Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Fun is the Ladder of Progress

The Fishman race had a very straightforward way of naming things.

They were named after whatever defining feature they had.

For example, Pang Tou’s head was genuinely fat. He also had a few brothers: the one who looked like a sea bream was named Ah Diao, and the one said to have one part in a few hundred of Dragon Race blood was called Little Dragon People.

The reason they could work as action choreographers was also absurd: it was for sacrificial rituals.

The Fishmen’s religion was a disorganized, cobbled-together mess, so as long as one expressed devotion to the Mother of the Sea, the specific method was up to the individual.

Some Fishmen chose to trek into the desert to prove their unwavering will, while others chose to prove they could cleanse filth by consuming it.

Some went even further, conducting bloody rituals and crafting artifacts from fish skin. It was just too twisted. How could you expect blessings from someone after you’ve skinned their kind?

Even the Churches of real gods weren’t this extreme. The Mother of the Sea was a fictional entity, yet her followers were this fanatical.

So, Zog had Elsa "log on" to establish some rules and outlaw these kinds of rituals.

Any other ridiculous titles, like "Reincarnation of the Child of the Sea," all required Zog’s approval.

A reincarnation acknowledged by Zog was a good reincarnation.

Compared to this bunch of oddballs, the Pang Tou brothers’ ritualistic methods seemed exceptionally "refreshing."

They performed fights, or what could be called martial combat, for the Mother of the Sea.

These weren’t fights to the death. Rather, the more visually appealing and spectacular the fight, the greater the devotion it represented.

After their encounters with the Beastmen and on Zor’den Island, the Fishmen eagerly absorbed moves from their martial arts.

They discarded the overly practical and vicious "dregs" while retaining the flashy and ostentatious "essence."

They also integrated techniques from the street performers who came to the island to busk.

Thus, the first martial arts school on the Feilin Continent created purely for visual effect was born.

It was not called Fishman Karate.

It was called "Hong-Ba-Ya-Hei-Pi-O-Na."

Out of respect, Zog had originally intended to remember the name, but then he discovered that Pang Tou seemed to say it differently every time.

So he gave up.

Instead, he called it "Pinecone-Phlegm-Shaking Lightning Fist."

In any case, this ultimate hodgepodge—full of jumps in various poses, inexplicable spins, and fast, coordinated routines—was actually quite a spectacle to watch.

Different professions have different requirements. For an action choreographer, it was enough to design movements that were aesthetically pleasing and appropriate.

Practical combat effectiveness was not their concern.

The more practical a move, the plainer it looked. Unarmed combat was okay; although it could easily devolve into two brutes grappling on the ground, there were at least a few rounds of exchanges.

Armed combat was even worse. Two people would spend ages feinting at each other, and the real fight would be over in a single blow.

Even Professionals would just apply a bunch of buffs and then probe each other, never using a second move if they could end it with one.

It completely failed to match the average person’s image of what an expert fight should look like.

Even when Zog fought, his breath attack—the move most stereotypically associated with dragons—was used for clearing out weaklings because its firepower wasn’t concentrated.

When facing a high-level opponent, he would concentrate the heat into his teeth and claws to achieve thermal cutting.

The Fishman brothers began by demonstrating their pride-and-joy martial arts sparring routine for the actors.

The actors watched, crying out in amazement.

The Fishmen moved as if with a single mind, dodging and weaving, their fists and feet a blur, so fast that the eye could barely keep up.

It was impossible to imagine that such bloated bodies could move with such agility.

Moreover, their multi-person routines were well-designed—complex but not chaotic.

There were no situations where, despite being a one-vs-many fight, it was actually a gauntlet of one-on-one duels, with only one person attacking at a time while the others struck poses and ran in circles on the sidelines.

The only thing separating them from Uncle Long was the ability to improvise and skillfully use whatever props were at hand.

That was his signature skill, and it was certainly not easy to learn.

Fight scenes that were both intense and comedic were perhaps unique to the Cheng Family Class. A stiff imitation of the moves would always feel lacking and unnatural.

"Can we really learn to fight at this level?" one of the actors asked, his confidence shaken.

