"Boss, are you... are you alright?"
Seeing Lily suddenly fall silent, her face alternating between green and pale, Anya couldn't help but get nervous again.
She had thought her Boss had returned to normal, but looking at the current situation, could her Boss's head have been damaged by that punch she took while collecting debt?
Please, no! Not her Boss getting brain-damaged!
Anya threw herself at her, snotting and crying, "Boss, please pull yourself together! If something happens to you, I... I'll go fight that old geezer who hit you!"
Lily rubbed Anya's head, "Quiet, I'm thinking."
It's not easy to be a character popular with players.
First, she needed to determine what kind of NPC would be popular with players.
Lily roughly divided popular NPCs into two categories.
Hot. Not Hot.
She wasn't just guessing; she came prepared!
Regardless of gender, human, beast, or even a refrigerator, they could all be categorized this way.
Ultimately, didn't most people play games for the thrill of it?
Visual and auditory stimulation was thrilling, emotional resonance was thrilling, and "hot" could provide players with the most direct and simple visual and auditory stimulation.
But never underestimate the word "hot," or players would teach you a lesson with their wallets.
In an era where new games were as numerous as ox hair, "ordinary goods" had long been phased out; only those "special" ultimate editions could continue to be popular on yellow and black websites after the waves washed everything else away.
Life was short; who didn't want something good?
So, what did "special" mean?
Lily examined herself.
Bright eyes and white teeth, ample curves and jade-like bones, large but not sagging—both her appearance and figure were nine points or above.
Her hardware was up to par, but meeting the hardware standard only earned her an entry ticket to "special"; she needed corresponding software to unleash the hardware's full potential.
Could she pull off a stunning move like pulling a sword from her chest?
Could she afford custom clothing like high-waist milk caps?
Could she learn the charming yet refined temperament of a Joyful Union Sect demoness?
Lily looked at her own poverty, so profound it was breathtaking, and then at herself, who couldn't even bite a lighter.
No money, no tricks, and unwilling to learn from a Joyful Union Sect demoness, her final evaluation would likely be "Seen it, not bad, and then what? Next."
This didn't align with her expectations; she didn't want to be popular for just a while but to continuously extract gold from players and developers.
It seemed she still had to take the second path: become an old artist who moved players with her performance, making them remember her fondly years later.
Based on her own knowledge and the voices of players in the community, Lily roughly categorized old artists.
First type: Righteous Companions or extremely charismatic villains.
Second type: Big Sisters who sheltered players from the wind and rain, even sacrificing themselves to forge a future.
Third type: Tragic Heroes who made people exclaim, "Oh, Heaven, why are you so cruel to x?"
Fourth type: Rich Young Ladies who constantly showered players with money, creating a future with their wealth.
Fifth type: Companions who always stayed by the player's side, silently supported them, and confronted anyone who dared to challenge the player.
Sixth type: White Moonlight characters who only appeared briefly but stirred the player's heart, remembered years later.
Seventh type: Others.
Although there were many options, choosing was actually not difficult.
Lily was very self-aware.
She also wanted to be a Righteous Companion, a super villain who made everyone despair, or a Big Sister who brought peace of mind, but she simply didn't have the ability.
As for the Rich Young Lady who threw money around, that was even more of a fantasy.
It seemed for now, she could only lean towards being a Companion or a White Moonlight.
Being a Companion had too many restrictions, so it was better to be the player's White Moonlight.
A shot fired in youth, years later, hitting the mark in the name of nostalgia.
"While players are still confused after just entering the game, I'll build up some goodwill with them. This way, even if they know I'm a Wildfire Gang member, they won't immediately attack."
Just building goodwill, Lily was full of confidence.
Her face wasn't for nothing; even just stretching her leg was enough to attract a large group of players, let alone her plan to stage a beautiful girl rescuing a "hero" to clear her name.
After leaving players with the impression that "she should be a good person," her next plan was to establish her persona.
A good persona could break through sensory limitations and reach deep into people's souls.
The popularity gathered this way could truly last.
Of course, what Lily truly valued was power; increasing popularity was merely a shortcut to gaining power.
She regarded establishing a persona as making a wish.
Developer, pay attention: in the players' eyes, I should be like this. To avoid disappointing players and for the game's reputation, shouldn't you give me some stat boosts?
She wasn't threatening the developer; if a character became so outstanding that they broke free from the developer's control, didn't that just show how skilled the developer was at character creation?
If this point was really added, her strength would increase, players' expectations would be met, and the developer's mother and bonus would both be saved.
What the hell was a triple win!
For this reason, Lily was extremely cautious when establishing her persona.
Personas like "20 years old, divorced with an 11-year-old child" could quickly gain her a lot of attention, but they wouldn't help her increase her strength, so they were directly ruled out.
"For now, I'll try to shape myself towards the mysterious person direction. Let players imagine my true identity themselves. This allows for timely adjustments and avoids the awkward situation of a persona collapse."
After all, she said she was unfathomable, but she didn't say where she was unfathomable. Could players blame her if they guessed wrong? Blame the stupid developer!
If players came up with an interesting persona, she could even directly copy it.
Win!
Lily looked at Anya beside her.
"Anya!"
"Present!" Anya, who had been pulled aside, immediately stepped forward. "Boss, are we going to teach those lawless Outsiders a lesson now?"
Lily shook her head, "Short-sighted, too short-sighted. The value of those Outsiders is far more than the bounty offered by the Wildfire Gang. Anya, you must broaden your horizons. Our journey is the sea of stars; we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture for small gains."
Anya: "..."
Lily smiled like a witch about to eat children: "Do you want to wake up in the middle of a 500-square-meter bed every day? Do you want to..."
Anya said with a bitter face, "Boss, I wouldn't even dare to dream that."
Lily was speechless.
Young people shouldn't be too old; dream more. What if it comes true?
"If you want to, then cooperate with me. I've found an opportunity to get rich from those Outsiders."
Anya was skeptical: "Then what should I do?"
Lily said, "I haven't decided on your persona yet, so for now, just follow behind me and be a riddle person."
The shaping of a loli is different from that of a young girl or a young woman. Forcing them into the same direction could easily lead to a 'prison-style' outcome.
As a law-abiding, five-star good citizen, Lily wasn't that 'criminal.'
She planned to interact with players first to see if current players preferred a crazy loli or a loli young lady, and then tailor a complementary persona for Anya.
Anya nodded, half-understanding: "Riddle person?"
Lily stood up: "Don't dwell on it. Let's go. Come out with me now."
Anya quickly asked, "Boss, where are we going?"
Lily said, "To the barbershop. Before we officially act, let's dye our hair white and give ourselves a buff."
She heard that white hair was a special attack against Chinese people; two white-haired people would be a double special attack. Wouldn't that max out player goodwill?
"Huh?"
Anya suspected she had misheard.
What was the connection between dyeing her hair white and sleeping in a 500-square-meter bed?
It was over. Her Boss was really driven mad by that old geezer who owed money!
No, Boss, if you go crazy, what will I do?