This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1154: Divine Game Quiet Mountain 37

Though Quiet Mountain was peaceful, it wasn’t without its conflicts.

The relationships between different domains and cities varied—some were good, some were bad. This meant that certain main cities didn’t have teleportation arrays, making direct travel impossible. To reach a destination, one had to plan the route carefully, deciding whether to take a longer path or risk using several teleportation arrays to avoid detection.

Maple Syrup chose to walk more and teleport less because Quiet Mountain’s currency system wasn’t unified. She couldn’t easily obtain the local currency whenever she reached a new main city. On the other hand, walking allowed her to use her travel skills, which consumed mana to move forward by a distance equal to her mana value.

However, she hadn’t expected this method of travel to come with an unwelcome companion.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maple Syrup noticed the massive white fox walking beside her. At over fifty meters long, and with a tail that fluttered like silk in the wind, Mistblade was now easily over one hundred meters long.

But what bothered Maple Syrup wasn’t that Mistblade had decided to travel alongside her. "...This is the 122nd time you’ve stolen a glance at me."

The green eyes of the white fox flickered to her side, then quickly shifted to the nearby owl with eyes the size of hers. "You know this route leads to ’Midsummer,’ right?"

I knew she’d ask that. Maple Syrup responded with a cold explanation, "I’m hoping to grab the Order Badge in the chaos." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Then are you planning to kill her a second time?"

"Does it matter to you? Or are you going to point your blade at me for her now?"

It was just a casual remark from Maple Syrup, expecting Mistblade to remain silent. To her surprise, Mistblade returned a rather non-neutral answer: "Maybe."

The silence between them stretched on, and after a long pause, Maple Syrup spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm: "From what I know, the help you’ve provided her has always been limited. When Lania Kaia was about to descend upon BS, you said you could only help her in ’My World.’ When she disappeared in Quiet Mountain Forest Sea, you simply gave up after a brief search. Don’t you think your answer now is rather hypocritical? I never knew you to be such a wavering person."

"I haven’t wavered. In fact, I’ve never changed for anyone," the moon fox’s fur was lifted by the wind, forming soft waves. She wasn’t angry, and her voice softened. "I walk my own path. Occasionally, when our directions align, I don’t mind walking alongside her for a while."

"You too, Maple Syrup. I’ve walked alongside you before."

Unfortunately, the way we met was too tragic, and the roads we walked were too short. Everyone was in a hurry, never stopping for anyone. After we parted ways, we felt like strangers.

In the end, the moon fox concluded, "Helping her and obtaining the Order Badge aren’t contradictory. I’m not heading to ’Midsummer’ just to help her. So, to answer your question, I can only say ’maybe.’"

For the first time, Maple Syrup looked directly at the moon fox. This time, her sarcasm was even more evident. "Then if the ones being hunted down now were Flowering Edge, Pine Bloom, or even me, would you still trek all the way to ’Midsummer’ for the Order Badge?"

She received a counter-question from the moon fox: "What about you?"

The conversation ended abruptly, leaving both sides with a question neither could answer.

Quiet Mountain

SmokeTune stood in line behind QM Cicada. As Apostles of God, they had several privileges. For instance, they could teleport directly to cities that had alliances with "Beacon," just as QM Rita could teleport to "Beacon" with no need for an introduction. If they took the Beacon-Tides route, they might even arrive before QM Rita.

But QM Cicada wasn’t happy with that, and Quiet MountainSmokeTune didn’t push her. She felt like she should be looking out for the former.

Staring at the long line ahead, QM Cicada asked, "Do you think we’ll go to ’Midsummer’ for SS Rita?"

Quiet MountainSmokeTune didn’t immediately answer but instead countered with a question of her own: "Why are you so concerned about this?"

"Don’t you find it interesting?" QM Cicada turned around, a mischievous smile on her face in the dimming light. "QM Rita seems really concerned about whether SS Rita is happy or not. SS Rita is pretty hated, and even when I locked her in prison, players tried to assassinate her. But QM Rita still wants to experiment. What kind of situation is she hoping for?"

Quiet MountainSmokeTune fell silent for a moment before asking a question that seemed unrelated at first: "Do you know what QM Rita’s demon talent is?"

QM Cicada froze for a moment, understanding the deeper meaning behind Quiet MountainSmokeTune’s question. "The Quiet Mountain-level information is no longer available on the player panel. I can’t check it. Do you know what it is?"

"It’s something Maple Syrup saw using a demon relic. Looks like you missed the message in the chat group," Quiet MountainSmokeTune said, a soundproof shield enveloping both Vineborne. "Maple Syrup and Mistblade’s talents have both reached the Quiet Mountain level. You know that Quiet Mountain-level demon talents are no longer part of the divine gift concept. They’ve evolved into abilities, right?"

"I know. I’ve seen the discussions. I also know demon talents are probably related to the player’s obsessions, personalities, or inherent abilities."

"Exactly. QM Rita’s demon talent is just one word: ’Extra.’"

"’Extra’? What does that mean?"

"We specifically asked BS players, and the general meaning of the word is ’side story,’ ’something off-topic,’ or ’a branch story outside the main storyline.’"

Did it need more explanation?

For all the Apostles of God from Quiet Mountain, it didn’t.

Those words revealed not only what QM Rita thought, felt, and suffered, but they also struck at the hearts of every clone with pinpoint precision.

The two Vineborne stared silently at each other for a few seconds. Then, QM Cicada suddenly clutched her chest and complained, "So she doesn’t need to be present or speak. Just her ability information alone can piss me off."

"...Have you ever thought that maybe it’s because you care too much about her?"

"It’s her who keeps provoking me!"

"But only you react so strongly. Mistblade never blows up."

"That’s because you haven’t seen it. Don’t let her calm demeanor fool you—her tail’s already fluffed up. Next time when she and Mistblade talk, stand behind Mistblade’s tail and watch for the third tail."

"..."

"And Maple Syrup, haven’t you noticed? Every time QM Rita talks to her, her smoking pipe rate goes up significantly!"

"..." Cicada’s daily observations were beyond comprehension, and honestly, what was so funny about this?