Chapter 9

‘…What’s wrong with her?’

I thought she might want to eat something since she was staring at me, so I generously offered a leg, but she just kept staring blankly.

Is she worried about getting poisoned or something?

If she were going to do something so troublesome, she would have done it earlier.

Even though i knew she was following me, I gave her something to eat, and now she’s just worrying for no reason.

Anyway, she will resurrect after dying.

“Uh, so… how do you say ‘eat this’ in Arkish?”

The woman who had been mumbling in Arkish carefully took the meat.

Then she started observing it intently.

‘Should I just snatch it away?’

Just as that thought started creeping in, the woman finally took a big bite.

She opened her eyes wide and was eating frantically.

She was enjoying it so much that I forgot I was even eating and just stared at her.

Yeah, the Cockatrice meat is indeed delicious.

I wondered if there was something wrong with me, but my taste was perfectly normal.

— “Ah, cough! It’s so delicious that I just….”

The woman, who was eating happily, noticed my gaze and smiled awkwardly.

There was no need for her to act shy since I had given it to her to eat.

— “It’s frustrating that we can’t communicate…. If I had known this would happen, I should have studied harder. Is there anyone here who knows Grasis? …Right, there wouldn’t be.”

The woman muttered in an incomprehensible language.

Then, with a determined look on her face, she pointed to herself and said.

— “Joanie.”

“…?”

— “Didn’t you understand? Jo. An. I.”

I tilted my head slightly, and she repeated the same words clearly again.

So… is she introducing herself?

“Joanie.”

— “…!”

When I nodded in response, the woman, whose name seemed to be Joanie, brightened up.

“…”

“…”

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However, her previously bright face turned back to confusion as silence followed.

In a typical introduction, when one person says their name, the other should also share theirs.

But I didn’t want to share mine.

Me? My name? Why should I?

It’s not like I’m in a position to say anything with my face hidden under a cape, but I didn’t feel like revealing my name to someone who couldn’t see my face.

I also didn’t want to get involved with others.

‘You’re so stiff. You look so cute, but your actions make you seem like a boy.’

…I know, Garid.

Still, no is no.

Unconsciously, I stopped my hand, which had been moving toward the choker around my neck.

Instead, I stood up and headed towards the flower garden.

‘Why do you grow flowers? Because they’re pretty. Is there a need for a reason? You should appreciate your appearance. If your face weren’t cute… Oh, let’s not talk about that. …Ah! I’m just kidding!’

‘…You say that but…’

Liar.

Annoyed, I deliberately plucked a flower.

I walked towards the grave, holding the pink flower that Garid particularly liked.

The Crimson Aegis stuck in front of the grave felt even redder today.

— “Grasis… Choi… What’s the next part say?”

Joanie, who had been timidly following me while letting go of the piece of meat she had been holding, stumbled through the words on the gravestone.

“Grasis’ Greatest Shield. Here Lies.”

The sincerity was so admirable that I decided to share it specially.

I didn’t bring a friend, so don’t get the wrong idea.

I just thought you might like it since she can talk in Granic, so I let her tag along.

I carefully placed pink flowers neatly in front of the Crimson Aegis.

“…”

“…”

Unfortunately, there was nothing left for the shield to protect anymore.

Nothing at all.

***

“However you look at it, there seems to be a story behind it, right?”

Joanie said as she trudged down the mountain path.

No matter which way she looked—north, south, east, west, up, or down—there were no companions to converse with, but she wasn’t crazy.

There were viewers watching her.

***

“The inscription on the tombstone will be understood later, so shall we decide what to do first?”

Even if the gravekeeper read it out loud, that didn’t mean she could understand it.

Just because someone read an alien language to someone who didn’t understand it didn’t mean they’d get the meaning.

— ‘Grasis’ Greatest Shield. Here Lies.’

***

“Oh, what? Is there already someone who interpreted it?”

—Lots of capable people.

—Well, with so many people watching. Haha.

—The greatest shield?

***

“Starting by gathering information on that wouldn’t be a bad idea. The title of ‘greatest’ isn’t given to just anyone.”

Of course, it could be the subjective opinion of the person who inscribed the words…

‘When all else fails, I’ll grasp at straws.’

On one hand, it felt fun, like being a detective from a mystery novel, holding a pipe in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other.

Most importantly, standing at the forefront of a path no one else had walked was more thrilling than she expected.

While the influx of viewers was daunting, Joanie had long since resigned herself to it.

— “But why come down? Couldn’t you just stay there?”

— “Seriously, I wanted to see the gravekeeper.”

***

“Like even i wanted to I’d still feel awkward for staying even at a friend’s house; I can’t stay at the house of someone I don’t know. And just because I want to stay doesn’t mean I can. The gravekeeper has to permit it.”

Above all, how could she strike up a conversation with someone who exuded such an atmosphere?

Joanie recalled the back of the gravekeeper standing before the tomb of someone unknown.

The cold demeanor that frustrated countless players was vastly different from the atmosphere that seemed ready to fly away at any moment.

