Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 71: Livestreaming

Chapter 71: Livestreaming

Lyra got it right away. "Ah, I see."

Thierry scrolled through a few more pages, noticing they were all video clips featuring her. "Since you’re trending, a lot of streamers are probably sharing your matches to boost their own views."

That’s when Lyra’s face turned serious.

"W-what’s up?" Thierry asked, a bit nervous.

"They didn’t pay me any royalties." Lyra quickly pulled up her contacts and found Morrison’s name. "Set up a dedicated livestream for me."

No way was she going to let anyone make money off her without giving her a cut. In other words, nobody was getting a free ride.

She turned to Zinnia and Thierry. "I’m thinking of streaming our team matches too. We’ll split the profits evenly among the three of us. If you want to do solo streams, I can handle that as well, with a twenty percent cut for management. How does that sound?"

The intensity in her voice made them both nod without thinking.

Lyra then asked Morrison to draft the contracts.

Once she was done with the calls, she noticed Zinnia and Thierry were staring at her like she’d just grown mushroom on her head.

"So this is the real Lyra," Zinnia said, still in shock.

Lyra frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you’d be all cold and detached, like you wouldn’t even blink at a billion credits," Zinnia said, almost in a daze.

Lyra felt a bit annoyed by Zinnia’s exaggerated imagination.

As the tournament moved into the later stages, the competition got even tougher. Most of the weak got extinguished, like gold being separated from the sand.

During today’s team match, for the first time, the game lasted over two minutes.

The streamer in charge of their broadcast quickly changed the title, using this as a way to drum up excitement.

"New Record! ’Whatever’ Breaks the Two-Minute Mark! As the Tournament Draws to a Close, the Battles Get Even More Intense."

"Whether the organizers planned it or not, there’s no denying the match was epic..."

After the three wrapped up their match, the streamer swung by for a post-game interview, as usual. He tossed a few questions their way while the chat exploded.

"Move it, I need to see my Lyra."

"Lyra, my baby, I love you—"

"Shoutout to my girl Zinnia!"

After the quick Q&A, the three of them logged off.

They kept their streams to about thirty minutes a day, plus the solo matches, making the total just under an hour. But even with that, the earnings were impressive.

As Zinnia looked over the daily revenue reports, she couldn’t help but be amazed, "I think I’ve already made enough to cover all my college tuition..."

Thierry nodded, "With our streams blowing up, we’re sitting at the top of the mid-tier rankings."

Only the big names, like famous EPMA players, top-tier mecha game streamers, and official accounts, were ahead of them.

By the start of the third month, as the tournament neared its end, fewer than a hundred teams and just five hundred players were left.

Thanks to Lyra’s charisma and Thierry’s connections, their team’s popularity was now matching the top streamers, even surpassing EPMA’s leading team. This caught a lot of eyes.

As soon as the three logged in that day, they received an official invitation. The organizers had sent them a link, asking them to check it out.

"Lyra, why do you think the tournament organizers want to meet with us?" Zinnia asked.

As soon as they clicked the link, they found themselves standing in front of the virtual headquarters. Someone was already stationed at the entrance, and the moment their IDs appeared, the person rushed over to greet them.

"Lyra, Zinnia, Thierry, right? What an honor! The manager is eagerly awaiting your arrival."

The warm and overly respectful reception made Zinnia and Thierry feel a bit uneasy.

While waiting for the virtual environment to fully load, the three of them communicated through their team’s internal chat.

Most of the conversation was between Zinnia and Thierry, with Lyra staying silent, lost in thought. Eventually, she advised them, "Don’t say too much once we’re inside."

Just then, the scene finished loading, revealing a middle-aged man standing nearby. He immediately locked eyes with Lyra and, with a smile, said, "I thought Mr. Whyte was the one leading the team."

Whether it was a compliment or something else was hard to tell.

Thierry, though straightforward, wasn’t naive. "I’m flattered. Compared to Lyra, I’m not as skilled at handling these kinds of situations."

From this brief exchange, it was clear that whatever the manager had in mind wasn’t going to be good news. Lyra had probably already figured out his angle, which explained why she had warned them earlier.

In the virtual meeting, there were no refreshments or comfy chairs offered—just the stark reality of business. Even though it was clear Lyra was the leader, she didn’t rush to speak.

The planning manager, likely assuming they were just students, skipped the formalities and got straight to the point. "Here’s the deal: You three have gained significant popularity during the tournament, and we’d like to launch a dedicated livestream channel for your matches."

An official promotion—this was big!

Zinnia’s face lit up instantly, but just as she was about to respond, she caught Lyra’s eye and held back.

"We’ve already signed away our streaming rights," Lyra said coolly. "The official channel can simply broadcast our current streams."

The planning manager assumed she hadn’t fully grasped the offer. "What I’m suggesting is that you hand over your streaming rights to us, and we’ll take care of the broadcasting. We’d split the profits with you."

Sensing their hesitation, he added, "You should understand that the traffic from an official promotion would dwarf what your current setup can generate. Even after splitting the revenue, your earnings would be significantly higher than they are now."

In reality, he was mainly interested in the buzz around their team, especially Thierry’s rising stardom.

Among the three, Lyra—aside from her striking looks—hadn’t really stood out in the matches.

Zinnia had both the looks and the skills, but neither was enough to make her a top-tier sensation. Pouring resources into her wouldn’t be the best investment.

The manager’s offer sounded tempting. Zinnia seemed ready to agree on the spot.

But Lyra wasn’t one to be easily swayed. "May I ask, how many teams and individuals are currently being promoted by the official channel?"

The manager’s expression remained neutral. "Don’t worry about that. You’ll definitely be one of our key focuses."

Lyra gave a thin smile and pressed further, "Then, who is your top pick for the championship team?"

The manager’s confident demeanor faltered, and Lyra continued, "If you’re not planning to promote us as the champion team, then we’re not interested in transferring our rights."

Zinnia looked puzzled by the exchange. ’Isn’t the champion determined by skill? How could the organizers already know who would win?’

The planning manager quickly realized he had underestimated Lyra. He had expected to deal with just another group of students who would be easily swayed by a shiny offer, but Lyra clearly understood how the game was played.

"Miss Shedd, you must be mistaken," the manager replied smoothly, his tone almost too reassuring. "The tournament is fair and transparent. We simply select popular seed players for livestreams. There’s no favoritism involved, and we’ve seen upsets in the past."

Thierry’s expression darkened at these words. He knew exactly what the manager was alluding to—the year his cousin, Cohen, had shocked everyone by winning the championship against all odds.