This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 423: We Do Not Export Commodities, But We Can Export Standards

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: We Do Not Export Commodities, But We Can Export Standards

Ideal City.

Standing before a spacious door, Fang Chang halted his steps, glanced at the envelope in his hand, and extracted a card from it before swiping it over the door.

A pale blue ripple spread across the door lock, and with a click, the door swung open.

What greeted his eyes was a broad reception room. The checkerboard carpet in black, white, and gray hues had several sofas placed upon it, and the decor, minimalist yet atmospheric, indeed had a corporate feel.

In this crowded city, spaciousness was a luxury in itself.

A woman around twenty-five or twenty-six years old sat on the central sofa. She sported a silver coat that draped impressively over her slender legs, and her delicate facial features were framed by two graceful eyebrows.

Those gentle eyebrows resembled soft new moons that couldn’t hide the spirited sparkle in her eyes and the lively glint within them.

Most attendees at this evening’s event were high society from Ideal City.

From her demeanor, Fang Chang felt that she was undoubtedly a wealthy woman.

At the very least.

"Hello, Miss Li Shuyue. I apologize for making you wait," Fang Chang, ever the gentleman, delivered his opening line as a guest.

The woman on the sofa gestured for him to sit and spoke with a pleasing voice.

"Don’t be so formal, warrior of the Alliance. If anything, I’m the one who has rudely disturbed your rest. Please, make yourself comfortable and have a seat."

"Then I’ll take you up on that."

Fang Chang responded with a light smile and chose a sofa that was neither too close nor too far.

Servants brought in tea for the two.

The misty steam carried a subtle fragrance, gentle yet strangely soothing to the soul.

They exchanged pleasantries for a while, talking about trivial matters.

Interestingly, Fang Chang could sense that unlike the starry-eyed and curious debutantes in the dance hall, her admiring gaze seemed more like encouragement for him to continue speaking.

Was it to assess the investment climate of the Alliance?

With that thought, Fang Chang’s spirits lifted, and he abandoned his reserve, beginning to ’shoot the breeze,’ discussing everything from the Alliance’s developments to its individuals.

For instance, Teng Teng, who ran a small workshop, was praised as a master artist.

Crow, who loitered the streets like a stray, was lauded as a dedicated mushroom craftsman pursuing the perfect mushroom.

And scrambled eggs with tomatoes were turned into a culinary legacy with 888 lost recipes, while Elena was portrayed as a pioneer exploring edible Variants...

Even Mosquito, the goof, was boosted as a rocket scientist dreaming of exploring the edges of the Milky Way.

The Manager...

It seemed the Manager didn’t need any embellishment; riding atop the Claw of Death and bathed in sunlight breaking through storm clouds, he was an embodiment of grandeur.

Fang Chang heard that Ideal City now had a film studio planning to base a movie on him.

Whether he knew about this or not was another question.

In his boasting, Fang Chang felt no guilt; after all, they were over 3000 kilometers away from the Alliance. Curiosity wouldn’t likely lead everyone to travel there.

"Wait a moment, what is that about the lost recipe book with 888 recipes?" Li Shuyue, having listened for a while, seemed particularly interested and inquired curiously.

Fang Chang replied with a smile.

"Oh, that? It’s too much to cover right now. But some of the items at the recent auction related to food were definitely linked to those recipes."

"Including this?"

Li Shuyue reached into a drawer in the table beside her and pulled out a pack of instant noodles, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Seeing the Sour Pickle Instant Noodles in her hand, Fang Chang’s expression became momentarily awkward.

"Uh, that was Mosquito’s doing."

Li Shuyue frowned slightly.

"But isn’t he supposed to be aspiring to reach the Kuiper Belt... as a rocket scientist?"

Fang Chang hurriedly concocted an explanation.

"This is just a product of his hobby. While his main focus is on rockets, he occasionally creates some odd things... like what you see there."

