If it had been any other trivial matter, the Special Affairs Bureau wouldn't have wasted so much manpower just for Rita, even if she had a dragon. But since Rita was doing something to benefit the country, the Bureau had to show their support.
Rita, on the other hand, didn't expect that other players had actually snuck into the dungeon yesterday. They were probably hiding somewhere in the vast terrain of the large dungeon, where it was impossible for Rita and Nivalis to monitor everything.
Regarding the Special Affairs Bureau's arrangements, Rita didn't act modest or decline. The consequence of being too polite was often endless compromise. She'd rather be criticized for being demanding or too proud than end up making concession after concession, only to find herself in a position she never wanted.
One day, you take a step back, and the next day, another step back, and before you know it, you're down on your knees.
While Nivalis was clearing out the monsters, Rita spent time examining Eleanor's food boxes. She had known in her past life that these food boxes were special. Although they only lasted for 72 hours, the time inside the box could be adjusted. Eleanor usually set it to a time-stopping mode to keep the food fresh, somewhat like the in-game inventory.
However, unlike the in-game inventory that couldn't store living creatures, the food box could.
Once, she even threw a small frog inside, left it for 48 hours, and when she took it out, the frog was still alive.
This food box was terrifying. If it were bigger, could it keep a dying person alive indefinitely?
Leaving aside the timed food box, the reward wasn't just a one-time opportunity. Although the other food box was labeled as "just a treat," it actually had the same potential to increase attribute points. Although she could only trigger the effect once per day, she could easily save it for another day. Everyone knew Eleanor was taking advantage of the Bureau's funds to spoil her granddaughter.
But the Special Affairs Bureau didn't interfere too much. Micromanaging would only push away powerful individuals.
Rita helped the Special Affairs Bureau clear out three Level 13 dungeons. She continued to rent the rooftop dungeon to the Bureau, using the payment for clearing the three dungeons, along with the remaining four months' rental for the rooftop Level 3 dungeon, to exchange for a skill crystal that allowed her to move dungeon portals.
She promised she wouldn't move any portal that had an official owner. She even vowed to return any misplaced portal to its rightful owner should they come forward with proof. Out of trust for Rita, the Bureau gave her the crystal.
After all, it wasn't out of the question if she found a portal even the Bureau hadn't detected, and moving it to a safe and controllable location wasn't the worst outcome.
**[Cut and Paste]:** Use this skill on an object to cut and store it in your palm. The next time the skill is used, the stored object can be retrieved from the palm.
Rita put the skill crystal away for now. She wouldn't need it immediately, but by February 22 of next year, when the game would undergo a major update, the situation would change. During the update, a million more dungeon portals would descend upon Blue Star. According to news reports from her previous life, about 100,000 of those portals would appear within the country.
From now until then, she could hoard [Cut and Paste] skill crystals, so when the time came, she could seize a few key dungeons from the Lopez, White, and Taylor families.
She planned to inform the Special Affairs Bureau of this information under some pretext later, though she doubted they needed her to worry about it.
Starting this week, more names appeared on the pet ranking list, written in various languages. In total, only 13 players were listed. At the top of the list remained Rita. Based on both rarity and power level, Nivalis was unrivaled.
Five players with domestic names had pets, most of which seemed geared toward defense or healing. Rita guessed the Bureau had actively searched for these beasts to prepare for the increasingly difficult dungeons.
Rita asked Shadow.Q for five more Level 13 dungeon locations. In exchange, as long as she cleared those dungeons, the Bureau would reward her with another [Cut and Paste] skill crystal.
On the 4th, she took a break from dungeon clearing to disguise herself as Han Shi and attended another of Zoey's "Hope Anthem" performances. This time, Shadow.Q wasn't there, but Meow.Q was.
There was no need to extend the 30-day effect. After all, Rita didn't need it.
As she was leaving, she gave Zoey a thumbs up. "That was great! You should totally do a concert."
She wondered if Zoey's face under the mask had turned green.
Rick had been loitering outside the courtyard for a few days now. He knew Eleanor was out leveling up in the dungeons, but since that was the Special Affairs Bureau's territory, he couldn't just waltz in. So, he patiently waited outside, displaying his good behavior—besides, he might just run into Scarlett.
Not wanting to waste time, Rick rented a private Level 4 dungeon using his gold, soloing it in the mornings and evenings to level up. In the afternoons, he returned to the courtyard to wait for Eleanor. He only slept three hours a day, relying on energy potions to stay alert. His efforts paid off, as his position on the leaderboard improved. Now at Level 8 with 36%, he even surpassed Zoey.
The elderly folk lounging outside the courtyard were already familiar with him. They liked the handsome, polite young man who was waiting for someone. Hearing he was there to visit someone, a few seniors offered to help call out the person.
Such poor manners! What a sweet boy, traveling all this way to visit someone, only to be kept waiting outside!
But when they heard he was waiting for Eleanor, all the old folks—whether grandpas or grannies—silently pulled up their pants and sat back down.
"Oh, it's *Pasta Princess* you're waiting for…"
"Pasta Princess must have her reasons for doing things the way she does..."
Rick was speechless. After all these years, did his grandma still have that many admirers?
Back in the day, when Eleanor had said, "There are more people chasing me than you'll ever know," it really wasn't just an empty boast.
Sighing, Rick sat down. He had to keep up appearances, especially with the Lopez family spies watching him.
Just then, a woman's voice called out from above him. "Who are you to Eleanor?"
Rick looked up and saw a short-haired, sharp-looking woman with her arms crossed, standing behind him. Beside her stood a handsome man with medium-length hair, who smiled warmly. "She's my grandma," Rick replied.
The sharp-looking woman and the man both smiled before sitting next to him.
The woman extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Camila Taylor."
Rick gently grasped her fingers, shook them lightly, then let go. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rick."
The man also extended his hand. "Henry Taylor."
Rick shook his hand too. "Nice to meet you."