The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle

Nancy took a deep breath, not knowing why he was behaving this way.

Already a gold-medal host and a superstar accustomed to various circles, he was far from a newbie who needed deep breaths to steady himself.

Such behavior was typical when he had just started and had faced grand events or unexpected challenges.

Now...

Nancy slowly set down his knife and fork, "Indeed, I didn't expect to meet you again."

He had regained his composure and managed a smile, though his face remained stern.

Actually, when he thought about it, it wasn't a big deal.

This was no longer the context of their previous encounter, so there was no need to be cautious about this young man.

"Why are you here in Night City? Or is it because of the Descent's strength?" Nancy calmly asked Su Qi. This wasn't the first time he'd mentioned the word 'Descent'. He had encountered many 'Descenders', terms like missions, players, Tools, Skill, during his shows. They were no longer secrets, simply influenced by Paradise's powers, and Skills were just datafied versions of various abnormal traits.

He knew more than most about those beings from Paradise.

"This... it's a long story."

"Long story... I'd listen to it."

If it had been anyone else, Nancy might not have been interested, but when Su Buxian spoke, he felt it was necessary to understand the whole story.

"Alright." Su Qi said, "Fourteen days ago, including myself, a total of one thousand players, or 'Descenders' as you call them, arrived in this city."

"I was in debt when I arrived."

He flashed his wristwatch, "Now, even my citizen Level status is still at the bottom."

Nancy's lips twitched into a smile, realizing he had worried too much. After all, what could someone achieve in fifteen days? In Night City, they probably couldn't even afford a ticket to Stars Hall.

He had thought the other party might cause some unforeseen trouble.

Now, it seemed he had overthought it.

"?"

Su Qi glanced at him, "Can you tone down that schadenfreude smile?"

"Sorry, I was born with a love for laughter."

Nancy, a bit more relaxed now, raised his knife and fork again, cutting through his medium-rare steak smeared with black pepper sauce, comfortably popping it into his mouth, gently chewing.

His assistant watched this scene, knowing her boss was back in good spirits but hadn't expected him to actually burst into laughter.

It was a genuine laugh, not the forced kind he usually reserved for others or his fans.

Though indeed... it was a laugh at others' misfortune.

"Since you're naturally inclined to laugh, it seems you are indeed the perfect spokesperson for The Hustlers Chamber of Commerce." Su Qi murmured.

Nancy squinted his eyes, "The Hustlers? Chamber of Commerce?"

Hadn't this guy called himself the Sect Hierarch of The Hustlers Sect during the show? Now what's this about The Hustlers Chamber of Commerce?

"This is my business card."

His assistant immediately reached out, ready to take it, as she usually managed such exchanges, which all the dignitaries of Night City did, unless it involved a higher-up.

But Nancy gestured for her not to and wiped his mouth with a napkin before taking the card, saying, "To come up with a chamber of commerce in just fifteen days and even make it here, you do have remarkable abilities among the many Descenders, having at least clung to a dignitary."

Despite having been dominated by Su Qi in their broadcast show, Nancy had seen Su Qi's performance and even the Priest present had admitted defeat; his abilities were indeed stronger than he had imagined.

However,

when Nancy saw the self-drawn business card handed to him, he fell silent.

"Are you sure this is a business card..."

Su Qi replied, "What else could it be, a meal ticket?"

"..."

No, I just feel it's... doodling.

"Stay calm, after all, there wasn't much time, and it was a bit rushed. Plus, these are limited editions hand-drawn by the Sect Hierarch of The Hustlers himself." Su Qi patted him, "Keep it, study it well, its future value is immeasurable."

Keep it, my ass!

Nancy nearly threw the business card back!

But thinking about it from another angle,

there was even less to worry about. If the business card was this crude, then this so-called Hustlers Chamber of Commerce must be even cruder.

Stars Hall had established hierarchical sections to prevent ordinary people from mixing with the dignitaries, with vast amounts of EMT security as a barrier.

Put nicely, it was for the safety of the viewers; put bluntly, it was to keep certain people from catching the eyes of dignitaries, those in power, or even the Spirit Prince's Heir, to avoid displeasure.

"Alright, I'll keep this... 'business card.'" Nancy coughed lightly, gently placing it back in his pocket, "Consider it a token of our second encounter."

Actually, after his previous disastrous show appearance, some audience members kept bringing up Su Buxian, causing Nancy's veins to bulge during the few subsequent shows.

Hence,

Nancy eventually learned and studied a bit, especially in terms of commentary style, which indeed brought more passion and influenced the audience's mood, leading to some gains.

Of course,

he definitely wouldn't admit that.

"But..."

"...The endorsement you just mentioned," Nancy shook his head with a mild smile, "I'm afraid that won't work. You've seen, all the big shots have made high offers, but I haven't agreed to any, as it's not just some casual matter."

Rejecting Su Buxian felt genuinely satisfying.

Moreover,

the matter indeed wasn't that simple.