Underworld.
Jiang Lin had just opened the live stream.
He had originally thought that since it was the New Year, his fans would all be busy celebrating and wouldn't have much time.
He didn't expect...
Within two minutes of opening the live stream, the viewership count had climbed from five digits to six digits and was still rising.
With ghost officers all around, Jiang Lin found it inconvenient to speak. He directly marked "Underworld Annual Meeting" in the upper right corner of the live stream.
As soon as it was marked, a flurry of gifts swept through the live stream.
The bullet comments also flew by rapidly.
"Here, here (*￣▽￣*)ノ~"
"[Handsome Young Man] gifted the streamer a sports car*1, with the message: Ahhh, finally broadcasting!"
"Just got out of a mahjong game (doge), here to watch the Underworld Annual Meeting."
The viewers watching from various places in the human world were excited and had set up shop in the live stream within minutes.
They were cracking melon seeds, chatting about their lives in reality.
Sometimes, adult happiness is that simple.
Having someone to crack melon seeds with, share with, and watch the same live stream with...
Isn't that delightful?
"My kid broke my lipstick, so I smilingly invited him to watch the Underworld live stream with me (smile.jpg)"
"Ahhh, there's actually an annual meeting! I've been looking forward to it for a month (*❦w❦)!"
...
"Captain Jiang, what are you standing here for? Come on, let's go inside."
At the entrance, a captain beckoned Jiang Lin to walk inside with him.
The live stream followed Jiang Lin into the grand hall.
The main event of the evening was about to begin – the annual meeting.
The grand hall was a self-contained space, much larger than it appeared from the outside.
It could accommodate at least tens of thousands of ghosts.
Balls of flame were either fixed on pillars or floated in the air.
Using this light, the viewers could see the layout of the grand hall.
Hundreds of dining tables were arranged in a circular, tiered fashion, floating in the air, with one ghost per table.
In the center of the circular tables, there was a large round platform.
Next to the platform was a path leading directly to the highest seat in the entire hall.
At this moment, wine pots, bowls, plates, and exquisite delicacies were already laid out on the tables.
Many tables already had ghost officers seated, some chatting, others tasting something together.
The entire scene was grand, with a lively atmosphere characteristic of the Underworld.
After watching for a while, the viewers in the live stream remembered they still had their keyboards in hand.
"What are you taking screenshots for, just staring? This is the legendary pocket dimension!"
"We are just staring, we can't even capture this with a screenshot!"
"Why does this scene feel a bit eerie... Is this the Underworld's annual meeting? It's truly underworld-like!"
"The real underworld scene is here, all you novel directors, hurry up and gather material!"
"I'm already looking forward to it, everyone, get hyped!"
The keyboards clattered in the viewers' hands, their eyes shining with excitement.
It wasn't just seeing the grand scene, but also because of the upcoming annual meeting.
So many distinguished ghost officers gathered together, with such a large venue and so much food and drink...
What do they do at the Underworld's annual meeting?
Is it like in novels and TV shows, where important figures eat, drink, and chat?
And then accompanied by celestial music, fine wine, and dancing beauties?
Or perhaps, ghost officers compete against each other, with prizes for the winners?
Or maybe, starting with King Yama, everyone summarizes the year's work and plans for the new year?
No matter what, the viewers were already looking forward to it!
This wasn't TV or anime, this was the real Underworld life!
Who wouldn't be curious?
...
Under the expectant gaze of the viewers, the live stream equipment, a small spherical object, expertly divided into two lenses.
One circled around the grand hall, allowing the viewers to see more comprehensively and in greater detail.
The other stayed with Jiang Lin, broadcasting in real-time.
The live stream's camera angles also shifted accordingly.
"Love these camera angles, they understand us so well!"
"This layout is high-class and underworld-like. I bet some big shots will start making models of this grand hall tomorrow (doge)"
"Has anyone noticed that those ghostly flames seem to have consciousness...?"
A viewer suddenly said.
In the hall, balls of ghostly flames flickered everywhere.
They brightened and dimmed, mainly in two colors: chilling white and eerie blue.
The observant viewers noticed that as these ghostly flames drifted, none of them collided or obstructed the distinguished ghost officers.
On the contrary, these ghostly flames, as if conscious, always drifted to suitable angles, regulating the brightness of the entire grand hall.
It was like... a lighting technician.
"...Are these ghostly flames a bit too advanced?"
"Could the ghostly flames also be a type of ghost, like cleaning ghosts?"
"Am I the only one who finds this a bit terrifying... It's like someone suddenly shining their phone screen in your face in the middle of the night..."
"Saying it like that, the visual is instantly there..."
Some viewers instinctively wanted to pull their blankets tighter, but when they looked around...
Oh, they weren't in their beds.
After a moment's thought, they focused their attention on the camera angle where the streamer was.
No matter when, the streamer was like a calming presence.
If they felt scared or timid, just looking at the streamer made everything seem acceptable.
...
In the live stream –
After entering the grand hall, Jiang Lin was wondering if there was any significance to the seating arrangements.
A figure walked over from the side and said:
"There are no fixed seats here, you can just find any seat you like. The annual meeting isn't that formal."
"Okay."
Jiang Lin looked over. The ghost speaking was Prince Jian'an.
Prince Jian'an was also dressed as Bai Wuchang. In previous years, Jiang Lin had thought everyone came in their work attire.
Now that he thought about it, Prince Jian'an might have come directly from the office.
He simply didn't have time to change clothes.
Jiang Lin looked around at the seats and found one near Prince Jian'an to sit down.
The work reports had already been handed over to the ghost soldiers of King Yama when they entered.
This was his first time attending, so Jiang Lin quietly observed the behavior of other ghost officers and did not touch the food on the tables.
Prince Jian'an, however, walked over, holding a small cup of wine.
"Happy New Year. This is your first annual meeting as a captain. Shall we have a drink together?"
"Sure."
Jiang Lin, without any suspicion, picked up the white jade wine pot on the table in front of him and poured a small cup.
The wine was crystal clear, not like flowing water, but like thick nectar.
As soon as it was poured, a pervasive, intoxicating aroma that could captivate even ghosts spread out.
It instantly filled this small space.
It was then that Jiang Lin realized that the smell he had encountered upon entering was the scent of this wine.
It carried a hint of floral fragrance, refreshing and pleasing to the senses.
At this moment, Jiang Lin actually felt a desire for the small wine cup to be a little larger.
"Cheers,"
Prince Jian'an said, raising his cup and drinking it down in one gulp.
"Cheers."
With his words, Jiang Lin also brought the wine cup to his lips and drank it down.
As the wine entered his mouth, a cool and comfortable sensation spread.
The taste was mellow, with a long-lasting aftertaste.
But once it entered his abdomen, it became hot, and his ghostly energy seemed to ignite, wanting to dance with the wine.
Almost instantly, Jiang Lin swayed and sat down in his seat.
Two red blushes appeared on his face.
He stared straight ahead, his pupils dilated, feeling as if everything around him had become hazy.
This feeling was unfamiliar, yet not entirely so.
In his previous life as a martial artist, he had experience drinking.
But that wine seemed vastly different from the one he was drinking now.
...