Chapter 375: Public Opinion Completely Reverses! Is This the True Meaning of Elation?!
In front of the large screen.
Stelle watched the breathtaking scene unfolding before her eyes.
For a moment, she couldn't quite process it!
This plot twist…
Was truly unexpected!
Her tense heart instantly relaxed, replaced by an immense wave of joy!
Taking a deep breath, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The corner of her mouth twitched upward, revealing a "just as I expected" expression.
"I knew Sparkle was just joking with us."
"I wasn't panicked at all, seriously!"
Just then, a silvery bell-like chime suddenly rang out in the background music.
A red figure came skipping and hopping toward Stelle.
"Since you care so much about other people's safety—"
"Why don't you get a little closer and watch!"
As the words fell, a giant toy hammer materialized in Sparkle's hand!
With one swing, she sent Stelle flying right off the ship!
Before Stelle could even scream, a streak of cyan light caught her!
It was Sam!
"You see? In this Land of Dreams, everything is permitted, and everything is possible."
Carrying Stelle in a princess carry, Sam soared into the sky.
Amidst the blooming fireworks, they reached the highest point!
She deactivated her armor, reverting to Firefly's appearance.
"We came here with our own purposes, and we achieved them in unexpected ways."
"Whether that result is sweet and dreamlike, or bitter and realistic, it is the answer we have dreamed of."
Holding hands, the two spun and descended through the air together.
…
"Great assist, Sparkle!"
"Director Sparkle sure put on a grand show!"
"I was about to cry, but Sparkle's hammer made me laugh through my tears…"
"Firefly won!"
"Oh my god, this is too sweet!!"
"Heavens, this is my absolute favorite episode!"
"I'm shipping them so hard!"
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
"??? A happy ending!"
"We all misunderstood Sparkle. She's practically the greatest philanthropist in Penacony!"
"Paying respects to the legendary matchmaker with the giant hammer—Sparkle."
"This is too beautiful. I was given eyes just to watch this [ crying ]."
…
Scenes of Penacony flashed by once more.
The Astral Express crew stood below, enjoying the fireworks in the sky…
Topaz and Jade were celebrating at a bar…
Boothill and Argenti were playing pool…
And by the looks of it, Argenti had won and was praising Idrila, while Boothill was slowly pulling a revolver from his pocket, seemingly planning to blast his opponent with "love."
Dr. Ratio closed the book in his hands and turned to leave.
Subsequently, the figures of Robin, Aventurine, Black Swan, and Acheron flashed across the screen.
The final frame froze on an aerial view of the entire Penacony.
"So, why do people choose to slumber? I think, just like you said…"
"Because in the end, we must all wake up from the dream."
The story had reached a perfect conclusion!
At the live venue, thunderous applause erupted and continued without pause!
Many people were moved to tears!
Crying and laughing at the same time.
Colored streamers drifted down, pushing the atmosphere of the venue to a peak!
Stelle herself was no exception.
She didn't even realize when her tears had started falling.
It was too beautiful!
Truly!
Even better than the Ena's Dream!
Without a doubt, this storyline was a love letter from the developer to all the players!
Stelle wiped her wet eyes and looked up at the sky.
She didn't know if that developer could hear her!
But she still had to say it!
She absolutely had to!
"Feathered Spirit, this Penacony of yours truly brings me joy!"
***
On the airship.
Lin Yu smiled faintly.
He could feel the joy and gratitude coming from players all over the universe.
Beside him, Sparkle's smile was exceptionally brilliant.
She was browsing her phone while watching the story.
By now, the bullet comments had undergone an earth-shattering transformation!
However many people had been cursing Sparkle earlier, just as many were thanking her now!
There were even many players repenting and making amends to Sparkle.
"Well, this is quite interesting…"
Sparkle laughed happily.
The twists she had witnessed today were more than all the fun she had seen in the past half-month combined!
[ Group Chat: I Hate Sparkle ]
The previously active group chat was now dead silent!
Obviously, these players had also witnessed the twist in the plot.
The previous chat logs were still vivid in their minds.
The comments calling Sparkle selfish and completely devoid of boundaries formed a sharp contrast with the current plot!
Some of them were even too glaring to look at!
Soon, a player started speaking.
