Chapter 128: Grazed by the Wheel of Fate
Regret is regret precisely because it is utterly irreparable.
What seemed destined to end perfectly ultimately became a permanent sorrow due to some inexplicable reason. In that moment, the livestream room fell utterly silent, the usual flood of comments ceasing as if struck mute.
After a long pause, someone finally spoke:
“Watching tragedy unfold right before your eyes—it’s such an unpleasant feeling.”
“Kartos’s scream... it sounded so pitiful!”
“Poor little Sylia. The moment she faded away, I sensed a wave of malice from Io!”
“Viewer ‘I Was Here First’ just tipped the streamer a Chaos Meteorite! Along with the message: ‘Is she really that unlucky? She got to hear the confession of the one she loves; that’s already happiness enough, isn’t it? Unlike me—I came first, everything should have been mine first...’”
“Viewer ‘Malice From the World’ also tipped a Chaos Meteorite! The message reads: ‘Does a confession really matter? Even if it’s the most romantic confession, if you can’t stay together, if you can’t keep the promises made, what’s the point? Better never to have started the relationship at all!’”
“...”
At this moment, Catherine did not respond to the viewers’ feelings at all. A heavy weight pressed upon her heart. Even Vienne, usually so lively, remained silent, sitting quietly on a clean stone, staring blankly into the distance, lost in thought.
She glanced at Ling Mo, who also remained silent. Catherine rubbed her forehead and sighed, then addressed the Arcane Eye Elf: “I’m very sorry, viewers. I did not expect this to happen. Judging by everyone's mood, no one feels up to continuing the stream. Let’s end it here for today. We all need some time to adjust—perhaps a day, perhaps two. When we are ready to go live again, I will notify the DouSha staff in advance. For now, that’s it—thank you all, and goodbye for the time being.”
“Yeah, I really don’t feel like watching anymore!”
“I’ve been glued to this channel for four days straight; it’s time to take a break!”
“Farewell, Lady Vienne! Goodbye, Teacher Ling! Goodbye, streamer!”
“Take a good rest! Don’t forget about us viewers!”
“Seeing how you all are now, streaming just wouldn’t be right. Take the time you need!”
“No matter how long it takes, I’ll be here whenever you go live!”
“This channel is amazing! Sometimes it really shakes up my worldview!”
“Come back soon, streamer! Next time you go live, I’ll shower you with Devastation Tokens!”
“Same here!”
“Same here, plus one!”
“Wow, three big spenders all at once!”
“Just realized, the streamer must have earned more in these four days than in all previous years combined, right?”
“Probably several times over! Enough to last a lifetime. Why bring it up now?”
“I mean, could the streamer suddenly have lost their dreams and just decided to quit after this stream?”
“Now that you mention it, I’m a bit worried...”
“Believe it or not, this has happened to more than one streamer! They make enough money and then quietly retire to their hometowns and get married!”
“Damn, Catherine can’t be so dreamless, can she? I was planning to make her the top streamer!”
“Do you think Teacher Ling would ever stream? If he did, I’d definitely watch!”
“Pretty unlikely. Teacher Ling still doesn’t even have an ID card!”
“With his skills, getting citizenship in any country would be a breeze!”
“Let’s not talk about future stuff now. Goodbye, streamer!”
“Goodbye, Catherine! Don’t forget the raffle prizes! I won a bottle of ‘Rotten Air from the Rainforest’!”
“...”
Amidst the chorus of farewells, Catherine ended the stream and held the Arcane Eye Elf close. Vienne and Ling Mo remained silent; Catherine dared not break the quiet and sat with them, lost in thought.
The sun was setting, its harsh heat softened over the rainforest, bathing everything in a warm, pleasant glow. Catherine closed her eyes, savoring the comforting rays for a moment, feeling sleepiness creeping in.
After mourning for a while—it was after all not her own family—she quietly yawned and rubbed her stomach, realizing she was hungry. Turning toward Ling Mo, she hesitated, wanting to ask where they would find dinner tonight, but felt the mood was too heavy for such a mundane question.
After another ten minutes, the hunger grew too strong to ignore. Just as she was about to speak, the Arcane Eye Elf in her arms emitted a buzzing sound. A communication prompt appeared prominently on the screen:
“Incoming video call request from the ‘Mage Union Council.’ Accept?”
Quickly, Catherine handed the device to Ling Mo. He took it, hesitated briefly, then accepted the call.
On the screen appeared the familiar figure of an elderly mage—the seventh elder of the Mage Union Council, North Kayo Dul. Upon appearing, he let out a heavy sigh and addressed Vienne first:
“I did not expect such a tragedy to occur. Lady Vienne, please accept my deepest condolences.”
Vienne ignored him as if she had not heard. North Kayo Dul paid no mind and turned to Ling Mo:
“Mr. Ling, thank you very much for the information you have brought us; it is of great help.”
Ling Mo smiled faintly. “None of the expedition members survived. The only soul with a chance of salvation also dissipated. Honestly, we didn’t help much.”
“The fact that you could provide us with accurate information is enough,” Elder North Kayo Dul quickly waved his hand. “No one is the protagonist of a movie, always arriving at the critical moment. At least now we know those scholars were killed by the Obedience Sect. This gives their families some closure and provides us with direction for investigation and vengeance.”
“Oh? You’ve already decided on revenge? Need any help? I have my own grievances with the Obedience Sect. I’d be glad to contribute to dealing them a blow.”
“No need. The Council’s lost face must be restored by our own hands.” As he spoke, Elder North Kayo Dul clenched his fists, veins prominent on his aged face, clearly suppressing his anger. “We thought the Obedience Sect’s actions were mere petty mischief, so we turned a blind eye. But they dared commit such brazen acts. The Council will submit a formal request to the United Nations to designate the Obedience Sect’s ‘Kayo Faction’ as an international terrorist organization. We will have representatives from various countries join forces to eradicate them!”
“That’s a firm resolution, but the United States has long been the Kayo Faction’s major backer. I’ve encountered the US’s official mage corps while storming their strongholds. This proposal will be hard to pass at the UN, won’t it? Are you sure they won’t use their veto power?”
“We will strive for it,” Elder North Kayo Dul fell silent for a moment, then answered resolutely. “I will use every resource at my disposal to ensure the proposal passes. After all, several of my close friends were part of that expedition… But, Mr. Ling, rest assured. Though no one was saved, as per our initial agreement, the Mage Council will fully support your promotion of martial arts. This promise will be endorsed by the Council’s Chief Executive Elder and soon publicly announced. If you have any conditions, please inform us as soon as possible.”
“Thank you very much...” Ling Mo expressed his gratitude politely and was about to say more when suddenly, a series of crimson system notifications appeared at the center of his vision. At the same time, a grand alert echoed in his mind:
“Detected number of individuals with sincere yearning for martial arts: 600,212!”
“Detected number of individuals with physical strength at martial arts apprentice level: 1,432!”
“Detected number of individuals with physical strength at junior martial artist level: 5!”
“Main quest, phase two, objective one: Number of sincerely aspiring martial artists reached 500,000 — completed.”
“Main quest, phase two, objective two: Number of martial arts apprentices reached 1,000 — completed.”
“Main quest, phase two, objective three: Number of junior martial artists reached 5 — completed.”
“All mission objectives achieved.”
“‘Offering Martial Arts to a Wonderful World’ main quest, phase two, completed.”
“Calculating mission rewards...”