OGP CH73

This weekend, a grand comic-con happened to be taking place in Rong City.

Comic conventions in this alternate world were quite similar to those in Xie Yunfan’s previous life—a jubilant festival for ACG (Anime, Comic, and Games) enthusiasts.

Conventions featured numerous doujinshi and merchandise booths for games and anime, cosplayers dressed as various fictional characters roaming the halls, and frequent on-site signing sessions by authors, illustrators, and voice actors.

Having the weekend off, Xie Yunfan decided to drop by the convention for a stroll. He bought a 60-yuan ticket on the official website in advance, threw on a sweater and coat, and hailed a cab.

Arriving at the venue, he immediately spotted numerous cosplayers in custom outfits: a girl sporting pink twin-tails playing an anime heroine, and a handsome guy with white hair in a purple patterned robe portraying a mage from a game.

These cosplayers were very gracious, surrounded by curious passersby snapping photos of them.

Xie Yunfan lined up to enter, intending to conduct a firsthand survey of the alternate world’s convention market.

Most booths were dedicated to anime and manga, buzzing with popularity, with long lines forming in front of several stalls.

As Xie Yunfan browsed casually, a girl suddenly thrust an exquisite white banner into his hand, whispering softly, “Hello, handsome! Here’s some free fan merch for you. Please check out the mobile game Journey to the West!”

Xie Yunfan: “??”

Handing free fan merch directly to the game’s chief producer!

He smiled warmly as he accepted the banner: “Thank you.”

Glancing down, he saw it featured chibi-style avatars of the pilgrimage squad drawn by a fan, printed onto a simple hand banner and handed out for free at the convention. This sort of unpaid fan promotion—funded and distributed entirely out of a fan’s own pocket with zero profit—was a pure act of “generating electricity with love.”

Paying out of pocket to promote a game at a convention made her a certified “die-hard fan.”

Xie Yunfan was delighted to meet such a player, and he carefully tied the Great Sage hand banner around his wrist.

Xie Yunfan kept walking, nearly bumping headlong into a man at a corner. The man looked up and froze on the spot: “B-Boss?”

It was none other than Song Qian, Marketing Manager of Yangfan Studio!

As it turned out, Song Qian was also free over the weekend and had come to check out the convention to gauge the market.

Xie Yunfan smiled, “Manager Song, what a coincidence.”

Song Qian was thoroughly surprised—the boss was quite trendy, actually coming to a comic convention? On his right wrist, he was even wearing a Journey to the West hand banner handed to him at the event.

A young boss was indeed remarkably receptive to novel trends.

Pushing up his glasses, Song Qian explained, “I was wondering if we should set up an official Yangfan Studio merchandise showcase booth at conventions nationwide in the future, so I came today to do some preliminary research.”

This Manager Song was truly sharp-witted and brimming with ideas. Xie Yunfan smiled faintly: “What a coincidence, I had the exact same thought. Having nothing to do today, I came by to look around.”

Song Qian felt a wave of emotion. Compared to clueless executives who barked blind orders, a boss who genuinely walked among players to understand their passions was exceptionally rare.

Fortunately, he had found one.

Song Qian pointed ahead: “Boss, look over there. A few people are cosplaying the pilgrimage squad.”

Following his gaze, Xie Yunfan looked over—

Holy crap!

Four college students: one dressed in a cassock holding a staff cosplaying Tang Seng; one with monkey fur pasted on his face brandishing a golden staff cosplaying Sun Wukong; another sporting a custom plump belly cosplaying Zhu Bajie; and the last one cosplaying Sha Heshang, wearing a string of black prayer beads around his neck, dutifully shouldering the luggage.

Forming a neat single file, the four patrolled the venue, becoming the most conspicuous head-turners of the entire convention and drawing curious stares from scores of passersby.

The players were… simply too adorable!

Actually crafting costumes and props matching the in-game designs to personally cosplay the Journey to the West squad?

Xie Yunfan chuckled softly: “Judging by their age, they must be college students, right? Their cosplays are remarkably spot-on.”

They truly threw all inhibitions to the wind!

Especially the chubby guy cosplaying Zhu Bajie: wide face, pig ears, completely fearless about looking goofy, cheerfully grabbing passing players for photos—an absolute, top-tier social butterfly.

Xie Yunfan turned to Song Qian and lowered his voice: “Get their contact info. We can take advantage of winter break to run a nationwide cosplay tour of the pilgrimage squad across various conventions, inviting the four of them to attend with all expenses paid by us. We can start preparing our merchandise booths as well.”

