Season 4: Chapter 199. Shareholders Meeting (3)
Flash.
The screen turned on, and Sang-Hyeon appeared in a suit.
[LIVE: Knights Shareholders' Meeting]
— ?
— Huh? It’s not a capsule stream.
— What the? lololol
— Is this a public apology broadcast? lolol
— lolololol
— Legendary lolol
— Wow, he’s freaking handsome.
— This is definitely more persuasive than explaining it as a Survival Craft character lolol
— “Persuasiveness” MAX
— Are you trying to get forgiven with your face again, you coward???
‘Oh...’
Sang-Hyeon checked the viewer count for a moment.
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly at the number.
‘What is this?’
He had heard the gist of it from Ju-Hyeok.
‘More people showed up than during the Civil Empire Tournament.’
[Current Viewers: 219,000]
From the start, a crazy 210,000 viewers flocked in. Sang-Hyeon glanced at Ju-Hyeok on the other side, wondering if this was right.
‘Good.’
Ju-Hyeok simply gave him a thumbs-up. It had to be this way. This was calculated timing.
‘Since Black Tea and ForeverAlone already streamed, we’ve swallowed up all that viewership with a triple-hit combo.’
Ju-Hyeok signaled him to start quickly.
Sang-Hyeon nodded and bowed his head. “Hello, shareholders of the Knights.”
He began reading the script Ju-Hyeok had written for him.
— ?
— ???
— What kind of concept is this now? lolol
— Holy crap lolol
— What’s up with the glasses? lolol
— What is this? I’m already scared.
— ?
— Huh?
— What’s with the thick-rimmed glasses lolol
— lolololol what is this?
The reactions were already lively. Of course, they probably hadn't expected this kind of response at all. They likely thought he would just log into Survival Craft and suppress the rebellion.
“I am Banker Yu, the Minister of Finance for Lord Almond.”
— ?
— lolololol
— Excuse me?
— ????
— This guy is seriously insane lolololol
— Ah lolololol
— Survival Craft is Survival Craft~
— So you’re saying you’re a completely different person?
— He says he’s Banker Yu, not Almond LOL He really wants to separate them lolol
— lololol crazy
— ??? I am not Almond.
Sang-Hyeon hadn't worn the thick-rimmed glasses for nothing. He wasn't Almond or Yu Sang-Hyeon, but Banker Yu.
He adjusted his glasses and continued, “I am aware that the Knights, led by Lord Almond, have recently been embroiled in a controversy regarding labor-management conflicts.”
— lololololololol
— LMAO lololololol
— He’s freaking insane lolol
— “Labor-management conflicts,” my ass lololol
“It doesn't really have anything to do with me, but... according to the Lord's wishes, I will be conducting this shareholders' meeting.”
— He’s just going to gloss over it like this? lolol
— lololololol
— A total out-of-body experience way of talking lolol
— “Labor-management” lololol I’m dying lolol
Ding.
[RubySword has donated 30,000 won.]
[Wait... so you’re saying you’re not Lord Almond?]
A question came in through a donation. He had ignored the chat so far, but he had to answer donations. Why was he not Lord Almond? Sang-Hyeon had already prepared an answer.
He shrugged with a bewildered expression. “There’s no way we’re the same person. Lord Almond is a big-head who is only two to three heads tall...”
— lololololololololol
— Gasp
— For real lolol
— Why would you think they’re the same?~
— Gasp lolol
— True lol
— Whoa
— Ah......
— Inarguable logic lolol
— Kyah
“Oh, and also...”
What Ju-Hyeok had prepared didn't end here.
Sang-Hyeon continued reading the script. “Lord Almond is an inorganic being made of data while I am an organic organism composed of protein. Lord Almond’s eyes are huge, taking up about 30% of his face, which isn't the case for me at all. The height difference is also massive, and I’m wearing glasses while he...”
— Stop it...
— Holy crap lololol
— He’s really persistent lolol
— Everything he says is true, though.
— It’s chilling that there’s a prepared script for that question...
— Why is this actually true? lolol
It took almost ten minutes just to list the differences between Lord Almond and Yu Sang-Hyeon. Since anything he said would be a difference, he could have made them up as he pleased.
Sang-Hyeon moved on to the main point. “Anyway, I will now inform the shareholders that you have absolutely nothing to worry about regarding this recent controversy.”
Snap.
The table of contents appeared.
Birth of the Knights
The Lord’s Abilities
Q1 Performance Report
Conclusion
Pop.
With a small sound effect, fireworks exploded on the screen as the first chapter unfolded.
