[Huh?]
[Great Age of Sail… why does that sound familiar?]
[Yeah, I think I've heard of it too.]
[Wait—Kaka, this Great Age of Sail isn't the one made by that company called Sea Breeze, is it?]
[Didn't that game go offline right after launch?]
While the game was booting up, Xiao Kaka smiled and explained, "To answer your guesses—yes, this Great Age of Sail is from the same company as before."
"But I'm told this isn't the sameGreat Age of Sail as last time."
"According to an insider, the current build is very different from the one that shut down a few days ago. As for how… I don't know yet. Let's see it together from my POV."
No wonder she was a top streamer on Ocean Platform: a few light words and the entire chat's curiosity was hooked. Still, the skeptics rolled in.
[Got it now—wasn't this just a fishing-on-a-boat game?]
[I played it. Don't even start. The graphics couldn't hold a candle to Era of Fishermen.]
[Same. You get what you pay for. Fengxue's Era of Fishermen is on another level.]
[Big studio with deep pockets versus a tiny workshop. There's no comparison.]
Xiao Kaka didn't argue. Truth was, she hadn't planned to stream this at all. Not chasing Era of Fishermen while it was on fire and instead streaming a niche fishing title? That was swimming against the current—and every streamer knows how that ends.
But the offer had been… generous. And with so many people streaming Era of Fishermen, views were getting spread thin. Better to try Great Age of Sail—and since she'd taken the sponsor, she'd do the showcase properly. Whether it would actually land was anyone's guess.
Ten minutes after going live, her room hit three hundred thousand viewers—huge numbers, even for a platform with tens of millions of daily actives. This was exactly why Li Jing had picked her: a massive, sticky fanbase. If they crested a million tonight, the push would be more than enough.
Li Jing watched from the chat, a smile tugging at her lips. Doubt Great Age of Sail? Give it a few minutes, then we'll see who's bowing down.
At last, the load screen vanished. In the darkness, a dialog box popped up:
Please name your in-game ID.
Without hesitation, Xiao Kaka typed her handle.
Ding. Player "Xiao Kaka" named successfully!
Please select your faction: Pirates / Navy / Free.
"Huh?" She blinked. The chat froze for a beat.
[Kaka, didn't you say this was a fishing game?]
[Why's there a faction select?]
[What do you mean Pirates / Navy / Free?]
Equally puzzled, she noticed the next prompt:
If you don't choose now, you can make your faction choice in-game.
"Alright, I'll decide later," she muttered, and another panel appeared:
Note 1: This game fully restores reality. Players under 18 must have a guardian sign the waiver before playing.
Note 2: This world is simulated at 100% fidelity. Your character is flesh and blood—treat them as a real person. If they die in-game, it's permanent for that character. Upon re-entry, all progress resets.
Chat went quiet, then:
[Hold up—a chill fishing game needs a legal waiver?]
[Permadeath reset I get—kinda harsh, but okay.]
[If it's just fishing, starting over isn't the end of the world.]
"Is this game taking itself a bit too seriously?" Xiao Kaka murmured, then tapped Accept.
A moment later, she felt herself plummeting.
"Guys—this feels almost too real. I swear it's like riding a drop tower right now."
Because of her health, she never did intense rides. While others braved the giant pendulum or drop tower, she stuck to the carousel. Even bumper cars or the pirate ship were off-limits.
[Kaka, you're not trolling us, right? You're the one who said you can't handle thrill rides.]
Her face had gone a touch pale. "No joke. I really feel it."
Thankfully, the sensation passed quickly. She opened her eyes—and the scene before her stunned her silent.
The headset broadcast three feeds to the audience: a first-person view, a third-person side view, and a ten-meter environmental cam.
The chat erupted.
[Holy—this game might actually have something.]
[This ocean looks insanely real!]
Xiao Kaka barely saw the comments. An endless sea spread to the horizon. A great sail swelled with wind. A ship rose and fell gently on the swell. Salt air kissed her lips—damp, faintly briny—and her eyes trembled.
"You all know my condition," she said softly. "I can't handle intense rides. Since I was little, I've wanted to go out on the sea—not just watch it from the shore. But the moment I step on a boat, I get violently seasick—dangerously so."
"In here… I still feel a little off. But it doesn't threaten my real body."
Her voice wavered. "Guys, I'm honestly getting emotional."
The chat turned from teasing to tender.
[This alone—the VR fidelity—is already impressive.]
[Yeah. To the folks who said they'd played the old version… is this really the same game?]
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