Chapter 223: 223 is eager to make money_1
Let’s be honest, this matter had nothing to do with Wen Jiang or her fans.
Everyone knew that comparing two individuals was bound to displease both parties, and the fans weren’t blind. So, it was quite obvious who was behind this: the media outlets that disliked Wen Jiang.
She was indeed Yunxia’s darling now, but certainly not the media’s. Refusing media interviews was enough to warrant criticism, not to mention her cursing out a reporter last time. A player with a bad relationship with the media, no matter how skilled, would inevitably receive mixed praise and veiled criticism. The media under the Jimo Family wouldn’t do that, but other outlets would.
The quickest way to smear someone was obviously by clout-chasing.
Of course, with Wen Jiang’s currently strong public support, the impact wasn’t significant; at most, it just angered the Great Emperor’s fans. When his fans came out to complain, they were soon swiftly shut down by passersby.
[What’s the matter, can’t we compliment someone for winning a championship? It’s those lousy media outlets comparing her to the Great Emperor, not Jiang Shen. What does Jiang Shen have to do with it?]
[She just won the Yunxia A-Rank Group championship! For such a moment of shared glory, your response is "don’t clout-chase"? If you’re not from Yunxia, just get out, okay? Changing your nationality isn’t expensive, you wannabe Frost Mooner.]
[You love the Great Emperor so much, why not change your nationality and go be with him? Don’t have the money?]
[I’m a fan of the Great Emperor, but I want to say Wen Jiang is Wen Jiang. Don’t drag Wen Jiang into the media’s mistakes, okay? Wen Jiang herself hasn’t said a single word. Rashly speculating about a champion is pretty disgusting.]
[The Great Emperor is innocent, and so is Jiang Shen. Can the media just go eat shit?]
Irrational people would be criticized, and of course, some of Wen Jiang’s anti-fans seized the opportunity to cause trouble. Wen Jiang didn’t even know this person, yet the fans of both sides had already become enemies.
Naturally, the media wouldn’t miss such an opportunity, hyping up Wen Jiang as if she were about to step over the Great Emperor and ascend to godhood.
At that time, Wen Jiang was still focused on making her cards.
Some of the hype generated by the domestic media successfully reached the international community. Regarding the comparisons between Wen Jiang and the Great Emperor, people overseas naturally ridiculed the idea immediately. They couldn’t care less whether it was the media’s fault or not.
Sanctuary: [Even if she won a championship, isn’t this too irrational?]
Sanctuary: [It seems Yunxia got too excited over one championship. Poor things. It was just a title Frost Moon conceded.]
Sanctuary: [...To say it was conceded is a bit shameless too.]
Beiwu: [Yunxia’s trash dares to be compared with the Great Emperor? I think Yunxia has gone completely mad.]
Beiwu: [This is an insult to the Great Emperor!!]
Frost Moon: [Hahaha, despite winning the match, Yunxia still seems so pitiful.]
Frost Moon: [Only they would treasure an A-Level championship like that. The Great Emperor remains invincible!]
Frost Moon: [No one can compare with our Great Emperor. No one is qualified!]
Frost Moon: [In S Rank competitions, Yunxia still has no real competitive power, tsk.]
Even on the joyous occasion of winning the competition, seeing such comments still left a bitter taste. Yan Moling had stepped in to make some media outlets delete their exaggerated promotions, but she was powerless against the media owned by some of the Nobility. This was the conflict between the Empire and the Nobility.
Fortunately, Wen Jiang was not the kind of person who would be influenced by this. She never took public opinion seriously.
People’s affections were a strange thing, and Yu Siyu was just such a person. As a fan of the Great Emperor—having liked him since his debut—she couldn’t be called impulsive. But when she saw discussions about Wen Jiang starting in the group, she realized something was off. Looking at the blind box cards of Mount Flower she had purchased, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
She liked many things, but she liked the Great Emperor even more. Although she knew it was the media that had forcibly tied Wen Jiang to the Great Emperor, and not Wen Jiang’s own doing, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Some fans in the group were overly radical.
Fan 1: "I’m so annoyed! Seeing Wen Jiang’s brainless fans actually cursing the Great Emperor makes me so angry! She just won a measly championship. The Great Emperor is an S Rank champion; what qualification does she have to be compared to him?"
Fan 2: "You can’t say that. After all, she represented our Empire and won the A-Rank Group championship, which the Empire has been looking forward to for a long time. Plus, it’s really the media’s fault. We shouldn’t take it out on the players. We also don’t want to attract hate on behalf of the Great Emperor."
Fan 3: "That’s true. The Great Emperor has really had bad luck to get mixed up in this."
Fan 4: "I don’t understand your thinking. She won the championship for our Empire, and right now, they’re praising her everywhere. I’m a hardcore fan of the Great Emperor, but let’s not arbitrarily label people when the other party hasn’t provoked us."
Fan 1: "@Fan 4 What, you think I’m wrong? If Mount Flower hadn’t hyped it up, would they involve the Great Emperor for no reason? That just shows what she’s like! Are you really a fan of the Great Emperor? Why are you speaking up for someone who’s clout-chasing?"
Fan 4: "...Unreasonable. Truly."
Fan 4: "I’m a fan of the Great Emperor, but I’m not brainless. She won the championship for our Empire; why can’t I speak up for her?"
Fan 1: "Get lost! The Great Emperor doesn’t need a fan like you."
The fan group started to argue, and Yu Siyu was a bit stunned. As a wealthy fan, she was torn between national pride and her genuinely beloved idol, feeling confused.
She thought Fan 1 wasn’t wrong: as a fan of the Great Emperor, one should be wholeheartedly devoted to him. But she also knew that cursing Wen Jiang was not a rational act.
Just then, a fan in the group suddenly posted a comment that diverted the argument.
Merchandise Fan: "Fuck, I just got some insider info! The Temple of the Gods has set the prices for this championship group’s card merchandise. It’s a set of twenty cards. Besides the standard edition, there will also be limited autographed editions with the Great Emperor’s personal signature! But it’s pricey. The official base price for a set of Ordinary Cards is 10,000, and the autographed limited edition is 100,000 per card. Given how people will be scrambling for them, the price for the Great Emperor’s cards is definitely going to skyrocket."
The fan group instantly blew up.
Fan 2: "Damn, the standard price for a set of Ordinary Cards is 10,000? Why doesn’t the Temple of the Gods just drop dead? Do they think all fans are the richest people in the world?"
Fan 3: "The autographed edition is one thing, but why did the standard price suddenly double..."
Fan 5: "This year, the Temple of the Gods’ A-Rank Group lost to Mount Flower, losing all their reputation and goodwill. I heard the champion card set prepared for the A-Rank Group isn’t selling, so of course, they’re going to try and make money off the S Rank cards."
Fan 9: "Go ahead and buy them. Who in the world doesn’t know that Yunxia fans are just gullible big spenders? Their shamelessness this year is a bit much. The Great Emperor’s autographed edition will definitely fetch a sky-high price. I’m not buying the autographed edition."
Fan 9 was known in the group as a wealthy woman. When even someone like her said this, everyone suddenly felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
Yu Siyu’s attention was also diverted by this incident.
She frowned, thinking, has the Temple of the Gods really gone mad with greed?