The place where Chen Xiao hosted the dinner was opposite the Imperial Capital University. It was a revolving restaurant on the top floor of a hotel that looked particularly high-end.
Xie Mingzhe stood in front of the window, looking at the skyscrapers and suspended carparks outside through the French windows - he had been immersed in the game world for the past few days and almost forgot that the real world is the same high-tech era as the game. It's just a pity that there is a cultural gap.
Seeing the young man standing by the window in a daze, Chen Xiao walked up to him and asked with a smile: "Xiao Xie, do you think I look like a bad guy?"
Xie Mingzhe came back to his senses and said, "Brother Chen, why do you ask that? You are a very nice person!"
Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows: "Really? I thought you thought I was a sinister boss, so you didn't tell me your secrets."
Xie Mingzhe was shocked: "What secret?"
Chen Xiao patted his shoulder and said, "You can talk about it when you want to. If you don't want to, I won't force you."
The lunch was very sumptuous and the meal was very enjoyable.
But Xie Mingzhe was always feeling uneasy, as he always felt that Brother Chen seemed to have discovered something.
After returning to the studio, Xie Mingzhe looked at the neatly arranged rows of helmets, chairs and the large virtual LCD screen in the middle, and suddenly an idea flashed through his mind - Damn, did he overlook something important? The computers in the power leveling studio are generally interconnected, right? Just like the Internet cafe owner has all the computers monitored, does the studio owner also have data monitoring or something?
Thinking of what Brother Chen said at noon, Xie Mingzhe felt a chill down his spine. He immediately ran upstairs to find Chen Xiao, but the man was standing on the balcony smoking again, leaving him with only his back shrouded in smoke.
Xie Mingzhe touched his nose awkwardly and asked, "Brother Chen, do you know everything about what happened to me in the game?"
After blowing out the smoke ring, Chen Xiao looked back at him and said with a smile: "The smart helmet of the power leveling studio is connected to the switchboard, which is convenient for clearing data every night. I found that you made a lot of cards, but I don’t know the specific situation. After all, your personal space involves your privacy, and I have never entered it."
Xie Mingzhe: “…”
Chen Xiao's eyes were quite gentle. He smoked a cigarette and said, "In this game, there are not many people who are capable of creating original cards. You have this talent and want to keep a low profile so that people around you don't know. This is a good idea. At least you are not a simple white rabbit who tells all your cards to others and helps count the money when you are sold. We have known each other for a short time, so it is normal for you to be on guard."
Xie Mingzhe felt embarrassed by the other party's frankness. "Well, I didn't mean to be on guard against you. It's just that I wasn't sure whether the cards I made could be sold at the beginning. I just wanted to make some pocket money. I only figured it out in the past two days."
Chen Xiao said: "If you are willing to believe me, I can help you. If you don't believe me, it doesn't matter. We are just a boss and employee relationship. You only signed a one-month contract. It's up to you whether you want to leave or stay."
Xie Mingzhe was silent for a moment, then looked up at Chen Xiao and said, "Brother Chen, I believe you."
He dared to trust this boss, not only because he was a newcomer and accepted him when he was poor, but also because of Chen Xiao's feelings for his brother. He saw Chen Xiao standing on the balcony smoking alone, or watering the succulents raised by his brother many times, with a gentle look on his face, as if he was missing something. It can be seen that Chen Xiao is a man who values friendship very much, and generally such people will not betray their friends.
Besides, although Chen Xiao has a somewhat decadent image, he is very frank when he speaks. After spending some time with him, Xie Mingzhe feels that Chen Xiao is a trustworthy person. Xiaopang, Jin Yue, and Chi Qing are also very good, so he is willing to take this gamble and trust the other party's character. If he is wrong, at most he will leave the studio after the contract expires in a month, and there will not be much loss.
Thinking of this, Xie Mingzhe said, "I had some ideas for making character cards, so I tried making a few, and by chance, I came up with an instant death judgment."
Chen Xiao's eyes suddenly widened: "That Yueban at the auction, could it be you?"
Xie Mingzhe didn't want to hide it anymore and said directly, "It's me."
In fact, Chen Xiao had this premonition a long time ago. Every night when he cleared the studio database, he would find a different number of new cards in Xie Mingzhe's place. By noon today, the number had increased to hundreds. This growth rate was more like he was drawing the cards himself.
But after hearing him confirm it in person, Chen Xiao was still somewhat shocked.
Chen Xiao frowned and asked in a low voice, "Do you know what a card that can determine instant death means?"
Xie Mingzhe nodded. "It is said that I am the first one to make it, so it will be more popular for the time being, but the card designers of the major clubs are not fools, they will soon make it. So I want to seize this opportunity to sell the instant death cards first to accumulate some funds."
