The plot twists hit one after another like cannonballs, making everyone's head spin.
Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
Who am I? Where am I? Can someone please tell me what just happened?
In a bizarre moment of synchronicity, everyone fell silent. The stream chat was dead quiet; not a single comment scrolled across the clean screen.
Sophie Wexler stared at the empty comment section, beginning to wonder if anyone was even watching. But a glance at the viewer count showed over 10,000 people. There were definitely people here.
"Did the stream freeze?" She reached out and tapped the screen, intending to check her Light Brain's connection.
The very next second, a flood of comments erupted, densely covering the entire screen.
[It's not frozen! It's not frozen!]
[The stream didn't freeze, my brain did.]
My CPU got fried by that string of official notifications.
They came one after another, so thrilling it made your scalp tingle.
[AHHHH, Streamer, you're my goddess! Does anyone get how I'm feeling right now? I could just about die from satisfaction!]
[I was in the middle of flaming those idiot haters, about to die of anger. They were saying the streamer couldn't get unbanned, that a rookie like her couldn't even get a contract, that she's a terrible singer, that she's faking being a Healer-class... and the next second, SLAP! They get proven wrong.]
[Bet you didn't see that coming! Not only did our precious streamer get unbanned, she became a contracted streamer! And not only is she contracted, she's also a Healer-class! Bet you're pissed now. Hope you choke on it.]
[Weren't those guys shouting so loud just now? Go on, keep shouting.]
This turn of events was just too satisfying. The viewers in Sophie Wexler's stream were all fired up, as if they'd been shot full of adrenaline. Just moments ago they were on the defensive, but now a single one of them could out-argue an entire city block without breaking a sweat.
A few people had been preparing to struggle with a few words of rebuttal, but seeing the situation, they scurried away with their tails between their legs.
Without those troublemakers, the atmosphere in Sophie Wexler's stream instantly became much more harmonious.
Many new viewers had joined. The recent conflict had caused the stream's popularity to skyrocket, and with Sophie Wexler now contracted, she had shot to the top of the Arts and Entertainment section's "New Contracted Streamers" list.
Sophie Wexler watched the continuous stream of new viewers pouring in and thought back to what had just happened.
'If they knew that their little stunt not only failed to hurt me but actually boosted my stream's popularity, would they die from anger?'
New viewers, seeing the flood of comments, were confused: [What's this stream about? How come the streamer doesn't show her face?]
[The streamer is actually a Healer-class? Oh my god, I have to follow just for that.]
[I heard this stream can soothe your Spiritual Sea?]
Sophie Wexler saw this comment and immediately spoke up. "Welcome, everyone. This is a music stream. If you'd like, you can listen to some songs and relax, but please note that it cannot soothe the Spiritual Sea."
Soothing a Spiritual Sea during a Disorder Period was a sensitive topic, and Sophie Wexler didn't want to give the public the false impression that she was capable of it.
Otherwise, if viewers came to believe her stream could soothe a Spiritual Sea outburst, only to find out later that it couldn't, the resulting negative backlash would be incalculable.
It was better to make things clear from the very beginning.
[See? She said it herself that she can't soothe the Spiritual Sea.]
[The streamer never claimed she could, okay? That was just a rumor people spread online.]
[So what if she can't soothe it? I just genuinely like hearing her sing.]
[Yeah, most songs in The Galaxy are composed by AI these days. It's rare enough to find a streamer who creates original music.]
[Regardless, her songs sound good and help people relax. That alone puts her ahead of many others.]
Seeing that the comments in the stream had calmed down, Sophie Wexler breathed a sigh of relief. "Since the stream ban delayed us a bit, I'll sing an extra song today as compensation."
[Wow, an extra song! That's awesome!]
[We get a bonus song! Suddenly, the stream getting banned doesn't seem like such a bad thing, hehe.]
After she spoke, Sophie Wexler strummed her guitar and began to sing again.
* * *
Meanwhile, outside, Cillian Forrest sat in front of his Light Brain.
The screen was densely packed with information: background data on the planet he was currently on, recent developments in galactic politics, and files on Starbugs.
He couldn't remember anything from before he woke up—who he was, why he was injured and had amnesia on this planet, or why he had been poisoned by a Starbug.
He could feel a large amount of Starbug poison within his Spiritual Sea. The varying concentrations suggested it wasn't from a single incident. It had spread, continuously destroying his Spirit Threads. The most recent toxin had invaded his memory region, which was clearly the cause of his amnesia.
Although he knew the cause, there was no information on StarNet about eliminating the poison. Or rather, the consensus was that the poison couldn't be eliminated.
'But... why does it feel like the poison in some areas of my Spiritual Sea has faded slightly?'
As Cillian Forrest was pondering this, his spiritual power began to leak out uncontrollably. He noticed it instantly and pulled it back.
Apparently, the spiritual power surges of his Disorder Period were starting again.
The length of a Disorder Period varied from person to person, and it was always preceded by several spiritual power surges before the full-blown outbreak.
His current Disorder Period had already lasted for days. The last violent surge had started unconsciously while he was asleep; it was Sophie Wexler who had discovered it and helped soothe him.
This time, he was awake. Cillian Forrest would not allow his volatile spiritual power to leak out. He mobilized his own spiritual power to suppress the rampaging portion.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly. As the seconds ticked by, the two forces continued to clash within his Spiritual Sea, and beads of sweat began to form on Cillian Forrest's temples.
Just then, a voice drifted over from Sophie Wexler's study. It was light and gentle, like a spring breeze rustling through treetops, compelling one to relax.
The moment he heard the singing, Cillian Forrest felt the rampaging energy in his Spiritual Sea seem to weaken.
'How could that be?'
His Level was so high that there was no one of a comparable Level who could soothe him, so he had always been forced to suppress his Disorder Periods on his own.
Because he could never get any relief, the violent energy constantly damaged his Spiritual Sea, leaving it utterly ravaged. This made each subsequent Disorder Period even more severe and harder to suppress. And yet now...
Realizing something, Cillian Forrest carefully probed his Spiritual Sea. He found that he hadn't been mistaken—the rampaging energy had indeed weakened slightly.
It wasn't obvious, but it was there. The rampaging energy and his own suppressive energy had been equally matched, so he could feel even the slightest decrease in his opponent's strength.
With no time for further thought, Cillian Forrest seized the opportunity, focusing his attention and mobilizing all his spiritual power to suppress it.
As the violent energy began to weaken and then subside, Cillian Forrest realized that this time, the outburst had been suppressed with surprising ease.
He lifted his gaze toward Sophie Wexler's study, a hint of disbelief in his eyes. An incredible thought began to form in his mind.
'Could it be... that her singing can soothe a spiritual power outburst?'