This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

After returning from Lania Kaia, Rita got back to cooking again. She prepared a feast of seven dishes and one soup, which she carefully arranged on a picnic blanket spread across the ground. Surrounding the picnic setup were Nivalis and the cats. All the dishes were magical in nature, ensuring they were both safe and beneficial for the cats to consume.

She glanced at the obedient cats, who sat neatly by the edges of the blanket, staring up at her with eager eyes.

Most of these cats were regulars in her backyard. They prided themselves as self-proclaimed "owners" of the cat motel. However, a few of them were newcomers, still being deceived by these seasoned cat "landlords." The freeze-dried treats Nivalis had handed out earlier had already been slyly confiscated by the older cats. It wouldn't be long before the new cats figured out the truth.

As Rita looked at this peculiar group—along with Nivalis—she realized that they were probably the closest thing she had to a family in Blue Star. She raised her cup to these furry friends and declared, "Let's eat!"

The cats didn't move, staring expectantly at her and Nivalis as if waiting for their food to be served properly in their bowls.

By the time Nivalis finally lifted her own bowl to eat, she was already exhausted. She complained to Rita, "Having pets is so tiring. Last time, Chubby Peep even said it wanted to have kittens with Wandering Ball for me to raise. Thank goodness I refused!"

Rita chuckled. "Maybe you should take a few of the cats back to Dragon Island with you? Though I'm not sure if Holy Cup or North Year would agree to it."

She had noticed that while these cats were wary of strangers, they had always shown a peculiar fondness for Nivalis. The same went for Nivalis. From the very first day she came to Rita's home, she had dived straight into the cat pile, giving each one a name—even the stray cats that wandered in for a meal.

Nivalis thought about it seriously for a moment but eventually shook her head. "Nah. The adult dragons back there are too clumsy. They might accidentally hurt them."

This meal lasted well into the night. After finishing, Rita sprawled out on a backyard sofa and spent several hours playing video games with Nivalis. For once, she allowed herself to fully relax.

Nivalis occasionally shouted for her assistance, her soft, youthful voice sounding more adorable than irritating. Every now and then, she would let out a pitiful wail that was almost endearing.

Meanwhile, the cats chased each other playfully, occasionally bumping into the little robots Nivalis had made for them.

Rita felt a rare moment of pure happiness, as if she could almost touch it.

The last time she had experienced such vivid, tangible happiness had been during those few years in High Tower, pretending to be Maple Burn.

Her moment of introspection was interrupted by the distant sound of chimes marking the new year.

Suddenly, the cats gathered around, abandoning their playful antics. Together, they rushed into the wooden house in the backyard and emerged moments later, dragging the cat nest out with them. They pulled it all the way to where Rita and Nivalis were sitting and nudged it toward them, clearly gesturing for the two to inspect it.

Rita washed her hands with Spring of Light before reaching for the cat nest with anticipation. She felt around inside and pulled out two small wooden carvings, each shaped like a cat's head and about the size of a baby's fist.

[Happy New Year] (Artifact): Bind this to a location to designate it as your home. Whenever you wish to return home, simply grip this artifact tightly and meow loudly. Regardless of your location, you will return home within 2 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute. (The bound location can be changed at any time.)

Both cat-head carvings were identical and clearly meant for her and Nivalis. Rita handed one to Nivalis and bound her own to the cat house in the backyard. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

Now, if she ever wanted to return from Lania Kaia, she would have another way back—saving herself the trouble of using the underwater teleportation array.

Rita loved the gift. Smiling brightly, she petted each cat, one by one.

Nivalis seemed equally pleased. Rita, however, suggested that she bind her artifact to Dragon Island instead.

"It makes more sense," Rita explained. "You can always return here by hiding in your pet space. But binding it to Dragon Island would let you teleport back there faster. You could even buy a skill to summon me as a pet if needed. That way, we'd never have to waste time on the journey."

Nivalis thought this over and nodded. "That makes sense." She carefully put the cat head away, planning to bind it to Dragon Island on her next visit.

Rita didn't feel like sleeping. Ever since leaving High Tower, her soul seemed more "solid," as if it had gained some undefined weight. Although her intelligence stat hadn't changed, her spirit, stamina, willpower, and mental resistance had all seen noticeable improvements.

These days, even two nights without sleep didn't leave her feeling overly tired.

After briefly tending to her potions, she took Nivalis out to the city to watch the New Year's fireworks.

If there was one thing humanity would never give up, even in the face of the apocalypse, it was celebrating the New Year.

The two strolled all the way to the Mahjong parlor, where they found the place bustling with activity. Unable to resist, they joined in for a few hours of games before heading back out as dawn broke.

Each carrying a pancake from Rita's inventory, they munched as they walked home.

The moment they returned, Rita didn't even pause to rest. Instead, she immediately headed back to Lania Kaia.

She wanted to visit Miyaas's Lair. While the most dangerous phase of the poison mists had passed, the poisonous swamp remained treacherous. Still, she believed she could now explore its outer edges for potential treasures or clues.@@novelbin@@

If Miyaas had a World's Tomb, there was a chance he might also possess valuable information about the World Battlefield.

Disguised as Wind Scythe, Rita and Nivalis used the Yass City teleportation array to travel directly to Tonton Lin.

However, rather than rushing out, Rita spent two hours wandering the streets like a street roamer.

Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Wolf Fortress, though she couldn't find any traces of it. Still, being surrounded by wealth was enough to lift her spirits.

After nearly two hours of wandering, she found herself standing at the city gates, eyeing the 5,000 gold coins in her pocket.

Without hesitation, she drank a bottle of [Melting Time] and went back to work.

Half an hour later, not only had she purchased a [Pet Reverse Summon] skill book at the auction house, but she also had 10,000 gold coins in her pocket.

She walked to a quiet corner, handed the skill book and 8,000 gold coins to Nivalis, and declared, "Here! Debt repaid!"

Nivalis clutched the pouch of gold in silence for a moment, struggling to keep up her pretense of ignorance. She had spent the entire time in her sparrow form, perched on Rita's head. Watching Rita rake in this much money in just a few hours… how was she supposed to keep playing dumb? Even a truly clueless bird would have let out a surprised squawk by now!

Finally, Nivalis rubbed her eyes dramatically and said, "Oh wow, you're amazing! I must've dozed off for a bit—didn't realize you went off to earn money. So incredible, so incredible."

Rita: "..."

They left the city and flew southeast for over three hours before reaching the outskirts of the poison swamp.

Along the way, they encountered all sorts of monsters—goblins, trolls, spider-headed creatures.

"What's up with these things?" Rita asked, watching the creatures fight amongst themselves.

Nivalis shook her head. "No idea. They just seem to pop up out of nowhere."

Rita observed them for a while longer before moving on.

Soon, they reached the edge of the poison swamp. Within moments, Rita found herself afflicted by several types of poison. While the potions and Oak Owl fruits she had prepared were able to cure some, they only neutralized about a third of the toxins.

Thankfully, Nivalis's Expert-level healing and Rita's arsenal of recovery skills—such as [12-Month Interest-Free] and [Step One: Make Cotton Candy]—ensured she could keep herself alive.