Chapter Thirty: Author, I’d Like to Send You Some Local Specialties (Please Keep Reading)

After the opening ceremony concluded, Yi Yunxue and the rest of the company staff returned to the studio, while Chen Jiang drove home.

As soon as he arrived, Chen Jiang received a message from his editor, Daxian.

【Yuedian Editor Daxian】: Jianghe, there is an agreement here that requires your confirmation.
【Jianghe】: What kind of agreement?
【Yuedian Editor Daxian】: The group would like to use your book for overseas sales, meaning it would be serialized on the overseas version of Yuedian Reading.
【Jianghe】: I have no objections to that.

Since 2017, Yuedian had officially launched its overseas web novel serialization platform. Following that, a steady stream of novels had been translated into English and exported abroad. This led to a phenomenon where some novels, while not particularly famous domestically, became massive hits overseas.

In his previous life, *Lord of the Mysteries* had been a huge success abroad for a long time, consistently topping the charts on major overseas apps. Given that the story was set against a Western backdrop and had already achieved excellent results in the domestic market, it was highly likely that its earning potential abroad would be no less than it was at home. Chen Jiang was not surprised that the upper management at Yuedian had recognized this.

【Yuedian Editor Daxian】: By the way, Jianghe, your book has a significant word count now; it's time to find an operator. I've looked at your book, and it’s trailing slightly behind *Sky Breaker* on the monthly vote chart. You need to rally for votes and strive for the monthly champion title.

Prompted by his editor, the thought crossed Chen Jiang’s mind. Yes, it was indeed time to find an operator. At Yuedian, if one wanted to climb the monthly charts, an operator was needed to rally readers to vote. They could also help manage comments and handle any negative discourse. However, the operator had to be experienced.

But where does one recruit an operator? Chen Jiang had no experience in this.

【Jianghe】: Um... where does one go to find an operator?
【Yuedian Editor Daxian】: Uh... I don't think I've ever recruited one either. Why don't you ask Hongshu? I noticed he has an operator for his book.

Chen Jiang went to ask Hongshu.

【Hongshu】: You’re looking for an operator? That makes sense. With your level of popularity, it’s time to find someone to unite your fanbase. I found my operator in my fan group. You should ask in your reader group; it’s best to find someone who ranks high on the fan leaderboard so they can command respect.

"A reader group?" Chen Jiang suddenly realized he hadn't created one yet. This had caused a lack of space for his readers to discuss the plot, leading them to clutter the book’s comment section instead. Checking the comments, he saw that many readers had been urging him to start a group for a long time.

He only had himself to blame; he rarely checked the comments. Having just finished the first volume, many readers were venting in the section:

【Ahhh, why did you have to write the Captain out?】
【That really broke my heart! The Captain was such a good person!】
【Old Thief Jianghe! You’ve lost my monthly vote this month!】
【Why is everyone scolding the author? I’m different. I think this plot was written very well. Since the New Year just passed, I want to send the author some holiday gifts. Could the author please post an address?】

Chen Jiang: ...

He silently closed the comment section, hesitating. Should he open a group? After much deliberation, he decided to go ahead with it. Once the group was set up, he posted the group number in his book along with a short notice asking readers to join. As long as they had subscribed and could answer the protagonist's name, they were in. To accommodate more people, Chen Jiang even paid for a premium membership.

Soon, the group began to flood with members. The first thing they said upon entering was:

【Old Thief Jianghe, return Captain Dunn to us!】

But scolding aside, most readers immediately began urging him to update.

【Only four chapters today? Is that all?】
【Who is this supposed to satisfy? If I had the money, I’d definitely give the author a Silver Alliance gift to force an update...】

Within ten minutes, the first group was full—two thousand people packed in tight. With readers commenting under his post that they couldn't get in, Chen Jiang eventually created several more groups. Once the regular readers had settled in, he posted a message in every group:

【I am currently recruiting a community operator. Preference will be given to readers with experience who rank highly on the fan leaderboard.】

Seeing this, readers who felt they met the criteria and had plenty of free time began tagging Chen Jiang. Eventually, his eyes fell on a message from a user named "Gazing at the Night Sky."

【I have served as an operator for several books with ten thousand subscriptions. I have time almost every day, and I believe I am well-qualified for the position of operator for *Lord of the Mysteries*.】

This user’s name was identical to the person at the top of the fan leaderboard. As expected, it was the top fan himself. He had gifted Chen Jiang several Gold Alliance rewards; he was incredibly wealthy.

Chen Jiang added him as a friend.

【Jianghe】: You’re my top fan, aren't you?
【Gazing at the Night Sky】: That’s me! Jianghe, give me the operator position, and I’ll gift you two more Gold Alliances!
【Jianghe】: No need for the gifts. I’ll give you the position. I don't know the rules for operating on Yuedian, so I’ll leave the community management and rallying readers for the charts to you. Sorry for the trouble.
【Gazing at the Night Sky】: No problem! I guarantee I won't let you down!
【Jianghe】: My editor wants me to push for the monthly chart this month. I need you to rally the readers to vote.

Just as Chen Jiang finished setting the user as the book’s operator in the backend, the doorbell rang. He went to the door and found Yi Yunxue holding two cups of milk tea.

"Here, for you. I bought these on the way," she said, entering the room and handing him a cup.

Chen Jiang noticed it was from the popular "Shanghai Lady" brand. He watched as she inserted the straw and took a hearty sip of the pearls. He looked her up and down, unable to resist asking, "I see you eat quite a lot, so how come you never gain any weight?"

"I heard other female celebrities have to diet just to maintain their figures."

"I have a naturally fast metabolism!" Yi Yunxue said with a hint of pride. "Plus, I have curves exactly where I should!"

Hearing this, Chen Jiang recalled something and thought to himself, *That’s actually not wrong at all!*

Yi Yunxue realized what she had said immediately. Thinking back to a previous incident, her face flushed red. Afraid that Chen Jiang would notice her change in demeanor, she pretended to be focused on drinking her tea. Soon, she finished the cup and tossed it into the trash. She patted her perfectly flat stomach with satisfaction.

Chen Jiang sipped his tea and asked, "Why are you back so soon? Don't you need to stay at the studio?"

"We haven't finished hiring everyone yet, so there isn't much business to conduct. The department heads are handling the interviews, so I let Sister Li keep an eye on things and headed back," Yi Yunxue explained.

"How is it going? Did you find any good candidates?" Chen Jiang asked curiously.

"There are a few with quite a bit of potential," she replied.