[Golden Hour, the SoulGlad Gala Auditions Venue]
The audition host's voice spread throughout the entire venue over the broadcast. His voice was loud and full of passion, as if he wanted to become the leader and stir up the emotions of all the spectators.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Golden Hour branch venue! This is a feast for challengers, a grand ceremony for dream chasers, the center of attention for the entire universe!"
"As long as you have ambition, have dreams, and are willing to work hard, dear friends, the next superstar of Penacony's celebration is you!"
Colorful lights flashed. The speakers on both sides, each as large as a small building, played passionate music, while the colorful screens with portraits in front of them moved to the rhythm of the music.
"Wow! They really made this look legit! I'm getting a little excited myself!" March exclaimed.
"Is it really only a little?" Stelle narrowed her eyes and looked at March, whose face was full of delight, unable to resist commenting.
At this moment, they heard the host say again, "Look! Here come eight friends full of fighting spirit! Do you want to become superstars of the grand event?"
"Is... is he talking about us?" July looked around and didn't see any other tourists.
The host's voice answered her question the next moment, "Yes! Don't doubt it. I can see the potential of superstars in all of you."
Stelle raised a hand and scratched her head. After thinking for a moment, she confidently put her hands on her hips and became smug.
After observing them for a while, she decided that what the host had said wasn't wrong.
She strongly agreed that she and her companions had the potential to become superstars.
Just look at their looks. Even if you excluded Nero and the two knights, those cheating-level players connected to the Beauty, their average looks were still at the top level of the universe. These days, if someone is ugly, they'd be embarrassed to call themselves a character.
And even without considering their looks, Nero, the knights, the Stellaron Hunters, and the Nameless were indeed celebrities in all sorts of ways.
"Contestants, what have you come here hoping to obtain?" An excited reporter rushed over.
"As the final group of contestants, how confident are you that you can pass all the challenges?" Stelle saw another calm reporter ask a question.
Then she noticed that this reporter's gaze lingered on Nero and the knights for several seconds, after which his expression suddenly became as excited as the first reporter's, and he said, "Ah, I understand now."
"Obviously, this question doesn't need an answer from you all. Your confidence is one hundred percent. No, my confidence is one hundred percent. That's right, I believe you'll definitely pass the challenges!"
"Can we get a personal interview with you? Just for a little while."
Another reporter rushed over. This reporter had a very clear target. He headed straight for Nero, then dropped to his knees and hugged his leg.
However, Argenti reacted quickly. He decisively picked Nero up and moved him to another position, preventing the reporter, whose face was filled with anxiety, sadness, and pleading, from getting his way.
Looking at the reporter's expression, Stelle thought that he must be a reporter whose performance was worrying and who was about to lose his job.
And in her eyes, Nero was simply a life-saving treasure.
Yes, Stelle was absolutely certain of this. If Nero accepted the reporter's personal interview, then this reporter would probably not only keep his job, but might even rise rapidly afterward.
Stelle had never doubted Nero's charm. She knew this child far too well.
From the moment she woke up on Herta Space Station until now, Nero was the only person she had ever seen who had fans everywhere he went.
She considered this a great achievement, because even the Aeons couldn't accomplish this.
At this moment, another reporter walked over. This reporter wore sunglasses, had his hair slicked back, and wore a black suit. There was an inexplicable determination about him as he slowly said, "The road ahead is long, the cliffs perilous, banners fill the sky as all compete for the crown!"
After saying this, the man looked at Nero and added, "Nero, I support you."
Well, looks like he's a Nero fan. Stelle thought this reporter might be... a Hunt reporter.
Following closely behind was a reporter of the Beauty.
"Sword and rose, protect the Beauty!"
This reporter kept shouting slogans, his gaze falling on Nero and the two knights, burning as brightly as two little suns.
However, that wasn't the end. Next came a reporter of the Elation.
"Knights have hard heads! Brother Lan's one-track mind! Winning the competition isn't necessary! The fun can't stop!"
"Hehe... Since a beauty is taking this road, none of you can compete for victory. If you don't want to have come all this way for nothing, why not stir things up and make a fool of yourselves!"
Stelle listened to the reporters' introductions with a twitch at the corner of her eye. Well, they had fallen into a nest of Nero fans. Most of these reporters were Nero fans, regardless of whether they believed in the Hunt, the Beauty, the Elation, or something else.
Having Nero fans everywhere, all gathered so close together and chattering at one another, made Stelle feel as though she had returned to the place where she was born, Herta Space Station.
"Why are there more and more people!" Stelle heard March's voice.
July immediately followed up, "They're all Nero fans, but judging by these people's expressions and behavior, it feels like all kinds of strange people are coming out. We'd better get into the competition quickly!"
Stelle felt that July was right. If they stayed any longer, they might soon be completely surrounded.
However, just as everyone was preparing to move, the crowd gathered together was suddenly split open.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please make way, make way."
Along with this voice, someone came before them.
The host immediately began his introduction with great professionalism, "Now walking toward us is one of Penacony's ten richest men, the creator of the SoulGlad commercial empire, Mr. Aideen!"
Mr. Aideen was a stooped old man with gray hair and beard. His hair was parted three-seven, and he wore black-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and a green tie, with a beige trench coat and a green wool coat over them.
The old man didn't look very energetic, but he was still fairly robust. He looked at everyone standing before him and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aideen Leda, the factory manager of the SoulGlad factory. Friends, why don't you introduce yourselves to the audience across the galaxy as well?"
"Factory manager..." Nero stared at Aideen. "He looks pretty ordinary... Hmm... That's not quite appropriate to say. Whether it's his appearance or his clothes, there's nothing particularly striking about him as a big shot."
"Hahahahaha..." Aideen laughed. "After all, I'm already an old man."
"Mm..." Nero nodded, then smiled and extended his hand to Aideen in a very familiar manner. "Hello, I'm Nero. I'm also a factory manager... Hmm... Would you be interested in developing SoulGlad that can automatically cool or heat itself?
"Although doing this in dreams is very convenient, it would be very difficult in reality, and I can provide the technology... Don't you want to expand into the real-world market?"
Looking at the enthusiastic Nero, Aideen's eyes widened slightly. A glint appeared in his old, cloudy eyes.
No businessman would complain about making too much money. Nero's words had indeed piqued his interest, and a smile also appeared on the old man's face as he took Nero's outstretched hand.
"So you're also a factory manager. My apologies for being so disrespectful."
Aideen moved a little closer and lowered his voice as he said to Nero, "I'm very interested in the proposal you mentioned, but now isn't the time to discuss it. Regarding this matter, I think we can find somewhere quiet to discuss it in detail after you all finish the Gala auditions."
"This is my business card and contact information. Just call me when you have time."
As he spoke, the Penacony tycoon handed Nero his contact information.
Watching this scene, Stelle's expression was somewhat complicated.
Nero was as enthusiastic as ever... and he always suddenly became close with other people.