After the uproar over fan-made images and videos, Lumina created her own post and immediately maxed out its promotion and bot support.
1. Lumina should be the "big sister" type! Why are all these fan works getting it so wrong?
With Lumina's relentless "million-dollar outreach," the post swiftly climbed to the top of Trending Topics, and its momentum continued to surge.
"Phew... that's much better."
"Now, all I need to do is wait for the Event to unfold." Watching the top Trending Topics post, Lumina finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This wasn't about her getting upset; it was simply about correcting the distorted fantasies of some simps in the real world.
[ Someone's triggered and steaming mad! Who could it be? I'm not saying! ]
Just as Lumina took a deep breath, her emotions gradually calming and returning to normal, the System's words pierced her heart like the truest, sharpest blade.
"Then let me ask you: Is Sister Lumina right?!"
"Then let me ask you: Why is most of the content about the bottom one?!"
"Then let me ask you, then let me ask you..."
There's a saying: Lies don't hurt; it's the truth that cuts like a knife. When the System's truth stabbed into Lumina's heart, she instantly spiraled into a frenzy, her words tumbling out incoherently, making it impossible to understand what she was trying to say.
"Then let me ask you, then let me ask you!"
Lumina's chest heaved violently, clearly furious.
But the System, having said its piece, immediately feigned death, leaving Lumina's anger with nowhere to vent.
"You think I won't..."
Smack!
"Damn, I forgot to ask Yunli to return my sword..."
Seeing the System play dead, Lumina had been about to unleash a barrage of threats. But hearing the door open behind her and Yanqing's voice, she instinctively retracted her threats.
Even her flushed cheeks instantly returned to their normal color.
Breaking character aside, I can't let my persona slip.
Turning around smoothly, Lumina looked at the group and asked gently, "March, what's wrong?"
"Yanqing seems a bit upset."
"It's all because of that Yunli," March 7th interjected, placing her hands on her hips and snorting. "Even though I don't understand all the Zhuming rules she mentioned, I get what she means."
"It's just pure unreasonable stubbornness. She doesn't want to return the sword."
"That can't be right," Lumina protested, feigning disbelief. "Yunli isn't the type to act like that. Are you sure you haven't misunderstood something?"
"That's just how they do things in Zhuming," Yanqing explained, shaking his head. "A sword lost in battle must be reclaimed through combat. If the General hadn't stopped me, I would have taught her a proper lesson in swordsmanship!"
Yanqing snorted coldly. Even though Yunli was a guest, her actions clearly irked him.
But his expression quickly shifted again. Puzzled, he said, "Hey... everyone, has anyone else noticed? The General seems a bit stiff... or rather, restrained?"
"Is it because Elder Huaiyan is here?"
Yanqing was more concerned with his General's uncharacteristic expression than with the sword itself. It was an expression he had never seen on his General before.
"Restrained? Is he really? I don't think so?" March 7th glanced at Stelle beside her and asked.
Stelle shook her head, indicating she hadn't noticed anything amiss either.
"Um... actually, there is a bit," Little Swarm timidly raised her hand and affirmed Yanqing's observation. "The General, Jing Yuan, looks a lot like a prisoner being interrogated right now..."
"A prisoner being interrogated...?" The revelation was so explosive that Yanqing and March 7th froze in place, stunned.
"Remember what I said earlier?" Lumina asked, watching the trio's dazed, soft, and endearing expressions. The pent-up frustration in her heart began to dissipate. She continued calmly, "General Huaiyan isn't the only General who's come to the Xianzhou, General Feixiao is here too."
"The Wardance Ceremony doesn't require Generals of Huaiyan and Feixiao's caliber to personally come to the Luofu. Their presence here makes their true purpose crystal clear."
"Just as Little Swarm said, it's to conduct a series of investigations and interrogations regarding Jing Yuan and the Luofu."
"Ah... Isn't the Xianzhou Alliance supposed to be united? Why would they investigate and interrogate their own people?" March 7th scratched her head, utterly bewildered.
