Chapter 18
"Little friend, don't leave so quickly, why don't you try this?"
"This is our new flavor. It's selling very well right now. I personally think it's delicious. You can try it."
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
He Xile pecked at the rice and nodded: "Delicious!"
"Hahaha, as long as you think it tastes good. Okay, hurry up and get in line."
He Xile bids farewell to the stall owner.
Wow, StarNet is such a great invention!
You can enjoy so many delicious foods without leaving your home!
And the people on Haixinna are really nice.
He Xile has been praised many times by the people here along the way!
He Xile stuffed the last bite of food into his mouth and, after chewing it, let out a long sigh. He spread his five fingers and gently patted his stomach. He looked down carefully. Good, it wasn't bulging. It was completely unnoticeable that he had just eaten five different kinds of snacks, two sausages, three fried foods, one soy product, and two drinks...
If you feel it more carefully, there seems to be a gap!
He Xile walked towards a stall without hesitation.
In front of me, macaron-colored ice creams are lined up, and each one looks delicious.
He Xile once again fell into a dilemma of making a decision.
"Which one should I choose..."
hateful.
It’s all because his stomach is too small!
"Let's have the rainbow ones. They have all kinds of flavors."
A line of words suddenly floated past my eyes.
He Xile glanced at the ice cream sample in front of him: "But it seems there is no rainbow color..."
After saying that, He Xile was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked up, only to see the clear blue sky in the virtual world of Star Network. After looking again, he found that the number of viewers in the upper right corner of the live broadcast room had changed from the previous monotonous number "1" to a full "132".
Huh.
There are actually people watching his live broadcast? And so many of them?
He Xile was shocked.
“There are rainbow colors.”
The stall owner spoke at the right time, attracting He Xile's attention. He smiled and said, "Although it's not on display, as long as you tell me, I can make it for you. The price is just a little higher than usual."
He Xile nodded immediately: "Thank you, I want a rainbow color."
After paying the bill and taking the colorful ice cream, He Xile suddenly stood at attention. He swept away his previous lazy look and faced the camera seriously, introducing himself: "Hello, my name is He Xile."
"Haha, the anchor just realized it now? He looks so well behaved, but he seems to be a minor? Is this live broadcast room yours? Or did you steal your parents' accounts to log in to the live broadcast?"
He Xile whispered back, "I'm an adult, just a bit shorter. This is my own livestream room."
"Even after reaching adulthood, it's still this small? What species is it?"
"The sound is nice too. I'll pay attention to it first."
"I was watching you eat for over half an hour, and now I'm a little hungry. I couldn't help but dig out a pack of cookies, but they weren't very good, which made me even hungrier..."
"The host can really eat, she never stops."
He Xile blushed when he saw this comment.
What?
Did he actually eat non-stop for over half an hour?
But there's nothing we can do about it.
Interstellar food is very different from food on Earth in terms of raw materials and production methods.
There were some foods that He Xile really couldn't get used to, as they tasted weird, but most of the food was very delicious. Moreover, although these foods were cooked just like in reality, they were just data and he wouldn't gain weight by eating them.
Who can bear this?!
He explained in a low voice: "The snacks on this street are all to my taste. I couldn't help but eat too much."
But He Xile still felt a little embarrassed by what that person said.
He thought to himself, after eating this ice cream, he really can’t eat anymore.
The rainbow ice cream was held in his hand, feeling cool. He Xile took a bite and found it sour and sweet, with a smooth and dense texture that melted in his mouth without feeling greasy at all.
He Xile couldn't help but squint his eyes: "This is delicious too."
"Watching the streamer eat is truly a pleasure. It feels like every cell in the streamer's body becomes excited when they eat something delicious."
"Damn it! I wish I could log onto StarNet right now and try out those snacks the anchor mentioned."
“…Wow, I feel like following this streamer will cost me a lot of money.”
"Why do anchors wear masks when doing food broadcasts? You can only hear the eating sounds, but you can't see whether you're actually eating. I'm now suspicious that you're faking the eating and are here just to advertise."
He Xile swallowed the ice cream in his mouth and explained: "I'm not a professional food broadcaster, I just happened to be eating at this time."
"You're overthinking it. Look at the house number above. It says, 'Play anything you want.' And there's no food in the category."
"I'm dying of laughter. How could anyone think this streamer is a food streamer? Every time he eats something delicious, besides eating a ton of it, all he says is a dry "delicious," "very delicious," "really delicious." Like you said, the streamer is wearing a mask, so who can see his expression while he eats? This isn't what a food streamer should be like."
