You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

"Every time you successfully heal an NPC, a random event called 'Word of Word' will be triggered."

"For example, if you heal a peddler, he'll brag about you to people in the market; if you save a mercenary, he'll tell his story to his companions in the tavern."

"When these disseminations accumulate to a certain level, they will trigger 'regional influence enhancement,' thereby unlocking new story areas."

"For example, if the royal palace hears about you, they will send someone to invite you; or the black market will come to you to make a deal."

“We make ‘reputation’ a real driving force in the world, not just a cold, hard number.”

Hua Wu excitedly exclaimed, "We can add the 'Gossip Event System'!"

“Rumors like ‘the love story of an elf girl and a mysterious healer’ circulate in the streets, or ‘he is actually a member of the exiled royal family’.”

"These gossips can sometimes affect how NPCs treat you; some will admire you because of them, while others will doubt you."

“You could even design a story where the protagonist goes to buy bread, and the shopkeeper secretly adds an egg to it, saying, ‘I heard you’re a prince, so you’re not short of money.’”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Lu Yu smiled too, a very soft smile, as if he had been relaxing for a long time.

"Okay, then let's create a 'living' world."

"A world that can speak, misunderstand, support you, and also abandon you."

"But you always have the choice—to just be an ordinary therapist."

Wan Xiaotong suddenly asked, "Then, do we still need a combat system?"

Mo Xiaoxuan pushed up his glasses. "I don't think we need a traditional combat system anymore. But we can design 'extreme events'."

"For example, an NPC rushes into your clinic with injuries, saying that there are monsters attacking outside and asking you to treat his brother."

"Then you have to collect herbs, synthesize potions, and even risk going to the countryside to collect rare materials within a limited time."

"This is another form of 'battle,' a challenge to your 'efficiency, judgment, and choices.'"

“We can design an ‘emergency treatment mode’ where the background music suddenly becomes tense, the screen flashes a red warning, and a countdown begins.”

"You're not fighting monsters, you're racing against death."

"This way of playing actually makes it more immersive."

Lu Yu nodded: "Then let's call it the 'Lifeline Gameplay'."

"We are not fighting, we are 'saving'."

"And with each successful rescue, players will gain a sense of 'survival' from within."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Then, Wan Xiaotong suddenly laughed: "I think... this time, we can make a truly 'different' game."

Hua Wu blinked: "What's the name?"

Everyone looked at Lu Yu.

He hesitated for a moment, then slowly uttered a sentence:

"The Free Clinic: Sherlock the Unlicensed Healer"

……

A slight restlessness stirred in the air of the conference room.

The orange cat jumped down from Hua Wu's lap, circled the conference table, and stopped at Lu Yu's feet, beginning to groom itself. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the densely packed keywords on the whiteboard, like lighting up a world map about to unfold.

The aroma of tea, cat hair, the sound of keyboard typing, and the scratching of whiteboard markers across plastic boards—on this spring afternoon, these elements form the most familiar creative symphony in the Taoyuan Township Studio.

“We’ve already covered most of the city gameplay, the medical system, and the emotional interactions.” Lu Yu gently closed his notebook, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone gentle yet carrying a guiding firmness, “But what we’re making is an RPG, and this world can’t just be about clinics and the daily lives of NPCs.”

"He must be whole."

“We need a vast open world so that players can truly ‘go out’.”

Who wants to speak first?

Mo Xiaoxuan immediately stood up, a hint of excited fighting spirit shining through the reflection of his glasses. He walked to the whiteboard and, while wielding his pen, began to eloquently describe his "world structure":
“I suggest we adopt a ‘ring-shaped hierarchical world structure’.”

"The center is the royal capital, and the protagonist's clinic is also located here."

"The outer ring consists of slums, merchant streets, old city ruins, underground canals, and other urban fringe areas, which include small, life-oriented tasks as well as some plot-driving missions."

"Further out, surrounding the city are three major wilderness areas."

He quickly drew three different colored areas on the whiteboard, resembling a blooming flower.

"The first area is the 'Misty Forest'."

