NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Sylvia was honestly disappointed.
The game called “Tetric,” which she had seen handle various products, was an amazing item even for her.
It was new, attractive, and above all, it was bursting with ‘energy.’
Top-notch artisan products had their own unique energy.
Sylvia had felt that ‘energy’ while dealing with various high-quality items.
So, she had come all the way to this distant Southern Region to meet Yuren, who created Tetric.
However, from their meeting yesterday, she didn’t feel any of that energy from him.
No, to be precise, there was a sense of hesitation.
The kind of hesitation an ordinary citizen feels when they are about to achieve success beyond their means.
“(I had such high expectations… was he really just a person of that caliber?)”
Because of this, Sylvia felt disappointed in Yuren.
In the worst-case scenario, she even considered just buying Tetric and returning the next day to the Irene School.
But then…
“(His eyes have changed.)”
Sylvia was astonished.
At the entrance, Yuren was waiting for her together with Irene and the other disciples.
But his gaze was completely different from yesterday.
Yesterday, Yuren had felt weighed down by something.
But now, he radiated an energy that felt like he could fly to the sky at any moment.
“Welcome, Sylvia. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Watching Yuren greet her confidently and with poise, Sylvia revised her evaluation of him.
If yesterday he was just a lucky nouveau riche, now he felt like a formidable rival who could swallow her whole if she let her guard down.
“Did something happen yesterday? You seem to have changed quite a bit,” Sylvia said while sitting across from Yuren in the office as they faced each other.
Looking at Sylvia, Yuren responded with a warm smile, like the night sky.
“Yes, something did. It was a night I will never forget.”
Sylvia became curious about what had happened the previous night.
But she let it go.
History begins in the evening and occurs in the day.
Asking about an evening event was considered impolite.
Like those guys.
“You were definitely with the execution master yesterday, right?”
“Yes, Jiren… You’re not saying you were with the master, Yuren…”
“…Just a moment.”
Yuren asked Sylvia for her understanding, and she consented.
Standing up from his seat, Yuren infused courtesy into the heads of the orange-haired and black-haired disciples behind him.
Thunk! Thunk!
Having elegantly infused courtesy into the two disciples, Yuren sat down again opposite Sylvia.
“Shall we get straight to the point? I expect answers that fit my time frame.”
In response to Sylvia’s eager request, Yuren answered gently but firmly.
“I will. But first, I want to talk about conditions.”
“Conditions?”
“Yes, as you mentioned, this will be a huge market. Not just in hundreds of millions, but a market in trillions.”
The way Yuren casually mentioned a figure that an ordinary person couldn’t even imagine left Sylvia momentarily unable to manage her expression.
Of course, Sylvia also thought that the future of the gaming industry could indeed be that large.
But that was talk for the distant future, not now.
Yet, the idea that a sorcerer from a small local school was looking ahead to such a commercial future startled her.
… Yuren could say such things because he had seen how the gaming market in his previous life reached hundreds of trillions in scale.
“Our Irene School wishes to partner with the Edward Consortium through a profit-sharing contract.”
A profit-sharing contract was actually something that’s difficult for small businesses to propose.
If it hits big, they’d earn a lot.
But who can guarantee that?
In reality, more often than not, things go south rather than hitting it big, and the same applies in this other world.
Moreover, even if they do hit big, market laws state that large corporations can easily torment small businesses if things go awry.
For a proper big hit with profit-sharing, it requires not just one success, but the confidence to continue succeeding.
Yuren had that confidence, and that energy was transmitted to Sylvia.
She was finding this moment increasingly fun.
“Alright. I like that unhesitating look in your eyes. Let’s go with profit-sharing. Thomas.”
She had naturally prepared the profit-sharing contract.
For a consortium like theirs, this much was basic.
Sylvia handed over the contract she had prepared.
“Our conditions are as follows: We will cover the costs for creating game magic, the production of crystal balls, distribution, marketing, and everything else. In return, we’ll give you 20% of the net profit.”
20% of the net profit.
On paper, it might seem like a ridiculously uneven contract.
However, this was often the case in reality, and for contract negotiations with a large corporation, it was not a bad offer.
