GTROAE Chapter 100: Craftsman Wood

Chapter 100: Craftsman Wood

In two days, William and his team visited every well-known spot in Riverdale under Charles’s lead. With the publicity department’s name backing them, they even got into places that weren’t open to the public.

“William’s doing a live show on Riverdale TV tonight?”

Before parting ways, Charles stood by the passenger door.

Sitting in the car, William said, “Charles pays attention to stuff like that?”

“Haha.” Charles chuckled. “Wendy’s my niece. She happened to come over that night, and we talked about it.”

When William first heard Charles’s name, he wondered if there was some connection to Wendy, but he couldn’t just ask. Now the mystery was solved.

“So that’s how it is.”

He just wasn’t sure if Wendy mentioned him messing with her. If she did, these past two days with Charles would feel a little awkward in hindsight.

“Well, good luck with the live show tonight. If you ever need anything, just reach out to me.”

“Got it. Thanks, Charles.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, take care on the way.”

After sending Charles off, Cole didn’t get the same treatment. William just dropped him off at a nearby subway entrance, and their next stop was Riverdale TV Station.

Since the live broadcast overlapped with the airing of Craftsman Wood, Cynthia decisively chose to go with Tiffany and Aunt Lisa to the show, leaving William alone to join the livestream.

Before leaving, Cynthia reminded him, “Don’t forget to give Craftsman Wood some extra attention.”

“Got it.”

Craftsman Wood would be released across all platforms at 8 p.m. alongside the program’s airing. In the end, the game was launched in a free + buyout format.

Ordinary players could download the game and play the three demo levels that had been released earlier. After that, there were three ways to unlock new levels.

One was to wait for each new episode of the program, with levels unlocking for free as the show progressed. Another was to spend eighteen yuan to buy the game, which gave instant access to all levels.

The last way was to join the show’s interactive events on its platform for a chance to win. Selected viewers would receive the full game for free and could play all the levels without paying.

The winners’ list for each episode would be announced at midnight on the day of broadcast. Each time, one hundred winners would be chosen, more for fun than anything else.

This episode featured twelve craftsmen, plus three special guests: Vale honorary chairman of the National Carpenters Association, Shawn, deputy director of Riverdale’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, and Caleb, an officially recognized master of traditional mortise-and-tenon craftsmanship.

With fifteen craftsmen and guests present, and an average age over fifty, the lineup gave an air of authority at first glance.

From what was learned during rehearsals, the production team, craftsmen, and guests were all very confident. They even shouted the slogan “Great Nation’s Craftsman Wood,” which had officially become the program’s title for tonight.

Unfortunately, William wouldn’t get to see the show live. He would only be able to watch the replay later at home.

Familiarity comes with experience.

William didn’t even need to ask for directions this time; he went straight to Wendy’s studio.

Just like last time, Wendy was busy preparing before recording. As soon as she saw William, she greeted him: “You’re here.”

William nodded, then glanced at the piano beside her. As expected, what was bound to come had come.

It wasn’t that he thought showing his talent was troublesome, but his piano skills were so good that they always ended up overshadowing his identity as a game developer.

“Let’s do a rehearsal.”

Even for a live broadcast, a run-through was necessary.

They rehearsed for about half an hour. During the break, William also tested the piano’s tuning.

During the rest period—

“I heard from my uncle that you’ve been going around a lot these past two days.”

“Yeah, we’re preparing for the next game.”

The rehearsal hadn’t mentioned Travel Frog, and William hadn’t told Wendy about the new piece he planned to debut.

“What kind of game is it?” Wendy asked, curious.

“Healing.”

“Healing?”

Since there were no similar games on the market, it was hard for her to picture it.

“Are you creating a new genre again?”

“Yeah.”

Wendy’s charming eyes stayed on William, full of curiosity. “You really do know how to surprise people.”

William shamelessly replied, “Well, that’s because I’m a treasure boy.”

“Ha.” Wendy couldn’t help but laugh. “Then, treasure boy, are you ready for the livestream?”

“Let’s get started.”

“Good evening to all the viewers in front of the TV. Today I’m honored to once again invite William to our studio. Let’s welcome him with a round of applause.”

As Wendy clapped, the camera switched to William.

“Thank you, Wendy, for inviting me back here to meet everyone again. Hello, everyone.” With his last experience, William looked much more relaxed this time.

“For those who still don’t know William, please allow me to introduce him again.”

“He’s not only the founder of the well-known game company Earth Games, but also the creator of the piano album ‘William Solo,’ which has been a huge hit online in recent days…”

Wendy continued her introduction, while at the same time, the first episode of Craftsman Wood officially went live across the internet.

[‘Craftsman Wood’ downloads pass 100,000! Milestone unlocked!]

[Milestone reward: ‘Beginner Carpentry’]

In just a few seconds, downloads had already passed 100,000, showing how many players had been waiting for the game’s launch.

After her introduction, Wendy moved on to the prepared questions: “William, you must have seen a lot of online reviews about your new album these past few days, right?”

William nodded. “Yes. Ever since the album went online, I’ve been paying close attention to what people are saying. Seeing how much everyone loves it makes me very happy.”

“Even the former president of the Chinese Music Association, Mr. Thomas, had nothing but praise for your album. Today, I’m honored to have him join us as well.”

Wendy’s words weren’t part of the rehearsal. Hearing Thomas’s name, William was a little surprised.

In fact, after the album was released, Thomas had already called to congratulate him and even invited William and Tiffany to his home. But William hadn’t agreed right away and said he needed to ask Tiffany first.

While William was still wondering about Thomas’s intentions, Wendy had already connected him on a video call.

“Hello, Thomas.”

“Hello, Wendy, and hello to young Mr. William, as well as everyone watching the stream. I’m Thomas.”

While Thomas was speaking, William received another system notification.

[‘Craftsman Wood’ downloads pass 1,000,000! Milestone unlocked!]

[Milestone reward: ‘Intermediate Carpentry’]

The success of ‘Craftsman Wood’ made William itch with excitement. He wished he could jump into his private space right now and watch the download numbers rise.

“Hello again, President Thomas.”

“Yes, last time I invited you over to my house and you didn’t come.”

“Oh?” As a professional host, Wendy instantly caught onto the key point. “From what President Fang just said, it sounds like you and William know each other well?”

Thomas said, “Yes, we hit it off right away.”

Whether that was true or not, William didn’t know, but he couldn’t embarrass Thomas, so he flattered him: “President Fang is the one who recognized my talent.”

William smiled at Thomas, both of them knowing those words were nonsense.

“Haha, young Mr. William, you flatter me.”

“Sounds like there’s quite a story here!” Wendy tried to push the topic further.

But neither William nor Thomas wanted to go into details, so the conversation shifted back to the new album.