Nowadays, nearly every game in the world was about leveling up, killing monsters, and PvP.
It was as if gaming had reached its endpoint; truly novel gameplay was rarely seen anymore.
The sudden arrival of Honkai Impact 3rd had already been a huge surprise to the girls.
Yet how long had it been? Mo Li was saying he was developing another new game!
How could they not be shocked?
"Heh~"
Mo Li smiled confidently. After closing that video, he opened another file on his computer.
"To sum up Genshin Impact's gameplay and selling points in one sentence..."
"An open world, free exploration, combat, and puzzles!"
As he spoke, dynamic images flashed across the projection screen.
There were scenes of Lumine wielding a one-handed sword against Hilichurls, solving puzzles to open treasure chests, swimming, climbing, mining, gathering...
The beautiful visuals and novel gameplay left the girls utterly amazed.
On Earth, these gameplay elements would not have been considered especially innovative.
At most, they had added an "anime-style" element.
But in this primitive gaming world, the ability to freely explore such a vast open world was simply incredible.
It was utterly breathtaking!
Every backdrop in the images Mo Li displayed was an incomparably beautiful landscape.
Windrise and Starfell Lake in Mondstadt; Qingce Village and Dihua Marsh in Liyue; Grand Narukami Shrine and Chinju Forest in Inazuma; Sumeru's deserts and rainforests...
While enjoying the thrill of combat, players could admire the scenery from any angle. And while admiring the scenery, they might stumble across an unexpected treasure chest...
"Genshin Impact's entire open world can roughly be divided into three types of gameplay." As Mo Li explained, he showed everyone more animated images.
"Exploration and adventure focused on opening treasure chests; PvE gameplay centered around domains; and character development."
"Of course, there are also all kinds of lifestyle activities."
"And something absolutely indispensable... character gacha!"
"The character controlled by the player is a Traveler from another world..."
As Mo Li continued explaining, the girls grew more and more excited.
Just listening to him had thoroughly hooked their interest. They could not wait to get their hands on it and experience it themselves.
Bronya's eyes shone. "Boss, these images..."
Mo Li smiled. Seemingly understanding what Bronya meant, he nodded. "The game's already finished."
The moment those words came out, the girls nearly failed to contain their excitement.
Perhaps because they had spent so much time together, the girls no longer showed the skepticism they had the first time.
They all looked at Mo Li excitedly, chattering away as they discussed it.
Even Bronya asked, "Boss... can you let us try it? That way... we can also try to... give you some suggestions."
Even Bronya herself sounded a little lacking in confidence as she said that.
Well, as a gaming nerd, Bronya just wanted to play!
Himeko also looked at Mo Li in astonishment and sighed. "I'm really so curious, Boss. How do you keep coming up with so many innovative gameplay ideas?"
Even Ganyu's cheeks were flushed. "Boss, when do you plan to release Genshin Impact?"
As newcomers, Yae Miko and Kamisato Ayaka were still somewhat reserved and did not join the girls' discussion.
But the gleam in their eyes told each other everything.
They were also extremely interested in this game.
"Ladies... calm down first..."
Even Mo Li had not expected the girls to be this excited.
"Of course I won't keep it hidden from you. When the time comes, I'll let you experience it yourselves."
"There's something else I need to tell everyone."
With that, Mo Li shut down his computer before saying seriously, "Recently, there have been more and more people staking out the area near the Studio..."
After hearing Mo Li's words, the girls all looked troubled.
But before they could think too much about it, Mo Li smiled. "However, I already have a solution."
"I've arranged a new workplace. It's absolutely safe and secluded. Not only is it equipped with everything we need, it also has luxurious dormitories and artificial intelligence."
"Of course, if you don't want to live at the company, you can choose to go home, but..."
At this point, Mo Li gave a mysterious smile. "I can guarantee that once you move in, you'll never want to leave."
When Mo Li brought the girls to the Valkyrie Dorm, every one of them cried out in surprise.
Kiana and Hu Tao in particular, the two mischievous girls, touched this and poked at that.
"Wow~ It's so huge~~"
"This is way too luxurious... Ah!" Kiana suddenly cried out and kicked an exquisitely crafted object flying.
"Boss! What was that? It can move..."
Mo Li smiled. "Don't be so... jumpy."
He walked over and checked the object Kiana had kicked away. Only after confirming that it was undamaged did he place it back on the floor.
"This is a robot vacuum. It cleans the place..."
