Meanwhile, Sophie Wexler stormed home. She didn't even spare Cillian Forrest a glance before diving straight into her room.
She had only one thought on her mind right now.
Make money!
Make money right now!
Make money non-stop!
She took out the things she had prepared, turned on her streaming equipment, and opened the entertainment page.
She hadn't logged on since her last stream and had no idea that the most discussed topic in the entertainment section's chat rooms these past few days was a new streamer.
At first, everyone was discussing the gifts from that day's stream, wondering which big shot had been so generous.
Then, they called the streamer a fool for ending the stream when her viewership was so good.
Others said that listening to her songs seemed to relax their whole body and mind, and that they would definitely come back for her next stream.
The audience from that first stream was all waiting for Sophie Wexler to go live.
But as they waited, they realized something was off.
One day passed. No stream. Two days passed. No stream. Three days passed. Still no stream!
The waiting audience was collectively dumbfounded. Where was she?
Today marked five full days since she'd last been seen.
[Ah, I'm going crazy. Does anyone know where that streamer named Sue Shiver went? How did she just disappear?]
[It's been days! Streamer, why haven't you gone live? Where are you? God knows how many times that song has been looping in my head. Why is it so hard to hear it just one more time?]
[She can't just steal my heart and then run off!]
[I'm so pissed! I swear, if the streamer comes online, I'm not human if I don't roast her with eight hundred comments!]
Sophie Wexler had no idea so much had happened during the days she hadn't streamed.
She started the stream, thinking that since it was only her second time, there probably wouldn't be many people right at the beginning. She leisurely adjusted her equipment, making sure the camera didn't capture her face.
Who would have thought that when she looked up, she'd be stunned by the bullet comments flashing rapidly across the screen.
Sophie Wexler: ???
'Is the website glitching? Why are there so many comments?'
The moment she started her stream, the group of netizens who had been lying in wait for days swarmed in.
[Cause for celebration! The missing person has finally returned!]
[If you didn't go live soon, I was seriously going to think something happened to you.]
[How dare you take such a long break! Five days! Five whole days! Do you have any idea what I've been through these past five days?!]
[If I knew your address, I'd tie you to the camera and make you stream for three days and three nights.]
[Streamer, do you even want to make money or not?!]
Sophie Wexler watched the bullet comments, blinking slowly. "Of course I want to make money."
[You want to make money, but you disappear for so long? Are you serious?!]
[Where's that guy who said he was gonna roast the streamer with eight hundred comments? Come on out, it's your time to shine! Flame her so hard she'll never dare take a break again.]
Sophie watched the comments. "Sorry, I've had some things going on these past few days and couldn't stream." She hadn't expected to retain so many viewers from her first broadcast. "I'll let everyone know in advance next time," she added.
[What good is an apology? If you've got the guts, don't end the stream so early this time.]
Sophie Wexler just smiled and said nothing.
'I do need to make money, but I also need to end the stream on time.'
[Streamer, can you sing that song from the other day again? God knows how long I've been dying to hear it.]
[Yeah, yeah, that song! My Spiritual Sea was feeling a bit rough that day, but after hearing the song, it was miraculously soothed.]
[No way, that's fake. How could a single song soothe a Spiritual Sea? You must have imagined it.]
No one believed that Sophie Wexler's song could soothe a Spiritual Sea, but one thing was beyond doubt: they all wanted to hear the song from the other day.
Sophie Wexler looked at the bullet comments and said, "I won't be singing that one. I'll sing something different today."
[No, don't!!]
[I only came because I heard she had an amazing song. If she's not going to sing it, there's no point in staying. I'm out.]
[Who knows if the other ones will be any good? We want that one.]
After she spoke, Sophie Wexler stopped looking at the comments. She reached out and slowly strummed the guitar in her hands.
[What is that thing? I feel like I've never seen one before.]
[Can that thing even sound good?]
A crowd of people questioned the object in Sophie Wexler's hands, their tone filled with disbelief.
Then, a crisp sound filled the stream. Sophie Wexler's fingertips slowly plucked the strings, and a melody flowed from her hands.
[Ah, I know what that is! According to historical records, it's a common musical instrument from the Ancient Aethel period called a guitar. It's just that all our music is AI-synthesized now, so no one uses them anymore.]
[You basically can't buy them anywhere. I wonder where she dug it up.]
[That thing can make beautiful music?]
[Obviously it can. Isn't it happening right in front of you?]
This time, Sophie Wexler had chosen a folk song with a light, brisk rhythm.
Just as the audience was questioning whether this new song would be any good, a voice drifted through their screens.
It was like a flowing brook—light and cheerful, making listeners feel as if they were in the heart of nature, experiencing its tranquility and beauty.
The chat room fell almost instantly silent. Everyone held their breath, afraid of disturbing the beautiful moment.
The voices of doubt vanished in an instant.
Long after the song ended, everyone remained immersed in the music, unable to snap back to reality.
Having finished, Sophie Wexler looked at the empty comment feed, puzzled. "Huh? Was it not good?"
'Do people in The Galaxy have different musical tastes than people on Aethel?'
The moment Sophie Wexler's voice came through, the audience snapped back to their senses.
The stream's bullet comments immediately exploded!
[Who said it wasn't good! Step forward! I'll be the first to disagree!]
[SOB SOB SOB, I was wrong! I take back what I said about other songs not being good. If the streamer had actually sung the old song, I would have been a criminal for making us miss out on this one!]
While Sophie Wexler was singing, people had begun pouring into the stream in waves, and once they entered, they couldn't bring themselves to leave.
[What kind of magic does this stream have? It just makes you not want to leave.]
[When she sings, I feel my whole being calm down, as if I'm surrounded by nature.]
[This is insane! Who would believe it? The flare-up from my Disorder Period actually calmed down a bit.]
Everyone had been discussing whether the song was good, but this comment instantly provoked a flood of refutations.
[Impossible. A Disorder Period flare-up can only be soothed by a Healer-class practitioner or a relief agent. How could listening to a single song help?]
[In all my years in The Galaxy, I've never heard of listening to music to soothe a Spiritual Sea flare-up.]
Amidst the chorus of rebuttals, a new comment appeared.
[User1: Um, sorry to interrupt, but my Spiritual Sea seems to have calmed down a bit, too.]
[User2: Me too.]
[User3: I think... me too.]
Several affirmative replies in a row silenced the chat room. Everyone was dumbfounded.
Holy crap. No way... right?!