Billionaire: Literally, My Time Is Money

Chapter 26: The Place Where Dreams Begin

Just last night, this man had uttered a couple of inexplicable sentences in Anthony’s livestream, leaving him tossing and turning until dawn. Even now, dark circles clung stubbornly beneath his eyes.

As he switched screens, Anthony happened to catch Benefactor’s remark—that the treasure map was intended as a song request gift.

A seasoned veteran of the streaming world, Anthony instantly grasped the significance lurking behind those words.

He drew a sharp breath, his heart leaping with wild exhilaration.

In all his years of screaming, he has encountered countless self-proclaimed tycoons. But to request a song with a treasure map—without even activating any rank privileges—was beyond the reach of ordinary big spenders.

Only those exceedingly rare, true whales—individuals of staggering wealth and carefree generosity—would so casually wield such extravagance.

Could it be… could it truly be that this “Benefactor” was yet another legendary patron poised to emerge in spectacular fashion?

…

A “whale” refers to someone of immense fortune who regards money as mere trifles, spending with a breathtaking disregard for cost.

Take Tik’Y’Tok, for example. In all the years since its inception, the number of patrons universally acknowledged as true whales could be counted on one hand.

These titans of spending could burn through several million dollars, or even tens of millions, within mere months.

The most iconic whale on Tik’Y’Tok at present is the champion of streamer Barbara—a man known only as “David.”

Since David’s arrival six months prior, he had already poured over ten million dollars into the platform with relentless abandon.

Even more astonishingly, his generosity showed no sign of waning; his lavish spending continued unabated.

Each month, he routinely shelled out one to two million dollars, month after month.

Thanks to his unflagging support, Barbara soared to become the platform’s undisputed star of the year’s first half.

Likewise, Benjamin had only solidified his position as the king of Tik’Y’Tok’s talent showcase section through David’s backing.

…

As Anthony flipped between his own livestream and that of Alexis, his viewers, too, could observe his every move.

Some recognized the name “Benefactor” and remembered the cryptic words he’d spoken the night before—words that had compelled Anthony to immediately alter his stream’s title, a change still visible now.

“Holy crap! This new account really is something else—dropping a treasure map just to request a song? "That’s insane!” one viewer exclaimed.

“Anthony, are you about to hit the jackpot? Benefactor changed your title last night—are you finally about to turn your fate around?” another teased.

“Go on, superstar! Get in there and throw some gifts his way, remind Benefactor you’re here too,” one of Anthony’s longtime fans suggested slyly.

Anthony’s eyes lit up; the idea had merit…

In the streaming world, “venture capital” doesn’t mean investments in startups.

Here, it referred to streamers cozying up to patrons who had shown favor elsewhere—by sending gifts to the same favored streamer, hoping to curry goodwill.

Usually, these patrons wouldn’t let such gestures go unrewarded, often returning double or triple the gifts received.

Of course, sometimes the gamble failed, and the supposed “big spender” turned out to be a pretender—then every cent of the gifts was gone for good.

Precisely because of this risk, the practice has earned the nickname “venture capital.”

Tonight, Benefactor had chosen to reveal himself in Alexis’s stream with a treasure map; clearly, he was taken with her.

If Anthony wanted to make his move, he would have to send gifts to Alexis’s livestream.

Yet he quickly restrained himself, shaking his head with a quiet sigh. “I won’t go chasing him—not because I’m unwilling to spend it, but because it’s unnecessary. A true patron dislikes transparent opportunism. Such tactics might even backfire.”

“You’re hopeless!” his old fan lamented, exasperated. A streamer can’t afford pride or dignity if they want to succeed. "Look at Benjamin—he clings shamelessly to his patron, and that’s exactly why he thrives!”

Anthony’s lips curled into a wry smile. “It’s not about pride—I just believe… one must have a bottom line.”

Then, his expression grew pensive. “Benefactor… Benefactor… could it be that Alexis’s stream is the very place where dreams begin?”

“Anthony, have you lost your mind? "It’s just one treasure map—let’s see if he keeps spending before you start dreaming,” a viewer retorted sharply.

Anthony offered no rebuttal, merely smiling as he continued watching Alexis’s stream.

As he and his viewers chatted, inside Alexis’s stream, Amy was conversing directly with the enigmatic Benefactor.

…

“Benefactor, you might want to consider opening a rank. "Renewing a rank grants discounts compared to simply buying Tik’Y’Tok coins to send gifts,” Amy explained kindly, sensing Benefactor was likely new to the platform.

She was trying to help: Tik’Y’Tok offered a noble rank system, with paid tiers ascending from Swordsman, Knight, Lord, Duke, King, all the way to Emperor.

Each rank is granted monthly renewal discounts, effectively giving bonus gift credits.

For instance, Swordsman rank required a $10 renewal, which yielded an $11 voucher—an extra dollar of value.

Take Benefactor’s recent treasure map, for example: without any rank, sending it costs a flat $5,000. But as a Swordsman, he could have renewed 500 times for $5,000, receiving $5,500 worth of vouchers—enough to send a treasure map and still have $500 leftover.

As soon as Amy finished speaking, a special animation flashed across the screen—a visual effect signaling the purchase of a noble rank.

But…

It was only the Swordsman effect—the lowest tier available.

This paltry rank seemed utterly unworthy of someone of Benefactor’s apparent stature.

Amy blinked, convinced she must have misread, but rubbing her eyes only confirmed the truth: it really was Swordsman.

Because of the earlier treasure map, Alexis’s stream had drawn a lively crowd of nearly two thousand spectators.

When Benefactor first declared the treasure map a song request, everyone was awed by his generosity.

But as the Swordsman rank effect appeared, some viewers couldn’t contain their disdain.

“Ha! Don’t tell me he blew his whole budget on that one treasure map. A Swordsman? Seriously? That’s it?”

“Make way for the mighty Swordsman Emperor—tremble before his fifty-dollar power!”

“This Benefactor cracks me up—new account, massive treasure map, and now a Swordsman rank? Iconic!”

“Alright, the show’s over, folks. Nothing more to see here.”

“Let’s disperse—looks like an impulse spender who already regrets it. Any minute now, he’ll be begging the streamer for a refund, haha.”

A growing sense of stinginess clung to Benefactor’s choice; after all, a Swordsman's rank cost a mere fifty dollars.

The crowd began to drift away, the stream’s viewership plunging rapidly from over two thousand to a thousand, then down to just a few hundred…