Chương 40: Bonus Story : Stars Wars : Part 4 : Commercials

The last echoes of laughter gradually faded as the lights in the auditorium slowly dimmed. One by one, the conversations died away until silence filled the room. Aldric immediately straightened his back. His eyes fixed on the enormous screen dominating the theater. In his mind, the long-awaited moment had finally arrived. After all the formalities, the preparations, the inspections, and the distribution of provisions, the true historical chronicle was finally about to begin.

A Coca-Cola commercial appeared a few moments later instead. Once again, groups of friends were laughing, sharing bottles, and celebrating various occasions in an atmosphere of pure joy. There was no battle. No monsters. No treasure. Yet everyone seemed perfectly happy. Aldric made a note: Mission: Improve the population's morale through a local beverage.

"A happy population fights better." Another commercial immediately followed. A Renault Clio drove along a mountain road before passing through a forest and then a modern city. The car appeared capable of handling any terrain with effortless ease. The driver wore the same satisfied smile from beginning to end. Then he opened his notebook again.

"This is clearly a transport mission. Your kingdom is evidently seeking adventurers capable of escorting a Renault Clio."

"A Renault... Clio?"

"Yes." He pointed toward the car, which was still driving through the mountains.

"It appears to be transporting particularly valuable cargo."

"It's not carrying cargo."

"Then why devote an entire mission to it?" Meanwhile, Aldric was already writing another line in his notebook: Mission: Ensure the safe escort of a Renault Clio to the mountainous regions. The next commercial was for a perfume. An elegantly dressed man walked in slow motion down an empty street. Everyone he passed seemed instantly captivated by his presence. No one spoke. Only the music accompanied the scene until, at last, the bottle appeared on the screen. Aldric fell into thought.

Magical item that greatly increases Charisma. He studied the bottle for a few more seconds before turning to Emma.

"That reward would certainly be of interest to diplomats." Emma rested a hand against her forehead.

"It's just perfume."

"Its effectiveness appears quite remarkable." The next commercial showed a family dealing with a series of household accidents. A burst pipe, a car accident, a broken phone... Each time disaster struck, the insurance company stepped in immediately, and everything was miraculously restored. At the end, he made another note: Guild specializing in the permanent protection of families.

"Are you actually categorizing the commercials?" The hero briefly closed his notebook.

"Of course." Aldric had already reopened his notebook. Another commercial appeared on the screen. In his mind, the kingdom had undoubtedly just assigned another mission to its adventurers. Emma, meanwhile, was beginning to wonder whether Aldric was actually more fascinated by the commercials... than by the movie itself. A few moments later, another commercial appeared. This time, a family faced a series of accidents. A burst pipe flooded the kitchen. A car was involved in a crash. A phone fell into a swimming pool.

After each disaster, the same insurance company immediately stepped in. The problems vanished almost as if by magic. Aldric watched the entire commercial with great attention. Unlike the previous ones, he didn't write a single note. His eyes remained fixed on the screen. Even after the insurance company's logo appeared and the commercial ended, he continued thinking in silence for several long seconds. Emma almost began to believe he had finally abandoned his quest theory.

"I understand."

"Of course you do..."

"A guild specializing in protective priests."

"That's... almost right." The hero nodded, visibly pleased to have once again confirmed his theory. The commercials continued one after another, giving Aldric no opportunity to rest. Each new advertisement seemed to reveal another aspect of this strange civilization. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he opened his notebook again and methodically continued filling it with notes. Everything had to be categorized. A quest was judged not only by its reward, but also by its level of difficulty.

After a few moments of thought, he wrote that the Coca-Cola mission was a simple Rank D quest, its sole objective being to maintain the population's morale through a local beverage. The Renault Clio mission seemed considerably more demanding. Escorting a vehicle safely to the mountainous regions would surely require traveling along dangerous roads. He therefore assigned it Rank C.

As for the mysterious perfume, he remained thoughtful for several seconds before writing that it was most likely an artifact capable of greatly increasing Charisma. Its exact effect remained unknown, but such an item could profoundly influence the behavior of those around its bearer. To be safe, he classified that quest as Rank B. Finally, the insurance mission struck him as by far the most important. An organization capable of providing permanent protection to the kingdom's families surely deserved Rank A.

He reread his observations one last time before closing the notebook. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"You really think these are quests?"

"Of course. Why else would the kingdom present this information to hundreds of its citizens if it served no purpose?" As if taking advantage of the silence, another commercial immediately appeared. A smiling family toured a bright, sunlit house while a warm voice declared, "Become a homeowner!" Aldric immediately straightened in his seat. His eyes lit up, and he nearly pointed at the screen.

"This one concerns me!"

"What?" But Aldric was no longer listening. He had already reopened his notebook and was writing with great concentration.

"I must acquire a residence in this kingdom. At last, a quest suited to my current circumstances." Emma burst out laughing. This time, she had to cover her face with one hand to avoid disturbing the audience. Meanwhile, Aldric carefully copied down the last bits of information still visible on the screen, convinced that the authorities had just presented him with another side quest essential to settling into this kingdom. A few seconds later, the screen suddenly went black. Every commercial had disappeared.

