Pokémon, but cultural invasion

"Sorry, I overslept today."

After various systems had been on strike for a long time, Lanxing finally managed to piece together some language.

"Are you feeling unwell? It's rare for you to oversleep."

Lanxing's cheeks flushed slightly as she faced Izumi's concerned gaze.

"Hmm...no...maybe because I went to bed late last night."

She can't exactly say that she's been so engrossed in the farm game every night that she overslept, can she?

At first, Lanxing took the job of tester seriously and kept good records of bugs and gameplay notes.

But as she delved deeper into the game, she spent more and more of her nights on the farm.

This time, I overslept even more.

No, I have to pull myself together!

Lanxing patted her cheeks. Oversleeping today served as a wake-up call for her. She couldn't continue to indulge in games; she had to take her job more seriously.

"I'll make the fried eggs, you go wash up first..."

"Do not."

Lanxing rejected his proposal.

“It was my fault for oversleeping and giving you extra work. Give me five minutes, I'll make breakfast.”

"...That's also acceptable."

Quanshu no longer insisted.

He stared at Lan Xing's hurried back. Although they hadn't spent much time together, he had already gotten a pretty good grasp of the Dean's personality.

Perhaps due to her upbringing, her orphanage background, or simply her nature, this young lady from the orphanage seems to have difficulty accepting the kindness of others.

Especially unsolicited help makes her feel uneasy.

She prefers equal exchange to mutual help.

Being able to solve problems on one's own and never relying on others—that's the biggest feeling Lanxing gave him.

Therefore, her interactions with everyone were bland and uneventful.

The neighbors around the welfare home and the merchants in the nearby villages and towns have always remembered her as a polite and responsible director.

Even Quanshu felt that it was a unique thing to be able to work together with Lanxing in the orphanage for a common goal.

If he weren't his grandfather's grandson, if they didn't share a common goal, and if the orphanage weren't on the verge of closing down, their relationship would never have been so harmonious.

She has no family, no friends, and is only accompanied by the Pokémon in the orphanage, somewhat like an invincible person from a past life.

It's not that this is bad, it's just...

When Quanshu saw Lanxing, who was dressed neatly, with her long hair styled smoothly and shiny, and wearing an impeccable smile, sitting down opposite him with a plate of food.

He could sense that the other party was fully armed, and that it wasn't aimed at him, but rather at everyone—an armor and wall erected against them.

Her true feelings and destiny were hidden beneath her steel armor, peeking at the outside world through the gaps between the armor plates.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Job Applicants

Quanshu used a spoon to cut the fried egg in the bowl. Did her grandfather know about her situation?

Ultimately, however, Lanxing is merely the heir to the orphanage, and it has little to do with him personally, so it would be strange for him to be troubled by this.

Quanshu sorted out his thoughts; he should focus his energy on the new movie and the new game.

Neither his identity nor his stance allows him to interfere with the way Lanxing lives.

If we maintain the status quo, everyone will have a bright future.

"Travel farms are very popular lately."

After a brief adjustment, Lan Xing's expression and demeanor returned to their usual sternness and meticulousness.

Not only is she addicted to it herself, but her social media accounts are also taken over by people who share and collect travel photos.

There's no need to elaborate on the game's promotional videos and word-of-mouth marketing; you can easily find three or four with a quick scroll.

Even Lanxing, who was slow to adapt to the internet environment, noticed that the game's popularity was rising rapidly.

"But will anyone actually buy those paid items?"

She turned the condiment bottle and sprinkled a layer of black pepper on the fried egg.

Based on Lanxing's experience over the past few days, the main paid items in the travel farm are rare seeds and beautiful furniture.

Except for a very few rare items, these high-level items can all be obtained from postcards sent back by your companions; it's simply a matter of probability.

Given her spending habits, she would never spend money on in-game purchases.

"Well, it just goes to show that there are more rich people in the world than we think."

According to Quanshu's statistics, the farm's turnover over three days is around two million yen.

Given the game's popularity, the net revenue generated is inadequate.

One reason for the substandard quality is that Quanshu's planning is not to force or trick people into spending money.

The items are priced relatively low, with the most expensive rare seed costing no more than 400 yen, the price of two Poké Balls.

Therefore, he and the paying players are in a situation where one party is willing to pay and the other is willing to receive.

After all, the players in this world haven't experienced the baptism of the 888 Fire Kirin, nor have they witnessed the various heaven-defying operations of the game planners.

If he were to release a battle pass or a guide, he would be ridiculed as a complete idiot in no time.

On the other hand, most players' thinking is still stuck in the era of buy-to-play and point card systems, and they are not interested in recharging.

For these players, FarmVille is the perfect free game.

