"Sons, I'm back~"
Because it was still early after eating, Nangong Yu went for a walk around Saint Freya after returning, and only came back to the hotel when it was completely dark.
He opened the door to the allocated suite and immediately greeted his three sons with a smile.
"Scram~" X3
He saw the three of them lying in a row on the sofa, looking limp all over, as if they didn't even have the strength to curse at him.
"What's wrong? Why are you all lying down?"
Hearing this, Kirito and Sugisaki Ken both turned their heads without saying a word. Only Bei Yuan showed a moved expression. He looked at Nangong Yu and said with a sigh, "I feel, I have no regrets in this life."
"..."
Okay, it seems this guy was quite satisfied with the service he arranged for tonight.
"Alright, you've enjoyed yourselves. Don't forget to finish my game tonight, otherwise won't it be too awkward if you don't even know what game you're in charge of as staff tomorrow?"
"Indeed."
Nangong Yu's voice made the three of them slowly climb up. They nodded, looking like they agreed.
They found a computer to be used for demonstration tomorrow, connected it to the projector in the living room, and then the recognized gaming expert Kirito operated it, while the other two watched from the left and right sides.
"Don't worry, even if the game you made is boring, we will persevere and finish it!"
Patting his chest, Bei Yuan promised.
"Okay, but I still believe in the quality of my game."
Nodding with a smile, Nangong Yu took out a box of tissues and placed it on the table, looking at them and saying, "You might need these soon."
"Huh? Did you make that kind of lewd game?"
The three were puzzled.
"No, I'm afraid you won't have tissues after you cry."
"Cry?"
Nangong Yu's words made the three of them laugh disdainfully, especially Bei Yuan, who swore directly, "Cry? I say, A Yu, stop being funny. If this game can make me cry, I'll wash my hair while standing on my head, alright?"
"Okay, I'll remember that."
"Heh~ He Ren, hurry up and start. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of game can make Yu brag like this."
"Okay."
Kirito nodded and opened the only game icon on the desktop.
The window popped open. First, an icon appeared on the screen with the three large characters 'Fantasy Township' on a red and white Yin-Yang orb background. Then, a melodious background music slowly started to play.
Hearing this, Nangong Yu smiled slightly, opened the door, and went straight back to his room to sleep and rest. He would be busy starting tomorrow!
...
The next day, Nangong Yu woke up early. After washing up, he went out again to bring back breakfast for his three sons. As he placed the breakfast on the table, he quickly noticed that the box of tissues was significantly less than half of what it was yesterday, and he immediately couldn't help but laugh out loud.
After waiting for a while, the three people, whose eyes were still a bit red, slowly walked out of their respective bedrooms. After exchanging glances with each other, they looked at the smiling Nangong Yu again, and their faces immediately filled with embarrassment.
"Get me a basin of hot water."
Bei Yuan suddenly said to Sugisaki Ken.
"What for?"
Glancing at Nangong Yu with some annoyance, Bei Yuan said impatiently, "To wash my hair, what else!"
"Pfft~ Okay, okay, I'll get it for you!"
"Tsk."
Turning his head, Bei Yuan looked at Nangong Yu and said, "This time, I'll admit you're good."
"I look forward to your performance."
"..."
Then, under Kirito's shocked gaze, Bei Yuan performed a true headstand hair wash. It has to be said that this guy Bei Yuan's physical fitness is truly outrageous.
After eating breakfast, the group rushed to the venue with great fanfare. Compared to yesterday when there were only staff, the venue was much livelier today.
Many players who came because of the reputation stood outside with anticipation, forming small circles among themselves and talking excitedly about something.
"So many people~"
Tipping onto his toes to look at the endless queue, Bei Yuan's voice was a little emotional.
"This is the most famous indie game festival in the world. Although the games aren't large in scale, there are always many interesting ideas, so it's quite popular among players."
Kirito, a veteran gamer, was naturally familiar with these things. They didn't look for too long and soon entered through the staff entrance on one side with their work passes.
Just then, Kirito suddenly approached Nangong Yu, looked at him with a slight frown, and whispered, "A Yu, I have a feeling the situation won't be very good soon."
"I know."
"Your game is indeed great, but for story-driven games, the disadvantage of offline exhibitions is really too big... Wait, you know?"
"That's right."
As a game developer, how could he not know He Ren's worries? Without fame, isn't it all about using gimmicks to attract people?
Others might rely on exquisite and beautiful CGs, or cool combat, unique level design to attract players' attention in a short time, but what about him? Relying on pixel art that has been outdated for many years?
He had originally planned to rely on word-of-mouth fermentation and buy some press releases for publicity. After all, the game was indeed good, not bragging. However, before doing any of this, he had obtained a trump card that made it impossible to lose.
"If you had observed carefully yesterday, you wouldn't be asking me this question today."
"?"
He patted Kirito on the shoulder, and Nangong Yu said with a smile, "Don't worry, even if my game only has a blank CG, this game will explode in popularity."
"?"
Kirito didn't understand why Nangong Yu was so confident, but since he said so, Kirito could only nod gently.
Soon, it was time for the exhibition to begin. Bei Yuan and the others were all fully prepared, sitting in their positions waiting for players to visit.
However, Kirito's worries were not unfounded. Throughout the entire day, their booth was not just deserted, but practically empty. Those who passed by out of curiosity immediately lost interest when they saw it was a pixel game. The few who came up to try it out quickly put down their mice and went to look at other games after only a couple of minutes. The only one who stayed for a long time didn't even touch the game, but wore headphones and listened to music for a long time. There was nothing they could do. In this situation, story-driven games were truly at a disadvantage.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Sugisaki Ken said to Nangong Yu with some worry.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. This situation is somewhat expected."
"Hmm, in today's society, even good wine fears deep alleys. Why don't you buy some publicity? Such a great game would be a shame if it's buried."
"Who says I don't have publicity?"
The sudden rhetorical question made Sugisaki Ken stunned for a moment: "Huh? But, today's visitors..."
"Don't worry, the time is almost right. You'll understand in a couple more days. Oh, and go to bed early these few days, remember to save your energy~"
"?"