Chapter 188: Lightning Studio

Time passed bit by bit as Jiang Yan continuously cleaved his Spiritual Power within his Spirit Platform, with the rate visibly increasing.

The strain brought by this cleaving was now negligible for Jiang Yan. As long as he treated it as an instinct, he could achieve it whether in battle or even in his sleep.

He stepped out of the police station and soon saw a streak of urgent white light flash across the horizon.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, that white light crashed down right in front of Jiang Yan, kicking up billowing dust.

Once the dust settled, Jiang Yan could finally make out the appearance of the newcomer.

Light green skin, two tentacles of unclear purpose standing upright on her head, and a tall, slender figure—judging by her form, she was likely female.

“Ahem…”

“Hahaha, sorry, I got too excited!”

The woman scratched the back of her head sheepishly, apologizing to Jiang Yan.

“No problem. You must be from Lightning Studio, right?” Jiang Yan asked.

“That’s right, that’s right! I was sent by the director. My name is Lilia. The director is extremely busy with affairs, otherwise she would have come to meet Mr. Jiang in person.”

As the woman spoke, the two tentacles on her head swayed back and forth, as if broadcasting some kind of signal.

Her appearance didn’t align with human aesthetics, somewhat resembling a female goblin from movies or TV shows, yet more refined than a goblin.

Her language was clearly specially processed; even though the pronunciation differed, Jiang Yan could still understand it perfectly.

“Is your studio looking to discuss cooperation?”

“That’s right, that’s right.” Lilia blinked. “Our studio has recognized your immense potential and decided to engage in deep collaboration with you.”

“Is it about Rising Tide?”

“Hehe, yes.”

“Could you elaborate?” Jiang Yan wasn’t short on small change now, but he didn’t have a single penny of real wealth. He couldn’t afford anything even slightly expensive in the Myriad Realms Market.

If he could earn a substantial sum through cooperation with the Myriad Realms, Jiang Yan felt it was worth considering.

In the universe, money was needed everywhere.

“Of course. Since you were the first to clear the Hell-level Newbie Village, your potential is limitless. Therefore, our company has decided to appoint you as the spokesperson for the early-stage promotion of Rising Tide.”

“As a spokesperson, lacking fame and strength is absolutely unacceptable. However, your strength is evident to all of us. Thus, we will create opportunities for you to rapidly gain renown.”

Lilia spread her arms open, speaking with grand ambition. “Then, we’ll elevate you to become a universe-wide superstar!”

Her tentacles tapped Jiang Yan’s shoulder as she gazed at him with sincere eyes. “Believe me, our studio definitely has the capability to do this!”

Jiang Yan clicked his tongue, resting a finger against his chin. “That sounds quite enticing~”

“Mhm, mhm.” Lilia nodded in agreement. “This is a win-win opportunity.”

What she didn’t mention was that Lightning Studio’s situation wasn’t actually very good.

Within the Myriad Realms Game Company, there were far too many studios like Lightning. Their capabilities were exceptionally outstanding, and the quality of many of their products could be said to rival Rising Tide.

Competition within the Myriad Realms Company was brutally fierce. The growth of other studios would lead to more research and development funding allocations for them, while correspondingly, the funding for other studios would be reduced.

Most of a studio’s profits had to be handed over to the Myriad Realms Game Company. Only by producing truly blockbuster works could they earn commissions from them, and the company’s funding allocations would then become more generous.

Amidst the fiercely intense competition, Lightning Studio had reached a point where they had no choice but to fight with their backs against the wall.

The production of Rising Tide had consumed enormous costs, representing a work poured from the very heart and soul of Lightning Studio.

However, due to Lightning Studio’s lower visibility compared to other studios of the same type, coupled with a past incident where a game was left unfinished—a major scandal—these negative factors had severely damaged Lightning’s reputation. Players in the game’s release regions were unwilling to buy into it.

Under these circumstances, Lightning Studio had to make a change!

Undoubtedly, the production of Rising Tide was top-tier in the industry, ranking among the highest quality batch.

But at the same time, other studios under Myriad Realms Company and flagship studios from other game companies had successively launched products with competitive quality during this period.

To stand out from this sea of games, it wasn’t just about quality—it also required exceptionally clever marketing tactics.

As Jiang Yan knew from his past life, having read novels or watched promotional ads in videos, low-cost, low-quality games relied on endless advertising bombardment, buying popularity by throwing money at it.

Similarly, they could defeat superior products with inferior ones, even earning revenue surpassing those of big-budget productions.

This showed that clever marketing could, in certain situations, even surpass the product itself.

If high-quality Rising Tide were paired with clever marketing, the higher-ups at Lightning Studio believed they would surely survive this round of competition among Myriad Realms Company’s studios and continue to exist stably.

To draw an analogy, if a game was endorsed by your favorite “gege,” wouldn’t you want to check it out, even if it was crap—just to see how it tasted?

Lightning Studio saw Jiang Yan’s potential and decided to make him that “gege.”

Of course, it wasn’t about his looks but his Talent and strength.

Although Jiang Yan’s looks were also quite impressive.

“In three days, during the ‘Rising Tide Prodigy Championship,’ as long as you go on stage, put on a show, and achieve a top-three ranking, our Lightning Studio will immediately decide to invest heavily in cultivating you!”

Lilia waved her tentacles boldly as she spoke.

“‘Rising Tide Championship’?” Jiang Yan silently repeated it. When signing the short-term contract earlier, he seemed to have seen something about a Prodigy exchange match—this was probably it.

“Top three? I accept.” Jiang Yan’s tone was calm, sounding completely pressure-free.

He seemed to realize that he was actually quite strong.

Jiang Yan casually asked, “By the way, are there any age restrictions for participants?”

Lilia laughed, “Of course, everyone is under thirty.”

“An eleven-year gap?” Jiang Yan thought to himself, quickly reaching a conclusion.

“Can be handled.”

“Excellent!” Lilia happily waved her hands, excited. “Mr. Jiang, I’ll stay nearby during this time. In three days, I’ll personally remind you about the championship!”

“Pleasure working together!”

Lilia extended her hand, her light green skin making her blood vessels clearly visible under the sunlight.

“Pleasure working together.”

Jiang Yan shook it briefly before letting go.

The two didn’t engage in much conversation beyond work-related matters, or perhaps Jiang Yan wasn’t too willing to extend topics unrelated to business with Lilia. After saying goodbye, he returned to the police department.

For now, aside from the police department, it seemed there was nowhere else to stay.

After all, the police department was an official force—members of the Heaven Demon Sect would have to think twice before attacking.

In the future, with deeper collaboration with Lightning Studio, even the Heaven Demon Sect leader himself wouldn’t dare claim he could take action against Jiang Yan.

Although Lightning Studio was in a difficult situation, it was not to be bullied by any force other than Myriad Realms Company.

Jiang Yan’s willingness to engage in deeper collaboration with Lightning Studio was partly due to this consideration.