Chapter 759: Leeching off popularity

“Well, that was entertaining,” Rowena said in amusement after they had all passed through the security checkpoint.

“It was indeed rather fun,” Lorelie giggled.

“I knew you were doing it on purpose," Stacey remarked.

Lorelie stuck out her tongue before saying, “We’re scheduled to depart on pod two.”

“I’m kind of surprised no one recognised you there, though,” Adam stated as he pushed the hover trolley with one hand while glancing at Tephe, Revi and Eytelis.

“There’s a simple reason for that, my love,” Revi replied as she hooked her arm through Adam’s from one. “While we are famous and well known in our own right, we’re not like celebrities who go out of their way to appear in the news.”

“Revi, no fair,” Tephe pouted as she glared at her, while Mia looked around at everything with interest from her perch atop Tephe’s head.

Revi responded by cheekily sticking out her tongue before continuing, “A celebrity’s business and popularity are built around staying relevant. The more people talk about them, the more popular they become. We, on the other hand, are famous for other reasons, and while appearing in news articles may indeed increase our popularity slightly, its effect is nowhere near as apparent as with celebrities.”

“Also, you have to factor in that we are not on the planets we are associated with,” Eytelis continued. “If it were Revi on Fenix Nest or me on Solarian Prime, we wouldn’t be able to walk ten meters without being recognised.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Adam nodded.

Soon, the group arrived in the waiting area for pod two, only to find that a group of security guards had temporarily halted any of the other passengers from boarding.

Upon seeing the group, the security officer who appeared to be the leader quickly approached them and respectfully said, " Pod two is ready for departure, Diva Lorelie. All you and your party need to do is board.”

“Thank you, but you really didn’t need to do that,” Lorelie replied.

“It’s fine,” The security guard replied before lowering his voice as she added. “Honestly, we kind of want to get you on your way as soon as possible. Your sudden appearance is causing chaos.”

As she finished speaking, the security guard indicated the waiting passengers, who were all cheering or waving as they tried to get the three divas' attention.

Rowena and Aphrodite naturally didn’t disappoint, and while Rowena gave a few professional poses for photos, Aphrodite's choice of poses was a lot more provocative.

“I see. Sorry for the inconvenience,” Lorelie said apologetically.

“It’s fine; just please inform us before your arrival next time,” The security guard requested. “Even if you wish to stay incognito, arrangements can be made to avoid all this.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Lorelie said with a smile.

“Then we wish you a safe journey and welcome to Aqua Primus, Diva Lorelie,” The guard said with a salute before departing.

“Troublemaker,” Adam teased.

“The whole eating thing was your idea,” Lorelie pouted in response.

“Was it?” Adam asked with a smirk before pushing the hover trolley towards the pod entrance.

“You're such a bully,” Revi remarked as she continued to walk arm in arm with him.

“This is nothing compared to what they’ve done to me in the past,” Adam replied.

“All right, show-offs, we’re leaving,” Stacey called as she and the rest began to follow Adam and Revi.

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Lorelie waited for Rowena and Aphrodite to wave farewell to their fans and to catch up to her before she looked at Aphrodite and asked, “You're enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I’ve never been so popular,” Aphrodite said with a chuckle. “Hanging out with all of you is boosting my popularity.”

“Aren't you already the most famous diva in your entertainment class, though?” Emma asked.

“Oh, sure, but the adult entertainment industry is nowhere near as big as most of the others,” Aphrodite answered. “Since hanging out with all of you and being seen with these two on a regular basis, my popularity numbers have grown.”

“So what you're saying is that you're leeching off our popularity,” Rowena said with a smile.

“I greatly appreciate your support, Rowena Senpai, Lorelie Senpai,” Aphrodite teased.

“You’ve been watching strange Earth shows again, haven’t you?” Lorelie asked with a chuckle.

“Tephe always drags me along to watch them,” Aphrodite replied.

“Hey!” Tephe complained. “You enjoy them as much as I do.”

“Fine, fine, guilty as charged,” Aphrodite admitted while holding her hands up in surrender.

