Interstellar Travel: Becoming a Dress-Up Game Designer

Chapter 265

At this moment, Lin Shuying said a lot.

This group will be the cornerstone and veterans of Qingfengyi, and they will undoubtedly influence those who follow. She didn't want everyone to become machines while learning, and thinking about this, she felt a little guilty. It was all because she had assigned too many tasks, and Lin Qiaoqiao had taken on too many orders, leaving everyone immersed in the busyness of taking orders and no time to think about their own things.

So she made some adjustments: she reduced the number of commissioned orders and increased the number of illustration tasks, submitting at least one of her own designs to Lin Shuying every week. She also held meetings to have everyone sit down and discuss the status of the designs.

Sometimes, meetings for communication are inevitable.

The original plan for the two months was minimal, but after careful consideration of the details, many more tasks emerged. Lin Shuying was so busy that she didn't have a single day off. Soon, the game design department contacted her to inquire about preparations for the next event. Zhang Zhongxia suggested proceeding with the planned monthly events directly, as the game design department could handle the tasks, allowing Lin Shuying to take a break.

Everyone agreed with the suggestion, but Lin Shuying disagreed. She still had a lot to show, and time was visibly running out, making her anxious.

She said, "I'll start producing this event right away. It won't be long before the game design department has to work overtime to check the data model."

The staff were worried, and so were the doctors. But neither the doctors nor the people from the Academy of Sciences stationed there could say anything, because whatever Lin Shuying chose, the outcome would be the same—just a matter of time. She had to be given the choice to proceed at her own pace; otherwise, it would be truly unfair.

Lin Shuying didn't look for a theme in her previous inspiration notebook; instead, she came up with one on her own. That notebook would later be given to Lin Qiaoqiao as a sacred object for Qingfengyi. After she leaves, they definitely won't be able to hold an event every four months, or even once a year, but with a theme, completing an event theme every two years is absolutely no problem.

The inspiration themes in this notebook are enough to keep us busy for a hundred years.

As for the issue of everyone searching for information, it's not a big problem. The Academy of Sciences said that after she left, time and space would return to their original order, and the civilization that returned would be mainly the one represented by the person who disappeared. A lot of historical data and existence would explode out.

She had already thought about the next event; the more she felt she didn't have time, the more things she wanted to do seemed to happen. She remembered reading something in her past life that said if the world were to end or she only had time to live, she should find a secluded paradise to quietly watch the sunset and enjoy nature, and savor a life of relaxation.

At the time, Lin Shuying strongly agreed with this statement, but after experiencing it firsthand, she completely disagreed. How could she possibly agree? So many things remained unfinished, so many dreams unfulfilled, and besides, she now had more than enough capital to dream.

With this in mind, the idea in front of me became clearer and clearer, and the speed increased. Soon, a whole new world appeared.

The underworld, a fantasy world, has appeared!

After thinking for a long time, I decided to create the underworld first, because it is the place where souls return and are reborn.

The Ten Kings of Hell, the Eighteen Levels of Hell, the Road to the Underworld, the Bridge of Helplessness, the River of Helplessness, the Eight Scenic Spots of the Underworld, the Gate of Hell, the Path of Hungry Ghosts, Mount Luofeng, Fengdu Ghost City...

Tens of thousands of ghosts wandered, and eerie will-o'-the-wisps flickered throughout the world. Although it was dark everywhere, the ubiquitous red light and the occasional drifting yellow talisman slightly illuminated the world. Lin Shuying didn't completely set up hell as a terrifying scene. The underworld is full of hope, a place where countless wronged souls can seek justice. Although Chinese legends about the underworld for thousands of years portray ghosts and gods as revered and cold-blooded, these ghosts and gods, in their ruthlessness, also help people uphold justice. The dead can be reborn under the guidance of ghosts and gods, and all sins committed in life, regardless of who was involved, can be settled here. The underworld is the coldest and most passionate place in the Chinese fantasy system, and also the most righteous place, representing the best qualities of humanity. Even the Heavenly Court and the Western Paradise cannot compare; they are completely incomparable.

When the gods were angered, the human world suffered terribly. The Western Paradise was merciful but could not save anyone, but the Underworld could!

If you suffer a loss, the underworld will make amends, and you'll be blessed in your next life. If you commit a sin, the underworld will punish you, and you'll suffer in your next life, or even be punished there. If you've been wronged, the judges and Yama, the King of Hell, will help you get justice!

Is there a more ideal place in the world than the underworld?

No more.

The underworld was not created by anyone, nor was it defined by a lofty figure in the Investiture of the Gods. Rather, it is a place where the most ordinary people of China, through thousands of years of accumulated expectations and fantasies about all the good aspects of humanity, find justice and the best possible outcome.

Thinking about this, I felt inexplicably sad.

The most beautiful place is in hell, the best place is in heaven—one is a constraint and punishment of human nature, the other an intensification of desire and power. Everyone wants to go to heaven, to become an immortal. But the most beautiful place is in hell, the best place is in heaven...

