Wilshere, the president of Gulf Bank, had been pacing his office for two full hours.
Two hours ago, he had heard that Mr. Lorne Dungeon had visited the branch of Western Trust Bank and was received with great hospitality by the branch manager. Wilshere wasn't stupid enough to think he went there just to deposit money. The mere thought of his client being snatched away by another bank felt like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a rap at the office door.
"Come in!—By the gods, Banks, you're finally back! If you were any later, either my floor or my soles would have worn through!" President Wilshere looked as if he'd seen a savior. "What did Lorne Dungeon say?"
Mr. Banks wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "I don't know if it's good news or bad news, President."
"Where did you learn to speak in such riddles?! Give it to me straight!"
Twenty minutes later, after viewing the magic slideshow Banks had brought back from Lorne, President Wilshere fell into a deep silence. Banks nervously twiddled his fingers.
"Like I said, President. If we say it's good news, it really is. If the online banking system is established, magic slate players will have to open accounts at our bank, which will help us attract depositors. But it's also bad news. Haven't we already planned to emulate Western Trust and start 'Credit Bill Cards'? I'm afraid we won't have enough spare manpower for this online banking thing. Right now, credit cards haven't been promoted in Norelia yet. If we get a step ahead of Western Trust, we might seize the Norelia market. But if we let Western Trust get there first..."
President Wilshere raised his hand, signaling Banks to stop.
The loan manager's shoulders slumped in discouragement. "I understand what you mean. Sigh, Mr. Lorne will be very disappointed. But there's nothing for it; our interests conflict, it's just..."
"Banks," President Wilshere interrupted him. "How long have you worked at Gulf Bank?"
"It will be fifteen years at the end of this year..." Banks replied, trembling with uncertainty as to why the president had suddenly brought this up.
"In these fifteen years, have you ever seen a company like Dungeon Entertainment—one that achieved such fame and success right at its opening, earned enough to pay off all its loans in a few months, and even made Western Trust deign to welcome them?"
"I... I certainly haven't seen anything like it..." Banks replied hesitantly.
President Wilshere stood with his hands behind his back, facing the window.
"I've worked at Gulf Bank for forty years and consider myself well-traveled. But even I have never seen a spectacle like this." His voice was hollow and distant, as if coming from a great way off.
"I have a premonition that Lorne Dungeon's background is far from ordinary. He is definitely not some wandering magic performer. Everything he's doing now, which seems world-shaking to us, is likely just the tip of the iceberg in his plan. He has many, many more 'miracles' yet to be displayed. And I believe every one of them will set off a lightning storm."
The president turned, staring deeply at Banks.
"Have you ever heard the famous saying by the 'Last Brave'? 'In life, either don't gamble at all, or go for the high stakes.' I haven't gambled once in my life; I've always been cautious, managing this bank carefully for fear of making a wrong step and ruining the foundation laid by my ancestors. But today, I suddenly really want to take a gamble."
The late autumn afternoon sun spilled into the office from behind him, leaving him as nothing but a silhouette. Through that dark silhouette, Banks suddenly felt that the man standing before him wasn't a sixty-something-year-old elder, but a spirited young man in his twenties who had just entered the bank, full of ambition and hoping to make a mark in the financial world.
The president turned off the magic slate. The magic slideshow vanished from the wall. Mr. Banks shuddered, waking from his own reverie.
"Go tell Mr. Lorne Dungeon that Gulf Bank is willing to collaborate fully." President Wilshere handed the slate back to Banks. "One day, we'll make those snobs at Western Trust regret their decision today with tears in their eyes."
That same evening, Lorne got his wish as Mr. Banks visited for the second time.
"So, your bank intends to collaborate with my company to develop the magic online banking system?" Lorne tried his hardest not to let his smile look too perverse. "Excellent. Next, I will draft a detailed plan and send people to your bank to build the magic transmission platform. All of this requires long-term preparation, but believe me, your bank will not regret it."
"I certainly have confidence in you..." Mr. Banks' voice lacked conviction when he said this.
Lorne didn't mind. One day, Mr. Banks would realize that the luckiest thing in his life was not refusing to see Lorne on the day he came to the bank for a loan.
There was a mountain of work to do next. Firehammer the dwarf had replied; he had summoned a large group of relatives from the dwarven mines and planned to develop new cutting machinery to open a slate-cutting factory. The production of obsidian slates would soon grow exponentially.
The number of magical creatures in the dark dungeon capable of performing ritual replication was also increasing. Next time, fifteen hundred slates would be released, and the time after that, three thousand. Soon, the production of obsidian slates would keep up with sales volume, allowing for open sales.