"This is a forest area that is shrouded in mist all year round. It is here that the protagonist first embarks on his solo adventure."

“We can implement a visual mechanism: in the fog, the field of vision is reduced, and players must rely on clues provided by NPCs, as well as sound, wind direction, and even the reactions of small animals to determine the direction.”

"Here, he will encounter some wandering patients, dying monsters, injured travelers, and even—"

“Fufu’s hometown is located deep in the forest.”

Hua Wu's eyes lit up: "The ruins of the elves! We can create an 'emotional memory system' where, when the protagonist triggers certain mechanisms in the ruins, they will see fragments of Fufu's childhood, her memories with her family and clan, presented one by one from the protagonist's perspective."

Some memories are warm, some are painful.

"And the protagonist's choice will affect whether she is willing to continue the adventure with you."

Mo Xiaoxuan nodded vigorously: "Yes, we make 'environment' part of the emotional narrative."

"The second region—'The Rift Wasteland'."

His pen swept across the whiteboard, drawing a ravine that tore the earth apart.

"This is a land shattered by ancient wars, with chaotic magic, complex terrain, floating rocks, out-of-control magical storms, and even areas where time is distorted."

“We can design a ‘magical interference mechanism’.”

"In this area, the protagonist's healing spells will become unstable, and may fail to heal, have distorted effects, or even summon strange side effects."

"The core of this adventure is 'loss of control'."

"The protagonist will gradually learn how to remain calm in chaos, thus unlocking a new level of healing skill tree - 'Chaos Repair'."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu nodded slightly.

“This part is key to the growth curve, but we don’t do traditional numerical growth. Instead, we gain new capabilities by ‘understanding chaos and accepting failure’.”

"This fits our protagonist—he doesn't become stronger, but rather more inclusive."

Mo Xiaoxuan immediately added, "The last area is the 'Sea of ​​Slumber'."

"There are floating islands, sunken cities, and lost sea routes at sea."

"This is the most open and free area in the entire game."

"Players can ride a floating ship modified by Fufu and take on healing commissions, explore ancient documents, and unravel the secrets of the world while sailing freely."

“We can design a ‘nautical log system’.”

“Each voyage will record the weather, rescuers, failed treatments, encounters with wonders, elf songs and other content, forming a ‘book of wandering’ that belongs to the player.”

"Finally, after players complete the game, they can choose to keep this book as a souvenir."

"It can even be exported as a PDF and printed out."

Wan Xiaotong listened intently: "This is so romantic..." She rested her chin on her hand, her eyes shining, "We can give each island a different 'emotional attribute'."

"Some islands are shrouded in sorrow; the birds are silent, the plants droop, and the NPCs are speechless."

"Some islands are filled with anger, with volcanic eruptions and rampant lightning. Players must use the 'Emotional Harmony' spell to soothe the ley lines."

"And each time the protagonist performs a treatment, he is engaging in a dialogue with the 'emotions of the world'."

"The world is not a map, but a heart."

"We'll call this gameplay 'World Heart Rate System'."

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

"Awesome." Hua Wu gave a thumbs up. "I give this name full marks."

“We can even let players see the ‘heartbeat line’ on the map.”

"Whenever there is a dramatic emotional upheaval somewhere in the world, a curve will appear on the map to indicate that 'someone needs you there'."

"It's not a main quest, and it's not an emergency dungeon."

"But there is someone waiting for you."

Lu Yu leaned back in his chair and gently closed his eyes.

In my mind, a vast and serene world slowly unfolds.

From a small clinic in the slums to the elven ruins in the mist; from the storms of the Rift Wasteland to the drifting book of the Sea of ​​Slumber.

"We don't want a world that players can 'conquer'."

"We want a world that players can 'walk into'."

"It's not a map, not a quest, not a level."

"It is—life."

He opened his eyes and looked at everyone.

Do you think this world is worth doing?

The group exchanged glances and spoke almost simultaneously:
"worth."

"Then we'll do it."

Lu Yu stood up, walked to the whiteboard, connected all the regions, systems, and keywords into a network, and finally wrote down a word:

"Healing RPG"

"This is the core of our new work."

