Chapter 39: Awards

After leaving Kiana's house, Bronie began to ponder.

How could Kiana's tears flow like a faucet, turning on and off at will?

If she was truly under a lot of pressure, would she cry like that instead of turning into a pupperfish and causing a major Honkai in minutes?

Lately, Bronie felt like Kiana's behavior was deliberately imitating someone.

Was it... Elysia?

"What's wrong? You have that subtle expression as soon as you come back. Did you accidentally sneeze and cause a butterfly effect, changing the future?"

Back at the bar, Cioara noticed Bronie's subtle expression.

"Natasha, I think I might be the target of Kiana's practice for flirting."

"Huh? Kiana is a girl, right?"

"Isn't Elysia also a girl? And she even has the ultimate playboy Siegfried as her father. Do you know what we talked about at the dinner table when I visited his house last time?"

"His flirting techniques on Shigure Kira?"

"His flirting techniques on Shigure Kira, making her shy."

"What a jerk."

"Yeah."

Bronie wasn't envious of the dazzling flirting techniques of others.

"Speaking of which, is the rumor about Siegfried groping all the Valkyries true?"

"Of course... not! How could I spread such rumors!"

Almost let it slip.

"Haha~ I'll pretend I believe it."

But Cioara probably understood why there was such a rumor about Siegfried in the world.

Let's not talk about the defection from Schicksal.

Cecilia, Idol of Valkyries and pursued by countless Valkyries, was suddenly taken away by a ruffian like Siegfried.

Wouldn't anyone hold a grudge?

"It's been pretty peaceful lately, hasn't it?"

Bronie chose to change the subject.

"Indeed, it's been very peaceful lately. Gray Serpent hasn't brought me any new work, and there haven't been any troubles from the Herrschers. Why, do you want to stir up trouble because it's too peaceful?"

"Of course not, I still have to make games!"

"Under Civilization, there are two DLCs called 'Winds of Change' and 'Rise and Fall,' right? I've already planned them out. The production will definitely be handed over to subordinates. Do you have anything else to do?"

"Kiana wants to play my new game, otherwise, she won't study properly."

Hearing this demand from a Herrscher, especially such a whimsical demand, raised Cioara's blood pressure.

Damn, this little girl's childhood is too happy!

But then Cioara saw Bronie's subtle sinister expression.

"It seems like Little Bunny is up to something mischievous?"

"It's not like that. I just had a burst of inspiration! That's how creativity works; sometimes inspiration suddenly strikes, and money comes like a gust of wind. Isn't live streaming becoming popular lately?"

"Although I haven't been paying attention, it seems like there's such a thing."

"Taking advantage of this trend, should we let Elysia do live streams too?"

"That's a bit too high-profile. Even if Elysia agrees, the World Serpent won't. Maybe one day I'll receive an order to assassinate you."

That's true.

But that doesn't stop Bronie from making games.

"Is the new game you're making going to be very difficult?"

"Why would it be? I guarantee that everyone can complete it in one go. There won't be any games where you die thousands of times!"

"Your scamming skills could use a bit of improvement."

After hearing Bronie's words, Cioara smiled at the obviously inducive rhetoric.

That's right, it's impossible to die.

But whether you can clear the game is another story.

Back in her room, Bronie turned on her computer.

Looking at the overwhelmingly positive comments, a glaring comment caught her eye.

[(Negative review) Why isn't Tesla among the great figures in this game? You already have Einstein and Schrödinger!]

Ugh.

This attitude of being impulsive without thinking stirred up memories from Bronie's past life.

Wasn't it Hephaisutos Barbados?

Bronie logged into the author's account and replied to the comment.

[In progress, in progress.]

[Really?]

Almost an instant reply.

[Please stay tuned for the upcoming DLC, along with others]

Shortly after, numerous likes flooded the comments. However, Bronie couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

Perhaps the commenter was just a Tesla fangirl?

That was also possible.

After symbolically promoting the upcoming DLC for her game, Bronie prepared to close Sbeam and start making games. However, she received a private message on her account.

"Hello, Miss Bunny, this is Schicksal Live. We sincerely invite you to participate in our Sbeam Award Game Network Awards Ceremony. Your game 'Undertale' has been honored with the Best Independent Game of the Year award. Please connect via video communication next Sunday night at 8 PM US time. Of course, if you have any urgent matters, please let us know in advance and prepare a winning speech beforehand."

Shortly after, Bronie's company phone also received the same message. It was almost simultaneous.

Did she win an award? But that was to be expected.

It was more surprising that the award ceremony was scheduled for autumn, and she happened to be chosen.

It seemed that her game 'Undertale' had indeed made a significant impact on gamers.

"Natasha! My game won an award! Best Independent Game of the Year!" Bronie immediately shared her joy and even showed the message to Cioara.

"Wow, congratulations! But you indeed deserve such an honor. 'Undertale' has brought so much change to many people, too much..."

Cioara generously praised, making Bronie quite happy.

"After all, it's also one of my dreams! After all the hard work, I finally achieved something, right?"

"Yes, congratulations. But if you keep showing off in front of me, I might start charging for compliments!"

"If compliments cost money, will I get a hug as a reward for free?"

"Oh, come on, how old are you? Still acting cute? I can't handle you."

Cioara hugged Bronie again. But when giving Bronie the reward, Cioara actually felt that her mood had improved quite a bit for the day.

A feeling of mutual trust? No, it was more like mutual dependence.

Big brother, I have new family members now too...

...

