Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch

As expected from a professional, Jerome knew much more about these matters than Lincoln. As soon as Lincoln briefly mentioned his requirements, Jerome immediately understood what the boss wanted and said, “No problem! It’s totally doable.”

“Moreover, if we register a non-profit foundation in America, with all the procedures in place, we can apply for 15 months of tax exemption from the federal government. In theory, we can apply for another 12 months waiver after that, giving us a maximum tax-free period of 27 months.”

“Huh?” Lincoln didn’t expect Jerome to be even bolder than himself.

In Lincoln’s mind, it was already rather audacious to be able to establish a foundation in a third country as a stepping stone and provide financial support for protest activities.

But he didn’t expect Jerome to not only propose going directly to their home country to establish a foundation but also to apply for tax exemption policies?

That’s a slap in the face!

“Isn’t that a bit too bold? Can it be done?”

“Of course it can.” Luke chimed in, “As long as we don’t mention Cloud Dream in the name and don’t explicitly state support for protests in the foundation’s scope of operations, just be a little more subtle and focus on promoting democratic development, the issue won’t be too significant.”

“Once the process is completed, we can do whatever we want as long as it’s legal and compliant.”

With a clear hint of amusement in his voice, Luke continued, “In their country, there are countless foundations like this, too many to manage.”

“Alright then, let’s set one up.” Lincoln agreed amiably, “After all, there are 18 democratic fighters waiting for us to pay their bail and return their freedom.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be in time.” Jerome reminded him, “Registering a foundation takes at least 10 days, or even 15 days at the slowest. Plus, we need to send someone over there to contact professional agencies to help with the process.”

“Speaking of which, should we send a team over, or should we just go to America and recruit locals directly?”

“Just go and recruit locals! Ideally, nobody should go. Even if someone has to, they should come back as soon as the initial work is done.” Lincoln was an honest man and always felt that this matter carried some risks…

However, he would not say that, instead offering a different reason: “As a responsible international company, we must demonstrate an internationalist spirit and actively provide more job opportunities for the local area. So, we just need to find a reliable local professional manager, set up a monitoring and auditing mechanism, and leave the rest to him.”

“As for the 18 democratic fighters, I’ll donate on an individual basis. This can’t wait; we can’t let the warriors of democracy bleed and cry.”

On the other end of the phone, Jerome and Luke couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

After hanging up, Jerome contacted Cloud Dream’s International Affairs Department to arrange the matter, while Luke continued his vacation.

Lincoln looked at the time and decided to go downstairs for a meal.

*

At 2 pm, the second round of the “Card King” competition’s “Gold Rush” officially ended amidst much anticipation.

Of course, “Mahjong God” followed the same competition format as “Card King” and also ended at the same time.

However, given the age range of 14 to 84 for the “Card King” competition, it was obviously more popular and influential than “Mahjong God” at this point in time.

Of course, due to different social customs, “Mahjong God” was more influential than “Card King” in some countries and regions.

For example, in Izumo, the impact of “Mahjong God” far exceeded that of “Card King.”

It’s just that mahjong rules are more complicated and not as easy to pick up as card games, making it slightly less popular overall.

In short, with the end of the “Gold Rush,” the remaining contestants were eliminated at an incredible speed from 3.2 million down to 2,000 people!

Without a doubt, those who survived this unprecedented brutal elimination were experts!

——or top-level Europe Emperors.

These 2,000 people, along with the top 1,000 players in the first round, will participate in the “Qualification Battle” together, totaling 3,000 players.

There will only be 300 spots!

The good news is: starting from this step, players can make money!

Lincoln looked at the final list of 3,000 contestants and was delighted to see that there were many names from different countries in their nicknames.

There were not only a large number of expected names from Daxia, Izumo, Baekje, and Southeast Asian nations,

But also 8 Australians, 11 Russians, 6 Brits, 3 Germans, and 2 French players!

Although these people seemed to be few, considering the tens of millions of participants in the event, the fact that they had made it this far indicated that behind them, there were at least hundreds of times more players from their respective nations participating in the competition.

Then, thinking back to the deadline for the Card King preliminary selection, it’s clear that these players did not purchase Mirage until the second week. They immediately joined the card competition after buying it, managing to catch up and successfully advance to the third round.

However, what surprised Lincoln was that the highly engaging Siam players had unexpectedlyunsatisfactory results.

Of the 3,000 names on the list, they only occupied 102 spots.

It seems not too much different from neighboring countries, but considering their astonishing number of almost everyone participating, this achievement is indeed a bit lacking…

You should know that in the first round of [Sea Selection Battle], there were more than 500,000 Siam players who successfully advanced!

“Are they that bad?” Lincoln wondered.

“Mavis doesn’t know.” Mavis shook her head.

Lincoln rubbed Mavis’s pink head and asked, “Have they completed the special effects work for Card King?”

“It’s been smooth, since Seaside Paradise hasn’t found the right update time yet, the operation team of “Speedy Chase” has been focused on “Card King” and “Mahjong God”. They completed the work quite early. Do you want to take a look, Master?”

“Let’s take a look, then.”

Mavis then accessed the data and demonstrated it for Lincoln in the living room.

Actually, it’s hard to make any tricks in card effects. The special effects made by the operation team are basically focused on creating an atmosphere.

When a player enters the room, they work on lights, music, and displaying their battle records, etc.

Add some BGM to set the tone when a key card is played, and present a glittering trophy when victory is determined, updating the player’s data column with a win on the spot.

Seventy percent of the rewards from the audience in the virtual world are directly turned into cash, pouring down from the sky into a “cash rain”.

…

These are the basic special effects.

However, this is just a small beginning. When this round of competition is also completed and only 300 players are left, during the intermission, the special effects will be further upgraded.

It will no longer be a simple environmental upgrade, but a personalized special effect customization for each player. Each person will have a unique entrance and victory effect.

If it’s a well-known player, they can even create exaggerated dynamic effects with their nicknames and display them on-site.

Just like the UFC gold belt entrance, the entire venue will be dimmed to create a sense of pressure.

This is not an exaggeration. The number of fans of well-known “Card King” players and their “titles” has already become very “flavored”.

If you don’t believe it, just take a few examples—

[Card Demon]Jennifer! 52-year-old laid-off female worker.

[Holy Hand] Colin! 62-year-old retired grandfather.

[Butcher]Lauren! A 55-year-old real-life butcher who has killed pigs for half a lifetime!

[Lion]Elvis! 44-year-old working from home with flexible hours, the youngest and most potential player!

…

Yes, the age of the players who suddenly became popular because of “Card King” is generally older, so much that even a 44-year-old can be called a “young” player.

However, this is not their fault. It’s because of the amazing impact of “Card King” and the combined efforts of clubs, brand merchants, live streaming platforms, and other institutions who covet this traffic, as well as the existence of a huge audience group, that have caused the incredible social spectacle now.

Since the birth of the live streaming, this has been the largest and most effective exploration of users aged 45 and above!

Give these people’s titles a look. Isn’t their momentum overwhelming?

At first, the elderly uncles and aunts found it hard to adapt. They seemed a little out of place in the live streams.

However, as time passed, these elders with rich life experiences quickly got into the state.

Lincoln believes that as long as he works on communication and preparation, they can definitely hold the scene!

Furthermore, real-life referees have already been in position, waiting for this round to end, and they will replace NPC referees in the next round.

With the help of a professional event planning team, the atmosphere can be ramped up!

Lincoln really wants to make a big deal out of this competition, not only because he likes the big stage but also for another important reason—

At the end of this round, they will take a one-week break to make special effects, then have [Tower Climbing Battle] for another week.

After another one-week break for offline preparations, the [Gambling King Fight] can be held on December 31.

New Year’s Eve, Gambling God Battle!

What a spectacular gimmick!