When Song Qian had first seen those cosplayers, he had thought the exact same thing.

Being on the exact same wavelength as the boss felt fantastic.

Song Qian promptly went over to ask for their contact details, while Xie Yunfan stepped forward, revealed his identity, and took a group photo with them.

The chubby student portraying Zhu Bajie was so excited he didn’t know where to put his hands: “Heavens, are you LittleSailboat?! Ahhh, we actually ran into the chief producer?!”

The others eagerly shook hands with Xie Yunfan: “This game is ridiculously fun! We’re dorm mates; every time an update drops, we download and play together. We’ve been following it for over half a year.”

The player cosplaying Sun Wukong added: “I even bought the Great Sage figurine!”

Xie Yunfan smiled and shook their hands: “Thank you all for your support.”

Song Qian discussed the convention tour partnership with them, offering a generous appearance fee that left the students overjoyed.

Getting to cosplay their favorite characters, earn pocket money over winter break, and travel across the country with Yangfan Studio—they had struck gold!

That evening, a topic titled #JourneyToTheWestCosplayTeam# trended on the hot search list.

The Rong City convention was one of the largest in the country, attracting massive crowds. Scores of attendees had photographed these four “scene-stealers” and posted them online for discussion.

“The art style of these cosplayers is remarkably unique, isn’t it?”

“Zhu Bajie is killing me! I’m dying to know what that big belly is stuffed with!”

“The Sun Wukong cosplayer is covered in monkey fur, hahaha, and he walks just like a monkey too.”

“Tang Seng is actually pretty handsome; I kind of understand the Queen of the Kingdom of Women now, teehee~”

Numerous Journey to the West players took commemorative photos with them.

Some players spotted Xie Yunfan posing with them, snapping photos and posting online: “This looks like Chief Producer LittleSailboat? Not entirely sure.”

Someone replied: “I recognize LittleSailboat! He accepted an award last year; that’s definitely him.”

“So jealous of Rong City! Do Imperial Capital players not deserve to see the pilgrimage squad cosplays?!”

Photos of the convention cosplay blew up across the internet, with players in other cities voicing unanimous desire: “We want to see them too!”

That very night, Yangfan Studio issued an official announcement:

“Dear players, Yangfan Studio is confirmed to attend four comic conventions during this winter break: January 30: Magic City BV Comic-Con February 2: Imperial Capital CMC Doujin Festival February 14: Ningcheng YC Anime Gala February 20: Jiangzhou City ACG Creative Bazaar Official merchandise booths will be set up, and the Journey to the West pilgrimage squad cosplayers will attend in person. We look forward to seeing everyone there to snap photos and check in!”

This news sent shockwaves through the industry yet again.

While game merchandise booths were common at conventions, an official studio organizing a nationwide promotional tour like Yangfan Studio was exceedingly rare.

It was easy to foresee that this would be another carnival for gamers!

When the time came, the lines to snap photos with the pilgrimage squad would probably stretch out of sight.

If every upcoming convention hosted an official Yangfan Studio merchandise booth, players could view the physical merchandise offline and purchase directly on-site.

This opened an entirely new sales channel for merchandise, capturing the attention of countless ACG youth while serving as positive organic marketing for their games.

Song Qian led his team in the marketing department, diving into high-gear preparations for the conventions. After joining Yangfan Studio, many of his creative ideas were finally coming to fruition!

On Monday, Xie Yunfan convened an all-hands wrap-up meeting for the studio.

“Our Journey to the West launched last June, and after half a year of serialized updates, it has now concluded successfully.”

“To date, Journey to the West has been reviewed by 3.8 million players, maintaining an average score of 9.6 and ranking #1 overall on Mobile Home’s rating charts. Total player downloads have surpassed 55 million, with gross revenue breaking past 2.5 billion yuan.”

“Simultaneously, the game has seen phenomenal reception in the merchandise market: our nationwide stationery co-branding surpassed 300 million yuan in sales; two waves of official merchandise generated 400 million yuan; and the commemorative finale figurine exceeded 1 billion yuan, smashing worldwide sales records for gaming figurines!”

“This game’s tremendous success is inseparable from the hard work of everyone in this room. I have already instructed the finance department to issue everyone’s year-end bonuses within the week.”

“Spring Festival is right around the corner; Yangfan Studio’s annual holiday will run from February 5 to February 15. Go home, rest up, and celebrate a wonderful New Year with your families.”

“Thank you all for your perseverance and hard work over the past six months. Let’s keep up the momentum for our next game!”