"Since you're here, why don't you try our famous Kennett meat? It's so chewy! The more you eat, the more delicious it becomes! I guarantee you'll want more after you finish it!"
He Xile: “…”
Thank you for the invitation.
I can't bite it.
"Come to think of it, the child didn't eat much meat during the whole trip?"
"It's not that he didn't eat anything, it's that he never ate anything at all. He said before that he was an adult, but I haven't seen any other features on him yet, maybe on his face. I guess he's an herbivore, so he doesn't eat meat?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Wearing a mask is also because it's on your face... To be honest, if it were me, I would wear a mask too."
The barrage of comments gradually increased.
He Xile was not in a position to explain his identity at the moment, so he had to pretend not to notice the discussion on his second characteristic in the barrage.
There was still noise around me.
There was a young couple who were very excited.
"It's finally our turn, wooooo!"
"Luckily, we were well-informed and arrived right after the queue started. Otherwise, you can see the huge crowd behind us—I don't know how many tickets were limited this time, or how many people were waiting in line ahead of us."
"That's right. Oh, please don't let it come to our time..."
"Shut up, shut up!"
"Hmm? Is the host here to queue up to buy the limited edition dolls? I'm queuing up too, and it's almost my turn, hehe."
He Xile looked confused: "What limited edition doll?"
"Huh? The emotional anchor doesn't know?"
As he was speaking, a shout came from the front: "Only officially authorized human products. For only 16 star coins, you can purchase human photos and videos, and receive a limited number of human-shaped dolls! Only 100 dolls left!"
"Ahhh, there are only a hundred left! Go for it—"
The crowd suddenly rushed forward.
He Xile was still immersed in the shock and shame of being a "little doll in human form". He didn't react and was immediately dragged forward and fell directly onto the legs of a tall and powerful man.
This man was obviously a regular member of the gym. He was tall and strong as a bull.
He didn't even sway his knees, and made an impatient "tsk" sound: "I'm warning you, if you're caught by the Security Office for harassing others during this kind of chaos, you'll be sentenced to more than a year in prison—"
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and turned his head, as if he wanted to directly grab the person who dared to take advantage of the crowd around and attempted to molest him. However, when his hand reached out, he grabbed nothing. When he lowered his head again, he saw a little kid who was just as tall as his thigh, covering the back of his head, and looking up at him with tears in his eyes.
The two looked at each other.
At the same time, the people behind him were still pushing forward, and the child immediately followed the force and bumped into his legs again - obviously, the child, whose face was already flushed, did not do this on purpose, but was forced to move forward by the crowd.
The man understood.
He grinned, "I was wondering, how could anyone dare to lay their claws on someone like me."
After saying that, the man reached out, picked up He Xile, and placed him on his shoulder. "Are you here to buy a baby too? I finally understand. Humans are popular at all ages."
He was so big that he could carry He Xile on his shoulders without looking out of place.
He Xile was shocked.
How can you sit on a stranger's shoulders!?
He was anxious and wanted to get off the man.
However, as soon as He Xile moved, the man reached out and used a little force to fix the former firmly on his shoulder: "Be careful, there are many people below. If you really fall, someone might step on you."
He Xile was delighted.
There were people all around. As soon as He Xile was rescued, someone pushed him to the spot where he was standing. It would be a little unrealistic for him to get down from the man now.
He thought about it, weighed the pros and cons, and decided not to make trouble, but sat down quietly.
Seeing the cameras floating around, He Xile quickly said, "By the way, I'm live streaming now."
"I know." The man said directly.
He Xile thought about it and thought that the man must be able to see the camera next to him.
Since the elder brother knew, He Xile didn't say anything more, but looked around curiously.
Since arriving at Haixinna, He Xile's vision was unprecedentedly broad—from countless pairs of legs to countless heads. It was only then that He Xile realized that he had already been very close to the front of the queue as he had moved forward.
As for the back, it was pitch black, comparable to the tourist attractions during the May Day holiday.
"Wow--"
He Xile couldn't help but let out a small exclamation.
"Why, you've never seen so many people before?" the man said in a loud voice.
He Xile nodded: "I just got the terminal not long ago."
"No wonder."
The man laughed heartily and explained, "During previous celebrations, there were even more people on the Star Network than there are now. The terminals had to open many branch lines just to barely keep up. This time is a special case, with only one line, so it's so crowded. And who cares if that human who just woke up from the museum is so popular? Look, everyone with even a passing interest in humans is here."
So that's how it is.
He Xile nodded.
