Chapter 90: Brand Ambassador Elysia! Version Preview Livestream!
About a week has passed since the update for the second half of the Honkai Impact 3rd version. Within this week, many players have already completed all the new content. Certain parts of the game have given them a more complete and profound understanding of Otto's past, triggering widespread discussion. Since Honkai 3rd is a game known for its plot, the lore enthusiasts naturally began their moment of celebration.
[I see you all discussing Otto, Kallen, and Yae Sakura? Is no one talking about Rin?]
[Brothers, the group of "nobles" in Yae Village are all worthless trash; every single one of them deserves to die.]
[It couldn't be helped; in that era, ignorance and backwardness were common...]
[You know the best thing Higokumaru did? Killing all those idiot villagers!]
[Wasn't that a human sacrifice? Yae Sakura is too tragic! Especially since she had no room to resist as a child... sigh.]
[I wonder if there will be new plot points later to supplement Yae Sakura's story; I really like her character.]
[Actually, the fates of Kallen and Yae Sakura are equally tragic; the two can achieve mutual redemption.]
Players who only wanted "fun" also found their joy—the persecution of Lord Otto. His childhood friend throwing herself into the arms of a pink-haired fox spirit was simply tragic for the listener and tear-inducing for the viewer. Especially when combined with "Lord Otto's Lecture," where he was so passionate when explaining [Sixth Serenade], yet after a round of [Goushinnso Memento]explanation, there wasn't even a video—only the simplest sentence:
"Not promising, not recommended!"
These small details added a lot of flavor to the game. Persecuting game characters can be a part of the entertainment value, and at least on this point, the persecution of Otto left players feeling satisfied.
The debut of [Sixth Serenade]and [Goushinnso Memento]also secured a wave of revenue. After all, Ice Sakura's stylish "Dimensional Slash" is something people fall in love with at first sight. However, some were curious about Memento's appearance; in the plot, Yae Sakura had always been in her [Gyakushinn Miko]form, and when looking for Higokumaru in the Tenshu Pavilion later, she changed to [Flame Sakitama]at most. But Memento... it seemed she really hadn't appeared.
Not only that, many players discovered that the same applied to Kallen's [Sündenjäger]. Could there be a sequel to the story of Yae Sakura, Kallen, and Otto? Many players raised such questions, leaving various comments under the official Honkai Impact 3rd account.
As a loyal player of Honkai 3rd, Theresa naturally cleared the latest content at the first opportunity.
"Su Mu is bold enough to write Aunt Yae's sister to death... if Aunt Yae found out, she might just slash him to death..."
Of course, Theresa didn't know that Aunt Yae did have that thought at the time, but she was quickly captivated by the tragic story of the lovers' mutual destruction involving Kallen and Yae Sakura. Later, she felt satisfied that they could live together in the Stigma Space. Their merits and faults balanced out, so she chose to let Su Mu go—though if there's a next time, it's hard to say.
"And Grandpa... in the game, he's just too tragic..." Theresa lamented. "Estranged from Grandma Kallen, loving but unable to have her, and finally, for some reason, watching Grandma Kallen die before his eyes... sigh."
Thinking of this made Theresa feel sad. Especially when she thought about how Otto later, to resurrect Kallen, didn't hesitate to cooperate with the Void Archives and use any means necessary over five hundred years... it made her feel even more sorrowful. In the later parts of the game, his love for Theresa was likely because, vaguely, Otto really saw her as Kallen.
"In the end, my character is also a tragedy..." Theresa felt a bit helpless. Honestly, it felt like the game was full of tragic characters. Kiana, the protagonist's clone and the vessel for the Second Herrscher. Raiden Mei, the Third Herrscher, whose awakening caused Nagazora to be destroyed. Wendy, who lost her ability to walk because of the Gem of Desire, destroyed New Zealand after awakening as the Fourth Herrscher, and was then dealt with by Anti-Entropy... Bronya, who defied Cocolia's orders to protect Mei and burned her brain chip... The Principal, Theresa Apocalypse, starting as an experimental subject and finally finding a best friend in Cecilia, only to have it mentioned in the Everlasting Memory plot that Cecilia was killed by a Honkai Fission Missile launched by Otto...
"But perhaps because they are all tragedies, this game resonates so deeply with people?" "The core of this game has likely been a tragedy from the very beginning." "Isn't there a saying? If you're reading a manga in the 'Comedy' section and see those three words, it's basically..."
As a veteran manga reader, Theresa naturally knew how ridiculous those so-called "Comedy/Heartwarming" labels could be. In her view, the reason Honkai 3rd included a large amount of happy school life in the first two chapters, and why it specifically featured the "Third Honkai Impact" arc to show the bond between Kiana and Raiden Mei—the purpose of it all was to sharpen the blade!
"Su Mu is just too wicked!" Thinking of this, Theresa felt a bit indignant! "That guy, why is his head full of tragedies! No, no! This mindset is just too unhealthy! As an elder, I must think of a way to enlighten him!"
"Sigh! Young people nowadays have so much life pressure, and mental health issues are serious! I really hope nothing happens to that boy; after all, maybe the continuation of the Kaslana family line depends on him."
Thinking of this gave Theresa a headache. The three daughters of the Kaslana family now—each one was a handful for her as an aunt. Bianca is a workaholic with an aura so powerful it's impossible to imagine her dating. Kiana used to be a complete shut-in, a "salty fish" waiting to die and living off her parents, barely interacting with people, let alone dating. Sirin is only in high school; while dating isn't forbidden, being dragged down by her second sister Kiana every day means she has no time to enjoy it!