Blowing his own trumpet seemed a bit too much, and there seemed to be a slip-up.

Fang Chang thought to himself in secret.

However, Miss Li Shuyue didn’t seem to notice any flaws in the tale and merely murmured in silence before softly exclaiming,

"Incredible... It seems that the rumors really aren’t baseless."

Fang Chang paused.

"Rumors? What rumors?"

"People on Endpoint Cloud are discussing that the ancestors from Shelter No. 404 were all artists," Li Shuyue smiled and said, "At first, I was skeptical, but now I’m quite convinced."

Fang Chang coughed.

"While I’m not sure where you’ve heard this rumor, what you say is... not entirely wrong! We indeed inherited some special things from the United Human, especially on a cultural level."

As he spoke, Li Shuyue’s eyes brightened.

Fang Chang felt, however, she hadn’t fully believed him, at most half-believed.

But what did it matter?

A subtle smile played at the corners of his mouth; he had already anticipated her skepticism.

Only half-believing?

That was quite daring indeed...

It seemed that she had grasped the information she wanted, and Li Shuyue suddenly changed her expression, putting on a serious look.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am the CEO of Ruyue Group, and here is my business card."

A slender fingertip lightly slid, and the pale blue holographic window turned into a pristine white coffee table, floating up in front of Fang Chang.

Taking it as merely a game effect, Fang Chang was not surprised; he dragged the business card in front of himself and glanced at it.

However, he quickly realized it was pointless to look at it; completely unfamiliar with Ideal City, he couldn’t comprehend what was written on the business card.

Ruyue Group?

Isn’t Ideal City only supposed to have five major groups?

"...Our company is invested and controlled by Ideal Group, mainly operating in the food sales and related processing industries."

Watching Fang Chang gaze at the business card and fall into thought, Li Shuyue continued with her pleasant voice,

"To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen such interesting commodities. Though not very healthy and with a storage life that isn’t very long, the taste is surprisingly good... How did you come up with these novel cooking methods?"

Fang Chang’s expression was slightly subtle; after a moment of thought, he fabricated a plausible explanation.

"For us, dining falls under the category of culture. Eating is not just about fulfilling nutritional needs but also satisfying the spirit."

"This sounds very interesting,"

Li Shuyue said with interest.

"I’ve consulted historical documents, and such cooking techniques have appeared in history, but they were gradually replaced by scientific ideologies in the early Prosperity Epoch, and afterward, dietary concepts became like what we have now... According to what you said, it is just to meet nutritional needs."

"Probably because the people after the Prosperity Epoch had a sufficiently rich spiritual life and no longer needed to satisfy themselves by sacrificing their health or other things. Of course, this is just my personal guess."

Fang Chang had made a casual remark, but unexpectedly, the lady named Li Shuyue nodded thoughtfully.

"This is quite an interesting perspective. It could very well be as you said."

"Maybe, but I’m not an expert after all," he said nonchalantly, taking a sip of black tea.

"But you seem very knowledgeable. I’ve heard from your ambassador that your identity is not just a soldier, but also responsible for promoting alliance products," Li Shuyue said intently, looking at him, "Are you interested in cooperating?"

So, it was for this reason that she sought him out.

Hearing Li Shuyue’s words, Fang Chang’s face showed a pleased smile.

Wasn’t this exactly what he was waiting for?

"Of course, we are here to seek cooperation. How would you like to proceed?"

Without further ado, Li Shuyue got straight to the point.

"Based on our market research, we believe that the next six months are the best window for introducing alliance products into Ideal City. The residents here are very interested in your cultural products. I think food would be a good entry point."

"We can provide two options. The first option is for you to handle production and transportation, and we handle sales. The second option is to set up a joint venture. You provide personnel and technology, especially food recipes, while we provide funding and location, and conduct production and sales locally in Ideal City."

After quietly listening to the detailed explanation of the two options, Fang Chang nodded lightly.

