To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 263: Chapter 173 Lurking Shadows (Part 3 of 3)_2

Qingling: “Munan Hua, once you’re online, let’s meet under the statue on Songta Planet.”

Arriving at Songta Planet with trepidation, Lin Nan saw a squirrel waiting for her under the statue of the Great Heavenly Lord.

Facing her senior, Lin Nan was nervous.

The other person was pretty, dressed fashionably, and had an outgoing and cheerful personality, completely different from herself.

She didn’t know why the other person would invite her to play games together. Could it be out of pity for her?

With various not-so-good thoughts in her head, Lin Nan approached Xu Qingling and said stiffly, “Sister Qingling…”

“Aren’t we about the same age?” Xu Qingling asked, puzzled.

“At work, female seniors must be called ‘sister,’ and male seniors ‘brother.’ Otherwise, you get punished with push-ups.”

“What kind of bizarre corporate culture is that?” Xu Qingling asked in surprise. “Was your last company in gaming or in pyramid schemes?”

“Our boss used to be involved in pyramid schemes…”

“Oh, okay. Relax though, Fang Cheng Studio doesn’t have so many rules and regulations.”

After a moment of silence, Xu Qingling suddenly said, “I’m sorry for asking you to play games during the break.”

“It’s fine, I also want to understand ‘Space Navigator.’ But Sister Qingling… Qingling, you don’t seem like the type who enjoys playing games.”

“Well, I prefer playing romance simulation games. I can play these money-earning ones, but I don’t really enjoy them.”

“Why?”

“I’ve played a bit too much of the real thing.”

Lin Nan looked at Xu Qingling in surprise and then came to realize that this HR person was not simple either.

And Xu Qingling continued, “But look, I’m in the gaming industry after all, and it doesn’t sound great if I don’t even play our own games. So I want to play more of our own games to understand the boss better.”

“I see.”

After hearing Xu Qingling’s explanation, Lin Nan gained a new respect for her.

She knew that HR people she was familiar with were definitely not like Xu Qingling, willing to consider the company boss’s perspective.

On the surface, they flattered the boss, but behind his back, they wished they could desecrate his ancestors’ graves. Their time was entirely spent undercutting each other. Playing games could get one reported for shirking duties, and they certainly wouldn’t think like Xu Qingling did.

So she nodded slightly and then said earnestly, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get to know this game well.”

“Alright, thank you.”

That single ‘thank you’ almost melted Lin Nan’s heart.

Such a cute HR sister sure made one happy.

But it seemed she could easily pick her up and carry her to the rest area…

Was she always hanging out at the gym…?

Putting that thought aside for the moment, they immediately sprang into action.

After claiming the newbie rewards, they first headed to the sixteenth loop’s trade center to sell off the Plague Chicken on their ship.

However, when they asked for the price, the manager of the trade center said regretfully, “Sorry, there’s been an oversupply of Plague Chicken recently; we can only offer this price. But if you don’t go through official listings and trade privately instead, I can give you a better offer.”

Seeing the offered price, Lin Nan formulated a plan in her mind and then realized their starting funds would be a bit tight, but not unmanageable.

She had already gone through the Game Inn’s materials and her sensitivity to gameplay allowed her to come up with a set of rather good strategies. The money would be enough for now.

Just as she was about to agree, Xu Qingling was already tilting her head, staring at the trade officer in front of her.

Players’ squirrel avatars could express themselves through pre-set faces, and Xu Qingling’s default expression was a smile, but her eyes held not a trace of mirth.

Looking at the trader before her, Xu Qingling asked with a smile, “Why lie?”

“…What do you mean!” the trader suddenly became agitated, “What reason do you have to say I’m lying? What are your intentions in accusing an innocent and cute sheep right from the start? What on earth are you trying to do!”

“Why get angry?”

“Anyone would get angry if they were accused! So what exactly are you trying to say!”

“Then why did you lie? What do you think would happen if I were to report a lying trader? Delta, play back the recording I made just now.”

“Wait a second!”

The sheep-like trader stared fixatedly at Xu Qingling and then spoke up, “I’ll take your goods at four times the standard price. Also, don’t go through the normal listing processes, use a private channel.”

“We Angels are immortal, do you understand that?” Xu Qingling continued to ask with a smile.

“…I understand.”

“So, if you try any tricks, I assure you that I will use our immortal nature to hound you incessantly, and I guarantee that it will be done in a civilized and legal manner, making your life a living hell. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Good, thank you for your understanding. Please check the merchandise.”

After accompanying the sheep onto the cargo ship, Xu Qingling turned to Lin Nan and asked, “What do you think? My negotiating skills aren’t bad, right?”

Lin Nan’s mouth agape, it took him a moment to respond, “How did you know it was lying?”

“Something felt off; it seemed a bit too keen on making a private deal. An excessive enthusiasm usually indicates a seller’s market, which means that the prices should be higher, not slashed in half like this. So, I tried to bluff it, and it worked.”

Looking at the seemingly harmless Xu Qingling, Lin Nan vowed never to mess with this sister.

With the initial funds settled, Lin Nan was about to bid Xu Qingling farewell when he saw her nodding her head, then saying, “Wang Xiaoying and Tian Xuan are coming too, and a certain UP host named Pingping also wants to join. Do you want to play together?”

“Um… you don’t need to ask for my opinion, just agree directly.”

“That won’t do. I invited you to play, so naturally, I need to ask for your opinion first. After all, you seem a bit shy, but I think it’s good to interact with colleagues. Of course, it’s up to you.”

Watching Xu Qingling earnestly consider his feelings, Lin Nan felt that if he were a boy, he would definitely start chasing her right now.

Even if it’s out of reach, he would still chase!

Although still somewhat scared, Lin Nan decided to give it a try.

After all, if he didn’t try now, he would have to try at the studio later anyway, so it would be better to get to know each other in the game first to avoid awkwardness later.

After agreeing, the other three players arrived quickly.

Although Pingping wasn’t a part of Fang Cheng Studio, she had some connection with Wang Xiaoying and interacted with her occasionally, which was a method Wang Xiaoying used to keep her account active.

Their personal relationship was also good; both liked games with a high degree of freedom and would sometimes team up.

As for Tian Xuan, she wanted to get to know the Little Heavenly Way here.

Having never encountered Little Heavenly Way before and learning about the existence of the Heavenly Tao network, with its abundance of Little Heavenly Ways, she was eager to come and meet a hundred of them.

Thus, the five of them formed a trade organization and merged their flagships together, beginning to expand trade in this star system.

Gathering the initial funds from the five of them, Lin Nan began to command the fleet to move deeper, opening up new trade routes and building a deeper trade network.

Besides them taking the game seriously, there were players who reached the first circle, found the Demi-God Powerhouses, and began to challenge them, earning their rewards.

In the bustling arenas and the deep labyrinths, the traces of the players became more distinct, and their influence on this world grew deeper.

Dustfire was condensing, its color approaching gold more closely, but amidst this harmonious atmosphere, a reincarnated deity suddenly awoke.

Surrounding them, a massive amount of Demonic Qi coiled around, agitating the nearby Shadows and starting to expand wildly.