Chapter 216: Divine Power Power Station and Future Route
The Star Bar, a virtual bar brand under the Fearless Space, was invested and founded by Hall, the dean of the Royal Academy of Magic and a traveler of myriad worlds.
Its most famous feature was its decor, which showcased the unique styles of different planes, along with corresponding specialty foods and drinks, making it very appealing to young people.
Hall, with his extensive travel experience, originally intended it as a casual venture to show off his travels. He never expected it to become so popular.
Business users preferred establishments from planes with an orderly alignment, while those seeking leisure and parties gravitated towards planes of a chaotic alignment. Those with a taste for the extreme often frequented the “Abyss Taverns,” which were described as dirty and run-down. Coming-of-age ceremonies were celebrated in the “City of the Astral Plane,” where beauties from all races congregated.
After all, upon turning eighteen, the Star Bar could provide more stimulating experiences suitable for adults.
The establishments offered both live service and meticulously designed virtual wives from various merchant guilds. These virtual companions boasted perfect looks, stunning figures, and personalities that were gentle, virtuous, and attentive, capable of changing into any desired outfit in an instant.
However, the latter was not the primary selling point of the Star Bar, but rather a service available in all similar establishments within Fearless Space.
In reality, considering the cost, it was more expensive than offline options.
This was to prevent the citizens of the empire from becoming overly engrossed in the virtual world. From an economic standpoint, the real world was more suitable for simple joys.
Yet, just as some people would spend tens of thousands to “pull” a paper character, the truly three-dimensional and uniquely personalized custom beauties of Fearless Space held a far greater appeal to a specific demographic than real people.
Perhaps this was the charm of the virtual world!
Fantasies that could not be fulfilled in reality always found a suitable match here.
But tonight, the Star Bar was different. Almost all its themed plane locations were broadcasting the same content:
The Empress Award Ceremony, live!
The venue, constructed with a special magic array, perfectly compensated for the different time flows inside and out, a masterpiece of imperial magic.
The Empress Award, held annually by the empire in December, was a grand ceremony.
It spanned over twenty fields, including agriculture, industry, military, administration, magical theory, literature, and music.
It was akin to the Nobel Prize, the Oscars, and academic honors on Earth all rolled into one, with all glory attributed to the Empress of Eternal Night herself.
This was also because she was too lazy to come up with individual names for each award.
Each award category recognized one to five individuals who had made outstanding achievements in their respective fields during the year.
Of course, if a particular field yielded no exceptional works in a given year, failing to gain unanimous recognition from the judging committee, the award would remain vacant rather than lower the selection standards.
As the name suggested, the Empress Award was personally presented by the Empress of Eternal Night, which drew many of her fans eager to witness Her Majesty’s graceful presence via live broadcast.
For the recipients, it was a significant opportunity to gain recognition and offered tangible benefits.
Winners of the Empress Award were virtually guaranteed seats among the nobility, and their contributions would be recorded in imperial history.
Subsequently, the empire would provide ample resources in various aspects, essentially catapulting them to success.
The Empress Award wielded considerable influence, not only showcasing the empire’s outstanding talents emerging in recent years but also often representing the empire’s most exceptional achievements in various fields, allowing people to understand how powerfully their homeland was developing.
In the lobby of a bar with a chaotic desert theme, Tom and Jerry had moved through several lounges and were now over fifty-five percent intoxicated.
In Fearless Space, one could choose to drink without getting drunk, opt for a specific level of intoxication, or engage in free drinking, among other personalized modes.
After all, drinking was not solely about savoring the taste but also about experiencing that hazy, world-conquering feeling that accompanied it.
However, the system would not permit anyone to become truly unruly or to engage in any outrageous behavior under the influence of alcohol.
The two good friends found seats at the bar, just in time for the award ceremony for the “Star of Industry”:
On the massive magic projection, beside two elderly men, stood a young girl who looked like a student and should not have been older than twenty.
“Wow, this girl is so beautiful!” Tom couldn’t help but whistle.
“You haven’t fallen in love at first sight again, have you?” Jerry rolled his eyes.
“How could I? She’s won an Empress Award; there’s no way she’d look at me,” Tom said, taking a large gulp of his drink with self-awareness.
At that moment, on the projection, a girl with long pink hair was receiving a medal and certificate from the Empress of Eternal Night, appearing both nervous and excited.
She was actually Shana, wearing a disguise and using the alias “Gabriel.”
She was excited about her achievement but also fearful that the Empress might recognize her identity and simply crush her.
—In fact, the Empress of Eternal Night already knew her identity.
After all, Shana’s publications in “New Arcana,” her subsequent research, and her invention of the “Divine Power Power Station” were all part of a plan orchestrated by Roger and Nicole.
However, at the time, no one had anticipated that Shana, using knowledge acquired from the Seven Gods, combined with her own intelligence and talent, would not only provide crucial intelligence but also make such outstanding contributions to the empire.
Oh, Shana herself hadn’t anticipated it either.
Scientific research was so much fun, more engaging than Fearless Space!
She hadn’t initially enjoyed researching New Arcana; at first, she genuinely only wanted to complete her undercover mission and find an opportunity to betray Roger, leaving him with a profound lesson.
