Back at Sarah's studio apartment, the previously lethargic woman found herself smiling constantly since tuning in to the stream. She liked how well-spoken Kaiden was, but what truly surprised her was how the Supreme Empress was rather docilely basking in his presence. She was very content in their current seating arrangement—namely, her sitting in his lap.
Luna was an aggressive gamer girl who cursed at everyone—teammates, enemies, and even viewers who criticized her plays—so seeing this rather reserved, girly side of hers was an entirely new thing for Sarah and the other viewers.
"Damn! You're a Grandmaster? And to think that I was so proud of my Gold rank..." the man whimpered dejectedly upon seeing his girl's profile, making Sarah giggle jovially.
- Lapdog of the Empress: Pfft!! A gold scrub is not worthy of the Empress' graces!
- TouchGrass: Please ignore him, this dude is on the spectrum 100%
- DeleteYuumi: The Empress and Emperor should play together!
- Thirsty247: Yeah, Supreme Empress, show him who wears the belt in your relationship!
"..." To everyone's surprise, Luna didn't join in on berating Kaiden regarding the vast difference in rank between them. Instead, she glanced up at him endearingly and said, "Once we get my stuff over, we can play together. I have a lower-ranked account."
"Really? That's great. I like to play damage carries, though."
"Sure, I'll play support. I can carry us to victory in that role. Support is hidden OP."
Sarah audibly gasped at what her ears were picking up from her phone's speakers. She was outright flabbergasted.
The Supreme Empress was willing to play support? It was true that not all characters in that role were boring healers, but still... Luna was the last person she expected to willingly support another human being to become the so-called 'main character' of the game.
- Lapdog of the Empress: Agh!!! No!!! The world as I know it is collapsing all around me! Curse you, Handsome Emperor, for seducing the Petite Empress with your vile charms!
- TouchGrass: Bro...
Sarah had a question on her mind, so she began typing.
- Princeless Princess: Boyfriend, can I ask if you will be appearing in more streams? I love the energy you two have; I can't stop myself from smiling ever since tuning in to the stream!
- DeleteYuumi: He is already taken, stop flirting.
- Princeless Princess: I'm not!
"Haha!" Kaiden laughed jovially before replying, "I will appear sometimes, but not always. I have other stuff to do from time to time."
- TouchGrass: Oh, what do you do for a living, if I may ask?
"I'm a pornstar, or at least I hope to become one."
Sarah's hands instantly flew to her mouth as she forgot to take a breath for a good few seconds. Based on the complete silence in the chat, she was not alone.
- Lapdog of the Empress: Argh!!! Someone wake me from this nightmare! A playboy stole my Empress!
"I was never yours!" Luna growled threateningly at the overly dramatic chatter.
- Thirsty247: No way, bro! You have such a lovely gf, and you get to fuck chicks on the side?! You're quickly becoming my new role model!
"Heh, thanks, Thirsty. I would be lying if I said life hasn't been treating me very well recently."
Sarah's heartbeat quickened as she debated heavily whether she should ask a very strange question that suddenly popped into her mind or not. It was extremely personal and could be taken as her being a weirdo. However, in the end, her inner demons won.
- Princeless Princess: Uhm... Please don't take this as me being weird, but can you share your stage name?
- TouchGrass: Sis...
The man on her screen nodded his head with a small smile tugging at his lips.
"It's Maverick, but I've given up on being a traditional actor. I've been hoping you guys would check out my newest video, so thanks for the good question, Princess! If you're interested, open your awakened interface and navigate to the media tab, where you should search for Valhalla's Sinners. I just uploaded our first home-made production a few minutes ago."
- KaiKaiKaiKaiKaiKaiKaiKaiKai: W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-wait, what?! You awakened???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Sarah screamed at her phone. "He is an awakened?! Luna truly scored a rare find! No wonder she is so happy to be in his presence. Though, to be fair, him being an adult actor who sleeps with hundreds of women must be emotionally taxing on her poor heart... I don't think I could deal with it as well as she does."
Nevertheless, Sarah was too curious to dwell on this topic any longer. She summoned her status forth.
Any commoner, which was the title most people used to refer to non-awakened people, could do this much. However, only the awakened could post videos on the media platform, that's why she and the strangely named and acting chatter could both immediately deduce Kaiden being awakened.
Kaiden didn't see a reason to hide this fact. He would soon visit the Awakened Association to register himself and his ladies anyhow, and since the girls were in need of cash, getting the videos out there and beginning to earn as soon as possible was ideal.
Sarah quickly found the media tab and opened the search bar, where she mentally input 'Valhalla's Sinners.' A group page welcomed her.
In the awakened platform, people could upload either as individuals or as groups. Guilds often streamed themselves clearing dungeons using the latter option, but it was also ideal for guild members to have individual streams and videos because it allowed them to build their brands, which would remain with them even after parting with the guild for one reason or another.
Guilds often served as streaming hubs as well, where they promoted their members. For example, if one clicked on New Dawn's page, which was the guild owned by the Ashborn family, numerous people could be found being promoted by them. It was one of the many benefits of joining a large-scale guild, though the promoted members did have to pay a portion of their earnings as a fee.
Sarah quickly checked Valhalla's Sinners out and saw it only had a single video. However, when she examined the thumbnail, not only did her jaw hit the floor, but her little sister also twitched involuntarily.
It was the image of a girl kneeling with a serpentine monster resting against her face. It was not any girl, though. "The Supreme Empress!!! So that's how it is! No wonder she is this happy with her new man, he is not doing the deed with hundreds of random women but with his beloved girlfriend! Kyaaa! The Supreme Empress is an actress!"
The title read: 'Sensual Showering With My Girlfriend Ends With Her Getting On Her Knees!'
She opened the video, and one of the advantages of the awakened platform was immediately evident. This transparent screen—which was just a projection of their minds, or souls, where the supernatural systemic interface rested—was much bigger than her phone's screen.
However, what stood out the most was the camera. It was strange! So crisp and realistic... It felt like she was watching an 8k video. Furthermore, the PoV was something unexpected too. Unlike the mana cameras that recorded in the third person, they somehow managed to capture footage in perfect first-person.
The realism was off the charts.
As the recorder glanced down, Sarah's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
"What the hell is that!!!"