Mr. Banks pushed open the reception room door, wearing a practiced, professional smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Lorne Dungeon! I am John Banks, Credit Manager at Gulf Bank..."
The mountain of polite pleasantries he had prepared got stuck in his throat.
This Mr. Lorne Dungeon was nothing like he had imagined. He had expected a carpenter from the countryside (most toy makers were carpenters) who, upon arriving in the big city for the first time without having even heard of the famous ToyJoy Company, naively thought a single novel idea would allow him to carve out a place in the toy industry.
Instead, he found a dignified young man. He sat behind the conference table with his fingers interlaced in a relaxed posture. Silver hair draped over his shoulders, his eyes were a striking crimson, and the sleeves of his black coat were embroidered with silver runes. He looked... well, he looked like the wizards from that tower in the Old City.
The two people standing behind him, seemingly assistants, made Mr. Banks's eyes light up even more. The male assistant was as handsome as the lead in the movie Wild Romance, and as for the female assistant... Mr. Banks's eyes were practically glued to her. How could such a beautiful woman exist? Heavens, were they really toy manufacturers? Had he walked into the wrong room and met a film company looking for a loan?
"Mr. Banks? Are you alright?"
The credit manager snapped out of it, his face flushing as he tore his gaze away from the female assistant. If his "she-tiger" at home found out, he'd likely be sleeping on the sofa tonight.
"Apologies, apologies. I drifted off for a moment."
Mr. Banks gave an embarrassed laugh, shook Lorne's hand, and sat down at the opposite end of the table.
"Mr. Lorne Dungeon, I heard you wish to open a shop in the Capital of Academics, Norelia?" Mr. Banks prepared to roll out his pre-planned speech to dissuade Lorne. "Toys are wonderful. I mean, who doesn't love toys? Not just children, but adults have a sense of wonder too. However, you must realize that the toy industry is fiercely competitive and the risks are immense. If you don't have a perfect plan and try to open a shop on passion alone, you'll likely lose everything..."
"A plan, you say?" The silver-haired youth across the table smiled. "I have already prepared a detailed proposal for your review—Miss Serina."
The beautiful female assistant walked gracefully to the window and drew the blinds. The reception room was instantly plunged into darkness.
Mr. Banks shifted uneasily in his seat. Why were they making the room pitch black and airtight? Were they planning to do something to him that didn't follow business ethics? He, John Banks, was a man of integrity!
"Are you going to show me the proposal? I can't see anything in the dark..."
Lorne stood up, pulled a black stone tablet from his sleeve, and tapped it gently. A beam of light shot out from the tablet, hitting the white wall of the reception room and forming a rectangular screen of light.
Right in the center of the light screen was a line of elegant, minimalist text: Business Proposal for the Magic Game Experience Shop.
The screen on the wall looked a bit like a slideshow. Banks had seen teachers use those during his children's open house events, but projectors were usually massive, heavy machines. Lorne Dungeon had achieved it with just a single black stone!
"Please look, Mr. Banks. I have divided the plan into seven sections: Market Background, Target Audience, Project Overview, Competitive Advantage, Promotion Strategy, Sales Execution, and After-Sales Service..."
Lorne tapped the black tablet, and the slide switched to the next. A series of exquisite pie charts, bar graphs, and line charts appeared on the light screen in sequence.
Mr. Banks had seen the bank's data analysts draw charts before, but never anything this gorgeous, clear, and intuitive. These images even moved! With a flick of Lorne's finger, the images would fade in and out—even movie transitions weren't this slick!
Magic Games? So the toys Mr. Lorne Dungeon wants to make are called Magic Games? Although he didn't know exactly what kind of game it was, the name suggested it was definitely related to magic.
So, this magical slideshow is also... magic?
Norelia was the home of the Wizard's Tower, and many outsiders assumed the city was filled with dazzling magical wonders. In reality, the citizens of Norelia saw no more magic than people elsewhere.
