Chapter 82 - 83: A Friendly Greeting
[Quick, quick, tell me, who’s here?!]
[Several really popular livestreamers have already arrived. I wonder who it is this time?]
[I hope it’s a male streamer. After all, Karina just went in, and she’s drop-dead gorgeous today. It’s rare for anyone to upstage her. If another woman showed up, it would just be a stark comparison.]
As the viewers in the livestream chat were buzzing with speculation, a flying vehicle came to a stop, and a woman slowly stepped out.
In an instant, all the lights converged on her. The woman was tall and slender, dressed in a long, flowing red gown that accentuated her near-perfect curves. Her long hair cascaded down her back, lifting gently as she walked.
She wore a fox mask that was both bewitching and playful. When her eyes met the camera through the mask’s openings, one couldn’t help but feel the urge to get lost in their depths.
Her crimson lips, visible below the mask, were as vibrant and tempting as a dew-kissed petal.
Even though she was wearing a mask, and no one could see her face, a single thought surfaced in everyone’s mind: ’She’s so beautiful!’
There was an aura about her that left people certain she was a true beauty. It made them burn with the desire to remove her mask and catch a glimpse of her face.
With every step she took, the hem of her gown swayed with an enchanting grace.
[Holy crap, who is that woman in the fox mask?!]
[This vibe is on another level. You can’t even see her face, but you just know she’s gorgeous. Who gets what I’m saying?!]
These comments came from people who didn’t know who Sophie Wexler was. Anyone who had seen the official video released by the military would have recognized her at a glance. The person before them was the hottest new streamer in the entertainment sector: Sue Shiver!
In that video, she had been wearing an identical fox mask.
Upon her arrival, a staff member immediately stepped forward to greet her, handing her a microphone.
Sophie Wexler accepted it and greeted the camera, "Hello, everyone. I’m Sue Shiver."
[AHHHHHH, IT’S SUE! I knew it had to be her! I’d recognize that fox mask anywhere!]
[God only knows how many times I’ve rewatched that official video from the military. I’m so glad we finally get to see a new side of Sue!]
[Sue and that fox mask are a perfect match!]
The moment Sophie Wexler appeared, the livestream chat exploded with activity. Fans who had been lying in wait for so long grew ecstatic, frantically spamming the comment feed.
[You call her beautiful when she won’t even show her face? How is that beautiful? If you want to see beauty, go look at our Karina, thank you very much.]
[LMAO, I haven’t forgotten how your precious Karina slandered our Sue. What, didn’t she get put in her place hard enough last time?]
[I wonder who it was that accused our Sue Shiver of plagiarism, only for it to turn out she was the real plagiarist. A ton of other dirt on her came out after that, too.]
[And she still has the nerve to show up at events. Is she shameless, or just shameless?]
Sophie Wexler was unaware of the uproar on StarNet. After her introduction, a staff member led her into the main venue.
A lot of people had already arrived. The ones who made it here were all chosen by fan votes, representing the top-traffic streamers from every major platform.
Backstage, the event had yet to begin. Many of the guests were gathered in small groups, chatting amongst themselves.
Most of them knew one another; they were, after all, in the same industry, and the attendees were largely the same people year after year.
The moment Sophie Wexler walked in, she was almost instantly noticed.
Many people sized her up discreetly, recognizing her as the new streamer from Stellara who had blown up this year.
One person took the initiative to greet her. "Hi, I’m Aaron Shaw, a streamer from Stellara’s gaming division."
"I’m Sue Shiver," Sophie Wexler replied politely.
"I know. I’ve watched your streams. I’m actually a big fan," Aaron Shaw said.
Noticing Sophie Wexler’s surprised expression, Aaron Shaw chuckled. "We streamers watch streams, too."
"It’s not just me. A few of us in the gaming division are your fans. Whenever our Spiritual Seas get agitated, we go watch your stream," Aaron Shaw explained. "The only thing is, your schedule is a bit erratic. Sometimes we wait around, but you never go live."
Sophie Wexler was speechless. ’He’s not wrong.’ For various reasons, her streaming schedule really wasn’t consistent.
Just as they were speaking, Sophie Wexler keenly sensed a wave of malicious spiritual power surging toward her.
Aaron Shaw, who was standing beside her, sensed it too. "Watch out!" he exclaimed.
Before he could even move, Sophie Wexler had already deployed a Protection Barrier with her spiritual power.
The incoming spiritual power struck the barrier and was instantly repelled.
Sophie Wexler lifted her head, her gaze turning icy as she looked toward the source of the spiritual power.
Aaron Shaw also whipped his head around and shouted, "Ceres, what do you think you’re doing?! Don’t you know that using spiritual power to harm a Healer-class is a violation of the Imperial Healer Protection Act?"
’How dare he do something like that in front of everyone.’
"Don’t make a big deal out of nothing, Aaron Shaw. I was just happy to see a newcomer and lost control of my spiritual power for a moment, that’s all," the man said with a nonchalant smile.
"Besides, spiritual power has to reach a certain intensity to be classified as an attack. Mine didn’t come close."
"And anyway, it’s not like I actually hit her," he added with a laugh, wrapping his arm around Karina, who was standing beside him.
Sophie Wexler looked at the pair standing not far away. The man was tall and burly, with features that resembled those of Westerners from old Aethel.
Karina, at his side, glared at her, her expression overflowing with malice.
"It was just a friendly greeting. You don’t mind, do you?" the man asked, turning to Sophie Wexler with a look of feigned surprise.
Aaron Shaw seethed, "Ceres, you...!"
At that, Sophie Wexler shook her head at Aaron Shaw.
Then she turned to Ceres and said with a smile, "Of course I don’t mind."
"However, I happen to enjoy friendly greetings myself."
Hearing this, Ceres threw his head back and laughed, turning to Karina. "Did you hear that? She says she likes them, too."
’Makes sense,’ he thought. ’She’s just an F-level Healer-class. Who cares how popular she is? When faced with a provocation from me, she has no choice but to take it meekly.’
’And the platform and Karina... to think they let themselves be outmaneuvered by someone like this.’ Ceres’s expression was filled with contempt.
In the next instant.
A wave of spiritual power swept through his Spiritual Sea, carrying with it the immense, oppressive presence of a High Rank expert!
It held no trace of aggression, yet it was utterly impossible to resist.
This was the suppression that came from a massive difference in Level.
The color drained from Ceres’s face, and his breathing hitched. He glared at the woman in the fox mask, his eyes wide with fury.
Behind her mask, Sophie Wexler’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Her tone was exceedingly friendly. "Ceres, is it? Hello there."
"What did you do?!" Ceres bit out through clenched teeth.
"What did I do?" Sophie Wexler asked, her voice the picture of innocence.
The people nearby were also confused. "Ceres, what are you talking about? Weren’t you the one picking a fight?"
"Didn’t you feel that spiritual pressure?!"
"What spiritual pressure?" Everyone was puzzled. ’Did someone even use their spiritual power just now?’
Sophie Wexler sneered inwardly. ’This precise spiritual power lock-on... it’s a technique Cillian Forrest taught me.’
’As long as no one here has spiritual power greater than mine, no one will ever notice.’
Just then, Benjamin Wyatt’s voice came from behind. "Sue Shiver, what’s wrong?"
He had just been taking a call, which was why he hadn’t entered with Sophie Wexler. ’Did trouble start already?’
Sophie Wexler shook her head. "It’s nothing. Let’s go."
With that, she withdrew her spiritual power and turned to leave.
The instant her spiritual power receded, Ceres let out a sharp sigh of relief, his eyes fixed with a sinister glare on their retreating backs.