Chapter Sixty-Seven: Weiss

“Viewer ‘Once Brave, Now Wet Shoes’ has tipped the streamer a Chaos Meteor! Along with the message: Streamer! No words needed! Please be merciful and bring back an Ice Crystal Radish J8!”

“What nonsense! Use its proper name—Ice Crystal Radish!”

“Viewer ‘Weakness Cannot Last’ has tipped the streamer a Hellfire! Message: Teacher Ling, don’t mind that uncultured person before me! I truly need this Ice Crystal Radish!”

“Viewer ‘Husband Always Eats Kidney Tonic’ has tipped the streamer a Hellfire! Message: Streamer, I want to buy one for my husband! He hasn’t satisfied me in ages! Money is no object!”

“Viewer ‘Lev Vladis YIN Child’ has tipped the streamer a Chaos Meteor! Message: Just asking, this is the Ice Crystal Radish, right? What does it feel like to make one? Is it cold and cool?”

“Viewer ‘Little Bird Star Nana’ has tipped the streamer a Hellfire! Message: Damn, after what you said, I’m really looking forward to it! I’m getting wet just thinking about it!”

“Viewer ‘Maple Snow Serenity’ has tipped the streamer a Chaos Meteor! Message: Would it really feel good to get poked by an ice pop? Are you sure? I don’t believe it anyway!”

“Viewer ‘Womanly Love Is True Love!’ has tipped the streamer a Chaos Meteor! Message: Streamer, streamer! Can this thing fuse with women? If so, you’re in for a windfall! I’ll pay ten thousand gold coins!”

“…”
A flood of men and women with lewd intentions flooded the live stream, clamoring to have Katherine bring back an Ice Crystal Radish for them, or at least let them know where it came from. Ling Mo pressed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He had to admit, men—especially older men—were truly obsessed with such matters, and with the addition of the lesbian crowd, the target market for the Crystal Radish was enormous.

Though transplanting the Ice Crystal Radish was feasible, it carried significant risks. If many people suffered adverse effects, it would ruin his reputation and hinder his efforts to promote martial arts, so Ling Mo didn’t want to answer the question. Seeing Katherine still hesitating beside him, Ling Mo nudged her, changing the topic: “Didn’t you want to go into the cave to watch the rabbits mate? Why are you still standing here? Go on!”

“…I was wrong, Master,” Katherine hadn’t expected Ling Mo to remember that. She quickly brought her hands together in apology, then, after a moment’s thought, turned to apologize to the viewers: “Sorry, everyone, and to the generous viewers who gifted me Meteor Shower, you heard it—the female rabbit is a level five magical beast. If I went in, it’d be suicide. So it’s impossible, I’m sorry. I’ll refund your Meteor Shower. I’ll even cover the platform’s commission out of my own pocket—I won’t let you lose out!”

“Supreme VIP user ‘Armstrong Rotating Jet Armstrong Cannon’ has tipped the streamer two Meteor Showers! Message: Streamer, what are you saying, looking down on us? You didn’t deceive us maliciously. Where would I ever ask for my gift back? That’s beneath me!”

“Supreme VIP user ‘Curiosity Is the Ladder of Human Progress’ has tipped the streamer a Meteor Shower! Message: Streamer, it’s not your fault! If you feel really bad, just ask Teacher Ling about those human faces on the spiders’ backs? If I’m not mistaken, those really are human faces, right? I’ve been curious for ages!”

Katherine hadn’t expected her viewers to be so warm-hearted; she was touched, but this question made her uneasy. She hesitated, then nervously relayed the query to Ling Mo.

Ling Mo was silent for a long moment before answering: “Those spiders are called ‘Original Sin Crystal Spiders,’ named after the obedience cult’s original sin theory. The faces beneath their carapaces aren’t real, but originate from—”

He had only gotten this far when the magical eye sprite flying around them suddenly emitted a sharp alarm. The emergency indicator atop it began flashing red. The live stream and all chat vanished from their vision, replaced by a row of large font abruptly appearing in the center:

“Official gold-certified ID ‘Aquarius Archmage’ Weiss has sent you a message: Mr. Ling, may I request that you refrain from revealing any further information on this subject? Thank you very much!”

As both of them saw the message, the magical eye sprite hovered in midair, automatically rotating its lens upward. After emitting a burst of intense light, a screen about a meter long and wide appeared before Ling Mo and Katherine. A few seconds later, the screen showed an image: a young, beautiful woman with fluffy green hair.

