Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Time to Change Strategy (2)
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Lately, I'd been thinking along those lines.
'Shouldn't the Radiance Church start building some recognition by now?'
It made sense. Unlike the outskirts, the city residents weren't quick to open their hearts to an unheard-of religion. Simple charity work had its limits, and gathering believers while hiding the church's true nature was starting to feel like a contradiction.
In the outskirts, we'd overcome that issue with visible miracles... But the city was a hotspot for dangerous factions' attention. We had to be far more cautious about using abilities here than before.
So, it seemed like time to tweak our strategy a bit.
'To expand the church here, instead of relying on my miracles alone... maybe we need to appeal to the appeal of the community itself.'
The church did need some proper recognition now.
But drawing reckless attention was still premature.
If weird rumors or controversies cropped up just as we were entering the city, it'd be a disaster.
That was the dilemma. Ignoring the burning public opinion from VR broadcast viewers wasn't easy either.
What seemed trivial could snowball unpredictably.
'What a headache...'
So, I finally decided to accept Rico's invitation for the guest spot.
If I properly explained the truth about the Radiance Church and the worship broadcasts just once, the excessive mystique drawing all that attention would fade away.
There was also my self-assessment behind it.
Everyone was curious about the mysterious saintess right now, but compared to real broadcasters like Rico with their overflowing talent, it was natural that I lacked eloquence or any standout charm.
If I just revealed a bit more about myself in this interview, wouldn't that solve everything?
It was a way to dial back the undue interest while keeping appropriate recognition.
And so, I met Rico again after just a few days.
The venue was one of the public studios owned by Starlit Entertainment.
"Eve! Come on in!"
I waved back at her warm welcome.
"Long time no see, Rico."
"Last time was at the concert, right?! How was the show?!"
"Didn't I tell you over the call?"
"Still! I wanted to hear it again in person!"
Giving in to her insistence, I shared my honest impressions.
"It was... incredible. Rico on stage seemed like a completely different person from the one I knew. You were so cool."
As I answered as she wished, Rico blushed and stammered.
"...Th-thanks."
"......"
An awkward silence unfit for her. She couldn't quite meet my eyes, just fidgeting with her fingers.
'She was fine on the call, but she's still like this.'
Anyway, we had work to do together today, and talking about that gradually eased the awkwardness.
"I watched a few of your guest episodes, Rico. Some run super long, others end quick?"
"Oh, yeah! It depends on the guest's schedule and stuff, plus how well we vibe—that sets the collab length. And honestly, it's less a formal interview and more casual talk."
We walked down the studio hallway.
Hologram posters of famous affiliates glowed alternately on the walls.
Staff bustled by, faint music leaked from door cracks.
It was lively, a bit chaotic.
"No need to tense up, Eve. Just think of it as hanging out with me for a bit."
As we continued down the hall, Rico briefed me on the upcoming collab, explaining patiently in terms I could grasp. She even covered thoughtful details I'd never considered.
'Pros are pros, huh.'
Before we knew it, chatting away, we reached the VR access room.
I'd heard it was newly set up for her.
The backing of a major agency showed—top-spec broadcast gear lined up.
Rico picked one and said,
"I'll explain the rest while we set up in VR."
She deftly unplugged a cable and jacked it into her neck port. Then handed me another.
"Here, Eve."
"Thanks."
I took the cable, pulled out my helmet-style connector, and plugged it in.
Watching, Rico tilted her head.
"Huh? What's that? Looks ancient. Why use something like that, Eve?"
It was. This helmet-style wearable VR connector was a model discontinued over a decade ago.
After direct brain-nerve implant tech went mainstream, it was inferior to new ones that just needed a single plug into the implant port. Plus, long sessions wrecked your neck.
But I had my reasons for sticking with it.
"My body doesn't have neural implants."
Sure, I could mod an external wearable to cutting-edge if I shelled out... but those were mostly custom jobs, rare on the market.
And I hadn't anticipated worship broadcasts scaling up like this at the start.
Hearing my answer, Rico stared blankly for a moment, then gasped "Ah!" as realization dawned.
"That's why...! You broadcast via scanning, not avatar!"
"Yeah, exactly."
That explained why I didn't use avatar functions in VR.
In the implant-optimized modern VR environment, old connectors frequently glitched if avatar data mismatched the user's real body—brainwave sync errors galore.
Plus, since broadcasts were just for believers originally, no need for a fancy avatar.
Rico stammered, flustered by my reply.
"R-right. Yeah... I had no idea. Not to this extent..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Conversations like this naturally revealed she lived in a different world from mine.
But that was fine. Rico wasn't the type to give up easily.