The elusive Miss Haxxor Bunny from the legendary game agreed to participate in the award ceremony!

At Schicksal Entertainment, as well as Sbeam, there was a big publicity campaign after receiving a response.

There was no other meaning; it was just that 'Undertale' had a far-reaching impact. In a sense, it also opened up a path to bypass the curse of Schicksal Entertainment.

Excellent independent games also received more attention.

With the market confidence restored, there would also be more capital entering the AAA game market.

From the perspective of capital, Bronie's 'Undertale' was like Columbus discovering a new continent, directly creating a new money-making blue ocean.

So, it was inevitable that 'Undertale' would win an award, and the identity of Miss Haxxor Bunny, the independent game developer, would also receive the highest honor in the gaming industry.

Game of the Year!

Participating in the live broadcast award ceremony, the most important thing was still to promote one's own game.

Whether it was an old game or a new game planned for the future.

With a good promotional channel, there would be more money in the pocket.

If there were any major changes in the future, such as Miss Cioara's island suddenly exploding, Bronie could still afford to support her.

But for now, Bronie thought it was unlikely that Cioara's island would explode. After all, everyone could see Kiana's growth, and no matter how bad the future might be, it wouldn't be that bad.

Perhaps it was the first time they tried to present awards, so it was done online.

Actually, this method was quite suitable for Bronie.

After all, if Bronie had to go to such a crowded event, she would be quite scared.

Checking the live broadcast equipment, Bronie focused on the award ceremony.

The annual game inventory was not just about awarding a single game.

Awards would be given for graphics, innovation, independent games, player feedback, and more.

This meant that a single game could receive multiple awards.

The award ceremony had actually been held for some time.

First, they would play trailers for some new games, as well as some ads for other games.

Then they would announce some less important awards, such as Best Music, Best Voice Acting, and some Best Graphics awards.

These awards had little to do with 'Undertale,' and even less to do with the Spiritfarer.

From a musical theory perspective, the music of these two games was not of a very high standard.

[Hurry! Hasn't Miss Haxxor appeared yet? When will Miss Haxxor come out? Clearly, there were so many nominations!]

[Isn't it obvious? The heavier the award, the later it will be announced!]

[What does Miss Haxxor Bunny look like? I'm curious!]

[Skip! Skip!]

"All right, everyone, I'm sure you've been waiting! Next up for announcement is the Best Independent Game award! The nominees are—'Bounce Ring 3,' 'Wandering Howl - Homu,' 'The Fall of Arahato,' 'Spiritfarer,' and 'Undertale'!"

As each name was announced, its corresponding promotional video or game footage would be shown.

But 'Undertale' looked relatively simple. After all, it was a pixel game.

[Hurry!]

[Will Miss Bunny come out? She must come out!]

[Why is there no news about Miss Bunny's new game? It's been two weeks already, and the production team can't afford to rest like this!]

"It seems that everyone is very interested in 'Undertale.' That's right, the winner of the Best Independent Game award is naturally 'Undertale'!"

Then the plain music of 'Undertale' started playing.

The peaceful town, the friendly monsters, all brought back countless memories for many players.

"Now please welcome our game developer, Haxxor Bunny, to join the live broadcast."

The screen was then split in half.

One half showed the host, and the other half showed a silver-haired girl with twin turbines.

"Hello, Miss Bunny, do you have any thoughts on winning this award?"

"I make games to bring smiles to everyone, so when I received this award, I actually thought, I didn't expect that I really did it. My dream has finally come true!"

"Later, I began to wonder, how many people will remember my game, and how many people will build good bonds with others because of this game".

"Thank you, Schicksal Entertainment, and Sbeam, for recognizing 'Undertale.' Thank you all for your support. In the near future, I will bring more smiles to everyone through more games."

Appearing on camera, Bronie was a bit shy and embarrassed, to be honest. However, her speech was already prepared, so reciting it wasn't a problem.

But looking up at the barrage of comments:

"???"

"Wow, it's a cute girl!"

"Prprprprpr~"

"OMG, only a genius could make such a game!"

"Art, music, story, all done by this little girl!?"

"From now on, I declare, Haxxor Bunny is my wife!"

"Don't you dare look! Haxxor Bunny is mine!!"

"Police: I'm listening."

"Well, it seems the audience is indeed very surprised by Miss Bunny's age, but the joy you've brought us is undeniable, isn't it?"

"Hmm~" Bronie cooperatively made a slightly proud expression.

"So here's a question that our audience is most concerned about: will there be new content for 'Undertale' in the future? Just like how 'Civilization' releases DLCs."

"Uh... well, actually, we're working on it."

Bronie felt a bit guilty, as she had only played 'Undertale' herself. Although he had heard about other fan-made games or the 'sequel' of the  game, she wasn't interested in them.

"As we speak, we're working on it! (Create new folder)"

"Why does that sound familiar?" The host tilted his head.

"Is this an automatic reply from private messages?"

"We're working on it, we're working on it! (New folder created)"

"Perhaps, one day, everyone will indeed see a sequel, but I'm more willing to explore more possibilities in games. Through 'Civilization,' I discovered that this game also appeals to different audiences. Some players don't like this type of game, so I'll focus more on other games."

"So, Miss Haxxor, are you planning to release other games next?"

"Yes, and they'll be completely different from 'Civilization,' 'Spiritfarer,' and 'Undertale.' I'll try out more themes and gameplay styles to bring joy to more people. Before the next big project, I'll release a small game called 'Getting Over it with Haxxor Bunny' as a warm-up. I hope everyone can share this game with others."