Night had already deepened.
Li Daoxuan opened QQ and began sending files one after another to Qianyan Queen M.
"Here, brother," he typed. "Old Nanfeng just finished filming the raw footage for the new short series. The rest depends on your special effects magic."
Qianyan Queen M opened the videos and burst into laughter.
"You even prepared the green screen for me? That makes things ridiculously easy."
One click.
The background vanished.
Another click.
Ocean scenery replaced it.
Done.
The process was so effortless that he almost felt embarrassed calling it special effects. Without much thought, he sent the finished clip back to Li Daoxuan.
"Take a look."
Li Daoxuan glanced at it and chuckled.
"Make it look more real. Yours looks too fake. If the box office flops, your commission disappears along with it."
Qianyan Queen M laughed again.
"Relax. That was just the comedy version. I will produce a proper realistic one for you. The high quality version will take a little longer though."
"Fine. Take your time. Quality comes first."
Li Daoxuan closed QQ. He then uploaded the quickly produced one click background removal version into his tablet before lowering it into the diorama world.
The embroidered Dao Xuan Tianzun spoke.
"Old Nanfeng, I will show you the effect after green screen processing. Once you see it, you will better understand how to shoot future scenes."
The tablet began playing the freshly edited footage.
To modern viewers, the effects looked crude and unfinished. To Old Nanfeng and the others, it was nothing short of miraculous.
"Our green cloth is gone," someone shouted. "It really turned into the ocean!"
Putmans clutched his head dramatically.
"My God. If I saw this without knowing, I would swear we were truly sailing the open sea."
Others quickly joined in.
"These celestial techniques are unbelievable."
"If scenes can be changed like this, could you not turn any place into anywhere you desire?"
"Incredible."
Several days later.
A sixty meter river sea vessel slowly entered Anqing Port.
The cargo ship carried almost nothing. Only a single Divine Mirror rested within its hold.
After docking, the sailors aimed the tablet toward an empty clearing near the pier before lowering anchor. One sailor leaned out of the ship and shouted toward a patrolling dock guard.
"Go inform everyone immediately. By decree of Dao Xuan Tianzun, all of our people must come study this film."
Orders from Dao Xuan Tianzun were never taken lightly.
The dock guard sprinted off without hesitation. Before long, both naval and ground troops stationed in Anqing gathered at the harbor. Shi Kefa arrived as well, bringing newly recruited militia forces with him.
The order specified the phrase "our people." The interpretation quickly grew broad.
Xue'er and the ten women managing the sericulture cooperative were summoned.
Even the prisoners undergoing labor reform were included. After all, they were still considered "our own labor reform prisoners." The forty three captured pirates were dragged along as well.
A wide open space was cleared on the dock. Hundreds of people sat in a large fan shaped formation facing the massive ship.
Xue'er whispered with a puzzled expression, "What exactly are we supposed to learn?"
Shi Lang stared at the ship with equal confusion.
"I do not understand either. What is that large black square? Why place such a thing on the vessel?"
Shi Kefa glanced at them and answered calmly.
"That object is called a Divine Mirror. It can replay events that have already happened. It can also show events that have yet to occur."
Both Xue'er and Shi Lang jumped in shock.
"Truly?"
Shi Kefa snorted lightly.
"Why would this official deceive you? Stay quiet and watch carefully. If Dao Xuan Tianzun commands us to learn, then there must be knowledge worth learning."
At that moment, the screen suddenly lit up.
The villagers from Gao Family Village were already accustomed to such scenes. Xue'er and Shi Lang, however, nearly leapt to their feet in fright.
The film began without text or narration.
The visuals came first.
A small fishing village appeared along the coastline. Waves rolled gently onto the shore. A young boy crouched near the water, gathering shells and crabs.
Then a three masted Western sailing ship appeared on the horizon.
Shi Lang gasped loudly.
"A Western pirate ship."
The vessel surged toward shore. Western pirates swarmed off the decks, muskets in one hand, sabers in the other, charging straight into the helpless village.
The boy fled in panic.
Behind him, flames erupted. Screams filled the air. Pirates butchered villagers without mercy. Men, women, elderly, children, none were spared.
A Western officer stood proudly at the bow of the ship and spoke in awkward Chinese.
"This is a good place to build a city. We will construct a fortress here and claim this island."
The scene shifted.
Months passed in moments. Workers constructed stone walls and defensive towers.
The scene shifted again.
The fortress stood completed in rough form.
Another shift.
Western soldiers slaughtered the surrounding inhabitants of Treasure Island.
The film changed once more.
Inside the residence of Zheng Zhilong, Ming naval guerrilla general, a soldier reported grimly.
"General, the red haired barbarians have built a fortress on Yizhou Island. They are preparing to strike the mainland."
Zheng Zhilong slammed his palm onto the table, the crack echoing through the hall.
"Do they believe the Great Ming lacks men? Issue orders. The entire fleet prepares for war."
Only then did a massive title slowly emerge across the screen.
The Bloody Battle of Liaoluo Bay
Many soldiers present had never heard of the battle.
Shi Lang suddenly shot to his feet, pointing wildly at the screen.
"The Battle of Liaoluo Bay. This Divine Mirror is showing that battle. I have only heard of it in stories. I never imagined I would witness it with my own eyes."
A cluster of sailors turned and shouted at him.
"Stop yelling during the film. You are blocking the dialogue."
Shi Lang froze, embarrassed.
"Ah. Forgive me."
He quickly sat down.
The main feature continued.
The Dutch warships appeared massive and towering. Compared to them, Ming vessels seemed fragile and poorly armed. In the opening engagements, the Ming navy suffered repeated losses, retreating step by painful step.
When the final decisive battle began, the Dutch deployed eleven massive three masted warships.
Zheng Zhilong assembled over one hundred fifty warships in response. Among them were fifty specialized gunboats, supported by tens of thousands of sailors and soldiers.
Despite overwhelming numbers, the Ming fleet struggled fiercely.
Zheng Zhilong could only gather his strongest ships into a concentrated strike formation. He ordered the fifty gunboats to unleash relentless Western style cannon bombardments against the Dutch fleet.
The battle dragged on with brutal intensity.
Only after heavy casualties and desperate maneuvering did victory finally come.
Even then, the film refused to end triumphantly.
The protagonist failed to kill the Western officer who had slaughtered his village. He could only stand on his ship as enemy vessels escaped across the sea.
Clenching both fists, he screamed toward the distant horizon.
"Western bandits, remember this day. One day I will sail westward and avenge my parents' blood."
The film ended.
Silence spread across the dock.
No one spoke for a long time.