Chen Xiao: “…………”
I didn't expect that an 18-year-old boy would think so clearly. Chen Xiao couldn't help but look at Xie Mingzhe with new eyes, nodded in agreement and said, "You are right. When a battle card first appears, the supply is in short supply and the price is the highest. When all the clubs have made it, the cards will flood the market and the price will plummet until the next season's league when it stabilizes. There are no instant death cards on the market yet. Even if you only make one Lin Daiyu, you can make a fortune."
"Does Brother Chen know about the Daiyu Card?"
"Yeah. Recently, the forums have been going crazy, saying that a card-making genius 'Yueban' appeared at the auction, and a first-level card was sold at a sky-high price of 660,000. I guessed at the time whether it was you, but it was just a guess. I didn't expect it to be you." The man took a deep breath, put out the cigarette butt in the ashtray, turned around and looked at Xie Mingzhe, his eyes were rarely serious: "Xiao Xie, with your talent, all the major clubs will definitely try to recruit you, but I remind you that the clubs are treacherous, signing with a club means buying out the copyright. If you have more creative ideas, don't just sign this indenture, understand?"
Xie Mingzhe was very touched by Chen's words and immediately said, "I understand. I plan to be a freelance designer."
The man nodded: "Tell me your thoughts."
Xie Mingzhe said, "Instant Death Cards are just a type of tactical card. I will first make a name for myself in the original world by making instant death cards. Once everyone recognizes my author logo, it will be easier for me to be accepted by others when I make other cards in the future. I have a lot of things to do alone, and I don't know as much about this game as you do. So I thought, if Brother Chen is willing, why don't you help me and work together?"
"Do you believe me?" Chen Xiao asked directly.
"Of course, without Brother Chen I would never have played this game. In fact, I was kicked out by my landlord on the day I went to look for a job. If it weren't for Brother Chen, I would have had to sleep on the street that night."
Chen Xiao was deeply touched when he heard Xie Mingzhe's words. He didn't want to get involved in this matter, but Xie Mingzhe's clear eyes made him think of someone - he suddenly had a very crazy idea.
If this little Xie really has strong talent, maybe the person he is waiting for can come back!
Thinking of this, Chen Xiao clenched his fists tightly. He took a deep breath to calm himself, looked at Xie Mingzhe, and said as gently as possible: "Making money by selling cards is really tiring if you rely on your own strength. You need the support of the team behind you. Since you have been working in the studio for so long and know everyone better, why not let us be your helpers. When you make a lot of money in the future, give us some share. I think Xiaopang, Ah Qing and Jinzi will be very happy."
Xie Mingzhe nodded vigorously: "Yeah, I think so too!"
It is indeed a bit difficult for one person to make cards, open a store, and consider how to run the store by himself. It would be great if there was a team behind him to help him so that he could focus his time and energy only on making cards.
If Brother Chen is willing to help him, with a ready-made team and the fact that he is familiar with everyone, that would be even better.
The two returned downstairs, put on their helmets and logged into the game. Chen Xiao took Xie Mingzhe directly to the commercial street.
"The area near the central square of the Aquarius star domain is the busiest section of the game with the most business and the largest customer flow. I'll take you to the largest card shop here to see how others run a store." Brother Chen said as he walked, with Xie Mingzhe following closely behind him.
The street opposite the auction house has a very busy flow of customers. It is also very lively at noon with a constant stream of people.
There are many kinds of shops on this street, and the most eye-catching one is the "Battle Card Store". As soon as you enter the store, you will see more than a dozen neatly arranged display cabinets, classified according to the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. There are a wide variety of cards, including full-level seven-star cards and low-level one-star cards. The price is marked under each card. There are also pre-assembled decks in the treasure area next to it, with five wood-based cards in a package, five gold-based cards in a package...
Xie Mingzhe followed Brother Chen to visit this most prosperous commercial street. He found that it was too difficult to run a store by himself. He needed to find some help. Especially in the later stage when the business grew bigger, if he only focused on managing the store, he might not have time to make cards. Thinking of this, Xie Mingzhe said, "Brother Chen, I plan to buy a store this afternoon. Please give me some advice on how to run it."
Chen Xiao nodded in agreement: "Okay. I'll go with you and help you check the route to the store."
The two of them arrived at the auction at 3:30 on time.
The shops being auctioned today are all large shops with an area of 200 square meters and two floors. One of them is located near the central square, which has a very good location. It must have been taken back for auction because the business could not be continued. Such shops are really hard to come by.
Xie Mingzhe remembers that when he and Senior Brother Qi participated in the auction, the monthly rent of a 50-square-meter shop was auctioned for 20,000 yuan. This shop is in such a good location and the area is four times larger, so the monthly rent must be more than 80,000 yuan.
Sure enough, someone made a bid on the spot, and the price quickly increased to 80,000.