[Birth of the Knights]
A photo of the Servants and Maids clashing swords and cheering appeared.
“The Knights began when the Servants and Maids joined forces and established the Lord as the commander through a democratic process. We are strictly practicing ESG management and...”
Beep.
The explanation for the difficult term appeared at the bottom of the PowerPoint.
[What is ESG? Environmental, Social, and Governance. It refers to eco-friendly, socially responsible, and transparent governance.]
The chat reacted intensely from the start.
— ESG, holy crap lolol
— What’s up with the presentation quality? lolol
— “Democratic process,” my ass lololol
— LMAO lolololololol
— You’re not following a single part of ESG, though?
— Holy crap lolol
Protests also came in via donations.
Ding.
[StirfryGas has donated 3,000 won.]
[It wasn’t a democratic process, but rather one created through debt and gaslighting?]
Ding.
[GiChanGiChan has donated 2,000 won.]
[Epic con artist.]
— lolololol
— Crazy
It didn't matter.
“Those... shareholders who do not own even a single share have no right to speak.”
— ???
— lolol crazy
— What the?
— How much is one share?
— When did you even sell stock?
“I will only take necessary questions for a smooth explanation.”
Ding.
[The minimum donation limit has been increased to 10,000 won.]
With those words, Ju-Hyeok adjusted the minimum limit.
— Crazy LOL
— EggPlant got banned at the source lolol
— “Necessary questions” = 10,000 won or more
— He’s selling the stocks now
— Broke boys OUT
— Kyah
— 10,000 won per share lol
— He’s determined to row while the tide is in LOL
— LMAO
Many cried out.
‘Next.’
When Sang-Hyeon nodded, the page turned.
[The Lord’s Abilities]
A photo of Lord Almond drawing a bow appeared.
“Since many shareholders are worried about owner risk, I will tell you about the Lord who leads the Knights.”
Click.
When he moved to the next slide, a photo of the Lord casting a Guardian skill appeared.
“The Lord is so good at archery that when he shoots his bow, the arrow turns into a Vermilion Bird and flies. When he swings a spear, the Azure Dragon manifests...”
Blah, blah.
All sorts of flashy explanations passed by. It all sounded like lies, but was actually all true.
— Why is this actually true?
— This is real
— I saw it lol It’s real.
— lolololololololol
— It sounds like a total lie, but the fact that it’s real is chilling lolol
— Vermilion Bird?! Why is this real?
“His greatest achievement was annihilating the enemies even on a battlefield where Bubblegum participated as an ally.”
From this point on, the shareholders' evaluations began to shift.
— Whoa
— This is actually impressive.
— But that wasn't Lord Almond, it was the Rascal Hero, right? lolol
— “On a battlefield where Bubblegum participated as an ally” <<< A true legend...
— Holy crap lolololol everything is true lolol
— A legendary life...
Swish.
The photo changed. It showed when Choco Shroom and Zelo exploded.
“Furthermore, he even caused the death of the greatest Cheese Village traitors, Zelo and Choco Shroom, by explosion with just his fingers.”
— Holy crap lolololololol
— Why is this real? lolol
— The legend is that not a single word is a lie.
— LMAO
“The Knights are currently led by such a Lord, and the Knights lead Cheese Village. Therefore, performance naturally has no choice but to be good.”
[Q1 Performance Report]
Snap.
The page turned, showing the initial state of Cheese Village. It had truly been a state of nothingness.
“Cheese Village suffered at first. Paprika Village tried to colonize us, and the land was so barren that some people were farming on sand.”
Photos of Zelo clutching sand and Team Rocket coming to collect food passed by.
“But!”
Snap!
A magnificent castle appeared. Other views of the village also showed a developed state.
“The Knights saved Cheese Village, which was little more than ruins.”
— Whoa
— The Miracle on the Han River lol
— Kyah
— The Knights can do it!
The shareholders began to get excited.
Snap.
Next, the ruined Paprika village appeared.
“We ended the nation that tried to colonize us and turned them into miners instead.”
The photo showed the suffering miners.
[#Scrubs]
An explanation for the Scrub-tier popped up.
“The miners of the colony are called Scrubs. We even seized their names and completely erased Paprika’s identity.”
— Whoa...
— Reverse Joseon lololol
— This is it lolol
— Kyah, I’m getting drunk on the Knights' pride.
— Are you crazy? LOL
“In this process, some industrial workers were sacrificed... but the Knights eventually supplied a vast amount of fertile land to the citizens. Their descendants have come to eat well and live well for generations.”
Shuffle.