In the case of a massive gaming company in China, it was even 10% profit-sharing as a contract condition, and companies willing to provide services were lining up.
And companies that had actually succeeded and hit big sometimes turned from small businesses into mid-sized enterprises with hundreds of millions in profit.
If it had been yesterday’s Yuren, he might have settled for this.
If he could earn hundreds of billions in gold annually, he would far exceed all the wealth he ever dreamed of.
But…
“I’ll need you to give 40% of the net profit.”
The current Yuren couldn’t be satisfied with that.
Sylvia was speechless upon hearing Yuren’s demands.
She had anticipated some negotiation, but 40% felt like an outright insult to the consortium.
For the first time in her adult life, Sylvia lost her composure.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
Emerald flames flared up.
If one could burn people with a gaze, it would surely be like that.
Even the cold Karen and the centuries-old Irene cringed and hunched down at her aura.
But Yuren…
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
He did not flinch in the slightest from the flames.
Instead, Yuren felt more fired up than ever.
Driven by a sense of mission as a pioneer.
“Just as you represent the consortium, I am speaking as a pioneer of a new market.”
The first step in any world is crucial above all else.
The initial clash between software and hardware might just be occurring for the first time in this other world.
Yuren had no intention of losing that battle as a pioneer.
“25%. This is the best treatment we can offer at Edward Consortium.”
“30%. In return, we’ll give you priority exclusivity rights for three new game magics in the future.”
Having frequented the consortium, Yuren was roughly familiar with several things.
For instance, he knew cleaning magic had a 25% contract with the consortium.
That school had become rich from that, but due to that, it was difficult for the current magic schools to demand a higher profit yield.
Yuren decided he would adjust this for the numerous game developers about to emerge…
…Of course, there was a little greed involved too.
“…Alright. But in return, I have a condition.”
After a long and brief moment of silence, Sylvia spoke.
Up to this point, Yuren’s expectations held true.
To persuade a giant organization like the consortium, she would need justification.
Simply having exclusivity rights wouldn’t be quite enough, and she would want something more as a supplemental offer.
What that was, she had no clue, but she felt she’d be making a demand.
“What’s the condition?”
Sylvia asked, smiling seductively.
Her butler Thomas was slightly startled internally.
That smile was one she wore when she found a ‘fun friend.’
“I want you to prove that the Irene School and the game are worthy of such the best treatment.”
“How am I supposed to prove that?”
Sylvia walked toward the window.
And gazed at the distant capital city, obscured from view in the Southern Region.
“You must know that in four months, a Foundation Day festival will be held in the capital, right?”
The Foundation Day festival of the Zers Empire.
It was the largest festival in the Zers Empire, during which the entire continent would revel and celebrate for three days.
Yuren had not enjoyed it in the capital but knew that it was a grand event from attending last year alongside his disciples and master.
“The festival in the capital isn’t just a simple celebration. It’s a gathering of the empire’s top consortiums and nobles, along with distinguished guests from foreign lands. One could say that the profits of a year’s worth of consortiums depend on that festival.”
Yuren had heard about it too.
The festival on Foundation Day in capital was said to be the kind of event that determines the empire’s year ahead.
“Our Edward Consortium will also participate in that festival in the capital. Prove that the game is the best product there. If you do that, I’ll accept your terms.”
Was this really how it was going to go?
Yuren found her proposal reasonable.
And more than anything, he liked it.
A new product called gaming was currently gaining popularity but had not yet become a culture.
There was no better venue to showcase gaming culture than the Foundation Day festival.
“Alright. I will show that you made the best choice in products, Sylvia.”
With that, Yuren shook hands, accepting Sylvia’s proposal.
No one could have predicted the whirlwind that the meeting of the blue lion and the silver-haired resolver would create in the empire.
Except for Yuren.
………………
…………
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“By the way, Yuren, what kind of game are you going to create?”
The best game fitting the best stage…
Yuren pondered what kind of masterpiece he should create when he spotted a man.
Her butler Thomas, sporting a red mustache.
In that moment, the game’s BGM echoed in Yuren’s mind.
“Da-da-dan-da-da♫ Dan⬈ Dan⬊”