I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 667 - 667 666. Devils Whisper_1

Chapter 667: 666. Devil’s Whisper_1 Chapter 667: 666. Devil’s Whisper_1 Li Zijian was about to go get something to eat when he received a call from Lu Ban.

At his level, the life of a working person had undergone some changes.

Li Zijian worked more for his own business, rather than watching his salary increase incrementally.

Seeing Lu Ban’s caller ID, he raised his eyebrows.

Phone calls from Lu Ban were usually good news, although they often involved some trouble for Li Zijian, the payoff most of the time was quite substantial.

So, Li Zijian decisively answered Lu Ban’s call.

“Brother Li, I want to buy some game console companies.”

After some pleasantries, Lu Ban got straight to the point.

“Game console companies?”

Li Zijian was puzzled.

In this world, the development of domestic game console companies was fairly good, but they didn’t hold a high market share. As for those big players in foreign lands, each one was wealthy.

Though Lu Ban was not short of money, to buy them would be extremely difficult.

For instance, a company specializing in family games, having faced haphazard investments and a stock crash that nearly led to bankruptcy, had hoarded a vast amount of cash, enough for the company to squander for a hundred years without folding.

Or take another company that had successfully squeezed into the top three. It advertised itself as one not short of cash, acquiring various studios left and right. The games bought would be made available for free to members, completely shaking up part of the industry’s ecosystem.

Then there was another market giant that not only sold game consoles but also marketed matching TVs, sound systems, headphones, and was developing entertainment companies in all directions, often spending money on time-limited exclusives and other flashy moves.

These companies were not the type that Lu Ban could simply decide to buy.

Of course, if Lu Ban really wanted to get into the gaming industry, he could team up with a game company or studio. Given his current IP portfolio, creating a game would take mere minutes.

So hearing what Lu Ban said made Li Zijian curious.

Why on earth did Lu Ban want to meddle with an entire game console company if he was to make games?

“Yes, I plan to release a game, but after looking around, I found that none of the game consoles on the market meet the standards of my game. So, I figured I might as well make my own game console.”

Lu Ban spoke as casually as if he had eaten a poorly-flavored clay pot rice outside and decided to go home and make one himself.

“Ah?”

But Li Zijian was still taken aback.

Was Lu Ban lacking common sense, or did he really have a master plan?

Creating a game console wasn’t something a few tech personnel and a couple of smart heads could just clap their hands and make, especially in the competitive gaming industry. If you wanted to make money, not only did the game console have to be reliable, but it also needed Excellent first-party titles, and moreover, support from a large number of third-party studios was essential.

Frankly, a game console is not a PC. When companies develop games for this platform, they need to use development consoles for specific adaptations. If you can’t increase your installed base, why would other companies want to adapt for you? And if there aren’t many games to play on your console, how can the installed base increase?

This creates a sort of interlocking cycle.

Especially in major markets like Europe and America, aside from a portion of professional players, most people buy a console to either shoot, play soccer, or race. Many game consoles in homes are nothing but a starter for gun, car, and ball games. If they see your game console doesn’t allow them to play online with their friends, not even a dog would buy it.

Furthermore, it normally takes several years to develop a proper game console. Wasn’t Lu Ban’s proposition coming a bit late?

Despite all these doubts in mind, Li Zijian still didn’t voice them.

After all, he had doubts so many times before, and in the end, Lu Ban always proved that Li Zijian’s doubts meant nothing. Lu Ban could always make it happen.

Therefore, Li Zijian didn’t rush to be proven wrong but instead agreed.

He even actually reached out to the three giants.

“It is indeed a great honor for Silent Media to be chosen as a cooperative partner by Director Lu Ban. Our company has a century of history and Excellent game development technology. Over the past several years… However, we are truly sorry but due to our company’s operational policies, please forgive us that we cannot agree to this acquisition request. If you wish to pursue other forms of cooperation, please call XXXXXX in our cooperation department.”

That was the reply from one of the enterprises.

“We are very sorry, but we currently have no intention of selling this business. If your company wishes to collaborate, you could consider providing a financial report of your company, and we will weigh the possibility of acquiring your company.”

That was how another enterprise responded.

Regarding the third company, Li Zijian had waited for several days without a formal reply email, probably because they were too busy with other business to notice.

Anyway, looking for support from the three giants of the gaming console industry was not very reliable.

Li Zijian thought about it and felt that perhaps Director Lu Ban’s request to buy a game company was too vague. Did he want to produce indie-level games for a trial, or was he aiming for a real blockbuster?

He decided to visit Director Lu Ban to gain a more detailed understanding of his needs.

The place Li Zijian visited was certainly not Lu Ban’s home, but Silent Media.

Over there, the employees were all working earnestly or enriching themselves by learning new technologies, only the receptionist was playing games.

Upon seeing Li Zijian, Lu Ban revealed a smile.

“Good timing, I’ve just wrapped up something here. Come and give it a try,”

he said.

“Wrapped up? Give it a try?”

Li Zijian didn’t understand.

Lu Ban quickly took him to a room that previously seemed to be used for storing equipment, now cleared out. Li Zijian saw that there was a chair in the center of the room, along with a helmet that covered the eyes.

The helmet looked like a VR device at a glance, connected with complex wiring to several workstations nearby.

“What’s this?”

Li Zijian asked.

“It’s something akin to VR equipment, I’m planning to call it the Silent Helmet,”

Lu Ban replied while guiding Li Zijian to the chair.

“Do you want to try it out?”

“It’s possible… but is it safe?”

Li Zijian asked subconsciously.

“Oh right, before testing, please sign this,”

Lu Ban seemed to remember something and handed Li Zijian a document.

It clearly stated a disclaimer.

It was the kind of document one would sign before engaging in risky activities like bungee jumping or skydiving, acknowledging the potential danger to life and agreeing to bear consequences for not following the rules.

“?”

Li Zijian looked at Lu Ban.

“I won’t harm you, Brother Li. Even if something does happen, I have ways to bring you back,”

Lu Ban assured, patting his chest.

“Bring back?”

Li Zijian’s mouth twitched.

However, after scrutinizing the helmet, which presumably did not have any feature to microwave-brain his brain, he signed the document, put on the helmet, and lay down on the chair following Lu Ban’s instructions.

“How is this activated?”

Li Zijian asked as he saw nothing but darkness before him.

“You say, ‘Link start,'”

Lu Ban instructed from the side. The headphones had excellent noise-cancellation, so his voice sounded faint and ethereal like a whisper from a tempting demon leading one into sin.

“Oh… Link start.”

The next moment, Li Zijian saw a kaleidoscope of vibrant black colors spring to life before his eyes.