Rita thought back to the books about Hecipah she had read. They were either autobiographies Hecipah wrote herself or exaggerated tributes penned by devoted fans. She realized she had no idea how Hecipah was truly perceived in Lania Kaia.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
And now, looking at Lucia's "if you want it, go get it" attitude, she couldn't help but feel these two were cut from the same cloth.
Since Lucia wouldn't let her hold the moon sand, Rita leaned in to observe it up close. As she did, the chill emanating from her pocket watch became more intense the nearer she got to the sand.
Rita calmly studied it for a moment before sitting back down. "Why did you come to me?"
It couldn't just be because Lucia suspected she was the thief who had slipped out of the Moonfox City Library unscathed. That suspicion only arose after their conversation began. At the start, it was Lucia who had approached her as she sat in the corner.
Lucia sighed with a smile. "I already told you why. My potion told me you had been near moonlight."
Before Rita could probe further, Lucia crossed her hands under her chin and tilted her head slightly, gazing at the silver moon above Eternal Night Fortress.
"Whether you've come into contact with moon sand by chance or encountered those so-called children of destiny, it shows that you're close to what I want. Even if you fail to take moon sand from Peach Moon Emperor, you might still obtain it by other means."
Children of destiny? Rita instinctively repeated the term in her mind.
Lucia spoke softly. "Yes. Many of the holy races mistakenly believe the moon loves all beings equally. That's not true. The moon favors those who alter the course of history. It gravitates toward them, drawn to their destiny."
Rita: What does that mean? Am I… a chosen one?
She wiped condensation from her ice juice cup onto her hands and smoothed the fur on her ears and forehead using the tavern window as a mirror. Then she adjusted the custom nose ring she had made in Blue Star. Rita, you really need to maintain a better image when you're out in public.
Lucia continued, "But destiny has its ups and downs. Think of those legendary epics sung by bards. Ninety-nine percent of legendary figures suffer tragic fates. After all, how can one achieve true greatness if life is always smooth sailing?"
Rita's expression grew increasingly grim as she listened.
Lucia, noticing this, turned back from the moon and found the minotaur across from her wearing a sorrowful, pensive look.
"What's wrong?" Lucia asked.
Rita let out a long sigh. What else could it be? I've been marked by fate!
Lucia couldn't figure out why the minotaur left the tavern with such a heavy stride. Surely she wasn't genuinely worried about being the "chosen cow," was she?
Lucia chuckled to herself. "That's like worrying that without you, alchemy in Lania Kaia would vanish into darkness. Hahaha!"
Her expression shifted as a thought crossed her mind. Wait… could that minotaur be Hecipah's little rascal in disguise?
After leaving the tavern, Rita didn't return home immediately. Instead, she found a secluded spot to examine the [Wrathful Moon] lantern. She wanted to see if the intense chill earlier had caused any changes.
To her surprise, there was indeed something new. At the bottom of its skill description, a line had appeared:
[A+ to S-Rank Upgrade Requirement: 0/10,000g (Moon Sand)]
Rita stowed the lantern and pocket watch, her gaze shifting to the clock tower atop Eternal Night Fortress.
The clock, with its hour, minute, and second hands shimmering like galaxies, suddenly took on a new meaning. The hands were filled with moon sand.
Criminals often acted out of strong motivations. Now she had not one but two compelling reasons to act!
Double temptation! she thought, exhaling sharply.
The practicality of [Orbit] and [Walk Through Time and Space] made it impossible for her to resist upgrading the [Wrathful Moon].
After reactivating her invisibility, Rita released Nivalis and headed back to Hecipah's alchemy shop to discuss the situation.
When she explained everything, Hecipah grabbed her hand with shining eyes, practically brimming with emotion. "Don't worry about repaying those 10 bottles of [Melting Time]. Just bring me a little moon sand while you're at it!"
Rita: You think I'm running downstairs to buy bubble tea?!
She sighed. "I'll see what I can do. If there's enough, I'll definitely bring some back for you to study."
Having said her goodbyes, Rita took a trip to the auction house but didn't find any S-rank skills worth her attention. She then restocked her herbs at the apothecary before returning to Blue Star to continue her alchemical studies.
Thanks to Lucia's guidance and her growing understanding of [Melting Time], Rita felt confident she could create a low-level—or "failed"—version of the potion within a few days.
It wasn't until she realized she hadn't received food from Eleanor in several days that she noticed the date—it was already October 7th.
As she ate lunch with Nivalis, Rita opened her interface and calculated the benefits she had gained from Eleanor's food. She had earned an additional 19 assignable attribute points. Although the chance of gaining points wasn't 100%, the 63% trigger rate was astonishing.
She wondered if other players had similar luck eating Eleanor's meals.
Previously, she had allocated 8 attribute points to Agility while fighting Black Jade. Adding the 11 remaining points plus the 6 she earned leveling from 8 to 9, Rita now had 17 unallocated points.
She decided to invest them all into Agility.
Rita didn't believe in the "bucket theory." To her, the best approach was to maximize her strengths. Most importantly, her Agility finally broke 100.
- Intelligence: 60+5 (from Phantom Dancer)
After closing the interface, she glanced at Nivalis, who was quietly eating her meal. During Rita's recent bouts of intense study, Nivalis had behaved impeccably. She didn't cause any trouble and even helped clean up the dragon dung in the yard to keep it from being scattered by the cats.
The self-service vending machines upstairs were restocked by Nivalis, and when Rita forgot to eat, the little dragon would make instant noodles for her, even adding extra toppings to ensure she was full. She would carefully bring the bowl to Rita with a gentle smile that warmed her heart.
Remembering this, Rita felt her heart melt. She pulled out 200 gold coins and placed them in front of Nivalis.
"This month, your allowance is doubled!"
Rita was growing more satisfied with Nivalis by the day. While the little dragon could be mischievous at times, she never caused problems when it really mattered.