“Are the rumours circulating about the Universal Diva Association true?” Eri asked as the group began to take their seats aboard the pod.

As Adam sat down and Eytelis took the seat beside him, Tephe, who had been shooting angry glares at Revi the entire time, quickly took the opportunity to push in and steal the seat on Adam's other side.

“Why, you cheeky brat,” Revi complained when she saw her seat had been stolen from her.

“Hehe,” Tephe replied proudly while shooting a smug grin at Revi before glancing at the departure time.

[Departure: 00:30]

Only thirty seconds!” Adam said in surprise as Revi sighed and shook her head with a smile before going to sit next to Emma.

“Probably because they decided to let us use this pod exclusively,” Rowena remarked.

“They really wanted to get us out of there,” Aphrodite said in amusement before turning to Eri and asking, “Which rumours?”

“The one about them wanting to remove the title of diva from the adult entertainment class,” Eri replied.

“Oh, they’ve been arguing about that for years,” Aphrodite explained. “A faction of the association believes that having divas associated with adult entertainment workers paints them in a bad light.”

Lorelie nodded in agreement. “Their latest attempt is to have the adult entertainment divas replaced with those from sports.”

“Why doesn’t sport have divas? I mean, isn't it a form of entertainment?” Adam asked.

“Because of its complexity,” Rowena replied as she joined the conversation. “Unlike the adult entertainment industry, which only has ten divas, the sporting industry is far larger.

First, there is the discussion of which sports they actually allow to be included, as there are so many.

Then they need to decide how many diva slots to allot. Do they keep it at ten, as is the norm, but doing that would be unfair to the less popular sports? Maybe they should provide each individual sport with a certain number of slots, but doing that would dramatically increase the total number of divas in the universe.”

“Wow, I never realised it was so complex,” Adam remarked. “How did the adult entertainment industry even become part of the diva association if it’s such a controversial topic?”

“A few decades ago, a Succuba by the name of Tennell joined the association after retiring from the industry and managed to get elected as association head,” Aphrodite explained.

Adam nodded in understanding as the pod's seat restraints activated before the pod itself shuddered and began its descent towards the planet's surface.

[Arrival: 02:04]

“Huh!” Adam said in surprise. “The descent time is around half a minute shorter than back on Solarian Prime.”

“Aqua Primus isn’t as large as Solarian Prime; hence the quicker descent,” Rowena explained.

“What’s this underwater transport tunnel the security guard mentioned?” Emma asked curiously.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Rowena began to explain. “Because of the lack of land on Aqua Primus, hover vehicles are rarely used, except as a form of entertainment. Instead, they use underwater jet propulsion vehicles which suck the water in at the front before blasting it out the back.

The underwater transport tunnel is a kind of subway, except it's underwater and mainly runs along the seabed; the view it provides is quite incredible.”

“I look forward to seeing it,” Emma replied before realising something and frowning. “From what you said, I’m assuming any Syngnathidae cities are underwater. If that’s the case, how are we supposed to breathe?”

"Don't worry about that,” Lorelie answered. “While the majority of cities are indeed underwater and would require us to use breathers. Muriel’s second home, which we’re heading to, is within one of the cities encompassed by a protective dome that keeps water out and oxygen in.

Think of them like those domes we saw on Flamyre.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Emma sighed. “I like swimming, but I’m not sure I could handle doing it consistently.”

“Revi definitely couldn’t,” Tephe teased.

“Is that a jab at how I can’t swim?” Revi asked with a frown.

“Would I do such a thing?” Tephe asked innocently.

“Hmm,” Revi replied before smirking. “I guess It’s fine. After all, Adam here’s going to personally teach me to swim one-on-one, all alone.”

“Really, Revi?” Elemance sighed as they all saw Tephe glare at Revi again. “Do you have to tease her like that?”

“Godmother's prerogative,” Revi replied smugly.

“Who’s godmother? I don’t have a godmother,” Tephe stubbornly replied.

“We are now arriving at the Orbital Elevator Planetary Station.” The pods' automated shuttle announced before the seat restraints automatically retracted.