[Popularity +10 +10 +10...]
The popularity of Guinaifen's stream had already tripled her usual numbers! A huge portion of the audience was watching the plot with a mix of tension and excitement. If the game's content really reflected reality, they were witnessing history today.
At this point, the two Stellaron Hunters, Kafka and Silver Wolf, had reached a monitoring room within the space station. Silver Wolf used her technical skills to crack the location of the Stellaron.
"There's an independent security system... It seems the Stellaron isn't just any old collectible to Herta," Silver Wolf remarked.
"Can you get it out?"
"Of course. In the realm of hacking, even the genius Herta is no match for me."
Once the dialogue ended, Kafka stepped forward, holding a sphere of golden light in her hand. This was the legendary Stellaron!
Silver Wolf operated the consoles methodically, projecting an image in front of Kafka. "The vessel is ready," she announced. "You decide."
At that moment, the screens of Guinaifen and every other player were taken over by the images of two characters. One male, one female. Both had grey hair and wore similar black coats. A line of text appeared next to each character:
— Activate Vessel Stelle
— Activate Vessel Caelus
Kafka: "Elio said this choice will change many things."
Silver Wolf: "Elio also said that the person who makes this choice must be you."
This screen left Guinaifen stunned. What was happening?! Weren't the Stellaron Hunters here to steal the Stellaron? Why did they suddenly have to pick a character?
"Family, I'm a little confused. What's going on here?"
"Don't ask the streamer, I'm just as lost!"
"Wasn't this Herta's storage room? How did it turn into a delivery room?"
"Wait, is this the real protagonist?"
"Why are you even hesitating? Pick Stelle for sure, look at those legs!"
Guinaifen licked her lips. After comparing the two, she felt the female lead was cuter. She looked like a straightforward, honest person very much like herself. She immediately confirmed her choice. For the sake of simplicity, she kept the default name: Stelle.
Once the choice was made, a cluster of data was sent to Silver Wolf. Next to the two hunters, Stelle's body began to be 3D-printed. Kafka, holding the Stellaron, approached Stelle as if walking on tiptoe. She leaned her face in close.
"How much does she remember?" Kafka asked.
"She'll remember you, at the very least."
"Heh..."
Kafka wrapped one arm around Stelle's waist, while her other hand pressed the Stellaron directly against Stelle's chest.
"Time to wake up."
No foreplay, no preparation. She just jammed the Stellaron right in! Guinaifen was watching in shock. That's how you use a Stellaron? You just shove it in?
Guinaifen took a deep breath. Perhaps her immersion was too strong, but she felt a tightness in her own chest, as if something had been shoved inside her too.
The screen shifted to a first-person perspective. This had to be the female lead, Stelle, waking up after being infused with the Stellaron. Three dialogue options appeared on the right:
[Where... am... I?]
[Kaf... ka?]
[...Who... are... you?]
Guinaifen decisively chose the second option.
At this moment, Kafka was gazing at the protagonist with a "gentle" smile. However, because everyone knew the Stellaron Hunters were supposed to be cunning, dangerous criminals, Guinaifen felt that Kafka's smile had a bit of a hidden edge to it.
Upon hearing the answer, Kafka's eyes widened with a hint of surprise and joy. "Great. You still remember me."
She glanced back at Silver Wolf, then spoke again:
"[Listen to me]: Your mind is in a haze right now. You don't know who you are, why you're here, or what you're supposed to do next. You feel like I'm familiar, but you aren't sure if you should trust me"
"But none of that matters. What matters is that I'm leaving, and I'm going to leave you all alone on this space station. So from now on, you don't need to think about the past or doubt yourself."
"[Listen to me]: You will face many dangers and find yourself in terrifying predicaments, but you will also experience many wonderful things. You will find companions who are like family and embark on adventures you never could have dreamed of."
"And at the end of the journey, all the riddles that trouble you will be solved."
"This is the future Elio has foreseen, and the one you will reach... Do you like it?"
[I like it... I think.]
[I don't want this...]
[Where are you going...]
Guinaifen didn't rush to choose. She rubbed her chin, her lips pouting slightly. "Family! Is Kafka one of those cryptic types? What does all that mean?"
"Are there any experts in the chat who can explain this?"
The comments flooded in.
"The words [Listen to me] were specifically highlighted by the devs. Obviously, they're reminding us that the color of those three words is different."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"The color is different because it's like a function call being declared."
"Did someone from the Intelligentsia Guild join the chat?"
"Quiet, everyone, I've got it! This is Kafka's Spirit Whisper ability. It's like using psychological suggestion to dictate someone's actions."
"Holy crap! Kafka is that powerful? If I met her, wouldn't I just be played like a fiddle?"
"Relax, you'll never meet her. Besides, you're already a clown."
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