"Let me share my own thoughts!"
"As the most devoted follower of the Moon Goddess, I've served as a Temple Priest Elder for nearly a century."
"Too long."
"In these hundred years, I've witnessed countless excellent works, countless brilliant prodigies."
"But it wasn't until today, when I saw this work, that i experienced such a different kind of shock!"
"I stake my reputation on this, Plants vs Zombies, its design, its gameplay, is absolutely an epochal innovation."
As he spoke, he activated his Moonstone and projected it.
Looking at the enlarged screen...
Everyone noticed his main interface looked somewhat different from when they'd played.
On the left side of the main screen was a silver Sunflower trophy, in the middle appeared a watering can with a text reading "Zen Garden."
On the right, below Adventure Mode, the Mini-Games, Puzzle Mode, and Survival Mode were all lit up.
Alto was slightly stunned.
Good grief.
This fast? In just one day, he'd cleared all five major stages of Adventure Mode?
Though Adventure Mode only had fifty levels, with each level taking roughly 8 minutes, veterans like Alto could clear it in half a day easily.
But for someone newly experiencing this type of game to clear it so quickly meant he'd barely gotten stuck at all.
He couldn't help but wonder if he'd set the difficulty too low.
This person was too good at it!
Seeing everyone's confused yet shocked expressions...
Christer felt rather smug.
"Haven't seen this before, have you? Bet you didn't expect it, among everyone present, my progress should be the highest."
He wasn't just a Temple Elder but also a Ninth-Tier Grand Mage. This kind of brain-intensive activity was child's play for him.
Not like that woman whose head was full of nothing but combat.
Especially seeing Melissa's shocked expression...
The feeling could be summarized in one word: delightful!
He began introducing in detail the various modes unlocked after completion.
"Look, I thought the game ended after defeating the final boss, Dr. Zomboss."
"What I didn't expect was that Adventure Mode is just the tip of this work's iceberg."
Hearing the final boss was Dr. Zomboss, everyone was impressed without fully understanding. Though they hadn't seen it, it sounded incredibly formidable.
Even more unexpected was that Adventure Mode was just the beginning.
"Using such minimal processing power to create such complex mechanics, such diverse gameplay..."
He opened the shop, revealing brand new items.
Cob Cannon, Winter Melon, Gold Magnet, Magnet-shroom, Twin Sunflower.
They all looked incredibly powerful.
Then came Mini-Games and Puzzle Mode.
Each small level represented a different gameplay style.
There was also Survival Mode's enhanced zombie hordes. Though he hadn't unlocked it yetand only the first stage was playable.
Then he clicked into the Zen Garden, which had a flowerpot with a small flower planted.
He picked up the watering can, watered it, and received a silver coin reward.
Players could also earn money through clearing levels or defeating enemies, and the money earned could be used to purchase items in the shop.
This economic system, though simple, was extremely interesting.
The entire venue gasped.
"Good lord, I thought I was close to the end, but I wasn't even at the doorstep!"
"There's way too much content!"
"Is this really just a rookie designer's work?"
"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
"Bow down to him! I couldn't think up mechanics this brilliant in a hundred years!"
Surveying the entire venue, Christer felt this moment of glory was beyond satisfying!
"Therefore, my score is..."
"10 points!"
The venue erupted once more!
This was the second perfect score.
Today was destined to be a historic moment.
"Contestant 1's total judge score average: 7.8. Vote score: 809 multiplied by (1+0.78). Final score: 1440."
"I hereby declare the final champion to be [Plants vs Zombies]!"
The entire plaza erupted.
Many people began cheering loudly!
Alto smiled. Finally, it all worked out.
"Damn it, damn it all!"
Damian stared unwillingly at Christer, his eyes seeming to say, "Why didn't you help me?!"
Christer snorted coldly, not boethring to justify himself before someone so much lower than him.
Final Rankings:
First Place: [Plants vs Zombies] Prize: 100,000 Baileys, 7-day Dream Corridor featured placement
Second Place: [Legend of the Saints] Prize: 80,000 Baileys
Third Place: [Rose Knight] Prize: 60,000 Baileys
Helena, leveraging the very high judge scores in the final round, climbed up to claim third place.
Award ceremony.
Alto received a commemorative trophy, plus a bag of gold coins, one hundred of them, equivalent to 100,000 Baileys.
His deflated wallet had finally filled back up.
"Mr. Alto, when will you release it?"
"Yeah! I can't wait to play the full version!"
"How much is it gonna cost?"
Some fans below couldn't contain themselves any longer, crowding around with questions.
"Don't worry, everyone. I'll make arrangements as soon as possible."
Seeing these enthusiastic fans, he answered each and every question.
Next came arranging the official publication.
Including pricing, distribution channels, and Moonstone engraving, he needed to resolve all of this quickly.
The competition ended, and the venue's crowd slowly dispersed.
"Hello! Mr. Alto, I'm a representative from the Saint Oros Trading Company!"
"Hello! I'm from the Reggie Trading Company!"
"Hello! I represent the Imperial Capital's Black Pearl Trading Company!"
...
A group of merchant company representatives surrounded him.
These people all wanted to secure Plants vs Zombies' distribution rights.
After all, as the competition's first-place winner, it was already well received.
Securing distribution rights would be a guaranteed profit venture.
Since he didn't have a magical communication device, because they easily cost ten thousand Baileys, he simply collected these companies' contact information.
Specific cooperation details would be discussed later.
Each company offered different terms and cooperation plans. He needed to carefully review and consider them.
He first entered the Temple, handled some post-competition matters, then obtained the Dream Meditation Technique and cultivation methods, essential for future training.
After leaving, he didn't rush home. The sky was darkening, and street lamps along the road had already been lit.
He wandered around a bit.
Then walked directly into a magic item shop, spending 30,000 Baileys on two magical communication devices.
Those things were truly expensive.
One for himself and one for his sister Aisha.
The prize money he'd just received was already reduced by nearly half.
Money really didn't last long.
However, once Plants vs Zombies officially launched...
He'd definitely make a fortune.