When Rita returned, the crowd that had gathered quickly dispersed.
The bumper car started up again.
"Did you get it?"
"Yeah."
Rita was checking the updated info for the ga console.
[Ga Machine That Loves Gas · Incomplete] (3/9)
Skill 1 – Ga Becos Reality: Can scan and register any ga. Once a ga reaches 1000 hours of playti, the player will randomly receive one skill or item that has appeared in that ga. (Ga slots: 0/10)
Skill 2 – Massive Storage: Each ga slot can hold 999 items. Each slot may only contain one unit of each item—no stacking.
The more she read, the more Rita felt this thing was worth every Block she spent.
She also knew the risks. And the biggest one wasn't even the increased probability of losing items by dumping too many Blocks into the ga.
The real risk was: What if she couldn't finish assembling it before the ga ended?
Would this half-assembled artifact even be usable outside the ga?
If not, all her effort would've been for nothing.
No stats. No gear. Just wasted ti.
She gently ran her fingers across the surface of the console.
It was a gamble—but one that felt like the beginning of sothing new.
And honestly… charging headfirst into the unknown like this? It wasn't such a bad feeling.
While Nivalis drove their bumper car up to the food stall queue, the nearby players were imdiately drawn in, whispering to each other excitedly:
"Where'd they get that car? It's sick—how much does it cost?"
"Did they build it themselves?"
"Is your owner BS-Rita?"
"Is this a costic item or a prop? It looks like more than just a 9-piece set…"
Earlier, when Rita had gone to buy ga console parts, she discovered that even when she was far from the car, she could still sense its location—and even recall it remotely.
Hearing all these questions now gave her a spontaneous idea.
"Wanna take it for a spin? 1g Block for 1 minute."
Seed a waste to just sit around while they waited for food.
Nivalis had just opened her mouth to brag about their car when Rita cut her off, handing her the ga console.
Nivalis looked down at it, then up again, and swallowed back tears.
B8017913, anwhile, was standing dutifully in line, holding a huge stack of Blocks to pay for food.
Rita and Nivalis stood by the roadside—one hawking rides, the other timing and collecting paynts.
After exactly one minute, Rita would whistle, and the bumper car would drive itself back.
The price—1g Block per minute—was just right.
Any cheaper and it wouldn't be worth Rita's ti.
Any more and most players wouldn't bite.
This 15th-month bumper car was miles ahead of the ones used in the ga. It was sleeker, more beautiful, and faster.
And best of all: the music that played when soone touched the Block model on the steering wheel varied by player.
So got EDM, others pop ballads, others adrenaline-pumping battle tracks.
Nivalis?
She got a DJ mix.
After that discovery, players were lining up for a chance to ride—and they couldn't even accommodate them all.
By the ti it was B8017913's turn at the food stall, Rita had already earned 18g Blocks.
B8017913: "Four rice bowls with grilled at—two spicy, no cilantro. One no green onion or cilantro. One with everything."
The little gingerbread vendor tossed four of the biggest cuts onto the grill.
D48724: "Those two over there with the car—are they with you?"
B8017913: "…Yeah."
D48724: "You look kinda happy."
B8017913: "Huh?"
D48724: "Even though you're acting all reluctant and shy, I can tell. You're really happy that I linked the three of you together."
B8017913: "Am I?"
D48724: "You've been glancing over at them every two seconds since you got in line. So… is bonding with a player really that fun?"
B8017913 corrected gently as it replied:
"Bonding with BS-Rita is really fun."
When B8017913 returned carrying the four bowls, Rita was already sitting on the ground—completely out of stamina.
Nivalis was holding down the fort, still renting out rides.
Rita's hand trembled as she reached out for her two spicy-no-cilantro rice bowls.
Just that movent dropped her stamina from 5 to 4.
Nivalis and B8017913 were doing better—both still had about 40 stamina left.
After one bowl, Rita's stamina was only halfway refilled.
She reached for the second without hesitation.
The four rice bowls cost 120g Blocks total.
Add in the ga fees, and that ant the 52 Blocks they'd earned from the bumper car dividends were now gone.
They'd left the bumper car ga at 4:10 p.m.
By the ti they finished eating, it was 4:39.
But renting out the bumper car had earned them 21g Blocks so far.
Rita threw away the empty bowls and told Nivalis and B8017913 to keep running the rental booth while she flew off to the vending machine to check on her item sales.
The ga console fragnt hadn't sold yet, but the other four item shards had—all gone, netting her 126g Blocks and 35 new Blocks of various types.
She quickly listed four more fragnts.
Back at the bumper car, just as she arrived, a pop-up appeared:
[Ga Fee: 4:45–5:45 Ti Block]
Rita threw in the 25g Blocks they'd just earned from the ride rentals, then added 5g from her recent sales.
[You have played for 2 hours. Unlocking a new item/relic.]
["ow ow Inn" unlocked.]
[Item Delivered.]
A cat house—still trying to shrink itself—fell from the sky.
Its exterior was a light coffee brown; the inside, soft white.
Rita opened it up and was surprised to find it was a five-piece set, just like a top-tier relic.
Thinking about all the items the ow ow Inn had already produced for her—like the Cat Head that let her teleport or the World Graveyard—the rarity now made sense.
Not everything it gave was flashy, but every so often, it gifted her sothing incredibly useful.
As long as the cat inn remained in use, she could look forward to more surprises.
She flipped it upside down and pasted it to the back of her shoulder like a hoodie hood.
Then she turned to the nearby players still waiting to rent the car:
"We're closed for now."
The bumper car rolled back automatically.
The player hopped off, and Nivalis imdiately jumped in.
Nivalis: "What are we playing next?"
Rita picked up B8017913 and plopped it in the middle seat before jumping in herself.
"Let's just drive around a bit… but don't play the music."
Nivalis regretfully pulled her claw away from the Block model on the dashboard.
"Why won't you sit in the driver's seat and just touch the Block? Let's see what kind of song you get!"
Rita: "No need. It's probably sothing dramatic like Symphony of Fate or Ode to Destiny. I might scare people off if it starts blasting."
Neither of them said a word.
Rita narrowed her eyes.
"No private chatting!"
Nivalis: "…"
B8017913: "…"
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