Chapter 409 - 277: Zog’s Little Trick

Chapter 409: Chapter 277: Zog’s Little Trick

Zog called out a reminder just before Asmodis left.

"Of course I remember! I’m not that forgetful. A detective like a rabbit, I get it. Just you wait, you’ll have your pick. I’ll find you the best actress in Hell who’s most like a rabbit..."

With that, the Lord of Hell headed straight for the gate he had arrived through.

With a Devil finding the female lead, Zog was naturally responsible for casting the male lead.

As for who would play Hannibal, Zog actually already had someone in mind.

Mr. Raul.

He was the star of Feilin’s first Shadow of Evil and the mainstay of the Mixed Giant Beast theater troupe.

Coincidentally, he had also starred in *Hunting*. And on Earth, the lead actor from that movie had also played Hannibal, albeit in the TV series version.

Zog quite liked the TV version of Hannibal. Its only drawback was that the show’s discussion forums were flooded with fans shipping slash pairings...

Compared to the movie version’s Hannibal, Mr. Raul was a bit younger at only forty. He might lack some of Hannibal’s aristocratic temperament.

But Zog couldn’t find a better actor than Raul, and he trusted that Raul could portray the Legendary character well.

’We can do a screen test first. If he seems too young and the vibe is off, we can just use special effects to age him up.’

Zog contacted Raul and sent him the script, along with a character profile for Hannibal to go with it.

It included Hannibal’s origin story from the prequels—details not mentioned in *Silence of the Lambs*—to help him understand the highly complex character.

Ever since becoming the top male star on the Continent, Raul hadn’t cashed in on his fame. On the contrary, he was very protective of his reputation, rarely accepting commercials or roles in Shadows of Evil.

Aside from a few films directed by Huan, he hadn’t taken any other roles. Many investors behind bizarre, low-quality films had approached him, but he’d rejected them all, no matter the pay.

He would only agree to a project if, first, the script was excellent, and second, the role was a breakthrough for him as an actor.

That included works funded by Zog Film Studio.

Raul was unwilling to play similar types of characters over and over; he had high aspirations for the art of performance.

Many other actors envied his position, but envy was pointless. Not everyone could afford to be so selective. To put it bluntly, actors were just employees of their investors, and an employee’s daily life was filled with things they didn’t want to do but had no choice in.

Less than half an hour after Zog sent the script, a reply came from Raul.

"I must play this character. I desperately hope to play this character."

Zog glanced at the time. ’In that short a period,’ he figured, ’he couldn’t have finished the script. At most, he’s read the first two scenes with Hannibal in them.’

Apparently, the character held a considerable attraction for Raul.

Raul’s reply was so excited it was almost incoherent. "Hannibal is a type of character I’ve never encountered before. So challenging, so brilliant! I might not be able to portray him perfectly... no, I *must* portray him. When does filming start?"

"Er, the other actors haven’t been cast yet, and we haven’t started building the sets. It’ll be at least another month or so."

"That’s great! I’ll need some time to prepare for this incredible role anyway. Mr. Zog, could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I’d like to spend some time in a mental institution, or a prison would also work, to study for the part."

’Study for the part, huh.’

Zog’s expression twitched slightly.

’So this is the legendary method acting, huh? He’s pretty hardcore.’

So he replied, "Let’s go with the prison."

In Zog’s experience, the mental institutions in Feilin were no proper places to be. Given the current level of medical development, the standard treatment for mental illness in this era was basically just cracking their skulls open.

The asylums were full of drooling simpletons, not at all like the "talented individuals" you’d find in Arkham Asylum. He wouldn’t learn anything useful by going there for "advanced studies."

"Excellent," Raul replied. "It should be a maximum-security facility, the kind that holds hardened criminals. I’d like to go in under a false identity so I can better observe their behavior. Is there any way to change my appearance?"

’So dedicated.’

Zog was actually a little moved.

’Of course, he couldn’t let Raul go deep into a prison by himself and face a horde of hardened criminals. If anything happened to him, the loss would be unacceptable.’

’I’ll have to arrange for a few Beastman Zors or the like to go in ahead of him as bodyguards.’

As for the characters under Zog’s command, going to prison was practically like going home.

’What, you’re in for pulling three heists? That’s it? What about yesterday?’

’As for changing his appearance, an Illusion Technique wouldn’t last long enough, and the same went for a Transformation Technique.’

’There didn’t seem to be a good solution.’

Huh?

Suddenly, Zog had a flash of inspiration. He sent a message: "There’s a particularly durable form of makeup that can last a long time. It doesn’t have any major drawbacks, aside from being a bit stuffy. Want to give it a try...?"

Soon, Raul was secretly sent into the most notorious prison in the Sutton Kingdom.

Ready to have his "Dragon Field" epiphany.

Meanwhile, Asmodis’s talent scouting mission quickly met its quota. He arrived before Zog with a group of hand-picked Devil actresses.

He looked extremely pleased with himself, practically oozing a "See how your bro gets things done?" vibe.

Zog scanned the group and fell silent. After holding it in for a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out, "Are you sure you looked for what I asked for?"

"Positive. ’Like a rabbit,’ wasn’t it?"

Before him stood two full rows of "actresses" in heavy, garish makeup, striking seductive poses. Any further description would likely trigger a content filter.

They looked for all the world like a group of women from a... certain profession. The odd thing was, they were all cowering timidly, though it wasn’t clear what they were afraid of.