Chapter 243: Chapter 129: Commitment for Three Lifetimes, Little Moon’s Strategy Officially Launches (Two in One, Subscription Requested)_4

You Wenxuan finished speaking. He waited confidently for Li Yuan and Wu Wenhui’s response, convinced that the 10,000,000 yuan copyright transfer fee was enough to clinch the deal.

As a founder who had been deeply involved in the online literature industry for many years, Wu Wenhui had a more profound understanding of the value of copyrights. “CEO You, I don’t think you’ve realized the true value of ’Battle Starry Sky.’ Let me give you some numbers.

“Currently, ’Battle Starry Sky’ has just under 1,000,000 words, but its average Chapter subscriptions on Yuandian Web alone have already reached 100,000. Across other channels and mobile platforms, the cumulative average subscriptions exceed 400,000. Based on a preliminary estimate, the sales revenue from ’Battle Starry Sky’ this month will surpass a staggering 8,000,000 yuan…

“Heh, a mere 10,000,000 yuan for the copyright transfer fee? You’re severely underestimating the value of ’Battle Starry Sky.’”

You Wenxuan remained unimpressed by Wu Wenhui’s argument, steadfastly holding on to his opinion. “CEO Wu, ten million yuan is not a small sum. In today’s market for web novels, and even for physical publications, that’s an astronomical figure. I doubt any company besides ours, Wangyi Company, would offer such a high price.”

Wu Wenhui spoke with complete confidence, “Wangyi Company isn’t the only one in the gaming business. To be frank, other companies have already contacted us about purchasing the rights to ’Battle Starry Sky’…

“Furthermore, CEO You, as a senior in the internet industry, you should understand that the internet is developing at high speed. The accompanying web novel market is also expanding rapidly, entering its own fast lane.

“Right now, Huaxia has over 400,000,000 internet users. Of those, the core demographic for web novels—young people between the ages of sixteen and forty—exceeds 100,000,000. This group is not only the backbone of the gaming industry but also the core of the web novel market. Their demographics overlap significantly.

“As a leading enterprise in the gaming industry, Wangyi Company should recognize the immense value of the gaming market. Several of your company’s own games have generated hundreds of millions in profit.

“In the current web novel market, the standing of ’Battle Starry Sky’ is unquestionable. As time passes, its audience will only grow. Every single person who has read this book is a potential fan of the game. This represents an immense market value that, if fully realized, would easily be worth several billion.

“An offer of only 10,000,000 yuan is far too low. It’s not just that I disagree; Mr. Xia Hua would never agree either. The final decision rests with him, after all.”

Everyone present—who were actually three distinct parties—focused their attention on Li Yuan, waiting for him to speak. Ultimately, all copyrights for ’Battle Starry Sky’ were still in Li Yuan’s hands, and he held the final say.

Li Yuan’s gaze swept over You Wenxuan, Wu Wenhui, and the others as he began to speak with calm composure. “You might not believe this, but I’m actually not looking to sell the game rights for ’Battle Starry Sky’ right now. It’s not an issue of price. It’s because the novel’s influence has only just begun to build; it’s nowhere near its peak.”

You Wenxuan, Wu Wenhui, Editor Starry Sky, and Zhong Tingyue, who was sitting right next to Li Yuan, all waited for him to continue.

“With the continued development of the internet and constant mobile phone upgrades,” Li Yuan went on, “the literary market of the future will inevitably be dominated by web novels. They will become a part of the lives of the nation’s 450,000,000 internet users, deeply influencing them.

“I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but while the current combined subscriptions for ’Battle Starry Sky’ on our main site and partner channels may only be 400,000, I believe that number will multiply several times over—perhaps even tenfold—in the next few years.

“Beyond paid subscribers, the largest impact comes from the free-reading audience. That group is even larger, potentially ten times the number of subscribers.

“CEO You, let me ask you a question. Imagine two similar games. One is based on an IP like ’Battle Starry Sky’ with its established fanbase of readers, while the other is a completely new title. Which do you think would be more successful?”

Without any hesitation, You Wenxuan answered, “Naturally, the former.”

Li Yuan then asked, “And how much does it cost to promote a major game? What kind of results can you expect for that money?”

You Wenxuan appeared contemplative and did not answer.

Li Yuan continued, “If ’Battle Starry Sky’ were adapted into a game, its IP alone could attract an audience of hundreds of thousands, or even millions. As long as the game’s quality is up to par, not only would you save tens of millions in promotional costs, but you would also tap into a gaming market worth tens, or even hundreds, of billions.

“So, CEO You, how much do you think these game adaptation rights are truly worth?”

You Wenxuan suddenly burst out laughing. He looked at Li Yuan, slowly nodded, and said, “I must say, Mr. Xia Hua, you have a way with words, and you do make some valid points. I truly do place great value on the game rights for ’Battle Starry Sky.’

“How about this, Mr. Xia Hua. You name your price.”

Li Yuan, not in the mood for haggling, simply held up one finger.

You Wenxuan’s expression froze for a moment, then he let out a derisive laugh, looking at Li Yuan as if he were a madman. “Mr. Xia Hua, are you joking? One hundred million yuan for the game rights to a single novel?”

Nearby, Wu Wenhui and Editor Starry Sky were also stunned. Li Yuan was truly asking for the moon, daring to demand a price of 100,000,000 yuan.

Xia Hua is really shooting for the stars; managing to get around 30,000,000 would already be incredible… One hundred million! He really dares to dream. How much has this book even earned in total? Just a little over 10,000,000… Li Yuan is on another level, raising their offer by a factor of ten right to their faces! Is this what business negotiation is like? Start with an outrageous price and expect them to haggle down? If I had 100,000,000… no, just 10,000,000 would be enough to gain true freedom…

Unaware of the inner thoughts of the others present, Li Yuan simply continued to gaze unflappably at the people from Wangyi Company.

“CEO You, everyone,” Li Yuan said, “the price I’ve stated is, in fact, a discount. In the future, its value will only be higher.

“In a few years, I believe this book will become a phenomenal work. The IP value it generates will attract fierce competition from other companies. By then… Heh…”

You Wenxuan’s brow furrowed. Their offer of 10,000,000 was just an opening bid, a starting point. It’s only business, after all; everyone wants to buy low and sell high.

“Mr. Xia Hua, your appetite is too large,” You Wenxuan said. “I’m afraid Wangyi Company won’t be able to satisfy it.”

Li Yuan just smiled without responding. He had never intended to sell the book’s game rights for a low price, and since Wangyi Company was unwilling to make a serious investment, there was no point in continuing the discussion.

“Since CEO You feels the rights to ’Battle Starry Sky’ aren’t worth the price, then we’ll leave it at that,” Li Yuan said finally. “I hope we’ll have another opportunity to cooperate in the future.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep