A Single Person's Infinite Wonderful Life

"Amazing..." Aki Tomo also unconsciously moved closer, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Chapter 16. The Cost of Making a Game

“Li Weijun, your skills have reached a professional level. You should say that even among professionals, you are one of the very few standing at the top,” Aki Tomoya said.

Aki Tomoya was also conflicted. His original plan was to persuade Eriri, but he failed to do so a couple of days ago, and she didn't give him a chance to continue.

Originally, he planned to ask Eriri again, since he wasn't very good at drawing. But now a new candidate had appeared, and the person in front of him had even more exaggerated drawing skills than Eriri. This gorgeous and soft art style had far surpassed Eriri's. If he could bring the man in front of him into his production team, he wouldn't need Eriri, that unstable time bomb.

"An Yi-kun, you look troubled. Is something wrong?" Li Wei smiled gently.

“I am indeed in trouble, but I believe I can solve it,” Aki Tomoya said.

“Don’t keep things bottled up inside. If it’s about school bullying, you can talk to me. I’m quite confident in my physique and fighting skills,” Li Wei said with a smile.

“It’s not that kind of trouble, it’s something else,” Aki Tomoya said.

“Oh? There’s an old saying in Chongguo: ‘Three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang.’ It’s not easy for you to solve a problem by yourself, but having more people to advise you might help you resolve it,” Li Wei said.

Li Wei revealed his gentle side; he knew that Aki Tomo was also troubled by something, but he needed a reason to intervene.

Aki Tomoya put his backpack on the ground and said, "During the previous holiday, I met a very beautiful girl on a slope. I want to recreate that feeling of excitement. So, I want to make a romance game based on that theme, but I don't have enough manpower."

Li Wei nodded, crossed his arms, and smiled, "I see. An Yi-kun, you want to make a game? But making a game isn't something one or two people can handle. Are you serious?"

Hearing Li Wei doubt his resolve, Aki Tomoya unconsciously raised his voice and said, "Of course I'm serious, but I also know this won't be easy to accomplish. Right now, the entire production team consists of just me."

Li Wei nodded and said, "Then you'd better work hard. I don't know much about dating sims. Compared to dating sims, I prefer AAA RPGs. For example, The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, and Devil May Cry."

Aki Tomoya didn't feel offended by his hobby. Everyone has different hobbies, which is normal. It's surprising that a sunny guy like Li Wei would be a homebody. He didn't expect Li Wei to be his kindred spirit.

"I know The Elder Scrolls, it's truly an epic game. I also know The Wizarding World, it's a national treasure of the Great Bopo Kingdom, a perfect embodiment of the ninth art. I must say, Li Weijun, your taste is truly top-notch," Aki Tomoya exclaimed.

The mainstream games on the market nowadays are all about cars, guns, and sports. Whether it's The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, or Devil May Cry, they all place a lot of emphasis on the storyline. This shows that Li Wei is an "experience-oriented" person who likes to immerse himself in the world.

“I was in Chongguo before, where dating games are a niche within a niche. It’s very inconvenient to find resources or buy them directly,” Li Wei said.

The dating sim industry in the real world has begun to decline. With all sorts of great games constantly being released, dating sims that follow the visual novel route will find it difficult to attract players whose tastes have become more discerning unless they are extremely original.

However, what new ideas can dating sims offer? With various story-driven and eroge games appearing one after another, the formulas have been exhausted. Later dating sim development companies have found it difficult to create games with originality, and it is precisely because of this that the entire dating sim industry is on the decline.

Li Wei continued, "What kind of members are needed to create a dating sim?"

Aki Tomoya thought for a moment and said, "A small group of just a few people will do. One person will be responsible for the script and dialogue, another for the illustrations, and one for the programming. As for the music, it depends on the situation. We might recruit members or outsource it. However, outsourcing the music will significantly increase the cost, and hiring additional voice actors will be another expense."

Li Wei said, "The barrier to entry for making dating games is really low. Not counting music and voice acting, a team of ten people is more than enough."

Aki Tomoya said, "To put it simply, five people are actually enough."

Li Wei said, "Then, An Yi-kun, what is the approximate cost of producing a dating sim? After all, the production staff also need to eat. How much salary do you plan to pay them?"

