Chapter 51: The Cross-Dressing Game Streamer is Actually… (3)
Two days later.
“Zhao Xiyou, could you… lend me some money?” Huo Xian asked, embarrassed.
“Huh?” Zhao Xiyou, who had just finished streaming, was a little stunned by the sudden question. After the initial shock, his expression became a bit conflicted. Lending money… was not an interaction that should happen between dorm mates. Especially since he knew Huo Xian had a sick grandmother and relied entirely on part-time jobs for his living expenses. If he lent him the money, would he ever get it back?
As if sensing his hesitation, Huo Xian quickly said, “If it’s not convenient for you, I’ll ask Yin Pei.” He reached for his phone as he spoke.
“Wait…” The moment he heard Yin Pei’s name, alarm bells went off in Zhao Xiyou’s mind. He kept his composure and said, “It’s not inconvenient. I just don’t know how much you need. Let me see if I have enough.”
Hearing this, Huo Xian gave a slightly shy smile. “I want to borrow 3,000. Don’t worry, my stream has been doing well this week. I’ll pay you back next month when the tips come in.”
Zhao Xiyou was slightly taken aback. What Huo Xian said implied that his tips had already reached 3,000?
He was a little surprised, but not jealous. His own tips from streaming over the past week amounted to several thousand, so he had no reason to be jealous of Huo Xian. He quickly transferred 3,000 yuan to Huo Xian and asked casually, “Are you planning to buy something?”
Huo Xian nodded. “I want to buy Immortal Realm and a VR headset.”
In this world, games had to be purchased to be played, and they often came with a dedicated VR headset. Of course, wealthy players could buy a universal VR headset, but with Huo Xian’s current financial situation, he’d have to sell a kidney to afford one.
Zhao Xiyou’s movements paused slightly. “I remember Immortal Realm having pretty high computer spec requirements, right?” His gaze swept over the laptop he had sold to Huo Xian after upgrading, not believing it could run the game.
“There’s a simplified version,” Huo Xian replied.
“The simplified version doesn’t provide a good experience. If you use it for streaming, you might lose viewers because of it,” Zhao Xiyou said honestly.
To this, Huo Xian only showed a helpless expression. “I’ll have to make do for now.”
Zhao Xiyou didn’t say anything more. He was currently using Yin Pei’s computer, so in a way, he had taken advantage of Huo Xian. Once his stream took off, he would help Huo Xian out to repay the favor.
“The open beta for Immortal Realm starts at 12 PM tomorrow, so I won’t be streaming in the morning.” After a few rounds of Xiangshan Chicken Dinner today, Huo Xian stopped playing and started interacting with the bullet chat. “I probably won’t be streaming Xiangshan Chicken Dinner for a while either. My computer specs aren’t good enough, and the Immortal Realm client is huge. I need to clean up my computer to make space for it.”
Just as he finished speaking, the rich fan in his stream with the ID “Sponsor Daddy” dropped 10 Invincible Qingguos on him with a message: Get a new computer. Daddy’s got you covered.
The bullet chat immediately exploded with a whole row of “Sponsor Daddy is so cool.”
Huo Xian was used to this sponsor’s generosity. “Thank you for the Invincible Qingguos, Sponsor. But the money won’t arrive until next month, so I’ll have to wait a while.” He paused, and seeing some haters in the bullet chat saying he might as well have ‘I want money’ tattooed on his forehead, he didn’t get angry and said slowly, “If I weren’t broke, I wouldn’t have become a game streamer. Wouldn’t it be nice to just lie at home and count money?”
【Hahahahahaha, lying around counting money, what a dream!】
【Today is another day of the streamer’s split personality～】
【The streamer is so perfect, I love him so much. Streamer, I want to have your babies～～】
【Streamer, are you looking for a girlfriend? The kind who’s been to college and can serve tea and water!】
【…】
When Huo Xian played games, he was a man of few words and ruthless in his actions. But when he finished streaming and interacted with the bullet chat, he was… how should one put it? He wasn’t flirty, but he wasn’t exactly serious either.
For example, right now, seeing the bullet chat comment from someone who wanted to be his girlfriend, he replied in a deadpan voice, “Online dating is too dangerous, you must be cautious.” Then, he switched styles in a second. “Especially when the other person is already taken.”