An almost solemn silence filled the auditorium before a logo appeared at the center of the screen. Aldric closed his notebook and slipped it back into his bag.

"The announcements are over." He calmly folded his hands on his knees.

"The historical chronicle may now begin." Emma leaned back against her seat with a gentle shake of her head.

"He's genuinely incapable of watching an ordinary commercial like everyone else..." At that moment, the moviegoer sitting directly behind them leaned toward his friend. He thought he was speaking quietly enough not to be overheard.

"Honestly... his theory about commercials being quests is funnier than the commercials themselves." His friend stifled a laugh. Emma had heard every word. An amused smile crept across her lips despite herself. At least she was no longer the only one witnessing Aldric's wonderfully improbable reasoning. At last, the opening notes of the Star Wars theme echoed throughout the auditorium. This time, Aldric took no notes. His full attention was now fixed on the screen. The true records of this war could finally begin.

The final notes of the Lucasfilm fanfare faded through the auditorium. An almost reverent silence immediately settled over the audience. No one spoke. No one moved. Even the last latecomers had stopped searching for their seats. Aldric noticed the change in everyone's demeanor. The entire audience seemed to be holding its breath. He instinctively did the same. The screen faded completely to black. A few seconds passed. Then a sentence slowly appeared in blue letters: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

At that very moment, the first triumphant notes of the score burst through the auditorium. Around them, several audience members applauded spontaneously. A few even let out excited cheers before immediately falling silent again. Emma smiled. No matter how many times she had seen Star Wars, this moment always gave her chills. Beside her, Aldric didn't move. His eyes remained fixed on the words displayed on the screen. He read them over slowly, as though afraid of missing even the smallest detail.

"At last... the archives..." The moment she saw his expression, she understood everything. His eyes. His seriousness. The way he carefully read every single word. He wasn't watching a movie. He genuinely believed he was studying a historical record. Emma felt a chill run down her spine. She discreetly leaned toward him.

"No... no, Aldric..." The hero didn't seem to hear her at all. The text had already disappeared, replaced by the famous golden crawl rising into the stars. Aldric followed every line with absolute concentration. The presentation immediately reminded him of the ancient royal chronicles from his own world. Scribes often used this kind of solemn introduction when recording the great conflicts that had shaped the kingdom's history. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he reached into his bag.

Emma immediately realized what he was about to do.

"Oh no..." The small leather notebook quietly reappeared. Aldric opened it to a blank page. Then he began writing without missing a single line of the scrolling text: Name of the conflict. Political situation. Presence of an Empire. Organized rebellion against the central authority. His piece of charcoal glided across the paper as his gaze constantly shifted between the notebook and the screen.

"They preserved their archives with remarkable precision..." Emma closed her eyes. Since the beginning of the screening, she had tried to explain the commercials, the marathon, the movie theater, the tickets, the popcorn... Every single time, Aldric had found a perfectly logical interpretation based on the rules of his own world. This time, it was even worse. The opening crawl genuinely resembled the historical chronicles he was familiar with.

She realized it would now be impossible to convince him that he was watching a work of fiction. At that very moment, the famous crawl vanished completely into the vastness of space. The first starship appeared. Then a second. The battle could finally begin. And Aldric was now convinced he was witnessing the finest preserved historical archives of an entire civilization. The pace of the film slowed somewhat after the boarding of the Tantive IV.

The characters took time to explain the situation as the first pieces of the great conflict fell into place. Taking advantage of the quieter moment, Emma leaned toward Aldric.

"Aldric..."

"Yes?"

"This isn't real."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a movie."

"Yes."

"So... it's fiction."

"I understand."

"At last..."

"The original historical records were most likely adapted to make them easier for the general public to understand."

"Aldric. There was never an actual galactic war. George Lucas made all of this up."

"Impossible."

"Why is it impossible?"

"A war on this scale requires decades of preparation. The uniforms are perfectly consistent from one military unit to the next. The military doctrines are entirely believable. The starships follow a highly sophisticated strategic logic. Even the different cultures have their own traditions, hierarchies, and symbols. No storyteller would devote that much work to inventing an imaginary war." Emma opened her mouth, ready to answer.

Arguments were already racing through her mind: the thousands of artists who had worked on the film, the screenwriters, the sets, the costumes, the special effects, the years of production... All of it was proof that creating such a rich universe was entirely possible. Yet the more she tried to build her explanation, the more she reluctantly realized that Star Wars really had required a monumental amount of work. She slowly closed her mouth without saying a single word.

At that very moment, Obi-Wan Kenobi began telling the story of the Jedi. Aldric turned his head toward the screen, and his full attention returned to the old master. His eyes shone with interest.

"At last... a firsthand witness to the events." Emma let out a long sigh. She finally gave up trying to convince the hero. Only one thought remained in her mind: I'm about to spend the entire night with a man who's convinced that Star Wars is a historical documentary...