The Second Batch of Pioneers

"Ma'am, how about I carry your vegetables home for you, and you pay me one copper coin?" [Deng Libuduo] hovered eagerly beside an old woman hobbling along with a basket of vegetables, reaching for the basket in her hand.

"Get lost." The Old Woman glared at him, clutched her basket protectively, and jabbed her cane hard against the ground. "So young, and already up to no good! You think you can take advantage of an old woman's bad legs, snatch my vegetables, and run? Not a chance! Pah!"

"..." [Deng Libuduo] flushed crimson with embarrassment and sheepishly stepped aside.

Behind him, Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan, one carrying the "Chef God" sign and the other the "Restaurant" sign, exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison.

Zhang Bao took out his brush and paper and quickly wrote in the notebook he carried: "Helping the old woman carry vegetables: failed."

"Hey, young fellow, how about I carry your firewood for you, and you pay me one copper coin?" [Deng Libuduo] stopped a young man carrying firewood into the city to sell and spoke with an ingratiating smile.

"This whole load only sells for ten coins, and you want me to give you one? Am I sick in the head?" Though the young man asked whether he himself was sick in the head, the look he gave [Deng Libuduo] suggested the opposite.

Before he could reply, the young man strode away with his load, his feet practically flying.

What kind of person are you?!

Too stingy to spare even one coin! You're doomed to spend your whole life chopping wood!

[Deng Libuduo] stood frozen, cursing indignantly to himself. Why was doing a good deed so difficult these days?

Zhang Bao continued recording: "Helping a woodcutter carry firewood: failed."

By then,

a group of children had already gathered behind them, giggling as they watched the show.

They recognized [Deng Libuduo], who sang "You love me, I love you," and they also recognized the words "Chef God Restaurant" on the signs Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan were carrying.

And so, following them had become second nature.

In those innocent children's eyes, wherever the Chef God Restaurant appeared, fun was sure to follow...

Sure enough,

they had only walked half a street before learning a new game.

"Ma'am, how about I carry your vegetables home, and you give me one copper coin?"

"Get lost! So young, and already up to no good, trying to swindle an old woman out of her vegetables! Pah..."

Listening to the children's laughter behind him and seeing the ever-growing crowd trailing Zhang Bao,

[Deng Libuduo] felt resentment steadily brewing in his heart. He straightened his back and inwardly groaned. This couldn't go on. Forget ninety-nine deeds; at this rate, completing ten would be an achievement.

He had never expected Lin Bai to assign Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan to follow him around and supervise him.

Supervision was one thing!

But they were even holding signs to advertise the Chef God Restaurant.

That bastard of a master was rotten to the core.

And what was more,

the more [Deng Libuduo] learned about Lin Bai, the slimmer his hopes of killing him seemed. If he hadn't poured so much effort into Lin Bai already, he would have seriously considered deleting his character.

This was simply an impossible quest.

He even felt an urge to log out right now and use his celebrity [Deng Libuduo] account to drag Lin Bai through the mud on the forums.

Then,

he could delete his character and start over, making Lin Bai his lifelong enemy.

And those bastard game designers, of course.

Log out?

An idea suddenly flashed through [Deng Libuduo]'s mind.

That's right!

My account is already famous. Why should I obediently complete quests by the rules an NPC set?

When it's time to pull a move outside the board, that's exactly what I should do!

At that thought, [Deng Libuduo] saw the light. He turned to Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan behind him. "I need to relieve myself. Wait here a moment. We'll continue when I get back."

Hiding in the privy, [Deng Libuduo] hurriedly logged out and quickly posted on the forum:

"Urgent online request for help from Deng Libuduo! New marketing campaign for the Chef God Restaurant: spreading positivity with a one-coin good-deed reality show. Players in Jiamao City, please cooperate. Generous thanks guaranteed afterward."

After coming up with that long-winded title, [Deng Libuduo] detailed the marketing tactics and participation process in his post...

