DKIE CH63: Recruitment

Some return gifts were entirely unnecessary.

Cullen: “I was just passing by.”

Luka: “Guo’er, come here.”

Cullen: “…”

The demon’s hand beckoned lightly, and in the end, Cullen walked in with the grim resolve of a hero facing his doom.

A beautifully wrapped paper bag was handed to him.

It was a type of local traditional candy, from which a faint, sweet aroma emanated.

Luka glanced over at Quill and said to Cullen, “The return gift for you might not be as complex to prepare as his, don’t mind it.”

Far from minding, Cullen was almost grateful.

He put the candy away, sat down, and got straight to the point. “The internet cafes everywhere are packed, and the response has been great. After the new year, I plan to expand the number of operating locations to around ninety thousand.”

The internet cafes had only been open for a little over half a day, but the average customer stayed for at least three hours, thanks in large part to “Weird Tale Travels.”

Cullen had tried the game himself.

He had to admit, it was quite brilliant.

“It’s close to real life yet manages to dig into people’s inner fears, and the format is very novel.”

Luka checked to see if the other few bags were intact and said, “Isn’t its most unique aspect the departure from traditional combat power settings?”

Cullen paused.

Indeed.

In this game, the rules were everything.

As a player, one never even had the thought that, in reality, they could take down ten of these “filthy things” with one punch or that a light spell could replace the tinder.

He seemed to realize something, but before he could speak, Luka preemptively asked Quill, “How are things on Lilian’s end?”

He had used an excuse to send her away to create a surprise, but checking the stability of the web novel platform’s framework was indeed a very important matter.

Quill indicated that it was ready for use at any time.

Luka’s expression relaxed upon hearing this. “There will definitely be more customers at the internet cafes tomorrow. This will be a good time to give them another option.”

Quill raised an eyebrow. “Not many people enjoy reading these days.”

Luka pushed the remaining few loose candies toward him. “But there are many who are willing to pay for their dreams.”

Following the death of the prelate, the community finally had a new topic of universal discussion: #WeirdTaleGame.

Among the threads, a post titled “Locations of Transport Wells Within 300 Meters” became abnormally popular. The poster, [Radish Pit], gained a hundred thousand followers in a single day.

The number of comments below was almost equal to the poster’s number of followers.

【You actually made it past 300 meters? I pulled an all-nighter and I’m still fending off wandering souls within 50 meters!】

【Help, how do you deal with the half-faced man who offers you injury medicine? No matter if you take it or not, it’s a dead end. I’ve been stuck all night!】

【To the person above, can’t you just turn and run?】

【…This is so annoying. I heard you can unlock new scenery after 200 meters, but I don’t have enough Nether Coins.】

Nether Coins were the in-game currency. There was a chance to obtain them by opening treasure chests along the way, or they could be collected by completing quests. However, due to the fog setting, players often missed them.

【I wonder how many Nether Coins the original poster has saved up.】

In a small city far from the Holy City, a somewhat scruffy, unemployed man trembled slightly in an internet cafe.

He was Radish Pit.

Radish Pit’s life had been one of mediocrity: mediocre magical talent, a mediocre school, a mediocre job… he had been conscientious yet was still fired.

He had already given up on himself, planning to use his remaining money for one last indulgence. Ironically, the truly high-end places wouldn’t even let him in.

It was at this moment that he saw the newly opened internet cafe.

Who would have thought that just by playing a game, he could receive so much attention!

Those people who could usually afford terminals wouldn’t even give him a second glance, but now they were all praising him for being amazing.

Radish Pit suddenly noticed someone had sent him a private message asking how many Nether Coins he had, willing to pay a high price to buy his account if he had a lot.

“This account means a lot to me, I can’t sell it.”

However…

He thought for a moment. He could log into the other person’s account and help them complete quests and pass levels.

It seemed the other person just wanted to unlock the scenery anyway.

Radish Pit replied with a suggestive tone.

【That’s even better! I actually prefer a fresh account anyway. You’re a genius!】

Radish Pit stared at the message in shock.

He had been praised, and he was thrilled.

After finishing the private message exchange and logging out, Radish Pit made a point to follow the official account.

Unlike other players, he was more interested in the game’s design philosophy and the developers’ ideas than the potential future benefits promised by the officials.

It could be said that this game had helped him find the meaning of his life again.

One name, in particular, surprised him.

