Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Fact Is, This Too Is the Grace of Reflecting Myriad Stars
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"Kim Junghwan, did you maybe take a wrong turn and end up in the rich neighborhood?"
"This is the rich neighborhood."
"I'm not rich, though."
"But you are an Awakener."
The Awakener-exclusive detached houses were located in what we commonly call a 'rich neighborhood.'
I'd never even been to this area before.
Every house we passed was so grand it left my jaw on the floor, so I asked Kim Junghwan just to be sure.
"These houses I'm seeing right now... are they all...?"
"You're asking if they're all Awakener support housing?"
"...They are?"
"No, they're not."
Phew.
For some reason, I let out a sigh of relief.
If they gave me a house this extravagant, I'd feel too burdened to even live in it.
"Of course, it makes sense. Wouldn't bunching all the Awakeners together cause all sorts of problems?"
"Ah. Yeah, you're right."
Paparazzi.
Obsessive fans.
Or even crazies jealous of Awakeners who might come sniffing around. Putting Awakeners all in one spot isn't the smartest move.
"It's a neighborhood where all sorts live—big corp chairmen, actors, influencers, you name it."
Pfft.
"Hm? Why are you laughing?"
"Oh... uh, no. Just had a funny thought."
Kim Junghwan must have been baffled.
There wasn't a single punchline in what he'd just said.
It was just that hearing 'big corp chairman' made me think of Ayase's stream sponsor chairman, and I burst out laughing.
...Hearing 'big corp chairman' and first thinking of an internet broadcast? Guess I'm a pretty hardcore internet broadcast addict myself.
Anyway, no matter how spacious a 2,300-square-foot detached house might be...
It still wouldn't compare to these chairman-level mansions.
Truth be told, I still couldn't grasp how big 2,300 square feet even was.
For someone like me living in a roughly 170-square-foot one-room with zero soundproofing where I could hear every noise from the neighbors above and below, a 2,300-square-foot detached house was unimaginably vast.
And a little later.
When he introduced it as, 'This is the house Miss Jia will be moving into.'
"Is this some hidden camera prank?"
"Why bring up hidden cameras out of nowhere?"
First, I suspected it was fake.
"Does this even make sense?"
"Uh... what about it doesn't?"
Then, I denied it.
"This is really my new house?"
"Look, can't you see the construction going on?"
"Whoa."
Only on the third try did I finally accept it.
If I had to sum up my first impression of the 2,300-square-foot detached house in one phrase:
A mansion straight out of a movie.
That's exactly the vibe it gave off.
The house came with a lawn out front, and apparently the yard didn't count toward the floor space because it looked at least 1,000 square feet on its own.
The layout was first floor for living room and dining; second floor for bedrooms; and basement training ground.
Sure enough, the built-in basement training area made it clear this place was designed from the start for Awakeners.
Clang, clang.
Rhythmic hammering echoed from the basement.
Before heading down to the under-construction training ground, Kim Junghwan gave me a tour of the house.
And from my mouth came nonstop idiot noises like 'Whoa, wow, ooh.'
Maybe enjoying my reactions, he grinned and said,
"Like it?"
"Like it? Honestly... it's too overwhelming."
"No need to feel overwhelmed. You're an Awakener, Miss Jia."
That damn Awakener thing again.
Look, I still don't feel like an Awakener yet.
Hmm.
Is this how a rags-to-riches overnight millionaire feels?
I owe Reflecting Myriad Stars a bow of gratitude for turning me into a Fervent Devotee.
After a quick look around the house, we headed to the basement.
The training ground—which it had been—was already halfway converted into a streaming studio.
The exterior was mostly done, so now it was time for the fine details.
Soon, I started inspecting the studio closely and listing my requirements to Kim Junghwan one by one.
You might think, 'Can't you just stream with a decent PC and a mic?'
No, it's not that simple.
Shared gear like Stream Deck and audio interfaces.
Lighting and high-quality cams for cam streamers.
Tracking cameras for VTubers, and so on.
I'm just lazing around with freebies from that ultimate scam app, the 'Omnia Archive program.'
To stream smoothly, you need a ton of equipment.
People who don't know VTubing often say it's total free money.
What nonsense.
Even rigging costs hundreds of thousands minimum.
New outfits? Hundreds more each time.
Releasing a cover song? Hundreds again.
Full tracking gear is so pricey most rent it daily for tens of thousands.
Original song release? Hundreds on top.
Being a VTuber actually costs more capital than cam streaming.