From the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, we can even know for certain what kind of people created them. They only get what they need and desire, and when their desires are not fulfilled, their dreams turn into purgatory.

This part is a good concept, but it's not the official event for this period; this is just a large-scale dungeon test. Previous tests were relatively small, and players couldn't even feel them. The operation of the guardian spirits, flower fairies, the Jade Pool, fairies, and ghost soldiers and heavenly soldiers has been continuously adjusted, getting closer and closer to the effect Lin Shuying wanted.

This event was called "The Tale of the Carved Walnut Boat." She still remembered the article she had memorized years ago, though she didn't know the specific content, but she remembered what it said. A small walnut carving based on Su Dongpo's "A Trip to the Lake" was written into an article of several hundred words. At that time, her biggest thought was, "Do such exquisite craftsmanship really exist?"

Only after seeing real nut carvings did she realize that it wasn't that they didn't exist, but rather that words simply couldn't describe even a tenth of their beauty and awe.

Some of Lin Shuying's clients also enjoy nut carving. When they came to her, they saw her nut carvings, which were incredibly exquisite. Of course, she was referring to hand-carved pieces, not machine-carved ones. Machine-made masterpieces can never replicate the delicacy and uniqueness of handmade pieces; you can tell the difference just by holding and handling them for a moment.

This applies not only to nut carving, but also to embroidery, custom clothing, custom shoes, and painting. While machine carving has increased efficiency to some extent, making many things accessible to ordinary people, its drawbacks are obvious. The separation between machine-made and handcrafted products leads to a severe tiered market, with high-quality products going upmarket and inferior products sinking to lower levels. This gap becomes a breeding ground for scammers. Machine-made products are sold at inflated prices as handcrafted goods, while handcrafted products are dragged down by machine production, resulting in lower prices and skepticism.

Another point is that the high price of technology lures many people to learn it, creating market competition, which naturally leads to the monopoly or upward mobility of the technology. The probability of those below encountering a master craftsman is very small, and then it forms a professional closed loop and a professional prison, just like painting, where those inside cannot get out and those outside cannot get in.

There are many such prisons, and the reasons for the emergence of specialized prisons vary, but the comparison between machines and human labor is certainly one of the reasons. Machines will also cause another problem: they will completely eliminate human labor, which is why many Chinese traditions have been lost.

Some say that the loss of a tradition means that it no longer meets the needs of the times, but is the only value of a tradition that is needed?

Certainly not!

Back then, many old shops in Europe relied on nostalgia and history. Those castles, which were not even as big as a courtyard house in Kyoto, attracted countless tourists.

Did everyone go to see the castle because it was beautiful?

Do you go to those coffee shops or restaurants because the food is good?

No, it's because those things represent history and bear the marks of time.

In terms of technology, European ham, cheese, and wine—which one doesn't have a higher proportion of manual labor and thus a more refined taste the older it is?

Therefore, the significance of inheritance lies not only in its necessity, but also in the historical significance and traces of time it represents. It is regrettable that by the time later generations of the Chinese people discovered this, many precious traditions had already disappeared, and the times had crushed all paths, making people fast-paced and leaving insufficient space to appreciate the slow, deliberate rhythm of human life.

Lin Shuying felt a pang of sadness at this thought; she, too, was about to be forgotten by time...

Soon, the new round of activities began.

The Underworld is undergoing a trial run, and not all players will be allowed in at the same time. Each player only has two chances to enter, and after that, they will not encounter any more Underworld adventures. However, there are also those who will not encounter any at all, since only one million players can enter at a time. As long as one player enters, one spot will be available. Even if each person stays inside for three hours, only six hundred million people can enter over two months.

Six hundred million people represent only one-tenth of all players, which shows how much luck is involved.

Other areas will only appear after the later dungeons are officially released, so we need to reduce operating costs.

Qingfengyi's business is now so large that if they're not careful, the expenses could easily reach hundreds of millions. Lin Shuying has also taken on so many projects; it's really a bit nerve-wracking.

Soon, a new event update announcement was posted:

Dear Qingfengyi players, the 20th Qingfengyi event, "The Tale of the Carved Olive Pit," has officially begun! Humanity's need for beauty and art has existed since the dawn of civilization and continues to grow. In ancient times, people didn't have many tools to create exquisitely polished gemstones and jewelry, but they still loved wearing them. Thus, shells, stones, fruit pits, and wood, after simple processing, became humanity's earliest jewelry. With the development of technology and tools, people began to carve designs on these materials, even altering their original appearance to create more beautiful pieces.

One such example is nut carving. From simple natural patterns to artificial carving, people have discovered the unique beauty of fruit pits. Especially after being handled and played with, they can develop a jade-like, translucent texture, with clear, bright, and beautiful colors, and a faint woody fragrance.

This event will also give away a hand-carved bracelet to all the top-ranked players on the leaderboards; only one bead is available. Because there are no suitable materials available in interstellar space, imitation fruit pits are used, but through strict technical control, the pits are 80% similar to natural fruit pits.