“Hello, viewers. It’s been a while. Red is back.”
His personal stream had been quiet ever since the trouble with the Bulgeom Guild.
But Red decided to finally go live again, summoning up his resolve.
ใ ก goc: Woo woo ใ ก traitor, get lost!
ใ ก mr: What kind of bastard turns on a stream after betraying his country?
ใ ก rhqckd: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!
As expected, curses and insults poured in.
Most of the viewers were either Russian or sympathetic to the Bulgeom Guild, so it couldn’t be helped.
ใ ก akrka: Just because you betrayed Bulgeom, does that make you a national traitor? Can you even function in daily life?
ใ
ก zkfp: Hey, let’s be real. If you had to pick between Bulgeom and Alicia, which would you choose?
For me, it’s Alicia, hands down.
ใ ก dhcp: Of course, forget Bulgeom.
ใ ก Wkwkd: Are you guys even watching the videos? Can’t you see the state of the Bulgeom nation right now? Alicia and the Elves made a total mess of it. I’m with Alicia, no question.
ใ ก thtlwl: Guys, who do you think would win in a fight, Crowing or Alicia?
Still, a few newcomers who’d only just heard that Red was a traitor to Bulgeom Guild started showing up.
But regardless of the arguments and fights, Red pressed on with his stream.
“Alright, everyone, today I’m streaming for a reason you all probably know already โ<Ancient’s trail dungeon>. It’s a solo dungeon with an infamous level of difficulty, notorious among Players around level 300. Today, I’m going to try to clear it.”
Saying that, Red unveiled his secret weapon to the viewers.
“With this, of course.”
Chakใ ก
Wearing a flashy floral crown and donning a flower bracelet, Red struck a confident pose.
Most people reacted with ‘What kind of idiot is this?’ but Red stood his ground.
After all, they only mocked because they didn’t know what he knew!
“As for this crown I’m wearing now, as you can see on the screen, it increases spell power and provides continuous health regenerationโฆ”
After meeting Jaeho, Red had learned a lot and given it some thought.
What could he do for Jaeho?
The answer he found was this.
Promote Jaeho’s flower shop!
“Do you know what’s amazing about these flower items? You can equip them simultaneously with items of the same slot! They’re stackable with accessories! If you’re someone stuck at a growth wall, this is definitely an option to consider.”
Red poured out his lines with enthusiasm.
“Worried about wilting? Yes, that’s a valid concern. When it wilts, the item’s lifespan ends. But fear not! Items made by Alicia can maintain their effects for up to a month! And if you visit the Elysia Garden within that time, they can be repairedโฆ no, even revived! Isn’t that amazing?! Oh, the price? That depends on the type and quantity of flowers used as materials, and other conditions. For details, contact the Elysia Garden call centerโฆ”
Viewers’ reactions to Red’s stream fell into two categories.
ใ ก This bastard really did betray Bulgeom and sided with Alicia.
And thenโฆ
ใ ก Oh? This actually looks kind of good?
Some viewers were genuinely intriguedโฆ
Moreover, Red’s additional explanations provided yet another promotional push.
“If you look closely, you’ll see cute spirits hiding among the flowers! Of course, my Spirit Affinity is low, so they never actually come out, though.”
Red’s promotional stream was rather successful.
The number of inquiries from interested people actually increased.
Of course, there were twice as many curses from Players belonging to the Bulgeom Guild or similar groupsโฆ
But for the call center staff, who had already been subjected to the worst by Elves, that was nothing.
“Yes, yes ใ ก understood ใ ก”
Calmly checking the ID and adding it to the blacklist.
Jaeho was also caught off guard by the sudden surge in item requests.
“Red promoted us on his personal stream.”
Mei, who kept a close eye on the community, informed him.
After logging out, Jaeho searched for Red’s broadcast.
The advertisement stream had already been uploaded in edited form.
“It’s like a home shopping networkโฆ”
Red even demonstrated both with and without the items to show the difference, putting in sincere effort.
Even Jaeho, who knew everything, could see that the video piqued viewers’ curiosity.
“This isโฆ honestly, a help I never even imagined.”
If the flower shop brought in more customers, Jaeho could only welcome it.
Currently, 99% of all revenue came from potionsโฆ but someday, he wanted to fill at least half the shop’s sales with flowers!
Woo woo woo ใ ก
Just as he was thinking he’d have to thank Red properly the next time they met, Jaeho’s phone rang.
“Hmm? It’s Dupyouno.”
ใ ก Mr. Jaeho Hwang, how have you been?
“Yes, fine. But what’s the occasion for your callโฆ?”
ใ ก Oh, it’s just, I’m contacting you about the MK New World Team launch ceremony and the friendly match schedule. I sent you an email already, but I figured maybe you hadn’t seen it yet.
“Ah, just a moment. The computer’s on right now anyway.”
ใ ก Haha, it’s fine. Since we’re talking, I’ll just explain.
Dupyouno explained to Jaeho.
ใ ก The launch ceremony was originally planned. But recently, World Wide distributed the League system to all the teams. So, we decided to hold a friendly match as well.
“Alrightโฆ I’ll participate then.”
He’d signed the contract and was a member of MK, so that much was only right.
ใ ก Got it, Mr. Hyuk-In! I’ll consider it confirmed!
The relieved tone of Dupyouno’s voice.
Jaeho could tell, even through the phone, that Dupyouno never expected him to agree so readily.
***
Until the day of the launch ceremony, Jaeho spent a rather pleasant time at the flower shop.
He received a handful of minor item crafting requests.
Out of all the people who made inquiries after Red’s promotion, only a very small number ended up signing actual work contracts.