"No problem, we can provide everything you mentioned."

Li Shuyue was delighted inside but did not show it on her face, only smiling politely.

However, just as she was about to steer the conversation towards the contract with a "pleased to cooperate," the man across from her suddenly changed the topic.

"However, compared to the two options you provided, I have a better proposal. Are you interested?"

Her excitement cooled instantly, and Li Shuyue couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.

"Oh?"

To be honest, she didn’t expect a more innovative idea to emerge from a technologically backward survivor settlement.

But—

She might as well listen to what he had to say.

Not minding the skepticism in her eyes, Fang Chang cleared his throat and began his pitch.

"Whether exporting products or exporting recipes, neither aligns with our interests in maximizing benefits. Honestly, those recipes aren’t very complicated. If our products really sold out in Ideal City, it wouldn’t take two days for your competitors to analyze your sales data and create a product that better meets market demands."

Li Shuyue immediately responded,

"Don’t worry, we have comprehensive patent laws, and we also have our own research laboratories to improve formulas based on market and consumer feedback. As long as we act faster and better than our competitors, there’s no need to worry about being replaced."

Fang Chang nodded and said straightforwardly,

"Of course, you have a point, but let me pose a hypothetical situation. If the subsequent recipes are developed solely by Ruyue Group, what relationship would they have with our joint venture?"

Li Shuyue’s face showed a hint of surprise as her sharp eyes squinted slightly.

"Oh? Are you worried we might not honor our agreement?"

Fang Chang spoke in a gentle voice,

"I certainly didn’t mean that, just a reasonable assumption. You have a technological advantage and know the local market and rules better than us. You could maximize benefits within the legal framework... To be honest, if there were any contractual disputes, I don’t have much confidence that we could prevail against you."

Li Shuyue said impatiently,

"So what’s your proposal?"

"Shipping costly freight for inexpensive consumer goods is unrealistic, and the recipes themselves aren’t that valuable. We are not planning to export products or recipes, but rather standards."

"Standards?"

Looking at a hesitant Li Shuyue, Fang Chang nodded and said straightforwardly,

"That’s right."

Li Shuyue frowned,

"Can you be more specific?"

"Specifically, telling stories."

Watching her bewildered expression, Fang Chang smiled and threw out the excuse he had prepared long ago.

"For instance, Coca-Cola. This product actually doesn’t have much technical content, but Nuclear Cola sells better in Giant Stone City than Wico Cola or any other brand because the Alliance’s Manager openly recommends it as an alternative to alcohol, since all the Awakeners in the Alliance are drinking it... Those Mercenaries then think, maybe if they drink that stuff, they too can awaken."

"And take fried chicken, for example. It has even less technological content, but if we wish, it could wipe out an Army division tomorrow... I mean Ten Thousand Troops. Or take the pack of instant noodles you have in your hand, honestly, I’m not very fond of them, but if we need, we can also make them our military provisions... Then they will sell well on Endpoint Cloud. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Listening to Fang Chang’s vivid description, Li Shuyue watched the man in front of her with great interest.

Goodness, even the Waste Land Wanderer knew about the power of brand influence?

Not by taste, nor by nutrition, but by the added cultural value to empty the consumers’ wallets.

If that’s the case, it will indeed be difficult for her company to kick him out after completely developing the market and updating the products. After all, what’s valuable is no longer the patents and recipes but the inherent impression in the consumers’ minds.

In fact, the commodities from Ideal City sold well on the Wasteland largely not just because of the technology, but because of the brand influence behind them.

She also had considered doing this, creating a best-selling brand with the characteristics of the Alliance, using higher barriers to limit competitors, harvesting the wallets of Ideal City residents.

However, she had originally planned to do this after Ruyue Group had fully assimilated the technologies of its partners.

After all, such a golden goose is certainly better kept in one’s own hands; there is no need to share it with others.

She just hadn’t expected that the man before her would have such great ambitions.

