Pei Qian woke up around noon.
He'd been sleeping incredibly well these past few days, though he wasn't entirely sure why.
Maybe this was the magic of money?
The thought of soon having 300,000 Yuan at his disposal, finally escaping poverty, filled Pei Qian with tranquility.
He opened his computer.
Then, he opened the resource-sharing website.
There was a new notification.
The illustrations from Ruan Guangjian had arrived.
The transfer speed wasn't slow, but since the illustrations were extremely high-quality, downloading took some time.
'They're pretty efficient—they really finished on time.'
'I wonder how the quality is.'
'Please don't be too good! If the quality's too high, it'll be disastrous!'
With about one week remaining until the settlement, Pei Qian needed to release the completed game as soon as possible.
The system stipulated that, one week before settlement, he couldn't have any unreleased products.
In other words, only after the product was officially launched for at least one week would the system recognize it as a legitimate business process, calculating profits and losses accordingly.
If there were any unreleased products, the settlement date would be postponed—something Pei Qian couldn't accept under any circumstances.
Pei Qian opened the illustrations sent by Ruan Guangjian.
The moment he saw the first illustration, he froze.
'What the hell! Why is the quality so high?'
'Are you kidding? Is this really only 700 Yuan per illustration?!'
Pei Qian nearly thought he'd misread it.
Even though he wasn't an expert in art, he could still recognize the difference between cheap and expensive illustrations. The most obvious indicator was the level of detail!
Every detail in a high-quality illustration was meticulously crafted by the artist; the more intricate the details, the more effort and care the artist invested.
Typically, poster-quality illustrations could easily cost thousands or even tens of thousands Yuan, and artists might spend an entire week refining them.
Cheaper illustrations, on the other hand, were mass-produced under tight deadlines, leaving artists little time for detailed work.
Yet, this illustration was far more intricate than Pei Qian had anticipated, and its style was strikingly distinctive!
This first illustration depicted Guan Yu as a "Dragon Martial Sage." Previously, Ma Yang's requirements had merely described him as a dragon, without mentioning any detailed characteristics.
Yet, this illustration had filled in all those details!
The background featured mountains rendered in traditional Chinese ink painting style—lush green pines, swirling clouds, and a deliberate use of white space characteristic of classic Chinese art.
At the center stood Guan Yu, wielding his iconic Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
His image was revolutionary. He appeared as a traditional Chinese dragon, with greenish skin, dragon horns, and distinctly draconic features.
Yet, his attire clearly signified Guan Yu. He wore green robes with a golden shoulder guard accented by red ornaments—traditional elements commonly associated with Guan Yu, seamlessly blended into this design.
This illustration instantly captured Guan Yu's iconic features while dramatically reinventing his appearance.
Most importantly, its unique artistic style differed sharply from most mainstream game illustrations on the market. It combined the charm of traditional Chinese ink painting with the rich textures of oil painting, instantly grabbing attention.
Pei Qian quickly browsed the other illustrations, discovering they were all equally exceptional in quality and style.
Of course, the specific designs followed Ma Yang's requirements—so not all were monstrous creatures.
Within the collection were beasts, hybrids, and even human forms that had been dramatically transformed—like Lü Meng, who'd become a Dragon-Hunter Loli.
Building on Ma Yang's vague descriptions, Ruan Guangjian had creatively redesigned and detailed each character, ensuring the entire set maintained a cohesive style while maximizing each character's uniqueness.
Pei Qian was stunned.
He'd bought four of these illustrations for just 3.000 Yuan?
Was this a joke?
The artist was clearly losing out big time!
Were these really drawn by Ruan Guangjian?
But if you're capable of producing such incredible artwork, why were your representative works on the resource site all chibi-style?!
Pei Qian felt like crying but had no tears. He had clearly benefited greatly, but now he couldn't feel happy at all!
He had intentionally searched for someone charging 700-800 Yuan per illustration, deliberately picking someone who appeared only good at chibi-style art, precisely to get low-quality artwork.
Yet somehow, by sheer accident, he had stumbled upon a future top-tier artist!
Others might not know it yet, but Pei Qian was very clear.
This artistic style was exceptional!
In his previous life, a renowned concept artist named Yang Qi had strongly favored this exact style, and it had considerable influence.
Never heard of Yang Qi?
But surely you've heard of the game "Asura Online"? Yang Qi was the lead artist of that game.
That's right—the illustrations Ruan Guangjian delivered to Pei Qian were very similar in style to the artwork of Asura Online!
Of course, the level of detail wasn't quite on the same level, given that Ruan Guangjian had rushed through these illustrations.
But the overall style and atmosphere closely resembled Yang Qi's influential artwork!
If he had known Ruan Guangjian was capable of producing work at this level, he would have absolutely avoided hiring him!
But... what could he do now?
The money had already been paid.
The artwork had already been received.
Canceling the deal and demanding a refund? Impossible!
Moreover, he had to launch the game today or tomorrow; otherwise, the system would postpone the settlement.
Any delay would invite complications!
Pei Qian couldn't resist the temptation of converting that 300,000 Yuan into personal assets. Even a one-day delay would make him uneasy!
'Calm down, calm down.'
'Things aren't as bad as I imagined; let's think positively.'
'First, Asura Online wasn't exactly a successful project.'
'Second, the tastes of players in this world aren't necessarily predictable.'
'These illustrations might have distinct style and character, but having a distinctive style doesn't necessarily mean players will like it.'
'Currently, the popular style is chibi. These illustrations might actually have a negative effect…'
'Yes... exactly.'
Once Pei Qian calmly considered it, the situation didn't seem quite so disastrous.
The artwork was detailed and eye-catching, leaving a strong first impression.
But would it really fit market demand?
Not necessarily!
Pei Qian had seen too many games with excellent quality that still failed miserably. Sometimes, market success made no sense at all.
Currently, what was trendy in the mobile game market of this world?
Chibi-style!
Cute Three Kingdoms succeeded largely because of its chibi aesthetic, clearly reflecting current player preferences.
In contrast, Ruan Guangjian's illustrations were epic, a bit dark, and blended Chinese ink with oil painting techniques.
Players might not appreciate this style at all!
Besides, Pei Qian wasn't pinning all his hopes solely on the illustrations.
His game was built from a template, with simplistic gameplay.
Other assets like additional artwork and music weren't particularly outstanding either, as he hadn't invested much time or effort into them.
Moreover, Pei Qian didn't plan to spend a penny on marketing. He intended to simply upload the game onto the marketplace and leave it at that.
In a week's time, if the game didn't generate revenue, he'd naturally achieve his goal of losing money.
Thus, after careful consideration, he concluded that he had no choice but to use these illustrations.
Pei Qian opened the editor, inserted the artwork into the game as card assets, and asked Ma Yang to quickly check for any bugs.
When Ma Yang saw the artwork, he stared in silence for a long time before finally exclaiming, "Incredible!"
He was genuinely stunned—he had never imagined that the random ideas he'd thoughtlessly written would end up looking this amazing!
Pei Qian replied calmly, "It's mainly because your requirements document was well-written and inspired the artist."
Ma Yang immediately beamed, "Really? That's fantastic! Who knew I had such talent in this area?"
A few simple compliments from Pei Qian were enough to leave Ma Yang walking on air, totally unaware of reality.
Pei Qian was extremely satisfied—if Ma Yang maintained this attitude, it would significantly benefit his future plans!