Tokyo Video Game Tycoon.

Takeyu Masako.

At this moment, Zhu Youxing stood nervously in front of the phone.

Masako Takeyu is the mother of the Takeyu Star in this world.

In the eyes of Zhu Youxing in this world, she is a very independent woman.

And he is a painter who seems to have a certain reputation abroad.

He is one of the few Japanese artists in the world who can go abroad and be welcomed.

In the memories of this body, it seems that Zhu Youxing only had a happy childhood with his mother when he was young.

But ever since Takeyu Sei entered junior high school, Takeyu Masako has been traveling all over the world, seemingly for various art exhibitions and teaching jobs.

If you want to find a qualified or even better concept artist, then looking for your mother is definitely the right choice.

Compared to contacting the uncontrollable wealthy people his father knew, finding these painters who were merely tools was not a problem.

However, after the original owner of the body entered junior high school, he rarely had any contact with this mother anymore; it was mostly Takeyu Masako who took the initiative to contact him.

Perhaps because he had already integrated well with the identity of this body, Zhu Youxing was actually a little nervous when he decided to call his mother.

At that moment, he kept thinking about how to say the first words to his mother.

Takeyusei shook his head, while Hayazawa Airi peeked out furtively, trying to overhear some of Takeyusei's secrets.

She seems to have become completely at ease with everyone now.

Finally, Zhu Youxing picked up the phone and dialed the number that would always give the child the green light immediately.

Beep beep beep.

Click!

"Little Star? Little Star, is that you?"

“I am your mother.”

On the other end of the phone, a woman's voice that sounded very energetic rang out.

The moment the call connected, the woman on the other end sounded very cheerful and happy.

It seems that Masako Takeyu on the other end of the line is very happy that her son called her.

"Wow, Xiaoxing finally called me! I'm so happy! I'm definitely going to celebrate today!"

At this moment, Masako Takeyu is in a hotel somewhere abroad. The hotel room is filled with all kinds of paints and easels. Judging from the messiness of the room, it seems that Masako Takeyu has been staying here for some time.

The sky outside was already turning white, roughly the time difference with Japan.

At this time, Takeyu Masako usually sleeps in late, but the child's phone call was unusual; it was Takeyu Sei who called first for the first time in a long time.

The moment the phone rang, she rushed forward, grabbed the child's phone, and answered it with unprecedented speed.

"Mother, are you feeling alright? Have you been staying up late?"

"Of course your mother will take good care of herself. But let's talk about you, Xiaoxing. How are you doing at home? Is it messy? If it is, you can call a cleaning company to come and help."

"Don't worry, I'm fine here."

"Xiaoxing, let me tell you something. You must take good care of yourself. Your parents are never by your side. The only thing we can do is help you financially or with a few connections. So you must not mistreat yourself, understand?"

"Uh-huh."

Zhu Youxing nodded earnestly.

Then, Masako Takeyu's demeanor changed abruptly: "Alright, what is it?"

"Forehead?"

"Alright, little one, as your mother, even though we haven't seen each other for a long time, I still know you very well. You called me on your own initiative because you probably want to talk to me about something, or maybe you want to see your father?"

Ok.

My mother is really straightforward and doesn't mince words at all.

He was thinking of saying a few more polite words, but Masako Takeyu had no such intention and went straight to the point.

"Well, I do have some things to do."

"Go ahead and tell me, it's probably not about money."

"I need a painter, preferably a cartoonist, but of course, it would be even better if there were more candidates."

Chapter 34 Searching for a Cartoonist

"A cartoonist? Why do you need a cartoonist?"

Masako Takeyu had considered that her child might lack money and that her child might not have a good life.

But to everyone's surprise, Takeyusei's first question was that he wanted her help finding a manga artist.

Zhu Youxing could find someone, but he certainly couldn't find a suitable one in a short time.

My mom, who's a painter, might not be a perfect match for me, but she's definitely more reliable than me looking for someone.

"Mother, I've started a small business and now I need some help drawing some promotional posters."

"Wow, I didn't expect Xiaoxing to start a business. It seems you're becoming more and more mature. I'm so proud of you."

Takeyu Masako showed a relieved expression.

