Xu Xiaoyou's eyes reflected the social card, her thoughts swirling within.

Finally, after some deliberation, she dialed a number that had been in her phonebook for a long time.

The call connected, and a familiar voice came from the other end, "Miss Xu?"

"It's me."

"Why choose to contact us at this time?"

"Transaction."

Xu Xiaoyou's gaze lingered on the skyscraper outside the floor-to-ceiling window, where the logo of 'Pursuing Light Pharmaceutical' shone brightly in the night.

"Have you decided to join us?"

"No, this is just a transaction."

With a calm look, Xu Xiaoyou gazed at the bustling Star of Art outside the window. A playing card appeared out of thin air, rotating between her fingertips, finally landing on the table with the face of 'Queen of Hearts' clearly displayed.

"As you wish."

...

Two days later, Luner entered a bar called 'Golden Red Pomegranate', as usual ordering a glass of 'Art Sunset', and found his usual corner seat, which perfectly allowed a view of the bar's center big screen and a glimpse of the brightly dressed beautiful Merfolk girls in the dance floor.

The girl sitting across from him waved a greeting with a smile, and Luner responded politely. He didn't know the girl's name, only that she was a playwright recently crafting the climactic poetic scenes for the opera "Girl Falling from the Starry Garden."

"How's your writing going, Ms. Qin Weina?"

The girl had lively eyes, her iris-colored pupils housed a beautiful and mysterious garden. Her sky-blue hair covered her soft ears, making her look like a quiet elf.

In this serene bar atmosphere, Luner swore he couldn't find anything more aesthetically pleasing than the girl.

"My writing?" Qin Weina's lips curved slightly, "It's still the same as before, lacking inspiration, my pen has paused at the interlude, while the protagonist of the opera has already boarded a ship at sea. If only I could see that girl falling from the stars myself."

"Surely, I would find new inspiration."

"Is that so?"

"I wonder, as that girl is about to board the ship, facing the storm, what is she thinking?" Qin Weina's iridescent pupils sparkled.

Qin Weina's gaze settled on the bar's center big screen as the finals of this year's Starry Art Competition began. In that temple of dreams and art, the crowd anticipated the rise of a new star into the night sky.

"Did you know, Ms. Elis gave up her place in the finals a few days ago, reportedly joining the Tuning Hall, though it's unclear if that's true."

The discussions buzzed through the bar, weaving through the star-lit lights, as the red curtain on the stage slowly drew back, letting the night sky's starlight in.

"Her? Didn't she create 'Rainbow Island'? It was said that opera was auctioned for tens of thousands in inspiration, though Ms. Elis eventually took the auctioned piece back; everyone thought she might very well be this competition's champion."

"If Mr. Chafins hadn't passed away, winning the championship with his 'Rhapsody of Zan Rodani' wouldn't have been difficult, would it?"

"Ha, you mean the guy who sparked the second revival of the 'artist' during a concert? You forget how many people were implicated by his works!"

"The 'artist' is only born from recognized creations; doesn't that prove Mr. Chafins' excellence? My eyes are always sharp, sharing this space with you who are ignorant of artistic appreciation is really uncomfortable."

"I think Ms. Britney also..."

"You mean the one still mired in a plagiarism scandal?"

"The most pitiful is the Starry Singer, if not for encountering a terrorist attack on the island, she was a hopeful contender for the crown."

"A terrorist attack?" a male Merfolk lowered his voice, "I doubt it, no statement from the academy yet, and over two hundred people from influential political families and business tycoon's offspring died on that island."

"Does anyone really believe the news claiming this incident was entirely orchestrated by the Ascetic Sect?"

"That's just a conspiracy theory..." A white-collar worker's face flushed. He had recently passed the art exam to join Starry Garden, becoming a clerk in the Civil Affairs Bureau, growing up in a first-class foster home like Golden Red Flower where he was immersed in art from a young age, such groundless conspiracies couldn't sit well with him.

"If it's really related to Principal Belvedere, he should have been ousted by the Tuning Hall or the association's charges long ago!"

"Look at this guy brainwashed by high articism, who doesn't know that Belvedere holds sway over the Star of Art, from Starry Garden to the Tuning Hall, even to Life Daylight's Human Rights Association and its investigative agency, they're all his people."

"Expecting an old vampire who's lived hundreds of years to step down? You'd do better hoping for a meteor to fall on his head to take him out!"

"You, your words are just too harsh!" The man's face reddened with anger, clenching his fists tightly, glaring wide-eyed.

"Please stop this baseless speculation!"

A burst of laughter erupted within the Golden Red Pomegranate bar.

"If it weren't for Principal Belvedere, the Star of Art wouldn't have developed into what it is today!"

With that, the bar fell into an eerie silence, undeniably, during that old vampire's regime, the Star of Art's economy thrived unprecedentedly, becoming the most dazzling star under the Cosmos.

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