Chapter 83 - 84: Provocation
Backstage.
Benjamin Wyatt sensed the vicious glare of the man behind him. His eyes flickered as he watched Sophie Wexler walking ahead, and he quickened his pace to catch up. "You just had a conflict with that man," he said, stating it as a fact.
"It was just a small disagreement," Sophie Wexler said.
She gave Benjamin Wyatt a brief rundown of what happened. It was nothing more than Ceres trying to vent Karina’s anger for her, but his attempt backfired completely.
Benjamin Wyatt nodded after listening. "Good, as long as you’re okay. But you should still be careful. He doesn’t look like the type to give up easily."
"I know," Sophie Wexler said. "Besides, he won’t dare to do anything too drastic. The event organizers wouldn’t allow it."
This event is officially sponsored. All the invited guests are top streamers from the major platforms. For such a large-scale event, the organizers won’t tolerate any mistakes.
She was well aware of this, and so was he. It was clear from their earlier encounter. He only dared to pressure her with his spiritual power, not actually attack, because he knew he couldn’t afford the consequences.
Benjamin Wyatt grunted in agreement. "I figured they wouldn’t dare pull anything. If something does happen, don’t worry. I’ll be in the audience."
Cillian Forrest was away, and before he left, Ethan Cross had privately made a point of telling him to look after and protect Sophie Wexler.
The average Spiritual Power Level here wasn’t particularly high. If something happened to Sophie Wexler under his nose, his reputation would be toast.
The people outside were completely unaware of the minor conflict that had just occurred backstage.
Outside, the event venue was buzzing with excitement. The fans had all taken their seats, which were neatly arranged so that each streamer’s supporters sat together.
Sophie Wexler’s fans had entered early, each one with their support banners and light sticks at the ready, trembling with excitement.
But as it turned out, they were seated right next to Karina’s fans.
Instantly, the atmosphere between the two groups grew tense. They couldn’t stand the sight of each other, but since this was a live event, they had no choice but to hold back.
On StarNet, however, it was a different story. The venue had already started broadcasting live across the entire network, and in the stream’s chat, the two fanbases were already at war. To be precise, it was Karina’s fans who had started the fight.
[I can’t believe our girls have to sit next to that ugly hag’s fans. They must be so grossed out.]
[I wish we could get away from them.]
Sophie Wexler’s fans: [LMAO, you say that like we enjoy sitting next to you. We’re the ones who think it’s bad juju.]
Neither fanbase could stand the other, but their bickering ceased the moment the host appeared.
In mid-air, the host stood on a circular hover platform, beaming. "Hello, everyone, and welcome to our annual gala! Here, we will witness the year’s greatest achievements from the streamers of every major platform!"
The moment she finished speaking, a wave of cheers erupted throughout the venue.
"And now, let’s get ready for the spectacular performances from our streamers!"
The military and gaming sections were up first. A massive virtual screen hovered in the air above the venue.
The gaming section was especially intense. The holographic visuals were so immersive that everyone felt like they were right there in the action.
The realistic combat got their adrenaline pumping, sending a surge of excitement through the crowd.
It instantly got the entire audience fired up.
Cheers echoed through the hall, one after another, until finally, Aaron Shaw defeated the last opponent and secured victory in the game.
"Congratulations to Aaron Shaw for taking first place in the gaming section! Aaron, is there anything you’d like to say to everyone?"
The young man smiled and said, "I’m really looking forward to the upcoming performances from the Arts and Entertainment section."
The moment he said that, the audience erupted in another cheer. Seeing this, the host laughed. "It seems everyone is excited! In that case, let’s hand the stage over to our Arts and Entertainment section!"
The first performer from the Arts and Entertainment section was Karina. She wore a long, golden gown that, combined with her gold hair and eyes, made her look exceptionally beautiful.
The moment she appeared, cheers erupted from Karina’s fans in the crowd: "Nana! Nana! Nana!"
Karina waved to them with a smile. "Tonight, I’ve prepared a song and dance number for you all. I hope you enjoy it!"
She had chosen a song with a powerful beat, the kind that was extremely popular across The Galaxy. Combined with her dancing, its popularity was a given.
She was a streamer known for her singing and had never danced on her stream before. It was no wonder her fans were so excited by this sudden reveal.
[Oh my god, I never thought I’d see the day Nana actually dances! This trip was so worth it.]
[Our Nana is gorgeous, she can sing, and now she can dance too. How can that Sue Shiver, who doesn’t even dare to show her face, possibly compare to our Nana?]
[This is Nana’s first time dancing for us! We have to go all out! We can’t lose to that Sue Shiver!]
[Don’t worry. Just look at how wild the live audience is going. Our Nana has this in the bag. First place in the Arts and Entertainment category is definitely going to be ours.]
Karina’s fans held their heads high, their faces filled with the certainty of victory.
As the song concluded, Karina ended her performance with a slow spin. On camera, she gave a coquettish wink. "Thank you all for the support. Don’t forget to vote for me when the time comes!"
Karina’s fans in the audience went wild. "Nana’s the best! That Sue Shiver will never measure up to our Nana!"
The fans were ecstatic, especially Karina’s. They were determined to show Sue Shiver’s clueless supporters who was really in charge.
After Karina finished her performance and left the stage, another streamer from the Arts and Entertainment section came on.
"Didn’t see that coming, did you?" one of Karina’s fans said with an incredibly smug look. "Our Nana came out first. See? The organizers value her. They know she can command the stage."
"Why hasn’t your Sue Shiver come out yet? Is she too scared to show her face, even with a mask on?"
Sophie Wexler’s fans: "..." ’I really want to punch someone right now.’
’But still... why hasn’t Sue come out yet?’
Time ticked by, and soon, nearly all the streamers from the major platforms had finished their performances.
Karina was already seated in her chair. She leaned over slightly and whispered in Ceres’s ear, "Are you sure there won’t be any problems?"
"When I do something, it’s always flawless," Ceres said with confidence.
He had his people not only on the platform, but among the event organizers as well.
Karina still felt uneasy. "The platform gave us this order. Today is a live broadcast across the entire network. We have to make sure that Sue Shiver is utterly humiliated."
Remembering what had happened earlier, a sinister look entered Ceres’s eyes.
’That Sue Shiver... a lowly F-level. How could her spiritual power possibly be enough to suppress mine? It must have been that man who showed up later who helped her. When she gets on stage, she’ll be all alone. Let’s see who can help her then.’
As time passed, the performances were drawing to a close.
Amid the fans’ eager anticipation, the host finally began to speak.