Lu Liran looked at Jin Fei. “I'll earn it.”
Jin Fei let out a breath. “If there's anything you need, just say the word.”
Lu Liran acknowledged him but said nothing more.
He carried Lu Ziqian back to the nursery and kept him company for a while. Before long, the little fellow seemed to grow tired and drifted lazily back to sleep.
Lu Liran went quietly downstairs, entered the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of strong liquor.
He needed larger bounties and better returns. How difficult the work might be was a secondary concern.
Jin Fei noticed and followed him inside without a word.
As though it had caught Lu Liran's thoughts, the panel displayed a line of pale-gold text. The characters hovered in midair, seeming almost to flow:
[The newly unlocked interstellar livestream function can help you earn larger bounties for the same degree of risk. Popularity Points and tips generated during a livestream can both be converted into cash at the corresponding rates.]
Lu Liran paused, then looked up at Jin Fei. “Have you ever heard of livestreaming?”
Jin Fei: “?”
Apparently he didn't know anything about it either, Lu Liran thought.
A new line of information appeared on the panel:
[However, livestreaming requires you to interact with your audience at least occasionally. Otherwise, viewers will leave, and there will be no further Popularity Points or tips. You can watch how other people conduct their interstellar livestreams.]
Lu Liran paused and muttered inwardly that this was true enough. Who knew what he was supposed to say during a livestream? He would have to watch and learn.
He opened the interstellar livestreaming platform and found that most of the broadcasts were home-based—cooking at home, at-home aerobics instructors, home gaming champions, singers performing from home…
Lu Liran also spotted an outdoor-livestreaming category. Intrigued, he clicked in for a look, then backed out again with a completely expressionless face.
He tapped a livestream on his optical computer that was labeled “Wilderness Survival” and couldn't resist complaining to Jin Fei. “They dare call this wilderness survival?”
It was clearly just some rich second-generation heir flying around in an airship capable of capturing and projecting moving images, taking his viewers on a sightseeing tour.
The airship was covered inside and out with more than ten thousand high-definition 8K cameras, which projected the scenery directly into the cabin. It made passengers feel as if they were standing amid the landscape rather than sitting inside an airship.
Because the technology was so expensive, it was rarely used for private entertainment. Only the extravagantly wealthy children of the rich would indulge in something like this, and the airship's owner had completely fooled the vast majority of his viewers, who had never seen anything of the kind.
Lu Liran saw through the trick at a glance. After all, the core concept behind the technology had originated with the Lu Group.
Jin Fei struggled to contain a smile. “Young Master, are you thinking of starting a livestream? If you do, you'll certainly be a breath of fresh air in that category.”
For a moment, Lu Liran couldn't tell whether his housekeeper was complimenting him or making fun of him.
He showed Jin Fei the leaderboard for tips received. The highest-ranked streamer had earned well over a hundred thousand star coins in seven days, and even that rich kid's pitiful excuse for “survival” had made the list.
The housekeeper's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Then he declared, “Young Master, you absolutely must start a livestream! If even that can make the rankings, it would be such a waste if you didn't!”
Lu Liran smiled, then murmured almost to himself, “First, let's hope my face doesn't scare all the viewers away.”
Jin Fei looked at him disapprovingly. “Your scars only make you look more heroic, Young Master. You might not look much like an omega, but what does that matter?”
Lu Liran couldn't help laughing. His housekeeper's fiercely protective streak was exactly the same as his family's.
He drained the strong liquor in his glass and casually switched on the television screen mounted above the fireplace.
The extraordinary interstellar war that had lasted seven years was finally drawing to a close. Lately, news about the Federation's First Commander had been everywhere.
“It is reported that the seven-year war has finally reached its conclusion today. Ke Ji, the Federation's First Commander, has declared victory for the Federation. The defeated forces will withdraw completely from our star system.”
The commander's mecha appeared on the screen. The Federation's First Commander had always presented himself to the public in that unique steel-blue mecha, and now rows upon rows of troops stood in orderly formation before him.
Watching the television, Jin Fei smiled faintly. “The war is finally over. We used to be among them, too.”
“By the way, Young Master, which unit were you in?” Jin Fei asked curiously.
“Mobile Unit One,” Lu Liran answered.
“Unit One? The unit directly under the commander himself? Then have you met His Excellency the Commander?” Jin Fei suddenly grew excited.
Lu Liran regarded his housekeeper with amusement. But it was hardly surprising. There wasn't a soldier who had fought in that war who didn't admire Ke Ji. If Ke Ji were standing right in front of him, Lu Liran supposed he would be trembling with excitement himself.
He narrowed his eyes as if searching his memory, then paused before answering, “I suppose… I've met him.”
Lu Liran finished the liquor in his glass. He was about to pour himself another when Jin Fei stopped him.
“Young Master, you've had quite enough to drink tonight.” Jin Fei gave him a reproving look.
Lu Liran had no choice but to withdraw his hand. He turned reluctantly and went upstairs, muttering, “All right, all right. Time for bed.”
Jin Fei gave a little laugh and switched off the television, completely missing the missing-person announcement that was being broadcast at that very moment—
“Lu Liqing, a Federation billionaire and heir to the Lu Group, is offering a substantial reward for information about his biological brother, who went missing during the war…”
A Note from the Author:
Lu Liran, back then: If I don't join the military, I'll have to go home and inherit a fortune worth billions.
Lu Liran, now: Wouldn't inheriting a fortune worth billions be wonderful???
