Chapter 11: My Days Doing Manual Labor in Another World
Re-written date: 5 / 15 / 2025
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Once Zat and Aya completed their adventurer registration, the group quickly left the rather quiet Adventurer's Guild.
That afternoon, in an open field on the outskirts of Nosrick City...
"Sir— I mean, Director, are you really planning to build a watch post out here? There aren't many monsters in the area. Even if we build it…"
The man beside him, looking like a rough and weathered foreman, voiced his doubts.
But Edward just smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, you'll all be paid well. You just need to follow my plans and get the outpost built."
The foreman gave Edward a strange look, as if regarding some kind of eccentric, but ultimately didn't protest further. After all, it was early spring and work was scarce. If someone was willing to pay to build a watch post—even for unclear reasons—he wasn't about to refuse the job.
What puzzled him the most, though, was Edward's insistence on being addressed as "Director," a word he had never heard before. While it wasn't unacceptable, it still felt odd.
"Anyway, to build the outpost we'll only need four or five people. With the two helpers you already have, I just need to find two more..."
"No, get me ten people. Don't worry—I can afford it. Two silver coins per person for the afternoon, just as background extras."
The foreman was caught off guard by that, now more convinced that this "Director" was an oddball. Still, with pay that good, he sighed and went back into town to gather more people. According to Edward, they weren't even workers—they were extras. Another strange word. But hey, if the pay was right, he wasn't going to argue.
And so, under Edward's careful planning, the filming location was gradually transformed into a set that closely resembled the one from the anime.
Only now did Edward suddenly realize—he was doing way more than what a normal director would do to film this scene.
Because Edward's role wasn't limited to just directing performances or setting up camera angles. In reality, he had taken on all the responsibilities involved in producing a live-action adaptation of an anime:
Casting actors
Writing and adapting the script
Planning shots
Operating the Magic Video Recorder
Crafting props
Designing special effects
If an ordinary director had to do all that, they'd probably go bald from the stress.
Fortunately, this was a world where magic existed—and Edward himself was a powerful Grand Mage. If it were anyone else, there would be no way to produce a halfway-decent live-action anime series in this era. But Edward was fueled by a personal sense of determination.
That determination came from two sources:
The 50,000 gold debt the Durin Family had incurred.
His desire to change the world.
The more he interacted with the everyday people of this world, the more Edward felt dissatisfied with the way things were. Whenever he saw people idly sunbathing in the streets, unsure of what to do with themselves once they were out of work, he felt a creeping sense of despair—as though he, too, would be sucked into the same meaningless routine.
Magic exists in this world.
Stories of adventurers are sung by bards day and night.
And yet people have grown numb to it all, lacking the will to make life more exciting or beautiful.
That was what Edward wanted to change.
Although Edward understood this was simply a limitation of the times, as someone from outside this era, he wasn't willing to fall into the same rut. Even if the changes he made were small, he was willing to try. After all, rather than be assimilated by these boring people—getting lost in tedious power struggles and endless magic research—he would much rather spend his time filming anime, even if it seemed pointless.
Because to him, these were the traces of the world he came from. If he abandoned even that, then how could he claim to have truly arrived in another world?
"Digging team, get ready! Zat—go grab your tools!"
"Has the lumber been delivered?"
"Hey you, the girl over there—bring the water over here, quick!"
With the construction site ready, the building of the outpost officially began. And throughout the process, Edward stood quietly in a corner, filming nonstop. To maximize visual storytelling, he focused mostly on scenes where Zat and Aya were struggling or messing up. Though it felt a bit unfair to those two who were genuinely working hard, this was a golden opportunity—a sacrifice for the sake of art. Other people would kill for a role like this!
Yes—this was what Edward had meant earlier by "a shooting method that wouldn't confuse the locals": filming under the guise of actual labor. By approaching it as if they were really doing the work, the resulting footage would naturally feel more genuine.
While this approach did make things tougher for Zat and Aya, this world's actors weren't spoiled "idols" like in Edward's original world. He had no intention of hiring stunt doubles. These scenes had to be done by them personally.
Besides, this part of the shoot wouldn't take too long. Edward just needed to film a few scattered clips before the outpost was completed, and later he could piece them together using the Fusion Crystal to edit.
"The point of this scene is to show the contrast between your everyday lives and that of adventurers. The stronger the contrast, the more the audience will laugh—so exaggerate your movements, and really push your reactions!"
During a short break, Edward gave direction to Zat and Aya, who were eating from boxed lunches. The two, exhausted and finally catching a breather, now looked even more worn out at the thought of being squeezed for performance notes.
Meanwhile, Winry returned from running errands, holding a handwritten production schedule. She explained Edward's instructions to the extras on-site—things like "don't work too fast," and "don't worry about the relationship between Zat, Aya, and Director Durin"...
In a sense, Winry had already become half an assistant director. Edward was just thinking about what kind of salary would be appropriate for her when she suddenly rushed over to him, handing him a towel and a water cup:
"Lord Durin, you've been working so hard. Make sure to rest, okay?"
Surprised that she had thought of him first, Edward gave a wry smile as he took the towel and cup, saying,
"You're the one working hard, going along with all this nonsense of mine."
"It's no trouble. Or rather… I'm really looking forward to it—looking forward to the moment when your project is finally complete..."
As Winry spoke, a spark of anticipation lit up in her eyes. Edward understood that feeling. He smiled, gently patted her on the head, and nodded with a grin at her slightly embarrassed reaction:
"Don't worry—we'll see it very soon."