She just had to do what she could, give her all right now.
'This guest spot has to succeed.'
It started as a light suggestion, but she'd prepared thoroughly.
She wanted to help Eve.
The church concept—she didn't fully grasp it yet—but she knew Eve cherished it.
'Just introduce it super positively and cool...!'
Piece of cake.
VR broadcasting? Rico was a pro. Confident.
She nimbly manipulated the system menu, snapped her fingers.
"Ta-da!"
The bland VR space transformed into a dreamy landscape in an instant.
"....!"
A glass palace garden nestled in a blue forest.
Beyond the transparent glass ceiling, countless stars twinkled.
Center of the garden, blooming with rare unnamed flowers.
A pristine white tea table and two chairs.
Crowded with lavish pastries and treats. Not real, but data packs mimicking taste and aroma perfectly.
All prepped specially for this collab.
Rico looked around and said,
"Usually we game or run special sim packages with guests. But for Eve's image, it's an elegant ladies' tea time!"
After a bit more setup and tweaks to broadcast settings, Rico asked,
"Got the guidelines? Ready to start?"
"Yeah, all set."
"Alright, let's go."
No hesitation.
The moment Rico hit stream start, the pre-waiting chat exploded.
Viewers gathered since the announcement.
AR interface chat flew by too fast to follow.
🔥 LIVE CHAT EXPLODING 🔥 [Lurking] [Open the door] [Open open open open] [Please] [Today right?] [Lurking] [Send help] [Coming???] Rico steeled herself watching it.
Can't screw up. No—make it legendary.
The moment she resolved, her eyes sharpened.
Awkwardness gone, the pro streamer's polished smile emerged for her millions of subs.
Rico amped up her energy and kicked off the broadcast.
"Everyone waited long?! Today's guest spot! She's—"
Her confident voice echoed across the stream watched by masses.
"The enigmatic saintess awaiting you in the forest chapel... Eve!"
On cue, the girl gave a slightly stiff greeting.
"Hello, everyone."
The star everyone's awaited appeared. Chat reaction? Explosive.
"Tons of questions about this guest, right?! Yeah, I know! So today, one by—"
Vibe was good. Rico planned to ride this smoothly.
Interviews like this? Hundreds under her belt. Weird questions? Fine. Rude donations? Handled.
She could orchestrate it all.
But right then—
💰 MASSIVE DONATION! 💰 W.shark has donated 1,000,000 Coins!!! [Message: Saintess, you're so pretty]
A blaring sound effect shook the VR space, startling them both.
Then, center screen: the message.
Chat froze in stunned silence.
Moments later, a dumb noise escaped Rico.
"Wha...."
An unforeseen curveball, despite all prep.
Rico doubted her eyes.
"A million...?"
In Lucid Connect, 10 coins = 1 credit dollar.
That blast? 100,000 credit dollars cash.
'Uh....?'
The rumored daily personal donation cap in Lucid Connect—pure theory, ignored by all.
No one expected it to happen.
But now, before her...
Even Rico's long career: first time facing this.
Her mind reeled.
Chat caught up and went berserk.
💥 CHAT FREAKOUT 💥 [What] [?? ㄷㄷ What?] [Mil...lion...?] [????] [Bug?] [???] [Whoa] [Huh] Normally, a huge opener like this could derail the stream—donor gets side-eye.
But this? So massive it shattered norms... could hijack the flow entirely.
Thus, all swept up in the pre-start bomb.
".....?"
Amid it, Eve at the epicenter just adorably tilted her head.
Utterly clueless what happened.
Seeing those innocent eyes, Rico's confidence evaporated.
Come to think: yeah.
This girl always surpassed her expectations.
'Can I pull this collab off safely?'
Now, zero certainty.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Right before stream start, Rico advised me.
"If live chat or donations stress you, ignore 'em, Eve. I'll relay key stuff."
"Thanks."
I'm a total noob here anyway.
Worried I'd slip up stressing, I followed it.
Let me chat casually one-on-one with Rico.
She filtered viewer questions perfectly.
So I explained the church and worship broadcasts exactly as intended.
Collab wrapped in an hour.
"Whew, finally done."
I sighed in relief. Felt like I'd neatly solved that nagging issue.
Now, external viewers on worship streams? Whatever. Proceed carefree.
So I thanked Rico sincerely.
"Thanks so much for helping today. No clue how I'd have managed alone."
But oddly, she shook her head, looking utterly drained.
"...No, Eve. This stream..."
"Huh? Didn't it go great?"
"No, it's... I really don't know how it'll land. Sorry. Truly sorry."
Rico apologized with a complex, subtle expression.
I was just baffled.
".....?"