readsfreenovel Chapter 84 The Biggest Chip
Chapter 84 The Biggest Chip
Are you kidding me? Of course it's you, Dear stars! There's absolutely no doubt about it!
When did you become a member of the Stars Association?
Did it begin when you realized that the "salary" Shirley was giving you was far from enough to support what you wanted to do? Or did it begin when you felt you couldn't just sit around doing nothing at Hell Inn?
neither.
You decided to become a star-studded figure much earlier than anyone imagined.
This story probably begins before you even had the idea of becoming the head chef of the inn.
As the second "sinner" to join Hell Inn, and as a Porcelain Country person who can cook, you initially just prepared an extra meal for the demons in the inn while cooking three meals a day for yourself, since there were only four demons in the inn at the time, including you.
Back then, the demons at the inn mostly ate the porcelain country dishes that you used to make most often when you were alive.
Because everyone had few complaints, was eager to eat at mealtimes, and never hesitated to praise your cooking skills...
Although the demons in the inn, especially Angel, often mixed their praise with profanity and dishonesty, their enthusiasm for eating with you still gave you considerable confidence.
But ever since you saw on some social media sites that "foreigners are not really used to oily Chinese food", you have quietly started to try cooking methods from different countries.
You are confident, that's true, but you're not confident enough to make foreigners keep eating your Chinese cuisine.
The real problem for you is that the ingredients in the human world are different from those in hell, which leads to a significant difference between the food you cook and what you imagined.
To be honest, the differences in ingredients have frustrated and given you a lot of headaches.
But for the sake of the demons in the inn, you, who don't believe in evil, decide to travel to hell to find a way to combine human recipes and hellish recipes.
Although you can't appear in public, you always have a way to overcome difficulties, and you came up with a brilliant idea—to change your identity.
'If something goes wrong, the problems will be addressed by the stars themselves, what does it have to do with you?'
With this in mind, you "created" the mysterious "Dear Stars".
At first, you would secretly use your abilities at night to freeze the demons in the restaurant's kitchen, and then try out the ingredients from hell one by one and compare them with the ingredients from the human world.
As time goes on and you become more proficient with the recipes, you transform from a novice who can only experiment with ingredients into a "hellish chef" who can discern how a dish is made.
Your body after you went to hell gave you abilities that ordinary demons could not achieve. You were "born" with a sense of smell to distinguish between a good and a bad restaurant; and after entering a good restaurant, you were able to learn the restaurant's unique skills through your sense of taste.
Furthermore, given your ability to perfectly blend hellish and human cuisine, it's practically a certainty that "no demon in hell can surpass your culinary skills."
After all, you're using cheats, how can anyone compete with you on the same stage?
What's more, ■■■ is someone who is both incredibly talented and a perfectionist.
It's already enviable for someone to be both a genius, smart, and hardworking, but for someone to be both incredibly talented and hardworking is simply ruthless.
At that time, you were preoccupied with how to become a qualified chef, and you were only focused on honing your culinary skills to provide the best service to the demons in the inn.
Later, you left origami cranes at the restaurant simply to commemorate your visit, and you left the recipe for free because you learned how to cook; the recipe was to pay your apprenticeship fees...
Of course, you also hope they can modify your recipes to make them more delicious and creative, so you can learn from them in return, and everyone will be happy.
The reason you became a celestial being is that simple, and the things you do are just that simple.
You're used to enjoying a meal after becoming a "celestial being," leaving behind a keepsake and a recipe before turning away; you don't care about anything else.
However, after chatting with IMP and Viya, you were shocked to discover that your identity, "Celebrity Personality," had actually become a trend sweeping through the Arrogance Ring.
Your surprise at that time was absolutely genuine.
These things, such as keepsakes personally opened by celebrities, and recipes personally opened by celebrities, are even being sold online.
Putting aside the outrageous rumors, whether true or false, you had no idea your story had been blown out of proportion so much online, no idea you'd become an internet celebrity, and no idea that the shops you visited would become wildly popular and make a fortune.
I didn't know that the identity you fabricated has become a "hot commodity" in various senses.
The "Stars' Initiation" app has been given a mysterious, aloof, and arrogant title, along with some sexually suggestive terms that you can't bring yourself to say. However, these labels are not exactly the same as your original intention in creating "Stars' Initiation"; they are simply unrelated.
And you even learned about the other side of the brilliance of the stars' personal involvement from Little Devil and Viya!
