Chapter 236: The Protection Artifact

[Chapter 236: The Protection Artifact]

After Will Smith received the audition invitation from the production team, he felt like it was a dream come true, as if fate itself had smiled upon him.

This was a Linton film, and the role of the second male lead was incredibly significant. If he managed to land this part, it would be a career-defining leap into stardom.

He had to get this role, no matter what. Both he and his agent encouraged each other and arrived early at the studio for the audition.

Once Linton finalized the assistant directors, he called in Blake and Yuen Woo-ping to assess Will's audition for the killer role.

Will's look and acting skills were just barely suitable, but his fighting abilities were far below Yuen Woo-ping's expectations -- even his basic movements lacked precision.

At least a month of intensive training was needed; otherwise, the performance wouldn't meet Linton's standards.

...

"Will, your look and acting meet the crew's standards, but there's an issue. Your physical conditioning and fighting skills fall short. If you want the role, you must commit to a month of rigorous closed training. Can you handle that?"

"I can, no problem," Will responded. This wasn't the Will Smith, the superstar -- he didn't have the leverage to negotiate. This opportunity was gold, and he clung to it desperately.

"Alright, the role is yours. Have your agent come over ASAP to finalize the contract," said Blake.

Blake and Goodman quickly negotiated, finalizing Will's salary at $150,000.

This was a considerable raise. The year before, Will starred in his first movie, Where the Day Takes You, earning only $50,000. Unfortunately, that film was a box office flop, making less than $400,000 total.

Will became the first cast member of the film crew. That day, he checked into the Universal Studios production hotel and began a month of tough, grueling training.

...

The movie had two key female roles: the mother figure, a sultry dancer, intended to be played by Monica; and the wife character, who had minimal screen time and existed mostly in the male lead's memories, planned as a cameo by Naomi.

They were given their scripts early to prepare.

Another crucial part was the little girl, So-mi. She was essential to the emotional core of the film. The audience's feelings would largely be driven by her performance, so they needed a young actress with talent and presence.

Though no suitable candidate was in mind, Linton believed auditions would yield the right choice.

Following standard procedure, the production team announced casting calls. Blake, Yuen Woo-ping, two assistant directors, and the director of photography would conduct initial auditions. The director would decide in the final round.

...

Regarding product placement, The Man from Nowhere had very few opportunities to insert advertisements. After much deliberation, Linton decided to feature only one product: the protagonist's suit.

It would appear in many shots and look incredibly stylish. Naturally, they hoped to partner with Armani, since Linton endorsed the brand, but that depended on Armani's interest.

...

For the soundtrack, Linton liked the original ending theme. It matched the film's emotional tone perfectly.

The song's melody was sweet and its lyrics heartfelt, closely tied to the plot and themes, serving as a great emotional catalyst illuminating the protagonist's inner world.

He also saw the song's potential as a hit, ideally performed by Shania Twain, so naturally, he borrowed the song's essence.

For the rest of the score, he continued to work with Hans Zimmer's team.

The soundtrack package cost two million dollars, although the team retained full rights to the music and lyrics and did not participate in future soundtrack distribution.

Universal Music handled production and distribution, with a 68:32 sales split; the production crew would receive 32% of soundtrack sales.

---

By the time all was settled, it was October 16th. The day when the farm's Thunderstorm Protection Array would activate was drawing near.

This formation affected his life and property, so he had to visit and inspect it personally.

Luckily, production was running smoothly, and with two assistant directors, he could step away for a while without issue.

However, before visiting the farm, there was one more task.

He needed a weapon to survive the trial.

Based on his current progress in his Starlight Spark ability, he expected to overcome the Thunder Trial by late January or early February next year.

He had no magic weapon or any tools at all; there was no way he could use just his body to withstand the Thunder Trial.

Even with the Thunderstorm Protection Array absorbing over 90% of the lightning's force, the remainder would strike him directly. Two hits, and he'd be burnt to a crisp.

He needed a weapon to endure the trial. After much thought, he realized the survival weapon had to satisfy two conditions.

First, it had to be non-conductive and not attract lightning.

Second, it had to be extremely hard -- it must not break or shatter under lightning strikes.

No additional lethality mattered; shape was less important.

Perhaps because he read too many sword and sorcery novels in his previous life, he favored swords.

With this in mind, he outlined his conditions clearly, and suddenly the solution dawned on him.

He didn't need traditional weapons at all. A wooden sword made from the hardest possible wood would suffice.

Many woods are harder than steel. Among them, iron birch was widely recognized by authoritative studies as the hardest. It's twice as hard as ordinary steel and can even resist bullet impacts -- a highly prized material for premium furniture.

It was that simple: find a furniture factory that works with iron birch and commission a wooden sword made to his design.

A month earlier, he tasked Mira with locating such a factory.

In a world without the internet and with limited information transparency, Mira, Ellie, and Carnes scoured all the wood furniture factories around Los Angeles.

They eventually found a small factory in San Bernardino County that specialized in iron birch furniture and had the raw material in stock.

Linton, with Mira, visited the sawmill, bringing his sword blueprint.

The factory wasn't large but boasted a sophisticated atmosphere with advanced equipment. It catered to custom, high-end furniture for wealthy clients.

Linton saw the iron birch wood, and it was impressively hard. The factory reps tried stabbing, chopping, and splitting it with daggers, but no marks appeared.

The factory confirmed Linton's custom order was feasible, but the price was steep.

After paying $20,000, Linton signed the contract, agreeing to a two-month delivery.

*****

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