Chapter 2

In 1987, the United States was already beginning to take shape as the world's leading superpower. The prosperity of the country at that time was something that few other nations could witness. As the car slowly drove through modern streets, it finally stopped in front of an apartment building after half an hour.

Everyone got out of the car, and only then did Qin Yuanfeng realize that the group was much larger than just the few people he had expected. He also understood why Kaga Shozo was in a bad mood. As a game developer for Nintendo's Famicom, IS Corporation had not produced any hit games, and the company's performance was getting worse. They had to accept Nintendo's strict third-party terms, and now they were even sent to San Francisco to liquidate a bankrupt company, which was a clear sign of being looked down upon. No wonder Kaga Shozo looked so unhappy.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Fire Emblem was born. Kaga Shozo would not let any opportunity to showcase his talent slip away.

The group consisted of more than a dozen people, including Kaga Shozo from IS Corporation, the driver, and Kaga's secretary. The rest were almost all official employees of Nintendo. This trip was more about supervision than assistance, and as for himself, he was merely a helper.

"Is this TOP Software?" Kaga Shozo frowned as he looked at the apartment building, which was somewhat dilapidated and clearly quite old. It was an elevator apartment, and he never imagined that the "company" Nintendo invested in would be located in such a place, not in a software park.

"Are we in the right place?" A woman of average height but with a good figure, wearing pink glasses, frowned and spoke fluent Japanese. "Is there a company in such a place? Where did Nintendo's investment go?"

Qin Yuanfeng, however, was not surprised. As a veteran game designer, every classic case over the past twenty years was etched in his mind like a knife. In the early 1980s, the electronic entertainment industry flourished, and it seemed that countless electronic companies sprang up in the United States overnight. The CEOs of these companies might just be college students. However, the inherent optimism of Americans made them eager to make a name for themselves, so they needed investment.

At that time, the most advanced electronic industry in the world was not in Europe or America, but in Japan. Not only that, but Japan firmly held the leading position in the electronics industry until the turn of the millennium. These American college students, when looking for investment, did not consider their own country first, but rather Japan.

Thus, project recommendation letters and introduction emails flooded into the leading company, Nintendo. Nintendo's president, Yamauchi Hiroshi, probably didn't even know how many companies he had invested in. Smaller investments were handled with great care, and companies like the one in this apartment were common in the United States.

He quietly observed everyone. Kaga Shozo and his group maintained a calm demeanor, even if they were dissatisfied with their own company. The Nintendo employees, however, did not hide their disdain for the apartment building.

No one would have thought that a diamond was hidden in this coal mine!

"Let's get started. We need to compile all the materials, documents, and plans by this afternoon, and verify the accounts with Nintendo's records this evening," the woman with glasses said, taking charge without waiting for Kaga to speak. Kaga's face showed a clear sign of displeasure, as he was nominally the leader of this liquidation effort, and she, a section chief at Nintendo, had overstepped her bounds.

However, he said nothing.

"Team Leader Kaga, can I help with the liquidation?" Qin Yuanfeng asked, suppressing his excitement.

Kaga Shozo simply nodded.

Qin Yuanfeng immediately followed the group into the apartment, encountering many Americans who were staring in shock.

The company was on the fourth floor. Upon entering, they found that the entire floor had been converted into a large space. The walls were crisscrossed with network cables, and several semi-old computers were scattered around the room. Books, notebooks, and empty drink bottles covered in dust were strewn everywhere. As soon as they opened the door, a foul smell hit them.

His eyes gleamed as he looked at the scattered notebooks. The creative ideas that would become the foundation of SRPG games were hidden in these tattered notebooks!

Even without them, he could still develop the Fire Emblem series, but he could not let anyone else get them!

"Let's start the liquidation," the woman said, covering her nose and fanning the air. "I need a complete list of all items, plans, and documents within two hours. All computers should be turned on, and I need to check if there are any unsubmitted plans."

Everyone dispersed, and Qin Yuanfeng quickly rushed to the table where the old notebooks were piled, flipping through them page by page.

After about ten minutes, he frowned, looking at the three or four notebooks spread out before him.

Nothing! Not a single one was related to Fire Emblem!

There were many other creative ideas, all products of Nintendo's investment, and Nintendo had the right to reclaim them all. But none of them were related to SRPG!

He gritted his teeth and moved to the next workstation, determined not to miss any of TOP Software's notebooks.

After going through seven or eight more notebooks, he still found nothing!

"Breath...," he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Sweat beads formed on his forehead as he watched the busy Nintendo employees.

