READ NOVEL ONLINE An angel appeared, and the chat room heated up.
-? What was that just now?
-Is it an angel?
-I heard the goddess sent it?
-I’ve seen everything in life now.
Despite the sudden interruption, everyone seemed to grasp what was happening.
After all, it was a typical appearance one would associate with an ‘angel,’ so not recognizing it would be even weirder.
Most likely, it was their first time seeing one in person. There had never been a Returnee so close to the goddess until now.
While the viewers were buzzing with excitement, the first sponsor typed in the chat.
-Wow, I just received some kind of blessing. Suddenly, light came down from the sky.
The vivid testimony from I Want to Get a Job made the chat room heat up once more.
-I should have done it first, damn it.
-What is this?
-Ah, I wanted to do it too.
-The pope is definitely different, haha.
Everyone seemed either amazed or disappointed. Whether they were curious about the remote blessing, they kept chattering away.
And here I was, sweating profusely while watching the noisy chat.
‘…They really went all out.’
The blessing given to I Want to Get a Job wasn’t from me. It was directly from our Goddess.
It seems she had been watching the broadcast the whole time.
While it’s heartwarming that she wants to help me from afar, what just happened was a bit too much.
Regardless of whether I was pleased or not, there was one major issue.
‘My Sacred Power…’
It’s obvious, but Gods can’t just manifest themselves or influence things on the ground whimsically. They exist on a different plane than humans.
So to intervene in things on the ground, they had to use the Sacred Powers of either priests or Holy Knights.
Usually, you would borrow it from numerous deities at once, but…
Right now, the only followers of the goddess in this world are Liam and me. The pope and a former hero. The quality is top-notch, but there’s a limit in quantity.
Simply put, it meant that the Sacred Power flowing through my body had nearly run dry.
‘Couldn’t you have given me a heads up?’
I merely grumbled inwardly and slightly rolled up my sleeves.
Due to the side effects of the rapid drain of Sacred Power, my whole body felt hot. It was the heat of the Sun.
Rolling my sleeves up to my elbows brought slight relief.
If it were up to me, I’d want to take off more, but I held back. I couldn’t let my actions undermine the pope’s authority.
“…This is tough.”
I muttered as I wiped the sweat off my forehead. It was about time to regain composure.
“Remote blessings are burdensome for me too. So, I won’t be giving blessings to the upcoming sponsors. I hope you understand.”
If I said this, it would seem as though I had given blessings.
I had no idea what kind of blessing was bestowed upon I Want to Get a Job, so I decided not to mention it. Letting them imagine it was also not a bad idea.
Hot and fanning myself, I checked the number of viewers.
[Viewer count: 53]
Still not that many. But the chat was scrolling up at a rapid pace.
-I want to convert. Where do I do that?
-Haven’t you done it yet?
-I can’t help but believe this now.
-For real, there’s evidence that God exists. Why not believe?
Everyone’s reactions were pretty positive. This was my chance to secure both regular viewers and new followers.
“If you continue watching my broadcast, you’ll often witness scenes like the one just now.”
I casually incorporated the goddess’s intervention into my intention and plan.
At this point, it was nothing special. The more you practice your reason, the stronger it becomes, allowing you to respond calmly even to unexpected situations.
“If you’re enjoying the show, please click ‘Follow’ and ‘Notification’ once.”
In a situation like this, you have to say such things. It was a sales pitch I hurriedly learned while watching other streamers.
I followed up with another pitch.
“By the way, starting now, I would like to offer those who sponsor a chance to become a lay member of our Order.”
Evangelism.
That was the essence of Seo-yoon’s advice. Given the current heated atmosphere, announcing it now would elicit less backlash.
I continued speaking with a subtle welcoming smile.
“The basic amount is 10,000 won. However, for everyone currently watching the stream, I will offer it at half price.”
People love to receive special treatment.
Even if the benefit might seem trivial, when they receive better treatment than others, they tend to feel delighted and their judgment gets clouded.
This was a type of evangelistic tactic that played on such psychology.
Of course, I wouldn’t maintain a system where you had to pay to join indefinitely.
Just at the beginning. Later, when our Order’s influence grows in this world, I planned to offer everyone a chance to become a follower.
‘This seems reasonable.’
The real question was the goddess’s response, but I figured I wouldn’t have to worry about that. She directly sent angels down to encourage me.
“All right, everyone. What do you say? Will you convert?”
After finishing my evangelistic activity, I kept my mouth shut for a moment.
Waiting quietly, it wasn’t long before the sound of notifications began to ring out.
[Mr. I Want to Get a Job donated 50,000 won.]
-I’ll give you all my savings.
[Mr. Birapbabab donated 10,000 won.]
-I believe!!!
[Mr. Evil Ginger donated 5,000 won.]
-There’s no reason not to do it.
[Mr. Nung Corporal donated 30,000 won.]
-I can’t resist this haha.
With multiple donations pouring in, amounts reached hundreds of thousands of won in an instant. Seo-yoon’s strategy worked even better than expected.
Despite saying it was a half-price discount, everyone generously contributed more than 10,000 won. It seemed like everyone had plenty of cash.
‘Well, it makes sense since they’re watching the broadcast at this hour.’
The current time was 3 PM. Average working folks would be hard at work right now.
Most likely, those joining my broadcast were upper-class folks who could make a living without working.
“Thank you for the donations.”
