Chapter 1: Mysterious Old Soil
"Xiao! Xiao! Big, big good news!"
Xiao Jie was checking the studio's inventory when he heard Han Luo rush in, shouting.
"Do you have to be so dramatic?" Xiao Jie was somewhat helpless.
His best friend Han Luo's dramatic nature really was a bit much for him.
Unperturbed, Han Luo whispered mysteriously, "Guess who I ran into when I went out to eat?" Without waiting for Xiao Jie to guess, he blurted out the answer, "Liu Qiang, that guy!"
Upon hearing that name, Xiao Jie immediately frowned, "That bastard dares to show his face? You didn't punch him a few times?"
For Xiao Jie, Liu Qiang, who had indirectly caused the dissolution of the studio, was definitely not a favorite person.
"You wouldn't believe it, but I really did think about beating him up at the time. But then, this guy seems sincere and said he was really sorry about what happened before, and he wants to compensate us. He said there's a game project that urgently needs an expert to help, offering to hire me with a monthly salary of fifteen thousand, comprehensive insurance, plus a year-end bonus."
Xiao Jie scoffed, "Liu Qiang, that bastard, since when has anything he said ever been reliable."
"Did you agree to it?"
"Hell no, am I the kind of person who abandons morals for profit? Plus, I know what Liu Qiang is like; he's not good for anything. I told him I'm sticking with you, and he should give up on that idea.
But guess what? When Liu Qiang heard I'm sticking with you, he got quite excited, gave me two activation codes for new games, saying this game was incredibly fun, truly the future of gaming, the kind that could completely change our fortunes."
Furthermore, he swore the game was incredibly fun, saying in his own words 'it's to die for fun'."
"Moreover, it's perfect for grinding, the game's currency is really valuable, easily making tens of thousands a month."
"I figured this could be our studio's new project, so I hurried back to bring it to you."
Having said that, he pulled out a piece of paper and two cards as if presenting a treasure.
Xiao Jie glanced at the paper, it had a URL on it.
The two cards, also of unknown material, felt thick and heavy, glossy black with a string of golden numbers on each, very intricately made, probably the so-called activation codes.
Xiao Jie took one and looked at it, thinking it did seem quite legit.
But he shook his head, "Dreaming of good things, huh? Can we actually take his word for it? Besides, in this age of widespread information, if there really was such a great game, it would be well known by now, not something he'd have the chance to offer as a favor."
Han Luo was stunned, scratched his head, and it seemed to make sense, yet he was still not convinced, "Let's just try it, what if it's true? After all, there hasn't been much going on with our studio lately."
Xiao Jie sighed, "Well, let's give it a try then."
He turned on the computer, typed in the URL from the paper, and pressed enter, only to find it really was a game website.
"Old Soil"? I've never heard of it before.
From the introduction, it seems to be a game with an Eastern fantasy style.
The homepage of the website had several game illustrations with a somber style, exuding the unique decadence of soul system games, but beyond some simple landscapes, there was no detailed introduction of the game mechanics.
Seeing the rudimentary website, Xiao Jie didn't hold out much hope, yet seeing the excited look on Han Luo's face he couldn't bring himself to dash his hopes.
Let's just give it a try.
Both of them entered the activation codes and set up a game account, choosing to download the game, which was quickly installed.
Looking at the strange game icon on the desktop that resembled a shattered disc, Xiao Jie clicked to enter the game.
The first thing that appeared was a cryptic CG animation of the game.
"Beyond the starry skies, there lies our homeland—Old Soil."
In the scene, a vast and majestic landscape emerged, with primitive land rising amidst trees and lava.
"That was once the world of the immortal Ancestor Dragon and the undying Fire Bird, yet what is immortal will eventually decay, what is undying will eventually be destroyed."
In the scene, a magnificent Dragon Clan, radiating golden light, and a Phoenix radiating blazing red flames were shown fighting across the heavens and earth, creating a violent yet magnificent apocalyptic vision.
"There also used to be the world of giants and wild beasts, but the giants ultimately fell, and the wild beasts returned to ignorance and savagery."
The giants, wielding weapons, controlling flames and torrents, fought with equally huge wild beasts, with corpses and blood everywhere.
"It also used to be a world of Divine and Immortal beings, yet the gods perished, and the immortals went into hiding."
This time, without overly gruesome scenes, the screen only showed shattered floating islands, dilapidated palatial buildings, and courtyards full of withered grass, giving an intense sense of desolation.
"It was also once the world of humans, your old homeland."
The scene then shifted to the landscape of the earth, with thatched cottages and markets, with people in Huaxia ancient dress moving between fields, depicting a bustling scene.
"However, as the apocalypse approached, terrifying demons roamed the earth, cities turned into mounds of ruins, and accumulated remains and blood covered the fields."
In the scene, various kinds of monsters appeared, devouring humans; cities collapsed and became desolate, and the fields were scattered with bones and skulls.
"It was also once the abode of the Saints, only the Saints knew the true nature of this apocalypse, only the Saints could perceive the mysteries of salvation."
However, when disaster struck, the Saints also disappeared. Some said the Saints had returned to nothingness, some said the Saints had fled the three realms, some said the Saints had scattered across the heavens and earth."
In the scene, seven men and women of various appearances, seemingly the so-called Saints, appeared. The images of the seven "Saints" disappeared one by one, leaving only a blank space.
"You exiles from beyond the stars, the long-lost homeland has once again opened its doors; the call of Old Soil leads you back on the road home, to seek the lost Saints and discover the truth of the apocalypse."
As the game CG ended, Xiao Jie found his character in a desolate little mountain village.
Xiao Jie looked at the game screen on his computer, and even his usually impassive face showed a rare expression of surprise.
"This game... is quite interesting!"
Although the game CG was somewhat baffling, the artistic style of the game indeed caught his attention.
The dilapidated wooden huts, the desolate wilderness, the lush trees and the mottled light falling through the leaves... the slightly gloomy sky and the sound of the wind in his ears.
Everything felt so real, almost as if he were peering into another real world through the screen.
Only the game interface displayed at the corner of the screen made him realize that this was neither a blockbuster movie nor a real-time footage, but an undeniable in-game scene.
"How about that, I wasn't wrong, was I? This game definitely has potential," Han Luo said excitedly next to him, rubbing his hands together and looking eager to start. "Now our studio finally has a project."
Xiao Jie slightly nodded in agreement. Indeed, although he hadn't played the game deeply yet, just the graphical presentation alone showed that the game had great potential and was well-suited to be Wuji Studio's new project.