Aki Tomoya's breath hitched. Li Wei's question had struck a nerve. He had originally planned to freeload: bring in Sawamura Eriri as the illustrator, Kasumigaoka Utaha as the scriptwriter, and then leverage their fame to make grand promises and lure a programmer into the team. That would complete the basic framework of the production team. As for the music and voice acting, he'd just have to figure that out as things came to pass, raising funds through other means. Or he could persuade other members of the team to contribute. After all, Kasumigaoka Utaha was a light novel author and wasn't short of money, and Sawamura Eriri was a famous doujinshi artist and also a wealthy young lady. As long as they didn't want his hard-earned project to fail, they would obediently hand over their money. His role was simply to act as a lubricant within the team.

Li Wei asked this question on purpose. He knew that Aki Tomoya was short of money. As a high-level blogger with millions of followers, Aki Tomoya still had influence in the otaku community. However, unlike other content creators, Aki Tomoya did not monetize his influence. Therefore, his income came from part-time jobs. The money he earned from these jobs was enough to support his spending in the anime and manga community, but it was not enough to create a dating sim.

Li Wei had already done his research. A dating sim, without planned voice acting or background music, would cost around three to four million Japanese yen to complete. After all, illustrators and writers cost money, while programmers don't require such high qualifications; basic production skills are sufficient, and their salaries only constitute a small portion of the team's budget. If voice acting and background music are included, the cost of a dating sim would be around six to eight million yen, equivalent to two years' salary for an average office worker.

In Li Wei's view, without Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Eriri working for free, Aki Tomoya's dating game plan would be nothing but empty talk.

Chapter 17. Project Planning and Establishment

Li Wei laughed and said, "Could it be that you don't have enough savings, An Yi-kun? Although I don't know much about dating sims, I do know that making games costs money. Without several million yen, making a dating sim is just wishful thinking. Unless there are fools in this world who would be willing to work for someone else for free, I really don't know how a dating sim could be made under such circumstances."

Li Wei's words were like a sharp blade piercing Aki Tomoya's heart. He had originally planned to get something for free, but looking at Li Wei's smile, he felt a tightness in his chest for some reason.

Li Wei received feedback in his mind, which made Aki Tomoya doubt his own plans. He gained 500 points and now has 500 points remaining. He can now officially open the exchange shop.

Li Wei smiled. Although 500 points wasn't much, it was at least a good start. Milk would come, and bread would come too; he wasn't in a hurry.

Li Wei's expression gradually turned serious. He patted Aki Tomoya on the shoulder and said, "As a fellow otaku, I have some savings. If you really don't have any money, I can sponsor some for you as an investment. I don't need you to pay me back. No matter how well the game sells, I only need to get my share of the profits based on my investment."

Aki Tomoya showed an excited expression. Just when he thought his plan had failed, he found a way out. With funds, he could officially recruit people without having to resort to deception and trickery like before. This way, the project could proceed more smoothly.

Li Wei continued, "I don't know much about dating sims, but I do know how important qualified production staff are. If you have any suitable candidates, Aki-kun, I will contact them."

Aki Tomoya said with some surprise, "You don't need to handle this kind of thing personally, Li Wei-kun, do you? It's too troublesome."

Li Wei smiled and said, "This is one of my rights as an investor. After all, I have to vet the members to see if they are qualified to join the project team. I myself am a skilled illustrator, and I have to make sure that the other members of the project team won't hold me back. In addition, I also have considerable knowledge of music and have obtained certificates in piano and violin."

Looking at the handsome and tall sunny boy in front of him, Aki Tomoya couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Li Wei was just too dazzling right now.

Li Wei's reason for reviewing members' rights was to better manipulate scores, and as the investor, it was only natural for him to have more power.

Aki Tomoya suppressed his excitement and said, "Li Weijun, are you joining the project team?! That's wonderful!"

Li Wei smiled and said, "I can put up ten million as initial funding. If that's not enough, I'll add more later. But I need to supervise how the funds are used to ensure they're not wasted. I'm a bit of a perfectionist; if I'm going to do something, I either don't do it at all, or I do it to the best of my ability."

Li Wei had long wanted to directly interfere with Aki Tomoya's dating game plan, but he couldn't be too obvious, so he could only use this fishing tactic to lure Aki Tomoya into taking the bait.

Aki Tomoya is currently short of money, and when he encounters a wealthy patron like Li Wei who is willing to spend money, he is naturally unwilling to let him go easily. Therefore, even if Li Wei has other motives, he has no choice but to swallow this bait.