The moment Xie Yunfan finished, enthusiastic applause thundered through the room—heartfelt and unforced, clapping that went on and on until the palms of several young staff were stinging.

Fresh graduates new to the workforce, like Shi Xiaoyu and Zhang Zizheng, felt privileged to participate in such a monumental project; while seasoned veterans who had resigned, jumped ship, or switched jobs after company bankruptcies celebrated their decision to join Yangfan Studio.

—The greatest stroke of fortune in their lives was joining Xie Yunfan’s design team.

Yangfan Studio was no ordinary little sailboat.

It was an opulent luxury cruise ship of the gaming industry!

Anyone who climbed aboard was propelled to new heights by Xie Yunfan.

Even Liang Anwei, founder of the animation studio acquired not long ago, felt deeply emotional—he had barely made any money running his studio independently, nearly unable to pay salaries. Now, after joining Yangfan Studio, not only was payroll paid like clockwork, but every single employee received a year-end bonus.

Was this what it felt like to “hug a golden thigh”?

Xie Yunfan said, “Over the next few days, wrap up your remaining tasks. Holiday break begins on February 5. Wishing you all an early Happy Spring Festival!”

Other companies offered 7 days of holiday; Yangfan Studio gave 10.

How amazing was that?

After the meeting adjourned, employees returned to their desks in high spirits, gossiping excitedly about how big their year-end bonuses would be.

Returning to his office, Xie Yunfan opened the game forums to browse player reviews of Journey to the West following its grand finale.

Many theorycrafters had penned thoughtful analytical essays.

One user wrote: “The westward pilgrimage is really just a chess game played by Tathāgata Buddha, isn’t it? Most monsters along the journey were dispatched from the Heavenly Court—especially by Taishang Laojun. Releasing so many, it’s hard to believe he was completely oblivious! To recruit a rogue monkey into Heaven’s supreme fighting vanguard, they truly went to painstaking lengths.”

Another posted: “The Great Sage never went all out on the pilgrimage. While he seemed unable to beat this demon or that demon, during the Real and Fake Monkey King stage, we all experienced his terrifying true strength firsthand! He held back because he saw through the monsters’ backgrounds; rather than killing them outright, it was far better to summon their influential masters to retrieve them. In truth, the Great Sage is the shrewdest character on the pilgrimage.”

Another added: “I love the Havoc in Heaven arc. Back then, the Great Sage feared neither Heaven nor Earth, smacking anyone who crossed him—’My fate is determined by me, not Heaven!’ Striking his name from the Book of Life and Death was undeniably badass! Nobody in real life can live like that, which is why he’s the ultimate ACG idol for kids, right?”

These takes felt fresh to many gamers, generating forum threads spanning thousands of replies. They sparked vibrant debates between contrasting perspectives, carrying arguments and evidence late into the night.

Xie Yunfan read through the players’ discussions with keen enjoyment.

To promote cultural heritage in an alternate world, he never needed to force his own interpretations onto players; preachy lecturing would only breed resentment.

As a game producer, his sole duty was to present the epic of Journey to the West in its entirety, and then—leave it to the players to interpret for themselves.

After the story wrapped up, diverse interpretations and perspectives emerging were completely natural.

He couldn’t say who was unequivocally right or who was wrong.

Everyone who experienced Journey to the West formed their own understanding; likewise, every gamer who played Journey to the West had the freedom to voice their views.

As long as this tale continued to circulate through this alternate world, an endless stream of people would come to know the magnificent legend of the “Journey to the West.”

That morning, Xie Yunfan received a special invitation.

Featuring a gold-embossed crimson cover, the design was exquisitely crafted.

Opening it, the inscription read: “Distinguished Mr. Xie Yunfan, we cordially invite you to attend the 11th Huaxia Gaming Gala Awards Ceremony. This year’s gala will be held at 8:00 PM on February 2 at the Imperial Capital Esports Center. We eagerly await your presence.”

Beneath was a line of fine print: “If attending, please contact the organizing committee at 189XXXX.”

Xie Yunfan placed a call immediately, confirming his attendance.

The annual gaming gala was considered the “Oscars” of the gaming industry. Last year, he had claimed two major awards: Best Indie Mobile Game of the Year for Underworld Maze, and Best Holographic Game of the Year for Ghost Realm.

This year, there were no formidable competitors in the same timeframe; the entire gaming sphere in the latter half of the year had been completely dominated by Journey to the West. He was practically guaranteed an award, so of course he would go.

He hoped that in the future, various trophies and game figurines would completely fill the display wall opposite his office desk.

