John was at a loss for words for a moment, unsure of what to say. Since arriving in this world, he had experienced his family's care for the first time. Except for the system, John had never lied to them. The benefits brought by Pokémon were originally something he had planned to give to Grace.
What he didn't expect was that Grace had already registered the company in his name.
"Don't worry about me. It's not like you have to support me yet," Grace said, noticing John's pensive look. She stepped closer, her expression suddenly tinged with playful complaint. "If you really want to be filial, you should find me a daughter-in-law soon."
John was caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Uh…"
The awkward moment eased the atmosphere a bit, and the family's playful banter put John in a better mood.
Grace was right. She hadn't spent too much money this time because they happened to seize the opportunity with "Second World." But John knew he would need a lot of funds to continue developing his games. Who better to help than Grace?
John didn't care much about the money because, frankly, he wasn't short of it. In his previous life, there had been countless ways to generate profit from fans while still making them feel like they were getting their money's worth.
"Okay, since you like making games, go ahead. I'll handle the company for you for now. Let me know if you need anything, and I've linked your account to the company's income." Grace smiled warmly.
"Thanks, Mom," John replied, hugging her quietly.
"I'm so jealous!" Lily teased. "Brother, I want a big red envelope! After all, I helped you by becoming the gym master!"
"As if you lost out," Grace shot her a playful look.
"Here, take two. Is that enough?" John chuckled.
"That's enough! Thanks, brother. You're the best~" Lily grinned as she bounded upstairs.
"Be sure to pay attention when accepting challenges. If you feel capable, you can recruit others to be your deputies. Only one Gym Leader, but you can have up to a hundred deputies. Let them handle challenges for you," John reminded her.
"That's still a hundred jobs to fill."
"I know, I know, brother."
Once Lily was gone, John spent some more time chatting with Grace before heading back to his room.
When he logged into his account, he discovered the Pokémon-related products had already generated tens of millions in revenue over the past few days. It was a money-making machine, no wonder so many people sought to create large IPs.
In his room, John first checked the download numbers for *Happy Farm*, which had exceeded one million.
*Happy Farm* was John's first significant release, and its success shocked many who thought John had connections pulling strings behind the scenes.
His virtual game designer certification had jumped from zero to level seven, making him a rare talent in the industry.
Veteran virtual game designers, who had struggled for years with only a few thousand downloads, looked on in frustration. The internet buzzed with conspiracy theories, with some claiming John had bought the idea for *Pokémon* and that *Happy Farm* was just a copy of Lan Yucheng's farming game. From John's age to his family's background, all sorts of rumors circulated.
John could only laugh at the absurdity.
"Man, what a sharp eye," John muttered. "Sure, I copied it! Just bring Nintendo to me, and I'll admit it!"
As for the so-called plagiarism of *Happy Farm*, anyone with common sense could see that while both games involved farming, the similarities ended there. Still, John didn't mind people saying he was inspired by others.
John used his official account to like one of the posts accusing him, which immediately sparked attention.
Thanks to his certified level-seven game designer badge, many passersby joined the conversation.
"OMG, the legend John is here! Front row seats, folks!"
"Lol, I got a spot behind John! Love this!"
"Guys, John has entered the chat, let's raise the stakes!"
"I'm dying laughing! Where's the guy who started the rumor? Come on, keep going!"
"Yeah, bring it on! Let's match words!"
Soon after, the trending topic suddenly disappeared. Some thought the site had glitched, but after refreshing, they saw the topic had been removed.
"??? Did it vanish?"
"Wow, that was fast."
"Did he grow a conscience?"
"Conscience, my foot! That's called running away in fear!"
"What a lovely bunch of players," John chuckled, genuinely touched by how many supporters he already had. It proved that if you create something with heart, the players would back you up.
"Time to give them a bonus."
Looking at the fresh Dragon Kingdom coins in his account, John smiled, not expecting to spend them so soon.
He edited a post on WebNet, and shortly after, a message was released:
"To thank everyone for your support, *Happy Farm* will soon launch a limited-time surprise lucky bag event. All plants and animals will have a chance to drop a surprise lucky bag upon harvest. Inside the bags, you can find cash rewards and even rare Pokémon eggs!"
"More rewards?!"
"Oh my gosh, John doesn't care about profits? Not only is the game free, but now he's giving out cash and rare Pokémon?!"
"I'm crying! John, let me give you my money!"
"Please open a payment channel! This is too generous."
"John is such a great person."
"A good person?" John chuckled, shaking his head at the comments from his fans. Did they just hand him a "good guy card"?
As the post spread on WebNet and the in-game announcement went live, John's exchange points soared once more.
"This is going pretty well," John thought, eager to convert his points into even more resources.
A/N: Yo guys, I'm back!, sorry for disappearing for so long but from now on the updates will be regular, so show some support once again. Enjoy ✌️.