With the appearance of the green-haired woman, Katherine felt so nervous she could barely breathe! She never imagined such a small matter in her stream would draw the attention of this distinguished guest! She certainly knew who this was—in fact, everyone on the continent above the level of apprentice mage knew her. Her portrait adorned every elementary textbook in the nine-year compulsory magical education. Weiss was the most striking among the seven publicly recognized Archmages: so young and beautiful, standing out amidst a crowd of wrinkled old men, unforgettable.

Weiss had advanced to Archmage with the speed of a rocket, inspiring countless female mages as an idol and spiritual anchor. Katherine was no exception; now that she was about to interact with her idol, she didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet. As the image stabilized, the ‘Aquarius Archmage’ Weiss eagerly spoke: “Mr. Ling, I hope you won’t disclose any more information about this matter during your stream. Is that agreeable?”

Her voice wasn’t particularly melodious, and didn’t carry the lofty air of an Archmage. Instead, it sounded like the girl next door, a childhood friend growing up alongside you. Though it was Katherine’s first time hearing her, there was not a trace of unfamiliarity.

Ling Mo had wanted to say something, but upon looking closely, he awkwardly turned his head and said, “You… should probably tidy up your clothes before we talk.”

Weiss looked down in confusion, then gasped and quickly covered her chest. She had been watching Katherine’s stream in her pajamas, lying in bed. She was enjoying it thoroughly, some scenes stirring memories of past adventures and drawing a warm smile. Suddenly, Ling Mo mentioned ‘Original Sin Crystal Spider’!

The shock was extraordinary! She immediately used her Archmage privileges to temporarily sever Katherine’s connection to the Net, then sat up and initiated a direct video link, not realizing her pajama buttons had come undone. Typically, girls don’t wear bras with pajamas, so Weiss was exposing a large area of skin, nearly revealing everything. As for her lower body, she wasn’t even wearing pajama pants; her long, radiant legs were completely bare.

Looking around, her room was a chaotic mess, with things strewn everywhere. She couldn’t find her pants at all. Flustered, her eyes lit up as she grabbed a large pillow from the bed, hugging it to her chest to hide herself, leaving only her face visible. She repeated: “Mr. Ling, could you please not speak about the Original Sin Crystal Spiders?”

“Why?” Ling Mo sneered, “You can do these things, but I can’t talk about them? And as I recall, this matter isn’t even connected to your faction. Your father belongs to the Rift Sky Cult, doesn’t he?”

“You know my father?” Weiss was slightly taken aback, pointed at her fluffy green hair and replied, “This has nothing to do with my father, but… well, you see my hair? I’m a quarter elf, so it’s my responsibility to protect this secret.”

“What if I insist on speaking?” Ling Mo’s eyes narrowed.

Weiss bit her lip, “Then I’ll have to permanently sever Miss Katherine’s Net connection, preventing her from ever streaming again.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Mo’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a threatening aura emanating from him. Katherine, watching his back, felt as if plunged into an icy abyss, frozen solid, unable to move. It was as if the person before her was no longer human, but a primordial beast.

Sensing Ling Mo’s shift, Weiss straightened up in the screen, ice-blue energy rippling across her body. She met Ling Mo's gaze without a hint of retreat. Semi-transparent snowflakes appeared in the air, drifting gently. Anything in her room touched by these snowflakes was instantly frozen, then crumbled into dust—ornaments on the table, bottles on the chair, underwear on the floor, the pillow in her arms...

With a soft crack, the pillow in Weiss’s arms disintegrated, leaving her half-naked once more in front of Ling Mo. She looked down, bewildered, her face flushing crimson.

Ah, such embarrassment, such shame—she had overdone it in her display of power, and now she was mortified, on the verge of a panic attack. Weiss hurriedly pulled the covers over herself, dispelling the energy, and burrowed under the blanket like a quail, shivering.

Ling Mo was utterly speechless, his mouth twitching as he asked Katherine, “Is this what an Archmage is like?”

Katherine was equally crushed, not knowing whether to nod or shake her head. In that moment, she deeply understood: idols are best admired from afar.

But Weiss was indeed an Archmage, used to grand occasions. This minor embarrassment only kept her under the covers for one minute and fifteen seconds. She soon poked her head out, the blush fading. After thinking a moment, she said to Ling Mo, “Mr. Ling, you want to promote martial arts, don’t you? If you promise not to mention anything related to ‘Original Sin’ again, I can lend you a hand! My younger sister has no magical talent—if I send her to you to learn martial arts, it should be a great help, right?”

Ling Mo paused, letting his aura dissipate, his eyes shining:

“Deal.”