Xie Yunfan booked plane tickets that very day, flying with his older brother to the long-missed Imperial Capital. Hearing they were arriving, Luo Hang proactively arranged their hotel and treated the brothers to dinner.

Luo Hang asked, “I heard you’re setting up an official merchandise showcase at the conventions?”

Xie Yunfan: “Yes, Manager Song has already brought his team over. The merchandise currently on display is modest, but it will grow larger over time.”

Luo Hang proactively proposed, “In truth, Ghost Realm is a game developed by you as well, and its merchandise sells exceptionally well. Your Yangfan Studio booths can sell Ghost Realm merchandise too.”

Xie Yunfan asked, “When we signed the contract, the merchandise rights for Ghost Realm were assigned to Qihang. You really don’t mind me selling them?”

Luo Hang smiled, “Not at all; we can create a win-win partnership. I’ll have our legal counsel amend the contract later: you’ll be free to design and sell Ghost Realm merchandise as well, with the same profit split as before—for items designed by you, you get 60% and I get 40%; for items designed on my end, I get 60% and you get 40%. How does that sound?”

Xie Yunfan replied readily, “Deal!”

That way, his studio’s showcase booth would be complete, featuring merchandise for every single game developed by Yangfan Studio.

Luo Hang asked, “Do you have any ideas on what your next game will be?”

Xie Yunfan countered with a question: “With the current technological capabilities of Qihang’s holographic gaming pods, is an online multiplayer game feasible?”

Luo Hang shook his head: “Massively multiplayer online isn’t viable yet; the servers overload easily. We’re racing to overcome this bottleneck, and it may take until next year to introduce quantum computing to resolve the data processing throughput. Currently, we can only support 1v1 matchmaking or localized LAN-style connections supporting around 10 concurrent players.”

Xie Yunfan pondered for a moment and said, “Then let’s start with a localized multiplayer game. Aren’t you visiting Rong City in a while? If convenient, bring Shen Xingye along with you.”

Luo Hang paused: “You mean our lead narrative writer?”

Qihang’s narrative lead had been poached by an HR headhunter back during Ghost Realm‘s development; the side stories she wrote, such as Nie Xiaoqian and Qiao Sheng & Liancheng, were all top-notch.

Yunfan suddenly requesting her by name—did he want her to write narrative?

Xie Yunfan explained, “The next game is a holographic RPG with a heavy narrative focus. Shen Xingye’s writing is stellar, so I’d like her to come help out.”

Luo Hang understood: “Got it. A role-playing game—what is the specific format?”

Xie Yunfan introduced, “Harem intrigue and court politics, allowing players to experience the grueling struggle of ancient survival firsthand in a holographic world. Since we can do localized multiplayer, I plan to run the imperial harem storyline and imperial court storyline simultaneously.”

“For example, a couple playing together: one plays the court storyline to ascend the throne as emperor, while the other plays the harem storyline to become empress. In the end, they marry, ruling the empire side by side.”

“Or two players can tackle the court storyline together, one supporting the other to become emperor; or team up in the harem storyline, coordinating to help each other become empress or empress dowager. There are endless ways to play.”

“Back during the Six-Eared Macaque stage, we experimented with smart AI bosses that mirrored player inputs; for this game, we can also implement algorithmically intelligent NPCs to ramp up the challenge for players.”

Luo Hang didn’t quite grasp it. After listening for a while, he summarized, “A multiplayer survival game?”

“…” Xie Yunfan massaged his temples: “I can’t explain it clearly right now. Once the game is built and you experience it yourself, you’ll understand. We’ll play it together then.”

Luo Hang smiled and raised his wine glass: “Alright, here’s wishing us a smooth partnership.”

The next day, the Imperial Capital Comic-Con opened its doors.

A long queue quickly snaked in front of the official Journey to the West booth.

The sea of people left players of other games and anime enthusiasts completely awestruck.

The cosplayers representing the pilgrimage squad were truly adorable!

The chubby guy portraying Zhu Bajie was insanely popular at the convention, with crowds of players jostling for position in line to snap photos with him.

Not to mention Sun Wukong, where hordes of players surrounded the Great Sage for pictures.

Someone even bantered with Tang Seng: “Master, could you please chant the Tight-Fillet Spell a few fewer times?!”

Tang Seng’s cosplayer pressed his palms together: “Amitābha.”

Spurring a wave of laughter from the surrounding crowd.

The convention was electrifying. Innumerable players who had heard the news flocked to the venue in person, with many traveling by high-speed rail specifically from neighboring cities.

The merchandise booth was swept completely bare, a spectacle that stunned the marketing team into immediately calling the warehouse for restocks.