Ayase's Naraka map from that disaster stream?
She outsourced that to pro map makers for big bucks.
What's even crazier is that top-tier VTubers like Ayase aren't the only ones reinvesting like this—mid-tier ones do too.
No matter how fatally charming someone is, showing the same look forever gets old.
To establish yourself as a proper VTuber, you need periodic rigging renewals and new outfits.
The pinnacle of VTuber gear? Motion capture, hands down.
Motion capture.
Unlike full tracking that only handles joint movements, it delivers near-photorealistic motion—the ultimate for VTubers.
Truth is, motion capture sees more use in movies and dramas than VTubing.
Yeah.
It's astronomically expensive.
Not something an individual can handle.
And yet.
I plan to turn this streaming studio into a motion capture studio.
Well.
Motion capture in name only—strictly speaking, it's not real motion capture.
Maybe I should call it 'Myriad Motion Capture.'
Thanks to Reflecting Myriad Stars and the Omnia Archive, I can achieve motion capture-level movement without the skintight suit or sensors.
Makes me appreciate Reflecting Myriad Stars even more for creating the 'Omnia Archive program.'
I worship you.
God-tier GOAT.
When I revealed my plan to convert it into a motion capture studio, Kim Junghwan fiddled with his phone for a bit, then let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"...Miss Jia, do you know how much a motion capture studio costs?"
"Roughly, yeah. Cheap setup runs tens of millions; decent one, hundreds of millions. Full pro? Billions."
"You know that and still... Sigh... This puts us in a tough spot too."
"Ah, don't misunderstand. I'm not asking for funding—just the structure..."
Before I could finish.
Kim Junghwan's phone rang.
He answered, and his back bent ninety degrees.
"Yes, sir! Chief Investigator Kim Junghwan of the Awakener Association reporting! I've taken the call!"
Kim Junghwan stepped out to the yard.
...The sight of Kim Junghwan's back bending like a bow at a call from some bigwig was so clichéd I was speechless.
It really hit home how high up Scheduled Hwan really was.
Why Scheduled Hwan called Kim Junghwan? Obvious.
Probably to discuss that item incident from earlier.
A moment later.
Kim Junghwan returned looking much relieved.
I asked him,
"How'd it go?"
I'm an Awakener directly tied to 'Anomalous Phenomena and the Truth of Items,' so it's fine for me to be curious, right?
"Phew, one worry down. Yes, he approved it."
"...Approved?"
What fresh nonsense is this?
I didn't even ask for anything—why's 'approval' coming up?
"The motion capture studio."
"...Huh?"
"He said for someone like you, Miss Jia, a few hundred million is fine—he approved it readily."
"W-Wait, hold on! Wasn't this about the Anomalous Phenomenon and item discussion?"
"Pardon? No... That's not something to handle over a call anyway. Don't worry about the studio. While I was out, I called the gear team and asked them to look into motion capture equipment..."
I stared blankly for a second.
Then I said to Kim Junghwan,
"Call them back and cancel it right now."
"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"
"You gotta listen till the end. I don't need fancy motion capture gear. Just a few good tracking cameras will do."
"...How is that motion capture? That's just full tracking. And you're not even human."
Indeed.
Kim Junghwan, seasoned in VTuber streams, knew the difference between motion capture and full tracking perfectly.
However.
He overlooked one thing.
"Kim Junghwan, you know my rigging quality, right?"
"Of course. Top of the industry. Like motion capture... Ah. Uh...?"
Hmm.
He finally got it.
Kim Junghwan knows I can't afford actual motion capture.
"How do you pull that off?"
"This too is the grace of Reflecting Myriad Stars."
"...Don't joke—tell me properly."
The surprising part?
It really is thanks to Reflecting Myriad Stars' grace.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I'm back.
To my beloved home.
The first thing to greet me upon returning was yet another Post-it on the front door.
[Stop eating fermented skate, the smell wafts down.]
Damn.
Why are bad feelings always spot on?
Looks like the fermented skate stench really seeped through the floor hole to the downstairs neighbors.
I had a little dream for a moment.
A sweet dream of living in a mansion with a second floor and basement.
But reality is cruel.
The traces of Blasphemy's Price asserting its presence on the floor.
The lingering ammonia stink of fermented skate that wouldn't fade even after airing out the windows.
Garbage strewn everywhere haphazardly.
Yeah, this is home, this is life.
"..."
Before I move out, I gotta give the neighbors a piece of my mind.