Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  Ordinary players only gave Repent and be Saved a low rating out of vengeance, after seeing how difficult the game was and suffering through it. However, these game reviewers and media could see other things:

  The game’s quality, the outstanding combat system, the beautiful scenery and style, the complexity and depth of the plot, the glorification of traditional Chinese culture to a certain extent, and the gameplay and originality of the system which pointed out the future direction of action-based games’ development…

  Since the game reviewers and media were incorporating all of these considerations in their rating of the game, it was no wonder that they gave such high ratings! Among all of these things, Li Yada was the proudest of the official platform’s review.

  “Repent and be Saved depicts a helpless world that is born out of ancient Chinese culture. The artistic recreation of this world gives players a brand new experience.

  “This is a helpless world set in the Degenerate Age, where the six realms are broken. Its outstanding difficulty allows players to feel the helplessness of being stuck in a world like that. Again and again, they are tortured by death. However, this world also hides countless curious secrets. It pushes every single player to pick himself up after each revival, in the hopes of accomplishing his personal mission to save the world!

  “Deep ancient poems, torturous fights, rich background stories, and hidden philosophies; these are what make Repent and be Saved a memorable experience and a risk worth taking! “This is the most praise-worthy thing: while domestically-produced, traditional Chinese-style games are on a decline and other local game developers slavishly copy foreign developers, Tengda Games chose to walk a path of absolute originality.”

  “Repent and be Saved has blended traditional Chinese culture into the background story, the game’s content, and the game’s core spirit extremely well. It plays an instrumental role in spreading traditional Chinese culture in the new age. “May other game developers and designers push the boundaries of their minds and learn from Repent and be Saved, to further glorify traditional Chinese culture and build the game industry’s confidence in our heritage!”

  Of course, the official platform had to do something to express their validation of the game.

  Without any doubt, Repent and be Saved would be given a few more recommendation spots. This was to be expected.

  Li Yada could not help but feel emotional. Boss Pei is Boss Pei indeed; he did not have to put in much effort in producing such an outstanding game!

  Official recommendations… what are those to Boss Pei? He’s received so many of those!

  Li Yada read the media’s praise for Repent and be Saved once again, feeling pleased with herself.

  “I took over the development of this game midway through, but I contributed to the game’s success!”

  She had still been reading the game’s reviews when the lady from the front desk ran over.

  “The official platform’s staff just called. They wish to discuss translating a foreign version of the game.”

  “Huh? The official platform’s staff?”

  Li Yada did not dare to brush it off. She quickly got up to receive the call.

  The official platform had Tengda’s office number; that was why they called the front desk directly.

  Li Yada felt quite excited. After all, this was her first time speaking to the official platform’s staff over the phone. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the other party quickly dove into the purpose of his call.

  “May I ask if you have any intention to produce Repent and be Saved in other languages and venture into the overseas market?”

  Chapter 291 - Sticking Logos onto the System Units

  Li Yada quickly answered, “Ah, yes. A while ago, I contacted a few translation workspaces. However, Repent and be Saved has high standards for these translators. We haven’t found a suitable translator yet.

  “We’re still trying to contact more experienced translators, but it might take a while…”

  The other party smiled. “That’s great!

  “The official platform was thinking about making Repent and be Saved the benchmark for games exporting Chinese culture. If you’re agreeable, we can look for experienced translators on your behalf. We’re certain that the translation would be authentic and clear.

  “You won’t have to worry about the fees and other peripheral issues as well. We have professionals to take care of these things.

  “We’ll think about producing English and Japanese versions first, and then take our time to produce the game in other languages. There’s no rush.”

  Li Yada was elated. “Of course, that’ll be

  great!”

  She knew very well that the official platform would have far more resources and connections than a private company like Tengda. If they could step in and help them find suitable translators, they would probably be able to hire expert translators!

  After Li Yada agreed to the proposal, both parties discussed a few more items and exchanged contact details.

  They still had to take the rest of the process one step at a time, but with the strong backing of the official platform, Li Yada was sure that it would be smooth.

  After she hung up, Li Yada began to process the pleasant surprise.

  The official platform had offered to translate Repent and be Saved into other languages. What’s more, they were taking the initiative to market the game for them! However, on further thought, Li Yada realized that this was reasonable.

  Repent and be Saved was a top-quality game with rich content. It was the perfect marketing opportunity for the official platform!

  From what happened with the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song to Game Designer, one would be able to tell that the officials supported original games that nurtured the right moral values that contained deep meaning.

  What’s more, Repent and be Saved was not just good in terms of gameplay and quality, but it also contained rich culture. Even foreigners did not mind searching the dictionary as they played the game. It was obvious that this contributed greatly to the game’s attractiveness.

  Wasn’t a game like that exactly what the official platform wanted?

  Thus, it was only logical that they would fully back it and take the initiative to get it translated.