—You're so angry you'll laugh at the sudden, illogical, and unreasonable popularity of this era.
I really don't know how Alastor managed to refrain from swearing at this strange era...
Oh, right, besides all that, what's even more abstract is that the fact that the Star Initiation was noticed by Zestiel and Vox is actually true.
Because there are online interviews and reports of the two of them inviting celebrities to personally open the book.
Zestiel seems to be interested in having Shinkichi Qunxing consider becoming his assistant or a spokesperson for his new products, while Vox has expressed a desire to collaborate with Shinkichi Qunxing, and similarly, he has offered Shinkichi Qunxing as a spokesperson for his kitchenware.
It sounds surreal, but frankly, these ruthless businessmen just want the star power that's driving the incredible traffic they're seeing now.
...That's reasonable.
Unfortunately, because you're out of touch with the world and don't pay much attention to these things, Angel hasn't shown you any short videos on the subject, so "Stars' Personal Revelation" naturally ignores these two powerful sinner lords.
However, the arrogance and disdain shown by the stars did not put them in danger; instead, it made them even more popular.
Your rude behavior caused the number of fans of the star-studded event to more than double.
At that moment, you were sweating profusely as you looked at the "Official Account for Speculating on the Origin of the Stars," which was being followed by many sinner lords on the internet, and the two sinner lords who were surprisingly not angry.
So you people from hell just enjoy being offended, huh?
...You really are something else, like someone stabbing your butt with a knife. It's quite an eye-opener.
If you're not particularly interested in Hell News, you're probably so shocked by the hype surrounding "Celebrity Adaptations" and everyone's inexplicable fervor that it's enough to make your brain shrunk...
In short, you admit that you don't understand hell, the cycle of pride, or sinners.
But you are someone who is good at making effective use of your own strengths. Since the "Stars' Invitation" has such a high level of popularity, why don't you take advantage of it?
What's more, this much-anticipated "celebrity-sponsored announcement" is actually you.
……
But you're still surprised that the stars have become so famous that even Alastor knows about them.
These days, who would pass up the chance to show off? It certainly wouldn't be you.
The Eastern sinner, laughing freely and unrestrainedly, crossed her arms and held her head high. Her androgynous face was now filled with youthful spirit and ambition.
Your last chip was asked by Alastor himself, and that's the biggest trump card you have left.
Taking the initiative to reveal that you are "initiated by the stars" is different from Alastor asking for it. Although both are being honest about the cards you hold, getting the response you wanted makes you feel that at least this round is a victory for you.
Alastor is a clever man, a shrewd strategist who has lived for who knows how long, a dangerous sinner lord, and he is far more experienced in trading than you are.
Because all the trickery and verbal traps were exposed and made to look like clowns in front of Alastor, you simply chose a more straightforward and direct method to conduct this transaction.
The best way to deal with smart people is to be honest; the best way to deal with smart people is not to deal with them at all.
You have laid bare everything you want Alastor to do for you, all your bargaining chips, and even the possible consequences.
Generous terms are generous terms, and fair transactions are fair transactions.
The way to prevent intelligent people from overthinking is to demonstrate your honesty in a harmless way, to the point that they might think you're foolish.
Clearly, this is the dumbest approach, but also the smartest.
If you have made everything transparent and the other party is still unwilling to do business with you, then it only means one thing—your offer was not attractive enough to Alastor from the very beginning, and your deal was doomed from the start.
But now that you've come this far, it proves your strategy has been successful.
"..."
"What an amazing reply, my sweetheart."
After a long silence, the broadcast demon tapped his palm with the microphone cane in his hand.
After saying this, the neurotic male demon chuckled softly. He covered his forehead with his hand and laughed so hard that he was doubled over. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what he was laughing at or what he was thinking.
The truth is, Alastor thought the terms offered by ■■■ were so generous that they even tempted him.
Without a doubt, this was a gamble with a perfect start and a nearly predictable outcome.
He admitted that perhaps at the beginning, when she was explaining her plan and trying to recruit him, he saw it all as a cripple spouting nonsense. But after learning that ■■■ had another identity unknown to everyone in the city, things changed.
Only half of people can't run, but a healthy and perfect person can do anything.
The broadcast demon's voice, which had been laughing so hard his brows were furrowed, gradually faded. He slightly bent the fingers he was holding to his forehead, and then shook his head in an ambiguous manner.
