This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita smoothly acted as though the previous conversation never happened. She said, "What's the price? Ah… You're someone I deeply respect, so I'd never take advantage of you. I'll need an SSS-level blocking skill, an SSS-level teleportation skill, and an SSS-level time manipulation skill."

Not wanting to waste time haggling, she laid out her bottom line.

Maple Syrup, who was not one to waste time on formalities either, shook her head. "Blocking, time, and teleportation skills... the rarest and most precious types. I can't give them to you. I also won't be crafting skill books from the ones I already have."

Rita immediately adjusted her offer. "Then how about ten Golden Tree Withered Leaves?"

Maple Syrup rejected that too. "It's been ages since I've received something as low-tier as that."

Rita casually responded, "How about three high-level ones then?"

Maple Syrup raised an eyebrow. "You're not in a hurry, are you?"

Rita was once again impressed by Maple Syrup's sharp observational skills. She didn't think she had acted that desperate, but she reluctantly admitted, "I'm in a hurry."

Maple Syrup then asked, "What's the price to leave?"

Rita replied straightforwardly, "5-Characterdiamonds."

She wasn't worried about Maple Syrup figuring anything out from that. After all, there was another step to the process once they found the gatekeeper. This was a backup plan B80234615 had set up for her, something the other mechanical races were unaware of. Even if a player and a mechanical race found the gatekeeper, they still wouldn't be able to leave.

Unless someone like her, with the right information, passed on the news...

Rita's pupils contracted sharply, her back stiffened, and her brows furrowed tightly.

A few seconds later, with a sigh, she relaxed her body—she'd been played by B80234615!

No, she couldn't call it being played. It was more like B80234615 had calculated the situation based on her personality and the current circumstances.

She wasn't sure how mechanical races communicated with each other, but she knew that before she arrived at the garbage mountain, none of them spoke. They only began chattering when she got closer. This implied that they likely didn't need language to communicate.

If B80234615 knew about the situation here and had factored in her personality...

As soon as it shared this news with her, knowing she would sell it to maximize profits, it had to be counting on the fact that she would come back to sell the information, rather than letting such a big opportunity slip through her fingers.

Her cautious nature, combined with her combat power, would have made her go to the strongest player and sell it all at once.

But what would the powerful players exiled to the Abandoned Zone do?

Whether they decided to suppress all the players, collecting the profits before revealing the information, or gathered the players to attack the mining area, it was the scenario B80234615 wanted to see.

Soon… countless players and mechanical races would be returning to the mining area at once...

That was B80234615's revenge on the mining area!!!

Rita clenched her fists. She needed to hurry back, settle everything, and leave as quickly as possible. The mining area would definitely get chaotic!

As for B80234615... Despite everything being her choice, looking back, she couldn't escape the feeling of being calculated. It made her mood feel complicated.

She wasn't afraid of B80234615. Since it was useful to her, the stronger B80234615 got, the happier she was. All she had to do was suppress it tightly after each day, while staying alert to any schemes it might be plotting against her.

What scared her was how B80234615 had deduced her actions so precisely. She had been "obediently" walking right into its plans.

This made her feel a sense of fear and unease she couldn't suppress.

B80234615 had only known her for a short time, but it had already figured her out based on analyzing her personality, instincts, and way of doing things. What about other beings or skills? Could they reach this level of understanding?

While Rita was lost in these thoughts, Maple Syrup was also considering the pros and cons of the situation.

She knew BS Rita's answer wasn't complete, but that was normal. If it were otherwise, she'd start questioning BS Rita's intelligence.

The price to leave was high, but not unreasonably so. Most players who managed to survive in the Abandoned Zone could afford it.

Maple Syrup glanced at the group of players nearby and in the distance. There were at least two thousand of them, and who knew how many more were farther away, with more players sure to show up soon.

As long as she could control the scene, this was an enormous fortune.

No wonder BS Rita was selling this opportunity to her. For Rita, this was the most profitable option. If she tried selling the information herself, she wouldn't be able to leave the Abandoned Zone, let alone make a profit.

Maple Syrup closed her eyes. She was hesitating—should she make a big profit, or gather these players and lead an attack back to the mining area, stirring up chaos?

For a moment, both the genuine and fake owls fell into silence.

Just then, B80234615, hanging around Rita's neck, vibrated slightly—her signal to hurry up. This was their secret code. It vibrated when there was half an hour left.

Rita snapped back to reality and looked at Maple Syrup. "So, what's the decision?"

Maple Syrup smirked. "How about a self-created skill at the same level as [Cheers]? Want it?"

Rita immediately answered, "Yes!!!" Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

Maple Syrup snickered, but her laughter wasn't dismissive—there was more resignation in it. "You haven't even learned [Cheers] yet, and now you want a new one? Don't you want to know what it is first?"

Rita replied confidently, "Anything you create is guaranteed to be god-tier!"

Maple Syrup raised an eyebrow. "…Is this how you got Mistblade to fall for you?"

Rita chuckled. "No, I don't need to use this trick on Mistblade Moon Emperor."

Maple Syrup nodded in satisfaction.

Rita teased, "Mistblade Moon Emperor isn't as hard to deal with as you are."

Maple Syrup: "…" She was getting bold now.

Maple Syrup handed her a feather. "Here, take this and learn it. This skill is called [Drunkard]."

Rita accepted the feather, immediately opening a Temporary Pocket inside her shirt near her chest. She carefully placed the orange feather, labeled [Drunkard—Skill Memory Feather], inside and gently patted it.

Maple Syrup crossed her arms and quietly watched Rita's actions. "Do you want to come with me to Polar Day City? I know what you're worried about, but I'm not as paranoid or crazy as you think. I'll take you in as my disciple."

Rita raised her eyes to meet Maple Syrup's gaze. "I'll come when Lania Kaia merges with BS."

Maple Syrup clicked her tongue in exasperation, laughing at Rita's words. As she laughed, she cursed under her breath in Forest Sea slang—something along the lines of "stinky brat" or "rotten egg".