Chapter 61: Sealing the Store
Translator: 549690339
At this very moment, all 100 devices at the Cloud Dream Experience Store were occupied.
In the leisure area with the bar, originally holding only about 30 people, is now bustling with almost 50 people.
Not all were there to experience the Cloud Dream Host. Several were holding mobile phones and even large cameras, capturing the lively atmosphere.
Some strangers were gathered, having animated discussions.
Others surrounded the “Destiny Weaver” in the middle of the lobby, marveling at this relic from centuries ago, admiring the intricacy of the loom.
Many speculated about the storyline of “Assassins’ Alliance” while encircling this loom.
Most of the crowd was outside the store, tiptoeing and craning their necks to peek inside.
The scores of store employees were running in circles, trying to keep things under control.
Thankfully, Lincoln kept user safety in mind from the start. Each VR device is in a separate cubicle with an infrared sensor connected to the VR device wirelessly.
If someone enters, the player in the virtual world will receive a prompt and can view the real-time images of the physical world through a pop-up window.
This effectively prevents instances of invasion of privacy or stealthy thefts of wallets.
An interesting phenomenon was apparent among the 100 players present: the male to female ratio was a surprising 3 to 7, with female players outnumbering male players by 40 percent!
This is quite unusual because, given the stereotypical game genres, the general belief in the gaming industry is that the number of female players would not even be one-tenth of male players.
The reason for this anomaly at the Cloud Dream Experience Store is partly because it is located in a commercial pedestrian street where females frequent more. Males usually come here only when accompanying their girlfriends.
When Lincoln released the trailer, the first people to discover and try it were naturally the women who were shopping. Any men who managed to secure a spot were merely benefitting off their girlfriends.
The other reason was the advent ot “Traveler ot the Wind” , which sparked a lot of interest in games among women, making them want to try it out.
Liang Tian was still screaming through a megaphone, “Please, everyone, stop queuing. There are too many people, and we don’t have enough devices!” He felt extremely tired but also very excited!
When he opened his family-run store, he had spent a lot of money. The store was well stocked with devices and games, but he had never had a full house except during holidays.
Usually, it was just a few loyal customers who came to support his business.
But now? There wasn’t even any external promotion. The boss posted a game trailer, and in less than half an hour, the store was at full capacity!
Now, an hour later, the queue had stretched to the end of the street! Although it was causing him considerable trouble, it did depict the enthusiasm of the customers!
Judging by the present popularity, even after the novelty wears off, the customer volume will not decrease!
This is promising! Very promising indeed!
Unfortunately, Liang Tian didn’t realize that uncorking the champagne midway can sometimes invite bad luck. Reversals of fortunes can happen in the blink of an eye.
Two uniformed police officers struggled through the crowd to reach the entrance of Cloud Dream Experience Store and called Liang Tian down from the chair he was standing on.
“Are you the owner of this store? What’s the situation here?”
Liang Tian was also nervous, “I am very sorry. It is our opening day today, and we didn’t expect so many customers.”
“This won’t do. With so many people gathered, it can easily lead to problems.”
“All our employees have come out, and we are doing our best to maintain order.
Could you possibly send some officers to help keep order?”
“The local police are always understaffed. For large-scale gatherings, we need prior notice. Unreported gatherings are violations. Please disperse the crowd immediately! ”
Liang Tian knew this was the right way to handle this. There were indeed too many people here, and there was no way they would have informed the police about the release of the trailer in advance.
Imagine walking into a police station where the officers are busy at work. As they see you enter, they approach you cheerfully, shaking your hand and asking, ‘Good day, sir. How can we assist you?”
You say, “Officer, I have something serious to discuss, but I hope you don’t get too surprised.”
The officer reassures you, “We’re police officers, and we’ve been professionally trained not to get easily flustered.”
“We’re releasing a game trailer online tomorrow.”
The officer looks at you in confusion, “A trailer? Why do you need to report that?”
“This trailer, it’s not just any trailer, it’s a rare and special kind of trailer, the kind that would make a huge splash once it is released.”
“Oh, okay. Please turn right when you exit. That’s the cyber police department.”
Liang Tian shook his head and rid himself of such chaotic thoughts. Once again, he climbed on the chair, picking up the megaphone to shout at the crowd.
Unfortunately, the outcome of his shouting was the same.
That is, there was no effect at all.
In the end, the police themselves had to step in and educate the crowd with a megaphone, succeeded in dispersing the crowd.
To prevent a regathering, they ordered Liang Tian to close the store immediately for unreported assembly, and to remain closed for a day before deciding to reopen.
One hundred customers who were in the middle of their games were notified to log off and leave. The annoyance in their hearts was too big to contain, resulting in a lot of complaints.
Liang Tian refunded all the fees, and even gave out drinks and snacks as an apology before managing to send everyone away.
Once the crowd finally dispersed, but the news spread online, sparking yet another wave of heated discussion.
After all, it was rare for a store to be shut down on its opening day, and that too, a store of the currently trending Cloud Dream.
Upon receiving the news, netizens who were too far away to visit fielded a huge outcry, their every sentence revealing a pleased schadenfreude. Hearing Liang Tian’s report, Lincoln was left speechless.
Should this be considered a good start or a bad start?
What can he do now though? Be closed!
However, in the future he cannot just open a store without any preparations. He must make prior arrangements.
Why not make it reservation-based and leave 5 devices as flexible reserves? That would basically avoid such incidents.
For now, because virtual reality devices are new and fashionable, and many want to experience but cannot afford, there is a tendency to gather in clusters.
In a few months, those who want to buy will have it, and the customer count will return to normal. Then he can cancel the reservation system and resume normal operations.
As for the reservation program, it can’t get any simpler!
All Lincoln has to do is ask —
“Mavis—come give me a hand!”