"As you wish, Your Grace."
Viserys stood in place, watching Illyrio and his servant depart.
If he could, he would have loved to fly over to that fat Magister's manse right now to enjoy the hot bath and delicious food he had promised.
But he couldn't. The man had come at a terrible time. His adorable little leeks (the players) had all logged off. To avoid arousing Illyrio's suspicion, he had to make an excuse and tell him to come back tomorrow to pick him up.
Heaven only knows why he came at night. Is he still stuck in his old habits as a bravo? Who does business this late?
Sigh. Sometimes knowing you're a pawn is actually a good thing. As they say: knowing is half the battle.
As long as Illyrio wanted to use Viserys's name to draw attention and buy time for "Young Griff," and as long as Viserys didn't act too out of control, that fat man wouldn't refuse his demands.
"When exactly did our King acquire a band of loyal Targaryen supporters?"
Once they rounded the street corner, Illyrio stopped before his waiting carriage. Before stepping in, he turned his head to the old baker.
"You really should have reported this to me earlier. You know that is your duty."
"My apologies, Magister."
---
Ding-ding.
[ "Just Here for the Memes" Discord Server ]
> FaFo: @Everyone Holy sht, boys. I swear on my life, the first-ever full-dive VR game is here. Forgive my lack of poetic talent, but I can only describe Ice & Fire: Mount & Slash with one word: GOAT.
> Mouse_Is_Duck: +1. It feels exactly like isekai. The realism is insane, especially the air quality. It perfectly matches my stereotypical image of a medieval Western city—smells like sht. God knows why the devs were bored enough to simulate that level of detail.
> Step_Sis_Im_Stuck: Guys, don't believe them. The game is fake. You open it and it just loops Rickroll videos forever.
> Serious_Bush_Camper: Warning to the user above: Gatekeeping is a crime.
> Bun_Immortal: Just register, boys. Don't ask questions. It's not just awesome, it's god-tier.
> Ghost_Rider: Good lord, how much did they pay you guys? You all turned into marketing bots overnight.
> No_Cure_For_Stupid: @Mouse_Is_Duck Is it really that good? Say less. Registering now.
Just as Viserys expected, the moment the five players logged off, they immediately started making waves in the group chat.
What was originally dismissed as a joke about "100% realistic VR" was now being vouched for by five active members. Soon, three more hard-headed gamers decided to follow suit.
Beyond that, most of the other members in the small group were now drawn into the topic. Although it was mostly FaFo and the others spamming the chat, Viserys—watching from another world via the System Sprite—knew that the lurkers were paying attention. They were just too lazy to type.
> Pineapple_Pizza_Lover: Say no more. If you guys didn't die from a virus, then even if this game is a pile of trash, I'm diving in.
> Goji_Berry_Enjoyer: @FaFo How much are they paying you for this ad? If there really was such an amazing holographic game, why no celebrity endorsements? Why no gameplay footage? You expect me to believe it's all word-of-mouth?
> Gacha_Addict: I second that. Unless you post some gameplay, I'm calling BS.
> Minister_of_Excuses: Fine. Let this hero investigate the truth!
Wang Wu (FaFo), chilling in his dorm, saw the skepticism. He thought for a moment, put the helmet back on, and figured out how to export screenshots. He transferred a few photos taken in-game to his laptop.
Under the curious gazes of his roommates, Wang Wu uploaded the photos to the group chat.
> FaFo: [Image] [Image]
"Wu, what are you doing?" Li Peng, his roommate and best friend, walked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. He looked at Wang Wu, who had been fiddling with a motorcycle helmet earlier and was now glued to his laptop.
"I don't know, man. We just got back, and Wu was hibernating under his blanket with that helmet on. Now he's up and acting all mysterious," said Zhang Quan, sitting on the bed opposite Wang Wu, scrolling through TikTok.
Song Jiang, lying on the top bunk, grunted in agreement.
After sending the photos, Wang Wu noticed his roommates staring at him. He spun around in his chair with a grin.
"Boys... do you want to play a real game?"
Li Peng paused, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He exchanged a confused look with Zhang Quan and Song Jiang.
Wang Wu dropped the photos and left the chat to simmer. But in the group, the images ignited a fierce debate.
> Gacha_Addict: Holy crap. Bro, are you sure you didn't just take these at a Hollywood set?
> Goji_Berry_Enjoyer: Looks like random images from Google to me. Just trying to be mysterious.
> FBI_Open_Up: Don't know if they're fake, but I'm stubborn. I have to test the waters myself.
> Goji_Berry_Enjoyer: Case closed. Everyone in this group except me is a paid actor. Just tell me, do you want my money or my kidney?
> Step_Sis_Im_Stuck: You're wrong. We don't want your money or your kidney. We just crave your body.
The chat was chaotic—some believed, some didn't. Viserys, who was technically the group owner, couldn't be bothered to mute anyone.
At this moment, His Grace was staring at the registration numbers on the website, cackling like a villain. The count had surged from the initial five to ten.
Good. All high-quality little leeks. Hurry up and log in to work for your King.
---
Back on Earth, Zhao Xiaotian (Serious_Bush_Camper) closed the Discord group and immediately sent a DM to his mysterious online friend, Tank_Rearview.
As a second-generation rich kid, his initial excitement had faded, replaced by his business instincts. He smelled an opportunity.
Ding-ding.
Hmm?
Seeing the red notification dot on his blue interface, Viserys opened it.
> Serious_Bush_Camper: Bro, can you tell me the name of your company?
Viserys frowned. This is not good leek behavior. Just play the game. Why are you trying to find out who's pulling the strings?
> Tank_Rearview: Uh, it's not that I don't trust you, bro. But the company's background is too powerful, and I signed an NDA. I can't reveal too much.
Zhao Xiaotian sighed at the reply. He had been thinking about asking his dad to invest in this game given its massive potential. It would have been a great way to impress the old man.
Ding-ding.
> Tank_Rearview: All I can say is, ordinary people don't know the company's name. As for our capabilities... those who know, know. Don't guess blindly. Just enjoy the game.
Zhao Xiaotian paused. "Those who know, know"? Since when did my dad's connections not know something?