The costs were higher than most people expected, so many were hesitant to try.
Plus, Jaeho’s crafted items weren’t widely known yet, so trust was still low.
So most requests were small, cheap, and out of curiosity.
Otherwise, the customer simply wanted to see the Elysia Garden in person.
But those who received completed items were always shocked.
Because Red’s claims weren’t exaggerations; the effects proved it.
The only thing was, the visual style wasโฆ perhaps a bit over the top.
And so, as word of mouth slowly spread, it wasn’t long before a special customer arrived.
“Ahโฆ This is Master Jukjang, the Guildmaster of my Prime Guild.”
Samantha introduced Jukjang, who had suddenly come to the flower shop, to Jaeho.
“Hmmโฆ Have we met before?”
Jaeho asked, finding Jukjang’s face vaguely familiar.
“Hahaโฆ We’ve passed by each other before. In Luxi Forest, at the border, when I was with other guild members.”
“Ah! You were that person back then.”
Jaeho nodded, recalling when he was with Usster.
“Hahaโฆ That’s right. Sorry for showing up out of the blue. I happened to be in the area, and thought I should at least stop by to say hello.”
Samantha watched Jukjang’s awkward behavior with interest.
Jukjang was definitely a top-tier ranker, but in terms of fame, he couldn’t match Jaeho.
And standing face-to-face, he was feeling the pressure just like before.
No matter how great Jukjang was, it was only natural for him to feel some burden.
“The city is truly beautiful. The videos online don’t do it justice.”
Jukjang tried to ease the tension by offering praise for Elysia Garden.
And it worked.
This was a place where Jaeho’s affection was poured into every detail.
“Haha, it has some of the features of a proper city now. Though, it’s still got a long way to go.”
Jaeho said, gazing out at the scenery through the window.
“If I remember, next week, Crew and Sangssi are coming to check out some land here, right?”
“Yes. Honestly, I’m a bit worried. Elysia Garden is already a completed city, so where would large merchants or guild offices even goโฆ?”
Just as Usster worried, Elysia Garden was already a perfectly nature-friendly city.
Building anything new here would mean having to clear out even the Milky Way.
“I’ve actually thought about that.”
Jaeho pulled out the map of Elysia Garden.
In the center was the city itself, and around the outskirts was a marked circular border.
“After a lot of thought with Giant, we decided to make a separate residential district for humans outside Elysia Garden.”
“Humanโฆ residential districtโฆ”
“Yes. Honestly, this place isn’t very suitable for humans to live in. The Elves’ hostility is no joke. So, we plan to build a new city for humans encircling the outskirts of Elysia Garden. In other words, this will become Central Park.”
“Oh.”
The vision came so easily to mind that Jukjang let out a sound of admiration.
“If that really happens, it’ll be an incredibly attractive city for humans, too. The city’s reputation is already well-known among Players.”
Elysia Garden was already famous enough to be on the list of [100 Must-See Sights in New World].
And now a city for humans would rise there?
It was obvious it would become wildly popular.
Butโฆ the Elves saw things a bit differently.
For them, the city was a wall to protect Elysia Garden, and the humans living thereโฆ were meat shields.
This cover story was a necessary deception to get others to accept the construction plan.
“Oh, andโฆ ahem, you may have heard already, but Prime Guild is planning to relocate our base here as well.”
“Samantha mentioned that briefly.”
At Jaeho’s reply, Jukjang carefully spoke.
“Are you sure that’s alright?”
Normally, there’d be no need to even ask.
Where a guild set its base was up to the guild alone.
But Elysia Garden was a bit of an exception.
Not only was its king a Player, but the biggest issue was the Elves.
Both Gatduk and Jaeho had already clashed twice with Prime Guild (or more precisely, with Usster).
If they set up here on their own and earned Jaeho’s dislike?
That guild could be wiped out by the Elves at a word.
No matter how friendly Samantha was with Aliciaโฆ
That was a personal relationship, not an official one with Prime Guild.
Even this sudden private meeting was only possible thanks to her.
So they were trying to secure prior consent and understanding.
Jaeho didn’t answer immediately, instead falling into thought.
Jukjang’s mouth grew dry with tension.
“Master Jukjang, why do you feel the need to stay here?”
Jaeho asked, honestly not understanding.
“This place lacks infrastructure and is far from other major cities. In fact, the vast majority of humans living here are former members of the Frontier Alliance.”
Out of ten newcomers, seven would end up fleeing, unable to withstand the Elven classes of Breeze.
Aside from being an overwhelmingly beautiful and rare place to see Elves and spirits within New World, there was no real benefit to living here. So why come?
“Because of Alicia.”
“โฆโฆExcuse me?”
The look of tension on Jukjang’s face vanished, replaced by his usual calm and serious demeanor.
“The whole world is watching Alicia, and not just because of fame. Though experts still debate it, I believe Alicia’s value and standing will only continue to rise. So I want to build a relationship before then.”
“โฆI don’t know if Samantha told you, but I’m really just trying to run a flower shop here.”
Jaeho wasn’t playing the game to aim for higher things.
He just wanted to live as a flower shop owner, as he was now.
“Ah, that’s what I meant as well.”
At Jukjang’s next words, Jaeho tilted his head.
“That’s what I mean.”
“The flower shop. After Samantha told me about Alicia’s special abilities, I seriously considered this decision. And when I saw the recent ad online, I was convinced. Plusโฆ”
He gave a subtle smile and lowered his voice.
“I’ve heard there’s a Dwarf here as well. Just having a Dwarf blacksmith in the territory is more than enough reason to build ties.”
“Ah, well, yes, that’s right.”
Jaeho left the details unsaid.