Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

October 10th, Sunday…

Qiao Liang had published the first episode of Repent and be Saved's complete walkthrough. Satisfied, he refreshed the browser, reading the entertaining netizens' comments and waiting for the video to gain popularity.

The comments section was going crazy.

"So fast!"

"It's finally here. I'm so happy!"

"Ah, Old Qiao's video is finally out. I'll like it first to show my support!"

"Old Qiao's train of thought is very clear while playing the game. He really has thoroughly researched it."

"Indeed, Old Qiao has done his homework well. He tried to experience the game from the perspective of a lousy player and displayed great techniques to progress in the game, even in the difficult areas. This is really useful!"

"How professional! We also see a lot of foreshadowing of the plot. I'll give you 66 likes!"

"My brain: I know now! My hand: No, you don't."

"I feel like I'm playing a completely different game from Teacher Qiao. Why does it look so easy for him?"

The netizens were bootlicking Qiao Liang; he could not help but feel pleased with himself.

I produce professional game commentaries; how can others compare to me?

Qiao Liang was very happy with the episode he had just produced.

It was not a video meant to show off his amazing gaming skills. Instead, it was meant to take the perspective of ordinary players. He was aiming to show them an easier way for gamers to complete the game.

Of course, Qiao Liang would save a new file every time he met special monsters. This allowed him to show different ways of progressing through the area, so that his viewers could pick whichever suited them best.

There were other interesting things about the video, such as the hidden details and Easter eggs in the game, the testing of the official novel's plot, and Qiao Liang's opinion on the unclear parts of the game's storyline.

Qiao Liang watched the quickly-rising number of fans, feeling gratified and elated.

Whom should he thank?

Boss Pei, of course!

If Boss Pei had not invited Qiao Liang to Jingzhou to test the game in advance, how could he have been so much faster than other UP Masters?

Qiao Liang could not help but imagine himself still suffering and stumbling through the game if Boss Pei had not invited him to play it earlier than everyone else. Maybe he would be half-dead by now!

How else could I refer to myself as Boss Pei's loved one?!

Not only did he invite me to play the game in advance, but he also edited the game based on my feedback. I contributed to the game's success, didn't I?

Looking at the bigger picture, can I call myself the 'assistant designer' of Repent and be Saved? Or should I call myself the 'special tester of Repent and be Saved'?

Hehe, they're both not wrong!

Qiao Liang began interacting with his fans by randomly picking a few comments to reply to.

Soon, the video—termed by the audience as 'the best video of October'—rose up in ranks through the charts. It first appeared on the ranking board of the games channel… and then on the ranking board for content across Aili Island!

Qiao Liang scanned the videos on the ranking board and saw a familiar UP Master's name.

It was Hao Shuaiqi!

His video was titled 'When a Foreign UP Master Livestreams Repent and be Saved on Link Live'.

His video was still gaining popularity at the moment, and it was following closely behind Qiao Liang's walkthrough.

"Eh, this brother is quite efficient. Let me see how our foreign friend is doing."

Qiao Liang clicked on the video.

He had to say that Hao Shuaiqi lived up to his name—he was quite <anno data-annotation-id="8fadfbb8-2f9e-4ceb-8c54-b62e6ca6883e">charming</anno>. He gave off a foolish vibe, and he looked like someone who knew how to entertain others.

This foreign, energetic fellow had edited the recording of his livestream on Link Live, added special effects and subtitles, and then uploaded it on Aili Island.

It was obvious that Hao Shuaiqi had taken a completely different path from Teacher Qiao with his video.

Teacher Qiao's video was a walkthrough. It was not fast-paced, but it was rich in content. He had planned the entire process and filmed everything according to the script. He needed to cause his viewers to feel like the game was quite simple.

Hao Shuaiqi's video was a different story. It was filmed in one take and was naturally filled with scenes of him being killed by various different monsters. In one livestream alone, he could be killed by the same monster several times. Hao Shuaiqi edited these death scenes to make his video more entertaining.

Hao Shuaiqi had written 'he died' on his own epitaph. Coupled with his expressions as caught by the camera, his video showed viewers shadows of themselves playing the game. It was quite explosive.

From the bullet screen comments, Qiao Liang could tell that Hao Shuaiqi's viewers remained extremely happy even though he kept dying.

"Hahaha, the streamer died again."

"He's me; there's no doubt about it."

"The 'he died' message is so smart."

"I suggest that the livestreamer change the words on the epitaph to 'lousy' on your second try. The effect will be outstanding!"

"Tengda Games has brought glory to our country?!"

"He's making our foreign friends suffer and hurting international relations!"

"Cause of death: 'this monster doesn't look that powerful'."

"I came from Teacher Qiao's video. I'm eating one dish twice over—the entertainment effect is so explosive!"

"This is strange. When I tried this game on my own, I got so frustrated that I kept smashing my controller. Why am I having so much fun watching others play it, then?"

"Please, Hao Shuaiqi. Look for a coach. I can't watch this any longer!"

Hao Shuaiqi had an online dictionary opened in a browser, and a huge physical dictionary set up next to him. Each time he met with words he did not understand in the game, he would look them up.