“Iliad?”

Was that the Son of the Saintess who had been in the spotlight recently?

As one person’s guide went viral, more people began to emulate it. The officials took advantage of the trend to prepare a creator program. While studying the rules of the process, more and more people began to notice the game’s developers.

Previously, people saw Luka merely as a trendsetter stirring up public opinion. With the expansion of the gaming community, he began to truly build a good reputation among the masses.

Coincidentally, on the same day, the space station launched a new web novel platform: Far Shore Reading.

Below, Iliad’s name was also listed among the developers.

Cullen required all internet cafe operators to uniformly update and download it on the large terminals, while portable mobile terminals received a pop-up ad in the community:

【Let Your Dreams Set Sail, Far Shore Awaits You!】

Clicking on it would take users directly to the download page, accompanied by a golden invitation letter:

【Do you feel that life has no meaning? Let creation help you find it again. A creator incentive of up to fifty thousand gold coins, aren’t you tempted! A grand dream-themed writing competition, with dreams as your horse, live up to your youth.】

This writing competition was themed around dreams. The conditions were very broad; as long as the protagonist held a dream and went through a process of striving and progressing, they could register for the competition.

On the first day of Far Shore Reading’s launch, Luka published his new novel online, “Pampered Three-and-a-Half-Year-Old II.”

With just one chapter, donations from the Dragon Clan flowed like water, with red banners streaming across the most conspicuous position at the top of the webpage.

The Dragon Clan’s red-bannered donations, along with the enlarged incentive fund figure on the homepage, served as the best advertisement for the writing competition!

Readers looked at the second part and saw it was the same formula with a new coat of paint.

A flying magical beast noticed the little monster actually trying to stand in front of another beast, repeatedly telling the other to escape, and its movements slowed for a fraction of a second.

【In its long life, the magical beast had never seen such a foolish act. Its cold, vertical pupils were filled with derision.】

【However, watching the little monster desperately protecting its own kind, it couldn’t help but be perplexed. Weren’t magical beasts meant to be born despised? Why would it protect another?】

【As it drew near the little monster that stubbornly refused to flee, the flying magical beast’s heart suddenly softened.】

“It softened again? Do all powerful beings soften so easily?”

“Something like this can cause the website to crash from donations.”

“Perhaps I can be like him and win the affection of a specific audience of readers?”

Similar thoughts arose in the minds of netizens who saw the writing competition plan.

In any case, whether it was wild creativity or the resilience forged from deep-rooted hardship, it could all be smelted into words at the tip of a pen.

There was no harm in trying.

For a time, countless people picked up pen and paper.

“Luka! Luka!”

Lilian rushed into the hall like a gust of wind, startling the guards at the door.

“Do you know how many submissions we received in one day? More than I’ve received in three years of managing the magazine!”

Luka was practicing magic. His spell was interrupted, and he turned his head to say, “It seems you’ll need to hire quite a few editors and start reviewing manuscripts.”

In the past, no one was willing to write because it didn’t make money. With a creator incentive fund, who would turn down money?

“That’s right. I’m interviewing a thousand people a day.”

Editors were also hard to find. It was the first time they were being evaluated purely on literary insight rather than magical strength, which was truly unsettling for people.

Lilian sat down and drank a large glass of water. “I’ve skimmed through some of the articles. The genres are quite diverse. There are even many stories of poor girls rising to become geniuses and foolish boys soaring to new heights.”

In the past, there wouldn’t be any works on the continent with the theme of “don’t look down on a poor young man.”

People believed that those with ordinary magical talent would not amount to much, so such stories lacked a sense of immersion.

Now, it was different.

“There’s one called Radish Pit, his submission is very good, ‘I Made a Comeback by Playing Games,’ and crucially, it’s supported by a real, trending case. I’m planning to sign him to the platform for a long-term collaboration.”

Lilian put down her cup and looked at Luka. “By the way, there are now quite a few protagonists modeled after you.”

This was unexpected for Luka. “Oh?”

“Some of the comeback arcs are clearly adapted from your experiences. Should we stop it?”

Luka thought for a moment. “Forget it.”

He moved on to his next, more important plan. “I’m preparing to accept an interview.”

He had laid low for a while to let the heat die down.

Now that the network was on the right track, it was naturally time to reap the fruits he needed.

Lilian’s eyes lit up. Since it was an exclusive interview, her newspaper had to get it!

