When Guinaifen arrived home, she found a massive crate blocking her doorway, flanked by a team of technicians in specialized jumpsuits.
"Miss Guinaifen? We're the installation crew from the Artisanship Commission," one of the staff said, verifying her identity via a photo on her Jade Abacus. "Is now a good time for the setup?"
"Yes! Please, come in. Sorry for the trouble," Guinaifen said, ushering them into her living room.
The chat was already in a state of shock. Guinaifen had left her stream running, and the viewers were watching the assembly of a sleek, chrome-and-jade terminal.
"Wait, is that a Full-Dive VR rig? Guinaifen, did you rob a bank?!""That piece of hardware costs more than her last three years of earnings combined. Did Gui find a sugar daddy?""Look at the logo on the side—that's the Arceus Studio mark. Julian Reed is actually backing her!"
Guinaifen laughed, leaning over the half-assembled rig. "Calm down, fans! No sugar daddies here. The studio saw how much you guys loved the Pokémon streams, so they sponsored this rig to help me prove the 'Real' version isn't a myth. If the stream goes well, I might even get to keep it!"
She flashed a winning smile. "And for those of you asking about more slots—the official website just opened a new wave of lottery draws. Plus, I've got twenty keys of my own to give away after the showcase. Stay tuned!"
The news sent a shockwave through the audience. Half the viewers vanished instantly, rushing to the Arceus website.
"I got one! It's downloading! See you in Kanto, losers!""Rigged! I used twelve accounts and got nothing but a 'Try Again' screen!""I'll pay one million Credits for a verified key right now. Serious buyers only.""One million? Get out of here. I'm offering two million! Contact me immediately!"
Guinaifen watched the bidding war with a mix of awe and amusement. She knew the keys were valuable, but seeing people throw around millions for a testing phase was beyond her wildest dreams.
Meanwhile, in the quiet halls of the Divination Commission, Qingque shuffled into the staff lounge. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week, her eyes glazed and her posture slumped.
"Staying up late for cards again, Qingque?" a fellow Diviner asked, suppressed laughter in her voice. "Didn't Lady Fu Xuan just catch you napping on Tuesday?"
Qingque let out a long, weary yawn. "It's not the cards. It's that Pokémon game. I spent the entire night scouring Route 1 and Route 2 for a Meowth. I need a lucky cat for my next tournament, but the little fangs just won't spawn for me."
The colleague froze. Her eyes went wide as she grabbed Qingque's shoulders, shaking her awake. "Wait! You have a beta key? THE Pokémon game? Qingque, where did you get access?!"
"Ah! Stop shaking me!" Qingque protested, batting her hands away. "My friend Julian made the thing. He gave me a few slots before he left the archives. Is it really that big of a deal?"
"Is it a big deal? Qingque, people are reselling those keys for three million Credits on the black market! They're impossible to find!"
As Diviners—the elite technical talent of the Xianzhou—these women weren't exactly poor. They handled high-level data and economic predictions, making them far wealthier than the average clerk. But even for them, three million for a game invite was staggering.
"Three million?" Qingque blinked, her fatigue vanishing as she calculated how many sets of tiles that could buy. "Wait... seriously?"
"I'll buy one from you right now! Market price, three million Credits. Do you have a spare?"
"I actually have a few left," Qingque muttered, still dazed. "Julian gave me five. I kept one, gave one to the Master Diviner... sure, I'll sell you one. I don't need four spares."
The transaction was completed in seconds. Seeing the '3,000,000' notification hit her account gave Qingque a sudden surge of adrenaline.
"I still have two left," Qingque added, a mischievous spark in her eyes. "Spread the word. First come, first served."
"On it!" the colleague chirped, then leaned in closer with a bit of gossip. "By the way, did you hear? Lady Fu Xuan was late to the morning assembly today. For the first time in recorded history!"
"The Master Diviner was late?" Qingque glanced at her Jade Abacus, thinking of the key she'd handed over the previous afternoon. A sudden, terrifying thought crossed her mind. "She wouldn't have stayed up all night trying to catch a Meowth too, would she?"
She quickly shook the thought away. No, the "perfect" Fu Xuan would never be so irresponsible.
Probably.
Back in Changletian, Guinaifen's rig was finally online.
"Alright, fans," she whispered, her voice trembling with excitement as she slid the neural-link helmet over her head. "It's time to see the 'Real' world."