Chapter 2297 - 98: Crow's Prophecy I

Shaya knocked on the door, and just moments later, the closed wooden door swung open. Inside was a pair of vigilant eyes, whose owner glanced nervously at everyone before speaking: "You finally came back." The person's gaze then shifted to Fang Hong and the other two. "Who are they?"

"They are the ones I'm looking for."

"Are they the ones who broke through Dolifen's Phantom Realm?"

Shaya nodded.

Only then did the person open the door and let everyone in. However, he stood aside, obviously showing curiosity and respect in his expression as he looked at Fang Hong.

It's rare for Invokers to look at people like that, unless they're zealous fans—although aside from Affia, Fang Hong hadn't met any other fans of himself. Affia wasn't even an Invoker. Yet this was not unusual; compared to those real superstar Invokers, he was still far behind, having just experienced several incidents with considerable exposure. However, outsiders might still see his absolute strength as far from justifying his fame.

He was like Loofah from the same era, when she hadn't truly emerged yet, many people assumed she would 'fall' or 'perish' halfway. There were many talents, but occurrences of bright stars quickly dimming were frequent, much like meteors across the sky—some leave a lasting memory, but many do not.

The incidents Fang Hong had been through were enough to leave a mark in Eteliria's history, but whether the decisive factor was luck or strength, others couldn't clearly see. Most voices still considered him 'unworthy of his position,' where worth certainly referred to the absolute strength an Invoker should possess.

Nevertheless, these voices at least recognized one notion, that he deserved to compete alongside the excellent newcomers of this period, including some brilliant young talents cultivated by the Rainbow Alliance and Descendants of Flor. Fang Hong might even know a few of them personally—for instance, Wu Di of the Silver Forest Spear.

People even believed he stood above others, able to excel among other rookies, at least in the First World, hence the term 'New King' that was popular a few years ago. Naturally, since Loofah emerged, people rarely mention this title, as plenty has happened to the 'New King' back then. In short, he almost reached the position of Miss Loofah of the Rose Cross Army from those years.

Alongside him was Sophie, the Little Princess of Silver Vislan, previously known as the second Loofah before Fang Hong appeared; hence she sometimes jokingly said Fang Hong has usurped her position, harboring no good intentions. However, her tone was lighthearted and even teasing when she said it, and Fang Hong could tell she wasn't overly bothered by the title.

Other people also didn't care much about such titles, like the few brilliant talents of the Second World, each close to the strength of this Princess. Fang Hong always knew the strength of those called 'Novastar' level rookies, but they and him were worlds apart, with virtually no interaction between them.

That is reality; most people's attention will only turn toward the Second World, whether inside or outside the Stargate. Discussions about the happenings in the First World on forums are quite small circles, consisting mostly of veteran 'players' like Luo Hao, Fang Hong himself. These people invest in it because they are interested in this world, which is considered hardcore by ordinary folks. Meanwhile, more general Super Competitive fans may not even distinguish between different tiers of leagues or understand much about things behind the events of Mount Holy Pact.

Just like not long ago with Ai Xiaoxiao.

The deeper one understands the rules of this world, the harder it is to become an enthusiastic fan. Thus, those knowledgeable about the First World are familiar with the territorial ranges of various guilds, critique the novices rising from this underlying world without showing admiration.

Yet those who develop such admiration rarely focus on what happens in the First World.

That's precisely the predicament most Invokers and guilds in the First World face—lack of real-world attention means lack of commercial value, fewer people joining out of admiration, and no support from the real world, hence the rich get richer and the poor grow poorer.

The Super Competitive League could originally balance this issue, but now it seems they've exacerbated the division instead.

Due to the Grand Guild monopolizing most of the ascension channels between the First World and Second World, over time, ordinary people gave up on unrealistic fantasies. They merely see staying in the First World as a simple job to make a fortune, like gold diggers during the 18th-century gold rush—since even without heading to the Second World, simply acquiring high-dimensional information could earn money from governments, potentially enough for their later lives if lucky.

Even among those yet to come to this world but have wishes and chances to go, more people are harboring such thoughts—they go beyond the Stargate merely to get rich, rather than pursuing higher and farther dreams of reaching the Second World and exploring unknowns further afield.