This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 281: Renting [Moment of Reversal]?
After leaving the Eternal Night Fortress with a heavy heart, Rita headed straight to the Dark City. On her way past the alchemy shop, she knocked on the window, dropped off a few boxes of gifts filled with food, drinks, and other trinkets, and left for Yaslan City.
Inside, Hecipah looked up from her book. "Who was that just now?"
Kayden replied, "Some orc that seemed plain at first glance but gave off a sneaky vibe."
That description rang a bell... Seeing the gifts on the table, they didn’t need further explanation to guess who it was. Excitedly, Kayden began tearing open the packages.
Hecipah picked up a burger, unwrapped it, and took a bite. Rita hadn’t sent anything so distinctly Blue Star-like in a long time. "Hasn’t Tonton Lin recently opened a similar burger place?"
Kayden nodded. "Yeah, rumor has it that a Blue Star native started it, but there’s no proof."
Hecipah chuckled. "Blue Star people aren’t bold enough to flaunt themselves like that. It’s probably Windscythe exporting their recipe. Crafty bastards—better at business than the goblins."
Kayden sighed wistfully. "Teacher, I want to visit Blue Star someday."
Hecipah scoffed. "Descend to Blue Star? If you last more than three days, I’ll let you call yourself Kayden and start calling me Hecipah."
Kayden pouted. "Well, when’s Ravenclaw going to die? I’ve already found a lead on the Fountain of Undeath. Once I get my hands on it and she finally croaks, I’ll turn her into a lich and invite her over for tea... though I’m not sure she can even die on Lania Kaia."
Hecipah: … This kid’s still as creepy as ever.
After rushing back home, Rita and Nivalis managed to make it to Zoey’s concert just in time. Five minutes after sitting down, Rita received +1 attribute point.
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Shadow.Q handed her a notebook. "Here’s some intel we’ve gathered on the Oak Owls. Try to swing by the Special Affairs Bureau on the 15th for a quick meeting."
Rita asked, "When do we move?"
Shadow.Q replied, "The operation starts at midnight on the 13th. Seven teams, including yours, will enter the tower in waves. The last team should be inside by the evening of the 14th."
"Are you joining the mission?"
"Yeah, I’ll be with the S City team. You’ll be tagging along with us."
In the crowded venue, Rita didn’t want to risk being overheard, so she opened her game interface and messaged Shadow.Q.
[Rita]: If I want to get Black Jade’s skill crystal for reversing contracts, what’s the price?
[Shadow.Q]: We’ve tried to buy it, but Black Jade’s asking price is way out of reach.
[Rita]: Dragon blood?
[Shadow.Q]: Yep. 500 ml of dragon blood or exclusive ownership of a large dungeon.
[Rita]: Anything else? Not even for gold?
[Shadow.Q]: He says he has no use for money. Claims he gets stronger through "zero-cost acquisition."
[Rita]: What tier is that skill?
[Shadow.Q]: No idea. His lips are sealed. For someone who acts arrogant and hotheaded, he’s careful not to spill any crucial information.
What a shame.
It seemed impossible to obtain the [Moment of Reversal] skill crystal through legitimate means.
Back home, Rita took out the Soul Catcher and began to toy with it. The Sea Demon’s finger bone was like exquisite jade—slender, with a graceful curve at the tip, resembling a work of art.
There were still too many mysteries, but the looming dangers were crystal clear. The solution lay before her: Black Jade’s reversal skill!
If Black Jade wouldn’t sell the crystal, she’d rent it.
She activated [One Answer (1/1)]—You may ask me one question related to money or wealth.
Rita asked, "I want to know the current total wealth of Rick’s master, the Flood Dragon Black Jade."
A line of faint, glowing text appeared above the finger bone’s palm: 237 gold coins.
Rita glanced at her own savings.
Though she’d spent a significant amount on memory crystals and disconnection dandelions, the recent income from the Special Affairs Bureau’s sale of [Time Is Always Squeezable]—plus the earnings from her rooftop vending machine—left her with 83,035 gold coins.
Nivalis quickly pulled out her phone and opened a calculator. "Holy Cup! You could rent it for 350 days! That’s almost a year!"
Rita hesitated. Was it worth it?
Those 80,000 coins were her savings, set aside for a once-in-a-lifetime skill book she didn’t know when she’d find.
But her hesitation lasted less than a minute. She made up her mind: it was worth it.
At present, Miyaas posed the greatest threat. Without fully understanding his methods, he was like a sword hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment. The reversal skill wasn’t just a way to counterattack; it was essential for her defense.
Rita had even resolved to delay the tower mission if necessary. Despite all the effort she’d put into building a rapport with Eclipse Vanguard, it paled in comparison to the allure of evolving her Divine Gift.
She also harbored a bold hypothesis: once she dealt with Miyaas, she’d eventually climb the tower anyway.
If the rental period followed Black Jade’s time instead of hers, entering the tower could give her access to the skill for 300 years!
Adding up all these factors, spending the gold to rent [Moment of Reversal] was far more valuable than hoarding it for an uncertain future skill book.
Eight thousand gold was a small price to pay. With [Time Is Always Squeezable] selling soon, she wouldn’t be short on spending money.
And even if Black Jade used the money to help Rick... With her abilities, extracting Rick for a three-day heist was well within her reach.
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Having settled on her decision, Rita wasted no time.
She activated her Gold-Class Assassin perfume just nine hours ago—perfect timing for action.
She also didn’t trust Black Jade’s current wealth to remain static. Who knew if he might suddenly hit the jackpot? She couldn’t afford to wait.
Using [One Transaction], Rita ensured no Blue Star money would count towards her wealth. To be extra safe, she handed her cards to Nivalis and gave her three hours to spend every cent.
Nivalis accepted the task with the solemnity of a sacred mission. "Don’t worry. Leave the spending to me!"
Within an hour, all her digital wallets were drained, and every card maxed out.
Nivalis grinned. "There! Satisfied?"
Rita deadpanned. "Very. Thoroughly dead inside."
Still uneasy, she confirmed, "Are you sure North Year borrowed all your pocket money on Dragon Island?"
Nivalis nodded earnestly. "Positive. Not even a copper coin left... I even wanted to give you an allowance, but alas!"
Rita instantly developed a strong dislike for North Year.
