The promotional effort for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" was a brief, one-time stage performance. Following this opening, no further mention of the game was made, to avoid overshadowing "Warcraft III" and angering its players.
However, before the anticipated finals could commence, Leng Zhimeng walked onto the stage from the VIP viewing area. With the host's cooperation, she delivered a series of customary remarks.
She then cut to the chase, asking the audience loudly, "Everyone, do you like the Warcraft III blind boxes we've launched?"
"No..."
A clamor erupted from the crowd. Apart from a small minority of players, almost everyone shouted their disapproval, causing Leng Zhimeng's expression to falter slightly. However, she quickly regained her composure, smiling broadly, and asked, "Why not?"
"Too expensive!"
"Too rigged!"
"Too unlucky!"
The responses from below were varied, but they all pointed to one thing: the cost. A blind box priced at 10 yuan in 2002 was equivalent to about 30 to 40 yuan today, a significant expense for the average player.
What was most infuriating was the inconsistent drop rates. Many players spent hundreds of yuan without getting what they wanted, which was deeply disheartening.
"Very well, I understand everyone's concerns!" Leng Zhimeng said with a smile. "You feel the main issue is the high uncertainty of our blind boxes, leading many players to receive duplicates. So, if you could exchange duplicate blind boxes for ones you don't have, would you then like our blind boxes?"
"No way! Could it be that President Meng is about to introduce such a popular policy?" The players in the audience grew excited. It sounded like Jiangnan was about to implement a policy that would allow for free and easy exchange of duplicate blind boxes. That would be incredibly amazing!
Then, amidst the players' anticipation, Leng Zhimeng continued, "Friends who have visited our Jiangnan Blind Box stores know that we actually have a Jiangnan Coin exchange area. You can exchange all your unwanted blind box items in the exchange area for our Jiangnan Coins. These Jiangnan Coins can then be used to redeem various other goods. Isn't this essentially a design that allows you to exchange blind box products?" xxs壹贰
"But the items in the exchange area aren't complete!"
"Exactly, and the prices of the items in the exchange area are too high. Some people get a common skin for 10 yuan, and they dare to sell it for 12 Jiangnan Coins. It's just ridiculous!"
"President Meng, you need to consider the practical issues. Your stores are so far from our homes, it takes a long time to get there, like taking over a dozen bus stops."
"Right, and the exchange area in your stores is so small. It can only display so many items. A month ago, I brought items there for exchange, but because there was no available space to display them, they were piled up in the warehouse gathering dust. In the end, I had to take them back myself!"
Upon hearing Leng Zhimeng's words, the audience erupted in discussion, as they felt there were various flaws in the exchange area of the Jiangnan Blind Box stores.
For instance, the range of redeemable items was insufficient, the prices set by players themselves could be unacceptably high, or the store space was cramped, with only a small shelf sometimes available for displaying exchanged items, failing to meet the needs of a large number of players and users.
In short, the exchange area did not satisfy all users.
"I've received everyone's feedback. Therefore, taking this opportunity, I would like to announce that Jiangnan Blind Box will be launching a brand new online Jiangnan Mall. Please look at the big screen!" Leng Zhimeng made a welcoming gesture, and a new, orange website interface appeared on the large screen.
"Please look here. This is our newly launched Jiangnan Mall. In the future, duplicate items or things you don't like from blind boxes can not only be sold in our physical stores but also displayed on our online Jiangnan Mall!"
"When you consign items through our exchange area, the information of the relevant products will be synchronized in real-time to our Jiangnan Mall webpage. Users can activate their membership cards at any Jiangnan Blind Box store. After activation, they can log in to their personal accounts on the Jiangnan Mall to view the products they are selling online."
"For example, if I want to sell the figurine of the Terran Hellion tank I have!" As Leng Zhimeng finished speaking, over a dozen staff members, each holding an item, quickly walked to the front of the stage. In less than 10 seconds, they had assembled a Jiangnan Blind Box store exchange area.
"As you can see, when consigning an item, you simply need to scan the QR code at the bottom of the figurine with the scanner I'm holding, and all the information will be immediately synchronized to the website. Then, you set your desired selling price, for example, 1 Jiangnan Coin!"
