Chapter 17: The Game Because of You

Lying on the bed in her own laboratory, Mobius pondered, tossing and turning.

She still couldn't understand why the game wouldn't let her play again after just completing a genocide run.

How could it suddenly restrict access?

The game could still be launched normally, but upon opening, there was just a black screen, devoid of any content. Remembering what the inexplicable character Chara had said earlier, it seemed her save data was indeed going to be deleted.

And now? Was her game data actually deleted?

Undeterred, Mobius opened the game again, only to be met with the same black screen. Yes, Mobius thought to herself, the game shouldn't just disappear like this. Since there was still a black screen, the game must still be running normally.

Perhaps because of the genocide run's uniqueness, there were other hidden plotlines? With this in mind, Mobius sat quietly in front of the computer, arms crossed.

Five minutes passed, and Mobius felt like a fool.

Eight minutes later, Mobius grew impatient, planning to seek out Klein or Vill-V to examine the game's internal code. Since the file size hadn't changed much, it should still be usable.

Just as Mobius was about to lose her patience completely, the game finally responded!

[Interesting, you want to go back. You want to return to the world you destroyed with your own hands. You pushed everything to the brink of despair. You led this world to destruction. And yet, you cannot accept it. You think you don't have to face the consequences.]

"Yes/No"

"Stay determined, so you can continue the game... I really want to meet this developer in person. If only Elsyia hadn't protected her so well, I wouldn't have missed the chance to get close to her..."

She didn't start streaming again, but seeing that the game could continue, Mobius couldn't help but mutter to herself.

After a long ten minutes of waiting, the game finally resumed. Mobius realized that maintaining determination within the game was indeed its core.

Thankfully, as a member of the Thirteen Flame Chasers, determination was something they never lacked, so it was all worth it.

She clicked "Yes."

[Perhaps... we can still reach an agreement, as you still possess something I want. Give it to me, and I will return this world to you.]

"Yes/No"

The dialogue was cryptic, but Mobius could anticipate what would happen if she clicked "No."

Since she wanted to continue playing the game, what other choice did she have?

She clicked "Yes."

[Then it's a deal. You'll give me your soul, and I'll return this world to you.]

Immediately, the familiar opening sequence appeared, and the background music played. But Mobius's expression became somewhat subtle.

In fact, until the other party mentioned the word "soul," she hadn't realized what exactly she was exchanging.

Trading a player's soul for a game? This plot felt like there was something left unsaid.

But since the game had resumed, was there anything left to say?

Next, she would enjoy the pacifist route. Compared to the genocide route, the pacifist route was undoubtedly much simpler. Experiencing the heartwarming storyline inside would lift her spirits.

Good things always come last, don't they?

...

"Congratulations on the game's success. Even after the platform's share, the game should have made quite a profit, right?"

Since living with Bronie once, Bronie had given up on pretending.

The next day, she came over with a suitcase, acting like she absolutely had to live with Cioara.

Bronie's belongings were still pretty clean, clean enough to make Cioara suspect she had a safe house elsewhere.

And those hacker tools were probably in a safe house?

But living nearby, Cioara could also see Bronie's progress on the game.

As the game approached completion, Cioara opened SBeam and saw Bronie's game appear directly in the popup recommendations.

"Three months, fifty-three thousand sales, over ten million. How about it? Feels much easier than the grueling mercenary business, doesn't it?"

Upon hearing that there was so much money, Cioara couldn't help but feel envious.

"Forget it, I don't have the ability to make games like you do. Besides, being able to take a small game to that level almost made Dr. Mobius cry with the genocide route."

You use your talents to fill your stomach.

Cioara believed that being a mercenary was her only talent. Living on the edge of a blade and making money, this kind of thing had accompanied her throughout her life.

But making games?

Whether it's technical skills or deeply moving stories, she didn't have any of that. And that artistic style reminiscent of Spiritfarer?

That was even more out of the question. Completely impossible.

To make money from that, you probably needed a lot of capital and just invest directly in a game studio, right?

"How could Mobius, with the sharpest tongue and tsundere mouth in the Elysian Realm, cry?"

Bronie shook her head, teasingly.

Cioara can only wryly smile at this, Perhaps only non-World Serpent members could jest like this to those renowned legendary soldiers.

"To be honest, I've started to wonder how much my investment really helped your game. Your income is already off the charts."

"Your concern is indeed valid, but I don't intend to use all that money on the new game for now. I'm planning to start my own company."

"Do you have experience running a company?"

"Well, don't I have you?"

Apart from her talents as a mercenary, Cioara was also very good at managing.

A bar that couldn't cook and only served average drinks managed to stay profitable in such a lively neighborhood, largely due to Cioara's various marketing strategies.

After all, the bar named Raven's wasn't just in the Arc City. In major cities around the world, there were more or less bars opened by Cioara.

Their main focus was on branding. Maybe the quality of the drinks was average, but overall, it had become somewhat like a Starbucks-like presence.

Pretty impressive, right? That was the bar managed by Cioara.

It was a little secret that Bronie only discovered later.

"The price of hiring me is quite high. Aren't you worried that I'll just use the standard rates from the Charon List?"

The Charon List was a ranking of mercenaries. The current legend was the Silver Wolf of the Ural Mountains, but Raven also ranked among the top. She just hadn't deliberately chased that top ranking.

"So you find it too much trouble... Hmm... the price is negotiable!"

"You know me, I'm quite idle when I'm resting, but when I'm busy, I'm really busy and don't have time for those things," she said, "But my game company is also quite relaxed. I just don't know how to manage personnel. If I were to start a company..."

