After leaving the alchemy shop, Rita went ahead and purchased all the materials Lucia had ntioned.
Even if shortening the duration of Spring Not Late reduced its effects to two-thirds of the original, that was good enough. As long as she could survive the five-day downti, she could craft more after returning from the World Battleground. The only downside was that Wrathful Moon's upgrade countdown wouldn't make it in ti for this round. She couldn't help but wonder about the ti discrepancy—was it based on her world's 12:00 AM, or wherever she happened to be at the ti? And both Blue Star and Lania Kaia had their own regional ti zones.
Facing a completely unfamiliar battleground, Rita was, for once, genuinely nervous.
Every day, she woke at 4:00 AM to grind dungeons for leveling. Mornings were spent in her study crafting Spring Not Late, Gold-Class Assassin, and lting Ti, along with experinting with new alchemical recipes she had purchased from Lucia. Afternoons were dedicated to plundering Lania Kaia, targeting stats, gold, secrets, and equipnt. She would draw lots to decide which of the 36 major cities to visit that day—whichever she picked would be her victim.
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Nivalis, trying her best to play dumb, was almost in full denial mode. She eventually gave up and decided to return to Dragon Island to bind her New Year's Gift and, of course, to show off—not report, show off—her upcoming trip to the World Battleground with Rita.
Yes, she had already ntioned this in their dragon-scale communicator, but no matter, she was going to flaunt it again.
With the recent surge in the formation of new guilds, the Lone Wolves chat group had beco increasingly lively. It had grown to over 30 mbers, each new addition subjected to a rigorous vote. One mber had even encrypted the group chat using their god-given ability. This group consisted of highly skilled players, each with remarkable god-given talents, all of whom had declined the invitations of powerful factions to retain their independence. There were no slackers here.
When Rita had ti to check her family group chat for drama, she noticed soone in the Lone Wolves group had tagged her, asking for advice. The question was whether she would recomnd working with Eclipse Vanguard, considering her well-known collaborations with them.
Rita wasn't fond of giving advice. Everyone had their unique preferences, values, and thresholds. What worked for her wouldn't necessarily work for soone else.
Moreover, her relationship with Eclipse Vanguard had always been friendly on the surface. She suspected it might have sothing to do with her Culinary Sage skill, which neutralized negative sentints. But greed, that deep-seated force that could eclipse reason, was immune to such tricks. It still set off her Malicious Intent Detector occasionally.
After scrolling through the chat logs and seeing that multiple mbers had asked similar questions, Rita finally replied.
[The World's End But Single-Player Gas Forever (31 mbers)]
Rita: "It depends on what you value most: freedom, reputation, or profit. My choice was profit. My collaborations with Eclipse Vanguard weren't about taking advantage; we both got what we wanted."
Rita: "I've had a decent partnership with them, but I won't vouch for them."
Clearly, those asking were already tempted. They wanted Eclipse Vanguard's protection but feared being roped into tasks against their will. Rita wasn't going to push anyone over the edge. She couldn't guarantee Eclipse Vanguard's interests would always align with hers, let alone with theirs.
This group was filled with players who had once been her escape companions in a past life, so she shared her honest thoughts. With no further questions from the group, she put down her phone and helped Nivalis manage her shop's inventory.
Since returning from High Tower, the self-service vending machines upstairs had been repurposed to sell the small engineering toys Rita made for fun. After selling the rooftop Instance Portal, the machines were moved to her mahjong parlor.
Her own alchemical products were no longer affordable for most Blue Star players, and she wasn't willing to take a loss selling them. anwhile, Nivalis's toys were a perfect fit for the current market. Nivalis enjoyed the satisfaction of earning pocket money through her toys.
Rita suspected Nivalis had an innate talent for farming players. Why else would she start promoting her products online, complete with signed paw prints, limited editions, and even blind box versions?
Rita had a sinking feeling she'd one day be accused of orchestrating Nivalis's sches to milk the players dry.
Fortunately, Nivalis spent all her earnings in Blue Star, proudly adopting the motto: "Blue Star money, for Blue Star spending." She beca a frequent shopper and even mastered the art of tipping. Her purchases were split between their ho and parcels sent to Dragon Island.
The public wasn't accusing Rita of exploiting Nivalis just yet. Instead, the prevailing theory was that Rita was living off her dragon. Why else was Nivalis the one always making money and doing the shopping?
Rita's fans didn't dare touch the issue, either. After all, Nivalis's global fanbase was ten tis the size of hers. Crossing those fans was asking for trouble.
One group, however, firmly believed Nivalis had been brainwashed. Despite Nivalis constantly praising Rita for treating her well, they saw her as a victim—an innocent dragon ensnared by the manipulative woman from Blue Star.
Rita was too smart to antagonize Nivalis's fans. Her own supporters were equally cautious, urging her to let it be.
"Click!"
Returning from Dragon Island, Nivalis flew straight into Rita's arms, pulling her hand to wrap it around herself. Then she raised her communicator for a selfie.
Rita, in a black silk robe, looked completely unbothered. She had a toothbrush in her mouth, her hair slicked back into a neat ponytail, lending her a slightly roguish charm. She stared blankly at Nivalis as if saying, Really? Another one?
This was becoming routine. Nivalis had recently beco obsessed with taking selfies of the two of them. She'd blur the background, ask for Rita's approval, and even inquire whether the photo needed retouching.
After rinsing her mouth, Rita glanced at the picture and smirked. "Retouching? ? Please. Post it raw."
Nivalis happily flew off, phone in claw. She had to share this mont with her fans—proof that her human was utterly smitten, brushing her teeth while holding her like a treasure!
Nivalis's mission? Annoying a toxic fan every day. After all, as her biggest fan and self-proclaid favorite, Nivalis took pride in making everyone jealous.
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