Having just come from that remote poor area to Ideal City, he had already planned to turn the Alliance’s products into a best-selling brand.

"That’s quite interesting." Appreciation flashed in Li Shuyue’s eyes.

She had seen plenty of Waste Land Wanderers.

Most of those people were crude, short-sighted, inherently cunning, lacking real intelligence but constantly scheming.

However, that wasn’t their fault.

After all, in the unpredictable environment of the Wasteland, those with long-term vision might not even live until the next month.

Thinking of such far-reaching things, this guy truly had some abilities.

Should she agree?

Even if she didn’t, they could probably find others to collaborate with.

Thinking that she was praising his proposal, a pleasant smile appeared on Fang Chang’s face.

"It seems we’ve reached a consensus. Now, let’s discuss the details of the cooperation... such as how to sell this standard."

Li Shuyue studied his face for a while and then suddenly threw out a remark unrelated to business.

"Although we generally don’t grant permanent residence to Waste Land Wanderers, there are exceptions in certain cases."

She naturally shifted her sitting position, her right leg gently resting on her left knee, a slight smile curling the corners of her full lips.

"...I’ve taken a liking to you. Have you considered settling in Ideal City?"

Although her tone was jokey, her expression didn’t seem like a joke.

Fang Chang admitted that the suggestion was very attractive.

Life here was indeed beautiful, compared to the Waste World, it was like changing to a different "Game."

However—

"It’s an honor to gain your appreciation, but my heart already belongs elsewhere."

Watching the courteous man before her, Li Shuyue was slightly stunned, obviously not expecting her proposal to be rejected.

However, she only paused briefly before smiling lightly, not taking it personally as she said,

"Don’t misunderstand, I only liked your business skills. Let’s get back to the point and talk about the details of the cooperation."

Admiration was just that, and nothing more.

Like passing by a shop window and spotting a trendy luxury item.

She wouldn’t mind swiping her card to buy it, but wouldn’t line up at the door like nouveau riche do.

With her assets, family, and looks, what type of man couldn’t she have? There was no need to compete with anyone for anything.

However, his unaffected demeanor still irritated her.

Doesn’t she have any allure at all?

Not taking her sarcastic remark to heart, Fang Chang just casually smiled, his fingers interlaced on his knees, as he composedly spoke,

"Of course, when I said my heart belongs elsewhere, I meant it belongs to the Alliance."

"Then as you wish, let’s talk about the specific details of our cooperation."

...

In the resting room next to the banquet hall.

Mole was completely sprawled on the sofa, engrossed in playing with the Virtual Reality Glasses.

Suddenly, the colorful light streaks flashed, disappearing from before his eyes.

With a bewildered look, Mole looked up only to see the glasses in Fang Chang’s hands.

"What are you playing? You’re so engrossed."

Seeing Fang Chang about to put on the glasses, Mole quickly snatched them back, sweating profusely and sheepishly smiling.

"Just playing some ordinary little games I randomly picked on Endpoint Cloud."

Real residents of "Utopia" indeed seem very open.

Curious, Fang Chang asked,

"Is it fun?"

"Average, not very entertaining, but playing a virtual reality game inside another virtual reality game, that was unexpected."

While saying this, Mole couldn’t help but praise in his heart.

To be honest, these big factories nowadays make games with their feet, DLCs with their butts, and profit with their brains, reheating the same old stuff over and over, but they refuse to try anything new.

A hidden gem within the game that could stand alone as a major release, truly a conscience in the industry.

Brother Guang definitely deserves a shoutout—truth in advertising 100% real virtual reality game.

It’s just too real!

"...Anyway, the gameplay is decent, and the freedom is OK. The content is pretty vast, just not realistic enough."

Fang Chang paused, then asked after a moment of silence.

"...Is this game serious?"

