Chapter 183: The Bell Goddess Frantically Demands Attention

"Really impressive! This divine being has gone viral all at once!"

In the afternoon, inside an abandoned air-raid shelter, several unemployed drifters replayed yesterday's livestream of Xiao Ye and the Bell Goddess, using Li La's information control capabilities.

Although the high-pitched, sweet, cute voice—still slightly altered—betrayed a hint of Xiao Ye's tone, and her speech patterns closely matched her public persona, it carried an undeniable charm.

"Yeah, the persona is perfectly crafted, and every few sentences hit a climax. Whether gaming or watching videos, the speech peaks are deliberately offset from the video's high points—she's maximized every possible retention hook!"

Laypeople watch the spectacle; experts see the technique. Compared to her companions, who only tracked online viewership, tips, and clicks, she clearly understood the true value of this livestream.

Originally, she worried a new streamer going live on their first attempt would seem forced; she planned to wait a few days, discuss content, let fans request a check-in, then "accidentally" discover this "hidden gem," even drafting a script—but this goddess was simply too strong. One livestream made her a sensation, and many of her techniques were ones she herself knew but could never apply.

"At least the first step is done. Where's Lena? Is she okay?"

Shi Feng glanced at his watch. His real-world identity was a sales drone; slipping away temporarily wasn't a problem, but prolonged absence would raise suspicion. Even though he'd just been knocked out by hooligans, using that as an excuse to take leave would make his absence harder to hide than if he were just working normally.

"I just picked up Xiao Ye!" Lena's voice came from the entrance; everyone immediately turned their attention there.

"How was it last night? Any results?"

"It's hard to say—there were results, but they were surprising." Lena quickly recounted how she'd entered the divine realm under the Goddess's guidance. Though the idea of a deity inside the Jade Rabbit Pharmacy sounded shocking, given Xiao Ye's legendary survival, everyone found it plausible.

Xiao Ye, seated in her wheelchair, suddenly clapped her hands hard.

"That's right! When I saw the things the Goddess gave me before, I thought they looked familiar! The doctor at the pharmacy always fiddles with similar stuff!"

"So the other side must have a channel to obtain offerings for deities. And since the deity is our natural ally, even ignoring her healing power, she's worth contacting."

Tina wasn't present today, so Shi Feng took over the analysis—but just then, a figure suddenly emerged from Xiao Ye's phone, addressing them:

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be discussing my issue as the Divine Being first?"

Xiao Lingdang's appearance made everyone's hearts jolt. Though they'd already gained the deity, they still hadn't adjusted to her presence.

Xiao Ye, poked by Xiao Lingdang, immediately remembered the issue and said:

"I've received many agency offers today. I'm not sure what to do—the Goddess says none of them are trustworthy, but refusing them all might make me a target…"

"What's this nonsense? Just join Lapsway Media! Their board member is one of us—I and Li La are both contracted streamers there, and the site you livestreamed on last night has shares too. You won't need to deal with those tiny studios at all. If you need an agent, we can assign someone we trust. The company's huge, you've got solid results—signing you is standard business practice."

Ji Si proposed a plan she'd already prepared. Upon hearing it, Xiao Lingdang wore a thoughtful expression—and in that instant, everyone felt the faith energy shift in some way.

Though they didn't understand the mechanism, they could all guess: the Goddess was using her divine power.

Everyone held their breath, silently waiting for the outcome. After completing her performance, Xiao Lingdang finally withdrew her power and nodded cutely:

"This choice looks good. I'm satisfied!"

"Phew…" Everyone exhaled in unison. Honestly, they'd feared the Goddess might suddenly declare, "This company's untrustworthy—your ally betrayed you!" Even if they wouldn't instantly brand a companion a traitor based on her word, the very possibility meant they'd have to choose between trusting the Goddess or trusting their ally.

After Lena and Xiao Ye finished discussing the two highest-priority matters concerning the deity, Di Ma spoke:

"The aliens have been unusually active lately, and the bounty on Xiao Ye is far higher than before. It seems the faith seed is indeed a crucial resource. Should we plan a few attacks to divert Giant He Xing's attention? Bell Goddess's existence can't be revealed, and we need victories to boost Nihon's morale—to show them someone's still fighting."

Hearing this, the group fell silent. "Diverting attention" meant another companion would likely die. To create sufficient distraction, you needed real combat results—and results meant intensity.

Even if they did everything possible to maximize survival, their flesh-and-blood bodies remained fragile against Giant He Xing's technology.

But this time, it was different—because Xiao Lingdang had already jumped forward impatiently—

"Hey! There's a deity right here! Why aren't you asking me? I'm a goddess! Don't ignore my existence!"

It wasn't their fault for overlooking Xiao Lingdang—this goddess simply lacked any dignity. But since she brought it up, Di Ma, thinking it cost nothing, asked casually:

"Then, Divine Being, what's your suggestion?"

"Hmph~" Xiao Lingdang's projection crossed her arms, wearing a haughty expression. "I can't manifest many avatars yet, but I can remotely command through carriers. Copy the code from the crystal chip where my 'body' resides into your operatives' devices—I can customize routes for each of them! Though I hate being compared to them, the bottom line is—I'm far superior to those so-called auxiliary AIs!"

…

"They accepted your proposal?" In the Jade Rabbit Pharmacy, Feng Xue, bathed in the power of Longevity, watched Xiao Lingdang's recorded meeting transcript, surprised.

"Yeah, they said yes—but their faith energy still shows doubt. Still, they had a real need anyway. Whether I help or not, the outcome won't get worse, so they're just trying it out?" Xiao Lingdang speculated. Feng Xue found this reasonable, but given the mission's importance, he added:

"Do you have enough computing power?"

"More than enough! But if you're still worried, linking two more terminals would be even better!"

(End of Chapter)