Chapter 15: Retro Esports

At 00:00 on December 13th, Earth time, the Double Twelve Interstellar Shopping Carnival drew to a close, yet it left a profound mark on the alien populace.

From this moment on, every December 12th on the Earth calendar would become one of the most memorable dates for aliens everywhere.

This man-made holiday, crafted by Earth, would become a milestone in the history of the Interstellar Federation.

It was also one of the most crucial elements of Earth’s cultural export, fundamentally changing the shopping and consumption habits of the alien public, while also firmly tying itself to the ship of Interstellar Express.

The official homepage of Interstellar Express had always maintained a cold and aloof style, rarely updating unless absolutely necessary. But for this Double Twelve gala, not only did they actively respond to everyone’s questions and post an announcement explaining what a shopping festival was, they even released a very Earth-style battle report after the event.

From the start of the festival’s warm-up to its conclusion, the economic benefits generated during this period were the highest in Interstellar Express’s history, and it also spurred the economies of a large number of small and medium star systems.

Between the lines, one could sense Interstellar Express’s pride and satisfaction.

Even the official website of the Interstellar Federation’s government posted content related to the shopping festival, a testament to the breadth of its impact.

·

Perhaps inspired by the Federation government’s update, Earth’s side saw Youjian Entertainment’s annual budget released immediately after New Year’s—with not a single cut.

Cen Lan smiled when she saw the news.

“Perfect, that saves us money on the esports tournament.”

Xiao He set a cup of milk tea on Cen Lan’s desk, asking curiously, “It’s been less than three months since ‘Federation Showdown’ launched, and there’s already going to be a tournament?”

“Jingyu said this tournament is more about entertainment than competition; the main goal is to boost the approval rating numbers a bit more.” Cen Lan took a sip of milk tea. “The tournament will be held after the Spring Festival, probably at the end of February. Players still have time to hone their skills and get familiar with the rules.”

“Ms. Feng must be under a lot of pressure.” Xiao He also knew how important this approval rating update was for Earth.

To achieve a good number, in just a few short months, everyone at Youjian Entertainment had been working themselves to the bone to get these projects off the ground as quickly as possible. It was a last-ditch effort by everyone.

Let’s hope, this time, they don’t let everyone’s expectations down.

·

On StarNet, a “Federation Showdown” player posted an update. At first, it was nothing special—just sharing how they’d upgraded their in-game peripherals. But when people read the accompanying text, the comments exploded.

[Bro, you say you played non-stop for three months and your graphics card only just upgraded to a 2060?]

[Impossible, absolutely impossible. I grinded for a week and my graphics card was already at 5090. After all, this isn’t really a hardware-upgrade game—if you grind for a month, all your peripherals can easily be maxed out.]

[Bro, are you sure you play every day?]

Apparently, the original poster hadn’t expected so many comments, and only replied after a while.

[I don’t play every day, but it’s pretty frequent—about once every three or four days. But Earthlings are weird; why is the playtime always limited to one Earth hour each session?]

[Three or four days? That’s frequent? Limited to one Earth hour? Bro, I don’t get what you’re saying.]

[Wait, I get it! Dude, you’re under anti-addiction restrictions!]

[Anti-addiction? What’s that?]

[It’s a system Earth came up with to prevent minors from becoming addicted to games. Every game can only be played for one hour a week. This guy’s ‘three or four days’ must be three or four days in interstellar standard time, which converts to about a week on Earth.]

[So that’s it! Bro, you’re still a minor!]

[…By our star system’s reckoning, I’m indeed still a minor. But by Earth’s calendar, I’d be a centenarian.]

[Heh, sorry bro, but you have to go by your own star system’s standard.]

[Excuse me, do all Earth-developed games have this anti-addiction system?]

[No! Only Youjian Entertainment’s games do! What era is this, still enforcing anti-addiction? Youjian Entertainment, just shut down already!]

