Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch

Translator: 549690339

This anchor clearly became more enthusiastic upon seeing the main character appear.

Without hesitation, he started to raise the stakes: “Thank you, Brother Lin, for the rocket! Since the main character has shown up to support, I can’t not express my gratitude! In that case, let’s increase the difficulty again! Rune complete collection and clearance! No complete collection, no ending the streaming!”

“Yl IS awesome!”

“I love watching Yi’s marathons, they’re never fake!”

“Go for it! If you succeed, I’ll send you a rocket too!”

“Charge forward! If you succeed, there’s a rocket for you; if you fail, there’s medical expenses!”

“Go ahead! Don’t worry, I will bring fruits when I come to see you!”

Good guy! Only when he saw the comments’ reaction did Lincoln realize that this anchor named Yi’s most popular series was marathon-style ultra-long live streams.

He had successfully live-streamed the whole process of clearing the Blaze 2 game. As it’s time-consuming to put on the full set of VR equipment, he simply wore a diaper to save time.

According to him, there was one dangerous moment when he was just one step away from a disastrous leak!

But this marathon-style live-streaming also brought him his first batch of fans, helping him stand firm in the field of game live-streaming. He later repeatedly live-streamed games from beginning to end, which became his trademark.

The most absurd thing was that the diaper-brand he used during the live-streaming really paid him to advertise for them!

And the most, most absurd thing was that he actually accepted that business…

During that live-stream, he calmly talked about his experience of using that diaper: “It has a superabsorbent core, which has amazing water absorption and storage capacity, preventing leakage, and being breathable and antibacterial. Moreover, it has an elastic waistband and a three-dimensional leakage barrier, making it not only extremely effective but also very comfortable to wear…” He even tried the diaper on in front of hundreds of thousands of audiences and the camera.

This extremely absurd live-streaming clip, in every sense, won the highest number of views of the day on the video site.

“Alright.” Lincoln began to understand why Yi dared to try taking off his pants in the game in front of hundreds of thousands of audiences.

Perhaps both he and his audience didn’t think it was a big deal…

But it was already too late for him to stay up all night. After saying goodnight to Mavis, he went offline to wash up and sleep.

The next morning, Lincoln met Liang Tian, who came for an interview.

Compared to the photo on his resume, Liang Tian seemed to have aged quite a bit.

The difference was even greater when compared to the photo Mavis found of when he first opened his store.

In those videos of him opening his store, Liang Tian always had a smile on his face and bright eyes. Even when his small store was running at a loss and he had to work hard to keep it open, there was still a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

But now, not even a trace of that light could be seen in Liang Tian’s eyes. He was neatly dressed, with a serious expression and focused eyes, just like millions of other workers in this city.

This was not the person Lincoln needed; maybe there had once been a fire in his eyes, but now there was only a pile of ashes left.

Lincoln asked him, “I have a question for you. After graduating from university, you studied in Xiajing City. Why did you not stay in that city but went back to a small county town in your hometown?”

Liang Tian was obviously quite surprised. He had carefully prepared for this interview, but he never thought that the first question would not be about his work experience as a game planner, but about a past event right after his graduation.

He answered somewhat embarrassedly, “I was too naive at that time, always feeling that I could do something for my hometown and didn’t want to waste my hobby. So, without much thought, I went back to open a store, and its disastrous ending was hardly unexpected.”

“Then have you ever thought about giving it another try?”

The light in Liang Tian’s eyes flickered for a moment, but he blinked and still honestly replied, “I don’t know. I’m already 30 years old, and at this age, some responsibilities are hard to escape. So, I rarely have such naive thoughts anymore. Only occasionally, I dream of those days when I had my store. But all in all, I probably won’t try again.”

Lincoln wasn’t disappointed with this answer.

After all, idealism can’t feed you, so giving up is not something despicable.

Not to mention that after giving up, he didn’t indulge in self-pity but bravely shouldered his responsibilities, living a steadfast life. Such a person should be respected.

But Lincoln was determined to give him a second chance.

“How about giving it another shot and becoming a store manager again?

“Huh?” Liang Tian was a bit confused. Wasn’t he here to apply for a game planner position? How did it become a store manager?

“Your youthful idea was to root and develop your own hobby in a small, remote county town in your hometown and let it experience the cutting-edge achievements and products of the game industry, right?”

“Uh, yes, I guess…” Liang Tian wasn’t quite sure. Heaven help him, when he just graduated, he didn’t have any lofty ideals. He just wanted to bring something fresh to his hometown’s small county town, giving people there one more form of entertainment.

If he could gain more recognition from others and get to know more like-minded friends in the process, that would certainly be a bonus.

Now that Lincoln had repackaged his story with such grandiose words, he suddenly felt that his past experiences were no longer naive and immature, but rather heroic moments of chasing dreams and going against all odds. “Now, I plan to open a Cloud Dream Experience Store in Xiajing City, where all visitors can try virtual reality gaming equipment at almost no cost. Whether they are ordinary players who can’t get the device, people who can’t afford the equipment, or those who are just interested in coming to check it out, I’ll treat everyone the same. How about it? Are you interested in becoming a store manager?

Liang Tian focused on Lincoln’s words and asked subconsciously, “Opening such a store in Xiajing City would be very costly, and the pressure to maintain operations would be enormous.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lincoln immediately dispelled his doubts. “The Experience Store doesn’t need to make a profit in the early stages, and even when it does make a profit later, it won’t be from charging for the usage time of the equipment. The fees for that will be very low. Our assessment criteria will be based on user satisfaction. Experience stores will be an essential aspect of building Cloud Dream’s reputation.”

“Also, as long as this Experience Store operates well, more stores will open in at most a year. If you come as a store manager and do a good job, the first branch can be opened directly in your hometown’s small county town. How about it? Want to give it a try?”

Upon hearing Lincoln’s words, Liang Tian slowly raised his eyes and looked at Lincoln. Light flickered in his eyes once more, either because his eyes were moist or because the pile of ashes had ignited a spark again.

Or perhaps both.

“Yes! I can do it!” His words were firm and resolute.

Great, this is the man I’m looking for!

Lincoln stood up with admiration in his eyes, shook Liang Tian’s hand solemnly, and said, “I’m looking forward to our collaboration!”

“Looking forward to our collaboration!”