2: Chapter 2 Game Maker?

"Here, your favorite sweet soy milk."

Lin Xi stuffed the cup into her hand, picked up a bun, took a bite, and asked somewhat indistinctly,

"How's your game coming along?"

Jiang Yuan fell silent, glanced at the still-lit computer screen, and hesitated, saying,

"It's still in the... conceptual stage."

"Conceptual?"

Lin Xi leaned over quickly, blinking her eyes, and said,

"Let me see?"

Jiang Yuan didn't stop her. Anyway, she had just skimmed through those things herself and had basically already pronounced a death sentence on them.

Lin Xi leaned in front of the computer, scrolled the mouse wheel a few times, and her expression changed from curiosity to confusion, then from confusion to a subtle... strained look.

"This... you drew this monster? It's actually quite cute."

Lin Xi struggled to find something positive to say.

"It's just... why is it flying in the sky? And this, the protagonist is holding a... frying pan?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Yuan responded, feeling a bit like laughing herself, and said with a straight face,

"It's normal! The protagonist is a chef. Because the restaurant went bankrupt, they have to go fight monsters to make money and pay off debts."

Lin Xi went silent.

Jiang Yuan blinked.

The two looked at each other, and finally, Lin Xi couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just... why is this setting so... unpretentious?"

"You can just say it's tacky."

Jiang Yuan took a bite of a bun, her cheeks bulging, her delicate and beautiful face expressionless.

"No, no, no, it's not tacky, it's..."

Lin Xi was overcome with laughter, saying,

"It's the kind of, you know, it's that indescribable feeling."

Jiang Yuan: "..."

If her predecessor had heard this evaluation, she'd probably die of anger all over again.

After Lin Xi had laughed her fill, she straightened her expression and said,

"But don't lose heart. After all, it's your first time. Everyone has a newbie phase, right? If you really want to go down this path, I know a few streamers who have made indie games. I'll ask around for you later to see if you can get some pointers."

Jiang Yuan looked at her and suddenly felt that her predecessor's friend was actually quite heartwarming.

Even if her tongue was a bit sharp...

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me, just go shopping with me another day."

Lin Xi waved her hand and said softly,

"Alright, hurry up and eat, then get some sleep. Don't stay up all day. Look at your pretty little face, it's as pale as paper! I'm going back to start my stream now. I have to make up some hours today, so I'll be streaming until midnight!"

She talked as she walked out. When she reached the door, she looked back with some concern and asked,

"Are you really okay? How about I don't stream today and spend the day with you to relax? We can sleep together tonight?"

Jiang Yuan continued eating her bun and said calmly,

"I'm really fine. It's just from staying up late. I'll be better after a nap."

"Alright then."

Lin Xi nodded and said seriously,

"Then take care of yourself. If anything happens, knock on my door or send me a WeChat message. I'm usually around. If I go out, I'll let you know in advance."

The door closed, and the room became quiet again.

Jiang Yuan sat back in front of the computer, finished the rest of the buns, took a sip of the still-warm sweet soy milk, and her gaze fell on those "unpretentious" settings on the screen.

Chef, frying pan, restaurant bankruptcy, fighting monsters to pay off debts.

Her predecessor's thought process was indeed quite peculiar.

But now was not the time to complain.

Just as she was about to look up the state of the game industry in this world and confirm some information with the memories in her mind,

A translucent light screen suddenly appeared out of thin air in her field of vision.

[Ding! System activating...]

[Detected host's requirement: Game Production]

[System bound successfully]

Jiang Yuan was stunned.

She blinked. That light screen was actually still there. It wasn't a hallucination?

[Game Design Master System]

[Function Introduction: The host can obtain lottery chances by topping up with real money. The lottery provides points, which can be exchanged in the mall for game engines and complete information of any game from Earth in the previous life, including but not limited to: source code, art resources, design documents, numerical planning tables, market analysis reports, etc.]

[Current Points: 0]

[Lottery Price: 100 Yuan/time]

[Note: The system is bound to the host's soul. It cannot be transferred or uninstalled.]