"Company employees work a full eight hours a day, with only three meals and snacks provided. There's only milk for breakfast, and lunch break is only one hour. Even overtime gets only triple pay, and after work, there's an hour of mandatory exercise. There's only one day of psychological counseling a week, three bonuses a year, and only two months of vacation. And the most ruthless part is, wages are raised only once every four months.

They'll definitely not be able to stand it and leave my company directly."

"Is this the standard in your hometown?"

"In my hometown, if you're a company dog, the treatment is definitely better, but I usually look down on it. After all, being a company dog is just like that for the rest of your life."

Of course, compared to the world she had lived in in her previous life, the labor laws in the Cyber Arc City were somewhat useful, and the treatment was indeed better. But generally, companies would try to make you bear a lot of debt first and then, under the pretext of high benefits and high salaries, cultivate loyal employees.

Of course, it could also plunge them into hell at any time and then come to the darker places inside Cyber Arc City for body disassembly.

"Let me guess, some people don't even have the opportunity to become company lapdogs?"

"That's true. If you're helpless and have no one to rely on, you'll either be eaten up by company tricks or be taken by some other gang to be raised like a pig."

The topic seemed to have drifted.

"So, can you help a poor, weak, and helpless little bunny? The bunny needs your help. If it weren't for you, my company would definitely be eaten up by a group of vampires. I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to keep my own employees."

"You could be a bit more confident. Like your plan just now, it was quite good and could bring great cohesion to the employees."

Bronie wasn't really familiar with this.

"Really?"

"Russians don't deceive other Russians," Cioara retorted to Bronie, a mischievous smile playing on her face.

Now Bronie felt a lot of pressure.

Damn it. Even though she said the price was negotiable, she still refused!

Bronie could only express her regret.

Were there others with management skills?

Thinking it over, Bronie figured Bronya might be a possibility. But Bronya was still the Silver Wolf of Urals, and she is probably not even ten years old yet.

Anyway, it was troublesome.

"If I want to make bigger games, hiring people to open a company is necessary. Now, Spiritfarer has been in production for so long. In the future, I want to make more interesting and larger games. Won't that mean a lot more work?"

"But you're afraid of taking too big a step, so you want someone to help you manage the company?"

"That's right. The only person I can trust in this world is probably you. Should I pull someone out of the Elysian Realm to help me manage the company?"

"Flame Chasers managing a company? Isn't that a bit of a pipe dream? Among those I've met, perhaps Mobius could barely help manage a company?"

"Her? Forget it. I'm afraid she'd embezzle company funds for her experiments, and then I'd have to take the blame when the employees end up on the streets."

"It seems we can still agree on our view of Mobius!"

Cioara's mood improved a lot after that. But she was more curious about what Bronie was planning to do next. After all, now that she had the idea of starting a company, what kind of achievements could she create on her own in the future? Cioara was quite curious.

"Mobius may have a sharp tongue, but she's focused on pursuing the infinite possibilities of life. If it weren't for her breakdown, she might really achieve her dream."

Hearing Bronie say this, Cioara felt a bit uncomfortable.

"It's precisely because of her pursuit that she could never help me manage a company. So, are you really not considering helping me?"

"No."

Cioara's answer was resolute. Bronie shrugged and gave up on the idea.

"In the end, I'll do it myself. It's really annoying. I'll have to self-study management skills, wasting a lot of my time. Actually, I'd rather put all my efforts into making games."

"Have you already scheduled when the next game will be released? Have you released pre-order information and a trailer?"

"Do you want to see?"

There was a hint of wanting to show off in her expression.

Seeing Bronie's expression, Cioara felt a bit tired. But dealing with such a person required the same tactics as dealing with Elisia.

"Maybe not!"

"Hey! Don't be like that! I brought the trailer, are you really not curious?"

"Even if I watch the trailer, it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be able to play it. And if I get itchy about it later, even the taste of the drinks you make will probably change."

"With your crappy cocktails, what taste changes are there? You might as well taste the trailer of the game. It will definitely make you feel the core theme of the game!"

Bronie quickly took out her laptop, opened it, and then found the video in the folder, clicking play.

The video played, so why refuse to watch it?

Cioara also sat down at the computer.

A soothing song played.

This was the ending theme of the game called "What Will You Leave Behind?"

From the vast sea to a giant sailboat.

The protagonist woke up with her cute cat from a warm bed.

In the morning, she made breakfast with a hedgehog and Miss Deer.

At dusk, she and her lion and shark friends refitted the ship.

At night, she dined with her frog and hawk friends.

At the end of the banquet, the protagonist embraced everyone warmly, but afterward, the huge furry lion gradually turned into golden light and dissipated in her arms.

In the end, only the protagonist was left alone at the stern, enjoying the twilight by the sea.

As time passed, friends gradually left, forming a strong contrast with the warm life before.

But the protagonist wasn't sad, just gazing at the stars and the constellations they formed.

Then the video ended.

Although it was only a one-minute short film, it described the transition from a warm daily life to a happy life and then to a calm and relieved farewell.

The pervasive warmth made people's hearts feel equally peaceful.

If the video had such an infectious quality, what would the game be like?

Cioara was indeed starting to become eager.

The anticipation for the game Bronie is preparing is palpable.

-----

AN:

For people familiar with the game, yes the dialogue maybe a tadbit different. Its because I wasn't very familiar with the game and i wasnt able to find any text script of the game unless i either buy the game or search a playthrough, but both arent possible due to time availability. So all of the in-game dialogue is from the ff itself.