Truman fell silent for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of his teacup. For the first time, a faint, hard-to-detect loneliness showed in his eyes.
Xiao Wu sat at the table, cracking watermelon seeds one by one with a tool. Her hands suddenly stopped, and her pink-and-white rabbit ears slowly drooped.
She pushed the half-box of kernels she'd been saving for a while toward Truman, then tugged at his sleeve with her little hand. Her voice was soft and sweet:
"Creepy Uncle, are you unhappy?"
Truman froze, then pushed the paper box back toward her. His voice was as light as a breeze in the night. "It's nothing. I'm just missing home a little."
[Xiao Wu is so sweet! She spent ages cracking those seeds, then gave them away just like that. The nation's little sister!]
[Beauty and the Beast, little white rabbit and creepy uncle! I'm so into this!]
Truman turned to Lin Xiaoyu and said:
"I can't go back... Your authorities must have already investigated me. The result was that I don't exist, right?"
Special Incident Investigation Bureau.
Wang Jianjun looked through the documents in his hands, his face as calm as a still lake. "There's no record of him. He really isn't from our world!"
A technician beside him added, "Director Wang, the signal source is still in outer space! It's extremely distant, and we can't lock onto it."
Wang Jianjun looked back at the large screen. Truman's livestream was still going.
"A parallel world isn't all that surprising. But—"
Truman looked up at Lin Xiaoyu on the screen, his gaze so hazy it could make someone dizzy.
"In the world I came from, there was a girl who looked exactly like you. She brought the same book to life.
"I never thought I'd see 'Sister Lin' again after crossing over to Douluo Continent. Red and green adorn the twelve towers; sometimes, even I can't tell which of us is dreaming."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu seemed entranced. The cue card in her hand had pressed lines into her fingertips.
[Oh no, oh no, Sister Lin is falling for him!]
[The Yu-Men Faction is ecstatic! This cross-dimensional sense of destiny is off the charts!]
[Tsk, tsk. One livestream, two streamers, and they've connected three worlds!]
Lin Xiaoyu stared blankly at the boy on the screen, who was staring blankly at her.
Only when her assistant quietly approached, tugged at her sleeve, and handed her a new cue card did the wordless silence break.
Let feelings be feelings, and work return to work.
If Lin Xiaoyu changed out of her hanfu and into a business suit, she might become a diplomat—and not just any diplomat, but one between worlds.
"A fan who's a hang-gliding enthusiast asks: could you include last night's powered hang glider in your next giveaway?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't." Truman shrugged. "The system's gift list doesn't include a powered hang glider. Besides, there's no Soul Power in the real world. Even if you got one, it'd become a useless display piece before long."
"Lastly, there are some more unusual questions. You can choose whether or not to answer them."
Truman nodded and adjusted his posture. "Go ahead!"
"Many advertisers want to know whether they can place ads in your livestream. They're willing to pay a very substantial fee."
"Of course."
Truman smiled. "There are probably some mechanics you don't quite understand. The tips you send me in the livestream can be used to buy things in the real world.
"Once I buy something, of course I'll use it. And with this camera streaming around the clock, I'm practically a natural-born advertising icon!
"I don't know if your world has the movie The Truman Show, but my current situation is a super-plus version of Truman Burbank."
"We do. I even rewatched it last night, but your experience is far more fantastical than his!"
Lin Xiaoyu smiled as she spoke.
"So you're willing to accept product placements, right?"
"The price is negotiable." Truman raised one finger, his tone firm. "But I want complete control!"
He didn't want his perfectly good livestream cluttered with all kinds of garbage ads!
Besides, he was one of a kind. The advantage was his!
"Understood. Next question: some famous tech companies and materials research institutes want to work with you. They'd like you to help test how certain modern materials perform in an otherworldly Soul Power environment..."
"Those tech people sure think fast!"
Truman took the white powered hang glider from before out of his Storage Bag. Its enormous wingspan covered half the wall.
Xiao Wu had just put half a box of watermelon seed kernels in her mouth, but now she'd forgotten to chew. Her big eyes were round as saucers.
Truman deftly removed the silver Soul Power Battery mounted on it. It was an array of twelve size D batteries, and their original logos were still faintly visible.
The famous domestic brand, Fu batteries!
Truman explained, "This is the Soul Power Battery I modified—or you could call it a Soul Guidance Battery. It can power specially designed Soul Tools. It's the cornerstone of an industrial revolution in Soul Tools.
"But unfortunately, this kind of thing can't be transported to the real world."
Xiao Wu curiously leaned closer and poked the battery. A sharp ripple of Soul Power stung her fingertip, and she hastily pulled back her hand, her rabbit ears standing straight up.
"Creepy Uncle, i-it bites!"
Truman laughed at her and took a motor fitted with a fan from the shelf on his right. "It doesn't bite. It can even blow air!"
He connected the wires, and the fan began to spin. A cool breeze scattered the hair over Xiao Wu's forehead, revealing her flawless, pale skin.
Truman spread his hands and addressed the viewers in the livestream. "The system has strict limits. I'm only allowed to choose and purchase items from the gift list, then send them back to the viewers.
"You've seen the list. They're all little things with no technological value or destructive power. They won't—and can't—have much of an impact on the real world."
[Xiao Wu: The battery bites! She's too cute, I'm dying!]
[The streamer really is starting an industrial revolution!]
[Build production with one hand, seize opportunities with the other. Both hands have to be strong—that's what a protagonist should be!]
A hint of approval showed in Lin Xiaoyu's eyes. The cue cards in her hand were nearly depleted.
"Many cultural and tourism organizations also want to work with you to develop projects like Douluo Continent-themed amusement parks and tourist towns. Do you think that's feasible?"
"Cultural exchange is a good thing. I don't have any objections." Truman nodded. "I'll leave this sort of thing to you, Miss Lin. How does that sound?"
"Leave it to me?"
"Sure! I'm on Douluo Continent. I still have to cultivate, do research, flirt with girls... Ahem. In short, you can handle the projects and coordination, right?"
"N-no problem!"
"Then it's settled. Looking forward to working with you!"
Truman was a natural at leaving everything to someone else!
"One last question."
Lin Xiaoyu's tone turned especially solemn. She asked each word carefully:
"Is there anything we can do to help you? For example, if you need something in particular, we could try to find a way to send it to you."
Truman's fingertips paused. He looked at the dense comments filling the screen, then glanced at Xiao Wu beside him, whose eyelashes were almost brushing the fan blades. Suddenly, he smiled.
This time, there was no trace of his usual teasing in his smile, only an edge sharp enough to look down on the world!
Before you continue