MSC: Chapter 28 Part 1

Chen Xiao’s meal was held at a rooftop revolving restaurant on the top floor of a grand hotel opposite Imperial College, which looked incredibly upscale.

Xie Mingzhe stood by the window, looking out at the skyscrapers and the floating car lanes through the French windows. He had been so immersed in the game world these past few days that he had almost forgotten that the real world was a high-tech era just like in the gap, though the cultural gap was truly a pity.

Seeing the boy standing by the window in a daze, Chen Xiao walked over to him and asked with a smile, “Xiao Xie, do you think I look like a bad guy?”

Xie Mingzhe snapped out of his daze. “Why do you ask that, Brother Chen? You are a nice person!”

Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow. “Really? I thought you thought I was some type of cunning boss, which is why you didn’t tell me your secret?”

Xie Mingzhe was startled. “What secret?”

Chen Xiao patted his shoulder. “I’ll tell you when you want to. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Lunch was very lavish and the atmosphere was harmonious.

However, Xie Mingzhe felt uneasy as if Brother Chen had discovered something.

Back in the studio, Xie Mingzhe looked at the neatly arranged helmets, chairs and the large virtual LCD screen in the center. Suddenly, a thought struck him. Had he overlooked something important? The computers in the game boosting studio usually shared data, right? It was just like how Internet cafe owners had surveillance cameras on all computers. Didn’t the studio owner also have some type of data monitoring system?

Thinking of what Brother Chen had said at noon, Xie Mingzhe felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately ran upstairs to find Chen Xiao, only to find the man standing on the balcony smoking. He was just a silhouette shrouded in smoke.

Xie Mingzhe awkwardly touched his nose and asked, “Brother Chen, do you know about what I did in the game?”

Chen Xiao finished exhaling a smoke ring, glanced back at him and said with a smile, “The power leveling studio’s smart helmet is connected to the main control panel, making it convenient to clear data every night. I noticed you made a lot of cards, but I don’t know the specifics. After all, your personal space involves your privacy and I haven’t been there.”

Xie Mingzhe, “……”

Chen Xiao’s gaze was quite gentle as he smoked. “There aren’t many people in this game who can create original cards. You have this talent and want to keep a low profile so that people around you don’t know. That is a good approach. At the very least, you aren’t a naive little rabbit who tells everyone your tricks and gets sold out while still helping to count the money. We haven’t known each other for that long, so it is normal for you to be wary.”

The other person’s frankness made Xie Mingzhe feel embarrassed. “Uh, I wasn’t deliberately being wary of you. It is just that initially, I wasn’t sure if the cards I made would sell. I just wanted to earn some pocket money. I only figured it out in the past few days.”

Chen Xiao said, “If you are willing to trust me, I can help you. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter. We are just a boss and employee. You only signed a one month contract. You can leave or stay as you please.”

Xie Mingzhe was silent for a moment. Then he looked up at Chen Xiao and said, “Brother Chen, I trust you.”

He dared to trust this boss. It wasn’t just because the other person hadn’t looked down on him as a newcomer when he was down on his luck. It was also due to Chen Xiao’s feelings for his brother. He had often seen Chen Xiao standing on the balcony smoking alone, or watering his brother’s succulents with a gentle expression as if he was reminiscing about something. It was clear that Chen Xiao was a very loyal man. Such people usually wouldn’t betray their friends.

Besides, Chen Xiao might look disheveled but he was very frank when he spoke. After spending time with him, Xie Mingzhe felt that Chen Xiao was a very trustworthy person. Xiao Pang, Jin Yue and Chi Qing were also quite good, so he was willing to take a gamble and trust Chen Xiao’s character. If he was wrong, he would simply leave the studio after his contract expired in a month, without much loss.

Thinking of this, Xie Mingzhe said, “I had some inspiration for making character cards and I tried making a few. Coincidentally, an instant death judgment appeared.”

Chen Xiao’s eyes widened suddenly. “Is that Half Moon at the auction you?”

Xie Mingzhe didn’t want to hide it anymore and answered directly, “It was me.”

In fact, Chen Xiao had a premonition of this. Every night when the studio’s database was cleaned up, he would find a different number of newly added cards in Xie Mingzhe’s collection. By noon today, it had increased to over a hundred. This rate of growth seemed like he was drawing cards himself.

However, Chen Xiao was still shocked when hearing the other person confirm it.

Chen Xiao frowned and lowered his voice, asking, “Do you know what it means to have a card that can make an instant death judgment?”

