In the end, the lecherous little underling fulfilled his desire and indulged in the fervent red lotus noodles from Zhao Shen's stall, overwhelmed with excitement as he proclaimed the Great God of Wealth a benevolent soul. The only regret he harbored was the failure to encounter the streamer, Nicole.
With Nicole's inadvertent "assistance," Zhao Shen completed approximately twenty servings of his task within a single morning, though the progress remained quite sluggish.
"This task is incredibly challenging; I cannot fathom when I will ever finish a thousand servings."
Zhao Yan pondered to himself, suspecting that this might be the most arduous task he had faced thus far. The inability to promote it himself while relying on others to come was indeed a perplexing contradiction.
However, given the current pace, the completion of the task was merely a matter of time.
…
As Zhao Shen wrestled with how to sell a thousand servings of golden egg fried rice, Sister Furong, pumped with adrenaline and brimming with excitement, bounced over to him, startling Zhao Shen enough to make him step back from his stall.
"Zhao Shen! Zhao Shen! Why are you hiding? Sister is offering herself to you! Look! You're about to become famous! Isn't this you? It's just a shame that the player in the video is pixelated; otherwise, you would surely outshine even a unicorn! Just look at these replies, tsk tsk! Look at this popularity, tsk tsk tsk! Look at this view count, tsk tsk tsk tsk…"
Zhao Shen ignored the whirlwind of excitement that was Sister Furong and returned to his original position to continue selling, though he couldn't help but glance at the video she mentioned. The video's title was in bold red, currently ranking first in heat, replies, and views—an undeniable highlight prominently displayed atop the player forum.
The video content was relatively short and had not undergone any editing or adjustments; it bore no extras or behind-the-scenes footage, indicating that the uploader was merely an amateur player, not someone specialized in video production.
In an age where every pixel counts in the millions, it seems nearly impossible for an unedited, unsophisticated video to achieve virality; even professional photographers find themselves burdened by the lack of quality materials, let alone an amateur capturing video through the system.
However, the system-captured video was quite clear.
The title read: "Please Recognize the Culinary Deity's Golden Egg Fried Rice!"
Upon reading this, Zhao Shen felt an inexplicable thrill, already contemplating various possibilities.
The video depicted several players embroiled in a dispute within a dungeon; one player instigated the altercation, while another silently dispatched him, effortlessly wielding a kitchen knife to slay the boss.
While this sequence appeared rather mundane, bordering on a clichéd narrative, the video's popularity was not without reason, as the comments and bullet screens elucidated why it resonated with so many.
…
1st Floor: "Sofa."
2nd Floor: "What's going on? What profession is this guy? Is it a hidden class? Using a kitchen knife!"
3rd Floor: "This swordsman is quite the schemer; clearly, he's targeting new players. Haven't we all been new players at some point? Who plays like this? One day, you'll have a pig barrel into a tree."
4th Floor: "The above poster can't be so harsh; isn't this level 5 noob a nuisance? A crafting class venturing into dungeons."
5th Floor: "You ignorant fool on the 4th floor, didn't you see the noob said he accidentally clicked wrong and ended up in the dungeon? He didn't want to participate; the fact that he didn't just leave is already generous. This swordsman is putting on a show, wielding the knife to the throat—who's afraid of whom in this game? But the noob is indeed a bit cowardly!"
At the video's outset, viewers adopted a spectator's mentality, even feeling that the entire sequence was rather flat and devoid of thrilling moments. Some even resorted to bickering over the two parties involved.
However, by the video's conclusion, the spectators had devoured every last morsel of their metaphorical melon, their attitudes underwent a dramatic transformation.
…
8677th Floor: "What the hell? Is this for real? A level 5 crafting class just one-shot the dungeon monster of the same level?"
8678th Floor: "Get out of here; isn't this a game bug? Is there really such an overpowered level 5 crafting class?"
8679th Floor: "Hasn't anyone grasped the main point of the video? The focus is on that golden egg fried rice! It actually increases attack! Is this the first consumable in the entire game to boost attack?"
8680th Floor: "The above poster is correct. To my knowledge, within the game's setting, alchemists cannot create items that alter game attributes, let alone something as outrageous as a ten percent increase in attack power!"
8681st Floor: "I humbly request the ID of the noob god in the video; I am willing to offer 1000 gold coins to anyone who provides clues!"
8682nd Floor: "A bunch of idiots, all they do is spam! The player who uploaded the video is from Flame Village. I'm already on my way to Flame Village; it's so small, I refuse to believe I can't find out about such an impressive item!"
8683rd Floor: "8682nd Floor is correct."
8684th Floor: "8682nd Floor is correct."
8685th Floor: "8682nd Floor is correct."
…
It was akin to a comet colliding with the earth; one could only imagine the sensation of discovering a new world didn't just belong to Mu Yichun alone. After watching this video, a significant portion of the game's players felt as though they had stumbled upon new territory!
Many players had previously been won over by Zhao Shen's culinary creations, finding the attribute enhancements secondary to the deliciousness of the dishes.
However, having viewed this video, players' hopes for items that could alter game attributes had finally materialized! Though the IDs and faces of the characters in the video were pixelated, it did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm to venture to Flame Village.
The individual who recorded this video was none other than the player who had cleared the dungeon alongside Zhao Shen that day. His initial intention was to document the evidence; should Zhao Shen experience a glitch in the dungeon, he would immediately share it! Little did he anticipate the subsequent series of dramatic reversals!
Yet he still uploaded the video, changed its title, and attached a screenshot of Zhao Shen's golden egg fried rice, convinced that this video would undoubtedly become a sensation!
Though he had not secured the consent of the player himself, the video could only be released with the player's information pixelated, but undoubtedly, his aim had been achieved!
Each comment earned him ten silver coins, and within a single night of releasing the video, he amassed over eighty thousand silver coins, equivalent to more than eight hundred gold coins—over eight hundred renminbi!
This outcome was beyond anything he had ever anticipated!
…
Meanwhile, Zhao Shen at his stall frowned, realizing that the video featured him. He hadn't considered that his offhand remark, "Please recognize the Culinary Deity's Golden Egg Fried Rice," would become such a prominent tagline.
His frown stemmed from both positive and negative implications; the good was that more diners would come seeking him, elevating his fame and business, making the task potentially easier to fulfill.
However, the downside was the likelihood of quirky individuals emerging; considering the precedent set by Dayu, who acted without consequence, it was reasonable to assume other figures like Little Yu or Second Yu might follow suit. If a group were to descend upon him demanding the formula for the golden egg fried rice, it would surely lead to a melodramatic saga.
Until he possessed the strength to protect his secrets, he should strive to remain inconspicuous. Zhao Shen believed he had maintained a low profile; however, with the emergence of this situation, he could no longer afford to keep hidden. It seemed that in a short span, he would be thrust into the public eye, rendering it impossible not to become famous!