Aki Tomoya said, "Li Weijun, why are you willing to invest in such a project? My entire team consists of just myself right now, and even I don't know if this project can succeed. Why do you have such confidence, Li Weijun? What if my plan fails? Wouldn't your investment go down the drain?"

Aki Tomoya was also a little worried, wondering if Li Wei had other motives. But then he thought that he didn't have anything to scheme for, and he really didn't know what Li Wei wanted to do. Li Wei was willing to give him money to sponsor him, which was a good thing for him.

Li Wei laughed and said, "Because I think your plan is very interesting, and I'm not short of money. As long as it's not a hundred million yuan upfront, I'm fine with it. Besides, making games is so romantic! I've had similar ideas before, but the games I wanted to make were just too difficult, something a small team couldn't handle. Romance games, on the other hand, have a much lower cost in terms of both manpower and money, which is within my budget. Even if the final product isn't the AAA masterpiece I've always wanted, at least it will let me experience the thrill of making games."

Aki Tomoya was somewhat shocked. Li Wei's ambition was much greater than his. A AAA masterpiece, most game companies couldn't make such a work. It was indeed impossible for an individual to make such a game.

To create such a large-scale game, you need not only money, but also a large number of skilled technical personnel. For example, Rockstar's GTA5 was made by a large company with more than a thousand employees, took five years, and cost nearly $3 million.

Although Aki Tomoya doesn't play GTA5, that doesn't stop him from knowing the production cost of this masterpiece. After all, this is "basic public knowledge" within the otaku community, and even a Japanese person like him who doesn't like the style of Western games knows this kind of knowledge.

In Li Wei's view, his actions were merely a small-time tycoon's compromise, a "playing house" to satisfy his gaming addiction. However, the fact that he could come up with ten million yen at once demonstrates his immense wealth. Keep in mind that the average savings of elderly people in Japan is only slightly over ten million yen, and that's only for wealthy seniors. For young people, forget about savings; simply avoiding debt is a blessing.

Aki Tomoya thought about it and realized that even when he was at his richest, he only had a little over 500,000 yen in savings, and he couldn't use that money for his own purposes. Right now, he only had about 200,000 yen in savings, which was a drop in the ocean compared to what he needed to create a dating sim.

"Thank you for your support, Li Weijun. I will deliver a satisfactory result," Aki Tomoya said with a serious expression.

Chapter 18. Everything Goes Well

Li Wei asked, "Do you have suitable team members in mind?"

"So far, we've identified two candidates." Aki Tomoya hesitated for a moment, but when he thought about how the investor in front of him was willing to invest more than ten million and didn't care about losses, he decisively put aside his hesitation.

"Which two?" Li Wei asked.

Aki Tomoya said, "They're all from within the school. One is Sawamura Eriri from Class G of this year. She's an artist I've found; her talent is undeniable. She's an art prodigy who's already been admitted to Tokyo University of the Arts, and she's also an artist of 18+ doujinshi. Her art style is incredibly delicate and has been proven in the market for a long time. The other is a third-year student named Kasumigaoka Utaha. She's the strongest student in the school's history, always ranking first in her grade. She's a light novel author with a very delicate writing style, especially good at depicting romantic scenes. She's a scriptwriter I've found."

Li Wei feigned surprise and said, "Why are you all students? I thought you were going to recommend professionals in the industry."

Aki Tomoya said somewhat embarrassedly, "Because I don't have any connections in this area, I can only look for people nearby. Besides, although these two are not very old, they have skills that are beyond their age, so their skills are absolutely guaranteed."

Li Wei nodded and said, "Then I'll trust you for now. However, I need to assess two people. If they really have the ability, I'll persuade them to join the project team. Um, if their skills are up to par, I'll also pay them a corresponding salary. After all, I can't let people work for free."

Hearing the idea of ​​working for free, Aki Tomoya's face flushed slightly. He was short of money and had originally planned to get things for free. He would first lure the two people into the scheme by making grand promises, and then use their fame to trick more people into joining. This plan was extremely risky.

But now, with sufficient investment, he no longer needs to engage in such illegal and dangerous activities. After all, if those who were misled were to challenge him, he could truly face legal trouble. Why would anyone want to take risks when they can walk the straight and narrow path?

Li Wei narrowed his eyes slightly. He had achieved part of his goal. As the big boss of the investor, he had far more power than others in the team, which made it easier for him to cause trouble.