As for the magic transmission platform, Lorne already had a prototype in mind. Once he wrote the complete formulas, he could send a few magic-savvy creatures to Gulf Bank to set up the platform. As for digitizing all the depositor information, that would rely on Gulf Bank's manpower.
At the same time, to attract players to spend money, having only Five-Color Stone Match-3 and The Legend of the Brave wasn't enough. Lorne planned to launch a new game in sync with the online banking system.
He had already decided on the name and theme: The Hero's Legend 2: War of the Gods. This would be the official sequel to The Hero's Legend and also Dungeon Entertainment's first true "gacha mobile game."
What attracts players most to a gacha game? The "Character," of course!
No matter which mobile game company it is, art is placed at the core. The plot can be cliché, the gameplay can be boring, and the management can be heartless, but the art must be peak! In his past life, Lorne's company spared no expense in inviting famous domestic and international illustrators to draw the card faces. As long as the "waifus" and "husbandos" were beautiful enough, players would be very forgiving even if other aspects were lacking. After all, humans are visual creatures and can never resist the temptation of beauty.
A gacha game in the Otherworld would naturally have to follow suit.
The problem was that Lorne himself wasn't actually very skilled at art. He could construct formulas with his mind to turn images in his head into images in the obsidian slates, but many of these images were taken from materials used in games he had made in his past life. If he had to imagine something new, he was out of his depth. Things he couldn't imagine, he naturally couldn't manifest.
So, this aspect had to be handled by a professional.
As for this "professional," the dungeon monsters were the first to be ruled out. Their aesthetic was the polar opposite of human aesthetic. If Lorne ever wanted to develop a Cthulhu-themed game, he would definitely ask the monsters to be the art directors. Their masterpieces would surely scare players so much they'd be crying for their parents, their Sanity points plummeting.
Lorne called Selena over.
"Go inform the others that from today on, everyone must maintain human form in the store. In a while, human employees will be moving into the office. You must never reveal your identities, understand?"
Selena suddenly fell to her knees with a thud, grabbed Lorne's leg, and began to wail at the top of her lungs.
"Lord Lorne, did we do something wrong? You can punish me however you like, but please don't be so hard on yourself!"
Lorne jumped back several steps, frantically shaking his leg to try and get rid of Selena. But the succubus was like a koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree, refusing to let go even after being dragged a long way.
"Get up, Selena! I'm not being hard on myself!" Lorne roared.
"You actually want to recruit humans under your command! Fragile humans! Heavens, why are you torturing yourself?"
"That's called 'talent acquisition'! Why? Don't tell me you can draw?"
Selena jumped up suddenly. "It's just drawing! Who can't do that?"
Lorne kicked his aching leg and grinned. "Fine then. Draw a cute little kitten, go to the street, and find ten random people to rate it. Out of ten. If the average score is above six, I'll let you have this position."
Selena immediately grabbed a pen, finished with a flourish, and scurried downstairs.
A minute later, the miserable sound of a child crying drifted from the street. Another minute later, Selena returned with a long face.
"Cursed human hatchlings, they don't understand art at all," she muttered under her breath.
Lorne glanced at the "little kitten" she had drawn—it had seven or eight legs, an indescribable shape, and was as hideous as an evil god—and immediately looked away.
So weird. But I don't want to look at it for a single second longer. He was definitely going to have nightmares tonight.
Fortunately, Lorne hadn't expected the monsters to have any artistic talent. This sort of thing was indeed better left to humans.
Norelia was nicknamed the "City of Academics," filled with various universities and specialized schools, which naturally included fine arts academies. The "Norelian School" was one of the most influential art movements on the continent today, attracting aspiring young artists from various countries. Even the royal family had invited artists from the Norelia Academy of Fine Arts to paint court murals. The status of the academy was evident.
This world didn't have job recruitment websites or job fairs; if you wanted to hire someone, the only way was likely to publish a notice in the newspaper. Lorne pulled out a piece of paper and, recalling the format of recruitment notices on the Blue Star, began to write.
[Recruitment Notice—Game Artist]
Dungeon Entertainment Co., Ltd., founded in the year 912 of the Star Era, is an emerging company focusing on magic game development, dedicated to creating high-quality games. Dungeon Entertainment has already released games such as 'Five-Color Stone Match-3' and 'The Legend of the Brave,' which have been well-received by players. Due to business development needs, we are currently seeking to hire 5 game artists...