Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: The Returned Idol (3)
Wherever intense attention suddenly pours in, there's always a backlash.
Among the vague masses of the public, there are bound to be those with twisted glares mixed in.
Famous people loved by everyone? That alone makes some folks envious for no reason.
They constantly stir up controversies to draw attention or spark fights.
This time was no different.
📰 Forum Post Title: This new streamer called Saintess is blowing up, huh? She's been popping up in my algorithm feed lately, so I checked a few out. Her voice and chill vibe are pretty nice. But that whole worldview? Concept? Feels kinda heavy... ;; Chat's full of people way too immersed, going "Lord Radiance" and "Saintess" while praising her nonstop. Am I the only one cringing hard...? ㅠㅠ Is this the usual vibe? Feels like another world... Real fans, enlighten me. Comments (6) — SomeTroll Lmao her speech patterns — Fanboy123 GTFO, troll. 📰 Forum Post Title: Honestly, the Saintess simps are straight-up delusional lol I get they're grateful she saved their lord or whatever, but do these simps have zero grip on reality??? A pretty, kind, rich heiress to a megacorp doing religious VR streams? You really think that makes sense??? How many days you been spamming these "Saintess goddess heiress" delusions in the recs??? This board's bait is making me puke fr Comments (32) — SaltyFan We get you're mad all your lord's fans got sucked over here lol — Defender Saintess is legit, yet here you are posting this crap lol. Wait for the legal team. — ReplyGuy ↳ Reply Especially gross how these trolls can't keep their delusions in check ugh 📰 Forum Post Title: Starting to lose brain cells, upvote if you agree lol Wtf it's a holiday and morning recs already like this lol All these Saintess simps gotta be former Rico fans, right? Getting delusions from one VR avatar, morning laughs fr lol Prism Studio imploded, sure maybe corp backing, but drooling over her without knowing if her real face is some auntie?? Bet there's a total landwhale in there lol Comments (15) — Moderator? This one's crossing the line? — Hater Personal attack, bye~ — OdinFan ↳ Reply Yeah I banned Odin lol come at me~ ↳ Reply Still think Odin's invincible? Lololol ↳ Reply Damn, takes this level of skill to anti-Saintess? Wild - Saintess simps nervously downvoting lololol
- Fr, hope the red pill drops someday
In truth, it was inevitable for someone receiving public attention.
Jealousy over her shining presence, envy, spite—or just for the thrill of stirring the pot.
People hiding behind anonymity always crawled out to trash celebrities.
Especially for VR streamers, there was always that juicy hook: the real face and info behind the avatar. Red pill city.
For those envious of unmasked streamers' popularity, what better weak spot to poke?
Most resident trolls on online communities obsessively targeted that.
Trash-talking celebs and venting emotions was their eternal hobby.
It was practically folklore in Omega Detroit's online spaces, rife with all sorts of mental pathologies.
Controversy for controversy's sake, slander for slander's sake.
Anger, persuasion, rebuttals—all just bait for the masked trolls.
Smart fans knew ignoring was best, so they swallowed the discomfort, blocked, and moved on.
Mason, living in Epsilon Circle Sector 9, was one such fan.
VR streaming was one of his few hobbies.
Lately, the Saintess's worship streams had become his favorite.
Visiting the serene forest chapel, hearing her soft hymns and gentle smile—it was his sole solace amid the city's grueling daily grind.
He'd fallen for the girl who seemed truly blessed by the divine.
But it wasn't just her looks.
Honestly, plenty of his old streams had beautiful avatars.
It was her kind heart that made her special.
The one existence telling a societal cog like him he deserved love. Her warmth, affirming everything, soothed his weary days. And she said it without taking a single donation—had to be genuine.
So seeing posts trashing her without even watching? As a fan, it boiled his blood.
- Never watched but hating? You trolls are disgusting. Your life's a dumpster so you hate on success...
"......"
Mason stared at his half-written comment for a long time before deleting it.
Then let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo...."
Deep down, he knew: a streamer's on-air persona isn't always real.
Long-time VR streaming fans had seen it all.
Illusions shattered constantly.
Growing up teaches you not all bright stars in the night sky are real.
Maybe satellites, or light from long-dead stars.
But just gazing at that brilliance? Gives some people hope to endure the day.
Like that—giving fans hope to live tomorrow.
Wasn't that a true idol?