For example, on the Astral Express, no matter what the Nameless did or what their motives were, as long as they followed the path of Trailblaze, the other Nameless wouldn't interfere.
"Little March, the Train and the Alliance are different," Lumina said with a smile. Though she lacked mind-reading abilities, she could instantly see through March 7th's thoughts. "Why do you think they're called the Xianzhou Alliance instead of just Xianzhou?"
"Uh..." Hearing this, even March 7th, usually oblivious, finally caught on.
"So... Jing Yuan invited us to witness the Wardance Ceremony, but he actually wanted us to be witnesses?"
As March 7th spoke, everyone present—except Yanqing and Little Swarm—couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect.
"Sigh... I'm such a fool. I thought we'd finally have a truly epic and joyous adventure, but here I am, still just a tool..." March 7th didn't notice the others' gazes, her eyes downcast, radiating an aura of utter resignation.
"Don't worry," Lumina reassured her. "General Huaiyan and General Feixiao are both very approachable. Just answer their questions truthfully, and Jing Yuan will handle the rest."
Watching little March's adorable demeanor, Lumina felt a wave of warmth wash over her heart.
Those people really have no taste. No matter how you look at it, I should clearly be the elder sister here.
While feeling healed, she inwardly cursed the fan artists in the real world who drew fan art portraying her as the younger sister.
What kind of taste is that?!
Lumina desperately wanted to pull out her phone and check how her viral post had blown up, but she refrained due to the others' presence.
"Speaking of that, I just remembered—the Zhuming Emissary brought an Alchemist with them. They say she'll be appointed as the new Alchemy Cauldron Master of the Luofu Alchemy Commission... Given this, I fear..." Yanqing's expression suddenly turned grim.
"Oh? Someone from Zhuming?" Lumina's eyes brightened considerably upon hearing this.
Lingsha had a keen sense of smell, capable of detecting the unique scent of each person. Lumina eagerly anticipated meeting her.
Hmm... if Lumina remembers correctly, she should encounter Lingsha during their visit to the Artisanship Commission, right?
Lumina mused contentedly. Meanwhile, Yanqing shook off his somber expression and addressed March 7th and the others: "Everyone, let's go. We'll find accommodation for the four of you... um..."
Yanqing trailed off mid-sentence, his gaze locking onto Lumina's. Though he said nothing, his expression conveyed everything.
"No need, I've already found lodging," Lumina said.
"Right, then, the four of you, please follow me."
"Uh... aren't you coming along?"
Yanqing nodded, intending to lead March 7th and the others to their lodging. But seeing them standing rooted in place, he scratched his head in confusion.
"Judging by your preoccupied expression, why don't we join you at the Artisanship Commission?" March 7th suggested, glancing at the others for their agreement before nodding at Yanqing.
"Uh... well." Yanqing hesitated, seemingly undecided. "If you're willing to help, I would be eternally grateful."
"But the IPC employees are notoriously difficult to deal with. I'm worried they'll cause trouble for the Train..."
"Pfft, don't worry about them! Even the most powerful employees can't be tougher than the Ten Stonehearts, right, Stelle?" March 7th declared, hands on her hips, as if the IPC's Ten Stonehearts were the only employees worth considering.
"Can you not drag me into your bragging?" Stelle retorted, refusing to play along with March 7th's boast. She immediately called her out.
"Hey... why are you being so serious all of a sudden?" March 7th's face fell, her playful mood instantly dissipating.
"I'll come too," Lumina offered, watching the two lively companions with a smile. Hoping to use this opportunity to befriend Lingsha, she volunteered.
"Ah, Sister Lumina's coming too? Then we're golden!" With Lumina as their safety net, March 7th's confidence returned, her expression once again radiating disdain for anyone outside the Ten Stonehearts.
No, this time it's even worse, Lumina thought, noticing the utter contempt in March 7th's eyes, as if she didn't care about the entire IPC.
"March," Lumina chuckled, gently correcting her, "nothing is ever absolute, you know."
