I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 433 - 433 432. Global Recruitment of Participants (Monthly

Chapter 433: 432. Global Recruitment of Participants (Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter!)_1 Chapter 433: 432. Global Recruitment of Participants (Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter!)_1 The recruitment of NPCs was carried out in an orderly fashion.

Lu Ban had quickly recruited more than a hundred NPCs.

These NPCs were divided into two groups, one of which consisted of key NPCs who would interact with the main storyline of the script, including a bartender with a broken leg, gang family members, and so on.

The other group was made up of background NPCs who were mostly passersby without crucial clues. Often, if the players did not persistently question them, these NPCs might not even have the chance to deliver their prepared lines.

Just like when playing games, most players would not stop to talk to every NPC along the way while on a mission. Sometimes, the designers might plant easter eggs in these NPCs, but only a few people would discover them.

Lu Ban had divided these NPCs into two teams, alternating work schedules, calculating four days of script experience as one work cycle followed by four days off.

With the help of the superpower script augmented by the Silent Lands, the actors hardly needed to study acting deliberately and could even respond to questions beyond the script according to their character design.

Lu Ban believed this could also be due to the enhanced effects brought about by the upgrade of the shop’s level.

The initial videos and movies would at most create an immersive effect.

Now, however, these materials could already instill part of the knowledge into the viewers’ brains.

Once they embraced their roles, the corresponding knowledge and memories would flow into the actors’ brains, remodeling their cognition. Performing these roles would come to them as naturally as innate instincts.

When the performance ended, those NPCs could return to their lives without being schizophrenic from the script’s influence.

Like Lu Ban’s suona and crowbar, this knowledge clung to their brains like a spider’s web, bringing them memories.

Although continuous performing might eventually deepen the pollution along with the knowledge, it was still within an acceptable range for common people.

The construction work continued for several months, which was considered quite slow in the domain of a construction maniac.

By the end of the year, when the weather grew cold and parents began to nag about wearing long johns, Lu Ban’s large-scale immersive live-action game “Glass Flower” was finally ready.

Unlike traditional scripted murders or escape rooms where players could only choose to solve puzzles, “Glass Flower” offered a game experience for fifteen players at a time.

These players would receive scripts for roles like detectives and gang members and play their parts in their respective areas to advance the story together.

And each iteration of the script could have an uncertain ending. Perhaps the gang would ultimately cover up the truth, Stone might succeed in his revenge, or like Lu Ban and his team, the detective might solve the case. All outcomes would vary based on the players’ decisions.

Some might ask how to complete the mission of tens of millions of favorable reviews with only fifteen people at a time.

Lu Ban had his own plan.

He first released a teaser for the live-action game and then recruited the first batch of participants from all over the world.

On social media, a single stone caused a thousand ripples.

“Damn, Lu Ban’s live-action game; will the special effects be mind-blowingly great? How will they select the participants, by drawing lots?”

“I thought scalpers would make a killing, but I didn’t expect Lu Ban to recruit globally. How are they going to make the selection?”

“Will there be any world-famous detectives or high-tech cops joining the game? If so, those professionals would solve the cases casually, wouldn’t they?”

“What’s with this global recruitment? It’s all just for show. In the end, it’ll definitely just be Lu Ban’s acquaintances or something, playing for a few days and then coming out to heap on praise, with their peers singing their praises. I’ve seen plenty of this before.”

“Such a big project, only fifteen people at a time, how many years would it take to make that money back, huh? Lu Ban can’t possibly be taking a loss here, right?”

“You’re worried about whether Lu Ban will make a loss? The guy’s made more money with a few movies than you could in hundreds of lifetimes, and here you are feeling sorry for him.”

“How do you apply, how do you get selected, I’m really curious.”

“Only fifteen people for four days each time, do common folks just give up hope of ever getting to play in this lifetime?”

As for the specific contents of Lu Ban’s reality game, since nobody knows, there wasn’t much to discuss, so everyone’s focus turned to how they might be able to play.

A common escape room, one or two hours, several people at a time, at least four or five sessions a day, even for an award-winning, gold-medal escape room, you can usually book a slot after a few days’ wait.

But Lu Ban’s reality game, four days each time, only fifteen people at a go, and only a little over a hundred people can play per month. How expensive must the fees be to cover the salaries of so many NPCs, not to mention the development funds?

Previously, Lu Ban’s movies had a low entry barrier. Everyone could watch them just by buying a movie ticket for a few dozen yuan, and even the award-nominated works would be screened domestically. After a while, they’d even be available on video streaming websites for members to watch.

But now, not everyone can just play this reality game.

No matter how good a work is, if only a handful of people can see it, if only the rich and powerful can enjoy it, then it becomes disconnected from the masses.

Even those who collect antiques understand the need to display their collections to the public.

Many people feel Lu Ban might be getting carried away with this move, wondering if he’s starting to push for exclusivity and classism.

When the tickets cost tens of thousands each, who’s going to patronize him?

So, a lot of people are watching and waiting to see whom Lu Ban picks for this premiere and what the participants’ evaluations will be.

Of course, in the current industry, there’s a lot of mutual back-scratching in terms of commercial endorsements. Some are paid for it, while others do it out of obligation.

After all, these are the people you see all the time. Maybe you’ve partnered with them before. If someone produces a pile of junk, you’re not exactly going to tell them to go back to street sweeping, right? That’s the idea.

As such, many people don’t have much expectation for this premiere because Lu Ban will undoubtedly pick some acquaintances, who will come out praising it after their experience. Even if a public entrance opens up later, those who can afford the hefty ticket prices aren’t likely to say they’d been through something atrocious after four days; otherwise, they’d be openly telling others they’d paid to suffer.

It’s like those restaurant explorer UPs online who spend thousands to dine at Michelin-starred places. Even if it’s really not that good, they won’t tell people the restaurant is overhyped or dreadful. First, it’s a matter of face, and second, if they did, the restaurant owners would come after them.

So, the high EQ response of some explorer UPs is simply: “I don’t recommend that average viewers spend the money to experience this.”

After a week of collecting applicants, Lu Ban more or less firmed up the list of participants, and then posted new information on the official website of the “Silent Lands” project.

These fifteen participants will start the game in the last few days of December, continuing through until New Year’s Day, January 1st.

At the same time, they’ll be carrying sports cameras and live stream equipment with them to broadcast their entire gaming experience live.

Live stream to the world!

*

The second vote-related additional update of November 2/3