039. Staying True to His Roots
"Hey, hey, hey, are you there? Is Medewei the old hag around? Just a little broadcast."
Li Aozi used gravity to lift the terminal, providing better stabilization than any other device. For lighting, he casually ignited a small flame, just enough to illuminate his face:
"Hi, everyone, I'm Li Aozi, the one who was falsely accused by Frost-Plated Republic and globally wanted by GTB as the Abyss Destroyer—right now, I'm in the Grand Duchy of Grant—correction, soon to no longer be a duchy."
User 10086: ? Are you really Li Aozi?
Tianyi Mobile: Is this really him?
Great Wall Loans: 6
As comments started flooding in, Li Aozi's livestream began to heat up. People quickly recognized his identity and shared the stream in various chat groups, sparking lively discussions.
"What video? Are you trying to trick me again? This must be another Li Aozi meme!"
"It's Li Aozi, but not a meme, he's live streaming!"
"A wanted man—live streaming a war."
"Whoa!"
Although the number of viewers wasn't high, it was steadily increasing. Based on his experience, Li Aozi figured his stream was probably being directly limited. Thinking about it, he adjusted his hair a bit, making it fluffier to distinguish himself from the angry image he had in his earlier speech.
Due to his extremely high charisma, people quickly noticed Li Aozi's change in appearance. He knew that overly aggressive rhetoric often led to backlash, so in this livestream, he presented himself as a shy young man who wasn't good with words and even got embarrassed in front of the camera.
This was all about creating contrast.
In Frost-Plated Republic's propaganda, Li Aozi was portrayed as a ruthless butcher, officially labeled as a 'human catastrophe.' However, the Li Aozi that appeared before the audience was a modestly dressed man (his scavenger's trench coat even looked a bit shabby), who spoke gently and even reminded minors not to send gifts—a dedicated streamer through and through.
After all, compared to being a warrior, being a streamer was his real profession.
Despite the official throttling of his stream, and although there weren't many viewers, Li Aozi was still very enthusiastic about interacting with them, especially focusing on nurturing gachi (die-hard fans). He frequently cracked jokes and made light-hearted banter. Initially curious, the audience soon forgot about the controversial events surrounding Li Aozi's massacre of the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization and instead were captivated by his charm. They were further thrilled by his content, as he casually chatted while gunfire blazed around him.
As a former professional streamer in his past life, Li Aozi couldn't resist slipping into his old habits and launched a service:
"Alright, folks, I'm currently attacking Sullute Palace. Send a rocket donation, and I'll send a fireball their way. If you board the ship, the streamer will personally burn your name into the lawn with flames—come on, handsome guys and beautiful gals, don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind live battlefield stream!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a flood of donation messages crashed his livestream.
"Thanks to 'Upside Down Glass Unforgettable Heart' for becoming the governor of this stream—thanks, boss! The boss is generous, may the boss live long and prosper, and never die. Uh, there's more? 'Drowned,' 'Milk Tea Without Pearls,' 'Super Pikachu,' 'Urging Maniac'—there are so many bosses, I can't thank them all."
"A comment asks, 'Can the streamer's Omega Energy be bought and taken home for release?' No, the streamer's Omega Energy was obtained from a friend, so you should cherish it."
"What color is the streamer's underwear? The streamer usually doesn't wear any."
"What game is the streamer playing? The graphics look great—The streamer is playing 'Abyss God.'"
Constantly interacting with enthusiastic viewers from Azure Star gave Li Aozi a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.
It was back—the feeling of streaming like before!
Although Li Aozi didn't fully understand Azure Star's humor and famous memes, his performance was entertaining and he knew how to have fun.
When someone sent a donation, he would throw a stone at the enemy. Seeing Li Aozi so busy, a few Bermudes soldiers nearby helped him keep track of the gift list and chat messages, but soon, they became unnecessary.
The assistant helping him on the side was amazed to see Li Aozi in front of the livestream—he was completely in his element, answering every question with ease, effortlessly controlling the audience's emotions, creating jokes, rhymes, and even sharing bits of life wisdom.
Ordinary streamers either focus on presentation or content.
Presentation involves dressing in eye-catching outfits, wearing revealing or unique costumes, or visiting special locations—anything to draw viewers in.
—Li Aozi not only had striking looks, but his outfit and environment were also hardcore, vividly embodying both 'empathetic understanding' and 'humankind's understanding' simultaneously.
Content involves using various acts, skills, or scripts to perform, or interacting with viewers to increase their affection.
—Li Aozi's streaming experience was rich, and when it came to content, he had a unique donation program. No game could match the thrill of a real battlefield, especially when Li Aozi would write the donors' names on stones thrown with gravity, boosting viewer engagement.
Li Aozi knew exactly what people wanted. His performance skills were solid, and combined with GTB's hype for his stream, he raked in 2.7 million Debi in just fifteen minutes. After accounting for high taxes and platform fees, he could still pocket 900,000 Debi.
Li Aozi couldn't help but marvel that he must be the most true-to-his-roots traveler. Even as an international sensation, he didn't put on airs, using a very down-to-earth approach to connect with everyone.
He loved being a streamer; it brought happiness to others while earning wealth for himself.
In games, he was just a skilled player. People knew he was good, but he still couldn't compare to professional players.
But through streaming, he could share his technical experience with more people and earn their love, making a living, and gaining both fame and fortune.
As for the Sullute Palace defenders being constantly harassed by his bombardments and fireballs—let's just say that human joy is not universal. While the audience was in stitches over Li Aozi's jokes and antics, the defenders were too scared to stick their heads out, cowering in their cover and frantically calling for help from Law III and Frost-Plated Republic.
Li Aozi was dissatisfied. If they didn't scream and run, huddling up like that, how would he get good content? Without good content, how would he make money?
So he grabbed a loudspeaker and shouted:
"Don't just hide! It's cold, come outside and warm up by the fire!"
His words made the Bermudes soldiers laugh, boosting their morale even more, while the defenders inside Sullute Palace were already on the verge of breaking down.
Because Li Aozi had set up a campfire and grill, and started cooking teppanyaki.