Rita nervously sat down next to Nivalis and poured herself a cup of hot tea, but Shadow.Q wasted no ti getting to the point.
**Shadow.Q**: "Are you interested in making Nivalis a national spokesperson?"
**Rita**: "…No formalities at all, huh?"
Shadow.Q smirked slyly. "I was trying to avoid the part where you ask for money."
**Rita**: "…Should I leave, then?"
Shadow.Q quickly raised her hand. "Wait!! The endorsent fee is high! Just hear out before rejecting!"
Before the conversation could continue, the door to the private room opened, and the waitstaff brought in an extravagant spread: eighteen dishes, twelve of which were at—chicken, duck, fish, beef, lamb, and even sashimi—clearly prepared for Nivalis.
The spicy dishes, however, were all tailored to Rita's taste, as Shadow.Q had noticed Rita's penchant for adding spice during als at the training camp.
Shadow.Q knew how to handle people. Even though she had initially greeted the dragon, she never forgot that Rita was the one in control. She treated Rita as the real decision-maker in this situation.
Pouring Rita a drink, Shadow.Q imdiately began pitching. "Let's be real, there's been another pet added to the pet leaderboard recently, but seriously, what even is a snapping turtle compared to Nivalis? There's only one dragon in the world—Nivalis is unmatched."
She continued, "Let's not beat around the bush. The endorsent fee will include three opportunities per month to gain a potential attribute point through a Divine Gift, plus we'll cover Nivalis' food and nutritional costs—50 gold coins monthly. No hidden traps, no strings attached. The Special Affairs Bureau will give you the money directly, and you can purchase whatever you need."
Rita furrowed her brow. "And what would Nivalis need to do in return?"
Shadow.Q asked a simple question: "How big is her true form?"
**Rita**: "I haven't asured exactly, but she's around seven to eight ters tall."
Shadow.Q nodded, relieved. "All she'd need to do is take a few pictures in front of so iconic landmarks across the country. And at the beginning of each month, she could do a brief flyover of a provincial capital."
**Rita**: "No dungeon raids or battles required?"
**Shadow.Q**: "No, not unless there's an additional need, in which case we'd negotiate a separate fee."
Rita fell silent. On the surface, the deal seed like a great opportunity—fa, minimal effort, and regular compensation. But she knew better. If Nivalis flew over the country regularly, people would gradually begin to see her as a protective figure, a guardian of the nation. Over ti, expectations would rise, and people might even begin to demand her intervention in crises.
If Nivalis or Rita failed to et those demands, public sentint could quickly turn sour.
In the beginning, people's admiration and love are pure. But as ti goes on, those feelings morph into expectations and demands. Eventually, even a statent like "I've supported you for so long" could beco a bargaining chip.
If the country ever faced a significant crisis, Rita wouldn't hesitate to step in if she could help. But there was a big difference between helping out of her own free will and being forced into it. And even if she did act, there would co a ti when people would take her actions for granted.
Rita suspected that Shadow.Q's earlier comnt—"Once she's here, she's our dragon"—was a subtle warning.
Turning to Nivalis, Rita asked, "Do you want to be a celebrity dragon?"
Sitting on the table with a massive chicken leg in her claws, Nivalis was tearing into it when she paused and looked confused. "What's a celebrity dragon?"
Rita simplified, "They'll admire and worship you at first, but eventually, they'll start making demands. And if you can't et those demands, they might hate you and insult you."
Shadow.Q remained silent, sipping her tea, not offering any clarifications or excuses.
Nivalis, uninterested in the opinions of weaker beings, answered honestly since Rita had asked for her opinion and not given an order. "No, it sounds annoying."
Rita raised her hands in a mock surrender and smiled at Shadow.Q. "She's not interested, and honestly, I'm not keen on making her do that either."
Nivalis, feeling pleased though she couldn't quite explain why, added, "I just don't want those people bothering ."
Rita patted Nivalis' head. "It's okay, if you don't want it, we won't do it."
Not missing a beat, Shadow.Q proposed a different option. "How about just photoshoots, then? We'll clear the area ahead of ti, so you won't have to interact with anyone. You'll just pose for pictures without being disturbed."
She took out her phone and demonstrated by snapping a picture of the three cats happily munching on specially prepared cat food, showing Nivalis how it worked.
"But," Shadow.Q added, "in that case, the endorsent fee would be lower—just 50 gold a month for food and nutrition."
**Rita**: **Isn't that a bit of a downgrade? From a Maserati to a snack bar?**
Food and nutrition? Hardly worth ntioning. These people had no idea how valuable Nivalis' dragon dung was on the Lania Kaia auction house! One pound could sell for seven silver coins. If Nivalis reverted to her true form and went all out, she could easily "produce" seven gold coins' worth a day.
Nivalis looked at Rita for guidance. Without hesitation, Rita said, "We're not strapped for cash. I have no interest in money."
Shadow.Q raised an eyebrow. "That's so pretty humorous Chinese you're speaking."
Rita couldn't argue.
She sighed and was about to drop it, but then she noticed Nivalis staring at her, eyes wide in disbelief.
**Ah, crap…**
She'd forgotten that Nivalis could sense not only emotions but also when soone was lying.
After a mont's silence, Rita corrected herself. "…I'm not interested in small amounts of money."
Nivalis, still gnawing on a chicken wing, continued to stare. **Really now?**
Shadow.Q, professionally trained to keep a straight face in any situation, simply took out a gold coin, raised it high, and sure enough, Rita's gaze imdiately shifted towards it. Like a leaf swaying in the wind, the coin moved left and right, and Rita's eyes followed it.
With a chuckle, Shadow.Q blew on the coin as if dusting it off. "Ah, well…"
Her sigh said more than words ever could.
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