A GDP graph appeared on the next page. It rose very sharply at a certain point.
Tap.
Sang-Hyeon pointed to that spot.
[Knights, Aggressive Mergers and Acquisition of the Nonghyup]
What happened during that period appeared.
“Growth began the moment the Knights took power completely as a single organization. Threats from monsters disappeared, and Cheese Village became a developed nation. It became truly fertile.”
— Gasp lololololol
— Kyah
— Korea-US FTA lolol
— Fertile lolol
— Aggressive M&A (Physical) lololol
— It really is a shareholders' meeting~
— In Aggressive M&A, can we just remove the M&A part? I’m asking because I really don't know.
— Kyah
— This is a leader.
— For real.
— GDP skyrocketing... military dictatorship... wait?
— Is being fertile actually a good thing? lol
— A world where everyone is happy!
“The world calls this the Lord’s grace.”
Snap!
The page turned.
[Result]
Ba-ba-ba-bam~ Ba-bam~
Music played as a drone view of Cheese Village unfolded.
— Kyah
— Whoa
— lolololol
— What’s with the song? lol
— LMAO lol
— What a country!
“And this is the current Cheese Village. And these are the evaluations from the village residents.”
Zoom. Zoom. Zoom.
Comments left on The Bubblegum Daily passed by in a short video. Every single one was full of praise.
[This too is the Lord’s grace.]
[— Horn Ramen (★★★★★)]
[He was so cool...]
[— Miho (★★★★★)]
[The Lord is the sun of the village.]
[— ForeverAlone (★★★★★)]
[I shout at the top of my lungs. Ohhh my Lord~~!]
— Sweet Potato (★★★★★)
[The nation’s newspaper, The Bubble Daily.]
[— Bubblegum (★★★★★)
Thud.
Following that, the presentation screen turned black.
“Shareholders, I look forward to your continued investment.” Sang-Hyeon finished his presentation.
Clap clap clap clap!
Sound effects of applause and cheering erupted. The chat scrolled by like crazy.
— Lord to the National Assembly!
— Kyah
— Every single one being five stars is seriously so insincere LOL. A crazy dictator nation
— Insane
— The Shareholders' Meeting freestyle is crazy!
— lololol crazy
— Lord! Lord! Lord!
— Waaaaah!
Protesting donations still came in.
Ding.
[BlackTeaTea has donated 10,000 won.]
[How will you take responsibility for the damages caused in that process?]
Ding, ding, ding.
Donations poured in like crazy.
[Hail-Knights donated 100,000 won.]
[I support the Knights!]
Ding.
[HUH has donated 50,000 won.]
[Is it because this is an ad for Lord Almond? That Yu Sang-Hyeon guy speaks so well lololol]
Ba-bam!
[RubySword has donated 100,000 won.]
[Dictatorship? Keep it up. You have talent.]
At first, viewers had only been cursing the Knights.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding...!
Now, more showed support for the Knights.
‘No way.’
Sang-Hyeon felt surprised.
‘It actually worked.’
Actually, he thought it was a bit strange when he first received the script from Ju-Hyeok.
‘But there isn't a single explanation in here?’
He thought he was turning on the stream to explain about things like why ForeverAlone had to die. However, the script only listed all the good things he had done.
“Yeah, that’s the point. Things like that aren't actually very important.” Ju-Hyeok had told him.
Sang-Hyeon felt like he finally understood.
‘Ju-Hyeok is truly amazing.’
Other than that, Sang-Hyeon didn't really know how it ended up like this. Anyway, the viewers supported him again, so that was that.
“Well... since I’ve heard the Lord will be turning on his stream soon, I will take my leave...”
Scuttle!
— ?
— What?
— lolol
— Wait, why can't you do it at the same time? lolol
— lololol so cute
After quickly running away and changing back into casual clothes, Sang-Hyeon entered the capsule.
Clatter.
The microphone fully picked up the sounds of him rushing in.
— Holy crap lololololol
— So fast lolololol
— LMAO lol
— As expected of a former athlete lol look at those movements
— lololol crazy lol
— The concept lololol
Swish.
The stream quickly transitioned.
[Survival Craft: Proceeding to suppress the rebels.]
— Kyah
— Ohhh
— “Rebels,” my ass, crazy lol
— They really do look different~ hehe
— lolololol
— Rebels lolol
— It’s started whoa
— “Winter is Coming”
— Let’s go~
— Oh my~! Lo~~ord~!
— Another infinite Chakra is born whoa
[Current Viewers: 311,000]
At this moment, Almond broke his personal record for stream viewers.