: How did Hoolay get inside the Skysplitter?!
: What the hell is happening!!
---------------------------------------
Originally, waiting for the new episode next week was already torture enough for the audience.
No one expected MiHoYo to immediately release a trailer afterward.
Now, the audience were completely sleepless.
"Feixiao and Hoolay are fighting?"
"Is it related to the history between the Foxians and the Borisin?"
"Will the next episode have a deeper depiction of the Hunt?"
"Lan's gaze hasn't appeared yet, what about the Abundance?"
"Damn MiHoYo! Always dangling bait!"
Along with the audiences' "resentment," all major platforms are filled with discussions.
Not just these conversations, but also some particularly unique voices mixed in.
...
"Holy crap, Hoolay is so handsome, when will he join Aetherium War!"
"And those Borisin, they feel like they could become a new bond system!"
"The Borisin seem like they should be a pretty strong faction!"
"When the next region arrives, maybe we can build a mixed team of Xianzhou and Borisin."
"Heretic over there! I must use my pure Cloud Knights lineup to arrest you!"
...
For Ether Aetherium War players, every new story, new monsters, and new factions make them especially excited.
After just one week of open beta, Aetherium Wars has already become the hottest new mobile game worldwide.
With interactive gameplay tied to reality, as well as solid production quality, people of all ages can enjoy it.
Combined with the IP boost from Honkai: Star Rail, Aetherium Wars is spreading like wildfire across the globe.
The profits and revenue it's generating are staggering.
Inside MiHoYo's office.
Late at night, Xia Wen was reviewing MiHoYo's financial statements.
"Unknowingly, we've already earned this much?"
"So this is the power of an IP?"
Xia Wen, crossing his legs, looks contently at the figures.
First, the costumes.
Ever since the launch of outfits for Stelle, Dan Heng, March 7th, and Kafka, MiHoYo has been continuously producing costumes.
After Chiori joined as the chief designer, costumes were spun off into a completely independent sub-unit.
Every 42 days, a few new designs are released.
Don't ask why 42 days, it's just the rule.
So far, MiHoYo has released over twenty outfits, basically covering all major characters.
"Didn't expect the best-selling women's outfits to be March and Stelle?"
"Then Acheron, Firefly, Kafka, and Huohuo."
Stelle and March's themed costumes were both youthful and vibrant in design, with Stelle leaning a bit more valiant.
Stelle's was grey and yellow, giving off a sleek vibe.
March's was pink and white, emphasizing cuteness.
"Stelle sold nearly 300 million."
"March sold a few tens of millions less."
"Adding the others, just selling outfits alone brought in over 6 billion."
"Tsk…"
"The fans are really supportive."
Scanning the reports, Xia Wen clicked his tongue in surprise.
And this is the post-tax figure, what actually hit MiHoYo accounts.
The pre-tax numbers were even more exaggerated.
Because of production capacity limits, almost every outfit couldn't stay in stock.
Overall, this number is already astonishing.
The leading companies in the industry only make about 100 billion a year.
[ T / N: Not sure about the numbers; everyone any ideas?]
MiHoYo, in just one quarter from costumes alone, made nearly 10 billion.
At this pace, the yearly figure might rival top luxury fashion brands.
And since supply can't meet demand, the fan market is far from saturated.
The future ceiling will be even scarier.
At the same time, because Xia Wen redistributed part of the clothing profits as staff income,
nowadays, every employee in MiHoYo has already become a billionaire.
They might not even realize it themselves.
After finishing with clothing, Xia Wen turned to Aetherium War.
This report was even more exaggerated.
In less than a week, it generated 3 billion in revenue worldwide.
Even though pre-tax, it was still terrifying.
With massive participation, compared to costumes, games are far more addictive.
And the monetization system was simple, basically just transaction fees.
No small recharge, no big recharge, Xia Wen didn't bother with those.
He purely wanted to give fans a welfare game.
Even relying solely on the handling fee from selling items on the official platform, they could bring in this much.
Not only because of the huge player base, but also because of its huge global influence.
Next, came revenue from distributing the show worldwide, advertising fees or platform licensing fees, adding up to about 1–2 billion.
In the past, this kind of income would've been top-tier, the most enviable in the industry.
Now it could only rank third.
Besides these big ones, miscellaneous items like amusement parks, IP merchandise, all authorized product sales, were estimated at 700–800 million per quarter, about 3 billion annually.
"Unknowingly…"
"This year MiHoYo brought in at least 50 billion."
After calculating, Xia Wen's sense of achievement was overflowing.
Good thing they hadn't gone public.
Otherwise, financial disclosures would drop a bombshell.
Before MiHoYo, no entertainment company had ever reached such a terrifying level.
One company's revenue already far surpassing the country's annual total movie box office.
Even all the show revenues combined couldn't compare.
If these numbers were announced publicly, and people were told it was achieved by an entertainment company, the first reaction would definitely be: "You're lying."
But who would've thought, it was all real.
...
After finishing the accounts, Xia Wen finally shut down the computer and stretched.
With revenue this good, of course he had to hand out a super big bonus!
Otherwise, wouldn't he look stingy as the boss?
Just then, a message suddenly popped up on his phone.