Xie Mingzhe had 660,000 gold coins in his bag, so he had no shortage of money. He liked this shop very much, and Brother Chen also thought the location was particularly good. He whispered in his ear, "Your business will definitely grow bigger in the future. You should rent a bigger shop at the beginning, so that you don't have to move to another place when you run out of space to store your cards."
Xie Mingzhe nodded, and when the price stayed at 80,000 for a while and the host started the countdown, he finally made a bid - 85,000.
There were people at the scene who wanted to snatch it from him - 9W.
Xie Mingzhe continued to raise the price calmly - 100,000.
——11W!
——12W!
——13W!
——15W!
The feeling of pressing the price-increasing button with one's own hands is truly different. Xie Mingzhe never imagined that one day he would become a wealthy person who could bid at an auction, rather than just a spectator sitting in the crowd and watching the show. This day came so quickly.
If the business is not well managed, it is easy to lose money with a monthly rent of NT$150,000. The competitor who was competing with Xie Mingzhe probably gave up the bid after considering this point.
——A 200-square-meter shop on the commercial street, with a monthly rent of 150,000 gold coins. Deal!
As the hammer falls, the right to use the store will be transferred to Xie Mingzhe.
Xie Mingzhe excitedly went to the backstage with Brother Chen to handle the formalities, and then the two of them went to the commercial street to see their shop.
Because of his administrative authority, Xie Mingzhe could enter directly, and he brought Brother Chen in with him.
The interior of the shop being auctioned has been emptied out, and can be seen as a "rough house" in the Earth era, which is very simple. But the location of the shop is particularly good, facing south and with plenty of light. The first floor can be used as a card display area, customer message area, store announcement area, etc., and the second floor is dedicated to selling cards.
Chen Xiao suggested: "Let's redecorate the store. Chi Qing is good at this, so let her do it."
Xie Mingzhe was naturally relieved to let the girls do the decoration. Chi Qing was called down by Brother Chen. Knowing that she was going to help Xie Mingzhe decorate the shop, she did not ask the reason and said straightforwardly: "What style do you like? More luxurious or simple?"
Xie Mingzhe said: "Be simple and generous, and you can take care of the rest, Sister Qing."
Chi Qing asked: "Is the warm beige color okay?"
Xie Mingzhe nodded: "No problem!"
Chi Qing quickly started the renovation.
"You need money to buy furniture in the game, right? Sister Qing, please mark the account and I will transfer the money to you." Xie Mingzhe said.
"Consider these furniture as my gift to you." Chen Xiao said straightforwardly, "Qing, just withdraw the money from the studio account. This is Xiao Xie's first time opening a shop, and we need to cooperate to make money in the future, so I have to show my appreciation."
"Thank you, Brother Chen." Since it was a cooperation, Xie Mingzhe didn't want to be stingy, so he said, "Brother Chen, I'll give you some share of the store's revenue. How much do you think is appropriate?"
"How about a 2% commission for each person?" Brother Chen said without any hesitation.
Brother Chen was not a greedy person, and Xie Mingzhe also liked dealing with straightforward people, so he immediately agreed: "No problem."
This little money is nothing. The key is to have a team to help him. He can concentrate on making cards in the future. He doesn't have to worry about the materials for upgrading and strengthening the cards. This saves him a lot of time and energy. Moreover, once he participates in competitions in the future, all the cards must be fully upgraded, and a large amount of strengthening materials may be needed... If he relies on himself, he will be exhausted.
Xie Mingzhe watched Chi Qing buy furniture from the system store and quickly decorated and repaired the store.
Sister Qing is really an expert at home decoration. In less than half an hour, the entire store was completely renovated according to Xie Mingzhe's ideas. There is a card display area on the first floor, as well as a store bulletin board and customer message area. On the second floor are more than a dozen neatly arranged rows of display cabinets.
Xie Mingzhe changed the name of the store to "Yueban Card Store" and then put the cards in the store.
He thought about it and suggested, "I want to upgrade the two cards to seven stars. I won't sell them, but just use them for display. This way, customers can directly see the data of the cards after they are fully upgraded. What do you think, Brother Chen?"
"That's a good idea. What are the attributes of the card? I'll get you the materials to upgrade it."
"One wood element, one water element."
Since the order for the fragments had just been handed in to the boss, Brother Chen brought a large number of discarded cards accumulated from the studio's usual dungeons and asked Xie Mingzhe to decompose them. Xie Mingzhe quickly separated hundreds of sets of fragments and upgraded Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai to level 70, evolving them into seven-star black cards.
The price of these materials must be high. Brother Chen wanted to help him, and Xie Mingzhe didn't care. Anyway, he would share the profits with everyone after the cards were sold out.
After finishing everything, Xie Mingzhe looked at his shop and raised the corners of his lips slightly.
It feels so good to be the boss!
