Lord of Entertainment

Chapter 138: Hellfire OS 1 and expansion

(Arthur POV)

After dealing with the thugs, I made my way to our secret warehouse. The team's eyes widened as I presented the stack of papers containing the operating system code I'd acquired from the Dragon Ball world.

Drake's excitement was palpable. "This is incredible! We can start test-running this program immediately - identify any issues in the code!"

I smiled, confident in my computer knowledge yet aware of the complexities involved. "Go ahead and check for any bugs," I advised. "This isn't just a simple calculation or movie editing program based on binary like our first computer. It's far more intricate."

"Got it, boss," the computer team chorused, their enthusiasm evident.

Josh grinned, "It's fortunate that the computer can read these papers without much trouble. We should see results in a few days."

Our young wizard on the team quickly duplicated the papers I'd brought. The duplicates dissolved, their contents instantly readable by our computer systems.

Within minutes, the team had input the necessary commands, and "Hellfire OS 1" flickered to life on the screen.

As the interface appeared, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. It was clearly superior to the Windows 1 I remembered from my previous life.

"This is amazing, boss! Did you really manage to do this all by yourself?" Drake's voice was filled with awe.

I simply nodded, keeping to myself the thought that with more advanced hardware, I could have copied an even more sophisticated OS from the Dragon Ball world.

"There are still a few issues," Josh observed, "but nothing we can't fix. We should have most of them sorted out in a few days."

"Excellent work," I commended them. "Once we've ironed out these kinks, we'll focus on developing better CPUs, RAM, and other components for our next computer project."

The team nodded, their smiles a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. Their earlier work on the OS hadn't been in vain - it had provided them invaluable programming experience that would serve us well moving forward.

Smiling, I left the warehouse, my mind racing with possibilities. If only I could have brought advanced computer components from the Dragon Ball world for my team to research, our progress would have been exponential. Unfortunately, the {Creator's Realms} had its limitations. I could only bring certain items or materials.

Even so, the colored TV and other advanced gadgets like the capsule were pushing the boundaries of what the {Creator's Realms} could handle. It was a start, and a promising one at that.

***

(3rd Person POV)

In the Morningstar Kingdom, while "The Demonfather Part 2" continued to dominate many conversations, a new and alarming development had captured the public's attention.

Newspapers across the kingdom bore startling headlines:

"We are in a grave magical mana crisis!"

"Gloomstone Forest and nearby settlements drained of magical mana!"

"Unexpected mass slumber reported in Gloomstone Town!"

The news sent ripples of anxiety through the citizenry, quickly spreading to neighboring nations.

In a local tavern, patrons huddled around tables, their voices hushed with concern as they discussed the latest developments.

An old scale demon spoke, his voice quavering, "Didn't a mana drought just occur in that district in Horn Kingdom? Now it's happening in our kingdom too?"

"Yeah, and from what I've heard, the situation in Gloomstone is even worse," another demon nodded, worry etched on his face.

A fiend demon sighed, shaking his head. "What's happening to our world?"

"This is why we need to safeguard the magical mana in our surroundings," another fiend demon chimed in. "The news says scientists are recommending we plant trees that produce magical mana."

"True," someone exclaimed. "If the mana suddenly vanishes, our very existence could be at risk!"

An elderly demon leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I've heard that if mana disappears completely, we'll fall into an eternal slumber, never to wake again."

His words sent a chill through the tavern, the patrons exchanging uneasy glances. The mana crisis was no longer a distant concern but a palpable threat to their way of life.

***

Meanwhile, certain cults propagated the belief that the "Mana Crisis" heralded the return of the Old Gods, who would soon overthrow New Gods like Solarus from their celestial thrones.

These cultish rumors put other faiths on high alert. However, a few discerning figures speculated that the true cause of the "Mana Crisis" was not divine intervention, but something far more tangible: "The Ring of Greed," one of the legendary rings of power.

One individual particularly convinced of this theory was the mysterious leader of a secret organization. He had convened a meeting with his highest-ranking members to discuss the crisis.

"Boss, are you certain it's the Ring of Greed?" A man leaned forward, addressing the figure seated at the head of the table.

The leader, his face obscured by an eagle mask, nodded solemnly. "There's a high probability," he said, his voice resonating with authority. "Ancient records speak of the Ring of Greed's ability to absorb magical mana from vast distances. Recent reports align perfectly with these accounts. I'm convinced this 'Mana Crisis' is the work of the Ring of Greed."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the assembly. A woman in a fox mask, her voice melodious yet sharp, spoke up. "If that's the case, the Ring first manifested in Horn Kingdom, and then in Gloomstone Forest?"

"Precisely," the leader confirmed. He paused, his next words heavy with implication. "And it's crucial to note that the ring cannot consume mana autonomously. Someone must be wearing it."

This revelation sent a wave of alarm through the members. The individual in the devil mask, his voice a deep rumble, voiced their collective concern. "If so, locating the ring will prove exceptionally challenging."

The leader's response was swift and decisive. "Deploy our operatives to investigate Gloomstone Forest. That's where the ring's presence was last detected."

"What about that district in Horn Kingdom?" a masked member inquired.

The leader's response was measured. "We'll focus our primary investigation on Gloomstone, but dispatch our most capable and competent operatives to Horn Kingdom as well. We can't afford to overlook any potential leads."

"Understood," the members chorused in unison, their voices blending into a solemn affirmation.

***

Meanwhile, Arthur remained blissfully unaware of the consequences his actions had set in motion. Even if he had known, he likely wouldn't have cared much. Experience had taught him that the more he concerned himself with such matters, the more trouble seemed to find him.

Currently, Arthur was preoccupied with expanding Hellfire Studio. He was in the process of hiring directors to work on martial arts movies, with Lee Jun-fan at the forefront. Arthur had even convinced Lee to adopt the screen name "Bruce Lee," a nod to his previous life's knowledge.

But hiring directors was just the tip of the iceberg. Arthur's true focus lay in reverse-engineering the color television and preparing an "Anime Studio." He had grand plans to produce anime series like "Dragon Ball," "Naruto," "Cowboy Bebop," and many others.

Arthur's strategy was intrinsically linked to the {Creator's Realms} ability.

The more successful a fiction became in his reality, the greater his influence within that fictional world. This extended to bringing back more objects and materials, and even retaining a greater portion of the powers he gained in those realms.

Due to the differing logic between fictional worlds and his reality, Arthur couldn't fully transplant the immense power he gained in fiction to his real life. From the Dragon Ball world, for instance, he only retained about 10% of the power he'd acquired there.

This percentage could increase with the fiction's success in reality, potentially reaching 20% or higher.

Despite this limitation, the 10% he did retain was far from insignificant. He could use techniques like the Kamehameha by substituting "Ki" with "Magic." However, Arthur had made an even more crucial discovery: his reality was brimming with untapped "Ki" energy.

This revelation made mastering "Ki" manipulation in Dragon Ball even more vital. In his own reality, Arthur could potentially harness all this ambient "Ki" for himself. The challenge now lay in training within Dragon Ball to increase his capacity to contain and control larger amounts of "Ki."

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