Chapter 25: The Tuna Who Was Sold and Still Helped Su Mu Count the Money?
After seeing Pardo's reply, Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief.
If even Pardo said so, it meant his assumption was correct. The Thirteen Flame-Chasers in this world were virtually identical to the ones in his memory. To confirm this as quickly as possible, there was no better way than this; having a friend like Pardo made everything easier. As for how to explain himself after being asked such a question, Su Mu already had his answer ready.
"Actually, I minored in psychology in university and I'm good at profiling," Su Mu replied. "In your past videos, the other twelve people have all made appearances, right? Through their expressions, clothing, and certain actions, I can roughly infer what kind of people they are."
This statement was pure nonsense.
"Brother Su Mu, are you really that amazing? Wait, you didn't watch all of my videos, did you?"
Pardo also realized something was off. For Su Mu to have such a god-like ability was one thing, but... although the Thirteen Flame-Chasers appeared in Pardo's videos, their appearances weren't frequent and were often buried in her daily vlog content. To find every single one of them, he would have to comb through a vast number of videos one by one.
"Yeah, watched them all."
This time, Su Mu wasn't lying. Ever since he met Pardo a month ago, he had started binge-watching her videos to find a breakthrough for convincing the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Even when he hadn't finished writing the proposal for *Honkai Impact 3rd*, he didn't waste a single moment of his breaks.
"Pfft! I have over a hundred videos, and you watched them all? Brother Su Mu, are you a monster?"
Pardo was genuinely shocked. It was normal for an old fan to watch every video as they came out, but for Su Mu to binge over a hundred videos like this... it was just too absurd.
"Sorry, I'm just a very meticulous person," Su Mu explained quickly before Pardo could develop any other strange ideas. "It's simply because I saw your potential and hoped to collaborate with you on new games in the future, so I did a thorough investigation."
"Oh..."
"And another thing—your videos are actually quite interesting."
"Really? Hehe! Don't be shy, Brother Su Mu, just admit you've fallen for my talent! No need for so many excuses; being a tsundere is so last season!"
Seeing Pardo's ego inflate, Su Mu knew he had successfully brushed the matter aside. As for why he wanted to use Pardo and the other twelve Flame-Chasers as prototypes for game characters, Su Mu simply explained, "Because you're such an interesting family. Just watching your interactions gave me a burst of inspiration."
"Hmph, Brother Su Mu, although I don't mind you using me as a character prototype... well, I can't agree to it unconditionally, you know?"
Pardo put on the air of a little merchant, making her implications very clear.
"Conditions?"
"Closed beta access!"
"Deal."
In fact, even if she hadn't asked, Su Mu intended to invite her.
"And, I want the priority reveal rights for *Honkai Impact 3rd* when the time comes!"
Pardo's request forced a wry smile from Su Mu. "You want to bag the hype and traffic early on. Do you have that much confidence in the games I make?"
"Hehe, Brother Su Mu, I'm a streamer and a merchant. Business naturally comes with risks... To put it plainly, I want to take a gamble on you! I'm betting your game will be a hit and that this wave of hype will take me to the next level!"
Su Mu was somewhat surprised. Given Pardo's current popularity, she was a rising star in the streaming world. On the surface, she was proposing two conditions, but in reality, she was preparing to help him promote the game for free.
"Thank you, Pardo."
"Hehe, Brother Su Mu, don't think too highly of me! I'm just investing!"
Even though Pardo said that, Su Mu wasn't foolish enough to take it literally; he would remember this kindness. After ending the chat with Pardo, Su Mu took a deep breath and looked at the names of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers on his screen. He had to be fully prepared.
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The next day.
The moment Kiana stepped into the company, she was caught red-handed by Su Mu. Wait, since it was her own company, why use the term "caught red-handed"?
Kiana glared at Su Mu, looking bewildered. "What do you mean, Pardo invited you and me to visit the Golden Courtyard together?"
Su Mu corrected her: "To be precise, the owner of the Golden Courtyard, Miss Eden."
Kiana was stunned. "You got in touch with Eden? That's Eden we're talking about, the super-rich Eden!"
Kiana had certainly heard of Eden's name. You could say Eden was exactly the kind of person she dreamed of becoming. Wealthy enough to rival a nation and always in the spotlight! If she had that kind of wealth, wouldn't she be able to just lie flat, eat and drink all day, and sleep until she woke up naturally? That kind of life would be incredible!
"It's all thanks to you."
Su Mu pulled open the car door and made a "please" gesture to Kiana. "Respected Boss, please get in."
Actually, Pardo had originally intended to invite Su Mu alone to the Golden Courtyard, but at Su Mu's suggestion, she invited Kiana as well. As for the reason, Kiana and Pardo were on good terms, and Kiana had acted as the bridge between Su Mu and Pardo, so it was normal to have a meal together. Of course, the real reason Su Mu made this suggestion had nothing to do with any of that.
It was purely because he needed a beautiful girl to act as a "Pink Elf-type trap."
Kiana didn't know what Su Mu was up to, but this suited her perfectly.
*Hehe... If I'm not mistaken, Su Mu definitely wants to use this chance to convince Eden and the others to agree to be character prototypes...*
She had been worried about whether Su Mu would actually succeed. Now that she could supervise him closely and sabotage him in secret, she could ensure Su Mu faced major obstacles. That way, her grand plan would succeed! But just to be safe, Kiana coughed and put on an act of being concerned about the matter.
"Su Mu, you want to use this opportunity to get approval from Miss Eden and the others, right? Is there anything I can help with?"
Su Mu glanced at Kiana indifferently and started the car. "You don't have to do anything, just act like you usually do... By the way, do you know how to count money?"
"?"
Su Mu hit the gas, and the car sped out of the underground parking lot toward the Golden Courtyard. Throughout the journey, Kiana was lost in deep thought. What did Su Mu mean? Just act like usual?
END OF CHAPTER