* [ Umm… I take back what I said earlier. Sparkle isn't a Masked Fool who finds joy in others' pain. ]
* [ She doesn't seem as bad as I thought… ]
* [ Actually, I quite like Sparkle. ]
* [ What happened? I think I was possessed by a Heliobus earlier. The person saying bad things about Sparkle wasn't me at all! ]
* [ Sparkle let Firefly's third death end in the gentlest, most perfect way. ]
* [ I must admit: I misunderstood Sparkle before. I really have to thank her this time. ]
* [ Say no more, pulling for Sparkle is all that matters! ]
* [ I'm going all out! ]
* [ To make it up to Lady Sparkle, I shall dedicate my first top-up… ]
Seeing the wind in the group chat gradually shifting, Sparkle was just wondering if she should fan the flames a bit when the group owner couldn't sit still any longer!
Messages popped up one after another.
* [ How can your wills be so weak! This is a scheme by the Masked Fool! Do not believe Sparkle under any circumstances! ]
* [ Remember! Masked Fools are a bunch of people with absolutely no boundaries. As long as there's fun, they don't care about others' lives at all! ]
* [ She might help you this time, but next time she might directly ruin you! ]
Someone replied:
* [ But… looking at the entire Penacony storyline, Sparkle hasn't actually harmed us, has she? ]
* [ Yeah, she used illusion to pull the Trailblazer and Firefly into the Dreamscape before. Although Firefly was taken away by "Death," it was later proven to be the "Something Unto Death" bus. ]
* [ In a sense, Sparkle has actually been helping us all along, right? ]
* [ The group owner is still being stubborn… ]
* [ Don't tell me the group owner says this but has already quietly pulled Sparkle? ]
* [ I think it's highly likely! ]
Hearing this, the group owner immediately declared she would "prove her innocence"!
She started a live stream in the group chat, showing that there was absolutely no Sparkle on her account!
She was definitely the number one person who "hated Sparkle," forever standing at the front line of boycotting the Masked Fools!
Log in, launch!
First, she displayed her character list.
As she said, except for Sparkle, she had pulled every other character.
"See? I didn't lie to you!"
"I hope everyone can be like me and carry the boycott of Sparkle to the end. We must never trust—"
As she spoke, she opened her mailbox.
From her previous interface, it was clear that this group owner had some OCD. Any red dot on the interface had to be cleared immediately.
The new mail in the mailbox was naturally no exception.
[ Do Not Open! ]
[ Sender: Penacony's Most Honest Person ]
Seeing this mail, the group owner froze for a moment.
After clicking in, she naturally read the contents of the mail.
* [ Alas, I told you not to open it… My dear, you really are too rebellious. ]
* [ Are you having an easy and pleasant time in Penacony? Still want more, right… Since little gray-hair is so brave and rebellious, I've decided to send a little gift, something… to keep you warm. ]
* [ You know what I mean. Think about it—those Traveler's Guides, Refined Aether, Credit Points, whether useful or useless valuable materials, and even the clothes stripped off that Duke Inferno… they are right in the palm of your hands, aren't they? ]
* [ Oh right, there's also an extra little gift. I don't know what's inside either. If you get some treasure, post it on the Interastral Peace Network, I'll see it~ Or you can choose not to take it, just leave it in the mailbox, and look at it again on this day next year. Who knows, there might be a surprise? ]
* [ Ah, wait, is there a "this day" next year? ]
[ Mail Attachments: Fuel 10, Sparkle's Wonder Bag 1 ]*
"W-What…!?"
"Ten fuels?!"
"Don't think you can buy me off like this!"
Click, claim.
Sparkle's Wonder Bag was opened at the same time.
[ Obtained: 4-Star Character Sampo (Wind/Nihility) ]
Looking at Sampo's splash art popping up on the screen, the group owner was completely dumbfounded!
"Wait…"
"You can actually get a four-star character from this Wonder Bag?"
"She packaged her Masked Fool colleague and sent him over?!"
Seeing this scene, the group members started flooding the screen with comments!
…
"Ah?"
"Thank you, Boss Sparkle!"
"Sparkle's value is still rising!"
"I declare that from now on, I am a Sparkle fan!"
"I want to draw a line and distance myself from you Sparkle haters!"
"I'm not hiding it anymore! I'm laying my cards on the table! Actually, I joined this group to infiltrate it. I am a true Sparkle fan!"
"Wait! Why did I get a Trashcan's Dignity?"
"I got Praise of High Morals * 1"
"Damn it! I got one Credit Point, wait, no! It's a 'Credit Point'!"
…
Seeing the stream of comments, the group owner suddenly burst into laughter!
This Sparkle…
Actually seemed quite interesting?
Is this…
Elation?