Even he has to admit now that ■■■ really gave him a big surprise.
...But he really didn't expect that while ■■■ was a hot commodity on the surface, her "hidden" identity was also an extremely hot commodity.
For a moment, Alastor's appreciation for the female demon before him reached an unprecedented peak.
The radio demon, who looked almost exactly like a lunatic, wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, his smile unchanging.
Wendigo, who seemed to finally be taking the deal seriously, suddenly sat back down in his previous chair.
The elegant, scarlet gentleman casually rested his right calf on his thigh, propping his head up with his right hand. He looked languid, but his gaze remained fixed on the young female demon before him.
While Alastor does believe the deal is worthwhile, he's by no means the kind of fool who'd jump at a pie in the sky.
'Huge profits often come with risks.'
Moreover, he didn't necessarily need the benefits that ■■■ mentioned.
The broadcasting demon narrowed his eyes before slowly speaking in his clear, loud broadcasting voice:
"Very good, everything is perfect! But do I need to remind you of all this? My dear Miss [Name], your suggestions are all excellent ways to make me the target of everyone's criticism!"
"..."
"..."
Faced with Alastor's sharp and unsparing remarks, you fell into a brief silence.
You looked at the radio demon, who was so relaxed he was even humming a song, and opened your mouth but couldn't say anything right away.
Fortunately, after Alastor made this questioning statement, the sinner lord in front of him did not show any anger or dissatisfaction.
He simply sat there patiently and silently, waiting for your explanation.
After pointing out the "fatal" part of your plan, Alastor's attitude towards you was almost gentle.
You know that the clever and astute sinner lord in front of you actually knew the downsides of doing business with you from the very beginning.
Having disappeared for seven years, Alastor has lost his territory and the sinners who supported him. Although he is still powerful, he acts with humility.
He chose to help Shirley, but aside from that one unbearable confrontation with Vox, he did almost nothing out of line.
As long as you don't provoke him, the once-ruthless and bloodthirsty radio demon can even be described as "docile and harmless." Although psychological harm is also harm, you get used to Alastor's sarcastic jokes after a while.
But if Alastor agrees to your deal, it would prove that the Broadcast Demon intends to re-emerge from the Pride Ring.
Putting aside the thoughts of other demons, Vox will certainly suppress him from a business perspective.
While you can resolve Alastor's business problems, the sudden appearance of the Broadcast Demon, coupled with the fame of Stars' Personal Awakening, will inevitably bring him a lot of trouble.
So he's not wrong. His fame is a double-edged sword. If you try to use the fame of the Broadcast Demon, it will also bring you trouble.
Although Alastor was not afraid of being provoked, he even enjoyed seeing blood.
But this scenario, where he becomes the target of public criticism because of shared interests with others... might not fit his personality.
—From the very beginning, you were just betting on whether Alastor would accept these risks.
You know Alastor will understand this drawback immediately.
That's why you're trying to ingratiate yourself by listing all the benefits you can offer him.
"But you have to admit, I've given you the option that will allow you to get back to where you were back then the fastest. I've given you all my chips, and the worst outcome is that I'll be the one to overturn the table."
You stood straight in place, neither humble nor arrogant, without offering any explanation for your failure to point out the drawbacks.
Because you both know the ins and outs of this deal, you know Alastor will bring up the downsides of this deal, the only difference is when.
But if you bring up the drawbacks beforehand, it will only give Alastor an opportunity to criticize you during the conversation, so you simply leave this inevitable problem until the end.
There's no perfect solution in this world, but you've already done everything you can to balance the pros and cons of this deal.
"Oh no, no, no! I think this isn't all the chips yet, dear chef. You still have something very important to bet!"
Just as you were deep in thought with your head down, Alastor, who had just been sitting in the chair pointing out your sore spot, flicked his index finger and then appeared before you as a shadow.
A shadowy figure enveloped in green light flashes before you, and the giant, evil smile of the broadcasting demon disappears in an instant, quickly replaced by a blinding red.
"……what?"
Slightly confused about what the other person meant, you turned your head and frowned deeply.
Since your speech is over, it's Alastor's time to shine... You just hope his attack will be a little more lenient.
"You still have this! My sweetheart."
As you ponder how to respond to Alastor's next remarks, Wendigo, who looks particularly pleased with himself, taps your head indiscriminately with his microphone cane.
"The chef's biggest bargaining chip—"
"yourself."