Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: SSR Liu Bei and SSR Cao Cao (13)
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"Aren't you rushing the advertising a bit too much?"
"Marketing starts with building anticipation. People are animals that live on imagination."
"Hmm, imagination."
I took in the sight of the tin can, who still didn't fully grasp the concept of imagination, tilting her head.
And so, I methodically prepared to unleash the poison known as TCG into this other world.
In truth, I'd been thinking about it for quite some time.
I wasn't particularly fond of sticker games myself, and the rules wouldn't delve into the complexity of MTG or Yu-Gi-Oh.
That could come later.
Not just Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but all of Earth's history.
For now, simple enough for a tavern game.
"So, why a card game? There are plenty of other media mix options. Comics would work too, right?"
"The biggest strength of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is its characters. But you can't fit every detail about them into the novel. And you want to draw comics too?"
"Well, that's..."
Exactly.
In unfolding the story centered on the protagonists, there were many figures from the historical records or the novel who had major presences but went undetailed.
If I had to pick representatives of those forgotten friends so far...
First, the super old-timers like Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun.
...Honestly, they weren't that well-known to begin with.
At best, they make a big splash early on in some alternate history Three Kingdoms stories.
Then, in Dong Zhuo's camp, Li Jue and Guo Si.
The human weapons of the Western Liang.
In the married woman arc, I focused so much on action scenes around He Kui that Jia Xu's schemes didn't get proper play.
Even in Lü Bu's death scene, alongside the one-shot king Zhen Gong, there's Zhang Liao, whose end will be grand despite his minor role now.
The same went for Cao Cao's camp.
Xiahou Dun at least got presence with his one-eyed gimmick and fitting illustrations.
Guys like Cao Hong, the golden-helmeted man fueling our boy's frustration, were even more sidelined without dedicated arcs.
In short.
My grand strategy was to package what the novel couldn't cover—like character dossiers—into card packs.
Bonus.
"...Is it okay to do illustrations like this?"
"Of course it is."
Why do people play gacha games?
Good gameplay? Maybe.
The essence of games is fun, after all.
But prioritized even more than gameplay fun...
Is well-designed characters and strong personalities.
Proven by Denden's overwhelming sales from a single jiggle washing machine. Q.E.D.
"Even so... turning a proper man from the main story into the opposite gender."
"That's why it's SSR. It sells."
How is Guan Yu born?
She hatches from an R-grade Guan Yu egg.
Grows into SR-grade Guan Yu.
And now SSR has two tech trees.
SSR War God Guan Yu.
SSR Guan Yu (bishoujo).
Common sense, right?
"I have no idea how that becomes common sense..."
Maybe because she's still a newborn, the tin can couldn't grasp this subtle truth.
Her eyes aren't fully open yet.
Feed her more TS.
* * *
"Even if dirt gets in my eyes, that's a no-go! ...Wait! Why are you picking up sand, desu wa?!"
Unfortunately, Kim Yul's grand project—from Guan Yu egg to Guan Yu bishoujo—was nixed at the major shareholder level.
"Sigh, I hate this world..."
"What kind of life have you lived? He was finally gaining popularity as a cool guy, and suddenly a bishoujo?!"
"Then at least this busty high elf Liu Bei."
"That's! Absolutely! No way, desu wa!"
"Are you jealous of the character now?"
"Don't be ridiculous, desu wa!"
Cloé pressed her forehead.
Of course, just a tiny bit.
She'd thought those voluptuous breasts didn't suit a high elf's dignity, since they weren't permitted to her.
But what did that make Liu Bei, then?
The thick brotherly bond, sharing a bed in hard times to ruminate on suffering...
"It twists into something like seducing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with her body, desu wa!"
"So make Guan Yu and Zhang Fei female characters too."
"Nooooo!"
Only after her noble elven speech cracked and she vented her rage fully...
Could Cloé finally subdue Kim Yul, whose lips were pouting.
.
.
.
Thus, after trampling, mangling, and reducing TS bishoujo Guan Yu to mere vestiges of the original idea...
Cloé earnestly hustled to realize Kim Yul's tossed-out concept.
Because.
It smelled good.
A thick money scent she'd never sniffed before...!
Printing? Just borrow some of Truth Newspaper's facilities.