"Players can set any price they wish to sell at, even 9.8 billion Jiangnan Coins, as long as someone is willing to buy it," Leng Zhimeng said with a slight smile. As she spoke, she operated the computer, entered the Jiangnan Mall webpage, and logged in with her member account and password, entering her personal backend under the gaze of the entire audience.
Then, in the "My Consignments" sub-page of the backend, she successfully found the information for the Terran tank.
[Consigned Item: Terran Tank Figurine (Redemption Code Unused), Status: Consigned, Consignment Price: 1 Jiangnan Coin, Consignor: Pretty Girl Leng Zhimeng, Product Storage Location: Jiangnan Blind Box Shanghai Flagship Store, Product Serial Number: 0000010414]
"As you can see, all the information is clear at a glance," Leng Zhimeng said proudly. "You can check the status of your consigned items in real-time through the backend."
"If you are a buyer, you also need to log in to your Jiangnan user account. Then, in the search bar, you can directly enter the product you want. If you can't find it, you can also use the filters we provide for your search."
"For example, you can directly search for 'Warcraft III Terran Hellion tank,' or select 'Blind Box' from the options, then 'Warcraft III Blind Box,' then 'Rare Item,' and finally select 'Terran Hellion Tank,' among other sub-menus. The webpage will then display all the desired products currently consigned in the mall."
"By the way, consigned items are generally sorted by consignment price, from low to high. In the future, we will provide more sorting options for you to choose from."
"Regarding the consignment and purchase prices, as this is a mall currently offering services to all Jiangnan users, we only accept Jiangnan Coin transactions for now. When users log in to their accounts, the remaining Jiangnan Coins in each user's account will be displayed in detail, and you can then directly use these Jiangnan Coins to make purchases on the Jiangnan Mall."
"When you make a purchase, you are not limited to products located in your city. You can completely purchase items consigned in other regions across the country. Because once an order is successfully placed, our Jiangnan logistics will proactively deliver these items to the blind box store in your city via express delivery. All these services are completely free!"
"So, you can purchase any item that appears online from your computer without paying any extra shipping fees."
"The mall is currently in the beta testing phase. To ensure that every item can be tracked, item listing can only be done through the exchange points of various Jiangnan Blind Box stores! However, in the not-too-distant future, perhaps in just a few months, we will open up a more flexible listing mechanism."
"This means users won't need to list items in the store. Users can also list items from home by taking photos of the items and entering the Chinese redemption code for the items. After successful listing, you can choose to deliver the item to the nearest Jiangnan Blind Box store, or you can pay a certain express delivery fee, and our Jiangnan delivery personnel will pick up the item. During this process, our delivery personnel or store staff will verify the completeness and condition of the item to ensure that users receive satisfactory products."
"Similarly, for buyers, if you don't wish to pick up items from the Jiangnan Blind Box store, our Jiangnan logistics also offers doorstep service. You only need to pay a courier fee, and our courier will proactively deliver the item to your doorstep, allowing you to complete the entire transaction process without leaving your home!"
"Let me reveal a bit more. In the foreseeable future, we will also launch Jiangnan Coin top-up services. You will be able to directly top up your account with Renminbi on the website to obtain corresponding Jiangnan Coins. At the same time, our Jiangnan Mall will also offer online blind box machines."
"You won't even need to go to our Jiangnan Blind Box stores. With a simple click on the online blind box machine, and after paying a certain express delivery fee, the blind box you purchased will be delivered directly to your home, saving you the time and trouble of picking up items and waiting in line at the store!"
"Within an estimated year, Jiangnan Blind Box will completely bridge the gap between online and offline, allowing everyone to experience a brand new blind box experience belonging to the network era!" Leng Zhimeng declared with conviction, and the entire audience was enthused.
This mall sounded incredibly fantastic and convenient!
Of course, some astute individuals couldn't help but glance at their wallets, feeling a sense that their wallets might become even more depleted. Jiangnan was truly sparing no effort in its quest to drain users' wallets!