This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

*What a good kid!*

Landon flipped through some details of what happened to Rita before the game invasion, especially the Amelia case. Back then, he had commented, "This kid was probably betrayed. We should protect her."

So in this regard, the Special Affairs Bureau made sure to tread carefully.

Shadow.Q was only here to show Rita the locations, and then let her coordinate with the guards in front of the dungeon portal to set up a time to clear the dungeons.

Rita asked, "Do any of these dungeons have boss-level beasts?"

Shadow.Q replied, "The second dungeon we saw has a giant whale, but you don't need to fight it. It's at Level 15, so you've got time."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Rita agreed, "Got it. I'll clear these three dungeons this week and contact you after. By the way, how do I claim those 30 chances to boost my attributes?"

Shadow.Q reassured her, "I'll send them to you within a week."

Rita was already looking forward to it. "Sounds good. Oh, have you found any other players with the Divine Gift *Wheel of Fate*?"

At this, Shadow.Q's expression soured. "Yes! But that player got poached by a faction in B City."

Hearing this, Rita felt a jolt. "What faction?"

Shadow.Q answered, "Wildfire. Have you heard of them?"

Rita shook her head outwardly, but inwardly she was very familiar. In the later stages of the game, when factions could formally establish guilds recognized by the system, Taylor's *Wildfire*, the Lopez family's *Shuffle*, and the White family's *71%* were the three most powerful guilds in Los Angeles, second only to the Special Affairs Bureau.

When these three allied together, even the Los Angeles Special Affairs Bureau had to step aside. After all, the Bureau couldn't summon all the high-level players from across the country just to suppress them.

After parting ways with Shadow.Q, Rita stood on the street and patted Nivalis, who had been quietly sitting on her shoulder. "What's on your mind?"

Nivalis flapped her wings and patted Rita's hand. "I heard you telling her I'm not for sale."

Rita chuckled as she slowly walked under the shade of a tree toward a nearby dungeon portal, planning to clear one of the dungeons today. "That made you happy?"

Nivalis giggled, "Hehe."

Rita teased, "I thought you'd never suffered enough to be so easily moved."

She didn't know much about Nivalis's life before coming to Blue Star, but based on the fifth talent skill description—"*You are the team's beloved baby! As the only dragon cub born in nearly three thousand years, you are blessed by the Master of Time and the Ghostwalker*"—she could guess a bit.

But Nivalis replied, "Didn't you know? Dragons are very sensitive to emotions. The first time we feel happiness and joy, and the ten-thousandth time we feel them, it's the same intensity. We may get fatter, but a dragon's emotions never grow dull."

Rita remained silent for a long while before softly asking, "Is it the same for pain?"

Nivalis responded, "Of course."

... Find adventures at empire

Rick managed to get to B City quickly, but he was currently staying at a hotel. Why? Because both Samuel and Scarlett were now staying with Rick's grandmother, Eleanor.

And Rick's feelings toward Eleanor were… complicated. He wasn't keen on seeing her.

Rick's grandfather, Aiden, was from a side branch of the Wilson family and was split off early. The Wilson family never really took care of Aiden's branch.

Just like how Zoey viewed distant relatives she barely remembered as burdens, Aiden and Samuel were seen as dead weight by the Wilson family's main branch.

The Wilson family only cared about Samuel's older sister, Avery. They even adopted her into the main family, officially recording her in the family register. Even after Avery got married, the Wilson family never distanced themselves from her. They even gave her part of the Wilson family's business.

In contrast, Aiden only got some token things from the Wilson family to keep up appearances.

Yet, Aiden refused to leave B City. He preferred to stay close and watch his eldest daughter live a life of wealth and privilege he could never hope to enjoy.

Samuel couldn't stand it. He could see the benefits, but he couldn't touch them or even attend Wilson family banquets. The way Avery looked at their family was as if she was staring at garbage. She refused to offer even the smallest amount of help, never called Aiden "Dad," and never answered Samuel's every plea of "Sister."

The only flicker of warmth Avery showed was occasionally nodding at Eleanor, but she never called her "Mom."

By the time Rick was old enough to talk, he'd already been hearing Samuel complain to Scarlett about his sister, Avery. So much so that Rick's first word wasn't "Dad," "Mom," or "Sister"—it was "Avery."

Looking back now, Rick realized something interesting: Samuel never once complained about or even mentioned Avery in front of Rita. Avery's name became taboo in the house, and Samuel acted like an "only child."

In this household, Eleanor was the first to accept this reality. She always told people she had only one son—Samuel.

When Rick was four and Rita was six, Aiden passed away. Samuel had wanted to leave then, but changing jobs, buying a house, and moving their assets took time. It took him two years to finalize everything and plan the family's move to Los Angeles.

But when he returned home, his mother informed him that she had her eye on a handsome older man and wanted to remarry.

Samuel was dumbfounded and refused outright. "Dad just died two years ago."

Eleanor asked him flatly, "Do you want me to remain a widow for the rest of my life for him?"

Samuel protested, "But you're already getting old!"

Eleanor retorted, "I'm only 53! I've got more suitors than you've got years left to live!"

That was the first time little Rick, who was six by then, saw Samuel lose his temper. "No way. I'll make sure you never remarry, even if it kills me!"

Then Eleanor calmly picked up an ashtray and smashed it over Samuel's head. Afterward, she turned to Scarlett and said, "Go check if he's dead."

Samuel spent two weeks in the hospital, talking tough but never reporting her to the police. When he finally moved, he took everything Aiden had left behind, except the old courtyard house and the money in Eleanor's bank account.

It was laughable—he couldn't even take them with him.

When Aiden was alive, he turned over all his earnings to Eleanor, and all their investments and assets were in her name. He'd even given the courtyard house to Eleanor as a gift before they got married, signing a voluntary transfer agreement.

In Samuel's eyes, his father was a hopeless romantic—he had loved Eleanor his entire life, but when he died, she moved on so quickly!

Two years? That's nothing!

From that day forward, Samuel never returned to B City and forbade Scarlett from bringing the kids there.

But Rick had seen Eleanor at the school gate, in the neighborhood, and elsewhere.

He knew she had come to see him and Rita. Sometimes, she even checked on Scarlett, but she never saw Samuel because his work schedule was so regular. Whenever Samuel was about to come home, Eleanor always disappeared.

One time, the siblings saw their grandmother standing in the shade of a tree in the neighborhood. Ten-year-old Rita ran down to her.

Rick, disliking the heat, stayed behind. He watched the two chat for over half an hour before getting bored and turning on the TV.

When little Rita came back, he asked what Grandma had said.

Rita answered, "Grandma taught me how to play cards."

After that, Eleanor never came again.

Rick's memories of Eleanor had mostly faded. But 19 years later, he could still remember the slight tremor in her hand when she picked up the ashtray and the look of disappointment, anger, and sorrow on her face.

Beyond that, he mostly remembered how good her pastries were. After they left B City for Los Angeles, he and Rita spent a long time wandering the streets and alleys, hand in hand, trying to find pastries that could match Grandma's.

What would Grandma's Divine Gift be?

Why was she willing to forgive Samuel...