  A realization suddenly dawned on Li Yada.

  “Could Boss Pei have guessed this would happen?

  “What did Boss Pei say before?

  “He said that we need to wait for the right time to venture into the overseas market. Every single factor has to be right. Without adequate resources and support, we could be easily eliminated once we enter.

  “We now have both resources and support! We shouldn’t wait any longer to venture into the overseas market, should we?

  “It looks like Boss Pei was telling me to be patient and wait for this opportunity. He knew that the official platform was bound to do something within this month. That was why he remained so calm!

  “Eh, but Boss Pei also said we’ll only think about translating the game next month.

  “Was Boss Pei under the impression that the official platform would only notice the game next month and arrange for it to be translated thereafter?

  “That’s possible, too. After all, it would take time for the game to become popular and for the official platform to take note of it. Perhaps Boss Pei did not expect Repent and be Saved to become so popular so quickly!

  “This is great. I’ll report the good news to Boss Pei right now!

  “It’s a pity that he isn’t in the office. If he was, I would have told him to personally speak to the official platform’s staff. He would probably have been over the moon, wouldn’t he?”

  OV

  V

  Li Yada was still celebrating in her heart as she dialed Boss Pei’s number.

  “Achoo!’

  Tugging at his blanket in his rented apartment, Pei Qian suddenly sneezed. He cleaned his mucus and tossed the used tissue paper
in the faraway trash can. Plop! It landed beside the trash can, on the ground instead.

  “F*ck!”

  Pei Qian was speechless. He tossed his blanket aside, hopped off his bed, and threw the tissue paper into the trash can. Then, he jumped back onto his bed at lightning speed to continue lazing around.

  There was no need to go to work today because he… was down with the flu!

  They were now in the middle of autumn and winter. The weather was getting cooler. After all the running around he did over the past few days, Pei Qian finally came down with the flu.

  Thus, he decided not to go anywhere today. He was going to lie in the bed like a corpse and drink as much warm water as he could.

  “I’m so miserable.”

  Pei Qian could not help but whine.

  Why is the story developing so differently from what I imagined?!

  According to my original plan, I should be lying back and counting my winnings by now, right? Why am I still trying so hard to spend money?! Ah, this is so sad! Pei Qian had just been playing with his cell phone when Li Yada called. He paused for a moment, and then quickly answered the call.

  Don’t tell me that you’ve created another huge mess in the two days that I’ve been gone. I can’t take any more blows!

  “Is there something wrong…?” Pei Qian sounded listless.

  Li Yada was obviously shocked. “Boss Pei, have you caught the flu?”

  “Ah, it’s no big deal. I’ve already drunk a lot of warm water. Did something happen to Repent and be Saved?” Pei Qian was not in the mood for small talk.

  Li Yada sounded excited as she answered, “Yes, Boss Pei! The official platform just called to say that they’ll arrange for Repent and be Saved to be professionally translated. They’ll also help us market it overseas! Boss Pei, it’s going to be produced a week earlier than you expected!

  “Don’t worry, Boss Pei. I’ve already done most of the preparations.”

  Pei Qian, “???”

  What is this?! The official platform is going to hire professional translators for us?! Holy sh*t! I’m finished, then, aren’t I? How can I turn this down?!

  Pei Qian suddenly felt light-headed. He felt like his flu was getting worse.

  It was a good thing he had been lying in bed like a corpse-he did not have to worry about losing and dropping dead on the ground. He remained silent for a full minute before he said, “Oh, is there anything else?”.

  Li Yada answered, “Ah, there’s nothing else. I just wanted to report this to you. How are you, Boss Pei? Do you need any medicine or help?”

  “No…” Pei Qian looked at the ceiling, in a daze. “I just want to be left alone to get some rest.”

  “Ah, alright. Boss Pei, you’ve been working too hard. Rest well!”

  Li Yada mumbled to herself after hanging up.

  “Indeed, Boss Pei had expected this. He’s not surprised whatsoever.”

  Pei Qian tossed his phone aside and heaved a long sigh.

  There’s nothing I can do. The official platform has prepared everything so well. I can’t afford to offend them. I don’t have any legitimate reason to turn them down, too. All I can do is swallow this difficult pill.

  I’m furious! I have to open a few more Upwind Courier stations now!

  At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s flagship store…

  Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan had not visited this branch for a long time.

  The only thing different from before was that the internet cafe area was no longer deserted. Instead, almost eighty percent of the seats were taken. It was quite crowded.

  Of course, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 1.0 was different from Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 2.0. The flagship store had few computers. It only took a few customers to fill the internet cafe area. That was why the high percentage did not mean much.

  Still, no matter what, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s internet cafe area was no longer just there for show, like it was before. One had to admit that this was a huge improvement.

  Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang were on the second floor. There was a fully-installed system unit on the table.

