The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 727: VIRTUALNET DATE (I)

SATURDAY came fast. Astrid spent the day before just resting. Since he was meeting Wulfric in VirtualNet today, he decided to visit his uncles and Nicol tomorrow instead. The meeting was set for one in the afternoon, right after lunch. He finished eating and walked to Reas’ room. That’s where they kept the virtual pod.

Of course, the virtual pod was in his brother’s new room. He was the only one who used it regularly for his Mecha battles.

As he opened the door, he immediately saw the pod. It sat in the corner of the room. A sleek silver capsule with a dark glass lid. Its smooth metal surface caught the room’s light.

Astrid walked to the pod and turned it on. The lid opened smoothly, showing nothing but a padded interior that looked ordinary. But he knew there was way more tech stuff working inside that he couldn’t see or understand. He got in and lay down. The lid closed immediately, surrounding him in total darkness. Something cold attached to his temples. Seconds later, he felt that weird falling sensation, like he’d been pushed off a cliff. Then suddenly, he wasn’t in the pod anymore. He floated in what looked like a river made of glowing numbers and symbols.

A glowing screen materialized in front of him.

[Username:_________]

[Password:_________]

He typed in his login details. It was an account he’d created years ago at the same time as Reas. The difference was, while his brother used his constantly, Astrid’s had been gathering virtual dust.

He didn’t really have any interest in the virtual world, which was what the VirtualNet basically was. Unlike Reas, who spent a lot of his time doing Mecha battles when they were younger, Astrid spent his helping around the farm or cooking. Not that he’s saying his brother didn’t help, he’s just saying that the two of them had very different way of having fun.

Once logged in, the river of codes vanished, replaced by a plain white room. Then a small blue cat with wings popped into view, hovering in front of him.

[Welcome back, Master Xiao Rui!]

Astrid blinked, then let out a quiet laugh. Xiao Rui. That was his VirtualNet username, taken from his old name in his past life - Zhou Rui. It had been so long since anyone used that name that it took him a second to recognize it.

[It’s been a while since your last login. Would you like to update your avatar?]

His avatar?

Over a year had passed since Astrid last used VirtualNet. The last time had been to cheer for Reas during that Mecha tournament. Creating an avatar was mandatory for access. Users could either customize one or use their real appearance. Astrid thought customizing one was too much trouble, so he had picked the second option.𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But using his current avatar wouldn’t do now. After all, his face was already quite well known. And since VirtualNet had a rule against using famous people’s likenesses, everyone would know this avatar belonged to Astrid Townsend.

He wasn’t saying he was so famous that everyone would recognize him instantly. He wasn’t Valentine Davis, after all. But with his black hair and eyes combined with his growing popularity, he’d still be too easy to recognize.

So he selected, "Let me customize a new avatar."

[Understood.]

After the flying cat finished speaking, a new screen appeared in front of him. The left side showed a blank avatar - a naked mannequin figure with no hair or facial features. The right side displayed all the customization options. Astrid immediately began designing his new avatar.

He didn’t spend too much time on it. He simply selected a ready-made template, only changing the hair and eye color to make it slightly different. The avatar’s build remained similar to his own. He picked out simple, nondescript clothes. Once finished, he clicked ’enter’. The moment he did, his avatar’s appearance changed immediately.

[Do you have a specific place you want to go to?]

"Yes."

He gave the cat the location where he and Wulfric decided to meet. A door materialized against the white wall. Astrid knew stepping through would teleport him straight to the location. Without hesitation, he walked forward and pushed it open.

***

Wulfric took a swig of his beer, leaning back in his chair on the restaurant’s open veranda. The sound of waves reached him from nearby, a steady rhythm against the shore. When he glanced toward the water, sunlight bounced off the ocean’s surface, turning it into a sheet of shifting blue.

When Astrid asked to meet in VirtualNet, Wulfric said yes without hesitation. He’d been thinking about suggesting the same thing for a while now. Meeting virtually would at least let them feel like they were in the same place, even if they were actually light years apart. But he hadn’t found the right time to ask. So when Astrid brought it up first, it was perfect. This could be the start of them doing this more often.

Astrid told Wulfric to choose where they’d meet. Wulfric wanted to pick his private island, but the system required him to personally accompany any visitors there. Since he couldn’t do that without them meeting first, he went with this restaurant instead. He booked the whole place so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Wulfric took another drink of his beer. Even though VirtualNet felt real, everything here was still made of data. So drinking beer wouldn’t actually get him drunk or leave any smell. If it did, he wouldn’t be drinking at all - not with the chance Astrid might smell him.

Before long, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Since he’d given the restaurant’s staff Astrid’s username and ordered them to only allow that person in, there was no question who it was.

A grin spread across his face instantly. But when he turned and saw Astrid’s avatar, his smile nearly stalled.

The avatar had an ordinary face, but Wulfric’s gaze locked onto the hair and eyes - white hair and gold irises. Almost identical to his own coloring.