The hashtag #JourneyToTheWestConventionBreakthrough# was once again propelled onto the trending charts by passionate players.

That evening, the annual Huaxia Gaming Awards Gala took place in the Imperial Capital.

Countless gamers, merchants, and game design students tuned in to watch the ceremony. As always, it was star-studded, with major gaming publishers sending their representatives.

The exclusive online streaming rights had been acquired by Lingmao TV. The featured livestream breached one million concurrent viewers right at 8:00 PM. As the camera panned across the guest seating, it captured Xie Yunfan’s face.

[I see LittleSailboat! Sitting in the second row—his industry status got upgraded!]

[Hahaha, he was sitting in the back corner last year!]

[Is this the chief producer of Journey to the West? He’s pretty handsome!]

[LittleSailboat has always been gorgeous; he could clearly debut on looks alone, yet chose to make video games instead~]

[Protect our conscientious LittleSailboat!]

The award ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.

“The winner of the Best Holographic Game of the Year is—Combat Master!”

Hearing that name, Xie Xinghe nearly burst into tears on the spot.

When this game had been pulled from shelves back then, it was relentlessly mocked by the entire internet; who would have thought that after a complete overhaul and rebirth, it would become so beloved by gamers?

Holding back tears, Xie Xinghe choked up as he spoke: “Thank you to all players for your support of Combat Master Remastered! Here, I want to express special gratitude to two individuals: first, President Luo of Qihang Games, as this game’s relaunch was made possible entirely through his tremendous help.”

“And the second is my younger brother, Xie Yunfan. During my darkest hours, he supported and encouraged me relentlessly—he is my closest person in this world, and the family member of whom I am most proud!”

The camera cut to Xie Yunfan, who was smiling warmly and clapping for his brother.

The day he arrived in this world, he had been greeted by his brother’s suicide attempt and emergency hospitalization, leaving him disoriented at the time. Thinking back now, it felt as though all of that had happened in a distant lifetime.

His brother’s bank debts had been paid off, he had completely emerged from the shadows, and he had become Xie Yunfan’s strongest right-hand man. With the marketing department’s merchandise generating stellar revenue and the stationery co-branding succeeding so brilliantly, both Song Qian and his older brother deserved immense credit.

The host announced with great excitement: “The next award to be presented is the final honor of tonight’s ceremony—Most Popular Game of the Year!”

“This game pioneered the ‘serialized episodic release’ format, creating an unprecedented nationwide phenomenon of ‘binge-following updates’ over the six months from last June to December!”

“Not only did it become the single-player title with the highest downloads, highest rating, and finest reputation on Mobile Home, but sales of its main character figurine even shattered world records in gaming history, crossing the one-billion-yuan milestone!”

“This is a game that fills all of us Huaxia gamers with immense pride.”

“Let us call out its name together!”

Inside the stream, a blizzard of white bullet comments covered the screen:

[Journey to the West!]

[It’s our Great Sage!]

[Incredible, the sales of a single figurine surpassed six months of revenue for most games!]

[As expected, LittleSailboat is the true MVP!]

This final award was naturally the most prestigious.

Most Popular Game of the Year—representing the ultimate validation from players themselves.

In certain years, if no game achieved high enough ratings, word-of-mouth, and blockbuster sales, the committee preferred to leave the award vacant rather than bestow it upon mediocre titles.

Amidst the cheers of the entire hall, Xie Yunfan walked onto the stage with a smile.

Accepting the golden trophy, he raised the microphone and spoke clearly: “Thank you to the organizing committee of the Huaxia Gaming Gala. It is an immense honor to receive this award.”

“Releasing a game in a serialized episodic format was a bold experiment for Yangfan Studio. I am deeply grateful to all players for your understanding, support, and patient waiting.”

“Receiving everyone’s love and praise brings me profound joy and pride!”

“Going forward, Yangfan Studio will craft even more engaging, fun games to repay everyone.”

“See you all in the next game!”

He bowed deeply toward the audience.

In the livestream chat, players went wild:

[Next game? Does he already have an idea in mind?!]

[I suggest opening downloads tomorrow, don’t keep us waiting too long!]

[LittleSailboat’s games are an instant day-one buy forever!]

[This studio’s game dev power is ridiculous—every single game they make becomes an explosive hit!]

[That’s LittleSailboat for you, the youngest dark horse producer in the gaming world!]

“See you all in the next game.”

These words from Xie Yunfan were undeniably wonderful news to gamers.

Yet to rival corporate competitors…

Good heavens, the nightmare was about to return!