He had come here with the intention of watching the fun, but now that he knew that what was being sold were his own peripherals, he wanted to back out. However, in this situation, the man was carrying He Xile forward, so it was inconvenient for him to leave.
"By the way, this is your first time live streaming, right? You don't have to worry about copyright issues anymore. People on Starnet will know you're live streaming when they see your status bar. Those who don't want to be included in the live stream have already checked the box to not be included. Apart from anything else, our Starnet is very smart."
It’s like this!
So convenient and fast!
He Xile suddenly realized and said, "Thank you, I just now understand."
"You're welcome."
As he said this, the man pursed his lips and said, "Look, it's almost our turn."
He Xile looked to the front.
Isn’t the guy setting up the stall not far away Margery?
Maggie's face was flushed and he looked extremely excited, and the "ding ding" sound of money transfer from the terminal kept ringing.
He Xile was now in a relatively high position, and could see clearly at a glance the appearance of the little human baby next to Majieli.
The little doll was very cute, almost the same as He Xile had imagined before, or even better. It was a Q-version image, with a life-size head, soft black hair, big round eyes, and wearing simple little clothes.
It should feel soft to the touch.
This was what He Xile and Maggie had agreed upon.
——When Magery suggested selling dolls, stickers and other items, He Xile rejected it on the spot, but later he felt that if it was an official authorization, it would be a bit strange to only sell videos and photos.
After some thought, He Xile suggested making the doll into a Q-version image. This type of doll would be less recognizable, which He Xile was more receptive to.
Of course Margery wouldn't disagree.
The two decided on the spot.
But what they never expected was that just two days after they signed the contract, Majerry started selling it.
The efficiency of StarCraft is very high.
"There are ten left—"
"Five!"
"Okay, this batch of doll giveaways ends here."
After Margery wrote down the address of the last buyer, he stood up, clasped his hands together, and said apologetically, "To everyone in the queue behind, I'm sorry, but the free dolls are no longer available. Please spread the word to the people behind so they don't have to queue. Thank you!"
"Ah? How could this happen..."
"No way? I've been waiting in line for a long time. Is it really gone?"
"Alas, it's all our fault that we weren't well-informed. When we arrived, there were already so many people queuing in front of us." The people at the back were dejected. Although a little sad, they gradually dispersed.
The man who carried He Xile on his shoulders was just two spots short of the line.
He sighed deeply, "Oh no! I thought we were all in the same position, but I didn't get one. I'm going to get beaten by my wife again when I get home."
He Xile: “?”
He Xile looked at the man's size and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Hey, being beaten by my wife, this is too real..."
"Okay, since all the items have been sold out, I'm going to log off first. Little friend, see you again sometime." The man raised his hand and put He Xile down.
He Xile looked up and asked, "Can I add a contact number?"
"Of course." The man said as he exchanged contact information with He Xile, "I'm quite familiar with the Star Network. If you have any questions in the future, you can always ask me since your parents are not around."
He Xile: “Yeah.”
He looked at the man seriously and said, "Thank you."
After the tall man in front of him went offline and disappeared from the spot, He Xile turned his head and saw that Majie had packed up his stall and was standing not far away looking at him.
He Xile didn't move.
He waved to everyone in the live broadcast room: "Everyone, I'm going to log off too. Goodbye."
"See you next time."
Before closing the live broadcast room, He Xile added: "Goodbye, little robot."
The live broadcast room is closed.
"Sir." Maggie saw that He Xile's condition had changed and walked over quickly.
It was inconvenient for the two of them to stay where they were for any longer, lest anyone guess He Xile's identity. He suggested, "I know there's a bakery on Star Online that makes some pretty good snacks, and my daughter loves them. Should we go over and have a look?"
He Xile: "Okay."
This shop's storefront on Star Online isn't very large, but as soon as you enter, you're greeted by a sweet aroma. The display cases are filled with beautifully crafted snacks that will whet your appetite.
That’s great.
How come Hai Xinna has so many treasure shops! ?
...It’s a pity that I ate too much today.
He Xile silently wrote down the coordinates here.
When he has free time later, he wants to eat at every restaurant! !
"Sir, the first batch I ordered was one thousand units, and they're already sold out. Because the price was relatively low, after deducting the costs, the profit isn't that much."
Margery began to settle the accounts.
As he was counting, he suddenly thought of the scene when he set up the stall today.
Before Margery, no one had ever obtained genuine human authorization.
He is the only one in the entire empire.
So when Margery started selling it openly and explained that after purchasing photos and videos, a small human doll would be given as a gift, many people were tempted but hesitated.
——The price of these things must be at least a few hundred, right?
