Chapter 294 - 264: A Rather Cultured Fox
Chapter 294: Chapter 264: A Rather Cultured Fox
"From Zone 19?"
Deviant scrubbed through the video’s progress bar to compare. "I knew it. The sets in his earlier videos didn’t hold up to close scrutiny, but the set for the Fox Clan’s Yuanbao suddenly became much more refined. Looks like he got some pointers from that Gu Li fellow back then."
The difference between the sets before and after was massive.
No matter how much post-production Gu Demiao Ning did to cover it up, for beastmen like them—who had worked in the entertainment industry for years and lived in the Upper District—the difference was obvious at a glance.
Just as Idelos was about to say something to him, a message from Gu Demiao Ning popped up on his terminal:
[You can just contact me through PawPress if there are any issues.]
Gu Ning typed the message into the chat box and sent it to Idelos.
She had never given her communication code to him or Deviant.
From the time they signed the contract until now, Barto had been the one communicating with them via terminal. She only ever interacted with them through the PawPress backend.
’Of course I can’t communicate with them directly,’ she thought. ’I’d be exposed.’
[If we can’t even handle basic communication, it will be difficult to proceed with our work.]
Idelos replied to her quickly.
Gu Ning hesitated for a moment before typing into the chat box: [My agent, Gu Li, will be responsible for all my work. I’ll review any scripts and proposals you send, and he will relay any questions I have.]
Deviant was usually in charge of their work, and Idelos rarely got involved. The few times he had chatted with her, he was all business, never wasting a word. Why was he suddenly asking for her communication code now?
Gu Ning felt a pang of nervousness, but also a flicker of suspicion.
’But then again, the Beastman on the other end is a huge star from the Fox Clan. He’s probably busy filming or running between gigs. He shouldn’t have the spare time to worry about the "Beastman dude" behind a virtual female’s avatar.’
’Could the public outcry over our video have affected him? Is that why he wants to talk?’
Gu Ning decided this explanation was the most plausible.
After she sent the message, she waited about two minutes before Idelos replied:
[I want to hear your personal opinion.]
Gu Ning sighed. ’He wants to, but it’s not possible. At least, not right now.’
Idelos sent another message:
[If you’re worried about your privacy being leaked, you can just give me a temporary communication code.]
A temporary communication code would be void after a single use, which would indeed protect her privacy to a great extent.
But Gu Ning still couldn’t give it to him.
[Sorry, let’s just discuss work-related matters on here.]
Seeing her firm stance, Idelos didn’t ask for her communication code again and changed the subject:
[Your camera angles and composition are very professional. However, I think you could try using more outdoor locations for your scenes. Your new video, for example, was shot very well.]
Gu Ning’s heart skipped a beat at his frank praise and suggestions. Her attention was fixed on the words "photography" and "scenes"—not terms one would typically use for a virtual character’s video.
[Deviant told me you’re a solo creator?] Idelos asked.
[I was before, but now I have an assistant,] Gu Ning answered cautiously.
Idelos: [I can tell.]
[Regarding the virtual character’s modeling and scene setup, I can provide you with some handy tools. It’s a piece of software our team developed. It’s not public, only for internal staff. It can help you better integrate virtual and real-world scenes, which will reduce your workload—and ours.]
[You’ve signed a contract with us. During the contract period, your creative work is no longer just a personal matter. I hope our collaboration can proceed more smoothly.]
Gu Ning clicked on the attachment Idelos had sent. It was indeed a piece of post-production software.
She let out a sigh of relief.
’Looks like I was overthinking things.’ Idelos just wanted to discuss work and help out a new colleague.
Even though she was only providing her "virtual image," in a way, she and the famous star could be considered colleagues.
Gu Ning thought to herself.
’We’re even getting criticized for the same things now.’
At this thought, a sense of camaraderie, of mutual sympathy between comrades-in-arms, washed over Gu Ning.
Based on her limited knowledge of Idelos, he hadn’t liked virtual females before and had even been strongly against them.
But whether it was speaking up for her last time or proactively offering help for the sake of their work this time, it showed he was a rather well-mannered fox. He wouldn’t slack off on his work or take out his anger on her just because of his personal dislike.
Idelos wasn’t the most popular star on PawPress, but he was definitely the most even-tempered. Aside from him, she had never seen a Beastman star who didn’t curse people out.
To make it in this industry, especially to his level, you either had to be exceptionally talented or incredibly patient.
After all, most Beastmen had straightforward, fiery tempers. Few could hold their anger in check, especially in a dangerous profession where they were constantly berated and sometimes even physically attacked offline.
Beastmen were basically all online under their real names, and for celebrities, it was no different from having their location broadcasted. It was common for people to show up at their door looking for a fight.
[Thanks, this is just what I need.]
Gu Ning replied to Idelos in a detached tone.
She said thanks, but in all likelihood, she wouldn’t be able to use this modeling software.
She had tried the virtual modeling the Beastmen talked about, but she had been completely clueless. After getting some money in her virtual account, she had even bought several auxiliary tools, but after fiddling with them for half a day, the best she could manage was a humanoid creature with four limbs.
The stuff truly required technical skill. Her current mastery of the terminal was limited to surfing the web, looking up information, and communicating. She couldn’t even figure out the games on it. Every time she saw comments under her videos praising her skills, she felt a little guilty and tried her best to use post-production to create an intentionally artificial feel.
’Given the Beastmen’s way of thinking and general knowledge, they wouldn’t believe I’m a real female at this point anyway.’
The chat interface was idle for about half a minute. Just as Gu Ning thought her conversation with Idelos was over, he sent another message:
[Your new video fits the theme of our next script perfectly. Could you send me a sample of the raw footage? Judging by your agent’s tone, it sounds like you can’t start on related work for now, so we could at least edit some clips for a promotional teaser and get part of the work done.]
[Don’t worry, we won’t release anything without your consent. We signed a formal contract with you. I’m sure you’ve read the various privacy clauses in it; they are legally binding.]
Idelos’s words were all about work, leaving Gu Ning with no reasonable grounds to refuse. Deviant had already transferred a huge sum for the collaboration to her; she had to do her part.
Gu Ning: [Okay, I’ll send it to you in the next couple of days.]
He asked for raw footage, but she couldn’t actually send him the unprocessed material. The shoot not only had shots of her own face but also frames that included Barto and the rest of the convoy. All of that had to be edited out, and it wasn’t a task she could finish in a short time.
Idelos replied:
[Okay, no rush.]
Then, he suggested:
[If you’re too busy, you can try combining more real-life scenery with your virtual character. With your aesthetic sense and skill level, your live-action scenes won’t be any worse than virtual sets, and you’ll get twice the result with half the effort.]
This sentence almost completely dispelled the last of Gu Ning’s doubts. Her new video was indeed intended to signal to the Beastmen that she was using real scenery, laying the groundwork before gradually revealing her face.
Before they ended the chat, Idelos sent one last message:
[Don’t bother reading any of the scripts Deviant sent you. They’re all scrapped.]