In order to prevent foreigners from falling for the game, Pei Qian added a lot of poetry and ancient Mandarin into the game. He even hid riddles that would unlock secondary plot details.

Although Qiao Liang's knowledge of ancient Mandarin was not great, he did know a bit. At the very least, he could guess what was happening in the game.

However, someone like Hao Shuaiqi would have a much tougher time. Often, he failed to find the words he was looking for in the dictionaries. He had no choice but to ask his friends and passionate viewers for assistance.

Nevertheless, each time Hao Shuaiqi uncovered the meaning behind a certain poem or riddle, he would become particularly excited and feel an overwhelming sense of achievement.

Pei Qian thought about hiding the riddles in ancient poems—that would have been more ruthless. However, it would also have required a lot more work. That was why Pei Qian gave up; there was simply no way they could do it!

Even literature majors did not take courses on writing ancient poetry. Even if Pei Qian did manage to force fresh graduates to write poems for the game, the poems would be a far cry from classic ancient poems.

Also, Ma Yiqun and Zhu Xingan were busy writing the game's plot. They did not have the time or energy to weigh each word and produce meaningful poems.

That was why they picked out relatively neglected but deep poems that fit into the context of the game and forced them into the storyline.

With the help of his physical and online dictionaries, Hao Shuaiqi expended a lot of effort solving these riddles.

Each time, he would explain the meaning behind these riddles and be praised with comments like 'woo', 'lol', or 'awesome'.

There were no bullet screen comments on Link Live, but the audience could still post their comments in real-time as the livestream progressed. That was how they interacted with the host.

Hao Shuaiqi also very considerately recorded his foreign viewers' comments and translated the meaning behind these comments periodically. These were to be displayed at the end of the video.

Take this episode for example. He displayed a couple of comments from his foreign viewers at the end.

"This is a very meaningful game. I wish there were more games like that!"

"Can anyone tell me where I can purchase this game?"

"It looks like this game was really created for players; it is quite enlightening."

"It looks rich in content. The hand sensitivity and graphics are not bad, too. I can't wait to see more content!"

"We need English!"

"We need Japanese!"

Qiao Liang could not help but smile as he read these comments.

"He could refer to his dictionary and play the game at the same time? It's about time to let our friends from overseas suffer! Speaking of which, the game is so hardcore. It's no wonder that foreigners are becoming fond of it.

"I'll give him a like."

Qiao Liang shared Hao Shuaiqi's video, pleased that they could ride on each other's fame.

…

At Tengda Games…

Li Yada saw the backend figures for Repent and be Saved and then scanned the game's ratings and comments on TPDb. Satisfied, she nodded.

Mm, everything was thriving!

The backend figures were increasing steadily. While the sales volume increased, the refund rate decreased. Before, it had been over 20%; now, it was less than 10%.

The game's ratings on TPDb were also constantly changing. Now, it had an overall rating of 8.1, but it looked like this figure would continue to increase in the near future.

The most important part of all of these was that the media reviews would be released in a few days.

In order for the local games media to review this game, everyone in the editing team had to complete it.

Repent and be Saved was extremely difficult, and the games media staff were but human. Since they could not complete the game in such a short period, they naturally decided against writing a review for the game. Thus, Repent and be Saved still had zero games media reviews so far.

If a few media platforms rated the game highly, the ratings on TPDb would increase for sure.

"Boss Pei can indeed devise plans while in the tent. He has not come to the office for two days, and yet the game is developing just as he expected. Indeed, he is a confident man."

Li Yada could not help but feel moved.

Once again, she browsed the comments section. It was then that she realized many new, popular comments.

"We need English!"

The comments looked about the same, and they came one after another. However, the users posting these comments were different.

Li Yada paused for a moment, stunned.

At first, she had thought that someone was playing a trick on them. After all, they had not advertised the game online. Why would foreigners be interested in it?

However, on closer inspection, she realized there were many similar comments.

Li Yada looked further into these comments and verified their sources.

These users had been directed here by a UP Master on Aili Island named Hao Shuaiqi. Hao Shuaiqi had livestreamed himself playing Repent and be Saved. That was how the game caught the foreigners' attention.

It looked like these viewers were quite eager, too. However, Repent and be Saved would be way too difficult for people who did not understand Mandarin to complete. These people would have no choice but to give up solving the riddles in the game.

Li Yada pondered for a moment and decided to report the matter to Boss Pei.

After all, the overseas market was vast.

They could spend some money getting the game translated. Once they produced an English version, they could hire a foreign publisher to market it overseas. That would help them generate more profit.

At that thought, Li Yada decided to give Boss Pei a call.

Translating the game and looking for foreign publishers were no minor tasks. Both required money. Li Yada had to ask Boss Pei to make the final call.

"I'll ask Boss Pei for guidance and see if he's interested in producing an English version."

<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="8fadfbb8-2f9e-4ceb-8c54-b62e6ca6883e">'Hao Shuaiqi' means 'very charming' in Mandarin.</li></ol></annotations>",