Chapter 44: I Am That Sophie Wexler Who Sings Awfully
Sophie Wexler heard the bustling chatter from inside as soon as she reached the entrance. They were all talking, probably out of curiosity about her. The voices weren’t loud, but she could vaguely make them out.
"Someone said they saw her this morning, but they were too far away to get a good look."
"I’m actually pretty curious."
"I listened to her live broadcast once. Her singing is really beautiful. If I had to use a phrase to describe it, it would be ’the voice of an angel.’"
Hearing this description, those who had never seen Sophie Wexler’s broadcast grew even more curious about what she was really like.
"I’ve never heard this ’beautiful’ singing you’re talking about, but if we’re listing terrible singers, there’s one person who absolutely deserves a spot."
"I know," someone even jumped in to answer. "Sophie Wexler!"
"She’s famous throughout Karath for being a terrible singer. Think about it, most bad singers today can be fixed with AI vocal correction. She must be so awful that not even AI can save her."
Sophie Wexler, just outside the door: "..."
Felix York stood beside her, and after hearing the comments from inside, he glanced at Sophie Wexler with a hint of embarrassment on his face.
’These little rascals. They have nothing better to do all day than discuss this kind of nonsense!’
He strode into the auditorium, and the chatter instantly died down. Everyone snapped to their feet and gave Felix York a military salute. "General!"
Felix York waved his hand. "Be seated."
Perhaps because this wasn’t a formal training session, and because Felix York was known to be close with his soldiers, one of the higher-ranking men in the front row smiled and asked, "General, who exactly is this Healer-class individual? Have they arrived?"
Felix York shot him a glare. ’Who is it? After all the things they were just saying, they’re going to get the shock of their lives when she walks in.’
"Alright, quiet down," Felix York snapped with a look of distaste.
He then turned his head and called to the person outside the door, "Miss Wexler, please come in."
’She’s here already?’
Everyone was stunned. The moment Felix York finished speaking, every head in the room swiveled in unison toward the entrance.
In the next moment, a figure appeared in their line of sight, drawing their eyes to a flowing long dress.
The woman’s wavy, light-blue hair cascaded down her back. She had bright eyes and pearly teeth, and her long eyelashes cast soft shadows under the lights. A small mole at the corner of her eye lent her an extra, subtle touch of allure.
Her face was so perfect one couldn’t find a single flaw. Every feature was exquisitely proportioned.
Everyone was stunned by her beauty. Finally, someone snapped back to reality.
’Wait a minute. She’s gorgeous, but...!’
’Can someone please explain why this woman looks identical to "Sophie Wexler"—the one who was getting dragged by the entire internet not long ago? Even the mole by her eye is the same!’
No one told them the visitor was Sophie Wexler!
Right then, a crowd of people in the audience were on their communicators, frantically sending messages.
The recipient was, of course, the soldier who had seen Sophie Wexler that morning.
"WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THE STREAMER WAS SOPHIE WEXLER!!!"
He made them all look like a bunch of fools.
The soldier’s communicator was already being bombarded. He looked up at the woman on stage. ’It’s not my fault! I had no idea either!’
’I only got a quick glance from far away this morning, so I couldn’t see clearly. Besides, the man next to her even hit me with a spiritual power warning.’
Standing on stage, Sophie Wexler watched the whirlwind of expressions on their faces and found the situation rather amusing.
Her eyes curved into crescents with amusement. A mischievous idea popped into her head. A small smile played on her lips as she began to introduce herself.
"Hello everyone, my name is Sophie Wexler."
Savoring the priceless expressions on their faces, she continued in a leisurely tone, "That’s right. The same Sophie Wexler you were all just saying is an epically terrible singer."
Everyone: "..."
Everyone: "!!!"
’Wait, she heard everything we just said?’
Hearing Sophie Wexler’s words, Felix York cleared his throat twice. "Miss Wexler, my apologies. They were all just joking."
As soon as he said that, the men below immediately chimed in, "Right, we were just joking!"
"Seriously, just kidding! I’ve heard your broadcasts. You sing really well."
Sophie Wexler watched them scramble to explain, terrified she wouldn’t believe them, and let out a slow smile. "Mm, I know."
Seeing that she wasn’t truly angry about their earlier comments, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. One of them said to her, "Miss Wexler, I really like your songs. I’m actually a loyal fan of your broadcast."
"Me too! Me too! I’ve even sent you tips!"
Sophie Wexler looked up, surprised. She hadn’t expected to have fans in the military.
One by one, they all started chiming in to express their admiration for Sophie Wexler.
Just then, someone glanced at the stage, leaned over to the person next to them, and whispered, "Who’s that guy next to Miss Wexler? Did you feel the spiritual power coming off him?"
It started the moment they began expressing their admiration for Sophie Wexler. It feels like High-level Spiritual Power.
It wasn’t aggressive, and he seemed to pull it back as soon as he realized he was using it, but they still felt the pressure that came from High-level Spiritual Power.
"I felt it," the person next to him replied, also sneaking a glance at the man on stage.
"He’s always by Miss Wexler’s side. He’s probably her bodyguard."
Miss Wexler has a special status, so it would make sense for her to have someone with High-level Spiritual Power protecting her.
Felix York had felt it the instant Cillian Forrest released his spiritual power. He turned to look at him, puzzled, assuming it was because he was displeased with the soldiers’ earlier gossip about Sophie Wexler.
However, the spiritual power was quickly retracted.
"Adjutant Forrest, let’s head down," Felix York said to Cillian Forrest beside him.
"Mm." Cillian Forrest nodded, then stepped off the stage and sat with Felix York in the empty seats reserved for them in the front row.
"You can bring in the instrument," Sophie Wexler said, turning to address someone offstage.
Upon hearing this, someone in the audience spoke up. "I know this one. In her broadcasts, Miss Wexler always uses an ancient instrument called a ’guitar,’ which was passed down from Ancient Aethel."
No one in the Galaxy uses them anymore. I never would have thought it could be used to play such beautiful melodies.
Previously, a lot of people on her stream went out to buy one after seeing her use it, but no one could find anywhere that sold them.
That’s why everyone was so curious about this ’guitar,’ and they were excited to finally see one in person.
But, some were also puzzled. He remembered that instrument wasn’t very large, so why did it need to be carried in?
Their question was answered in the very next moment.
They watched as a very large instrument was carried in and placed on the stage.
The instrument was massive, and its shape was obscured by a large cover.
’What is that thing? How have we never seen anything like it before??’