I Have a Dice Left by a God-Chapter 420 - 12: Citizen Daily

At home, rely on your parents; away from home, rely on your friends. Li Xin never goes against old sayings. Qi Badao not only has a carriage but also carries a wallet, bringing all sorts of ingredients to send Li Xin back home.

Lin Fei drops Xueyin off at Grace Class for lessons before returning to work at the Bird Society. After Li Xin came back, Lin Fei’s previously calm and indifferent life suddenly warmed up, making her complexion particularly good. She has always been strikingly beautiful, and even the female staff at the Bird Society couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

In Dragon Capital, Hex Bird Society was split into three branches: Hex Bird Society’s Justice Daily, Hex Bird Society’s Citizen Daily, and Hex Bird Society’s Flying Bird Daily, all managed under the jurisdiction of City Hall’s News Department.

Justice Daily is the largest, with a broad scope and more authority. Next is Lin Fei’s Citizen Daily, which focuses more on technology, arts, and citizen life. Flying Bird Daily ranks third. Being the capital of Hex, competition among the three dailies is fierce. While nominally all part of Hex Bird Society, they have different owners behind the scenes. Ever since Hedan introduced an "advertisement," Dragon Capital quickly caught on and surpassed it in a short time. In Dragon Capital, any profitable industry is immediately noticed; this atmosphere was far less mature during Luthor’s governance.

Besides newspaper sales, the income from advertising quickly became considerable, with sales determining advertising revenue. Initially, there wasn’t much difference among the three dailies: Justice Daily was selling just over twenty thousand copies, Citizen Daily around fifteen thousand, and Flying Bird Daily just over ten thousand. But ever since Justice Daily released a special edition of the Utopia Mountain Tale of Vengeance, their sales directly broke through thirty thousand copies. This was because Justice Daily took a gamble by serializing all their articles in two monthly installments. The first issue was very effective and received positive feedback, prompting them to serialize the rest in the second issue, printing an additional ten thousand copies. What seemed exceedingly bold quickly sold out; subsequently, they released a second consolidated edition, selling over a hundred thousand copies in total. Suddenly, paper prices soared in Dragon Capital. By the time they realized the astonishing effect, they ran out of manuscripts, and there was no follow-up from Hedan’s branch.

Originally, the three branches were quite similar, each with their channels, but Justice Daily directly raised the stakes, putting significant pressure on the other two.

Lin Fei was reviewing manuscripts at her desk, part of an editorial team of over twenty people. Lin Fei’s group was responsible for the art and science categories, and as the team leader, the daily abundance of manuscripts had never been pressuring. However, the president now demands improved quality, seeing Justice Daily widening the gap; Citizen Daily must catch up. There’s a serious issue: once sales show a divergence, advertising fees aren’t evenly distributed based on sales; more demand shifts towards Justice Daily.

"Lin Fei, set aside your work; the president is holding a meeting," editor-in-chief Jina said.

In Citizen Daily, there are three editors-in-chief responsible for three core sections: municipal affairs, international news, and art and life. Jina is the editor-in-chief of the art and life section, which holds a smaller portion in Citizen Daily, making the work relatively relaxed and elegant. Those who work here have some background; Jina, in her forties, is tall and elegant, well-maintained. The Ji surname is part of the Capital Royal Family, suggesting a royal bloodline and a good educational background. She even studied abroad during her time at Canon Law School and has longstanding experience with Citizen Daily.

Jina likes Lin Fei, not due to her background, but because of her character and taste—calm, steady, and patient. Taste is determined by both circumstances and talent, and among her staff, Lin Fei’s aesthetic is the best. Hence, Jina promoted Lin Fei to team leader three months after her employment.

Jina brought her two team leaders to the meeting room. President Allen Potter, from his surname, was known to be a member of the Potter Family. Jina doesn’t think much of this elderly president, as he lacks capability; however, he does not typically interfere with specific operations, which is a plus.

The other two departments had more staff, and the meeting room soon filled up. President Allen entered with a sullen face. This old president, who previously lived a remarkably comfortable life, now suddenly felt immense pressure. Justice Daily stopped playing along with everyone, and their recent surge in sales seemed overwhelming, causing both sales and advertising revenue to sharply decline, bringing immediate stress on Allen, clearly under pressure from the shareholders, and he lashed out at the people in the room.

"I want good articles, good content that can turn the tide!" Allen’s face flushed red. Normally, he wouldn’t bother much, knowing the ones here had some connections—ordinary people couldn’t get in. But now, strict requirements from above have been passed down to him.

He couldn’t be indulgent as before. "Skolar, your municipal section is the main segment; use all your connections and dig deep with the reporters. I want something appealing!"

"Wu Jin, your covert department, what information have you been getting all day? It’s all trivial, outdated nonsense with no mystery. Even if you must make it up, use some creativity—the public is tired of it; even I could make it up!" Allen took a sip of tea, his expression slightly softening when he looked at Jina. "Jina, Editor-in-Chief Jina, the art and science section needs some buzz. We’re at a critical point for survival, we need to brainstorm, and you know many artists—use them all, and don’t be afraid to spend money."

The crowd could only nod; if it were so easy, they wouldn’t be in this situation. Other places face nowhere near as fierce competition as Dragon Capital, where newspapers developed earliest. They’ve all tried flashy, attention-seeking tactics, which were initially effective but have become routine over time. Stories can be fabricated, but they must follow a principle: never involve or allude to the Church, increasing the difficulty. Who could have anticipated the emergence of the Utopia Mountain Tale of Vengeance, completely redefining everyone’s understanding of novels?

After the meeting, Jina didn’t take the president’s rant seriously. Rather than finding solutions, it seemed more like venting. "Dragon Capital is only so big; what fresh stories could there be? Our section has highbrow tastes that don’t interest the general public much. I could stir up something about Governor Luthor and his eighteen male concubines, but he wouldn’t dare print it."

Lin Fei couldn’t help but laugh, "Sister Na, it seems the president’s pressure is really high; his baldness has worsened. I’ll go back and think of a few ideas. The situation with Justice Daily is improving so much that several of our collaborating artists have switched over. Apparently, Justice Daily doesn’t allow them to submit articles or participate in interviews with other companies anymore. If we don’t find a way, it might become increasingly difficult."

Jina smiled, "Then I’ll rely on you; help your sister think of a good plan. I really don’t want to hear the old man’s impotent rage."