In the end! That girl Kiana is the true heavyweight monster! If that idiot niece could be pushed onto Su Mu first, at least Sirin could be liberated!
"I wonder how things are with Rita; the reason I sent her there was to push my idiot niece and Su Mu together."
Though she said that, in reality, Theresa was thinking that ever since that perverted maid left, things had been great. As for monitoring, urging, and having Rita help prevent Su Mu from being snatched away by other women—those were all just secondary points Theresa bullshitted after the fact.
Su Mu sneezed and rubbed his nose curiously. "Who's talking about me behind my back?" He felt as if he were being watched by an idiot...
"Director Su! So, are we planning to do a preview livestream?"
The meeting room was currently filled with the leads of various departments of the Honkai 3rd project team. Kiana sat in the boss's seat, her eyes glazed over, clearly in a daze. She naturally had to attend internal meetings like this, but the organizers weren't her—they were Su Mu and Bronya. In fact, her sitting there was more like being a mascot. The President in name only, she was actually responsible for only two things: acting as a mascot, and waiting for Su Mu and Bronya to bring the meeting summary for her to nod and sign.
But that wasn't bad; in fact, she was happy to be able to "slack off," since she could do whatever she wanted and no one would care. Others didn't know, but she knew miHoYo would have a major move next, preparing to enter the PC/console single-player circle to make a first-person FPS with super cool and stylish mech combat.
For other game studios, such a move might be bone-breaking. Single-player development time is destined to be long and requires a massive amount of funding. It isn't rare for a single-player project to be stuck in development for years, eventually killing the project team, dissolving the company, and losing everything. Of course, with Honkai 3rd's current income, one failed game wouldn't collapse the entire miHoYo company. But without a doubt, it would be a major financial blow.
Developing a single-player game requires a large staff, which provides new room for maneuver—hiring people, and the adjustment period isn't that fast. At that time, work might not even have started, but the company would have hundreds more mouths to feed... Once the venture into single-player fails, the wall will fall and everyone will push; dissatisfaction with miHoYo will surely come like an overwhelming tide. As they say, love the house, love the crows; hate the house, hate the crows... raising miHoYo high, then letting its "myth" shatter before everyone...
Is there anything more exciting for her, Kiana Kaslana?
"I understand one thing: if once doesn't work, then twice; if twice doesn't work, then three times... as long as I persevere, I will eventually see the day I bankrupt this damn miHoYo!"
The high-spirited Kiana was immersed in her next move, determined to reflect on her past mistakes and strive to make up for them this time!
"President Kiana? President Kiana?" At this moment, Kiana noticed someone calling her. "President Kiana, what do you think we should do?"
Kiana actually hadn't heard a word of the meeting. At this moment, Bronya beside her coughed, gently pushed a notebook toward her, and signaled Kiana to take a look. It contained the meeting notes.
Simply put, today's meeting was an internal session before the [Vermilion Blade]version update. The attendees were the department heads of the project team, Su Mu the Game Director, and Kiana and Bronya the President and Vice President. It's worth mentioning that Firefly was also there, looking at Kiana with interest, seemingly expecting her next words.
During this meeting, they reported the revenue status after the [Queen's Descent]update, then discussed the distribution of project bonuses and rewards for heads who made significant contributions. As the Game Director, Su Mu received a Maserati as a reward—though as a miHoYo shareholder, his dividends wouldn't be small either. Plus, he was a person with no concept of cars; as long as it could get him around, he didn't care.
But "not caring" was one thing, and "giving the reward" was another. The car actually represented the attitude of Kiana, Bronya, and the shareholders behind them. One car could boost the loyalty of an outstanding talent toward the company; that's incredibly cost-effective. Su Mu naturally knew their thoughts, but he was actually thinking: I'm a shareholder too, of course I want to see miHoYo do well.
Afterward, the Honkai 3rd official account operator brought up some valuable suggestions collected from the community for everyone to discuss their feasibility.
"Only having a PV for every update is too monotonous; can we do version preview livestreams? That way, we can give players and developers a chance to connect..."
Regarding this suggestion, after discussion, everyone felt it was indeed a viable method. Thus, it was decided to hold a preview livestream before the next [Vermilion Blade]version update. This was also an opportunity for the outside world to understand miHoYo's situation, which could not only win the players' favor but also give them a good impression of the company being dedicated and responsible. More importantly, it was an opportunity to promote the talent Su Mu wanted to cultivate—Elysia.
Elysia was already a somewhat famous streamer, and after the previous Honkai 3rd launch stream, she had gained a lot of popularity. Su Mu planned to turn her into the "Brand Ambassador" of Honkai 3rd, letting this gentle, kind, and cute Miss Pink Elf be loved by even more people. Of course, he was also laying the groundwork for the later Elysian Realm arc—after all, sharpening the blade doesn't delay the woodcutting.
Thanks to Bronya's meeting notes, Kiana didn't make a fool of herself. She simply said a few encouraging words—which Su Mu had actually taught her before the meeting. After all, as a company boss, one has to speak officially sometimes.
In the end, from this meeting, the project team gained bonuses, President Kiana gained respect, and Su Mu gained a Maserati. Elysia was officially established as the Brand Ambassador of Honkai 3rd by a unanimous vote. It was also settled that version previews would be broadcast on the evening of the week before each new version.
Time passed in the busyness of preparing for the version content update and the preview livestream. Soon, the day of the preview livestream arrived.
END OF CHAPTER
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