To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

…

“One hundred and seventeen, a reminder again that this is the Botanic Garden, not the Zoo, wishing you a pleasant visit. Your sincerely Alpha.”

After making everyone read it, Xiao Douzi continued, “This is only part of it; I’m still organizing the rest.”

The content was originally scattered throughout various tour notices, looking innocuous on its own, but altogether it made people feel a bit uneasy.

Looking at the content, Huang Ping muttered to himself, “It’s just like the boss to bury all sorts of Easter eggs in the game.”

Burying Easter eggs is a matter of showmanship if done poorly, but if done well, it’s called genius.

And their own boss was definitely a genius with a wicked sense of humor. Digging out his Easter eggs felt like two different games before and after the discovery, allowing people to pay once and play two games, which could be called the philanthropist of the video game industry.

Now, many veteran gamers were still enthusiastically searching for Easter eggs in old games, and indeed they had found a few minor ones.

Moreover, Easter eggs are usually used as a selling point of the game, and a good Easter egg can create a ripple effect, so they’re not made to be too hidden.

But Fang Cheng seemed to almost fear others discovering them, which made Huang Ping couldn’t help but marvel at Fang Cheng’s unusual tastes.

After his reflection, he tried to connect these strange rules and data together, feeling there must be some relationship between them.

What could that connection be?

Seeing that Huang Ping and Xiao Douzi were deep in thought, Wang Xiaoying asked in confusion, “Why don’t we just ask the boss directly?”

“The boss won’t say,” Huang Ping shook his head, “Think about it. If he would tell us, he’d have just told us already. Besides, the hints he gave are already very clear. It’s a riddle he’s playing with us, and we have to guess it.”

“We’re out of time,” Wang Xiaoying sighed. “The boss is already asking me when I can go online. It seems that he has great expectations for this game. We can only go ahead and release it.”

At this statement, Huang Ping felt a sense of defeat.

The boss had laid out all the clues, but they just didn’t know how to solve them.

If the boss wanted it released, it showed that he had full confidence in the game; thus, they just had to trust the boss.

Luckily, there were still a few days before the official game release. Wang Xiaoying needed to first warm up the game with promotional activities, then launch it on the Steam platform.

In the next few days, they could thoroughly enjoy the game, striving to discern the deeper meaning Fang Cheng had hidden in the game early on.

Unfortunately, they still did not succeed.

While the workgroup employees wracked their brains trying to understand where Fang Cheng was coming from, the few promotional videos that had been released had already caused a stir.

The “Fang Cheng Studio” video account had already amassed a million followers, and the newly released videos showcased various corners of the Botanic Garden.

From mountains to running water, from gardens to primeval forests, different terrains boasted different scenery, which also varied according to time, climate, and other factors.

In that world, just lying still allowed one to feel that magnificent landscape; to walk through it was even more dreamlike and fantastic.

Even before its release, the game’s visuals had sparked discussion.

[I can’t even handle it, it’s just too beautiful. I can’t imagine this level of detail is possible in game graphics—it’s a true work of art.]

[Each image is wallpaper quality; if only places like this really existed.]

“The visuals are really evocative too. My old man studies the I Ching, and after watching these, he’s stopped watching those master’s videos altogether. Now he’s got three daily routines: watch the video, pester for more, and watch it again.”

“What a coincidence, my old man’s just the same. And I feel like these videos are especially soothing to watch, you know? Look at them before bed, and your mind instantly cools down, then you can easily sleep through the night.”

“Really? I gotta try that tonight.”

“I’ve tested it, and it’s true, but don’t binge-watch, or you’ll feel a bit out of it the next day. Though it’s nothing serious, it can still be a hassle.”

Although most people couldn’t stop praising the game’s visuals, there were also some dissenting voices.

These voices were from the same group that had previously questioned the gameplay in “Nameless.”

Similar arguments were released, questioning whether this thing was really a game and if the price was too high.

“I admit that the visuals of ‘Botanic Garden’ are stunning, but for a walking simulator, isn’t a price tag of 128 a bit steep?”

“Exactly, I really like ‘The Nameless’ and ‘Quiet Cultivation’, and I’m very willing to support Fang Cheng Studio, but for a sightseeing software that you’d only play a few times, this price is honestly too high.”

“A real-world botanic garden ticket costs just ten yuan, and you can get a discount with a student ID, yet a game simulating a botanic garden is charging 128. Also, from its name, it seems to be just the first chapter of some larger series. I think it’s really too expensive.”

“It’s not even a game; it’s just a pure sightseeing software. I might buy it, but if it doesn’t meet my expectations, I’ll definitely refund within two hours.”

Doubts were voiced, and opposition was heard.

No one questioned that it was a visually pleasing game, but many were skeptical whether it was a fun game.

Some game reviewers held back from commenting, after all, Fang Cheng Studio’s games often hid various easter eggs, and no one was sure if they would do the same this time.

But then there were the true believers who, after seeing the video, were so excited they couldn’t contain themselves, beginning to write reports and madly promoting it.

Like Chen Rang.

After watching the game’s video, he closed his eyes and imagined himself touring the place with Mukuai, and he immediately became ecstatic.

Without waiting for the editor’s instructions, he picked up the keyboard and started typing furiously.

“An indisputable masterpiece, the pinnacle of walking simulators. It needs no story; just the visuals and the ambiance conveyed by the imagery are enough to resonate deeply. I’m at a loss for words to describe my feelings right now, but if you ask me how I want to spend the rest of my life, my wish is to come to the Botanic Garden with my Mukuai. We would adopt a couple of kids, have a little dog, and revel in the countryside scenery.”

“Fang Cheng Studio is definitely one of the premier studios I’ve come across, and it’s also quite an ambitious studio. Its owner, Fang Cheng, has been pushing the limits of himself and continuously delivering unique and outstanding games. The last company that boasted ‘quality guaranteed with our brand’ has now fallen. A new era of gaming needs a new leader, and I hope that flag will be carried by our domestic games, by us. I won’t say too much flattery, but I think you all get my point.”

“Finally, I have an unusual request. Can we do a crossover with ‘The Healer’? I’ll even pay extra! Fang Cheng Studio, I know you always put player demands first, so can we have the crossover, please? If it’s too difficult, it’s okay not to do the main character, but can Mukuai join in?!”

“I’m begging you!”

As the editor read Chen Rang’s draft, he thought the beginning was fine, but the latter part was just Chen Rang’s personal fantasy, completely detached from reality.

Crossovers aren’t that easy, what with the data structures and underlying codes all being a mess, not something to be done lightly.

However, he didn’t change a word of the draft and directly published it.

After all, he wanted a crossover with “The Nameless” too.

What kind of emotion would it bring, to have your comrades-in-arms from the game come into this world and witness its splendid beauty?

Finally, amid the anxious waiting of a group of people, and the anticipation of a large number of players, Fang Cheng’s magnum opus, “Botanic Garden”, was launched!