Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

Glowing cherry blossoms pierced through the bodies of the people, bringing a realistic and rich floral fragrance in the breeze. Accompanied by ethereal electronic ancient-style music, a stunningly beautiful holographic virtual idol, "Hatsune Miku: Tang Dynasty Version," standing a hundred feet tall, slowly emerged in the night sky.

The hundred-foot-tall figure completely shattered the ancient Tang Dynasty natives' understanding of flesh and blood. Her ice-blue twin ponytails swayed slightly under the simulation of holographic airflow, with delicate pale blue data halos shimmering at the ends. Her face was so exquisitely beautiful that it seemed otherworldly; her skin, reflected by virtual lights, had a translucent, porcelain-like texture, and her eyes shone like stars.

"Heavens above! Could it be that the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden has descended to earth?"

An old scholar from Chang'an trembled as he dropped his cane, and, overwhelmed by the shock, knelt down on the bluestone slab.

His once cloudy old eyes were filled with tears, his lips trembled, and his gaze was fixed on the hundred-foot-tall phantom.

"How could a goddess like Xuan Nu possess such an ethereal grace? Look at her skirt; it's practically weightless!"

The fur merchant next to him clutched his chest, panting heavily from the sheer astonishment.

This light and graceful dance, which defies the laws of physics, leaves trails of afterimages in mid-air.

She gently raised her jade-like arm, and a shower of gold dust burst forth at the hem of her skirt.

Every tiny movement was accompanied by particle effects simulated by the supercomputing center, creating a sensory impact that seemed to belong to another world, directly and forcefully penetrating the depths of everyone's soul.

The valve of nationwide fervor was completely opened in that millisecond.

The once deathly silent night on Suzaku Avenue was instantly shattered by the cheers of millions of people.

"Hatsune Miku! Look this way!"

"Long live the Great Tang Dynasty! His Highness the Crown Prince is awe-inspiring!"

The frenzied shouts, like molten lava, spread wildly and overlapped throughout the roads of Chang'an, making the windows of nearby inns vibrate and buzz.

The people stared wide-eyed, raising their hands high, desperately trying to touch the holographic cherry blossom rain falling from the sky. Even if the petals were just light and shadow passing through their palms, it was enough to plunge them into a near-uncontrollable sense of happiness.

This unprecedented technological miracle quickly swept away the fear brought about by the financial crisis a few days earlier.

At this moment, the common people of the Tang Dynasty completely forgot the fatigue of their labor and their worries about the future. Everyone found a place to put their spirits in this sensory feast.

This is the charm of entertainment that transcends dimensions.

"Beep—Datang Digital Treasure's entertainment channel is now fully open, and the tipping system has finished loading."

Just as the people were cheering wildly, a huge dark red lotus halo suddenly appeared beneath Hatsune Miku's feet high in the sky.

The halo was embedded with densely packed scrolling text, and at the bottom of the holographic screen, a very eye-catching recharge and tipping channel popped up.

"Spend one Tian Shu Credit to send a 'Cyber ​​Love Knot' and Hatsune Miku will dance for you throughout the city."

"Spend ten credits to send the 'Holographic Tang Dynasty Cloud Piercing Arrow.' Your name will be personally announced by the Tian Shu Voice Assistant above the Daming Palace for ten seconds."

The scrolling commercial brochure shimmered with an alluring green sheen in the cold wind.

"I'll contribute a little! I'll give Hatsune Miku a small token of my appreciation!"

A craftsman who had just received his wages swiped the electronic bracelet on his wrist without hesitation.

"Beep—Thank you to carpenter Li from Pingkangfang for the Cyber ​​Love Knot!"

In an instant, the mechanical, electronically synthesized voice resounded through half the street via loudspeakers. The virtual courtesan, hundreds of feet tall in the sky, bowed slightly, her red lips parted, revealing a gentle smile, as if she were truly thanking Carpenter Li.

"Oh my god! She smiled at me! She really knows me!"