Li Wei asked, "Do you have your own bank card?"

Aki Tomoya nodded: "Yes."

As a homebody, Aki Tomoya occasionally makes in-game purchases, but without his own bank account, it's quite a hassle. Since he also earns some money from part-time jobs, his family trusts him and allowed him to register a bank account.

Li Wei said, "Since you have a bank card, that's convenient. I'll transfer ten million to you via mobile transfer during lunchtime. I'll bring the contract over tomorrow, and you can sign it then."

Aki Tomoya was somewhat surprised: "Li Weijun, are you really that trusting of me? What if I take the money and then deny it?"

Li Wei gave a mysterious smile: "No one can take my money and run away. I'm not worried about such things at all."

Aki Tomoya was also unsure of Li Wei's background. As a foreigner, Li Wei dared to say such things, which meant that he must have something to rely on. Whatever that reliance was, it was something that an ordinary student like him could not afford to offend. Therefore, he was just talking about running away with the money. Even if he had the guts, he would not dare to do such a thing. After all, you can run away but you can't hide.

The bell rang for class, and Aki Tomo returned to his seat. For the entire morning, he seemed absent-minded, with a silly smile on his face, as if he had won the lottery.

Li Wei sat in his seat, staring blankly out the window. He hadn't expected his plan to go so smoothly, and Aki Tomo hadn't been on guard at all, handing over the team's initiative to him.

Once he gained the upper hand, Aki Tomoya's control over the team was completely over. Aki Tomoya was originally just a glue to keep the makeshift team from falling apart too quickly, but now, Li Wei himself had become the glue, and Aki Tomoya was just a runner-up, destined to suffer setbacks every day.

During lunchtime, Li Wei transferred the money to Aki Tomoya's account, which convinced Aki Tomoya that Li Wei was a wealthy man he couldn't afford to offend.

Who would dare to mess with a ruthless person who can pull out ten million in one go just to have a good time?

Li Wei also obtained the information on Sawamura Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha legitimately, and Aki Tomoya no longer cared about this matter.

Aki Tomoya's mindset has changed. With 10 million yen and more funding to follow, he no longer needs to limit himself to the original team. He can hire real professionals to do the work. His job is to provide general inspiration and coordinate the team's internal affairs. As for the professional tasks, he can leave them to the professionals.

After school, Li Wei still didn't rush to approach Eriri, but instead went to the Literature Club.

As usual, the Literature Department did not close its doors. After Li Wei entered the room, his eyes met those of Gao Chenglin, who was looking over. After nodding in acknowledgment, he sat down near the door, calmly took out his laptop and keyboard, and prepared to start typing.

Sitting opposite her, Kasumigaoka Utaha saw Li Wei appear and stopped typing away. But she didn't approach him rashly. For some reason, she, who was usually indifferent to other men, was now a little nervous.

Li Wei pretended not to see Kasumigaoka Utaha's appearance and began his writing work for the day. He had already written about half of the first volume of the light novel, but he still hadn't decided on a name for his work. The protagonist was a villainous character whose values ​​were completely different from ordinary people. Although he repeatedly used humor to dilute the villainous feeling, the protagonist himself was a pathological existence, which became the difficulty in choosing a name.

"Let's just call it 'The Demon King is Speaking Rakugo Today Too.' After all, 'rakugo' is more appropriate for a neurotic Demon King protagonist who also likes to make sarcastic remarks like Kyon..." Li Wei muttered to himself.

To mitigate the absurdity, Li Wei constantly recalled the bizarre plot of the "Warrior's Adventure in the Demon City" series while writing, hoping to prevent readers from focusing too much on the protagonist's dark side. After all, this was a protagonist even darker than Ainz Ooal Gown and the Hero of the Staff; if the portrayal angle wasn't right, it probably wouldn't even pass the initial review by the light novel publisher.

Chapter 19. Kasumigaoka Utaha's Versailles

Just as Li Wei was typing at a steady pace, Kasumigaoka Utaha had already arrived behind him. Because she was stuck in a writer's block, Kasumigaoka Utaha needed to find some inspiration, and communicating with other creators was a good way to do so.

Li Wei also noticed the gaze behind him, and after finishing a paragraph, he stopped typing.

"Senior, is there anything I can help you with?" Li Wei turned around with a smile.