As soon as the live broadcast room opened, Ren was dumbfounded. The number of viewers jumped rapidly—three digits, four digits, five digits... He stared at the number, trying to keep up with the increase, but it was impossible. All he could see was the number of viewers growing, the digits climbing, but the specific number was impossible to track.
"What's going on? Am I going to become a super anchor just like that?" Ren muttered to himself, his mind racing.
The number of viewers surged as the barrage of comments flooded the screen. It felt like thousands of beasts were galloping across the live chat, with an overwhelming sea of words all stacked together. It was impossible to decipher what anyone was saying.
Suddenly, Ren's eyes widened in panic as the barrage seemed to be too much to handle. He quickly accessed the settings. "Block the barrage with similar content and only keep one version visible."
The settings were applied instantly, and, like magic, the barrage of comments seemed to vanish. However, the live broadcast interface was still packed with overlapping text, and the content was still unclear.
"Block comments with similar meanings, only display a representative one, and show the number of similar comments." Ren made another adjustment, hoping it would help. With this change, the mountain of text finally cleared. Now, he could read the actual comments.
"The host is dressed like a beggar. Is this a real-time travel live broadcast?" x67376.
"Come and watch the time-travel live broadcast recommended by Goddess Snow." x87655.
"This barrage is incredible! It's piled up like this, but it doesn't lag at all!" x78632.
"Anchor, you must prove that this is a real-time travel live broadcast. I don't want Goddess Snow to leave the live broadcast industry!" x265782.
"Support Goddess Snow, support the anchor's time travel!" x189037.
"Haha, is this a time-travel live broadcast? Are you trying to make me laugh?" x98721.
"Anchor, go home and study, don't come out to cheat and deceive people." x23190.
"Anchor, tell me the address and I'm going to kill you." x8731.
"Anchor, you must stand up for us. We said you traveled through time and space during the live broadcast, and you were scolded so much that your parents couldn't recognize you." x36721.
"What kind of high-tech is this? Can the barrage be played like this?" x689821.
"Could this be a real-time travel live broadcast?" x39082.
"This live broadcast room has powerful functions! This is the first time I've seen such a barrage." x46780.
…
Ren sat back, staring at the barrage with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. "What happened in the original world? Why is Goddess Snow linked to my live broadcast?" The number of viewers had jumped to millions, and Ren couldn't fathom the reason behind this sudden surge. Goddess Snow was a huge figure in the live streaming world, someone Ren admired deeply. She had been his dream girlfriend model, the one he turned to for comfort and entertainment when things were tough. He never imagined that she would be the one to promote his stream.
"What do you mean Goddess Snow is leaving the live streaming industry?" Ren wondered aloud, growing more and more intrigued as he scanned the barrage.
"Anchor, Goddess Snow said in the live broadcast this morning that you are truly traveling through time, and was criticized by a group of envious and jealous people. Goddess Snow said that if this isn't really time travel, then she will leave the live broadcast industry." x965321.
Ren's heart skipped a beat. "Goddess Snow watched my live broadcast yesterday? And helped me promote it? And made a bet with someone?" His mind raced as the comments kept pouring in. It wasn't just anyone who could promote a live broadcast to the level of millions of viewers—this was an achievement.
"Can the anchor please stop acting? Goddess Snow pushed your live broadcast room to the level of tens of millions of viewers with just one sentence. How could you not know what she said? Look at the background arrangement, it really took a lot of thought! You are willing to spend the money!" x763212.
"The number of internet trolls trying to pull Goddess Snow off the live streaming pedestal has reached nearly 800,000 in such a short period of time. It's really scary. But I like it," another comment read. Ren smiled to himself.
"I have never slapped millions of people in the face!" he thought, feeling a rush of exhilaration.
He raised a light smile and didn't bother to respond to the barrage. Instead, he continued walking toward the tavern, enjoying the verbal abuse and the countless comments in his live broadcast room.
As Ren approached the tavern, he noticed the scene outside was especially lively. It was nearly nine o'clock in the evening, and there were at least a hundred people gathered outside. Ren's good mood intensified as he saw a lion amusing itself by playing with a fire ring, the crowd cheering it on.
At this rate, it looked like tonight's broadcast might break ten million in rewards. Ren chuckled to himself, imagining the hordes of viewers flocking to see the spectacle unfold.
The crowd quickly turned its attention to Ren as he entered the area.
"Haha, there are marines from this naval base doing so miserably. Hey boy, come over here, I'll give you a big piece of meat to taste!" A round man laughed heartily when he saw Ren in his tattered clothes.
"Okay!" Ren chuckled and agreed, walking toward the man. Without hesitation, he picked up a large piece of meat from the table and bit into it.
He hadn't eaten all day. While he wasn't exactly starving due to the changes in his body, the taste of food was still something he craved.
---
"BOO! The time-travel live broadcast we agreed on isn't just going to be a bonfire party like this, right?" x1265452.
"A bunch of idiots who can only spit nonsense. Can't you tell this is the Buggy Pirates? If you haven't even watched *One Piece*, don't come here and talk nonsense. It's embarrassing." x2365482.
"Find a lion and a few dozen big guys, and you'll have the Buggy Pirates? If I wear a pair of sunglasses, a blanket, and a roll of wool, can I say I'm Doflamingo?" x236520.
…
"Okay, haha, boy, good job. We need courageous young men like you on our ship. Join us. It'll definitely be better than being a miserable navy soldier!" The fat man patted Ren's shoulder, clearly fond of him. "What do you think? Want to join the Buggy Pirates?"
Cabaji, a man with black hair wearing a white and blue scarf, emerged from the tavern with a pile of food in his arms. He eyed Ren, clearly intrigued. "This is the first time I've seen a navy man like you. What, do you want to join us?"
"No!" Ren shook his head and casually took a piece of fruit from Cabaji's hand. "You're pirates, but you came to the town where the naval base is located so brazenly. Aren't you worried you won't be able to return to the sea?"
The fat man laughed, and soon the others joined in. Their loud laughter filled the air. The man raised his fist in front of Ren, a wide grin on his face. "We are the great Buggy Pirates! With our great Captain Buggy here, which navy could stop us from returning to the sea? If we don't cause trouble for them, they should be thanking the Sea God."
Cabaji, however, gave Ren a cold look. "You're just a small navy guy. You know we're pirates, yet you dare to come among us and speak like this? Aren't you afraid of being killed on the spot?"
Ren grinned, taking another bite of the fruit. He showed his white teeth, unbothered by the threat. "Well... I'm not afraid!" He then looked at Cabaji with amusement. "I heard you're pretty cool with a knife while riding a unicycle. Care to show me?"