Chapter 77: The Elder of the Fantasy Realm

Top floor of the Academy of Sciences.

The president stared at the gold bars in the cabinet before him, his entire being seized by terror. He thought of donating them, but then remembered his critically ill grandson. Gritting his teeth, he placed all the gold bars into the safe.

Indeed, Yun Xuan had anticipated this perfectly. The strategy device had likely been studied for a long time; a phone that couldn’t turn on would not remain under investigation at the Academy forever. As for the president, he probably took it as a collectible after the higher-ups announced the research’s end. Trading a worthless object for a dozen gold bars was enough to sway anyone, especially since it didn’t violate any regulations.

…

Yun Xuan left the alley and skillfully checked into a room at Xingyue Hotel.

“Ding dong, congratulations to the host for obtaining 1,000 exchange points. Space backpack expanded by ten slots. Shared ability: Traverse.”

“Shared ability Traverse: Allows travel to the original owner’s world.”

Opening the space backpack, Yun Xuan took out its contents.

Qi Cultivation Manual, Body Refining Method, Storage Ring, Azure Blade, Sword Control Technique, and three Beast Rings.

Each item was marked with Chinese characters, easily identifiable by Yun Xuan. Aside from these, only a stack of printed documents remained—namely, the diary of the traveler.

…

February 15th.

Life is but a dream. I never expected that, as a mere outer disciple, I could obtain such a thing. Master once said, “If your heart is clear as ice, the sky’s collapse will not startle you.”

But… I am truly astonished now. This world is more splendid than I imagined.

March 20th.

It’s been over a month since I arrived in this world. I am lodging at a place called a military base. The people here seem well-trained, but I could slay them all with a single flying sword.

Still, they treat me courteously, so I’ll observe for now. The computer they gave me is quite useful, and I’ve learned to type.

April 13th.

I became a flop writer. Yes, my fantasy story failed, and they mocked my writing as ridiculous.

Of course, that doesn’t matter. What matters is I’ve begun teaching them cultivation.

May 18th.

They possess little true energy. Such a pity. It seems my time is near.

June 1st.

Today appears to be Children’s Day. I enjoyed a delightful meal, and now it’s time to leave. I choose to depart this world without regrets.

…

A simple diary, revealing a cultivator’s journey from confusion to understanding life and death, loneliness born of invincibility, yet ultimately a kind soul.

“Fantasy world, is it? This cannot be rushed.” Yun Xuan took out the storage ring, pricked his finger, and put it on. The ring was empty, as the traveler had only been an outer disciple.

Yun Xuan stored away all the items, with only the three Beast Rings left.

“Beast Ring: 100% capture rate for low-level monsters. Drip blood to claim ownership.” The virtual screen displayed the description.

“Low-level monsters? I wonder if zombies count.” Yun Xuan pondered, then stored them in the ring.

The phone rang—someone from the Culinary Management Association was calling.

…

Over the next two days, Yun Xuan visited the Culinary Management Association to confirm ingredient preparations, and began another campaign in the capital to defeat the Dark Battle Maiden, earning his third silver-level lottery and acquiring Silver Design: Beginner.

Design: Beginner allows the creation of simple buildings.

That very evening, Yun Xuan drafted the blueprint for a villa.

July 31st, 11:58 p.m.

Yun Xuan prepared to upload the second batch of Northern Emoji and new stickers. QQ Corporation would launch the purchase page for Northern Sauce’s daily manga and merchandise on their website right after midnight.

In addition, Yun Xuan had a live stream planned.

QQ Corporation’s live streaming channel was already open. Yun Xuan glanced at the number of viewers—120,000 and rising rapidly.

“Ding.” Midnight arrived.

Yun Xuan immediately pressed upload; within a minute, downloads surpassed ten thousand!

Activating the live stream, Yun Xuan donned a mask and voice changer.

He clicked connect and saw the barrage of scrolling comments on screen. If not for his super notebook’s power, the system would have crashed from the flood.

“Cough, cough, I am Northern Sauce. Seeing everyone’s enthusiasm so late at night, I feel a bit embarrassed,” Yun Xuan began.

“I want to see Teacher Northern in women’s clothes!”

“Women’s clothes +1”

“Women’s clothes are the best!”

“No need to even consider women’s clothes. Actually, I think an animated Northern Sauce would be interesting, but right now the popularity isn’t enough. I have plenty more Northern Sauce emojis in my head—do you want them?” Yun Xuan held a drawing tablet.

“Hand them over quick!”

“Robbery!”

“Release my little Northern Sauce!”

The comments swept by in unison. Yun Xuan glanced at the viewers—over 200,000.

“All right, all right, I’ll let you have a look.” Yun Xuan turned the drawing tablet around, revealing an image of Northern Sauce grown up.

“Northern Sauce is so cute!”

“Why do I sense a hint of villainy?”

“I feel it too.”

“Could Northern Sauce be on the evil side?”

Yun Xuan set the tablet down, satisfied with the comments’ mood.

“This is one of my future plans—a sneak peek. Northern Sauce may appear in a game,” Yun Xuan announced a shocking revelation.

A game for Northern Sauce? How could an emoji become a game?

“This stream is getting dull. I’ll spend the rest of the time gaming live.” Yun Xuan opened QQ Corporation’s new release, Bear League.

While gaming, Yun Xuan gave earnest commentary. He had only started playing in the past two days but quickly transitioned from a beginner to a skilled player, thanks to his speed and sharp thinking.

Gifts poured in during the stream, and Yun Xuan thanked viewers repeatedly. Half the proceeds from these gifts were his.

At 2 a.m., Yun Xuan ended the stream, announcing he would continue streaming in the future, hoping the audience would follow Northern Sauce.

Peak online viewers reached 1.68 million, with gift revenue exceeding 29 million—just two hours’ earnings.

Followers numbered 35 million, a somewhat slow increase. Northern Sauce emoji downloads surpassed 15 million, not counting the second batch and new stickers uploaded tonight.

The manga sold 1.5 million copies, despite the late hour.

Yun Xuan received 10% of the revenue per manga, meaning one yuan per copy.

It seemed low, but it was already excellent.

Each manga sold for ten yuan. QQ Corporation handled production, the publisher took a share, and Yun Xuan’s tenth was clean, thanks to his simple original drafts.

Ding Dang had mentioned the targets: serialization for over 15 million copies, official launch in the manga world; animation for 30 million copies!

As an emoji creation, QQ Corporation maximized Northern Sauce’s profits. As for the game, Yun Xuan didn’t hand over the rights, planning to develop it himself.

(P.S.: Why do I feel you’re all fake readers? Am I playing single player? No recommendation votes, I want to cry…)