After thanking each donor, I announced that all sponsors had become lay members of our Order.
“Newly converted members just need to remember one thing.”
Given that people in this world often felt averse to blatant evangelistic efforts for various reasons – they might be atheists, believe in another deity, or simply dislike zealous religious individuals – I had to take a different approach.
After all, they’d had the commonality of despising those who overtly tried to force their beliefs down their throats.
I continued with a different angle.
“The Sun is always by your side. Just keep that in mind. You don’t have to praise the goddess. She’ll be more than happy if you come only when you need help.”
That was all true; I wasn’t deceiving anyone. Just laying out the facts would greatly lessen their resistance to evangelism.
As expected, the viewers’ reactions were pretty favorable.
-When is regular mass, Pope?
-This feels a bit like a cult, but it’s not.
-Cult (communing with the goddess).
-Lol, just showing an angel would do, why can’t others do this?
Simultaneously, more donations began to stream in. It seemed they hesitated at first but then found their resolve after hearing my words.
‘Did I just say a few words and money is piling up?’
Less than an hour into my broadcast and already earning money. This was quite a cultural shock for me after being a pope working for free.
Could I become rich quickly like this? I still couldn’t quite grasp it. Considering my situation, even 100,000 won was a lot of money.
However, since the viewer count was low, the donation wave didn’t last very long.
‘Just about right.’
I was still sufficiently satisfied. Wanting more from here would be greed.
It was time to continue the broadcast.
As I was about to speak again, suddenly,
Bang bang bang!
[Mr. Havant donated 1,000,000 won.]
-Please keep broadcasting.
Another donation came in.
But this time, there were many more zeros attached than before. Initially thinking it was 100,000 won, it turned out to be ten times that.
‘…One million won?’
For a moment, my head went blank, and my thoughts froze.
I wasn’t planning on receiving such a large amount. I just wanted to earn enough for some snacks for the kids on this first broadcast.
Could it be a mistake? Surely, that was it. There was no way someone would donate such a huge sum to a total stranger streamer.
“Mr. Havant… It seems you’ve sent more money by mistake. Please provide your account number, and I’ll return it.”
I suggested with a deadpan expression.
Of course, there wouldn’t be any legal issues if I didn’t refund it.
But, morally, I couldn’t do that. The integrity I had built as a former Saint and Pope was insisting that I should refund the total amount.
-You don’t need to do that.
-No, no, no.
But then, some viewers stopped me. I wondered why and focused on the chat, and soon, they revealed the reason.
-That person is known to be a big spender.
A big spender, huh. It seemed to mean a viewer who donates a lot.
Scanning through other chats, I confirmed my suspicion.
However, it seemed to differ from Mr. Havant’s usual behavior.
-They don’t donate to just anyone.
-True.
-Don’t they usually only donate to game streamers?
While the viewers were puzzled, I felt a tinge of distrust.
Something about the term ‘game streamer’ weighed heavily on my mind. Although I hadn’t played any games yet in the broadcast, I was technically an individual related to games.
“Then thank you very much.”
Setting aside my doubts for now, I bowed slightly in gratitude. After that, I placed my hands on my knees and continued speaking.
“It appears I can’t just let this go. I will provide an additional benefit to Mr. Havant.”
But what should I provide? I had thrown it out there, but nothing sensible came to mind.
It was challenging to come up with ideas considering an angel had descended on my very first donation.
I was in a bind. Whatever gesture of gratitude I made would likely appear somewhat paltry.
If only the goddess would descend again, things would be different.
‘…Let’s not even mention that.’
If I suggested it, she’d likely come right down here.
It was a given. She was a fiery and engaging goddess who attracted people with her bold personality.
While having the goddess guest on my broadcast would undoubtedly create a sensation, it would also mean I’d be bedridden for several days. The cost of the descent rested entirely on my shoulders.
As the contemplation drug on, my head started to ache.
Before I got lost in my thoughts any longer, I cut it short and forced a smile.
“I have so many things to provide that it’s taking me some time to choose. Please hold on just a moment.”
This was an excuse to buy some time, but I could see people’s expectations rising in real time.
-Wow.
-Ooh.
-What could it be?
-Could it be a choir of angels coming down to react?
“……”
Due to the incorrigible goddess, I found myself stuck in a bind even on my first broadcast.
Desperately pouring with sweat, I sought a way out. I needed to employ the crisis management skills I had honed as a pope to find a way to maneuver through.
Just then, a sudden interruption occurred.
The door burst open, and uninvited guests entered the room: twins.
“Mom, what are you doing alone?”
“Play with me.”
“Erina, Ibailla. Wait a moment…”
Before I could say don’t come in, the twins rushed toward me.
“Dad is just sleeping and not playing with us!”
“We’re bored!”
Caught off guard, I ended up scooping my daughters into my arms. I was frantically darting my eyes around.
‘…What do I do?’
I was thoroughly flustered. Even more so than when the angel suddenly appeared.
I had clearly asked Liam to take care of the girls, but it seemed he had dozed off for just a moment, leaving a gap.
This troublesome situation had reared its head again.
-HAHAHAHA
-Wait, is she married?
-The pope is married?
-LOL.
Meanwhile, the chat was split between laughter and confusion.
Everyone seemed thoroughly entertained and off their game. I seized the opportunity to quickly announce.
“Today’s broadcast ends here!”
Let’s just make a run for it.
I decided to think about the aftermath later.