Brother Chen said, "When do you plan to open? I'll go to the forum to promote it. Also, you should set the store to 'unlimited flow' mode in the backstage. On the first day of opening, there will definitely be a lot of people coming to join in the fun, and the store will be overcrowded."
"Okay, let's open at 7pm." Thanks to Brother Chen's reminder, he would not have known about the "unlimited data" model. In this model, if tens of thousands of people crowded into his store, the store would quickly generate countless copies, synchronize data, and facilitate more players to enter. Everyone would see the same copy of the scene. As for who can buy the card... that depends on hand speed and network speed.
A moment later, a post appeared on the Star Card official forum, which was posted by Brother Chen himself - the card store of the original card maker "Yueban" will open on time at 19:00 tonight, located at: Aquarius Star Domain Commercial District, behind the auction house, store 1-315, South Section of Xiushui Road, and everyone is welcome to visit.
Many people responded below: "What cards does Pangpang sell?" "It's not Lin Daiyu again, is it?" "What hatred do people who play flower cards have against you? Does your ex-girlfriend particularly like flowers?" "Are you going to sell Daiyu cards in bulk publicly? I feel sorry for Tang Shen!" "I will definitely go to Pangpang's store!" "What is your real name, Pangpang? Are you a fat man?"
Everyone was extremely curious about this card maker and expressed their desire to go to the store to take a look.
Soon, Chi Qing, Pang Yu and Jin Yue all knew about Xie Mingzhe's store. Pang Yu's eyes widened: "Wow, I never thought that my roommate is actually a genius who can make cards! Am I going to benefit from following Xiao Xie?" Jin Yue smiled and said: "While training, you can also get extra commission, which is not bad!" Chi Qing said calmly: "If you need any materials in the future, just say it and we will help you."
Brother Chen concluded: "Starting today, the studio will not accept orders for the time being. Everyone's salary will be paid as usual. The materials we earn in the future will be used directly for Xiao Xie to upgrade his cards. We will help Xiao Xie run the store first."
Xie Mingzhe was very happy: "Thank you everyone! Let's make money together in the future!"
***
19:00 sharp in the evening.
Xie Mingzhe didn't expect that the first people to enter his store were people with familiar IDs - Canyang, Huanyue, Hongzhu... There were also some people with IDs he didn't recognize, but with titles like "Vice President of XX Guild" and "Manager of XX Guild" above their heads.
How many guild members are here?!
Fortunately, he listened to Brother Chen and turned on the unlimited traffic mode. In the game, his store was quickly crowded and more than ten copies were quickly divided. In addition to the big guilds who heard the news and rushed to grab Daiyu Card, there were also countless passers-by who came to watch.
As soon as the crowd entered the store, they all thought the decoration of the store was particularly beautiful. The off-white wallpaper and floor gave people a warm feeling like "walking into home." The first floor was very empty, with a row of card display cabinets, but most of them were empty, and only the two in the middle had cards.
The warm light from the rooftop lamp shines on the cards, and the full-grade black cards look extremely exquisite.
Two level 70 black cards, one Lin Daiyu "Daiyu Burying Flowers" flower type instant death, one Xue Baochai "Baochai Shooting Butterflies" butterfly type instant death. There is a sign next to the display cabinet: "Full level card display, this card is not for sale."
The players who didn't want to buy cards were all curiously watching the two beauties, while those who wanted to buy cards naturally rushed upstairs like crazy.
The layout of the second floor is completely different. There are dozens of neatly arranged rows of display cabinets. It looks very grand, but most of them are empty. Only the first row of cabinets contains some cards, all of which are level 1 cards - 10 cards of Lin Daiyu on the left and 10 cards of Xue Baochai on the right.
The crowds that walked into the store couldn't help but sigh: "They are all instant death cards!" "How can they sell so many cards at once?"
However, while the crowd was puzzled...
A terrible scene appeared.
I saw that the 10 Daiyu and 10 Baochai in the display cabinet were sold out almost instantly! !
The crowd that came to watch stared at the scene in shock, thinking they were seeing things.
At the same time, the professional league players -
Ye Zhu: "Damn it! How did this Fatty make a butterfly-type instant-death card?! And it's a beginner card with 30 agility, and the full-level card has 100 agility!"
Shen An: "Just tell me not to laugh at my master, but you are being targeted too, hehehe!"
Tang Muzhou: "Smile."
Everyone: "God Tang, what are you laughing at?"
Tang Muzhou: "Look forward to it, he will make more instant death cards."
Everyone: “…………”
Then someone else said: "There is a special notice area in Yueban's card store with this line of words. Let's take a look - all the cards are sold out today. Thank you for coming. In addition to Daiyu and Baochai, the author will release new cards tomorrow. The store will open at 11:30 noon. See you there."
Everyone: "……………………"