[The Omniverse - Abyssal Dynamics Streaming Hub]
The newly established Streaming Hub was a chaotic symphony of neon-magenta lights and humming server racks. Hundreds of holographic screens floated in the air, broadcasting the AI-driven clones of the Vanguard of Light as they ran fake, pre-rendered dungeon raids.
"The engagement metrics are unprecedented, Principal Thorne," Seraphina reported, her dark blazer reflecting the neon glow. "The AI clone of the Lead Hero just received three million Omni-Credits in 'super-chats' from teenage adventurers. They are paying real money to watch a hologram pretend to fight."
Victor Thorne stood on the viewing gantry, taking a slow sip of his black coffee. "Parasocial relationships are the most inelastic commodity in the market."
A spatial tear made of liquid platinum ripped open beside the gantry.
Director Mammon of the Leviathan Hedge Fund stepped out. His ticker-tape eyes were flashing with aggressive, predatory greed.
"Thorne," Mammon sneered, adjusting his starlight suit. "I have reviewed the quarterly projections for this AI Streaming division. It is generating more liquid capital than your actual dungeons. As your Series A investor, I am officially executing a buyout. Leviathan is purchasing this division."
Princess Ignis, standing guard, crossed her arms. "You can't just take our most profitable division!"
"I am offering five hundred billion Omni-Credits," Mammon pulled a glowing, platinum contract from his briefcase. "A complete acquisition. I take the AI models, the streaming rights, and the brand. You get a massive injection of capital. Refuse, and I will use my board influence to bury your supply chains in regulatory audits."
Victor didn't draw a weapon. He didn't activate his Tycoon's Aura. He simply pulled his gold pocket watch from his vest, checking the time.
"Five hundred billion is a fair valuation," Victor said smoothly, entirely devoid of anger. He tapped his gold-nibbed pen against the Tycoon's Ledger, generating a signature. "The VTuber division is yours, Mammon. Congratulations on the acquisition."
Mammon blinked, slightly disoriented by how easily Victor surrendered. But greed quickly overpowered his suspicion. He snatched the signed contract, laughing a metallic, clinking laugh. "You are getting soft, Tycoon! I just stole your golden goose!"
Mammon vanished back through the platinum tear, eager to start collecting the streaming revenue.
Ignis turned to Victor, furious. "Why did you just hand him our best product?!"
"I didn't hand him the product, Ignis. I handed him the frontend," Victor smiled a cold, calculating smile that chilled the neon-lit room.
Victor turned to Valerius, his four-armed CTO. "Valerius. The AI models Mammon just bought... where are they hosted?"
"They are hosted exclusively on our proprietary Abyssal OS cloud servers, Sir," the celestial engineer smirked, typing on a holographic terminal.
"Exactly. Mammon bought the avatars, but he doesn't own the computing power required to run them. He is trapped in a Vendor Lock-In," Victor adjusted his midnight-blue cuffs. "Effective immediately, raise the API call fees for third-party server requests by ten thousand percent. Let's see how much Mammon enjoys paying our new hosting bills."