After checking out the studio environment—and with Durandal there as well—Aponia didn't hesitate long before moving into the Valkyrie dorm with Griseo.
That meant Kiana, Hu Tao, and Klee had gained another playmate.
At this point, among all the "acquaintances" Mo Li had met, only Keqing and Ningguang hadn't moved in.
He would need to find a time—or at least a good excuse—to visit Klee's orphanage.
If he could meet a few more "familiar faces" there, that would be perfect.
Just as he was thinking about Keqing, Master Ke herself arrived.
As usual, she was lugging a few large bags filled with outfits.
Aside from delivering clothes, Keqing and Ningguang rarely came by the studio.
"Yo~ what a rare visitor! So, whose outfit is it this time?"
Keqing shot Mo Li a glare. "Elysia's and Eden's. At this point, all released characters have their outfits designed already."
"And I'm here today to discuss the pricing with you."
Mo Li was surprised. "So soon? You're already ready to launch?"
"Hmph~" Keqing gave a light snort, then sat down, staring at him quietly.
"Hmm?" Mo Li raised an eyebrow. "You like looking at me that much? Want me to take a picture for you?"
Being teased like that made Keqing's cheeks flush red.
"W–Who wants to look at you…" She hesitated, then asked tentatively, "...Don't you think Keqing is a bit too weak?"
"Pfft—"
Mo Li couldn't hold back his laughter.
He couldn't be blamed for it.
After all, when Master Ke sat there pretending to be calm while seriously asking "Is Keqing strong or not?", it was just too funny.
Ever since Ganyu and Klee were added to the roster, Genshin players had new benchmarks for comparison.
And well… they'd started noticing that Keqing's damage was, well, kind of underwhelming.
Not that she was weak exactly—just that Electro reactions weren't strong, and her multipliers were pretty average.
Naturally, that made her damage look lower by comparison.
Now, the internet was full of jokes like—
"My Keqing's got looks and moves; who cares about damage?"
Mo Li's laughter, however, made Keqing feel completely humiliated.
She puffed her cheeks, her face reddening even more.
Just as she was about to explode, Mo Li quickly smoothed things over.
"Ahem… I think she's fine as is~"
"Oh? You mean she's actually strong?" Keqing asked doubtfully. "Or is there some special team comp?"
Mo Li shook his head solemnly. "No, I just think… Keqing's already so cute. If her stats were any higher, she'd be overpowered."
Keqing: "…"
So he was saying she wasn't strong—but also calling her cute.
Was that… a compliment?
How was she supposed to argue with that?!
Damn it…
Wait—did he just say I'm cute?!
Keqing felt her cheeks heat up again.
"F–Forget it, let's talk business." She forced herself to shake off those thoughts. "About the outfit pricing—do you have any opinions?"
Mo Li waved his hand. "Not really. You and Ningguang decide~"
Keqing paused, then said, "For fabric outfits, prices range from two thousand to a little over ten thousand yuan—the more complex the design, and the more popular the character, the higher the price."
"For armor-type outfits, prices will be between eighty thousand and one hundred eighty thousand."
Mo Li: "...That high? Will people actually buy them?"
Keqing nodded. "I thought the same at first. But Ningguang said—'the two-dimensional market is the easiest to profit from.'"
She hesitated, then added, "And she said that's just the initial pricing. We might be able to go even higher, once she analyzes the player data and figures out how many heavy spenders there are."
Mo Li thought for a moment. "And the production cost of the armor outfits?"
"About ten thousand."
Mo Li: "..."
As expected of a capitalist.
"How many sets have you made so far?"
"Not many. Since the armor types are expensive, we're only doing limited custom orders based on the players' height and measurements. The first global batch is just ten thousand units."
Mo Li did a quick mental calculation. There weren't that many armor outfits in the game yet—most were light armor types anyway.
Only Durandal's S-rank armor, Himeko's S-rank, and Fu Hua's Lunar set were particularly complex.
The rest probably cost less than ten thousand to make.
Tsk tsk… if this sold well, they'd make a fortune.
No—it was guaranteed to sell well.
After all, he was the CEO of MiHoYo. He knew exactly how many whales existed worldwide.
In both Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact, spending peaks around a hundred thousand yuan—any more than that and you're one of the top whales among whales.
There's no PvP, after all—just maxing characters, weapons, and stigmata.
And in Genshin, with so few characters released so far, unless someone's throwing money at the permanent banner for no reason… there's barely anywhere to spend big.
Of course, as updates roll out, there'll be more ways to spend.
But for now, a hundred thousand is the ceiling.
Still, there are those maniacs who spend millions… Mo Li could never understand them.
Do they really have that much money to burn?
Actually… yes.
Compared to those "million-yuan" games from Tencent or NetEase, Honkai and Genshin were positively gentle.
...
So when those armor outfits hit the market, every collector whale on the planet would be fighting to get one.
The first batch would sell out instantly.
And those weren't even the main moneymakers.
The real profit lay in the cosplay outfits.
"Alright then, I've got no issues with the pricing."
"Good. Then… could I take a look at the player spending data?"
Mo Li rolled his eyes. "No need. This price is already high enough—any higher and I'll start feeling bad."
"Oh? You, turning down extra profit?" Keqing blinked, surprised.