Sometimes, people need time alone to get lost in their thoughts without any interruptions.

Joanie turned away in silence and came down for that reason.

***

“Studying Granic, exploring Grasis history, gathering information… Wow, there’s so much to do. It feels like a work overload.”

Joanie clicked her fingers while counting her tasks and let out a sigh.

No one was forcing her at swordpoint to do anything, so she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to.

***

[‘Anonymous Benefactor’ donated 10,000 won! Thank you!]

— “Can’t you go back up? I’m feeling dizzy here!;;”

***

[‘Atomic’ donated 100,000 won! Thank you!]

— “I’m curious about her identity.”

— “Hasn’t that person spent like 500,000 won already?;”

— “Seems like they’re really Atomic.”

— “Looks like famous overseas streamers are also watching the broadcast. Whoa.”

‘… It feels like something similar to a knife is being held against me, even if it’s not an actual knife.’

If she stepped back now, she could open a new chapter in her life.

Goodbye, streamer Joanie. Hello, ordinary person Shin Da-eun.

In that sense.

Of course, it wasn’t meant in a good way.

Perhaps if more time had passed and she had aged a bit more, she might have thought differently, but Joanie still had no intention of retiring as a streamer.

Even if her enthusiasm had dimmed significantly, the sun was still shining brightly in the sky.

As Joanie strolled through the somewhat dim mountain forest filled with dense trees, an unfamiliar flower caught her eye.

It was a red flower, adorned with prickly thorns on its stem.

“If you come at four in the afternoon, I’ll start to feel happy from three o’clock.”

—??

—Yea?

—Oh, are you a desert fox?

At her sudden remark, the chatroom erupted with confusion.

Joanie merely smiled and said, “From today, my goal is to tame a fox!”

If you want to get close to someone, you should hover around them.

Depending on the situation, you might be labeled as an annoying person, but if you do nothing, opportunities won’t come.

“I’ll also squeeze in some study time for Granic.”

Having experience in learning multiple languages, Joanie felt confident about picking up Granic.

After all, she couldn’t be stuck in a gravekeeper-infested mountain all day, so time wouldn’t be an issue.

“I trust you guys will help with gathering information.”

—Us??

—???

—Are we getting paid?

“You’re curious too, right? Let’s help each other out. Money? Let’s just cover that with enthusiasm.”

—????

—The talent is ours, but the money goes to the leader…

—We should… start a revolution, right?

—????

—Saying it so confidently about enthusiasm pay, you really are a true Hel Joseon streamer~ I shouldn’t say that, right?

“Hey, no bad words allowed.”

Joanie had anticipated some fiery responses, but the flames were stronger than expected.

‘But still, they seemed to swallow their other remarks.’

Even after she firmly expressed her intent not to go back up, those who insisted slowly disappeared.

Clearing her throat, Joanie chuckled off-camera.

“Alright. If you post helpful information on the fan cafe, I’ll send you a gift coupon. Not everyone, but I’ll select about fifty people who are more helpful than others.”

—Hmm, not bad.

—Fifty people sounds pretty lenient.

The public sentiment was quite positive.

Who would dislike receiving gifts from a streamer they liked?

With fifty winners, which was a generous amount, the possibility of being picked with a little effort wasn’t low.

—But what kind of gift coupon?

“Um… That’s a good question. It should ideally be something related to Silia Online. Ah, I got it!”

As Joanie pondered for a moment, she lit up with a great idea.

“How about a Silia Online subscription card? A 10-month subscription.”

—Oh

—Oh

—555

The monthly subscription fee for Silia Online was ten thousand won.

Even with discounts for purchasing multiple months, a 10-month subscription would still cost nearly a hundred thousand won.

The viewers’ reactions were enthusiastic at the thought of distributing such a substantial amount to fifty people.

Though it was a considerable sum for Joanie as well, thinking about the support she could gain from this investment made it not a loss at all.

There would likely be new viewers arriving through the event, making it a strategic move that, in the long run, would be beneficial.

However, there was something she hadn’t anticipated…

[Joanie is hosting an event?]

If you write useful information about Grasis on the fan cafe, she’ll give away a 10-month Silia Online subscription.

The period is from today for one week.

It doesn’t have to be strictly about Grasis; anything that could lead to clues about the gravekeeper is acceptable.

Since she’s picking 50 winners, if you’re interested, let’s go!

[Korean streamers, where can I see them?]

I can’t find them even when I search.

I need help.

[It’s so noisy because of this unheard-of streamer.]

Instead of that time, just play the gameㅡㅡ

That way, my chances of being picked increase.

It turned out there were quite a number of people watching her stream.

Not just Koreans, but also viewers from East Asia and the Western world.

Regardless of nationality, those interested in the gravekeeper were tuning into her stream.

While not every viewer participated in the event she organized, even a portion of them constituted an enormous number.

Some rushed in, eager for the prize, others wanting to unveil the gravekeeper’s identity quickly, and some simply wanting to support Joanie out of fan loyalty.

With various intentions, countless people flocked in, making it evident that Joanie’s fan cafe had become a borderless community.