Rita quickly put the second treasure chest in her inventory. She could already see the Wind Scythe text on the World Graveyard·East Wind:
World Graveyard·East Wind: When entering the world battlefield, you and your pet will unlock one skill each.
This was amazing! It was far more useful than the 9-Bamboo which only worked with teammates of the sa faction.
At that mont, Nivalis sneaked over, shrinking down to perch on Rita's shoulder, holding a fist-sized crystal. "I got a high-purity energy crystal. I think it'll recover about 0.1%."
Rita's eyes lit up. "Eat it quickly!"
Nivalis did as told, and the difference was noticeable. She wasn't as weak as before and seed much more energized. She then passed Rita the third Nightmare Chest.
Without hesitation, Nivalis opened it. However, instead of getting the energy crystal she hoped for, she found a scroll inside.
No Regrets Oath: "I am willing to share with you one of my divine talents, praying that our bond never fades. Even if we part ways or beco enemies in the future, I will never forget our friendship. May the gods bear witness to this mont and bless our everlasting bond."
Despite being a scroll, it was just like the Final Battle book—both needed to be used by two people together.
This ant that if Rita and Nivalis used the scroll together, not only would Nivalis share one divine talent with Rita, but Rita would also share one with Nivalis. Even if one of them betrayed the other in the future, the shared divine talents would remain.
Rita, watching Nivalis with cautious but expectant eyes, gripped one half of the scroll. In her mind, she quickly thought about what to share with Nivalis.
Food God—She would keep that one to herself until Rick was completely gone. Sharpshooter was too weak to be useful. Immortal was tied to the Dark City lord, and she didn't want Nivalis to get involved.
As for Midnight Exile… she wasn't going to give it to her. The skills from Midnight Exile were too powerful. It wasn't just the offensive or retaliatory skills, but the curse abilities that made this set too strong. If she gave that to Nivalis, it would increase her combat power dramatically and make it hard to kill her.
In the long run, she knew that the core abilities of One-Person Party would give her the edge. But Midnight Exile? It was just too risky, so she decided against it.
She even felt lucky that she had already used I Could Just Steal It.
Right now, Rita felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. It was as if she was drowning in it—because she had already expected Nivalis to betray her. That, in itself, was a deep insult to their friendship and trust.
She couldn't understand why she had to feel this way. After hundreds of years together, facing the Winter Sea Frenzied Shark, Nivalis had repeatedly refused to abandon her. Yet, Rita still couldn't give her heart fully to Nivalis.
If only they had t in a different life, maybe things would have been different.
But now, Rita was like a piece of unlting ice, unable to open her heart fully to anyone.
She was willing to stay behind and fight the Frenzied Shark for Nivalis. She could accept punishnt and even death for Nivalis. She would always make sure Nivalis had a way out if Rita herself was in danger.
But she couldn't allow herself to be completely unguarded around Nivalis. She would always be cautious, always prepared. If Nivalis betrayed her, she was ready. She could turn things around; she knew how to manage her attributes, and with One-Person Party, she understood her own limits and how to use them.
It was painful for Rita. She didn't want to be like this, but it was the only way she could feel in control.
Yet, in this mont of inner turmoil, Nivalis didn't ask anything. She sensed the guilt and pain in Rita's heart and looked at her with a gentle gaze.
Nivalis grew to human size and stood across from Rita, grasping the other half of the scroll. She said softly, "I will never regret this, and I will never betray you. Don't feel guilty, I understand. I've always known who you are." Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire
The image of a blood-red dandelion lingered in her heart. She understood.
She rembered when she confided in Holy Cup, and North Year had asked, "Why bother with soone like her? She's stingy, can't open her heart, and is always preparing for you to leave. There are other contractors, and she's hard to deal with—why stay?"
Nivalis thought: Yes, she was special. Just like Kayden said, emotions don't care about right or wrong. They only care about truth and lies.
Rita was full of fake politeness to others—pretending to be good in front of her enemies, using fake kindness to trick Eclipse Vanguard into helping her. But for herself, Rita was always sincere.
Kayden had once taught her how to interpret a fire that represented emotions. The brightest fla was for Nivalis, and it burned with affection, guilt, and regret, a glimr of trust hidden within.
Nivalis had figured it out long ago. She knew Rita's guilt, knew her mistrust. But Nivalis also knew the truth: Rita was never going to change.
She had already made peace with it.
Nivalis, in that mont, thought back to a conversation with North Year and explained, "She doesn't flatter , she doesn't need . She's always ready for to leave, and if I lend her my coins, she'll pay back. If she faces a force she can't defeat, she'll never count on my strength. But do you know what that ans?"
North Year asked, "What?"
"It ans she likes —not because I'm strong, not because she needs —but simply because I am Nivalis. I'm sure of it. Even if Wind Shear or Emperor Umbrella ca to her and said they'd form a contract with her if she gave up, she'd never agree. No dragon could replace , and I'd never replace my dragon."
The scroll turned into a golden thread that wrapped around their wrists, a soft ethereal voice echoed in the air:
"May you have no regrets."
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