Nowadays, even the peripheral products of some not-so-famous celebrities are priced very high, not to mention the recently popular human beings.
But after asking carefully, everyone found out that all the things added up only cost sixteen star coins!
For a moment, everyone's face showed uncontrollable smiles and joy.
“Oh my god, is it really that cheap?”
"Ahhh, that's great! I've always loved humans. They look so small and adorable. Whenever I have free time, I'll go to the museum to see them. But after the humans woke up, I couldn't see them anymore... No, no, I want to buy ten! No, twenty! Put them all by my bed... Wait, forget it, just one. I can't monopolize the happiness of those nineteen people."
"Yeah, if they also bought the doll for only sixteen star coins, they would definitely be happy for at least a week, right?"
"Be bold. If it were me, I would be happy for a month."
"Ha ha ha ha."
That kind of emotion is very contagious.
Margery couldn't help but take a few more glances at the human opposite him.
Perhaps influenced by his business mindset, Margery initially thought that since the gift this time was a small doll in the image of a human, the price would of course be much higher than before, which was natural.
But during the discussion, He Xile disagreed and chose to take the approach of small profits but quick turnover.
He originally disagreed in his heart, but now it seems that He Xile's choice is also very good.
"Sir, I've contacted a factory that can bring the price down to around 8 per unit, and we've tentatively decided on this one. Of course, don't worry, the quality is guaranteed. I've sent you the factory's information, so you can take a look later."
He remembered every account clearly and gave it to He Xile for review.
He Xile looked at the account book and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It should be."
Margery said, "It's just a short while, actually."
It will be soon.
Judging from today's sales, as long as the factory can keep up, he will be able to save enough money for his daughter's medical treatment soon. Moreover, every penny he has now is clean.
——It was He Xile who reached out and pulled him out of the quagmire.
Margery's eyes were a little moist.
His lips trembled, and he was about to say something thank you when He Xile opposite him suddenly remembered something: "That's right!"
Margery: “Hmm?”
"I'm going to use my power for personal gain now."
He Xile coughed lightly and said, "Do you have any extra dolls? Can you give me one?"
"sure."
"That's great." He Xile cheered.
Margery smiled helplessly.
It’s really easy for humans to be happy.
&
The sun sets.
Just as the guard had said before, martial law was suddenly imposed in the palace. Everyone was in a hurry and told each other. Even the guards in the palace were forbidden to walk around freely outside.
Soon, the entire palace fell silent.
He Xile sat by the window with a book, a quarter of it already in his hand, but still hadn't seen the patrolling guards passing by the nearby corridor. Usually, they passed by about once every half an hour.
He didn't even need to go out to the restaurant, the guards had already delivered dinner to his room.
"Sir, please call me when you're done eating." The guard said gently.
He Xile nodded: "Okay."
He smelled something unusual from it.
——Even if a banquet is being held, it is not possible for even the patrolling guards to disappear.
After dinner, when the guards came in to pack up, He Xile said worriedly, "I overheard someone mentioning that people are not allowed to walk around outside this evening. Are you still standing guard outside the door?"
The guard whispered, "Sir, this is exactly what I'm going to tell you. For the next three days, I'll only be here during your mealtimes. Please don't leave your room; it's dangerous out there. If you need anything, you can contact me directly through the terminal, and I'll have it ready for you during the next mealtime."
He Xile frowned even more tightly when he heard this, and nodded.
The guards packed their things quickly, as if they were in a hurry.
Before leaving, he emphasized again: "Please do not leave the room."
He Xile: "...Okay."
The door of the room was closed gently.
He Xile was a little depressed.
He originally thought that it would be easy to just stay in the room for three days, but after hearing what the guard said, he suddenly became nervous and felt as if he had entered some horror script.
Oh my god.
If I leave the room, will I be swallowed by some monster?
Or is it that when he is in the room, there is something waiting for him outside the door?
Aaaaaahhhh!!!
He Xile didn't dare to think too much.
After washing up, he lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Finally, he couldn't bear it any longer, so he got up and opened the terminal, searching for keywords such as "strange things in the palace" and "not allowed to walk around in the palace", but found nothing.
...Why don't you ask the guards?
He Xile was just thinking when the whole room suddenly shook violently!
What?
There was an earthquake?
He Xile was originally sitting on the bed, but was shaken so much that he almost fell down.
The next second, a low, mournful cry, like that of an ancient giant beast, came from all directions.
He Xile: “!”
Oh my god!!!
He Xile instantly picked up the quilt, covered himself tightly, and quickly tucked the four corners of the quilt into a ball.
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