However, she quickly added, "Since it's for creating promotional posters, you definitely need a well-known artist. I'll find you a few artists I know; their skill level is quite good, even better than cartoonists."

At the level of a mother, the famous painters she mentions are very likely traditional painters who have some international recognition.

This is not the type that Zhu Youxing is looking for.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxing quickly shook his head: "No, Mother, I don't need that kind. I need younger painters. My products don't need a high-end painting style. I need something more fashionable, and preferably in a comic book style."

Perhaps hiring a renowned painter to create a few original paintings could be done in a short time.

But what I really wanted was for them to draw game concept art for me long-term.

After all, Dragon Quest isn't just a single product; it's a game IP that has spanned over a dozen generations and more than twenty years. So, they need to find someone younger. Otherwise, if someone gets too old and dies halfway through, the sudden change in art style would seriously affect the game's reputation.

Moreover, even if a traditional painter with some fame has a lot of influence, the other party would never agree to him working for someone else for a long time.

Even if you offer them money, those kinds of painters might not be willing to do such troublesome things for you; they would feel it would be beneath them.

Conversely, some cartoonists will not refuse payment as long as it is offered in full.

Cartoonists need to be more commercialized.

Furthermore, Dragon Quest was originally drawn by a well-known manga artist, and Takeyusei has no intention of changing that.

"Oh, I don't really have anyone to recommend, because I don't know much about the comic book industry. But I can give you a contact number; he might be able to help you."

"who is it?"

"This was an editor at an art magazine in the past, and now it seems he has switched to a comics magazine as editor-in-chief. He must have very suitable candidates under him."

The idea of ​​directly asking the editor-in-chief to select people immediately caught Zhu Youxing's eye.

"Mom, you're the best! Your suggestion is really great!"

"Huh? Xiaoxing, you look a lot different! It's been so long since I've seen you, and you've already learned to please your mother. Talk more in the future, Mommy likes to hear it!"

Masako Takeyu was very happy.

The former Zhu Youxing was somewhat taciturn and not good with words, so it was quite difficult for him to hear children's compliments.

"No problem! Love you, Mom!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Youxing immediately dialed the number his mother had left behind.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Takeyu Masako was still holding her phone, blinking her eyes.

"Xiao Xing actually said he loves me?"

Suddenly, I'm in an amazing mood today!

Daigo Ikeda is a man of about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, whose hair is already slightly receding due to long hours of working late into the night.

He likes to wear slippers to work and casually sits with other editors, chatting about the daily lives of the cartoonists under his command.

"Junji-sensei has been taking frequent breaks lately. Oda, you should keep an eye on this, or there might be problems."

"Oh, editor-in-chief, you know perfectly well that Mr. Chun Er always disappears. I can't find him anywhere now."

"Idiot, go and wait outside his house. If he doesn't show up, just keep waiting."

Xiao Tian said timidly, "Editor-in-chief, it's winter now..."

“What’s wrong with winter?” Daigo Ikeda glared. “Our job is to be responsible for the teachers and the readers. Go buy some gifts, and the magazine will reimburse the cost.”

"Okay... okay."

After scolding Editor Oda, Daigo Ikeda shook his head helplessly.

Life is already tough, but some of the cartoonist teachers don't appreciate it, which leaves him feeling helpless.

"Is Tsuchiya-sensei's Swordsman Legend still not working out lately?"

Daigo Ikeda then looked at an editor.

The editor shook his head: "No, the rating has already dropped to the point of being cut in half. In fact, it should have been canceled this week."

"Sigh... let's try to hold on for another month. If it still doesn't work... I'll let Tsuchiya-sensei know and... let him take a good rest before drawing again."

When he said those words, Daigo Ikeda seemed somewhat listless.

Mr. Tsuchiya was one of the manga artists he mentored.

After achieving great success with his first comic book, he began to decline.

The so-called debut is the peak.

Five years have passed, and they are still relying on the success of their first book, without producing any other outstanding products.

Because of the past benefits, Tsuchiya-sensei has been able to continue serializing his work until now. If he were a new manga artist, he wouldn't have so many opportunities. However, the magazine is not a charity, and they have already given Tsuchiya-sensei many opportunities.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, but just then, Daigo Ikeda's cell phone rang.

"I'm going to take this call."