"Pfft, what are you thinking about? It’s just a normal RPG game. Ever played ’Free Gun Cavalry’? It’s like watching a spaceship!" Mole saw the expression on his face and knew he was thinking something off, quickly changing the subject, "Let’s stop bullshitting. How come you came back so soon?"

He remembered the guy had left around eight o’clock, and it was not even ten when he returned.

That was pretty quick...

"Just talked some business,"

"Just business?" Mole looked at him skeptically, "I don’t believe it."

Fang Chang rolled his eyes, too lazy to explain, and found a place to casually sit down.

He certainly wasn’t going to tell him that he’d just negotiated a deal worth a few billion for the Alliance.

Ideal Group’s subsidiary, Ruyue Group, planned to invest 1 billion Cr and form a joint venture catering chain "Long Moon" with Bull Horse Group.

The confirmed brands included a fast food chain "Ken’s Chicken" offering fried chicken and cola, and the "Bull Horse" hot pot restaurant.

"Export ’pre-prepared food’?"

"Selling instant noodles?"

Those kinds of business could be done, but the profits were too low for his taste.

And with Ideal City’s strict food safety standards, ordinary food couldn’t even make it in. Considering also that the Alliance’s own food supplies were hardly abundant, rather than importing food here, it was better to produce locally.

Just like Fang Chang said, export standards.

The current plan was for "Long Moon" Group to send employees to the Alliance, where Bull Horse Group would handle training them. After the training, they would return to Ideal City to work as chefs and managers.

Still immersed in the game he’d just played, Mole ruminated for a while, staring at the glasses in his hand and suddenly spoke.

"You know... I find this virtual reality game is pretty fun, but the gameplay is too monotonous."

Fang Chang glanced at him.

"What more do you want to add?"

Mole: "It’s not about adding more, I’ll give an example. I just played about three RPG games, one based on a star theme, one fantasy, and another roughly alternate history. All three games were that open-world type like Elder Scrolls, huge maps, flashy skills, NPCs you can interact with simply, very high freedom... But the selling point of all three games was exactly the same which is outrageous!"

Fang Chang glanced at him again.

"And that’s bad? If it was real, I’d freaking buy them all."

The easter eggs were made with such detail?

Brother Guang once bragged to him about "Wasteland OL" saying most of the content was automatically generated based on the player’s knowledge and dreams, he didn’t quite believe it at the time.

Now it seems, it was not just bragging.

He really should experience it properly when he has time.

Expecting Fang Chang’s reaction, Mole made a helpless face.

"It’s easy to say, but when the whole game platform is filled with this type, it’s just boring. For example, MOBA or battle royale games, I didn’t see any of those... Have they gone out of fashion?"

Fang Chang blinked briefly.

Though it sounded a bit outrageous, he seemed to have stumbled upon another way to make money...

...

The next morning, in one of the massive buildings, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a top-floor CEO office.

Looking at the draft contract in her hand, leaning back in her office chair, Li Shuyue faced the steel forest emerging from the clouds, holding a cup of coffee, and gently sipped it with a furrowed brow.

billion Cr.

For the parent company Ideal Group, it was but a small digit, but for Ruyue Group, it was significant.

After musing for a moment, she stretched her index finger and drew lightly on the table.

A pale blue holographic window projected in front of her, weaving a three-dimensional bust.

In an emotionless electronic tone, the AI assistant spoke softly.

"Respected boss, what would you like me to do?"

She responded succinctly.

"Help me get a plane ticket to the southern part of River Valley Province."

Across a distance of 3000 kilometers, even the most authentic news could be distorted.

She wouldn’t feel at ease without seeing it for herself.

The AI assistant reminded her.

"The company doesn’t have regular flights to the southern part of River Valley Province. According to the terms of resolution 1001, renting aircraft capacity requires filling out a form for reporting, along with stating relevant reasons and providing supporting documentation."

Li Shuyue said offhandedly.

"You can write something trivial for that, just list ’market survey’ as the reason."

The floating hologram slightly nodded.

"As you command."