Even with the existence of paid items, the game still enjoys a good reputation and positive public opinion.

Based on the actual situation, Quanshu gave a fair assessment: "Our game is thriving."

"I hope so."

After the meal, Lanxing got up to clear the dishes.

"By the way, don't go out at night recently."

"The League has discovered signs of Pokémon hunter activity near Goldenrod City."

"Pokémon Hunter?"

Izumi recalled, "Yes, before Team Rocket broke ties with the League, the biggest villains were the profit-driven Pokémon hunters."

Giovanni is the Gym Leader of Evergreen City, Team Rocket is a legitimate, publicly traded company operating across multiple regions, while Pokémon hunters are infamous.

The two most prominent hunters are Bishas and Hunter J.

The former is the Rockets' hidden dirty glove, a high-ranking official, who mainly operates in the Kanto region.

The latter is the leader of the largest hunter organization in the Sinnoh region and has close ties with Team Galactic.

However, regardless of the type of hunter, Izumi didn't think they would be interested in the small fry at the Tsubasa Welfare Home.

Rare Pokémon are what hunters are after.

Even if you encounter them in the wild, unless you uncover a poaching operation, the hunter won't risk exposing himself by killing you first.

In most cases, you just miss out on Pokémon hunters.

Thinking about it this way, Quanshu felt much more at ease.

It's not that you can't win; after all, wild battles aren't Pokémon battles. The opponent can easily take advantage of the gap between the two Pokémon's stalemate to launch a shot at you.

He's not a true rookie; he can't withstand bullets.

After washing the dishes, Lanxing assigned the Pokémon in the yard to keep watch, just in case.

Although the Pokémon in the orphanage are not very strong, even a multitude of ants can kill an elephant, and ordinary poachers would be in trouble if they were surrounded.

"Om-"

Quanshu checked his phone and saw Ache's leave notice and Qishu's harassing messages.

"Genius photographer: Sorry, I'd like to ask for leave from today's training."

"Genius photographer: The Cerulean Sisters are about to embark on a world tour, and this underwater ballet performance in Cerulean City is their last dance."

"Genius photographer: Izumi, do you want to come with me? The second ticket is half price!"

Quanshu rejected him without even thinking.

The day after his new work became a hit, he posted a job advertisement for Tingxiang Studio online.

We require programmers with extensive experience in the Kanto region and game development.

There were very few applicants.

So he lifted the restrictions in the Kanto region, hoping to attract more applicants.

Whether it's because there are too few programmers in the world or because Tingxiang's influence is insufficient, recruitment remains lukewarm.

Quanshu had to simultaneously screen resumes, maintain the game on a daily basis, and deal with Qishu's harassing messages.

"Brewing Electric Frog: Dear Operations Officer, I want the rare 'Caramel Pudding Flower Seeds'."

"Thoughts flow like a spring: That's a picture photoshopped by netizens; there's nothing like that in the game."

"Brewed Electric Frog: Dear Quanshu, I want the 'Maple Syrup Table and Chairs' that I can't buy even if I pay for them."

"Thoughts flowing like a spring: Please increase the rarity of the amulet carried by the Electric Belly Frog, so that there is a greater chance of obtaining the Maple Syrup Table and Chair."

"Brewing Electric Frog: Izumi, I want a fishing rod that guarantees catching rare fish."

"Thoughts flow like a spring: I'm not a wish-granting machine, and please be mindful of the frequency of contact."

"Electric Frog: Play a game of the tavern minigame with me, and I'll let you go if you win. (Electric Frog is angry.jpg)"

"Thoughts flowed like a spring: ...Okay."

...

"Frog with Electric Beak: It's stuck, last round doesn't count!"

"The Electric-Belly Frog: Hey, stop playing dead!"

Even through the internet cable, Quanshu could almost hear the sickening sound of shark teeth grinding together.

This guy... is such a hassle.

He had no idea that Qishu was such a chatterbox and a nuisance.

Aside from the challengers visiting during the day and the live stream at night, whenever Qishu felt bored, he would start asking all sorts of questions, especially about the progress of Souls-like games.

Unfortunately, they are strategic partners, so I have to make time to appease them.

We need to set up a studio quickly and make a few games to shut her up.

He made up his mind under the spring tree.

He continued screening the resumes of the applicants.

For applicants with good resumes, he will arrange online video interviews.

Unfortunately, after several rounds of interviews, the results were not satisfactory.

Am I being too demanding?

He opened the next resume in his email.

This time, the applicants were special; they weren't individuals, but a game development team.

It's called Calm Calculation.

Quanshu reviewed their previous game releases.

It's a small game about number calculations.

He tried it out. The first level was okay, but the second level and onwards, it became so difficult that it was impossible to play without a calculator.