Carpenter Li was so excited that he jumped three feet high on the spot, hugged the unfamiliar man next to him and shouted. Due to excessive excitement, his face, which was covered with black ash, had turned bright red.

For these natives who had never left Chang'an in their entire lives, the satisfaction of such small interactions was immeasurable.

With just a little bit of credits, one can form a bond with this goddess-like woman. This immense thrill quickly spread throughout the city like a plague.

Those ordinary people who were originally clutching the bracelet tightly suddenly started frantically clicking the payment code as if they were possessed.

"I'll give one too!"

"I'll put up ten points! Charge at that Cloud Piercing Arrow!"

"Beep—Thank you, Manager Zhang of the West Market, for the Great Tang Cloud-Piercing Arrow! May your name be etched in history and your might shake Chang'an!"

The broadcast grew louder and louder, and holographic text continuously arranged and combined in the night sky, displaying the names of those who had given tips on the celestial canopy with the brightest light effects.

In this arena of vanity constructed by numbers and light and shadow, face has become the most sought-after luxury.

Everyone was competing with each other, their eyes red as they watched the rankings on the donation leaderboard constantly change.

The digital credit points that were originally piling up at the Tang Dynasty Central Bank and were about to go moldy have now transformed into a torrent of digital data, with crisp notification sounds of arrival echoing in the background of the Tian Shu system.

In the darkest alleys of Zhuque Avenue, several pairs of eyes, glowing with a sinister green light from three days of hunger, were staring intently at the magnificent, enormous phantom in the sky.

Lu Zicheng, the surviving head of the Lu family of Fanyang, was squatting next to a garbage basket.

His magnificent robe, originally made of top-quality Shu brocade, was now stained beyond recognition by mud and water, and emitted a sour stench.

His hands were covered in blisters from gripping a piece of hard gold for so long, and his parched lips trembled violently in the cold wind. As he looked at the spectacular scene in the sky, his mind, already dulled by hunger, trembled violently again out of fear.

"Master...look at the words in the sky."

Cui Hua, standing beside him, spoke in a low, hoarse voice, his fingertip pointing intently at the golden name shining brightly in the center of the sky.

"It says 'Zhang the Blacksmith of the West Market' on it. A blacksmith from the countryside can now have his name displayed on the Zhuque Gate for the whole city to see."

"His Majesty and the Crown Prince are trampling on our dignity!"

Lu Zicheng stared intently at the name, making strange, hissing noises. His grotesque, round face twisted like a vengeful ghost from the rage.

These ancient families, whose lineage has been passed down for hundreds of years, used to rely on their family crests, their social standing, and their unparalleled nobility that even the emperor would look up to.

But now, in this damned cyber entertainment industry.

As long as they have those Heavenly Pivot Credits, even a blacksmith who wasn't even worthy of shining their shoes before can trample these powerful lords underfoot in terms of reputation.

This complete reversal of their positions was more painful for them than death itself.

"Face... the face of both the Cui and Lu families cannot be lost in the hands of this actor."

Lu Zicheng gritted his teeth, biting his lip until it bled. Blood mixed with muddy water flowed into his mouth, carrying a pungent, salty taste.

He turned his head and looked at the remaining members of the aristocratic families behind him, who were also disheveled and had fanatical and desperate eyes.

The vanity that had died out completely due to the loss of assets, and the last obsessions born of arrogance, were reignited in this second by the intermittent city-wide broadcasts from the sky in an extremely morbid way.

"Go...go and get those anonymous bracelets we hid in the West Market black market."

Lu Zicheng suddenly sat up halfway, his eyes bloodshot as he growled at the shopkeeper below.

His voice was extremely hoarse from the excessive effort, carrying a sense of desperate madness.

"Li Shimin wants to see us become beggars, but I won't let him have his way!"

Tonight, the top dog in this Tang Dynasty Never-Sleeping City must be surnamed Lu!

The heads of powerful families, hiding in the shadows, watched the magnificent virtual figure in the sky and the city-wide broadcast that symbolized their status and prestige. Their previously dormant vanity was reignited.