Chapter 5: Profit: 100 Star Coins

While some were savoring the delicacy, others who hadn’t managed to grab a spot were crying out in dismay.

#EatEatEatNonstop: AHHHHH, why are there only ten spots! It’s not nearly enough...#

Jiang Qiuqiu chuckled, a gentle note in her voice. "I’m sorry, everyone. Because I’m a new streamer and only 1-star, I can only open ten tasting spots. For those who didn’t get one, you can follow me and come back tomorrow. I’ll be streaming live at 8 PM sharp every day."

EatEatEatNonstop: Aww, you’re so sweet! I’m officially a fan. Are you making the meat cutlets again tomorrow?

"As for tomorrow, I’m planning to make fried meatballs. If anyone is interested in those, you can help me spread the word. See you all tomorrow! Thanks, everyone." With that, Jiang Qiuqiu waved to the camera and logged off.

Once the host logged off, both the stream room and the virtual kitchen went dark.

This was Jiang Qiuqiu’s first time streaming in such a fully immersive simulated environment, and she nervously checked her backend stats.

She had streamed for nearly twenty minutes. Around forty people had entered her stream, with over thirty of them staying until the end. After the broadcast, more than twenty people had followed her.

After analyzing the stats for a moment, a few comment notifications and a tip alert popped up. Only then did she realize the virtual tasting system also had a review feature. After tasting a dish, fans could leave a review and a tip.

Out of the ten people who tasted it, there were six comments and one tip. The comments were all gushing with praise—

#I can’t believe something this delicious exists in the world!#

#Who knew a new streamer could be this amazing!#

#This must be an heir to the culinary traditions of Ancient Earth, right?#

#I finished it in one bite! Why was the portion size so small?#

Jiang Qiuqiu clicked on that comment and saw a small tip of 100 Star Coins attached to it. This person, whose username was "Terry is a wolf," was arguably her very first fan!

Because she hadn’t signed a contract, Jiang Qiuqiu could only withdraw forty percent of the money in her streaming account, which amounted to 40 Star Coins.

It wasn’t a lot of money, but as long as she was turning a profit, Jiang Qiuqiu was filled with limitless confidence!

The system automatically saved a recording of the stream, which she could then choose to upload to her home page. After following the prompts to do so, she let out a long, slow sigh of relief.

After the exciting stream, Jiang Qiuqiu felt utterly exhausted, perhaps from the mental strain. She quickly ate her meat cutlet, washed up, and then flopped onto the bed in her small apartment.

Meanwhile, Terry was still savoring the delicious memory of the meal.

He couldn’t help but leave a positive review and a 100 Star Coin tip. When he heard that Jiang Qiuqiu would be streaming again at the same time tomorrow, he quickly hit the follow button.

And when he heard that the new dish tomorrow was also a fried meat dish, his eyes lit up again.

When Terry’s roommate, Qiudao, returned, the first thing he saw was Terry’s eyes sparkling with excitement.

Qiudao looked at the silly wolf. ’Huh?’ "Terry, what’s up with you today? You look so happy."

"Qiudao! You’re not going to believe this! I just unearthed a new streamer with incredible skills in the Federation’s food section!"

"You were browsing the food section again?"

"Yeah! I had the most incredibly delicious Gugu Beast cutlet today! To think I’m 31 and only just now tasting something this good... I’ve wasted the first half of my life!!!"

"...Are you serious?" Qiudao looked baffled. "And a cutlet made from Gugu Beast meat? Are you sure that can actually taste good?"

’Son of a bitch. A lot of the military rations in the squad were made from Gugu meat. I had the misfortune of eating it a few times on the battlefield, and it was just... GAG GAG GAG GAG GAG.’

’It was so bad that when I got back and drank Nutrient Liquid, even that didn’t seem so bad anymore.’

’And now someone’s actually telling me a Gugu meat cutlet is delicious?’

’This wolf must have had too much Nutrient Liquid; his taste buds have to be shot.’