"I'm not a capitalist like Miss Ningguang~"
"Heh~ and yet you're earning more than the capitalists."
"I call it talent—with a side of conscience. Problem?"
Keqing: "…"
Ugh, the confidence of a genius really is infuriating.
"Fine, just like Ningguang predicted…" she muttered, then said aloud, "Anyway, the launch is in one week. Don't forget to post the announcement on the official account."
"No problem~" Mo Li grinned. "Anything else, Miss Keqing?"
She shook her head. "No, I'll be heading back to prepare."
Mo Li stood to see her out. "Take care~ Come hang out more often, Master Ke~"
"Don't call me Master Ke!" she glared back.
"Then… Ah Qing?"
Her cheeks reddened again—but this time, she didn't correct him.
"You're really not gonna buff me a little?"
Mo Li thought for a moment. "Buffing's not impossible—but not just yet."
Keqing: "?"
She'd only asked half-jokingly, but he actually agreed?
"Then… When? How are you planning to buff me?"
Holding back a smile, Mo Li said, "I've got plans for two waves of buffs for you. But you'll have to wait a bit."
"Two waves?" Keqing's eyes lit up instantly.
"Hmph~ guess you're not so bad after all."
"In Elysia's words—'You should never ignore a cute girl's request~'"
"Ahem…"
Another compliment. How embarrassing…
"F–Fine, I'll remember that." With that, Keqing hurried off, her twin ponytails swaying adorably as she left the office.
"Buffs, huh…"
Watching her go, Mo Li chuckled and shook his head.
As if a standard-banner character could ever surpass the limited ones.
Still, what he'd said wasn't entirely false.
Once Mistsplitter Reforged released, that'd count as one buff…
And when Sumeru launched with Dendro reactions, that'd be another.
Shaking off those thoughts, Mo Li turned on his computer and began writing the promo announcement.
Just then, he heard voices outside—Keqing and Himeko's.
"Leaving already, Miss Keqing?"
"Mm, we're done talking."
"Have a cup of coffee before you go~"
"Thanks, Miss Himeko, but I've still got lots to do."
"Ehe~ Ah Qing, can I touch your cat ears?" That was Elysia's voice.
"Miss Elysia… these aren't cat ears…"
"But they look just like them~ So cute, I just wanna touch~ I'll even let you make a request in return~~"
...
Listening to the conversation outside, Mo Li couldn't help picturing Elysia teasing Keqing—those mischievous eyes, and Keqing's bright red face…
Just as he was chuckling to himself, the door opened.
Himeko stepped in, holding two cups of coffee.
"Boss~ did you tease Miss Keqing again?"
Mo Li said seriously, "Don't you think you're misunderstanding me a little?"
"Am I? Because when she left, her face was bright red."
Himeko looked utterly unconvinced.
"And as I recall, you do love teasing her. How is that a misunderstanding?"
Mo Li spread his hands. "You and Rita are a bad influence here. When I first joined the studio, I was a pure, innocent young man~"
"Oh really~" Himeko crossed her arms. "Now it's our fault?"
"Of course! And for the record, I didn't tease her this time… I just told her I'd give her two buffs. She was probably just too happy."
"By the way, is Rita still recording voice lines?"
Himeko gave him a side glance. "What, disappointed it's not Rita bringing you coffee?"
"Careful what you say—if Durandal hears that, there'll be trouble."
Himeko raised a brow. "You don't actually think Rita and Durandal are that kind of pair, do you?"
Mo Li quickly waved his hands. "Hey, you said it, not me."
Just then, Elysia burst in, voice full of playful glee. "Ooh~ what did I just hear?"
Mo Li sighed. Great. The pink-haired tease was here. If she caught wind of this, who knew what she'd do to Rita and Durandal next…
"Hehe~ don't worry, I'll keep your secret~"
Mo Li could only shake his head helplessly.
Himeko laughed and helped explain, "That's just their in-game setup. In real life, Rita and Durandal are both perfectly normal."
"Oh, what a shame… Oops, did I say that out loud~~?"
"Elysia…"
"Hehe~ just kidding! Don't tell me you actually believed me, Mo Li?"
Mo Li pretended to think it over, then said seriously, "Actually… it does sound pretty plausible."
"Oh my~ that's bad news… Does that mean Mo Li's going to hate me now~?"
Himeko snickered. "More like it made him more interested."
Mo Li: "…"
"Eh? Really?" Elysia looked genuinely delighted.
"Are you seriously happy about that?"
Elysia just smiled and didn't answer.
"Alright, enough jokes," Mo Li said, pointing at the clothes Keqing had delivered. "These are the last batch—there's Elysia's and Eden's among them. Could you two distribute them?"
"Ehh? I'm being used as a delivery girl now?" Elysia feigned disappointment, then flashed a mischievous grin. "But if it's Mo Li using me… I don't really mind~"
Mo Li: "…"
She definitely said that on purpose.
Was she… flirting again?
Damn it, this woman's way too good at this.
Even Himeko had to admit it—Elysia might actually outdo her in that department.
"Ahem… I've got to finish this promo post, so I'll leave the delivery to you."
"Hehe~ then I won't disturb you two~" Elysia cheerfully scooped up the clothes and skipped out.
Himeko stayed behind, peering curiously at Mo Li's screen.
"Well, well~ looks like it's finally time to launch!"
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