Watching Honkai: Star Rail get buried under a flood of newly launched games, Leo frowned slightly.
As expected of the galaxy's largest app store, new mobile games were uploaded one batch after another. His own game, which had just been on the 'latest games' list, was drowned out by others in the next second.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any capital for promotion right now. I can only hope that a good wine needs no bush."
The house Leo was currently living in was an abandoned building. Not only was it drafty from all sides, but at night, it became eerily gloomy, like a haunted house. But the experiences of the past few days had taught Leo a valuable lesson: being poor was scarier than any ghost!
Rustle, rustle…
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound reached him.
Leo immediately blew out the candle beside him. Then, he picked up a piece of wood from the floor for self-defense, pressed himself against the wall, and observed the direction the sound was coming from.
In Leo's line of sight, a red-haired woman appeared around the corner. She was holding her phone in one hand, gesturing with the other towards its camera, and slowly approaching his location.
"Family! Did you see that?"
"Just now, something like a will-o'-the-wisp went out right over there."
"The rumors about this place being haunted are definitely true!"
"Help me out with some likes, family! Little Gui is planning to gather her courage and rush in for a closer look!"
Leo was momentarily speechless.
Wasn't this Guinaifen?
Just yesterday, Leo had even used his second-hand Jade Abacus to watch Guinaifen's live stream.
He hadn't expected that her ghost-hunting stream today would lead her right to his doorstep.
Wait a minute!
A live stream?
An idea suddenly struck Leo—wasn't this a golden opportunity for promotion?
Although Guinaifen's popularity wasn't sky-high at the moment, she was still a moderately successful streamer. If he could create a breakthrough here, he believed Honkai: Star Rail could quickly go viral!
Guinaifen cautiously approached the doorway. Due to the extreme darkness, she could only rely on the faint light from her phone to see.
Leo stood by the entrance.
He casually reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Soft, smooth…
Guinaifen froze.
The next second.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
…
In the live stream chat:
"What happened? I just saw a hand on the streamer's shoulder!"
"Little Gui, are you okay? Make a sound if you're still alive!"
"Pack it up, guys. The streamer's a goner."
"I told Little Gui not to go to that place, but she wouldn't listen! Sob, sob, Little Gui, how will I live without you!"
…
After the initial shock.
The face that came into Guinaifen's view was pale but strikingly handsome.
"You scared me to death!"
"It's a living person!"
Guinaifen wiped the cold sweat from her cheeks.
Leo offered a perfectly timed smile—polite, yet not lacking in elegance. "Apologies for scaring you."
"Who are you? Why are you all alone here?"
"According to the Astral Ark denizens, I'm an Outworlder. As for how I got here, I'm not entirely sure myself."
"Eh? Could it be you smuggled yourself in? Or were you kidnapped and brought here?" Guinaifen asked curiously.
At this moment, in the live stream chat, the viewers also realized it had been a false alarm. Because of Guinaifen's stream, Leo was naturally also visible on camera.
…
"Oh, so it wasn't a ghost. I got excited for nothing."
"The little bro is quite handsome, though his clothes are a bit plain. Streamer, can you help us get his contact info?"
"Little Gui, promise me you won't fall for him, okay?"
…
Thanks to this dramatic scene, some viewers casually clicked the 'like' button, and the number of people in the live stream gradually began to rise.
Everything was developing according to Leo's plan.
"I came to the Astral Ark after playing a certain game," Leo stated. It was the truth, just that he had transmigrated into this world.
"A game? Don't tell me this game has some kind of teleportation function that brought you from your homeland to the Astral Ark?"
"Yep, this is the game." As Leo spoke, he launched Honkai: Star Rail on his phone.
Guinaifen was naturally captivated and leaned in to look at the phone screen.
Along with the melodious background music, a vast and desolate cosmic scene appeared. A train traversed through an asteroid belt, exuding an indescribable sense of etherealness and fantasy.
Guinaifen peered closer. She herself hadn't made much of it yet.
But in the live stream chat, some experienced viewers recognized it instantly.
…
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the Astral Express, which travels the Path of [Trailblaze]!"
"Huh? So that's the Astral Express? Its style is so retro?"
"I believe what the little bro said now! He must have been affected by the power of [Trailblaze], and that's why he came to our Astral Ark."
"Please trailblaze me hard!"
"???"
…
[Popularity Value +1+1+1…]
Guinaifen lightly tapped the screen.
Instantly, the train sped towards an unknown nebula, signifying formal entry into the game.
"Ahhh, I accidentally tapped it! Am I going to be teleported away too?"
"Probably not…" Leo's lips curved into a slight smile.
The game had officially begun.