March 7th was right: as long as the IPC's nominal chairman didn't arrive, Lumina's mere presence would resolve any issue, big or small, on the Xianzhou.
Hmm... Unless the IPC employees don't recognize me, of course...
After all, the IPC was so vast that there were bound to be some who didn't know her.
But those sent to represent the IPC on the Xianzhou should at least have some common sense.
"Alright, since the teachers insist, I won't refuse. Let's go to the Artisanship Commission and assess the current situation." With the matter settled, Yanqing had no reason to decline. He nodded in agreement.
"Let's go." Yanqing nodded to the group and stepped forward, leading the way toward the Artisanship Commission.
"Little March, you guys go ahead," Lumina said to March 7th and the others, watching Yanqing's retreating figure.
"Huh? Why aren't you coming with us, Sister Lumina?" March 7th asked, puzzled.
"It's nothing like that. I just need to reply to a message."
"Oh, okay then." March 7th had wanted to chat more with her beloved Sister Lumina, but since Lumina had made it clear, she didn't press the matter further.
Well, since Sister Lumina isn't leaving anyway, it doesn't matter.
March 7th, Stelle, and Little Swarm had no objections, and Dan Heng naturally wouldn't either. He nodded and followed Yanqing, his steps measured.
Phew... Time to decide life and death! Watching the group walk away, Lumina maintained a distance before setting off after them.
As she walked, she pulled out her phone and opened her account, which already had 99+ notifications. She entered the thread and began scrolling down, observing how people in the real world perceived her "sister-or-younger-sister" status.
[1st Comment: Voted! My Lumina must be the elder sister! ]
Good, good. The very first comment is exactly what I wanted to see.
Lumina's heart fluttered with satisfaction. She gave it a like and continued scrolling.
[2nd Comment: Can't the OP tell whether Lumina is the elder sister or younger sister? To put it bluntly, Lumina is just a pure weakling (lol). ]
Delete, delete, delete! Straight to the trash! Lumina wouldn't tolerate such nonsense.
She had no patience for these "History Fictionologists"—people who blatantly fabricated history with their eyes wide open. She deleted the comment on the spot.
Weakling, huh? See if I don't feel like raping you right now!
"Hmph," Lumina snorted coldly and continued scrolling.
[Third Floor: Could it be that Lumina's immense strength, combined with her status as the Saintess, led people to create a "reverse" persona for her? It's just fanfiction anyway—enough to satisfy our visual cravings. Why obsess over the details? ]
Hmm... a decent comment. It doesn't explicitly say whether Lumina should be the elder sister or younger sister, so I won't delete it, but I won't like it either.
Next comment.
[Fourth Comment: It's not like there aren't fanfics where Lumina is the elder sister. I don't understand what the original poster is trying to say. ]
[Eighth Comment: You're not Lumina, so why are you so bothered? If you don't like the younger sister version, just don't read it. ]
[Forty-First Comment: If the original poster likes the older sister version, they can pay an artist to draw it. The current dominance of the younger sister Lumina isn't just the consensus of the majority? (Facepalm) ]
"Consensus"? What a load of bull! You people can't even grasp my relationship with Herta! You're all just itching to whale for 180 pulls, aren't you?
As the original poster, Lumina deleted every comment that irked her, instantly feeling much better.
Hmm... the thread now looked rather empty, with about seventy percent of the comments gone...
But...
Focusing her gaze on the comment at #41, Lumina gently stroked her chin, contemplating the feasibility of this approach.
"Mm, excellent. Let's do it this way." Nodding decisively, Lumina opened the art commission platform and began furiously placing orders.
That day, the entire platform went wild.
A crazed Lumina simp placed hundreds of orders, becoming a legendary figure in the artist community.
Moreover, compared to those endlessly demanding clients, this crazed Lumina simp's requests were remarkably simple. Aside from the basic requirements of exquisite artwork, two-character compositions, Sister Lumina as the elder sister, and the other specified character as the younger sister, there were no further demands—truly a godsend of a customer.
It's worth noting that the Black-White Duo accounted for the overwhelming majority of the commissions...