[Note 2: Topping up the system will not attract any attention. Please use it with peace of mind.]

Jiang Yuan stared blankly at the information on the system interface, the smile on her beautiful face a bit complicated.

In her previous life, she was a game designer and hated this pay-to-win gacha crap the most.

She had slammed tables and argued with investors, only for the game to be forced to add top-up entries, redefining the buy-to-play model and becoming a laughingstock in the industry.

And now, the golden finger she was bound to was actually another damn pay-to-win lottery?

Was this a joke?

Jiang Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed her speechlessness, and carefully studied the system.

The items in the mall were dazzling, from Vampire Survivors to Stardew Valley, from hollow knight to Sekiro, as well as Battlefield, God of War, Red Dead Redemption, black myth: wukong—every game she could think of, even top-tier game engines produced by the system, were all there!

Prices ranged from a few hundred points to hundreds of thousands. For a small game like Vampire Survivors, it only required 500 points.

The top-tier game engine called Aurora, produced by the system, was priced as high as five million points!

A lottery draw cost 100 yuan. Each draw guaranteed 10 points, with a chance for a critical hit, where a single draw could yield up to 1000 points.

Jiang Yuan did the math.

If her luck was normal, drawing 50 times and spending 5000 yuan would gather the 500 points needed for Vampire Survivors.

Five thousand yuan for a guaranteed hit game.

Was it worth it?

It was beyond worth it!

Jiang Yuan checked her bank card balance.

A bit over 110,000.

Excluding what had been spent, this was what her predecessor's parents had left behind, plus a little saved by her predecessor's frugal living during university.

Her predecessor had been reluctant to spend it, saving it for when it could be of great use.

And now, this money had fallen into her hands.

Jiang Yuan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky of Shanghai outside.

Her predecessor wanted to make games and prove herself, staying up so many nights that she eventually worked herself to death.

Then she would use this money to help her predecessor make at least one real game.

Consider it... an apology for taking over this body.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Yuan made a final decision and silently called up the translucent system interface in her mind.

The top-up entry was at the bottom, supporting various payment methods like Alipay, WeChat, and UnionPay.

She thought about it and topped up five hundred first, intending to test the waters.

[Top-up successful, obtained 5 lottery chances]

[Start the lottery?]

Jiang Yuan clicked start.

A virtual lottery wheel appeared before her eyes, spun a few times, and stopped.

[Congratulations: 10 points obtained]

Again.

[Congratulations: 10 points obtained]

Jiang Yuan's mouth twitched.

This drop rate is damn realistic.

The fourth time.

The wheel spun a few times, and a golden light flashed.

[Congratulations: 100 points obtained (Critical Hit)]

Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up.

The fifth time.

[Congratulations: 10 points obtained]

[Lottery session ended, total points obtained: 140]

Jiang Yuan looked at that number and silently did the math.

Five hundred yuan, one hundred and forty points.

Still short three hundred and sixty points from five hundred.

At this rate, she'd have to draw more...

She calculated for a while and decided to stop for now; she'd have to draw sooner or later anyway.

Top up.

Another two thousand.

[Top-up successful, obtained 10 lottery chances]

Let's draw!

After twenty more draws, the points became 620.

Enough.

Jiang Yuan looked at the number "620" and exhaled.

Three thousand five hundred yuan for 620 points.

Not bad, slightly better than expected.

She opened the mall, found [Vampire Survivors], and clicked exchange.

[Confirm exchange for complete Vampire Survivors information, consuming 500 points?]

Confirm.

The next second, a massive stream of information instantly flooded into her mind.

Code, art resources, numerical tables, design documents, market analysis... everything about [Vampire Survivors] was as clear as if it had been compressed, packaged, and extracted directly into her brain.

Jiang Yuan closed her eyes, enduring the swelling pain in her head, and digested it for a few minutes.

When she opened her eyes again, they were bright and full of joy; she already knew exactly what she needed to do.