Somewhere in Ragunna, a red-clad man with golden hair and green eyes rubbed his eyes vigorously while staring at the live stream in front of him.
He gaped at Phrolova in astonishment, saying, "How did such a strange person sneak into this live stream?"
Meanwhile, Chixia leaned close to Lucian and whispered, "Lucian, how did I do?"
Lucian's expression turned serious. "Chixia, when you quit the literary world, I was strongly against it. You're practically the Star of Literary Brilliance descended!"
Chixia's face flushed slightlyპ, secretly delighted. "It's not as great as you make it sound…"
Lumi, standing nearby, remained silent, feeling she still had much to learn.
At that moment, the live stream chat was buzzing with excitement, with Aalto stirring up chaos in the comments.
[Autumn Water Without Ripples]: This live stream is cracking me up.
[Even Counselor Changli and Magistrate Jinhsi have their reasons, but what's my position compared to yours?]
[I'm a high-ranking official in Jinzhou, and I don't call myself the Star of Literary Brilliance, yet a mere Outrider like you claims to be one?]
[Can she even qualify?!]
[No way, she doesn't have what it takes!]
[Lucian, I suggest you keep your women in check. Rover's pretty great; why are you so fickle?]
[Now look, Chixia's words have caused a firestorm. How are you going to explain this?]
[Shameless!]
[RighteousLion]: 666!]
[WorkJustToClockOut]: I think this guy is the real Star of Literary Brilliance!]
[All Things Flourish]: I hope Chixia's okay.]
[System Prompt: Autumn Water Without Ripples has been muted for 24 hours.]
Counselor Changli sat down on a nearby bench, a fiery fan appearing in her hand, which she waved gently. With her long, black-stockinged legs crossed, she smiled and said, "Oh? So you're saying Phrolova's causing trouble in Jinzhou for Lucian's sake?"
"That's quite an unexpected reason."
Bound by immortal-binding ropes and unable to move, Phrolova could only let out a cold哼. "Think what you want."
"But everyone here is smart enough not to be swayed by a mere Outrider's words, right?"
Seeing the crowd fall into thought, Chixia quickly interjected, "Hey—if you're denying it now, doesn't that mean you've got a guilty conscience?"
"I clearly hit the nail on the head!"
Phrolova shot Chixia a cold glance, causing her to panic and hide behind Lucian. "Lucian, look at her!"
Lucian: "…"
Clearing his throat, Lucian said, "Phrolova, you do know you're a prisoner now, right? Do you understand what that means?"
"Prisoners have to work the sewing machine. See these clothes I'm wearing? Made by Scar."
Phrolova let out a light laugh. "Don't get too cocky. Some birds can't be caged."
Magistrate Jinhsi raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying Scar's planning to escape? Or is Fractsidus planning a jailbreak?"
"With Lucian's constant supply of Echoes, Jinzhou's forces are more than capable of handling most situations."
"I think, with Jinzhou's current strength, keeping a Fractsidus lunatic under control should be well within our means."
Phrolova closed her beautiful eyes without responding. After all, this concerned Fractsidus's future plans, and she wasn't about to spill them in public.
The live stream chat was filled with comments from people outside Jinzhou.
[WorkJustToClockOut]: A constant supply of Echoes? How's that even possible?]
[MayLightBeWithYou]: Echoes are the Sentinel's blessing. How can Lucian provide them?]
[FirstMate'sLackey]: Well, how do I put this… it's a long story.]
[WorkJustToClockOut]: @FirstMate'sLackey, if it's a long story, make it short.]
[FirstMate'sLackey]: Oh, come on, I can't just spill it! What if the Order of the Deep hauls me off? I'm not about to work the sewing machine!]
[MayLightBeWithYou]: Why would the Order of the Deep arrest someone for no reason? You must have some misunderstanding about them.]
[FirstMate'sLackey]: Judging by your tone, you're with the Order, aren't you? Heh, I'd advise you not to trust them too much.]
For some reason, the live stream chat erupted into arguments over the Echoes issue.
Meanwhile, at the Order of the Deep:
"Master! We've contacted the Pioneer Association, but they can't shut down the live stream either!"
"And the Pioneer Association staff were very reluctant. They don't want to shut it down at all… the stream's popularity is through the roof…"
A white-haired man wearing a half-golden mask, exuding an air of authority, turned around with a grim expression. "Idiot! Can't you just block their terminals from accessing the stream?"
Unlike other regions where private Pangu Terminals were allowed, Rinascita used public terminals. All information on these terminals was filtered by the Order, leaving most Rinascita residents trapped in an "information cocoon," unaware of the outside world's true state. Private terminal ownership was strictly forbidden.
The reprimanded priest froze. "Uh… right… I'll get on it!"
He hurriedly left.
The man let out a cold snort, gazing at the statue of Rinascita's Sentinel, muttering under his breath.
…
…
[Pero]: Scar? You mean that Fractsidus overseer who likes to dance in black stockings?]
[FirstMate'sLackey]: Yup, that's the one. Probably got arrested for public indecency and sent to work the sewing machine.]
[MayLightBeWithYou]: Dancing? Where did you see that? Why can't I find it?]
[FirstMate'sLackey]: We've got our ways… anyway, it's a long story.]
[MayLightBeWithYou]: ?]
The people of Rinascita were engrossed in the live stream when they were suddenly kicked out of it. The stream was still visible on the homepage, but they couldn't access it no matter how hard they tried.
A blonde girl hiding in a corner of the Order, secretly watching the stream, frowned in confusion. "What's going on? Why can't I watch it anymore?"
"But that FirstMate'sLackey guy said something interesting…"
Meanwhile, in a luxurious room elsewhere:
A beautifully dressed girl let out a soft sigh. "The Order of the Deep… the push for private terminals must eliminate these obstacles completely."
…
…
Lucian noticed the drop in viewership and, thanks to Rover's Speaker, realized someone was meddling. Lucian grumbled, "Find out who's responsible! Messing with my income—do they have a death wish?"
Rover, rubbing her chin in thought, said, "If Phrolova's been opposing us just to get close to Lucian, then I've got some scores to settle."
Phrolova let out a cold snort. "We'll meet again someday, and I'll be waiting."
A strange white cat leapt up, roaring, "Can we deal with Somnoire first?" Jiao-Jiao stepped in to mediate. "Let's not argue."
"No matter what, we should focus on resolving Somnoire first."
"This dream world is getting pretty dull."
"Once we're done with Somnoire, we can settle things in the real world."
Lucian squeezed out a tear. "Jiao-Jiao's words are so wise. They remind me of my uncle."
Jiao-Jiao tilted her head curiously.
"You have an uncle? What did he say?" Lucian's tears stopped, his expression turning serious.
"My uncle said, 'What you love is your life!'"
Jiao-Jiao: "?"