But in this smog-choked, starless concrete hell, was such starlight too futile for a jaded adult like him?
"......."
Mason sighed again.
Emotional responses were for noobs anyway.
Objectively, trolls were a noisy minority.
Growing pains to endure. He quietly blocked the worst offenders one by one.
Then one day.
A random post flipped the entire board upside down.
📰 Bombshell Post Title: Pic from Rico's concert last time with audience cam— is that in the crowd...? (836 upvotes) It was a post with an attached video.
Nothing special at first glance—a fan recording of Rico's recent stadium concert, one of dozens already up on streaming sites.
But in one corner of the frame, captured at a perfect angle: a side profile of someone in the front row watching the stage.
You'd miss it casually, but the clip was zoomed in on that spot.
And once they saw it... everyone freaked.
- ?????
- This real???
- Saintess??
- Weird? It's live-action??
Like she'd stepped straight out of VR.
The fans' imagined Saintess—no, exceeding it—existed in real life.
Her silver hair gleaming under the lights, aquamarine eyes drawing you in deep and clear, delicate features.
Beauty that felt like she'd monopolized God's love.
Her ethereal presence had even surrounding folks sneaking glances instead of watching the stage.
So shocking, some claimed it was ripped from her VR avatar model.
Others yelled AI deepfake.
But cross-checks with other angles surfaced, plus eyewitnesses who'd seen her at the chapel in person. Had to believe: she was real.
That ignited the communities anew.
⭐ Top Comment — Devotee Insane... wtf... — SimpAlert Eye contact in the vid nearly stopped my heart; — Poet The world is beautiful.... — MindBlown How tf is this REAL???? — Drooler Drooled watching fml lol — TrollGone Where'd all the trolls go? — Schadenfreude Red pill my ass? Lololol — Owned ??? : "Bet there's a landwhale in there" LMAO — Skeptic Not AI enhancement?? — Convert Withdrawing my anti-church stance starting today — Desperate BD version available? Need it asap In an era where authenticity blurred.
A city stuffed with fakes, knockoffs, substitutes.
Thus, rare real deals held value beyond imagination. Same in personal broadcasting.
When the Saintess's true face accidentally leaked—not a designed avatar, but her genuine self.
Followed by Radiance Church's hospital venture actually helping the needy.
Then massive funding announced for disaster refugees' rebuilding.
People finally grasped it all was real. Unbelievable, but selfless devotion to the suffering still existed.
Immersion in "Saintess" hit fever pitch, virality exploded.
But her worship streams stayed no-chat, no interaction.
Teasingly close yet untouchable—driving fans mad.
All attention funneled to one place.
The only other channel showing their Saintess, with some chit-chat: Rico's.
- Open the door!!!!!
- Pls call Saintess, this is my life savings ㅠㅠ
- Missed it then... just once pls...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That's how things had unfolded the past few months.
Honestly, it caught me off guard.
'Whoa...'
Hadn't checked that scene lately.
I'd kept up the VR worship streams steadily, but other stuff kept me swamped.
After bumping viewer limits to unlimited, no issues, so I'd tuned out streaming. Only learned via Rico's message.
She asked hesitantly.
["What should we do? They're your fans anyway...."]
Viewers rioting in her chat for a glimpse of me.
No need to ask, really.
Rico, the pro, knew handling this better than me.
Basic streaming rule: no mentioning other streamers.
So I answered firmly for her.
"Rico, if those fans are a bother, just block them—no worries on my end."
["Really?"]
"Yeah, of course."
She still felt indebted, cautious even on small stuff sometimes.
But unnecessary.
Fans loving my streamer Saintess persona... and growing so huge without me knowing? Surprised, but grateful.
Still, no way their love hurts Rico.
At my reply, she mumbled blankly.
["Unexpected.... You're usually so sweet, but firm here."]
Eh, firm? Just standard response. Blind goodwill is indulgence. That's why the church has heresy inquisitors to judge exploiters.
["...This side's kinda cool too...."]
"Pardon?"
Mumbled slip? Her quiet voice faded. I asked back; she fumbled.
["N-nothing! Anyway! Got it! Thanks for saying that! But... since it's like this, got a proposal..."]
"What proposal?"
She broached carefully.
["Y'know, Eve... They're all dying to see you. If you're sticking to no-chat worship streams, maybe pop in here once in a while? So... if you're free, one more collab?"]