supreme is jealous of talent, suspecting Saffir without basis — and this might be one of the reasons for the other's fall.

Little do they know, this tension has absolutely no acting component. Strange gets nervous the moment he acts opposite Shiler.

When he played the principal and school doctor before, he already didn't dare get too close. Now playing the Sorcerer Supreme and the arch-fiend, he's still nervous.

During the school scenes, it's because Strange recognized that it wasn't greed. During the outside-school scenes, it's because Strange rarely puts on the Sorcerer Supreme airs in front of Greed — he even feels a bit ashamed.

It's like: you usually joke around with a friend, then one day you attend your friend's interview site, watching him seriously spouting nonsense there — it's really hard not to burst out laughing.

Just filming this segment, Greed broke character laughing several times. Because Strange playing the Sorcerer Supreme with a straight face is genuinely hilarious — it's really not his fault for having a low laughter threshold.

First, Strange adds special effects to himself. Clearly they're indoors, but there's wind around him. According to Strange's own explanation, this is "the natural manifestation when magic and mental energy are abundant," but Greed knows full well it's just him using magical energy to create effects so his hem, cloak, and hair tips move without wind, looking cooler.

Also, Strange's eyes flicker with magical light. He used to do this when using magic, but doing it randomly while speaking too — it really makes Greed lose it, like he's wearing giant spotlight cosmetic contacts. Every time he looks over, Greed can't help but break character.

Moreover, Strange is acting seriously, but the Cloak isn't necessarily cooperating. The Sorcerer Supreme's Cloak has a mind of its own. The Cloak and Grey Mist are good friends, and it's not the least bit afraid of Shiler. So you get the Sorcerer Supreme there solemnly reciting lines rebuking Saffir, while his cloak secretly makes heart signs at Shiler behind his back. Anyone who can keep a straight face through that is a god.

The director had a headache too — never expected the opening scene, which seemed to have no difficulty, would turn out like this. Wouldn't the final battle later be a disaster?

Fortunately, after they go to the Christ Crown, the Sorcerer Supreme exits, and the remaining scenes are between Shiler and Mephisto. These two act together with great chemistry — one might even say life is like a play, and the play is like life. No acting needed at all; they just interact as they normally do.

The segment where Saffir tempts Mephisto is the climax of the whole drama. Greed brought out his signature skills. The moment his true face is revealed, it sent the entire audience into an uproar.

What most people could predict was a tragic story. For instance, a powerful and talented young mage, tempted by a devil into falling, committing irredeemable acts, straying further under inner demons' influence, ultimately becoming the most powerful dark wizard.

What the audience anticipated was Saffir's psychological transformation through this series of painful ordeals. This would make the villain less flat, give reason and justification to many of his actions.

But contrary to everyone's expectations, there was no disaster, no painful transformation. Saffir is simply a thoroughgoing bad seed.

Is that gentleness his disguise? Actually, no. Even when speaking with Mephisto, he remains unhurried, showing no evil or vicious traits whatsoever. He speaks words that would make even a devil tremble with fear in the most peaceful tone imaginable.

Is everything he did in the Christ Crown region evil? Actually, no. Through the background buildup of the Christ Crown region, all viewers would know the evil here runs extremely deep. And the ones who caused all this evil are precisely the people living here. One blood case after another, each murder more cruel than the last. Few in the world are more evil than them.

Saffir chose to purge this place. His methods may be somewhat brutal, but many viewers feel it was a forced necessity. This place has thoroughly rotted; without extreme measures, it simply cannot be saved.

Through his performance and actions, Saffir draws many viewers into his logic, making them deeply realize a truth — villains never believe they are villains.