She proposed a plan on the spot. “Pick me, pick me! We’ll do two forms of interview. A video will be posted on the community’s official account, and the other will be published in the newspaper.”

Luka stated his clear requirement. “The theme of the interview will be set by me.”

“Okay!” Lilian agreed readily.

Next, Luka stated the interview theme. Quill, who was beside him helping with the game version update’s magic architecture, raised an eyebrow.

Lilian’s initial excitement gradually turned into a solemn expression. “I’ll personally handle this interview and video for you.”

She went back to prepare, but before leaving, she reminded him, “The Holy Court has secretly acquired a large number of terminals on the black market. It might not be for use, but for research.”

Luka lowered his eyes in thought.

The core of the terminal was a leaf from the Tree of Wisdom. Normally, the leaves had a special magic on them that would cause them to self-destruct if dismantled. However, with the Holy Court’s methods, it was very possible they could bypass the magic and discover the truth.

Lilian added, “And then there are the dwarves. Once they cooperate with the Holy Court and provide technical support, they might be able to create the same thing.”

As if hearing a joke, a scornful smile appeared on Quill’s lips. “Is that so?”

Whether the Tree of Life could even act as a signal source like the Tree of Wisdom was a question in itself. Doesn’t it value ‘purity’ above all else?

Luka said, “We’ll meet all changes by staying the course.”

He wasn’t a god; he couldn’t come up with solutions for everything in advance.

Besides…

“Actually, there’s no need to worry too much. Some successes are not easily replicated. The charm of a brand sometimes lies with the individual.”

Lilian: “The individual?”

“When the same products are placed before you, what ultimately makes you choose might be your fondness for the product’s founder.”

This was one of the reasons why Luka wanted to seize the moment and do an interview to enhance his personal influence.

Working with an acquaintance made things easy.

Lilian went back and drafted the interview questions, then came over in the afternoon to conduct the interview.

The accompanying staff were people she had transferred from the City of Boulders. While they recorded with the Memory Stone, they also made preliminary judgments on which parts to highlight later and which could be cut.

By the time the entire editing and interview process was completed, it was almost dark.

Lilian stood up. “Time is a bit tight. I have to hurry back and arrange for printing.”

“Wait a moment.” Luka went back into the house and brought out a paper bag of candy. “A return gift for your birthday.”

Lilian’s face lit up.

Good.

Hers was candy too.

She had heard from Cullen that his return gift also included a ‘grand gift package for tempering the mind.’

Early the next morning, the daily newspaper and the official account simultaneously released a special feature: “The Setbacks and Challenges in Iliad’s Rise to Fame—The Road is Long and Hard, May We Walk it Together.”

Not many people had the patience to watch the full interview, so during the recording, the staff had also chosen a stunning angle for Lilian.

The interviewer and the interviewee managed to retain the audience by sheer force of their good looks.

At the beginning of the interview, Lilian bypassed his upbringing and started with the present.

“Terminals are now popular among various groups, and some users are concerned about privacy and security. What are your thoughts on this?”

“I can only say that within the largest signal source, the divine senses of more than one powerful individual reside. For skilled mages, they would also be able to sense if a terminal suddenly had an extraneous magical fluctuation.”

This was why Luka was only responsible for making the connections.

It would be an incredibly dangerous thing for any single power to gain absolute control over the terminals.

The Tree of Wisdom contained a divine sense left by a Saint, which could serve as a check and balance. In the future, once he became stronger, he could further establish a three-way equilibrium.

“As the initiator of the network project, what was your original intention?”

This question thoroughly piqued the interest of all video viewers.

They had only heard that the terminals were purchased from the Elf clan and hadn’t expected the initiator to not be an elf.

Luka on the screen looked very sincere.

“I wanted to provide a larger platform for communication, to let the public display more of their wisdom.”

Lilian: “That sounds very grand, but also a bit empty.”

The various races of the continent were quite direct. Excessive modesty and empty talk would make them feel it was disingenuous.

Lilian successfully spoke for the audience.

“It’s not empty. For example, the idea for the network was proposed long ago. It’s just that the public of this world never heard about it. Guess… why couldn’t they hear it?”

Lilian: “Because of the status and position of the person who proposed it.”

Luka neither admitted nor denied it, continuing along that line of thought. “The world should listen to the voices of more diverse groups. The birth of the network will bring many opportunities. Just like now, I’m in urgent need of capable individuals with a solid theoretical foundation. Their magical strength doesn’t matter.”

