This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

After returning home, Rita once again retreated into her "closed-door cultivation mode." She focused on crafting [Spring Not Late], [Gold-Class Assassin], and [Melting Time], while simultaneously using lightning energy to ignite her orange-red wings.

It wasn't until the morning of December 31st that she finally found some downtime. She planned to prepare a feast for New Year's Eve, not just for herself and Nivalis, but also for the cats in the backyard.

From the moment she woke up, her message inbox wouldn't stop pinging.

Messages came from Yu Qingshan, Scarlett, and Rick. The first two invited her and Rick to reunite in B City, while Rick simply sent a close-up photo of Black Jade in their group chat.

In turn, Rita invited the two of them to come to S City. However, it seemed like those two had either snuck into yet another faction or shamelessly bothered Shen Yushi again. They directly replied that they weren't coming and would revisit the idea next year.

With that, Rita finally had some peace and quiet.

She began decorating her villa, using the 60 weather skill stones she had received. Although she had only managed to ignite around 600 light feathers, it was already enough for her to slightly adjust and control some of her abilities.

Using [Shielded Water Curtain], she surrounded the villa—excluding the top floor and backyard—with a lightning web.

Anyone foolish enough to touch this lightning web would find it snapping shut and imprisoning them within an electrified cage. The added paralyzing effect would render intruders completely immobile, effectively leaving them as sitting ducks until Rita returned. Combined with the Shielded Water Curtain, this setup would deliver a double dose of damage. If the intruder was lucky, they might just survive.

While creating the lightning web consumed a significant amount of mana upfront, its ongoing maintenance was minimal—just 1 mana point per minute. To sustain it, Rita buried several mana stones beneath the web, ensuring it could run for at least three full days without needing her attention.

As for the backyard, it was already protected by the Shielded Water Curtain, but Rita still had Nivalis erect an ice wall between the backyard and the lightning web. This was to prevent the backyard cats from accidentally wandering into the web.

She also placed several mana stones inside the wooden house in the backyard, instructing the cats to "bury the stones" whenever the energy supply ran low.

Of course, the lightning web was just the surface-level defense. The real traps lay within the villa itself.

Rita strategically scattered Oak Owl fruits throughout the house. Even an ordinary Oak Owl would find themselves ensnared. However, the most heavily fortified area was her bedroom, specifically underneath her bed.

It was a series of layered traps so intricate that even Nivalis had been caught several times during testing before she finally remembered where they all were.

By midday, after responding to her messages, Rita started cashing in on payments.

First came an email from Jameson, detailing his recent progress reports and including over 3,000 gold coins as part of their agreed 20% cut from The White Family's profits.

For safety, Rita withdrew 3,000 gold coins from her inventory and placed them on the table before accepting Jameson's transfer.

At first, she thought it wouldn't be necessary to remain anonymous with Jameson. But seeing the amount of "dirty money" coming in now, she decided it was probably better to keep a low profile.

The 3,000 gold coins stunned her for a moment. Was this family really making money that fast? She had only struck a deal with The White Family in early November, meaning this amount had accumulated in less than two months.

This could only mean one thing: The White Family had earned over 15,000 gold coins in less than two months.

If they'd always been this profitable, there was no way they wouldn't have made it onto the wealth rankings—regardless of the large number of people they supported.

[Rita]: Who's the genius in your family? You or Lady Allison?

[Jameson]: It's obviously my wife. I'm just the guy who catches the fish; she's the one who sells them. Her talent is literally called "Fortune's Arrival"! Haha, see? I told you partnering with an old slave like me wasn't a bad deal!@@novelbin@@

[Jameson]: If it weren't for the recent trouble—Minotaurs hunting us for bounties—we'd be earning even more.

[Rita]: Hmm… Well, those aliens are just terrible.

[Jameson]: Oh, by the way, has my daughter, Fishchuan, been causing you any trouble?

Rita stared at the 3,000 gold coins in her hand, suppressing the flood of complaints that threatened to escape her mouth.

[Rita]: No, she's… lively.

[Jameson]: That's good to hear! If she ever misbehaves, don't hesitate to teach her a lesson.

[Jameson]: By the way, Ezra's gone for good. He's been permanently deleted from the game. If you need his head sent to you, just let me know.

[Jameson]: As for The Taylor Family's assets—they're ours now. We've successfully taken over all their holdings in S City. If there's anything specific you need, feel free to ask.

[Jameson]: Oh, and about EasySing—it's Eclipse Vanguard's army leader's pet. That woman has no kids, and her husband was smart enough to kick the bucket early on. Apparently, unlike some other men, he didn't make her finish the job herself… Uh, sorry, that last bit wasn't relevant. Anyway, she treats EasySing like her child and guards it fiercely. We couldn't get any photos.

[Rita]: Understood. Keep a close eye on Aaron Jones . If he returns to S City and contacts Rick, notify me immediately.

Jameson was efficient, as always. He had completed all of Rita's assignments perfectly.

Just as she wrapped up her conversation with Jameson, another notification arrived—this time from Eclipse Vanguard, regarding her share of [Time Is Always Squeezable] profits.

This payout was even larger than expected: over 4,000 gold coins.

In total, Rita received 8,000 gold coins in one morning. She walked to the backyard, where Nivalis was lounging amidst the cats, and handed her the entire amount.

"Here, this is half. The remaining 8,000 gold coins will take some time."

Nivalis accepted it without hesitation. She could feel that Rita was genuinely intent on repaying her debt—without the slightest hint of insincerity or reluctance.

Although Nivalis wanted to tell Rita it wasn't necessary to be so precise, the Holy Cup had berated her over this matter when she mentioned it. Even Lidian had snatched the dragon-scale communicator from her and scolded her, telling her to "shut up and enjoy it!"

With that settled, Rita moved the cooking equipment and a large pot to the backyard. After arranging a spread of premium ingredients and seasonings, she sealed off the lightning web's exit and closed the villa's doors leading to the backyard.

Rolling up her sleeves, she activated [Chaos Kitchen].

What followed could only be described as absolute chaos.

The 20+ cats, previously content playing with Nivalis's toys, seemed to awaken their wild instincts. They ran rampant, climbing onto the makeshift stoves, jumping over steaming pots, and swiping at the bubbling dishes with their paws.

It was as if they were determined to test the saying: "Too many cooks spoil the broth."

Rita's forehead throbbed with frustration. She was worried about cat fur falling into the food and terrified that one of the cats might accidentally burn themselves. She constantly found herself blocking curious paws or picking up mischievous felines mid-leap.

Even Nivalis eventually came over to "help," shooing cats away and handing over ingredients.

Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

By the time the meal was finished, Rita was drenched in sweat, and the kitchen looked like a warzone.

Yet, the result was an extraordinary feast: 18 large dishes, with the highest rated at 97 points and the lowest at 95 points.

Rita carefully packed a portion of each dish into clean containers and sent them to Shen Yushi. The rest? She handed the majority to Nivalis, instructing her to send it to Holy Cup and the others.

Nivalis tried to feign ignorance, but Rita didn't give her the chance. After handing over the food, Rita immediately left for Dark City, planning to deliver a share to Apache and Kayden.

Left with no choice, Nivalis reluctantly took out the giant conch North Year had given her during her last visit to Dragon Island. Using it, she sent the food and a few of Blue Star's newly invented toys back home.