Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch

Chapter 759: Chapter 719: Snatching Business

Lincoln hung up the phone with regret.

As expected, there were some things that one had to handle on their own, especially with America, which had always been very difficult.

Unable to come up with a clever solution, Lincoln simply took Mavis to the “Chang’an” project team.

The development of the “Chang’an” project seemed a bit ludicrous—

The main storyline hadn’t been finalized, yet ideas for various lively events and celebrations kept popping up, and progress was being made swiftly.

According to Lincoln’s plans, the more events in the first chapter of “Chang’an,” the better. Even if the main plot didn’t require them, they could still be included to increase the players’ sense of exploration and enjoyment.

As such, as long as an activity was generally well-received and did not disrupt the game’s harmony, any ideas including “personal painted barges” as simulation management elements were allowed to be added to the game’s development plan.

Admittedly, the threshold for such gameplay was relatively high, as collecting beautiful girls, educating and cultivating them, purchasing ships, and decorating painted barges all required immense investments.

But making money in “Chang’an” would be even more challenging than in Night City.

After all, the more long-term the operation of a game, the stricter its economic system must be designed.

Regarding the main plot, it wasn’t that there weren’t any ideas; many suggestions were proposed, but none were considered satisfactory, so they were all put into a reserve list.

The main storyline was indeed important. As soon as Lincoln joined the project team, he began participating in the discussion group to help design the storyline.

Time flew by as they were fully engrossed in their work.

As it approached lunchtime, a veteran junior employee of Dream Cloud Studio, Palace Poem, suddenly ran over to Lincoln, excitedly stating that she had thought of a great new idea.

Anytime a development team employee had a new idea, it could be suggested, and if suitable, it could be added to the game.

Lincoln had mentioned this previously, and precisely because of this rule, Metropolis and Night City could always maintain their vitality, with new ideas continually emerging.

“Chang’an” had given everyone plenty of room for creativity from the development stage.

“What’s the idea? Tell me,” Lincoln said interestedly.

Palace Poem then excitedly said, “Harem Wars!”

Upon hearing these words, Lincoln immediately looked confused, “Harem Wars? What does that mean? The harem interferes with politics and causes wars?”

“No, no!” Palace Poem shook her head, giving Lincoln a disdainful look for his lack of imagination.

“Here’s my plan: Design an activity specifically for female players to participate in. Through a ‘preliminary selection and voting’ process, those selected can enter the harem. Then, through showcasing their talents, scheming and competing for favor, they can vie for the final throne of the empress.”

“We can make it a quarterly event. If it gets a good response, we can even turn it into an esports competition or a variety show, increasing its influence.”

“Oh, and we can encourage netizens to vote for their favorite contestants. The topic and attention will definitely skyrocket!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Lincoln hurriedly stopped her, “This won’t work.”

He rejected the idea without a second thought.

“Why not?” Palace Poem was unwilling to give up, “Martial competitions are fine, courtesan competitions are fine, so why not competitions for becoming the empress?”

Why not? Were they here to play “Harem 101”?

“The nature of these events are different. Courtesan competitions involve NPCs, not players.”

Palace Poem still seemed unconvinced, but after further thought, she sighed and left, “Fine, I’ll think of something else then.”

Lincoln did not forget to remind her, “Next time, think of something more reliable!”

*

As Dream Cloud Studio began their lunch break, it was late at night on America’s East Coast.

In a warehouse in Baltimore, located in the northeast of the American capital, the Generous Epic was gathered with several confidantes in a small meeting room, arranging the tasks for their subordinates over the next two days.

“Tomorrow is Christmas, and the people of Baltimore are waiting for us to deliver a surprise to them.”

“The good news is: our old partner has made it on time, and in another hour, we will have 150,000 Mirage consoles in our hands. I need you to deliver them to the customers in the shortest possible time, understood?”

“Yes!” The six confidants in the room nodded in unison.

“This time, do it beautifully, and next time, we can get 300,000 units. Brothers, success is just ahead!”

Five people in the room nodded heavily, but one little black was a little reluctant, “Uncle, this thing doesn’t make as much money as drugs, so why do we spend so much effort doing this?”

Epic didn’t hesitate and slapped the stupid child’s head.

But with respect to their kinship, he still looked at the “strategist” and said, “Explain it to him.”

The only person in the room wearing a suit and leather shoes nodded and explained to the stupid child, “Smuggling Mirage consoles might not have as exaggerated profit margins as drugs, but they still far surpass anything else. And it’s a very low-risk business since there’s no problem selling them and getting caught is a minor issue. Just get jailed for a few days and pay a fine.”

“Selling one console is enough to pay the fines for thirty people. Have you ever seen a business with such high profits and low risks?”

“Moreover, this is an emerging industry. Unlike the traditional drug trade, it doesn’t face intense competition in every area. Once we stabilize our supply, we can completely expand beyond Baltimore and tap into broader markets, while the drug business can never leave Baltimore.”

“Finally, just because smuggling Mirage consoles is illegal now doesn’t mean it’ll be illegal in the future. The complete ban has not only caused large-scale protests among civilians, but there are also many different voices among congressmen. No one knows whether the wind will change after the next election.”

“If we’re well-positioned in advance, we can quickly go legit and make a fortune once the wind changes – catching the train of the new era.”

…

Epic’s vision is indeed top-notch.

He sensed the opportunity shortly after the launch of Mirage Console and reached out to Cloud Dream to seek cooperation without any hesitation.

Although he didn’t receive a response and the Mirage Console was subsequently banned by the government, he didn’t give up and kept looking for opportunities.

Today is the day to reap the rewards.

As long as this deal goes through, smooth sailing lies ahead!

However, just as Epic was feeling satisfied, a little brother suddenly burst into the meeting room, shouting, “Boss, there’s a problem!”

“Boss, our goods have been seized by the coast guard!”

“?” Epic’s face changed, looking at his always quiet mobile phone, turned and asked, “How do you know?”

“T-television!” stammered the little brother, catching his breath, pointing to the TV in the corner, and said, “Nighttime news!”

A confidant found the remote control, turned on the TV, changed the channel a few times, and finally found the live news.

Looking at the background, the cargo ship was only a few minutes away from the port. Unfortunately, it was stopped for inspection by the coast guard just a short distance from its destination.

The reporter stood in front of the camera, broadcasting this breaking news with a serious expression-

“It is reported that during this surprise inspection, the Coast Guard found the ship owner smuggling a large number of drugs, game consoles, and a small number of illegal immigrants…”

“According to the Coast Guard, the most valuable items are Mirage Game Consoles, and preliminary statistics show there may be as many as 50,000 units!”

…

In the blink of an eye, the relaxed atmosphere disappeared completely, and everyone fell silent, leaving only the sound of the television echoing in the room.

Little Black was the first to speak, “That’s not our shipment, right? Doesn’t our shipment have 150,000 units?”

He thought the little brother made a mistake and that the Coast Guard confiscated someone else’s goods.

But before anyone could explain, Epic suddenly yelled angrily:

“Damn it! The Coast Guard is trying to steal our business!”