"It's not about leveling up by fighting monsters, and it's not about saving the world."

"Instead, the protagonist and the player learn together how to live well in a scarred world."

At 4:30 a.m., the city skyline was still not light, and the entire capital was still immersed in the slumber of the winter night.

Meanwhile, the 39th floor of the Longteng Group headquarters building was brightly lit. The glass walls of the conference room reflected the blue light from the LED screens—a cold, emotionless light, like a scalpel slicing through the darkness.

Pei Shengnan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room, his hands behind his back. His gray-blue suit was sharply tailored, its lines as crisp as a knife. His back was ramrod straight, like a general about to issue orders on the battlefield.

He didn't turn around, but simply spoke:
"Is everyone here?"

The assistant replied quietly, "Yes, Mr. Pei."

At this moment, the conference table was already full of people—the R&D director, the narrative planning team leader, the system planning head, the vice president of the marketing department, the head of the user research center, and two art outsourcing representatives from overseas.

Everyone had a tablet or laptop in their hands, and they looked tense, not daring to relax for a moment.

Because they knew that this emergency meeting held in the early hours of the morning was about the fate of Longteng Group's next project, and could even be a counterattack.

Pei Shengnan finally turned around, his face expressionless, only his eyes—calm and restrained, yet concealing a sharp edge about to erupt.

“I’ve received news,” he said bluntly, “that a brand new project has been officially approved in Taoyuan Township.”

"It's still an RPG."

He paused for a moment, his tone turning slightly somber: "An isekai (another world) theme."

There was silence in the conference room.

No one dared to speak first.

Everyone vaguely understood that this was no coincidence.

Lu Yu's "Peach Blossom Spring" completely crushed Longteng's "Void Frontier" from last year, and now they're making another isekai RPG? This is clearly an attempt to further expand their leading advantage in the field of emotional storytelling.

Pei Shengnan was clearly aware of this as well.

“We can no longer be passive.” His tone was low, but his words were firm and resolute. “We need to initiate a project, a project that can directly compete with it.”

"An isekai (another world) theme, RPG format, we absolutely must develop it!"

“I don’t care if it’s ‘following the trend’. Our goal is not to be original, but to surpass.”

He spoke the last two words slowly and deliberately, and the atmosphere in the conference room instantly became tense.

The R&D director asked hesitantly, "President Pei, we currently have two preliminary research frameworks. One is a high-magic world view centered on hero team battles, and the other is a single-player scenario-driven RPG with a Japanese fantasy style. Which one do you prefer?"

Pei Shengnan sat down, crossed his hands on the table, and calmly surveyed everyone.

"I want the third one."

“We will not be their shadows. If Lu Yu can be a ‘therapist opening a clinic in the slums,’ we will be a ‘knight establishing order in the capital.’”

“He talks about ‘emotional healing,’ we talk about ‘restoring order.’”

"I want a game that tells the story of 'establishing a new order in a chaotic world'."

"The protagonist must not be a bystander, but an actor."

"It's not about 'passively being changed by the world,' but about 'actively making changes.'"

"You guys need to find a way to incorporate 'every choice made by the player' into the city's development and social system."

"I want players to feel the 'weight of power'."

The system planning team leader wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to keep up: "Then, could we consider a 'power tree system'? Letting players gradually gain different power nodes in the game by completing tasks, building reputation, befriending nobles, and suppressing heretics? For example—the right to levy taxes, the right to maintain order, and the right to command the military?"

“Very good.” Pei Shengnan nodded. “What I want is not just ‘growth,’ but ‘a sense of dominance.’”

"We made the game a hybrid of 'realistic simulation + fantasy world'."

“You can start as a demoted knight, but you must have the opportunity to become the ‘Shadow Master of the City’.”

“Every decision you make will have a chain reaction in towns, villages, and even the black market.”

"Let their 'emotional system' go to hell."

“We are building a ‘power feedback system’.”

"Let players know what true domination is."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the conference room gasped.

The narrative planning team leader hesitated before speaking: "So how should the main storyline unfold? Should we start with the coup, or with the background of the war's defeat?" (End of Chapter)