【What? Did I hear that right?】
【Did the streamer say he has a wife or a husband? My hearing isn’t great.】
【You must be new here. Our cross-dressing streamer is actually not single at all.】
【The streamer got married young!】
【Ah??????】
【Holy crap, the streamer is so young and already married????】
【Holy crap, which little vixen stole the streamer away? Let’s fight to the death, winner gets the streamer!】
【Streamer, hurry up and call your wife over. I’ve been waiting all day!】
【…】
Huo Xian reached out and poked Huo Yuan, who was lying just out of the camera’s view by the laptop’s heat vent, playing with his paws. He smiled and said, “Baby, the fans are calling for you. Want to show your face?”
“Meow.” [Huo Xian, stop calling me by weird names.]
【Aww, I heard the little baby’s voice!】
【So the wifey is right there, let us have a look!】
【My lord, I’m here～】
【…】
Huo Xian never used Huo Yuan to attract fans, but being cute was a weapon in itself. Even though Huo Yuan had only appeared on camera a few times, many cat lovers had come just for him, making Huo Xian almost think he was a pet streamer.
Huo Yuan didn’t want to move from his spot by the heat vent. Now that he was a cat, he was afraid of the cold. Even with the dorm’s heating, it wasn’t enough. He loved to just lie around. Most importantly, walking on four legs felt awkward, and he had a tail!
So, Huo Xian had no choice but to turn the camera towards Huo Yuan.
A small, fluffy white ball with a pair of round, glistening eyes stared at the camera. The audience felt as if they could see the curiosity in those round eyes through the screen.
So, so, so cute!
The bullet chat went into a frenzy.
Huo Xian reached out a finger to poke Huo Yuan’s paw. Huo Yuan looked at his little paw, then at Huo Xian’s finger, which was thicker than his leg, and couldn’t help but feel depressed. Why didn’t he check the exchange level more carefully back then? Being a cat was just wrong in every way.
“You’ve been lying around all day. How about some exercise?” Huo Xian scratched his chin and said in a gentle voice.
“Meow～” [I don’t want to move.] Huo Yuan hugged Huo Xian’s mischievous finger to stop him from scratching.
“Are you hungry? Should I make you some goat milk? Or a pouch of wet food?” Huo Xian asked.
“Meow meow meow.” [I don’t want goat milk, I want the wet food pouch.]
“You had a wet food pouch yesterday, you can’t have another one today. I’ll go make you some goat milk.” Now that Huo Xian was a cat owner, he had to be a responsible one.
“Meow!” [Then why did you even give me a choice!]
The viewers in the stream watched the interaction between the man and the cat, thoroughly amused. Of course, no one would have guessed that their communication was actually seamless.
The next day.
After six years of promotion and three closed betas, Immortal Realm, the game eagerly awaited by countless fans, was finally in open beta.
However, despite the anticipation, working professionals and busy people clearly had no time for the game. Furthermore, the game itself and the VR headset cost 3,000 yuan, and after the trial period, a subscription fee was required. So, those with limited financial means would not even consider buying it.
This was why people watched streams of Immortal Realm.
Thanks to the rich fan, Sponsor Daddy, Huo Xian’s stream now had over 40,000 followers. But the main reason he was able to retain his fans was his solid skills. At the very least, watching him get a chicken dinner was always a satisfying experience.
At 12 PM sharp, Huo Xian entered his account and password and logged into the game.
The background of Immortal Realm was an Eastern fantasy setting, the path of cultivation. The game was divided into two factions: Immortal Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators, each with 12 sects. Players would choose a faction and then a sect. They could switch factions later through quests, but it was extremely costly. Therefore, the pros on the Immortal Realm forums repeatedly emphasized the importance of choosing a faction carefully.
On the Immortal Cultivator selection screen, the 12 sects were represented by characters shining with golden light, exuding an ethereal aura. The Demonic Cultivators, on the other hand, had a darker color scheme, looking seductive and vibrant. Each had its own charm.
Although there were many choices, the game mechanics remained the same.
“Huo Yuan, help me pick a faction?” Huo Xian was having trouble deciding again, so he decided not to make things difficult for himself.