Xie Mingzhe nodded. “It is said that I was the first to make one, so it will be quite popular right now. However, the card designers of the major clubs aren’t stupid. They will make theirs soon as well. So I want to seize this opportunity and sell instant death cards to accumulate some funds.”

Chen Xiao, “…………”

He hadn’t expected an eighteen year old boy to have such a clear way of thinking. Chen Xiao couldn’t help looking at Xie Mingzhe with newfound respect. He nodded in agreement and said, “Your idea is correct. Once a combat card appears, demand exceeds supply and the price is the highest. Once all the clubs have made them, the cards will flood the market and the price will plummet until the league stabilizes in the next season. There are no instant death cards on the market yet. You can make a fortune even if you only make the Lin Daiyu card.”

“Does Brother Chen know about the Daiyu card?”

“Yes. The forums have been buzzing lately, saying that a card-making genius called Half Moon has sold a level 1 card for a huge 660,000 gold coins at auction. I wondered if it might be you, but it was just a guess. I never expected it to actually be you.” The man took a deep breath, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and turned to Xie Mingzhe, his gaze unusually serious. “Xiao Xie, with your talent, you will definitely be sought after by various clubs. Still, let me warn you. The world of clubs is a deep and murky place. Signing with a club means buying the copyright. If you have more creative ideas, don’t just sign a contract to sell yourself out, understood?”

Chen Xiao’s words warmed Xie Mingzhe’s heart, and he immediately said, “I understand. I plan to become a freelance designer.”

The man nodded. “Tell me your ideas.”

Xie Mingzhe said, “Instant death cards are just a tactical card. I will first use instant death cards to make a name for myself in the world of original cards. Once everyone accepts my creator logo, it will be easier for other cards I make to be accepted. I have a lot of things to do on my own and my understanding of this game isn’t as deep as yours. I was thinking that if you are willing, why don’t you help me and we can work together?”

“Do you trust me?” Chen Xiao asked directly.

“Of course. Without you, I wouldn’t have come into contact with this game. Actually, my landlord kicked me out the day I was looking for a job. If it wasn’t for you, I might’ve needed to sleep on the streets that night.”

Chen Xiao was deeply moved when hearing Xie Mingzhe’s words. He didn’t want to interfere but Xie Mingzhe’s clear eyes made him think of someone. A crazy thought suddenly arose in his mind.

If this Xiao Xie really had a lot of talent, perhaps the person he was waiting for could come back!

Chen Xiao clenched his fists tightly at the thought. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He looked at Xie Mingzhe and said as gently as possible, “Making money by selling cards is indeed very tiring for you to do alone. You need the support of a team. Since you’ve been working in the studio for so long and know everyone quite well, why don’t we be your helpers? When you make a lot of money in the future, give us a share. I think Xiao Pang, Ah Qing and Jinzi will be very happy.”

Xie Mingzhe nodded vigorously. “Yes, that’s what I think too!”

It was too tough to manage everything on his own such as making cards, running a store and figuring out how to run it. If he had a team to help him, he could focus his time and energy solely on making cards, which would be fantastic.

It would be even better if Brother Chen was willing to help, with a ready-made team and his familiarity with everyone.

The two of them went downstairs, put on their helmets and logged into the game. Chen Xiao led Xie Mingzhe directly to the commercial street.

“The area near the central square of the Aquarius star region is the most bustling commercial area in the game, with the highest foot traffic. I’ll take you to the biggest card store here and see how others run their businesses,” Brother Chen said as they walked. Xie Mingzhe followed closely behind him.

The street directly opposite the auction house really did have a huge flow of people. It was bustling even at midday, with a constant stream of pedestrians.

The street was lined with a wide variety of stores, the most eye-catching one was a ‘Combat Card Specialty Store.’ Upon entering, he could see over a dozen neatly arranged display cases, categorized by the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The cards were dazzling, ranging from max-level seven-star cards to low-level one-star cards, each with a price tag. Next door, in the rare section, were pre-assembled decks. Five wood cards in a bundle, five metal cards in a bundle…

After strolling through this bustling commercial street with Brother Chen, Xie Mingzhe realized that running a store alone was too difficult. He needed help. In particular, as the business grew, he might not have time to produce cards if he only focused on managing the store. Xie Mingzhe thought of this and said, “Brother Chen, I plan to bid on a store this afternoon. Could you give me some advice on how to manage it?”

Chen Xiao nodded in agreement. “Okay, I’ll go with you and check out the location of the store.”