·

On January 10th, 5028 Earth time, Youjian Entertainment’s official homepage posted an announcement:

“Federation Showdown” First “Federation Cup” Interstellar Open Tournament Announcement

Issued by: Youjian Entertainment

Co-hosted by: Interstellar Federation Esports Joint Affairs Committee

Date of Issue: January 10th, 5208 Earth time

I. Tournament Overview

1. Tournament Name: First “Federation Cup” Federation Showdown Interstellar Open Tournament.

2. Tournament Date: Official start on February 27th, 5206 Earth Standard Time.

3. Core Format: Five-person team competition, with one substitute player allowed per team.

II. Eligibility and Registration

1. Team Eligibility: Participating teams must have the “Team” badge certified by the Federation Showdown virtual community system.

2. Registration Method: Teams must submit the valid game accounts of all members (including the substitute) to the official channel of the Interstellar Federation Esports League Organizing Committee.

3. Number of Slots: This tournament is open to 10 teams.

4. Registration Deadline: Registration opens immediately upon this announcement and closes at 24:00 on January 20th, 5208 Earth time. Slots are confirmed in order of receipt of complete registration information—first come, first served.

III. Honors and Virtual Rewards

Champion Team:

· Receives the exclusive in-game [Federation Cup Champion] eternal title.
· All members receive a limited-edition champion commemorative skin set.
· Team ID will be permanently entered into the Federation Showdown Interstellar Hall of Fame.
· Receives a set of physical champion peripherals.

Runner-Up Team:

· Receives the in-game [Federation Cup Runner-Up] seasonal title.
· Receives a set of physical runner-up peripherals.

Third Place Team:

· Receives the in-game [Federation Cup Third Place] seasonal title.
· Receives a set of physical third-place peripherals.

All participating team members will receive a set of first Federation Cup physical peripherals.

IV. Supplementary Provisions

1. Detailed tournament rules, schedule, and referee standards will be released separately by the organizing committee.

2. Final interpretation rights belong jointly to Youjian Entertainment and the Interstellar Federation Esports Joint Affairs Committee.

We look forward to witnessing the brilliance of tactics and teamwork on the field.

Youjian Entertainment

Interstellar Federation Esports Joint Affairs Committee

January 10th, 5208 Earth time

·

As soon as this announcement was released, both gamers and non-gamers among the alien public were stunned.

The tournament from the game’s promotional video—was it real?! So the cheers and tears in the promo, the fans’ support, the golden rain after the championship—those were real too?!

Could they really see such a tournament in real life?!

Could they truly experience the excitement and clamor shown in the promo?!

Earthlings, you really know how to play!!!

Back on Earth, the news caused an uproar as well.

Even in the interstellar era, esports as an ancient Earth tradition had been preserved. To this day, top-level holographic esports tournaments were among the most popular sporting events.

But now, they were going back to the keyboard-and-mouse era?

How exhilarating was that!!!

The “Federation Cup” champion would definitely belong to Earth!!!

·

Amid the joyful, festive atmosphere across the Federation, a discordant note of skepticism appeared on StarNet.

[As far as I know, there’s no such thing as the “Interstellar Federation Esports Joint Affairs Committee.” This organization doesn’t exist.]

Youjian Entertainment responded swiftly.

[Thank you for your attention. As there was no similar organization across the interstellar community, to ensure the smooth running of the tournament, we have lawfully applied for and established this committee. Until a better solution emerges, it will serve as the sole standard for interstellar esports.]

Shu stared, dumbfounded, at Youjian Entertainment’s outwardly polite but actually extremely assertive reply, and couldn’t help but sigh, “Teacher, Autumn Whisper is fighting for the right to define and speak.”

“Esports is a competitive event unique to Earth. Now that Autumn Whisper wants to promote it within the Federation, of course she must seize the right to define and speak.” Wordweaver Star Anchor was absorbed in a copy of “Reborn: Leading New Entertainment in the Interstellar Era.”

“But Earth’s pace of innovation is insane. Before we even get to savor the last thing, the next one is already here.” Shu couldn’t help but sigh. “It feels like time itself is speeding up because of Earthlings.”

“It’s not that time is faster—it’s that you’re being influenced by Earthlings.” Wordweaver Star Anchor closed the book. “Perhaps… this is exactly what Earthlings want.”

“Huh?” Shu looked blank.

Seeing her disciple’s bewildered face, Wordweaver Star Anchor shook her head helplessly. “Give it a little more time. You’ll understand soon enough.”