"Calm down... calm down..." Despite his words, he felt increasingly anxious. Every second that passed increased the likelihood of the unsubmitted notebook being discovered! If it fell into someone else's hands, the consequences would be dire!

He carefully recalled Kaga Shozo's memoirs from his previous life. Kaga had found the dusty notebook during the inventory process after the liquidation. Since it was dusty, it must have been in an inconspicuous place. And since it was found, the content must have been easy to understand, and as a Nintendo employee, he would recognize a plan when he saw one.

Not only was it easy to understand, but it was also a place that would be searched, otherwise the employees wouldn't have found it!

"The leader of the studio's seat!" His eyes lit up, and he casually asked a nearby employee, "What is the name of the studio's applicant?"

"Harvis Johnson," the employee replied casually. It was necessary to know everything about the company before the liquidation.

Qin Yuanfeng nodded and began to look at the computer workstations one by one. Soon, he found Harvis Johnson's name.

"It must be here..." He took a deep breath, pushed the computer chair away, and was about to pull out the keyboard when a voice interrupted him.

"What are you doing?"

He turned to see the woman with glasses, frowning at him. "As an IS employee, your first task is to count the number of machines, chairs, and cables."

"I'm just checking for any leftover creative ideas," Qin Yuanfeng smiled.

"Creative ideas?" The woman's frown deepened. "Mr. Qin, I must remind you that all creative ideas belong to Nintendo. This is a company that Nintendo invested in."

"Of course," Qin Yuanfeng replied with a perfect smile, though he felt a deep sense of disgust. All creative ideas belonged to Nintendo, and at this time, Nintendo was truly arrogant. Even a section chief could speak with such authority, completely disregarding Sega!

The woman huffed and ignored Qin Yuanfeng. In her mind, what good ideas could such a company have? If it had any, it wouldn't be bankrupt. Nintendo was now so wealthy that it was eager to increase its investments.

Qin Yuanfeng watched her, feeling a mix of ridicule. Opportunities are always given to those who are prepared. A small detail often determines success or failure. This time, it was clear that the liquidation was led by Nintendo, but it resulted in the emergence of Kaga Shozo, one of the six greats of Nintendo. This section chief would not have a long career at Nintendo.

Being present at this significant moment in gaming history, he realized how keen Kaga Shozo's sense of gaming was. Nintendo almost treated them like laborers, but he managed to find a treasure in this pile of waste!

However, this treasure would now bear the surname Qin.

He quickly scanned the room. They were still in the stage of clearing items, and no one would believe that there were creative ideas here.

He gently pulled out the keyboard.

A small yellow-covered booklet immediately appeared before him, and his breathing quickened.

His body instinctively blocked the keyboard, and his hand, trembling slightly, quickly flipped through the pages. On the first page, a rough sketch of a knight was drawn!

Next to it, a line of small text read: "Dragon and Sword."

At that moment, he felt a jolt, and his scalp tingled.

This was it!

The pioneering work of SRPG, which introduced an entire genre to the gaming world! If it were to be compared, it would be like the release of Windows 98! The release of competitive games!

This embryonic form of innovation was hidden in this yellowed booklet!

Fire Emblem: Dark Dragon and Light Sword!

This was the full title of the first Fire Emblem game!

Perhaps its name was unknown to players who didn't play the Game Boy, but what about Heroes of Might and Magic? The Flame Dragon Knights of the early 1990s? The Super Robot Wars by Bandai?

These renowned names in the gaming world all developed because of Fire Emblem. Now, Kaga Shozo's name would finally pass by Fire Emblem!

By just one floor!

He quickly flipped through the pages. On the next page, there was a sketch of a female character in white, with just a few strokes, and the word "Priest" written next to it.

Qin Yuanfeng took a deep breath and, with the fastest and most natural speed, tucked the dusty notebook into his clothes and secured it to his belt, not minding its dirtiness at all.

He almost burst into laughter. Goodbye, Japan, goodbye, Kaga Shozo. This time, the Nintendo quality series would lose a masterpiece with millions of sales! It would be like Blizzard losing Warcraft, or the film industry losing the 3D revolution of Avatar, with losses in the billions!

Billions of yen, now attached to his belt.

If Nintendo's current president, Yamauchi Hiroshi, were also a time traveler, he would probably personally chase him from Tokyo and kill him with a sword, and then execute Kaga Shozo by slicing him to pieces!

The first step of a time traveler should be different!

---

The page with ads begins.

The page with ads ends.