"I see... That scared me..." Hu Tao patted her flat chest. Only after watching the robot vacuum slowly roll away did she let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, the other girls gathered around as well. "Boss, this place is way too big and luxurious..."
Mo Li smiled. "Have you all picked your rooms?"
The girls all nodded.
"Then... does anyone still want to live at home?"
The girls unanimously shook their heads.
"I'm glad you all like it. From now on, you'll work, eat, and live in this building. If you want to go out, just let Ai-chan know."
"Ai-chan?" Upon hearing this unfamiliar name, the girls were even more confused. Wasn't that an artificial intelligence from Celestial Mandate in Honkai Impact 3rd?
However, before Mo Li could explain, a lively little girl's voice rang out from all around them:
"Boss~ Ai-chan is here~"
The sudden childish voice left the girls utterly stunned. It sounded exactly like it did in the game...
Mo Li explained softly, "This is the AI Ai-chan. You can think of her as a smarter intelligent housekeeper with greater computing power."
"Not only can she help you quickly familiarize yourselves with the dorm's various facilities, she can even help us with game development."
"If you want to go out, you can also tell Ai-chan. She'll arrange transportation for you and plan your route."
"Even if you get lost inside this building, you can ask Ai-chan anytime. She'll guide you."
After hearing Mo Li's explanation, the girls were even more astonished.
"There's actually artificial intelligence this smart!"
"This really is futuristic technology..."
"Boss..." Rita suddenly looked at Mo Li with a teasing smile and said in an extremely suggestive tone, "Tell me... doesn't this count as keeping beauties in a golden house~?"
As soon as Rita said that, Mo Li realized it too.
This... really did seem like he was keeping beauties in a golden house...
Girls with thinner skin, like Ganyu and Kamisato Ayaka, could not help but blush when they heard those words.
Even Durandal looked a little embarrassed.
"Ahem... Rita, stop joking around. If those players weren't blocking the Studio entrance every day, the Boss wouldn't have taken out such a luxurious building and converted it into a Studio."
"Now that I think about it... the Boss really is generous~"
"This way, we can work without worry from now on. Even if our identities are exposed, we won't have to fear people blocking our door anymore~"
"Still, we should be more careful when going out."
"It doesn't matter. I rarely go out anyway~" Bronya looked somewhat happy, and a rare hint of a smile appeared on her expressionless face.
"Work is our hobby anyway. When we have free time, we can just play games~"
The girls all nodded in agreement.
"Alright, everyone, familiarize yourselves with the work environment first. The new version will be updated tomorrow. After that, speed up the voice recording progress so we can make time for Genshin Impact's release~"
After saying that, Mo Li stretched lazily, intending to pick a dorm room for himself too.
"Oh, right. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Ai-chan directly~" Before leaving, Mo Li did not forget to remind them again.
The Valkyrie Dorm rewarded by the system was truly luxurious.
Calling it futuristic technology would not have been an exaggeration. Mo Li even suspected that some of its advanced technology had come from Celestial Mandate in the game.
However, the system gave no answer to his question.
So Mo Li could not be bothered to dwell on it.
After casually picking a room in the dormitory area, Mo Li turned on his computer and began planning the follow-up versions for Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact.
MiHoYo Studio's reputation was no longer limited to the country.
It was equally famous overseas.
The first reason was naturally Honkai Impact 3rd's refreshing gameplay, anime art style, and deeply moving story.
The second reason was also thanks to Eden.
Therefore, for their next game, Genshin Impact, he planned to hold a simultaneous global open beta.
As for the open beta date, he had roughly decided on one already.
Honkai Impact 3rd was currently far too popular because of its collaboration with Eden.
If Genshin Impact were revealed now, it would directly compete with Honkai Impact 3rd for attention...
So the open beta date had to be chosen carefully.
Just as he was thinking, his phone began to ring.
"Eden..." Mo Li was curious. What could she want this late at night?
He answered the call.
"Good evening, Miss Eden~ Are you satisfied with the character settings for the Thirteen Flame-Chasers that I sent you?"
A soft laugh came from the other end. "Good evening. I've read the script Mr. Mo Li sent over..."
At this point, Eden paused slightly. "Could you reveal a little more about the Previous Era's story in the game?"
"Reveal more... it's not impossible, but if you know in advance, there won't be much surprise when you play later~"
"That's true. Then I won't ask any further."
Mo Li smiled. "Then, is there anything else, Miss Eden?"
"I posted about my new album on Weibo this afternoon. It seems your side still hasn't released an announcement for the new version, has it?"
Only then did Mo Li finally react. "That's right!!"
Before you continue