Once upon a time, Heroes would come to Norelia to find mages as adventuring companions. But that was centuries ago. These days, the mages in the tower lived in seclusion, rarely interacting with commoners, doing heavens-knows-what in secret. On the rare occasions they entered the city, they always wore sour expressions, as if every citizen owed them a fortune, leading the people to be neither brave nor willing enough to deal with them. After all, life went on just fine without magic, didn't it?
Furthermore, after the Industrial Revolution, universities were built in Norelia's new district, and various new inventions were born one after another, causing people to care even less about magic.
At his age, this was the first time Mr. Banks had seen someone perform magic with his own eyes.
He sat jaw-dropped, hearing only half of Lorne's explanation, completely immersed in the shock brought by the presentation.
Seeing Mr. Banks's stunned expression, Lorne nodded vigorously in his heart.
Indeed, as long as the PPT is good, a promotion and a raise are guaranteed!
As a corporate drone who had been battered by the workplace on Earth, Lorne's PPT skills were masterful.
In a company, you might not know how to use any other software, but you absolutely had to know how to make a PPT. A good deck always brings an endless professional advantage. This logic didn't just apply to Earth; it worked in this other world too.
Since the old-fashioned projectors of this world didn't meet Lorne's aesthetic standards (and Lorne couldn't afford a projector anyway), he had modified the obsidian tablet to include a projection function.
If he could make a magic game, a magic PPT was child's play.
"...So, Mr. Banks, is my plan detailed enough? If there are any shortcomings, please feel free to point them out."
Mr. Banks snapped back to reality, realizing the presentation had ended and the words "Thank you for watching" were displayed on the wall.
He had to admit, Mr. Lorne Dungeon's plan was indeed meticulous and well-rounded; it was clear he had come fully prepared.
Mr. Banks felt a sense of sincere admiration, but he couldn't let this young man walk down a path of no return.
"I am extremely impressed, Mr. Lorne Dungeon. However, opening a shop is not something that can be done purely on paper," Mr. Banks said earnestly. "Ninety-nine percent of the toys on the market today are ToyJoy products. If you are truly intent on entering the business world, I would suggest opening a shop specializing in these 'Magic Slideshows.' I believe many companies would be willing to pay for such exquisite presentations."
"ToyJoy Company..." Lorne whispered the name.
He had seen ToyJoy's chain of toy stores in the city. If Mr. Banks wasn't exaggerating, this company had clearly become a monopoly giant in the industry.
A "Monopoly Law" likely didn't exist in this world yet, allowing such a company to dominate. For an ordinary person to challenge such a behemoth would be like an ant trying to shake a giant tree.
But no matter how big ToyJoy was, they made traditional toys.
What Lorne was making was something this world had never heard of or seen before.
He pushed the magic tablet toward Mr. Banks.
"This is my new invention," Lorne said with a smile. "Why don't you give it a try? If you feel this thing has no future, then I won't waste any more of your time."
Mr. Banks looked hesitantly at the black tablet. It was slightly larger than an adult's palm, cut from a single piece of obsidian, its surface polished so smooth it reflected Mr. Banks's face.
He wanted to touch it, but at the thought that there might be magic attached, he quickly pulled his hand back. Only ghosts knew what strange functions a wizard might attach to their magical items. Maybe this tablet would eat his fingers.
"You say 'give it a try,' but how do you play with this? It's just a piece of—Whoa!"
Mr. Banks accidentally touched the surface of the tablet. With a "ding," the entire tablet lit up.
A scroll of landscape painting slowly unfolded before him.
"Is this a movie? Can you watch movies on this tablet?" Mr. Banks looked at Lorne in shock. "Uh, what should I do next?"
Lorne didn't say a word; he just smiled, silently encouraging Mr. Banks to continue.
Mr. Banks adjusted his glasses, summoned his courage, and tapped the tablet again.