Lilian feigned curiosity. “Could you be more specific?”

Luka: “There’s a lot. Actually, you can look at my recruitment requirements and conditions. They’re published in the newspaper.”

Almost everyone watching the interview paused at this point.

Strength doesn’t matter, as long as the theoretical foundation is solid.

What kind of niche language was this?

Someone who was outside wanted to grab a copy of the newspaper, only to find it was already sold out!

The Holy City was slightly better; in other regions, just through word of mouth, the entrances to newspaper offices were nearly swamped.

Someone had already screenshotted the recruitment notice from the newspaper and posted it online, quickly attracting a great deal of attention:

Position: Magiprogrammer.

Job Description: 1. Responsible for maintaining and developing the virtual platform; 2. Writing and testing relevant magic architecture; 3. Following up and resolving related issues.

Requirements: 1. At least sixteen years old, proficient in magical theory; 2. Skilled in innovation and constructing magic architecture.

Salary and Benefits: 400~600 gold coins/month; free accommodation provided; accompanied by security personnel.

Should you still meet an untimely demise due to the high salary, we will unconditionally seek justice for you and provide a generous pension.

Application Method: On the twelfth of next month, relevant examinations will be held in all major central cities. Interested parties should arrive at the nearest central city in advance. We will set up examination consultation points one week prior.

Please note, this recruitment is open to all races, with a total of one hundred employees expected to be hired.

Magiprogrammer, such an unfamiliar job title.

Maintaining the order of a magical platform’s architecture? But the public was more focused on the position itself.

In reality, a person’s magical strength and theoretical knowledge were absolutely not perfectly proportional.

Those who lacked sensory perception had to work extremely hard on theory just to ensure they didn’t waste a single bit of magic power.

Now, the bitter studies of the past could finally be put to use!

The flow of information was slower in remote city-states, but the Rhine Chamber of Commerce had business in all regions and had already synchronized promotional preheating.

“Payment in gold coins, and a salary of over a hundred gold coins!”

The newspaper posted on the Chamber of Commerce’s bulletin board caused passersby to stop in their tracks. Some were sighing in amazement, while others’ eyes flashed with brilliant light.

No matter how hard they worked, with only magical knowledge, they could only earn a few silver coins a month. Such an opportunity was once in a lifetime.

“I’m going. I have to go.”

Some people who still held hope for the future began to scrape together travel funds almost without hesitation, preparing to gamble on a chance to change their destiny.

Similar scenes were playing out in different places.

From the first day the recruitment notice was issued, countless people, old and young, packed their bags and set off, traveling day and night, rushing recklessly toward the land of hope.

Holy City, the Hall.

Luka had just met with Cullen and was resting in the courtyard.

“Cullen has already contacted the lords of various regions to ensure the safety of the major official roads as much as possible.”

The population of the Saint-Demon Continent was in the hundreds of millions. Just setting up examination centers in all the central cities already required enormous expenditure and work arrangements. It was impossible to be thorough in every aspect.

“The space station will soon have a developer program. Once approved and authorized, anyone can upload various programs. In the future, this will gradually become a very popular industry.”

Those who couldn’t pass the test would find that there were still plenty of opportunities if they just lingered a little.

And the powerful and noble, as the direct beneficiaries of the results, would also respect and value talent for their own interests, forming a virtuous cycle.

Quill listened quietly until he finished. “On the network, they are now calling you a hero of the common people.”

Luka was taken aback, then shook his head lightly after a moment. “Don’t put such a high hat on my head.”

He had always been very clear about the true self beneath his mask: eager for quick success, and currying favor with the powerful.

Everything was for the sake of an explosive growth in faith.

Compared to the thrill of being infamous, this pure praise and admiration actually made him a little uncomfortable.

The air fell silent.

“Luka,” Quill said his name in a low voice, not to comfort, nor to echo the praise, but to say, “The era will remember you.”

The snow on the treetops was blown off by the cold wind, and the light grew brighter.

Luka raised his head slightly and, through a patch of sunlight, saw Quill giving him a firm nod.

Excerpt from Luka’s Diary:

Started by gnawing on tree bark, now the goal is to be the richest man on the continent.

Alex passed by and corrected: It was ‘started with one pen.’

Support me on Ko-fi