This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita waited for five minutes, enough time for her to read through the forum post, then finally replied to Rick.

**[Rita]: I promise to get it for you.**

**[Rick]: Thanks, sis!!! I'll definitely repay you!**

**[Rita]: No need for repayment, just remember my commission.**

In less than a minute, she received two rare-level rings, custom-made for her level, along with 50 gold coins.

See? That's how it's done. Rick transferred what he originally intended to spend on the information directly to Rita, even adding a little extra. As Zoey had said, it was better to let Rita earn the money than some outsider.

Rick was genuinely touched by how Rita immediately agreed to help after reading the post without hesitation.

Look at that! Look! That's what it means to have a real sister!

Rick was in a great mood. He turned to Zoey and said, "My sister agreed to help, without even hesitating!"

Zoey's brows relaxed. "Good, I'll remember this favor."

She then turned her attention to dealing with Mateo's private messages. She'd much rather have Rick claim the flood dragon than let it fall into Mateo's hands.

As for dragon dung, Rita didn't lack that. She even had dragon blood.

Rita had fought Nivalis for eight hours, during which the dragon's blood spilled like rain. Although most of it had coagulated by the time they signed the contract, Rita had managed to collect three small bottles of still-liquid dragon blood, totaling at least 70ml.

If she had requested dragon blood in her forum post, the impact would have been even greater. After all, dragon blood was far more precious than dragon dung. But Rita would never let dragon blood in her possession become a trade commodity, even if this whole situation was just her left hand passing something to her right. She didn't want people to think they could buy dragon blood from her.

She couldn't say she loved and pitied Nivalis, only to exploit her by eating her flesh and drinking her blood once she brought the dragon home. That would make her even more disgusting than Rick.

Even if she ever needed dragon blood for alchemy or quests, she would pay a high price to trade with Nivalis directly. If Nivalis refused, that would be fine too.

So, the only dragon blood she could freely use was that 70ml. As for dragon dung? No problem. Rita had her limits, but she wasn't aiming to be a saint. She wasn't going to be overly hard on herself either.

Besides, Nivalis produced so much dung... Rita suspected that Nivalis might soon flood the dragon dung market in *Lania Kaia*.

There was no rush to send Rick the dragon dung. Rita leisurely went home to bathe and sleep, not waking up until 10 a.m. the next day. When she opened the door, the newly minted online celebrity, Scarlett, was outside, eager to be let in.

Scarlett had come to take photos of Nivalis.

Despite her sometimes clueless nature, Scarlett hadn't harbored any ill intent toward the dragon—she just genuinely enjoyed photographing Nivalis, sharing the images online, and tasting the feeling of fleeting fame. Plus, Scarlett didn't squeal or shout when taking pictures, which meant Nivalis didn't mind her being around.

Scarlett didn't just take photos; she also edited them, adding effects to make the chubby little dragon look as majestic as a dragon king. Nivalis was mesmerized by the enhanced images.

Not only that, Scarlett read out the overwhelmingly positive comments people left online, showering Nivalis with praise. The emotional support was through the roof.

And although Scarlett didn't pixelate Rita in the photos, she was diligent about blurring the house and surrounding scenery to prevent anyone from triangulating Rita's location.

Sometimes, Rita couldn't tell if Scarlett was truly clueless or just pretending.

Rita ordered a new phone for Nivalis, and it arrived by mail within a minute. She handed the phone to the excited little dragon, while Scarlett sent over the newly edited photos.

"Why didn't your dad come along?" Rita asked.

Scarlett replied, "We came by yesterday, but you weren't home, so he thought you might be out today too."

Rita asked, "Are you guys still grinding levels with the 'Senior Citizens Squad'?"

Scarlett's expression briefly faltered. "No, we didn't want to bother your brother anymore, so we left."

"Oh, you *didn't want to bother* my brother, huh?" Rita thought, holding back her laughter. You must've pissed off Rick and got kicked out, right?

Just as Rita was trying to suppress her grin, Scarlett turned to her with hopeful eyes. "Can you take the two of us leveling? You've got a dragon now, so you should be able to protect us, right?"

Rita's smile froze on her face.

Clearing her throat, she quickly made up an excuse. "I'm busy these days."

Scarlett sighed, "Busy... busy... it's good to be busy, though..."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Rita: "..."

If only you weren't glancing at me with those hopeful little eyes, I might've actually believed you.

Not wanting to give in, Rita tried changing the topic. "By the way, about the profits from those Nivalis photos..."

Before Rita could finish, Scarlett darted off to grab cleaning supplies, immediately starting to clean Rita's house—wiping down tables, fridges, floors, and even huffing on surfaces to polish them. Her sycophantic behavior was almost unbearable.

Resigned, Rita got up to make breakfast. There was no way she could avoid feeding Scarlett now.

Halfway through cooking, Samuel showed up too.

Lately, Samuel had been feeling more and more down. Nothing was going right, and he had been scammed out of some money. He suspected Rick was behind it.

He even changed his online handle from *Depressed Samuel* to *Samuel Wants to Die*.

Samuel also wanted to bond with Nivalis, but the dragon clearly disliked him. As soon as he entered the house, Nivalis flew upstairs to the room she shared with Rita.

With his hands behind his back, Samuel sighed, "This dragon... you really should train it better."

Rita added more noodles to the pot. "She's level 14, and I'm level 7. I should just be thankful she doesn't train me."

True, Samuel thought. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "Just make sure to protect her well, don't let anyone take her, especially your brother. Be cautious."

Rita raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What's with the sudden concern? My brother's fine…"

But then she noticed Samuel's mana bar twitch. He was using a lie detection skill, wasn't he?

That line about Rick being "fine" had been a lie so blatant she nearly expected lightning to strike her.

Rita kept a straight face and continued, "Okay, fine, I get it. Dad might have a temper, but the dragon will be fine. You've seen that popular thread online, right? I'm collecting enough dragon dung to send to my brother. That flood dragon will definitely end up with him, don't worry. I'll help him out!"

Samuel's feelings were complicated. He knew his daughter was telling the truth, but he didn't want Rick to get his hands on the flood dragon. Samuel had taught Rick, so he knew all too well what his son was like.

Rick might not physically harm Samuel and Scarlett, but he'd certainly find ways to make their lives uncomfortable. Samuel had already noticed things going wrong lately...

Right now, Samuel's only wish was to keep Rick down.