Chapter 321: Anticipation
"My lord, that may be true, but they have only just entered the academy and lack experience. Moreover, several students can no longer participate in the Eye of Ice and Fire." Ruby said with a tone full of concern.
"This matter has also been agreed upon by your dean, his thoughts align with mine. A young hawk living in a nest cannot freely soar in the sky." Nathaniel replied.
He added further explanation: "There are several eighth-level Beast Masters watching this time, so there won't be any life-threatening dangers. In the future, when facing real battles, no one will be there to protect them."
Upon hearing this, Ruby silently nodded. Since this was a decision made by Dean Jamie and Lord Nathaniel, she had no objections.
Charles and the other students, along with the little girl, walked towards the hotel front desk.
Nathaniel, along with his daughter Luna, slowly followed behind.
"Luna, when you enter the Eye of Ice and Fire, pay close attention to them. There will also be some other talented students from different academies attending." Nathaniel said gently.
Luna, expressionless, nodded slightly.
"Sigh, your personality is just too cold, and you don't talk much. Try to make a few more friends when you have the chance. I think that Charles is quite a good one." Nathaniel sighed, continuing to discuss with his daughter Luna.
"I don't want to." Luna replied succinctly.
She didn't like interacting with others and preferred to be alone.
"You…" Nathaniel, a man known as the Iron-Blooded Lord, appeared quite helpless at this moment. He had been busy with various matters and hadn't spent enough quality time with his daughter Luna.
This had led to Luna's solitary nature and her reluctance to speak. By the time he noticed, it was already difficult to change.
"Alright, if you don't want to, then forget it. However, you should still keep an eye on Charles. That kid has great talent, just help him out when necessary." Nathaniel said as they walked.
Luna looked at her father with some curiosity, it was the first time she had seen him speak so highly of a young man.
As they passed by Ethan, Nathaniel suddenly stopped, speaking in a stiff tone:
"A comfortable life can make a fierce tiger retract its claws. You should know this."
Ethan silently nodded. The fierce tiger Nathaniel referred to was him, the one known as the Tiger of the Cyber Academy.
The so-called comfortable life referred to his past two years as a teacher at the Cyber Academy, he hadn't truly fought a good battle in a long time.
...
On Charles' side, he explained his requirements to the hotel front desk manager. He needed a large private dining room for dinner, with various delicacies, desserts, and most importantly, a huge cake.
After providing enough funds, the hotel staff quickly sprang into action and began to get busy.
Jace had already been assigned a task by Charles, which was to go pick up the little girl's family and also buy a few new clothes.
"By the way, little sister, my name is Charles. I still don't know your name." Charles asked with a smile.
"Older brother, my name is Teddy." Teddy replied immediately. She had been observing everything around her.
The floor was so clean it could reflect light, the environment was tidy, and the well-dressed older brothers and sisters coming and going left her dazzled.
Charles noticed this, which is why he arranged for Jace to buy a few new clothes.
The Eye of Ice and Fire was scheduled for the evening, and after dining with the Cyber Academy students, they would gather and set off.
Time passed little by little.
What happened in the town of Golden Mountain Range was unknowingly shared online.
This included Teddy being bullied while selling wild fruits, as well as the arrogant provocations from the Beast Masters of the Stellar Empire. Various videos disrespecting Genosha spread like wildfire, igniting the anger of all Genosha people.
More and more people began to pay attention to this matter, with several Level Five Beast Masters even live-streaming their journey online. They set off directly from Genosha Calivia to Golden Mountain Range town, determined to make those Beast Masters from the Stellar Empire pay for their actions.
Many others were following the news online, constantly discussing it: Read the latest on empire
"The people from the Stellar Empire are so despicable! How can they bear to bully a ten-year-old girl?"
"They're so shameless! They ate a third of the wild fruits before saying they didn't taste good and wouldn't buy anymore."
"Wait, if it didn't taste good, why buy it in the first place? You Genosha people are too overbearing!" This was a comment from a Stellar Empire netizen, defending their Beast Masters online.
"Everyone, pay attention! This person is from the Stellar Empire and thinks we're the ones being overbearing. Brothers, come on and tear him apart!" Instantly, the newly appeared Stellar Empire netizen's comment received hundreds of replies, and private messages kept flashing.