What did it mean to be a player?

This was what it meant!

Fortunately, some kind souls had made [Deng Libuduo]'s account famous. With his current reputation, he could absolutely pull this off without Lin Bai discovering it.

Come to think of it, Lin Bai had inspired him. As long as players kept appearing before him to stage a few scenes, others would surely join the fun and follow their lead.

One copper coin.

You couldn't buy a loss with it, and you couldn't buy a swindle!

Spending one coin to join the fun was far cheaper than dining at the Chef God Restaurant.

[Deng Libuduo] realized his thinking was becoming more and more like Lin Bai's.

Still,

that didn't seem like a bad thing. Lin Bai's methods really were efficient. If he weren't worried about social ruin, he would almost be reluctant to kill him.

The post had barely gone up before a string of replies followed:

"Getting up close to pat the great Deng Libuduo's doggy head."

"It's actually him!"

"Deng Libuduo really is a creative genius! What did the Chef God Restaurant's owner do to deserve help from the great Deng Libuduo?"

"I have to say, among the first batch of pioneers, the great Deng Libuduo is absolutely the best."

"Immortal World is releasing its second batch of pioneer accounts in three days. Let's head to Jiamao City together to worship the great Deng!"

"You'd have to get picked first. The Game Company is so stingy, releasing closed-beta slots in batches. With a game this popular, why not just launch the open beta? The Game Company's bosses must've been kicked in the head by a donkey."

"Bless me, great Deng Libuduo! Let me into the second closed beta! I can't wait to enter the game world and show off my might."

"If I'm lucky enough to get picked, the first thing I'll do in-game is help the great Deng personally slaughter his black-hearted boss and get him the justice he deserves."

"Roger that. I'm in Jiamao City, ready to support the great Deng anytime."

As he browsed the replies, pride welled up in [Deng Libuduo]'s heart. These were the perks of being a celebrity!

Master, oh master!

So what if your talent is outstanding? It can't beat your disciple's ability to cheat!

However,

were they about to release the second batch of closed-beta accounts?

[Deng Libuduo] returned to the forum's homepage.

Sure enough, a highlighted banner hung at the very top:

"Second batch of pioneer accounts to be released in three days. A total of ten thousand slots will be randomly drawn from all registered applicants. Fair and impartial."

"New game features going live:

1. Livestreaming will be enabled for closed-beta players, allowing you to show the outside world your life in another world anytime, anywhere;

2. Livestream tipping and interaction features will be enabled simultaneously.

3. A top-up channel will be opened (Blue Star Coins exchanged for Immortal World copper coins at 1:100).

More new game features will be released over time.

Pioneers have a duty to showcase the game's appeal to the outside world. Cooperation brings mutual success, so please actively start livestreaming. Have fun playing."

"Fuck, we can livestream now?" [Deng Libuduo]'s face abruptly darkened.

The pleasure his celebrity halo had brought him vanished instantly.

He knew his own situation.

He might look dazzling on the forum, but in front of Lin Bai, he was just a tiny shrimp, living without a shred of dignity...

He could choose not to livestream.

But that didn't mean others wouldn't. Some paparazzo might well livestream a day in the life of the great Deng Libuduo at the Chef God Restaurant...

Was my celebrity halo going to shatter so soon?

I can't accept this!

No!

I still have three days!

As long as I learn Lin Bai's martial arts within three days and find a way to kill him, I can keep my celebrity halo...

The Chef God Restaurant was a money tree now, and a Spirit Realm node to boot.

Even if he killed Lin Bai and couldn't learn any further martial arts,

as long as he kept the restaurant, he wouldn't lose out.

With his status as Lin Bai's disciple, he could still cooperate with Qingfeng Daoist.

And in three days, more players would come online. He could absolutely use [Deng Libuduo]'s halo to rally a large group of players to serve him.

Money meant everything. Fame meant everything.

He absolutely could not abandon the [Deng Libuduo] account...