’This looks like something that takes a lifetime of training from childhood, not something you can pick up in a crash course.’

"As long as you hold devotion for the Mother of the Sea in your hearts..."

Before Pang Tou could finish, Zog immediately cut him off to stop him from proselytizing whenever he pleased.

Elsa having a bunch of gilled believers was annoying enough. A shrimp-shell headpiece wasn’t going to fool any Humans.

"You don’t need to practice to that level. You just need to learn some basic routines and master a few fixed signature moves. Teacher Pang Tou will design appropriate choreography based on your skill level." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

These "signature moves" were essentially finishing moves, like a Rider Kick or an Ultra Beam.

The high-EQ way to put it: a finishing move!

The low-EQ way: it’s all you know how to do.

You had to use a finishing move to defeat an enemy. It gave a sense of ceremony and was memorable.

It also couldn’t be too complicated. Just like how a Rider Kick, no matter how many fancy flips preceded it, always ended with a simple, unadorned flying kick.

Otherwise, kids wouldn’t be able to imitate it.

The action style Zog decided on for *Mechanical Warrior* was something akin to street dance.

Not the "hey, you guys, stop fighting!" kind of street dance, but the kind from the live-action *Rurouni Kenshin* movie, which blended it with exaggerated combat.

Although street dance didn’t exist yet, circuses did have acrobatic dance styles that featured a lot of flips and spins.

Compared to breaking, they had fewer floor moves and freeze poses held to the beat.

They had a lot more aerial moves, which better suited Zog’s needs.

So, Zog also brought in some circus members as action consultants.

He hoped they would cooperate well with the Fishmen.

The actors’ enthusiasm, however, was high. Filming a Shadow of Evil meant they got to wear a full custom-made suit for free, and many of them were fans of the comic.

Grandpa Galina, however, couldn’t understand it at all. He completed his work responsibly, but only because he was completely hooked by *Prosecution Witness*.

It just goes to show, if you want to catch a fish, you have to bait the hook properly.

Professionally trained actors learn movement and dance. Although they couldn’t fight, their agility and flexibility were quite good.

Don’t underestimate the skinny-looking ones who study dance. They can jump that high because their legs are incredibly strong.

Therefore, these actors learned the martial arts moves with half the effort for twice the results.

More importantly, they were all very serious. Actors in the Sutton Kingdom weren’t at the bottom of the social ladder, but their status wasn’t very high either.

The idea of just showing up to show your face while having voice actors, stunt doubles, body doubles, and even hand doubles do all the work was simply unimaginable.

Doing everything yourself was the basic requirement.

If anyone dared to act like a diva, Zog would have to let them experience the heavy weight of reality.

Once the training was on the right track, Zog left Shudian.

Ever since the *Firepower Young King* area opened, at any given time of day, someone in the island’s hotels would be singing "Glide up and then glide down."

It was mostly in a shrill, piercing child’s voice.

Zog had actually liked the song at first, but now it just reminded him of the torture brought on by "Lone Brave."

The song was fine; he was just numb from hearing it so much.

Likewise, he couldn’t stay in the toy store either.

Zog moved directly into the Underground Dragon Nest. Fortunately, he’d always been a homebody and had no need for sunlight.

"Do you have some Vampire blood in you or something?" Furin teased as she arrived at the Underground Dragon Nest.

"Believe it or not, I’ll bite you and turn you into my fledgling!" Zog threatened, baring his fangs.

"Then go ahead and bite me," Furin said, tilting her neck back.

Talking big and then immediately backing down is the standard combo for every soul accustomed to being a shut-in.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Zog forced a change of subject.

"I’m here to deliver a letter for you. It’s from Elder Xiao Xiong of the Mage Guild. He wants to invite you to discuss a plan for inter-city Demon Vision broadcasting."

"Huh? Did he say what the requirements were?" Zog was confused. ’Giving away a plan for free? This feels like a conspiracy.’

He opened the letter.

"To the Zog Group, I have drafted a plan for the long-distance transmission of Magic Crystal Stone projections. I sincerely invite you to Songmu Town to discuss it. Urgent! I really want to binge-watch shows at home!

"The Mage Association, Xiao Xiong."