Huo Yuan pushed the mouse with his little paw. The Immortal Cultivator faction lit up on the screen. He pressed the left mouse button to select it. Then, he looked through the sects one by one and chose the Wan Jian Sect, represented by a character in flowing white robes holding a long sword.
Huo Xian raised an eyebrow. “I think Zhao Xiyou is also in the Wan Jian Sect.”
[It’s not ‘I think’, he is.] Huo Yuan replied. [Since you’re both in the Wan Jian Sect, I’m sure you can completely crush him!]
“You have that much confidence in me?” Huo Xian patted his head.
[Mhm!] He had personally experienced Huo Xian’s previous world mission and was completely in awe of him.
After selecting his faction and sect, Huo Xian spent some time on character creation. In Immortal Realm, you could customize your character’s face for free once during creation. If you wanted to change it later in the game, you would have to pay a hefty price.
Huo Xian thought for a moment and created a face that looked like Huo Yuan.
Huo Yuan: “Meow meow meow?”
But soon, he cleared the face data himself. Huo Yuan was too adorable, and he was content to admire him alone. There was no need to show him to others.
So, he made the face look like the Son of Destiny from the previous mission world. At least he had looked at that face for many years and was used to it.
When it came to picking a name, he ran into trouble again. Every name he could think of was already taken. In the end, he simply typed in “Demon Lord,” and it actually went through.
The popularity of Immortal Realm was beyond expectations. Even after Huo Xian had specially reassembled and cleaned his computer, it still struggled to keep up. Just loading the map took a full three minutes, and then in a remote newbie village on a server hundreds of channels away, the game was still a slideshow. Forget about accepting quests and leveling up; even walking was difficult after hiding other players.
[Huo Xian, go do the hidden quests. There are attribute point rewards.] Huo Yuan suddenly suggested.
The character attributes in Immortal Realm were standard, mainly including Constitution, Strength, Agility, and Spirit. In addition to the base attribute points, players received attribute points for each level up. Since the base and level-up attribute points were fixed, if a player wanted to have good stats, besides getting or crafting equipment, they could also find hidden quests in the game or defeat hidden bosses in dungeons.
“You know where the hidden quests are?” Huo Xian asked curiously.
Huo Yuan replied cheerfully, [This is probably the biggest advantage the manager gave us. As long as there’s an internet connection, I can connect to it. I just snuck into the Immortal Realm story design department and copied all the game’s storylines, including the hidden ones.]
Huo Xian’s mouth twitched. He asked faintly, “How many words do you plan on writing for your self-criticism this time?”
Huo Yuan: […]
He threw caution to the wind. [Not a single word. Go ahead and report me if you dare!]
Huo Xian: “…”
He really didn’t dare. Who would believe that a cat could do such a thing? Even if someone did believe it, he couldn’t bear to give his little cutie away.
So, he braved the slideshow-like screen to first pick up items and do hidden quests. However, the game was in its third beta, and many expert players had already compiled guides on how to obtain most of the attribute points. Even for picking up items, he had to wait in line.
Emmmmm…
Playing a game is so hard.
Fortunately, the officials soon added another two hundred channels. Huo Xian immediately switched channels and, taking advantage of the lack of players, rushed to complete his quests. When his stream started at 2 PM, he connected directly to Immortal Realm.
At level 10, there was the first newbie village dungeon, [Wild Wolf Cave]. To leave the newbie village and go to the town near your sect, you had to first obtain a quest item dropped by the boss, which made it a mandatory dungeon quest.
Huo Xian started his stream, planning to begin his first Immortal Realm stream with [Wild Wolf Cave].
[Wild Wolf Cave] was a dungeon that was very unfriendly to melee classes, so people at the dungeon entrance were all looking for ranged classes or tanks. Huo Xian tried to join a few groups that were recruiting, but he was rejected by all of them.
“Since I can’t get into a team, I’ll try to solo it.”
【???????????】
【?????】
【Holy crap, streamer, if you want to die, this isn’t the way to do it. You’re going to solo Wild Wolf Cave in that trash gear????】
【Waiting for the streamer to die and come back out.】
【Streamer, this isn’t how you show off your skills.】
【My secondhand embarrassment is acting up again…】
【My toes are cringing a villa into existence.】
【…】
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