"Preventing counterfeits is key. But I'm not sure if that's feasible."
"Leave that to me, desu wa!"
What kind of barbarian life had he lived?
Ulysses, Kim Yul, was underestimating magic's potential too much.
Cloé held the prototype SSR Guan Yu card Kim Yul had made, chanting a spell on the spot.
Though lately she'd been yanked by the ears daily.
Cloé was a proper 5th-circle magic swordsman.
Elves had high mana affinity anyway, and she'd been born with overwhelming magical talent instead of destructive archery.
If she hadn't dropped out of the Mage Tower midway, she'd surely have reached higher realms.
"Like this, infusing mana."
The card floated up with a whoosh, spinning while emitting a strange glow.
"Ooh, gacha effects."
Ignoring Kim Yul's incomprehensible words, Cloé finely tuned the mana.
And the result.
"Gasp...!"
Above the card, like an AR hologram, Guan Yu's illustration phantom appeared.
"Oh ho ho! Behold my greatness, desu wa!"
Cloé's nose rose an inch.
Had Kim Yul's gaze ever been this friendly?
It always carried a subtle elf-loathing vibe.
But not today!
I can dominate humans!
"Objects infused with magic always retain the caster's mana as a lingering echo, desu wa. So, with appraisal magic, you can trace the mana source—perfect anti-counterfeit, right?"
"So, how many per day?"
"Hmm... For a super genius like me, 100 is a breeze, desu wa!"
"Then Cloé handles all the anti-counterfeit tech, cuts labor costs too. Let's proceed."
"Eh?"
She'd boasted her magic only to get her nose pierced in an instant.
* * *
While whipping Historie and yanking Cloé's ears to expand the new business model...
Kim Yul's serialization never stopped.
Of course, depicting Lü Bu's death bijectly with the comic cheat was great.
But.
"Hmm..."
"Isn't the pacing dragging lately?"
"Yeah, once Liu Bei joins Cao Cao, it feels a bit dull."
"He hasn't run out of material, right?"
"Nah, no way. Cao Cao's just solidified his base now. Still got Yuan Shao looming."
Readers were getting anxious.
After Lü Bu's death.
Cao Cao brought Liu Bei to Xu Province.
Gave him the high post of Cavalry General, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei flashy Mid-Captain titles.
From Cao Cao's side, he clearly planned to make full use of Liu Bei.
Liu Bei's side was just meeting people in Xu, schmoozing, faithfully playing Cao Cao's waifu figurine.
Not even doing assigned work, just lazing around farming.
"Hmm... Wouldn't sweet newlywed stuff with Lady Mi be better than this...?"
Even Roselin, now scrutinizing Kim Yul's novel beyond romance parts, tilted her head.
"Umm, uuuuh, it's Kim Yul, so Kim Yul...?"
Even Esthea, the living legend of the mutt world, stopped wagging her tail at the slow tempo.
However.
"Alright, time to start."
Kim Yul wouldn't shortsightedly ditch his main job for the side hustle.
The whole point was to hype the Three Kingdoms franchise, so serialization was crucial.
He'd just knelt briefly to build momentum...
His sincere punch.
More precisely, Luo Guanzhong's recreated legendary sincere punch.
The plot flowing from the imperial edict to the banquet debate was ready to debut.
"Th-this is...?"
"A secret edict from His Imperial Majesty."
Dong Cheng showed Liu Bei the missive peeking from his belt.
A heartfelt letter lamenting the Han court's plight.
Emperor Xian, barely twenty, thrust onto the throne against his will as a child.
His inner cries boiled over onto the page.
To summarize.
"Assassinate... Cao Cao..."
"Shh. There could be ears listening."
Despite Dong Cheng's restraint, Liu Bei's hands trembled uncontrollably.
An imperial secret edict, no less.
Liu Bei—double protagonist—gets ordered to kill Cao Cao! Devastating development!
And it didn't end there.
The next day.
In Cao Cao's part, wrapped up with more political gruel.
- Send an invitation to Liu Bei. Let's grab a drink today.
A casual, offhand line.
"...No way, he knows?"
"Already? That's too soon."
"Then both the Emperor and Liu Bei are in danger, right?"
Tense with suspense.
They turned the page.