The message Jian Yinghua sent out... didn't cause much of a stir.
It wasn't that fans of Dark Night weren't interested—it was because other readers had also seen Rumi's post.
Though they had just vowed not to play,
When the original creator Rumi personally stepped forward to endorse it, combined with FGO's established reputation and sizable player base...
To say readers weren't interested would be a lie.
After all, that FGO x Dark Night promotional trailer wasn't seen by Jian Yinghua alone.
Soon, many who shared Jian Yinghua's mindset—those who thought, "If I get fooled again, I'll never touch this"—downloaded the game.
And once they played,
Most felt the same as Jian Yinghua: questioning their very existence.
Just what garbage had they been playing yesterday?
Many readers had initially come for the collaboration event, but after finishing the prologue—before even reaching the event—they found themselves captivated by FGO itself.
Because a surprising number had watched Fate/Zero.
As for the actual collaboration event? Pure delight!
Especially with Dark Night Decree as a point of comparison.
FGO's collaboration event outright proved that adapting manga into games wasn't the issue—Season Technology was!
Just look at the character art! The quality! The presentation! The sincerity!
By the time Jian Yinghua returned to the group chat, readers were already raving.
His message was quickly buried under the flood of excited replies.
"Ahhh, I almost missed this! This is amazing! Isn't this collab way better than that so-called 'official adaptation'?"
"Saw Teacher Rumi's post and tried it out, thought I'd just laugh at another Dark Night Decree clone... but is this really the same thing?"
"Incredible! I thought all mobile games were like Dark Night Decree—didn't expect the gap to be this huge."
"Putting everything else aside, the art alone gets a perfect ten—absolute annihilation!!"
"Wait, FGO's presentation is this good??? How could Dark Night Decree even claim they weren't half-assing it? Did they not look at their own game?"
"When that FGO community manager dropped that 'dogshit industry peers' line, it said everything. But seriously, the difference is staggering. Those Noble Phantasm animations? Flawless. No wonder Teacher Rumi recommended FGO after yesterday's farce—she must've known its quality. Combined with her saying she couldn't intervene there... tsk tsk.
Enough talk, I'm diving into the story—it looks fascinating!"
"Hahaha... can't clear the collab quests without good cards, so I tried the main story. Anyone else think FGO's original plot is pretty engaging too?"
"..."
Jian Yinghua smiled at the flood of messages, realizing his recommendation wasn't needed.
Truthfully,
He'd come to post precisely because he felt such a well-crafted, sincere game shouldn't be overshadowed by Dark Night Decree's infamy—especially with yesterday's rage still fresh.
What a joke of an "official adaptation."
Now that everyone was discussing it, he said no more, eagerly picking up his phone to continue playing.
Soon, however, he hit the same wall as his fellow readers:
He couldn't clear it.
The collaboration event's difficulty wasn't extreme, but it wasn't a cakewalk either. Veteran FGO players or those with some experience could enjoy the story directly,
But for newcomers like Jian Yinghua? Quite challenging...
The tough battle came right at the end of the prologue—just as FGO characters were about to meet Dark Night's collab cast.
The frustration gnawed at him like cat claws.
After some thought, he checked the forums.
There, he discovered... FGO's popularity had quietly eclipsed Dark Night Decree's, becoming the hot topic.
But unlike the universal scorn for Dark Night Decree, FGO's reception was entirely different.
FGO players praised the collab's story and marveled at its quality,
While Dark Night readers mostly shared one complaint:
They couldn't clear it.
And came seeking help.
FGO veterans eagerly offered advice—level up Servants, upgrade skills,
Recommended top-tier support Servants and cost-effective attackers,
Assuring them that with enough levels and proper Command Spell usage, most content would be manageable.
However,
This required engaging with FGO's core systems...
Here, Jian Yinghua recalled Observer Route's opening that he'd barely scratched, his interest piqued.
Though he'd come for the collab, the game's quality had inevitably drawn him to its original content.
With that,
He picked up his phone again, temporarily abandoning the collab.
Whatever.
Since he couldn't progress now,
Might as well explore the main game.
As he tapped into Observer Route,
His face glowed under the phone's light.
The Fifth Holy Grail War. Fate/stay night's logo appeared.
And then...
"Whoa, this art style, this presentation... insane!"
"This time it's about teenagers? Not the uncle protagonist?"
"Wait—isn't that Rin Tohsaka?"
"..."
As the story unfolded,
Charming characters like Shirou Emiya, Saber, Archer, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou made their entrances.
The narrative progressed seamlessly.
In his room,
Jian Yinghua slowly fell under its spell. Though he'd come for the collab, he now found the main story equally compelling...
This was precisely why Tang Yao hadn't made the collab event too easy.
She believed Dark Night readers likely knew Fate/Zero.
And Fate/Zero viewers could seamlessly transition into Observer Route—but even newcomers could enjoy the main story.
The collab was temporary—Tang Yao planned no reruns for at least two years.
But the main story would keep updating... Converting manga readers into long-term players was the real goal.
Judging by Jian Yinghua's experience,
Without a doubt,
Tang Yao had succeeded.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
One hour.
Two hours.
Jian Yinghua, who'd come for the collab, spent two straight hours on Observer Route.
Not a trace of impatience showed.
Only pure enjoyment.
When the game guided him to the gacha page at another story node,
He stared at the rate-up banner, hesitated briefly... then instinctively tapped the purchase button.
Well... Before rolling the collab gacha, he might as well try FGO's standard pool. His entertainment budget still had room this month.
FGO's Servants looked intriguing too!
And this—
This very scene Ji Fuliang had dreamed of—
Was simultaneously unfolding for countless other players...