[Chapter 229: Everyone Is Thriving]
After an intense and lengthy session, Megan asked with a flushed face and heavy breathing, "Daniel, is my bad luck finally over?"
Daniel replied, "Yes, it's over."
"Phew..." Megan exhaled deeply. "That was truly a dangerous journey; I almost didn't make it."
Daniel smiled. "In the future, do you still want to go after roles like this?"
Megan paused for a moment. "Probably not."
Daniel smiled but didn't respond. Once you've been through something like this once, there's bound to be a second time. Still, Megan was landing a project as a complete unknown. That's why she'd overextended her luck so much, suffering such a massive backlash of misfortune.
In the future, once she had the credentials from Transformers, competing for roles would be much easier. She wouldn't have to go through such disastrous events again.
Daniel thought Megan would take a few days off after everything that happened. But the very next day, she threw herself right back into training. Even Daniel admired her professionalism and ambition. Of course, facing a project like Transformers, such a mindset was expected.
...
After seeing Megan off, Daniel returned to the System.
[Merit Points: 11,786,700 points.]
Seeing his merit points break ten million again, Daniel couldn't help but feel overjoyed. The points this time mainly came from Pyramid Head and Missionary -- beings of the same rank, each worth 5 million merit points. There were many other monsters, but they were too weak; combined, they contributed little.
Fortunately, because it was his first time killing such monsters, he was rewarded with several Spells: Spatial Stride, Bell of Celestial Dominion, Spirit Binding Rope, and Edict of Soul Suppression.
Most importantly, he gained the Nine Sacred Invocations: Guard.
However -- and this sobered him up -- when Daniel looked at the upgrade button, his smile faded. He was currently a Dominion Incarnate of Higher Ascendant Order, and upgrading required 12.8 million points.
After all that work, his merit points weren't even enough for an upgrade. And upgrading Celestial Thunder Body Enhancement required a full 100 million points -- so much further out of reach.
"I..." Daniel was momentarily speechless.
He turned to his other Spells. Fortunately, all of them could be upgraded.
Among the newly acquired spells -- Edict of Soul Suppression, Spirit Binding Rope, Bell of Celestial Dominion, Spatial Stride, and Nine Sacred Invocations: Guard -- the Nine Sacred Invocations: Guard was fixed, increasing in power alongside his exorcism level.
The other four spells could all be upgraded, and they were quite practical.
Without hesitation, Daniel spent 4,444,400 merit points upgrading all four to the fifth tier. Then, he invested another 2 million points upgrading the Sanctum Blade Technique and Spiritual Perception Technique to the fifth tier as well.
His Exorcism Level and Body Enhancement remained unchanged, but all upgradable spells had now reached the fifth tier. His remaining merit points stood at 5,342,300.
...
Status:
[Host: Daniel Cross]
[Body Constitution: Thunder Body]
[Exorcism Level: Dominion Incarnate (Higher Ascendant Order)]
[Skills:]
[Sanctum Blade Technique: Fifth Tier]
[Prayer Seal Crafting Art: Fifth Tier]
[Spiritual Perception Technique: Fifth Tier]
[Rite of Divine Empowerment: Fifth Tier]
[Artifact Forging Art: Fifth Tier]
[Sacred Alchemical Transmutation: Fifth Tier]
[Five Thunder Doctrine: Fifth Tier]
[Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: Fifth Tier]
[Celestial Thunder Body Enhancement: Fourth Tier]
[Edict of Soul Suppression: Fifth Tier]
[Spirit Binding Rope: Fifth Tier]
[Bell of Celestial Dominion: Fifth Tier]
[Spatial Stride: Fifth Tier]
[Spells:]
[Divine Incantation for for Purifying Souls]
[Golden Aegis Rite]
[Inner Sanctification Rite]
[Body Absolution Rite]
[Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite]
[Nine Sacred Invocations: Guard]
[Merit Points: 5,342,300]
---
In the early morning of Los Angeles, sunlight pierced through the thin mist and spilled into Daniel's mansion in Beverly Hills.
Daniel sat in the dining room, flipping through several mainstream entertainment magazines. The front pages were dominated by three women.
The headline of Variety magazine was especially eye-catching: "Rachel McAdams: The Birth of Hollywood's New Generation Sweetheart."
Wedding Crashers had entered its second week of release, and instead of declining, its box office was trending upward. The North American box office had already surpassed eighty million dollars.
Rachel's vibrant, captivating performance had made her the dream girl of countless men -- and probably women too.
Daniel studied her photo in the newspaper. At events, Rachel radiated a confidence that made her outshine every other actress of her generation in group photos.
"Her endorsement fees have already risen to five million dollars," Chris, the Succubus, said as she appeared behind Daniel, holding a cup of coffee. Her eyes sparkled playfully. "She sent me a message last night. Six top skincare brands are fighting over her. She's so busy she barely has time to catch her breath; she even has to sneak naps in her trailer."
Daniel took the coffee calmly. "That is normal. Success nurtures beauty; she's at the peak of her glow right now."
Chris tapped on her tablet and pulled up data on two other actresses. "Amanda's side is doing well too. Although The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants had average box office numbers, its influence among teenagers is staggering. Amanda is now a fashion icon for teens across America. With that doll-like face, she's landed three high-end luxury endorsements aimed at teenagers."
Daniel glanced over.
While Amanda didn't have Rachel's universal fame, her fan base was fiercely loyal. Amanda was no longer an obscure actress; she had her own signature role and had earned her place at the table.
"What about Jessica?" Daniel asked.
Chris smiled slightly. "She is the real winner. Fantastic Four had an opening weekend box office of over 56 million. Jessica's portrayal of the Invisible Woman silenced critics across America. Some complained about her acting being average, but everyone admitted Jessica was the most beautiful special effect in the whole movie. She is now a global sex symbol."
Daniel put down the newspaper and leaned back in his chair.
These three women -- one dominating mainstream acclaim, one owning the teenage market, and one captivating the public's visual attention -- all had achieved excellent results.
It wasn't in vain that he had worked so hard to help transfer their luck.
"Chris, how's that project I asked you to track -- Walk the Line?"
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered it clearly.
This biopic about the legendary singer Johnny Cash was destined to shine at next year's Oscars. The lead actress, Reese Witherspoon, was expected to win Best Actress for the role.
Rachel's acting skills were in no way inferior to Reese's.
And with the momentum from Wedding Crashers, Rachel could easily hold her own against Reese, who starred in Legally Blonde.
Besides, they both shared R names; having Rachel play this role made perfect sense.
Chris manipulated the screen rapidly and reported after a few seconds, "Invested in by 20th Century Fox, directed by James Mangold. Pre-production is basically complete, and they're now in the critical casting phase. The male lead is practically set as Joaquin Phoenix, but for the female lead, June Carter, the director hasn't made the final decision yet."
"Hasn't made the final call?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. The director wants a woman who is both approachable and able to convey that kind of resilient vitality. Reese Witherspoon is the front-runner, but her current salary demands and schedule are problematic."
Chris paused. "Master, with Rachel's current popularity, producers would definitely welcome her competing for this role. If she lowers her salary a bit, even without your luck transfer, the chances of her landing the part are very high."
"Your analysis is spot on." Daniel stood, his tone unwavering. "Call Rachel."
*****
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