Stabilizing Madness [Interstellar]

Chapter 17: Provocation

Chapter 17: Provocation

    Just after Xu Qingran had set his system to a brief silent mode, an icon for a new email suddenly appeared on the light board beside him.

[You have a new email!]

A few seconds later, the light flickered again.

[You have a new email!]

    Two emails had arrived almost simultaneously.
    One was from Grandis Secondary School, and the other from the University Military Academy.
    The original owner had been academically excellent from a young age, having been admitted to Grandis for middle school. Now, having graduated high school, the school notified him to collect some of his materials left there, including his literary contest submissions and various awards and certificates.

    The university required him to submit some documentation he couldn't provide while in the Tower of Evil and to re-register in person to ensure there were no system errors.
    The original owner had attended a middle school branch in the Fairy Series, and for university-related chores, he needed to travel to the main campus in the Celestial Series on the Sea Blue Star.

    It looked like he was in for a busy time.
    ·
    As the sun dipped low in the sky, Xu Qingran stepped out of his room precisely at dinner time.
    This world actually had smart kitchens that could assist in preparing food, similar to the one Xu's stepmother used at home. However, Shen Tingyu's kitchen had no such facilities; all meals were personally cooked by Aunt Song, giving them a homely touch.

    A few days ago, he casually asked Aunt Song about this, and she told him it was because Shen Tingyu disliked the impersonal nature of meals prepared by machines.
    Shen Tianyi, the little nephew, had returned from school since it was almost the weekend. He was lounging on the sofa, holding a metallic sphere, gazing happily at the air in front of him.
    "What are you watching?"

Xu Qingran's voice unexpectedly sounded from behind, startling Shen Tianyi so much he almost dropped the object worth hundreds of thousands of star coins in his hand.

    Shen Tianyi clutched the small ball tightly in his hand, turning back with a look of terror towards Xu Qingran.
    On the night Xu Qingran arrived, Shen Tianyi's uncle, Shen Tingyu, called him into the study and warned him seriously, "Your fiancée is not a good person. Be cautious and minimize your contact with her."

    Therefore, these days he had been making an effort to avoid any interaction with Xu Qingran.
    However, facing Xu Qingran's sincere, inquiring eyes, Shen Tianyi hesitantly enabled visual sharing and replied, "I'm watching Dolly Lily's cloud concert."

As Shen Tianyi's childish voice faded, the spacious living room scene instantly vanished.

    The three-dimensional scene of the starlit stage unfolded before Xu Qingran's eyes. They hung high, as spectators, able to overlook the tall, beautiful girl dancing and singing on stage. She had shining purple hair, wore a knee-length colorful skirt, and moved like a sprite, surrounded by many audience members waving glow sticks.

    Upon seeing his idol, Shen Tianyi momentarily forgot about Xu Qingran, who scared him, and wiggled his feet on the couch, saying, "No kid could resist a Dolly Lily concert after school!"
    Xu Qingran watched for a while but found nothing extraordinary, asking in confusion, "Why?"
    Shen Tianyi's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Xu Qingran, "What do you mean why? Don't you know about Dolly Lily?"

    "She is the most famous idol singer in the Kyan Empire!"
    It was said that Dolly Lily's fame was mainly due to her extremely rare D-type spiritual soul. Her spiritual pool classification was even more exceptional, reaching the rare SS level, enabling her to infuse her spiritual power into her songs, spreading it to everyone who heard her.