Chapter 87 - 88: A Lesson
For a moment, Sophie Wexler couldn’t believe her ears. ’The prize for first place is... what?’
’A trip to The Capital Planet?’
’You call this a reward?!’
’This is a death sentence!’
Sophie Wexler’s expression went blank for a moment. ’Can I please refuse this prize?’
’I never should have participated in this year-end performance.’
But everyone else’s reaction was the complete opposite of Sophie Wexler’s. The moment the news broke, the entire venue erupted.
The livestream chat room was no different. The news had truly shocked everyone.
[OMG, a trip to The Capital Planet? Are they serious?!]
[I’ve never seen them go this big with the annual prize before. The most they ever gave out was a trophy and some cash. But this year, it’s a trip to The Capital Planet?]
[Do you have any idea how many people would kill for a chance to go there? This prize is insane!]
[Sophie Wexler totally hit the jackpot this time!]
The moment the prize was announced, StarNet completely blew up.
To be more precise, the buzz on the Karath Star-Web hadn’t died down once since the event began.
Sophie Wexler alone was responsible for eighty percent of it.
From her mask falling off at the start, to her Ancient Zither song, to the final prize announcement—it was a rollercoaster of twists and turns, and the netizens’ excitement just kept building.
Seeing all this buzz, the organizers were grinning from ear to ear.
Sophie Wexler, completely detached from the surrounding excitement, had only one thought running through her mind. ’It’s over. The Capital Planet. I’m doomed.’
She even felt like she was floating as she walked off the stage.
’No, I have to find out what the deal is with this prize. If it’s optional, I wonder if I can just not go.’
Lost in thought, Sophie Wexler walked backstage with her head down. As she rounded a corner, she carelessly bumped right into someone.
Just as Sophie Wexler was about to apologize, a man’s deep voice sounded from above her. "What’s on your mind?"
"Cillian Forrest?!" Sophie Wexler looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Didn’t you say you’d be back after the New Year?"
’I thought I wouldn’t be able to see him for a while.’
"I finished up." Cillian Forrest casually took the trophy from Sophie Wexler’s hands and started walking with her toward the backstage area.
Sophie Wexler murmured an "oh," then suddenly remembered something. She stopped and looked up at Cillian Forrest.
"What is it?" Cillian Forrest asked.
"How did you get in?" she asked, certain she hadn’t given him the invitation.
Cillian Forrest faltered for a second. His expression shifted almost imperceptibly before he quickly recovered. "They sell tickets for fans, don’t they?"
It dawned on Sophie Wexler. ’So he bought a ticket. That makes sense, you can’t get into an event like this without one.’
"If I’d known you were coming back early, I would have given you my spare ticket," Sophie Wexler said, a little regretfully. "The organizers gave me two, but I figured you were busy, so I didn’t offer it to you."
"That way you wouldn’t have had to spend money on one."
Cillian Forrest’s fingers paused. ’So that’s why she came looking for me the other day. She wanted to give me a ticket.’
In truth, the organizers hadn’t just invited the streamers; they had also invited the top three biggest donors from the platform’s all-time leaderboard—the so-called "whales."
They had even received custom-made invitations.
Since F was ranked number one on Stellara’s donation leaderboard, the platform had naturally sent him an invitation.
In fact, that very same gold-foil invitation was still in his jacket pocket.
Seeing that Sophie Wexler was about to ask something else, Cillian Forrest quickly changed the subject. "You looked unhappy just now. You don’t like the prize?"
The mention of it instantly brought Sophie Wexler’s thoughts back to The Capital Planet, and her headache returned.
"I..."
Just as she started to speak, Sophie Wexler looked up and saw Karina and Ceres approaching.
The moment Karina saw Sophie Wexler, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes were venomous, filled with unconcealable jealousy.
According to their plan, Sophie Wexler was supposed to be utterly humiliated this time. They had even paid to generate negative buzz on StarNet. But somehow, she had managed to turn the tables, and all the attention they had bought ended up just boosting her popularity instead.
Because of what happened last time, her treatment at Hollis had already taken a nosedive.
The platform was already furious with this outcome. And now, with Hollis failing to place at all in the performance, her managers at Hollis had called and chewed her out completely.
Karina stewed, thinking of all her recent setbacks, the resources she’d lost, and the tongue-lashings she’d endured—all because of her. Because of Sophie Wexler!
Her gaze toward Sophie Wexler was filled with malice.
She gritted her teeth. "Sophie Wexler, just you wait!"
Sophie Wexler completely ignored her, turning instead to the man beside her, Ceres. "It was your spiritual power that knocked off my mask, wasn’t it?" Her tone was one of absolute certainty.
’This was the guy who tried to intimidate me with his spiritual power before the show,’ she recalled. ’But it backfired on him completely.’
Ever since her Level had increased, her perception of spiritual power had become much more acute. She was absolutely certain that burst of spiritual power had come from Ceres.
Hearing her, Ceres just smiled, feigning nonchalance. "Do you have any proof?"
At his response, Sophie Wexler’s eyes crinkled. She let out a soft laugh. "There were two bursts of spiritual power then, not from the same person, were there?"
Ceres’s expression flickered, but Sophie Wexler continued before he could respond.
"If I’m not mistaken, one came from the side of the stage, where only the organizers’ staff would be." Sophie Wexler’s voice was soft, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
"For such a major incident, the organizers are bound to investigate, don’t you think?"
And they certainly would. An incident of this magnitude during such a large-scale event... if Sophie Wexler hadn’t been skilled enough to handle it, the consequences—and the public outcry on StarNet—would have been disastrous.
The organizers wouldn’t just let this slide. They would definitely launch a thorough investigation.
With that said, Sophie Wexler paid no mind to their reactions and turned to leave.
Behind her, Ceres’s expression twisted in fury.
’Hollis wouldn’t do anything to him, but the organizers were a different story. They would never tolerate someone challenging their authority.’
He could already imagine the consequences if he were to be found out...
He was an extremely arrogant person; he never imagined that a mere F-level Healer-class could ever get the better of him.
To be outmaneuvered by her time and time again... how could Ceres possibly accept that?
’I can’t let them find out!’ It was the only thought in Ceres’s mind.
His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles cracking. His eyes were dark and sinister. "Sophie Wexler, you dare tell the organizers!"
As he spoke, he marshaled all of his spiritual power and launched a vicious attack at Sophie Wexler.
The wave of spiritual power was just about to hit Sophie Wexler.
But in the next instant, an incomparably powerful wave of spiritual power erupted, surging straight toward Ceres.
Ceres instantly felt a terrifying pressure as the spiritual power landed precisely on him. It felt like a giant hand closing around his throat, his very life hanging by a thread, entirely at the other person’s mercy.
Ceres had never felt so close to death. Endless terror washed over him. ’Just who have I provoked?’
Just as Ceres thought he was about to die, the spiritual power abruptly released him, flinging him violently away.
The man regarded him with ice-cold eyes, his face devoid of expression. His thin lips parted. "Scram."