Free Web NovelChapter 241: Chapter 206: Manufacturing Childhood Memories (Part 3)
He didn’t forget to thank Zog. "I was too narrow-minded before. Animation is just a medium. I need to focus my energy on a much grander goal."
"What about your studio members?"
"Don’t worry. I will make them understand true ideals, just as you taught me."
"Take this ring. It’s a gift to celebrate you finding your true purpose. I’m happy for you."
Charm +1 transferred.
Now go and convince your team members.
Joseph held the exquisite-looking ring, so moved he was nearly incoherent. "You helped me find my purpose, and you even gave... gave me something so... so precious. Oh, right, what about my father?"
He remembered the agreement with his father: the condition for not being dragged back to suffer "torture" was achieving success in animation.
"Don’t worry. The success of Digital Monster Adventure is also part of your success. Your father will understand. And if he doesn’t, I’ll help him understand."
"Thank you so much."
Joseph thanked him solemnly once more.
"I’ll go back right now and design a more complete numerical system."
"I wish you success."
Zog waved a claw to bid him farewell.
On his way out of the Zog Group building, Joseph kept muttering to himself.
"I am the cornerstone, I am the cornerstone..."
After the "victim" had left, Elsa asked, a bit confused, "Do you really need to con a rich fool like that?"
"What do you mean ’con’! And he’s not a rich fool. Didn’t he graduate from some science academy?"
Zog retorted, displeased.
"I was helping him discover what his heart truly desires. Didn’t you see him leave thanking me?"
"Stop looking at me when you talk!" Elsa put a hand up to block her eyes. "The effect of your Charm Potion hasn’t worn off yet. Right now, everything you say sounds reasonable."
"This dragon has always been this charming, okay? Have you ever heard of a ’well-rounded warrior’?"
The reason Zog placed such importance on Joseph wasn’t just for the Digital Monster project; many future endeavors would require his skills.
MOBAs, MMOs—the most popular genres—all require excellent numerical design.
A good systems designer, like a good technical artist, has always been a rare breed in the game industry, requiring interdisciplinary skills.
It demands mathematical ability, a sensitivity for playability, and a pure passion for world-building.
Besides, someone who handles numbers isn’t just useful for the game development phase.
Later, if they wanted to implement monetization based on game balance, he would be useful for figuring out how to perfectly gate the difficulty to frustrate players just enough that they’d curse you while buying your product, but not so much that they’d quit the game.
At present, Zog hadn’t found a better prospect than young Joseph.
The Digital Monster project’s animation, game, and hardware production teams were all on track, and the product would soon be ready for its official debut.
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「Chrysanthemum Street, Zog’s Toy Store.」
Zog’s Toy Store was no longer the single, standalone shop it once was.
The former Ackley’s Toy Store across the street, along with several adjacent shops that had been bought and renovated, now formed the Zog Toy City.
It had become a famous attraction on the street.
Toy enthusiasts from all over the Continent, whenever they came to Twin Tower City, would make a point to visit. Although Zog Group’s toys could be bought in many places, this location definitely had the most complete collection.
Every directly-operated toy store under the Zog Group had an exclusive stamp for visitors to collect, as well as souvenirs designed based on the local city.
Therefore, for these enthusiasts, visiting the store had a sense of being a pilgrimage to a Holy Land.
On the toy forums, a collector who had gotten the stamp from Zog’s Toy Store was considered to have completed the "initiation."
Today, just like any other day, the store was filled with visitors from all over the Continent.
The original main store now rarely sold toys; instead, it was dedicated to displaying all the various products that had been released and announcing new ones.
Outside the store stood a statue of Zog, commemorating the days when Zog the Dragon himself used to lie here.
Every tourist who came here had a habit of rubbing the statue’s head, which had been polished to a brilliant sheen by countless hands.
It was said to bring good luck.
This rumor really wasn’t started by Zog; he had no peculiar fondness for having people rub his statue.
Instead, an inspirational little story had spread from somewhere, about a mascot who went from lying at the entrance of a small shop to attract children to buy toys, to a business magnate whose empire spanned the entire Continent.
It was written so vividly that after reading it, even Zog hadn’t realized he had suffered so many grievances.
Following that, all sorts of success-oriented books were published.
"The Outlier: The Story of Zog’s Success"
"Seven Good Habits of High-Performance Sub-Dragons"
"Secrets of the Street Tycoons of Twin Towers City"
...
Zog didn’t place any restrictions on this type of content, but for each and every one, he sent someone to their door to collect copyright fees.
Want to pluck a Dragon Scale from Zog? Not a chance.
"Look, there’s a new teaser on the Magic Vision Device!" a sharp-eyed tourist was the first to spot the change on the screen.
A huge countdown timer appeared, starting from 10.
Zog Group’s toy launches were fond of sudden announcements. When the massive Magic Vision Device in the main store began a countdown, it meant something new was coming.
It had gotten to the point where people would always be here, lying in wait, hoping to catch the news firsthand.
"Oh? Why is there new content today? Didn’t they just release the new Blast Ball series two days ago?"
"I bet it’s another re-release of a classic series, or they’ve just repainted some old stock and are passing it off as a new product."
The people in the store all stopped to watch and began to discuss it.
Although Zog’s toys had brought people countless surprises, it wasn’t like every announcement was something brand new.
"3, 2, 1!"
As everyone finished the countdown in unison, the screen on the Magic Vision Device went black, and then the sound of Xiaode singing a cappella could be heard.
"Oh, how I wish I could become a butterfly,
"Riding the gentle breeze, taking flight—"
Then, a logo appeared—an orange-to-yellow gradient with a black outline, filled with a sense of technology.
"Digital Monster Adventure."
