After much effort, Youyu finally convinced President Kaiba to abandon the idea of appointing him as the manager of the development department.
Youyu argued that he was clueless about business profitability, lacking in personal abilities, and unable to shoulder such responsibilities, potentially disappointing the organization's expectations...
...But the real reason was simply laziness.
Anyway, he had a consultant title, doing the bare minimum, and didn't show up unless the President called him (even then, he might not come), yet he still received a hefty salary.
If you can earn money lying down, why stand up?
Youyu indeed thought of himself as just a card player, and really, he might not be able to handle the role of a manager. But another important reason was that he felt he didn't have time.
Are you kidding? Us idol-type NPCs are very busy!
Not only did he have to regularly harvest local players, but Youyu was also planning when he could expand his business scope to other places, which kept him extremely busy. How could he have time to be a worker?
He firmly refused, and Haima just grunted, not pressing the issue further.
Next, Haima mentioned the company's plan to develop a new generation of Duel Discs.
To Youyu, Kaiba Company's current generation of Duel Discs seemed technologically advanced enough, but the President seemed to think otherwise.
He said that in many aspects, the functionality of the current model was inconvenient, and with the upcoming global Duel Monsters craze, it wouldn't be sufficient. Thus, developing a new generation of Duel Discs was on the agenda.
After Mokuba's explanation, Youyu learned that, up to this point, all Duel Discs needed to rely on Kaiba Company's satellites to achieve realistic projections, including large-scale arenas.
So far, Kaiba Company could afford the projection functions of the Duel Discs, but as they become more widespread and usage increases, it might become a burden.
Therefore, developing a new generation of Duel Discs was imperative.
Hearing this, Youyu came up with a bold idea.
He immediately suggested that, in that case, perhaps they could equip the new generation of Duel Discs with a signal transmission and reception terminal?
Then, as long as large-scale signal towers are built, anyone within the company's signal coverage could send signals to the nearest tower via the Duel Disc's terminal, allowing wireless data for duels?
Kaiba and Mokuba exchanged glances, seemingly starting to consider the feasibility of this plan.
Youyu continued to brainstorm, suggesting that they could charge based on the data usage for each duel. They could also offer monthly packages with limited data, charging extra for exceeding the limit...
And for Duel Halls and specialized venues with long-term duel needs, they could set up projection equipment within specific ranges with no data limits, commonly known as WiFi...
Moreover, the terminals on the Duel Discs could be used not only for dueling but for various activities. Like sending messages, emails, chatting, and even more bizarre things...
...It just seemed that with these changes, the Duel Discs' style was becoming increasingly strange...
Casually mentioning it, the President frowned in contemplation, seemingly thinking...
...Maybe it could work?
Youyu felt that he might have inadvertently pushed this world's information technology forward.
Even though the Yu-Gi-Oh World's high-tech capabilities seemed far advanced compared to reality, the technology here progressed and evolved centering around card games.
Youyu felt that without his idea, a smartphone era in this world was still a long way off...
...Indeed, even if this idea does materialize, he probably wouldn't see the advent of smartphones.
In the foreseeable future, it would still be the realm of "Smart Duel Discs"...
Following that, President Kaiba even proposed plans for constructing a "Duel Academy."
Although the company is currently focused on building Kaiba Land, the President has already conceived the idea of establishing a Duel Academy.
The timing previously wasn't mature—establishing a school just to train card experts, even in this era where Duel Monsters is hugely popular, would naturally spark widespread controversy.
After all, regardless of its popularity, Duel Monsters is still just a card game, at most an upgraded version of esports. Establishing an academy specifically to train game players would undoubtedly be criticized by many as breeding people useless to society.
But now things are different.
People are being forced to realize that Duel Monsters' status in this world is far beyond a mere game.
Now, not only in the Duel World but even large conglomerates, national leaders, and military organizations are extensively recruiting top duelists.
Many countries' militaries seem to be considering adding duel projects to new soldier training, forming Special Duel Forces, specifically handling supernatural events that can only be resolved with card games...
Due to this influence, the status of Duelists is rising.
Particularly the current two Duel Kings, Yugi and Youyu, whose fame has already gone beyond the typical sphere.
Rumors are widespread in both high society and the Inner World, even if civilians haven't heard.
It's said thanks to these two Duel Kings on the human side, they card-played an Evil God bent on destroying the world, preventing this world's destruction.
Thus, Yugi and Youyu's reputation is soaring, elevating from mere "card game masters" to "significantly contributing to humanity."
In this world, mastering card games indeed offers limitless futures.
"I don't plan to start the Duel Academy project immediately, but someone has contacted Kaiba Company expressing interest." Kaiba said, his fingers interlocked under his chin, "And they specifically requested to meet you."
Youyu pointed to himself: "Me?"
"I've already arranged a meeting for you, for tomorrow." President Kaiba stated, sliding a Kaiba Company-branded terminal with the "KC" logo across the table.
Youyu picked it up and instantly recognized the person contacting him.
For someone who watched the animations, this was a familiar face.
This bald head, these thick black brows, and distinctive sideburns...
...Isn't this Principal Samejima from Duel Academy?