379: Chapter 379 The entertainment industry isn't about fighting and killing, it's all about interpersonal relationships.

You can't even do a wave?

Scenes uncontrollably flashed through Chen You's mind.

The figure of someone wearing a bodysuit, barefoot, performing a pole dance.

Chen You shook his head violently.

To be honest, if he really had to choose, Arrow of the Moon was still more pleasing to the eye.

Chen You looked at the rankings again.

[TOP 5: Salos (Titan Temple) — firepower value: 8,540,100]

[TOP 8: Oro (Shadow of Roman) — firepower value: 6,120,000]

Chen You's eye twitched twice.

Splendid.

The top three powerhouses on the Source Realm's combat power rankings were all present and accounted for.

Was that hulking Berserker from the Titan God Clan, Salos, going to perform 'breaking a stone on his chest' on stage?

And Oro, the Oracle from the Roman God Clan with scale-like tattoos on his jaw—was he planning to do a live divination?

Chen You raised a hand to press his throbbing temples.

These usually high-and-mighty God Clan leaders and guild masters—for a so-called reward worth fifty thousand gold coins, had they abandoned even the most basic sense of dignity?

No, wait.

Chen You's gaze narrowed.

When he first released this custom event, although he hadn't explicitly stated whether players could participate, it seemed like an NPC affair no matter how he looked at it.

After all, it was just a system event.

Ordinary players and NPCs were mixed together in the rankings; was there some other reason behind this?

Even the Source Realm had come up with this ranking 'firepower value'—could it be that in the system's underlying logic, it had already been secretly linked to Civilizational Luck?

"Mentor!"

Sander's tragic cry interrupted Chen You's thoughts.

The two-meter-tall muscular woman was currently holding her head in her hands, staring at the light screen with a face full of despair.

"Over ninety million votes! Those pointy-ears from the Elf God Clan—even newborn babies still nursing must have voted! This is unfair! This is the hegemony of capital!"

Chen You looked at the City Lord of Cangxing City, who was wearing overalls and a middle-part hairstyle, and sighed.

For the follow-up materials for that mythological-grade building blueprint, he had to keep dealing with this mess.

"City Lord, calm down first." Chen You walked to a long table in the center of the hall, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"What do you think a talent show is choosing?"

Sander looked up abruptly, clenching her fists as the veins on her arms bulged.

"It's strength! It's the singing, dancing, and rapping you taught me, Mentor! It's the ultimate skills I've practiced hard for two and a half years!"

"Wrong."

Chen You leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep.

"A talent show is about choosing a 'persona.' It's about stories and empathy."

Sander was stunned, her wild face filled with confusion.

"Persona? Stories?"

Chen You nodded and began to mobilize the toxic entertainment industry knowledge he had been forced to absorb as a corporate slave on Earth.

"Arrow of the Moon has high votes because her race is large and she has a massive casual fan base. But you must know, the casual fan base is the most unstable."

Chen You's tone was calm. "Those elves who were forced to vote aren't necessarily her die-hard fans."

"At the slightest sign of trouble, they'll leave the fandom or even turn against her."

Sander didn't understand what 'leaving the fandom and turning against her' meant, but she was deeply shaken and nodded repeatedly.

"What you need to do isn't to compete with her on base votes, but to 'purify' your fans."

Chen You stood up, walked over to Sander, and looked up at her.

"You need to create a 'beautiful, strong, yet tragic' persona. You need to 'torment' your fans."

"Torment... fans?" Sander stammered.

"Yes." Chen You reached out and pointed at Sander's solid chest.

"You, James Sander, City Lord of Cangxing City, shoulder the heavy responsibility of the entire city's prosperity."

"Your ancestors only taught you to kill, but in your heart, you long for peace and desire to heal this riddled Source Realm with art."

Sander's eyes lit up.

"Braving the opposition of the city guards and the rebukes of your ancestors' spirits, you resolutely put on these clothes and stepped onto the stage."

"You aren't doing this for your own fame; you're doing it for the tomorrow of Cangxing City!"

Chen You's voice rose an octave, echoing through the hall.

"For tomorrow night's debut stage, you can't perform too perfectly. You must take the stage with injuries." Chen You began to lay out the specific tactics.

"Before going on stage, give yourself a 'weakened' status. When singing and dancing, there should be a slight pause in your movements, and your brow should be tightly furrowed."

"You must let the audience see the resilience of you enduring pain to finish the performance!"

Hearing this, Sander's blood boiled with excitement, and her eyes reddened again.

"Mentor... I understand! I'll let them see my soul!"

"Come, let's practice." Chen You took two steps back. "Undo the top two buttons and show the scars left from fighting monsters."

"Don't look so fierce. You need to be melancholy, with that sense of 'fragility'—the feeling that 'the world doesn't understand me, but I still love it.'"

Sander undid the buttons as instructed, trying her best to control her facial muscles.

The two-meter-tall giant forced out an expression of grievance, endurance, and even a hint of bashfulness.

Chen You turned his back, pinching his thigh hard to force back the laughter that had reached his lips.

It was so damn blinding.

"Good, keep that state." Chen You turned around, his expression having returned to a cool sternness.

"Furthermore, as the chief examiner for this 'Voice of Star Source,' I hold the final right of interpretation for the competition rules."

Sander's eyes widened, her breathing quickening.

"The debut stage doesn't just look at firepower value; there are also judge-weighted scores and live interaction scores." Chen You reached out and patted Sander's thick arm.

"Capital can manipulate the rankings, but on my stage, art is the only standard."

With a thud, Sander dropped to one knee again.

"Mentor! Help me!"

Chen You placed his hand on Sander's broad shoulder, attempting to pull her up.

She didn't budge.

Chen You silently withdrew his hand, placed it behind his back, and slightly raised his chin.

"Stand up. Art does not accept kneeling; it only accepts sweat."

Sander leapt up, casting her entire shadow over Chen You.

"Mentor, I'm not sleeping! I'm going to practice more! Please guide me all night!" Sander slammed her fists together, sending airwaves rolling through the hall.

Chen You took a deep breath, nearly cursing out loud.

All night? Overtime?

He had come to the Source Realm to be a super tycoon, yet he was still being forced by an NPC to stay up late for rehearsals.

"City Lord." Chen You's tone turned cold as his gaze swept over Sander's overalls.

"Excessive fatigue will destroy your facial muscle control."

"Your current expression management is worse than the lowest-level Snow Dog outside Cangxing City."

Sander immediately tightened her face, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"However, since you call me Mentor..." Chen You walked to a bench on the side of the hall and sat down. "I'll help you go through your basic movements from the beginning one more time."

He could do more, but only a little bit.

Sander nodded heavily and strode to the center of the hall.

She took a deep breath, her chest swelling high, then spun around abruptly, striking an opening pose she considered extremely charming.

"Stop." Chen You raised his hand. "Are you planning to rip the judges in the audience apart?"

Sander froze in place, maintaining a posture with her hands like claws and a fierce glint in her eyes.

"Where did that 'fragility' I just taught you go?" Chen You tapped the armrest of the bench.

"Put away your killing intent. Imagine you are a lonely traveler searching for hope amidst ruins."

"You are exhausted, but you cannot fall."

Sander tried to adjust her breathing, crossing her hands over her chest and forcing her brows together.

"Yes, keep that brow." Chen You stood up and walked a circle around Sander.

"Now, do a wink."