Chapter 135: 110: The Immortal's Bewilderment (Part 2)_2
For them, the presence of Fang Cheng was far more terrifying than a trillion depths of black holes!
“You guys…”
Mana was unleashed, and the creatures within the black hole’s inner recesses were all sliced into pieces, turning into a viscous malevolence.
Slicing up this malevolence once more, Fang Cheng cleaned out the contents of the black hole in two moves and then stepped out of the black hole into the Mirror Universe.
The Mirror Universe was a strange and peculiar cosmos where every place was unlike the others.
There was not a single complete Heavenly Tao here; various Little Heavenly Ways divided it, making it difficult for them to form a network with each other.
Opposite this black hole, however, was a rare network of interconnected Heavenly Ways.
Interestingly, the Little Heavenly Ways in this place had their unique modes of operation, with one or several Little Heavenly Ways presiding over the same planet.
Their power did not come from the natural order, but from the faith of living beings.
In the mouths of these creatures, these Little Heavenly Ways had another name.
Gods.
Because they were too close to intelligent beings, the Little Heavenly Ways here had also taken on many colors of intelligent life.
They became more personified, and their emotions turned more extreme. They started to depend on intelligent beings and reveled in their worship.
This place even developed its own logic, a set of rules recognized by all the Little Heavenly Ways.
Observing the network of Heavenly Ways here, Fang Cheng found it quite fascinating.
He had never thought that Heavenly Ways could unite in such a way, and that different Little Heavenly Ways could be based on an agreement rather than fighting each other.
Of course, to say there were no conflicts would not be accurate; their battles had moved to the shadows, and the believers became their chosen representations, engaging in endless wars through their followers.
Hiding his presence, Fang Cheng discovered that the Little Heavenly Ways here were very interesting. Studying them showed him the different possibilities of the Heavenly Tao, and he immediately indulged in it.
While Fang Cheng was engrossed in studying the Heavenly Ways, Huang Ping had also completed his modification plan.
Before Fang Cheng left, he had entrusted Huang Ping with the responsibility for optimizing the Botanic Garden, and today was the day he would showcase his results.
Xiao Douzi’s statistics had been planned out, the ripples just before a companion’s death… The numbers were in his possession and the game was about to undergo a revolution.
All sorts of features were ready, a new adventure was about to unfold, and the playability of the Botanic Garden was set to be further developed, with a new chapter soon to be unveiled.
The first free DLC for “Plant Elves,” “Plant Elves,” was online.
After the update, every player could see a new area in the game: the arena area.
Elsewhere, pets would not attack each other; players could only walk with their newly acquired pets in the Botanic Garden, enjoying the tranquility.
But once they entered that place, it was a journey of blood and fire.
Players would be able to obtain up to eight hundred and thirty-one types of plant elves, each with its unique attributes and characteristics; real-time combat tested the players’ reflexes and battlefield control, and the ability to have up to four plant elves in battle at the same time made the arena even more lively.
However, players could only control one elf at first, as the elves would attack each other out of jealousy.
It was then essential to master each elf’s characteristics, to interact well with them, and to develop emotional bonds with them.
Once the relationship reached a certain level, the other side would understand its place in the player’s heart, and the feeling of jealousy would not arise, allowing them to battle each other thereafter.
Besides, capturing pets required a full understanding of the corresponding rules, and if one did not know them, it was okay because special NPC squirrels would appear randomly in the Botanic Garden.
The three squirrels were enthusiastic and very passionate about serving the players, and a few nuts would make them tell you how to capture the plant elves.
Of course, if you don’t want to find the squirrels, you can also check the relevant wiki, but who can resist the joy of petting a big squirrel?
The DLC had only been online for a day, and players were already on their knees.
The free DLC completely overturned the original gameplay and turned it into an entirely different game.
“I’m sorry, Fang Cheng Studio, for my initial remarks, I shouldn’t have said this game had no gameplay at all.”
“Today, I planted a wife, and tomorrow, I’ll harvest many wives. This isn’t a horror game, this is ‘Botanic Garden’.”
“…Nobody treats plants as their wives…”
“Ten out of ten, I give this game twenty. Because it’s like playing two perfect-score games.”
“Masterpiece, no explanation.”
“All four of us in the dorm are game enthusiasts, one likes sightseeing tours, one likes horror mysteries, one likes pet development, and one likes battles. Guess which game allows us to play together without conflict?”
“My nephew said he wants to become a creature trainer, so I took him to the arena and gave him a hard lesson with my Four-veggie Dog. Hehehe, little rascal, the trainer will be me!”
–“Supplemental comment after three days: Got beaten up by my mom, couldn’t get out of bed for three days, but it was worth it!”
The same game, four ways to play, and the transition between them feels incredibly natural.
With the four gameplay methods building on each other, Pingping played a huge role in uncovering them. If it hadn’t been for her lucky discovery of a squirrel by the roadside, players would’ve been kept in the dark for much longer.
Her follower count began to skyrocket; audiences who learned about her story started to tip her, and they began thinking about crowdfunding a surgery for her.
And the players who discovered the real gameplay, while gritting their teeth, calling Fang Cheng an old man for hoarding the gameplay, were having the time of their lives.
Once players had figured out the various methods of summoning animals and plants, they found the game to have grown warmer.
Players interested in sightseeing stayed away from the arenas, and those who liked fighting didn’t disturb the other players’ fun.
However, when it came to caring for pets and trying to carry more of them at the same time, consensus was reached. They exchanged tips daily on how to better care for pets and how to make them happier and more affectionate.
Of course, some debated whether raising pets here was about Plant Grass or cultivating animals, but those were minor issues that didn’t matter much.
What was once a tranquil Botanic Garden began to buzz with activity.
Leisurely vine turtles carried players around, and colossal Treemen hoisted them up for viewing tours
On the water surface, faux water creatures began to surf with the players, diversifying the gameplay even more.
But the liveliest spot was still the arena.
Every day, the arena was packed with players. The 4V4 battle mode tested both the trainers’ teamwork and their on-the-spot reactions.
Plus, the creatures could evolve from fighting, and they looked even prettier and more charming after evolving. Many players aiming for a complete collection needed to battle constantly to evolve their roster of creatures.
Even though Fang Cheng Studio had not yet organized official competitions, players had started organizing their own tournaments, with an abundance of sponsored events emerging.
New combination strategies were discovered every day, and various interesting tactics and ideas emerged, making the matches more intense and engaging.
Unlike ‘Quiet Cultivation’s competitive mode, Botanic Garden’s arena battles were in a 4V4 format, which confined the battles to a set area and made them more spectacular and worth watching.
No one doubted that Fang Cheng had this endpoint in mind from the start.
Keeping key gameplay hidden and waiting for players to uncover it had become a classic marketing case, and many began to analyze why Fang Cheng Studio did this and how they executed it so well.
The high-quality game and complementary gameplay were the studio’s confidence and a marketing tactic that others couldn’t replicate.
While the internet was filled with praises, some people were completely clueless.
Seeing one serious analysis after another of their reasons for doing this, Fang Cheng, freshly returned from behind the black hole, was totally baffled.
Are you guys analyzing me?