  They were using the same chassis as before, and the entire system looked impressive and luxurious.

  After all, they had spent a huge sum of money on it. Of course, they had to take good care of the exterior appearance as well.

  Apart from the system unit, there was also a special logo on the table. The word ‘ROF’ was written like a freehand drawing. It looked particularly memorable.

  This was Republic of Faith’s custom-made logo. One could install the logo onto the system unit, and it would glow.

  It was common knowledge that hardware that glowed had fifty percent better performance.

  Republic of Faith did not make use of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s logo because the latter looked relatively lame. It would not help to express Republic of Faith’s high-end style.

  Ma Yang scrutinized the system unit in front of him. “Er… it’s not bad! At least it looks perfectly fine on the outside. Just one look, and you’d be able to tell that this is expensive stuff.”

  Zhang Yuan nodded. “It really is quite expensive.

  “We’re just beginning. We can sell the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s brand of computers first and focus on serving a few ballers. We don’t need to mass produce these units. For now, we’ll work on building a name for ourselves.

  “At the end of the day, we have to make sure that every person who buys our system units feels like royalty. We’ll deliver the system unit to their doorstep and offer on-the-spot repair services. These would be necessary.

  “Once we build a name for ourselves, we can think about producing other types of hardware or tending to customers’ special requests.

  “As for monitors, mouses, and the like; we can provide an official recommendation list If customers think our prices are too high, they can purchase them on their own. If they can’t be bothered, we can purchase these items on their behalf. This would just be additional work for our brothers at Upwind Logistics.

  “If our business takes off, we might even be able to find original equipment manufacturers to produce our monitors and other peripherals. Then, Republic of Faith would be complete. We would have produced something worth showing off.” Ma Yang nodded in approval. “Yes, we shouldn’t try to bite off more than we can chew. We’ll start by installing and delivering our system units. We can offer on-the-spot repair services and charge a small fee in order to build a name for ourselves. That can be Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and Upwind Logistics’s subsidiary business.

  “If we succeed, we’d be achieving something for Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.”

  Zhang Yuan felt deeply comforted. Boss Ma was finally on the same page as him. At last, Zhang Yuan did not need to expend so much energy to lie to-no, persuade him.

  Very quickly, the system unit was wrapped up and ready to be delivered to their first customer.One of the young men from Upwind Logistics would deliver the system unit. Fish-Catching Internet Cafe would then be in charge of the after-sales service.

  Apart from regular maintenance, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe would also provide on-the-spot services such as upgrading of peripherals and swapping of display cards.

  The brothers from Upwind Logistics were basically family. Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang could trust them to be careful while delivering the system units. Naturally, they did not have to worry about the computer being smashed. The entire unit would surely reach the customer’s house safe and sound.

  Zhang Yuan retrieved the other custom-made ROF logos and installed them on the computers in the internet cafe.

  He would stick this logo on all of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s computers, so that players would form an impression of their brand.

  Before this, customers would have been able to tell with one look that the computers were self-made. However, with the logo, the computers would look that much more impressive.

  Someone was bound to ask for the brand of the computers.


  Then, the helpful waiters in the internet cafe could introduce them to the new business of custom-made, high-end system units.

  Chapter 292 - It’s a Good Thing that I Found Out Early!

  Wednesday…

  Pei Qian woke up feeling hungry.

  He switched on his cell phone and accessed Fish-Catching Take-Out.

  Although Boss Pei’s loss-incurring plan was not going smoothly, he had to admit that, thanks to all his hard work-his and Jingzhou citizens’ standard of living had improved greatly.

  He could order things online and have it delivered to his doorstep by Upwind Logistics.

  If he wanted to have take-out, he could be sure that Fish-Catching Take-Outs would serve him healthy and nutritious food.

  On top of all of these, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had greatly improved his online experience.

  Until now, Fish-Catching Take-Out had been in operation for over four months. All this time, it had steadily been incurring losses.

  Pei Qian was quite happy with this. Unfortunately, Fish-Catching Take-Out’s business was not big enough. Although it was incurring losses, it was not much.

  About twenty minutes later, Pei Qian’s food arrived.

  Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s Handong University branch was quite close to where Pei Qian was living. Thus, it did not take long for his food to be delivered.

  As Pei Qian ate, he thought about what he should do from now on.

  It felt like he was under immense pressure to spend more money. On top of his regular expenses, Pei Qian had to look for other avenues to spend money.

  He looked at the premium cutlery and familiar food in front of him. All of a sudden, Pei Qian realized that the take-out business could start taking on more expenses.

  After all, Fish-Catching Take-Out had been incurring losses for long enough; Pei Qian trusted it now.

  “If it doesn’t work, I can drink some poison to quench my thirst, right?”

  Pei Qian pondered hard and decided he would leave the next cycle’s problems till then to resolve.