"Genosha people are just no good! I'm going to post this on the Stellar Empire's network to seek help!" The netizen from the Stellar Empire felt weak and unable to match the overwhelming number of responses.
He directly exaggerated the events that occurred in Golden Mountain Range town, claiming that the Beast Masters of the Stellar Empire, who were far away in a foreign land, merely tasted the wild fruits and found them unpleasant, so they didn't want to buy them.
However, they were directly coerced by the students of Genosha Cyber Academy, who demanded their wild fruits. Those students even initiated duels and, after winning, slandered the Stellar Empire.
Not only that, but they also spread false information online in Genosha, subjecting the Beast Masters of the Stellar Empire to cyberbullying!
In just two or three hours, netizens from the Stellar Empire used various software to infiltrate Genosha's network and started hurling insults.
A massive online public opinion war began. The back-and-forth exchanges online were no longer satisfying for them.
Nearly a million netizens turned their attention to the upcoming Eye of Ice and Fire. Now, not only the people of Genosha were interested in the Eye of Ice and Fire, but people from the Stellar Empire also found ways to watch the event.
...
In a hotel in the adventurer's town of Golden Mountain Range,
Jace ran over to Charles with an excited look on his face, holding his phone.
"Charles, have you checked your phone? I just received a ton of private messages, most of them from Genosha people, cheering me on to perform well and to take down a few Beast Masters from the Stellar Empire."
"Someone even said if I can beat a Beast Master from the Stellar Empire, they would directly crowdfund a gold coin for me!"
"If I take down ten Beast Masters from the Stellar Empire, wouldn't I be rich?"
Jace's voice was loud, and all the nearby students heard him. They began pulling out their phones to check the messages on social media, becoming excited as well
One student said, "Really! I got private messages too!"
"Why are all mine insulting me? Wait, these are all from Stellar Empire folks!"
"When we get into the Eye of Ice and Fire, not only can we show off in front of millions of netizens, but if we can take down a Beast Master from the Stellar Empire, there's gold to be had!"
"I can't wait! Those beasts from the Stellar Empire better watch out for me!"
"Be careful, though. Don't let a Beast Master from the Stellar Empire take you down. This time, there are people live-streaming! If you embarrass yourself, I'll never go out again!"
Charles looked at the excitement and nervousness on the faces of the surrounding students. He felt indifferent, but he knew he had to consider that when he fought Sienna, he would definitely have to beat her half to death!
What if there were children watching the live stream? Would the bloody scenes have a negative impact?
"Charles, right now, the most talked-about and supported person online is Luna, and you're in second place." Jace eagerly shared the new rankings from the internet.
It seemed that Luna, the under-twenty Level Five Beast Master, was more popular.
This was quite normal, as a Level Four Beast Master would typically not be a match for a Level Five Beast Master.
Thinking of this, Charles turned to look at Luna in the corner.
She wore a simple white sports outfit, and her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, contrasting with her face and drawing everyone's attention.
Her features resembled a goddess's statue, paired with eyes that sparkled like stars in the sky, making it hard for anyone to look away.
However, there was an aura about Luna that was filled with coldness and distance, a vibe that made people feel they should keep their distance and only observe from afar.
Charles would pay attention to Luna, but his focus was more on her strength and the sense of danger she exuded.
"I wonder when I'll get a chance to spar with her, it should be an exhilarating battle." Charles thought to himself.
Dinner time arrived, and the students gathered around Charles as their center.
Beside Charles was the little girl named Teddy, who had just washed up and changed into new clothes, along with her mother, who sat awkwardly in a newly bought wheelchair, and her two younger siblings, who were oblivious to everything.
A two-meter-tall cake was placed at the center of the room, and all the eyes in the room were fixed on Charles.
"Charles, say a few words to inspire everyone!" someone shouted.
Jace chimed in, "Yeah, Charles, everyone recognizes you. Just a few words from you will have more effect than taking a miracle drug!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"You're right, Charles, we're all listening to you!" More and more people shouted.
Everyone had witnessed Charles's performance in Genosha Calivia, not to mention his gentleness towards the little girl in town, making him seem like a person with the heart of a fierce tiger who delicately smells roses!
"Alright, I'll say one thing: follow me, and I'll help you take down those Beast Masters from the Stellar Empire! Let them know that the people of Genosha are not easy to bully!" Charles declared!