The President of Gulf Bank closed his office door and walked down the stairs.
The clock had just struck five, the "Closed" sign had been hung, and the staff were leaving one by one after finishing the day's paperwork and bills. The President walked through the corridor with his hands behind his back, nodding in response to the constant greetings from the staff.
He arrived at the credit department and knocked on the door of Banks's office.
"Banks, I heard the club got a new shipment of tobacco from the Rock Kingdom. Care to join me?"
Mr. Banks and the President were members of the same club and often spent time there together after work. Whenever the President spoke, Mr. Banks would usually agree enthusiastically. But today, Mr. Banks was acting out of character. He sat behind his desk, staring intently at something on the table, his fingers sliding rapidly, muttering to himself.
"Move this stone over... Good, I refuse to believe I can't clear this level... Dammit! Just a little bit more! One more time, Bai!"
"Banks?" The President stepped closer.
"Wait, I'm about to beat this level!" Mr. Banks waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away a buzzing fly.
Then, he jumped as if he'd stepped on a spring.
"President! Sorry, I didn't know it was you. I thought it was the typist... What, is it already time to leave?"
He looked out the window at the city as the lights began to turn on, wearing a look of total disbelief.
The President found it amusing.
"What has you so entranced? I hope it's not one of those scandalous magazines that would make your wife angry."
He craned his neck to see the object that had the credit manager so enthralled.
Mr. Banks's face turned red. "Am I that kind of man! This is a new toy brought in by a client today called a 'Magic Game Tablet.' The client wanted me to try it out to see if it had market potential. I simply lost track of time..."
The President was dismissive. "Don't you know the state of the toy industry? I've seen too many cases of what happens when you go head-to-head with ToyJoy. Lending to a toy merchant is worse than betting on dice at a casino; you might actually have a better chance of seeing a return there."
Mr. Banks looked even more sheepish. "I thought so too, but..."
But this Magic Game Tablet is seriously fun!!!
At first, he thought it was just moving colored stones around—what was the point?—but he had unintentionally become addicted.
Especially after Level 10, the difficulty spiked, and different modes appeared. For instance, the "Board Mode," which had no time limit but required you to collect enough gems within a set number of moves.
To clear a level, you didn't just need quick eyes and hands; you needed a strategy and the help of items. It was quite a test of intelligence! The sense of accomplishment after clearing each level was explosive!
Collecting item fragments was even more interesting! Whenever he synthesized a new item, Mr. Banks was happier than if he'd received a bonus!
"I didn't know you had such a sense of wonder, Banks." The President narrowed his eyes. "The last time I saw images on a stone was when a wizard used a crystal ball to tell my fortune. He said I would become incredibly wealthy and Gulf Bank would become the number one bank on the continent. Hah, as if I believed that ghost."
He picked up the tablet. "Are you sure this is a toy? How do you play it?"
Mr. Banks jumped up, excited. "Let me show you! As long as you move gems of the same color together, you can collect them..."
Several hours later.
The President suddenly looked up and stared out the window.
The eastern sky was turning pale. Before long, the morning sun would rise over the horizon, drenching the city in golden light.
"Why is it almost dawn?!" he asked in disbelief.
His hands holding the magic tablet began to tremble slightly. It had clearly just been evening a moment ago! He felt like he had only played for "a little bit," yet when he looked up, it was morning!
He turned to Mr. Banks. Thick dark circles had formed under the manager's eyes, but his gaze was still flashing with excitement.
"Banks, how much did this toy merchant apply for?" the President asked seriously.
"Five hundred gold coins. He needs to rent a storefront, buy materials, hire staff..."
"Five hundred?!" the President squawked.
Mr. Banks was startled. "Uh, if you think five hundred is too much, I can convince him to rent a cheaper shop and hire fewer people. I think three hundred would be enough for a year..."
"No!" The President grabbed Mr. Banks by the shoulders and said, one word at a time, "Give him two thousand gold coins!"