I canât help but be nervous! After finding out who had approached them, Chu Yan couldnât have imagined it in his wildest dreams.
That famous Queen Dong in Linzhou, esteemed even in Jianghai, was leagues above them. The difference was like heaven and earth; they simply werenât in the same world. What surprised them even more was that Queen Dong wasnât the ultimate person behind wanting to find them. The person looking for them turned out to be this currently renowned figure in Linzhou.
Although Chu Yan hadnât watched this yearâs Breeder competition, after receiving a phone call late the previous night, he and his small team of four had hastily crammed information about it. Naturally, they now understood the significance of what the owner of Heart of Woods represented.
In the outside world, countless people were waving checks with eight or nine-figure sums, desperate for Breeder Su to help cultivate a Pet Beast for them. So, what could this prominent figure possibly want with them, a group of nobodies?
It wasnât just Chu Yan who thought this way. A young planner next to him asked curiously, "Boss, what on earth does Breeder Su want with us?"
"How would I know? Cut the chatter. Who can guess what such a big shot is thinking?" Chu Yan said, keeping his thoughts to himself.
In the meantime, a slightly chubby, round-faced youth nearby speculated, "Breeder Su isnât that old. Could he be an internet addict like us? Maybe he likes one of our studioâs games and wants us to open a backdoor for him, tweak some drop rates or something?"
Chu Yan rolled his eyes at him.
How could such an important figure be so trivial?
"With Breeder Suâs achievements at such a young age, how could he possibly be addicted to games?" Chu Yan retorted. "At most, he might play them occasionally to pass the time when bored. Stop spouting nonsense and just wait patiently."
They didnât have to wait too long. Soon enough, the door opened, and a young figure they had seen on TV appeared before them. Who else could it be but Su Ping?
"Breeder Su."
They all stood up together.
Su Ping smiled and quickly gestured for them to sit, then joined them. "The professionals from Star Vault Entertainment, right? Sorry to trouble you by making you come all this way."
"Itâs no trouble at all! Itâs an honor and a privilege to meet you, Breeder Su," Chu Yan eagerly flattered.
Su Ping didnât have time for idle chit-chat. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he got straight to the point, "You professionals are probably very curious about my intentions, right? Itâs actually quite simple. I just want to ask you to help plan a game."
"Plan a game?"
For their profession, it seemed unlikely there would be anything else. However, the idea of making a game didnât seem to fit with the young man before them.
Chu Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Breeder Su, what kind of game are you talking about? Mobile games, PC games? What genre? MMO, card, role-playing single-player, real-time strategy, life simulation, FPS, or what?"
Su Ping had no idea what these technical terms meant. Scratching his head, he replied, "I donât need you to use any platform. Just focus on the planning and art design; donât worry about operations. Just construct the entire game framework, its settings, and its numerical valuesâthat will be enough!"
The group exchanged glances, even more perplexed and doubtful.
Just a game proposal? But whatâs the use of just a proposal?
However, their client wasnât an ordinary one. Chu Yan didnât even ask about conditions or remuneration; he agreed right away, "Sure, just tell us what you require!"
"The main requirement is simplicity!" Su Ping stated. "Of course, the game must also be enjoyable. However, it should primarily focus on battling monsters. Thereâs no need for an elaborate plot, character designs, or epic storylinesâa straightforward game centered on fighting monsters and leveling up will suffice."
Su Ping himself had no interest in such games. For him, this was all for Feifeiâs Meditation Method. According to Feifeiâs explanation of the Meditation Method, as long as one fought monsters and leveled up in the game, a Beast Tamer would naturally gain spiritual power. That alone would be sufficient.
But such vague conditions left the group visibly troubled. They werenât actually afraid of numerous requirements; in fact, more requirements often led to a clearer framework. A project with just one vague requirement like âsimpleâ was actually more troublesome.
However, their concerns vanished in the next second.
"If I adopt your creative concept, and both the planning and art design meet the standard, youâll receive 30 million in cash," Su Ping continued. "Furthermore, any future game updates based on your planning will be compensated at the same rate! If you do a good job, there will be additional bonuses. Even if I donât end up using your proposal, your efforts wonât go uncompensated."
Thirty million? That was 30 million in actual cash, not the kind of monthly salary earned working for someone else.
What did it mean to be truly wealthy and generous? Chu Yan felt that for a client like this, heâd almost feel uneasy taking the money unless the final product went through hundreds of revisions and was meticulously polished over three to five years. It was just as the old saying goes: empty talk is useless. As long as the pay was good enough, anyone would work themselves to the bone for you.
Forcing people to work overtime without pay was the despicable behavior of exploitative capitalists. Su Ping, on the other hand, was purely engaging their professional skills and time with money. Of course, if Su Ping paid them well but they still failed to meet his standards, then there wasnât much Su Ping could do about it.
In truth, this is really difficult,
Su Ping thought.
Simply grinding monsters and leveling up, yet keeping players engaged and enthusiastic for a long time... I canât manage that. If such a Meditation Method is boring, forget others, even I might not be able to stick with it. But isnât it precisely because I canât do it that Iâm willing to pay professionals to do it?
"Breeder Su, rest assured!" Chu Yan promised excitedly. "Even if we work ourselves bald, our team will deliver a plan that satisfies you!"
However, Su Ping shook his head. "Itâs not about satisfying me. Itâs about satisfying it."
Su Ping stretched out his hand, revealing a continuously rotating spherical object.
"Huh?"
Several people were stunned. Then, the sphere began to speak, "Hello there. Iâm my masterâs Mechanical Pet Beast. You can call me Feifei."
Uh...
The group was taken aback.
Is this mechanical sphere the real client? So, Breeder Su is commissioning a game for a Mechanical Pet Beast to play? Thatâs just too extravagant!
Su Ping glanced at his phone and then yawned. "Alright, thatâs the gist of it. You can add Feifei as a friend and discuss the details with it. Naturally, Iâll still need to review the final product. Also, ideally, please have the basic plan ready before the New Year."
Before the New Year? Isnât there only about half a month left? To come up with something in such a short time... Itâs not impossible, but the quality definitely wonât be as refined.
But what else could they say?
The one who pays is the boss,
they thought,
even if this particular client feels a bit surreal.
After giving his instructions, Su Ping paid them no further mind. The secrets within the Heart of Dreams were already an unimaginably significant matter to others. After all, it was an incredibly precious, self-created âMeditation Method.â For Su Ping, however, it was just one more thing on his plate.
He was juggling many matters far more important than this. With that thought, Su Ping, holding his phone, saw Lao Guan waiting outside the reception room.
Su Ping blinked. "Whatâs up?"
"Xiao Ping," Lao Guan began, "do you remember that Flame-Eating Crow from last time?"
Hmm? Su Pingâs eyes lit up.
He certainly remembered it, and with crystal clarity. Heâd even offered a precious Elf Leaf but still hadnât managed to keep the little creature. If it werenât so close to the New Year, Su Ping would have already started planning the construction of an aviary for future bird-raising.
"What about it?"
"The little guy came back!" Guan Qianshan smiled, but his expression soon turned odd. "Not only that, but this time, it seems the Flame-Eating Crow has brought you a gift."
"Hmm?" Su Ping blinked. "Letâs go take a look."