"Your bank card XXXXX has been charged 20 million yuan."
"?"
At that moment, Xia Wen's first reaction was that his card had been stolen.
But then he noticed the last digits of the card and remembered, this card was actually Furina's card.
Furina already had her own card for everyday expenses.
But because last time he lost a bet to her, Xia Wen gave her one of his cards as a gift, saying she could spend freely.
But every time Furina used this card, it was always after being teased by Xia Wen until her couldn't take it, then she would gamble with the group and stubbornly use it to buy takeout macaroni.
A nearly twenty-million expense like this was the first time.
Xia Wen's first thought was,
Damn! Did this silly Furina get scammed?!
He immediately took out his phone and dialed Furina's number.
'What's going on?'
'This silly Furina even told me yesterday she was going to give me a surprise.'
'Could this 'surprise' be me sending her money?'
The phone rang.
But no one picked up.
"Oh no!"
Xia Wen's expression instantly turned grave: "Could she really have been scammed?"
...
On the other side.
It was daytime.
Inside the Okhema Theater.
The "Chrysos Actor Group" were holding a serious meeting in the make-shift conference room.
"You mean to say?"
"That lady called Furina."
"Without even blinking, transferred you nearly two million euros?"
Phainon stared blankly at Aglaea.
His mind was completely blank. He was calculating how long it would take to earn two million euros.
And how many jobs he would have to take on, in order to maybe barely cover it.
With his current salary, it might take a very, very long time…
"Does this mean the theater can be saved?" Mydei took it rather optimistically.
"That's right."
Full of emotion, Aglaea covered her forehead, smiling bitterly: "I only told her the theater was facing financial difficulties, my intention was just to say I hoped Ms. Furina could provide some help, maybe invest a little…"
Even Aglaea was shocked by Furina's generosity.
That was two million euros. Not a small sum.
Anywhere, it could be called a fortune.
"Maybe she's even richer than we thought?"
"Hiss…"
"Though we know Furina is rich, seeing her eat expensive macaroni every day, I didn't think she was that rich…"
"Unexpected." Cipher licked her lips with her small tongue, eyes flashing with ambition.
"Cifera…" Aglaea's glance told Cipher: no, stop.
Then she withdrew her gaze, shook her head with a bitter smile. This mysterious Ms. Furina had really given her a headache.
Trusting her without hesitation. Just believing that a fellow lover of opera couldn't be a bad person.
And then sending a huge sum, not the least bit distressed, even asking if it was enough, if more was needed.
It was simply… A kindness hard to believe.
And when Aglaea wanted to return the money, Furina firmly refused.
"'It's fine, just use it."
"This amount of money really doesn't matter."
"Anyway, even if you return it to me, I wouldn't be able to receive it, so just use it."
Though she didn't understand what she meant by "wouldn't be able to receive it even if you returned it."
That sincerity still moved Aglaea deeply.
With this money, all of the theater's problems were no longer problems.
"I've already called everyone else back from all over."
"As for how to thank Ms. Furina, we'll discuss it once everyone is here."
"At the very least, during this period, we need to put on performances properly."
Once the direction was set, Aglaea began preparing to use the funds to rebuild the troupe.
Stage more, better plays.
Repair the theater furnishings.
And while Furina stayed here, let her enjoy the most beautiful dramatic performance.
When the meeting ended, everyone walked out of the conference room.
In the lounge outside, Furina was sitting obediently in a chair, enjoying her takeout macaroni.
"Oh, you're out."
Seeing the group come out, Furina waved her hand, noodles dangling from her chopsticks.
This cute sight made it hard to believe this girl could casually spend two million euros, a true wealthy lady.
"Wha-what is it, do I have something dirty on my face? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Seeing their gazes, Furina shrank her neck.
"We are saluting your generosity and kindness."
Aglaea smiled and shook her head, gracefully walking up to Furina: "We're planning to hold a bonfire party tonight, and we sincerely hope you'll join us."
"Ah… I, I actually wanted to play Aetherium Wars." Furina hesitated.
"You're the theater's big sponsor now."
Fengjin spoke with a smile at this moment: "We also hope to use this chance to thank Madam Furina for her support."
One "Madam Furina" after another.
And that word, sponsor.
Furina's little head floated up immediately.
"Ahem!"
She turned her head shyly, speaking in a fluttery tone: "S-since you're all inviting me like this, if I didn't attend, wouldn't that be rude? So, so I'll agree then!"
After saying that, she whispered shyly: "A-also, don't call me that, it's kind of embarrassing. I just felt moved by everyone's dedication to drama, and I could secretly… uh, no, use my own money to help, that's why I did it."
Furina's kindness and gentleness eased the tension.
Otherwise, aside from Aglaea, everyone really wouldn't know how to get along with a rich lady.
So the group simply sat around the table and started talking enthusiastically about the theater's future development.
With money, discussions became lively.
And as the "sponsor," Furina herself was a drama expert. Her opinions and suggestions made Aglaea and the others nod again and again.
As they chatted, the topic somehow veered.
"By the way, has Ms. Furina watched Honkai: Star Rail?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Even though we all love opera, at the same time, every one of us is also a fan of the show!"