Chapter 326 - 326: Are People Criticizing Her Online?

"Aaah!"

An excited cry shattered Wise's peaceful rest on the bed. A moment later, his sister burst into the room, her face glowing with excitement.

"Brother! It's Astra! No, wait, it was that agent from last time. She sent us an invitation! We got invitations to Astra's concert! Even Eous got one. Is this what VIP tickets look like?"

Belle couldn't stop giggling as she admired the invitation in her hand, while Wise was just as surprised and delighted.

"Excellent. Now we can enjoy the New Year instead of spending it lamenting not getting tickets," he said with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, this is wonderful! Protecting the last city in the world can wait until after the concert. Astra is amazing! Those people online who keep trashing her are completely unreasonable..."

Belle's indignant rant immediately caught Wise's attention.

"Hmm? Are people criticizing her online? Fairy, take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fairy, who was lying beside him, instantly summarized the discussions circulating across the internet.

|"Master, as of today, following the announcement of the 'Astra-nomical Moment' New Year Concert, discussions related to Astra Yao have consistently occupied the top spot on the trending rankings, accumulating a total of 8.26 million views."|

|"Negative opinions regarding Astra Yao account for 14% of all related discussions, primarily focusing on the following points... First, that she's ugly."|

"That's going too far. Beauty is subjective, but calling Astra ugly is just ridiculous."

Wise's response immediately earned Belle's wholehearted agreement.

"Brother's right! That's complete nonsense. We can't let them get away with this. We have to fight back!"

|"Understood. Registering 173,925 new accounts to launch a full-scale offensive against comments claiming 'Astra is ugly.'"|

Fairy's response was frighteningly fast. Although manipulating zombie accounts to influence public opinion wasn't exactly admirable, there were times when facts alone couldn't overcome sheer numbers, making a few underhanded methods seem like a necessary evil.

Fairy had even claimed that, if used properly, this strategy could help Wise become the god of New Eridu.

Naturally, that was only her usual exaggeration. The siblings had their own moral principles and would always act according to the justice they believed in.

"By the way, what else are people saying?" Wise asked, gently patting Fairy on the head.

|"Most of the remaining negative comments compare Astra Yao to the late superstar Joran de Winter. Common examples include: 'De Winter is a true legend, while Astra is nothing more than an idol propped up by capital,' and 'How dare she try to ride on his legacy?'"|

Hearing that, Belle could no longer hold herself back.

"Astra is obviously a musical genius who's inherited de Winter's legacy. In terms of musical achievement, she's already on the same level."

"Belle's right. Astra is incredible. She didn't get where she is just because she was 'propped up.'"

Wise nodded in agreement with his sister.

That said, they both understood these accusations were simply excuses made by people who already disliked her.

And arguments like those deserved to be firmly refuted.

So, besides letting Fairy monitor the discussions, the siblings also joined in themselves, following posts about Astra and browsing the Inter-Knot for quite a while.

Eventually, Belle couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Is this the price of becoming such a big star? Seriously... how does Astra endure this kind of criticism day after day?"

Hearing her words, Wise could only nod. He found Astra's resilience genuinely admirable.

<<>>

A few days passed, and the day of the concert finally arrived.

To avoid the heavy traffic, the siblings decided to leave early.

At the same time, the two sisters sitting in the back seat of the car were just as excited.

After all, opportunities to go out like this were rare, and Wise didn't want to leave them behind, so he used his ability to bring them along.

When they entered the venue, the two sisters looked around at the dazzling sights, momentarily overwhelmed.

"Wow! This is the legendary Starloop! Brother, look! Even the glow sticks are designed to match the Starloop. Astra is so thoughtful."

Belle excitedly held up the glow stick in her hand. Combining the design of a microphone with a Harmonizing Core, it looked less like a glow stick and more like a magical staff.

"It's so wonderful to spend New Year's with my brother and Astra! Oh, speaking of which..."

Belle suddenly seemed to remember something.

Turning to Wise with a playful glint in her eyes, she asked, "What are you planning to do for New Year's, Brother?"

The meaning behind her question couldn't have been more obvious. After all, there were so many girls in Wise's life.

Aside from those who could simply stop by Random Play during the New Year, girls like Zhu Yuan, Miyabi, Caesar, and Lucy were all probably hoping to spend the holiday with the person they liked.

"Hmm... don't worry about that. I'll figure something out."

"Oh? And what exactly is your plan?" Belle asked curiously.

Was he planning to run all over the city again as he had during that date?

With so many people scattered across New Eridu, that hardly seemed realistic.

Wise merely chuckled, offering no further explanation.

Just then, Astra Yao's agent, Evelyn, walked toward them.

"Wise, and you must be your sister, Belle. I apologize for not being able to thank you both in person last time. Welcome to the Starloop, esteemed guests—Phaethon."

Belle blinked in surprise, while Wise remained comparatively calm, having already learned a few things about Evelyn from Rain.

"Please don't worry. I didn't discover your identities through someone who knows your secret."

Evelyn then explained how she had reached her conclusion. Simply put, she had deduced their identities because of the siblings' extraordinary abilities.

Of course, the biggest clue had been the information Astra shared with her about Belle's consciousness residing inside a Bangboo.

"In any case, Miss Yao is truly fortunate to have received your assistance. I hope we can continue working together in the future. Given Miss Yao's position, she needs talented people from all walks of life."

"Oh? Talented people? And who might these two be?"

Just then, a man wearing glasses and an impeccably tailored suit approached.

"Mr. Hobson, what brings you here personally?" Evelyn asked before introducing everyone. "These are Miss Yao's esteemed guests, Belle and Wise. And this is Mr. Hobson, the Chief Governance Officer of Odeum Entertainment Group."

Hobson's interest was immediately piqued.

"Guests of Miss Yao? You both seem quite young. May I ask what line of work you're in?" he asked politely.

"We run a video store on Sixth Street," Wise replied with equal courtesy.

The moment Hobson heard that, however, the warmth in his expression noticeably faded.

"I see." He turned to Evelyn. "Since Miss Yao's honored guests have arrived, why don't you accompany them?"

"But what about security...?" Evelyn hesitated.

"I'll handle it."

"...Understood."

After a brief pause, Evelyn nodded and turned back to the siblings.

"Alright, our esteemed guests, please follow me."

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