371: Chapter 371 The whole city goes crazy, debuting in the center position

In the central square of Cangxing City, a massive mechanical stage emerged.

The intense light from the holographic projections turned the dimming sky as bright as day.

In just a few minutes, the area around the stage was packed with a sea of people.

In the City Lord's Office hall, Chen You sat on the throne, looking at the holographic panel in front of him.

The Prosperity level, which had been stuck at 9850 points, began to fluctuate wildly the moment the "Voice of Star Source" announcement was released.

9900.

9980.

10000.

It didn't even show signs of stopping; the numbers surged past the limit, turning into a shimmering gold [12500/10000 (Amusing Ourselves to Death)].

The Happiness Index also went off the charts, changing from [Fanatical Worship] to [Utter Madness].

Chen You closed the panel and leaned back in his chair.

Done.

The quest requirement was to manage the city for two hours and thirty minutes, and now every metric had been exceeded.

He glanced at the time; there were only ten minutes left until the countdown ended.

As soon as the time was up and Sander returned to hand over the seal, he could complete the quest, take his rewards, and leave.

Ten minutes passed quickly.

[Acting City Lord duration has ended.]

The system notification sounded right on time, but there were no subsequent prompts.

Chen You tapped on the table.

According to the process, Sander should be pushing the door open right about now, weeping with joy over the brand-new Cangxing City, and then presenting the generous quest rewards with both hands.

He looked toward the entrance of the hall.

It was empty.

"Where is everyone?" Chen You frowned.

He grabbed the Star Core Great Seal from the table and strode out of the office hall.

Two City Guards were standing outside the door.

Chen You was stunned.

These two elite guards, who originally wore heavy armor and held halberds, had actually changed into tight-fitting T-shirts printed with exaggerated letters.

The front of the T-shirts read "Fly Brave, Sander," and the back was printed with "Cangxing Follows Forever."

Each of them even clutched two magical glow sticks in their hands.

"Where is your City Lord?" Chen You's eye twitched.

The City Guard on the left immediately stood at attention, looking excited: "Reporting to the Acting City Lord! Lord Sander has gone to participate in the auditions!"

"Participate in what?" Chen You suspected he had misheard.

"The 'Voice of Star Source' auditions!" The City Guard on the right waved a glow stick, his face full of pride.

"The City Lord said she has practiced her combat techniques for two and a half years, and today she finally found the stage where they belong.

She wants to use true skill to conquer the whole city and secure her debut in the center spot!"

Chen You remained silent for three seconds.

He suddenly felt that he might have led the NPCs of this game astray.

"Where are the auditions?"

"The main stage in the Central Square!" The guard pointed straight ahead.

Chen You stuffed the Star Core Great Seal into his backpack and walked quickly outside.

Stepping out of the City Lord's Mansion, Chen You truly felt the power of the fifty thousand gold coins he had thrown in.

The once-dilapidated streets had been replaced by polished metal armor plates.

The buildings on both sides of the street flickered with blue and purple neon lights.

In mid-air, several hover trains whistled past, with massive posters on their sides reading: "Proudly Sponsored by Horn's Magic BBQ Experience Store."

What was even more ridiculous were the people on the street.

An NPC on a hoverboard was weaving through the crowd, holding a megaphone and shouting.

"The latest Magic Amplification Array! Only ten silver coins to let your 'Oppa' hear your screams! Limited quantity, first come first served!"

At a street corner, several brawny Orc Berserkers were struggling to practice the splits, grimacing in pain.

Standing next to them was a Necromancer in black robes, holding a bone staff, performing bone-setting on them.

"Open your legs wider! How are you going to dance in a girl group like this?" the Necromancer scolded, disappointed they weren't meeting expectations.

Chen You passed by them expressionlessly.

He even saw Bloody Battle is a Bit Sweet standing on a high platform, shouting into a megaphone: "Attention all members of the Bloody Battle Guild, stop grinding mobs!"

"Everyone go collect your welfare, and exchange all your money for Starlight Tickets! We're going to make our guild's Priest girl famous!"

In the entire Cangxing City, no one cared about grinding mobs to level up anymore.

Chen You walked all the way to the Central Square.

There were so many people here that there wasn't even a place to stand.

Players and NPCs were mixed together, crowding frantically toward the giant stage in the center.

Above the stage, four massive holographic screens were broadcasting the live scene.

Chen You looked up.

Three people sat at the judges' table.

One was the owner of Horn's Magic BBQ, one was the proprietress of the Succubus Tavern, and the last was the President of the Chamber of Commerce.

Clearly, these three were the financial backers who had paid for naming rights.

"Next contestant, Number 003, James Sander," the host announced into the microphone.

A deafening cheer erupted from the audience.

The floor in the center of the stage lowered, and then a metal pillar rose up.

Sander stood on the pillar, appearing in everyone's sight.

She was wearing a tight-fitting black leather outfit that left her muscle lines fully exposed.

Her hair was slicked back, and she wore a pair of tactical sunglasses on her face.

She held a basketball in her left hand and a microphone in her right.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Chen You was speechless.

Fine, he'd just wait; what else could he do?

"Hello judges, hello audience," Sander said into the microphone, her voice low.

"I am an individual trainee, James Sander. My specialties are singing, dancing, and... ancestral combat techniques."

"Please begin your performance," the Succubus proprietress said with a wink.

The music started.

It was a very fast-paced heavy metal electronic track.

Sander moved.

She didn't sing; instead, she immediately began dribbling the ball.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The basketball hit the metal stage, letting out dull, heavy thuds.

With every impact, the floor of the stage vibrated along with it.

She suddenly accelerated, rushing toward the edge of the stage.

After three steps, she leaped high into the air, performing an extremely contorted double-clutch layup movement.

"Four-Step Layup!" someone in the crowd exclaimed in shock.

Sander landed, the basketball spinning on her fingertip.

She suddenly turned around, facing away from the judges' table, her legs slightly bent, her shoulders dropping abruptly.

"because of!"

Boom!

An invisible blast of fierce wind erupted from her shoulders, directly tearing the holographic projection screen behind the stage.

The entire venue fell silent.

Two seconds later, screams that could lift the roof erupted.

"So cool!"

"That sense of power! That explosiveness! This is what a true idol looks like!"

"Lord Sander, I want to have your babies!"

Several guards were so excited they ripped their shirts apart on the spot.

Chen You watched Sander on the screen, his mouth twitching.

What kind of talent was this supposed to be?

What happened to the promised singing, dancing, and rapping?

At the judges' table, the three judges looked at each other.

"Um... City Lord Sander," the BBQ shop owner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "Your performance was very impactful, but... you didn't sing."

Sander stopped her movements and adjusted her sunglasses.

"A true idol does not need to use their voice to prove themselves," she said, holding up the basketball. "Every time I dribble, it is the most beautiful musical note in this world."

The crowd erupted once again.

"Well said!"

"Redefining idols!"

Chen You couldn't watch any longer.

He had to pull this crazy woman down immediately to hand over the quest.

"Excuse me," Chen You tapped an Elf Ranger who was screaming.

"Why are you pushing? Don't you know the rules?" The Elf Ranger turned around in annoyance.

However, once he saw Chen You's face clearly, he jumped up.

"God You?!"

"Huh? Where's God You?"

"God You came to participate in the talent show too?!"