Shadow.Q couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Rita. Whether it was Nivalis's suddenly dull dragon scales or Rita's increasingly odd behavior, there was something strange in the air.
Finally, a discussion broke out in the room next door. Soon after, she received a message directing her and a few others to the main conference room.
"You go find Rita. We need her help," came the instruction.
"Help with shutting down the dungeon light barrier?" Shadow.Q asked.
"No," came the reply from the other side of the screen. Avery, sitting on a reef with bloodstained robes, spoke calmly. "You need to form a team, bring all the 'Cut and Paste' skill stones from within Eclipse Vanguard, and go seize the underwater dungeon light barrier."
"Tonight marks the second arrival. You'll leave tomorrow morning and spend five days on this. Whatever you manage to bring back, you can have it."
Shadow.Q frowned. "And what do we offer her in return?"
These dungeon light barriers were essentially wild dungeons in the ocean. Rita could access them at any time, whether for leveling or gathering brilliant offerings for the gladiator arena. The rewards were always substantial. If they could seize them for Eclipse Vanguard, the guild would benefit.
But why would Rita cooperate? She had already shown that she no longer needed Eclipse Vanguard's protection when she sold off the dungeon light barrier from the rooftop. Shadow.Q couldn't think of any reason why Rita would want to work with them.
Avery responded confidently, "She'll agree, Landon."
Upon hearing his name, Landon placed the items he'd just received by email on the table.
Shadow.Q and the others looked over in confusion. The object on the table was... a mahjong tile?
"Is that some kind of item?" one of them asked.
Landon explained, "It's supposedly a kind of voucher. To be honest, we don't know exactly what it does... But we do know it's extremely valuable, and Rita needs it."
"The truth is, we've been investigating '[Starfire]' for a long time. Even without the underwater dungeon light barrier, we were looking for an opportunity to give it to her. She's the best choice."
The others nodded, their expressions smug as though they had already foreseen this.
Shadow.Q couldn't help but think, "So why were you all arguing so passionately earlier?"
Landon sighed heavily. He could see the subtle dissatisfaction from Shadow.Q, who had been different ever since returning from High Tower. It was as though she had seen through many of the old tricks, and while her passion remained, her patience had clearly worn thin.
Landon had a premonition: No matter how much he tried to protect these rising stars, he knew his time was coming. The younger generation was already questioning authority, and many of them were starting to grow wary of the old guard.
Only Avery, with her SS-class talent and relentless training, seemed to have the power to suppress these young, rising titans.
Landon pushed the mahjong tile towards Shadow.Q. "We've thought this through for a long time, and we've been carefully studying Rita. She's a perfect fit."
Each time they discussed how to handle these extraordinary players, the tension in Eclipse Vanguard grew. The leaders had seen enough to know that if these players weren't handled carefully, they could become as destructive as high-level bosses. But no matter how skilled or strong these players were, the old leaders could never let go of the fear that one of them might end up being a threat.
In the video, Avery's voice continued.
"We've identified nine possible 'Starfires.' Some are obsessed with power, too focused on building their own influence. They fear that if they fall behind, they won't be able to claim the throne."
"Others are overly sentimental. It's not that they're saints, but they carry the weight of too many people, too many issues. They think through every decision carefully, afraid of making the wrong move, and they want to protect everyone."
"And some... they're just caught up in the chaos of the game invasion, too busy with their own romantic entanglements for anything else."
"Essentially, the closer they are to what you'd consider 'good' in the worldly sense, the more they obsess over moral dilemmas. They want everything to be perfect, they weigh every decision, and they examine themselves constantly. They want to judge themselves just like the common folk do. But this is a war. We don't need saints. We don't need good people. What we need are weapons."
Shadow.Q pushed the [7-Character] tile across the table to Rita, repeating Avery's words.
"She can be a great bad person, or not such a good person. She may not trust us, and she might even hate us. But she cannot be someone who only dares to be ruthless to her own people. She's capable of softness and strength, and while she can be fierce, she won't unnecessarily use extreme measures on her own kind."
"Her vision must extend beyond us. It should focus on Lania Kaia, on the war, not just on US or the power and wealth of a city. She must stop thinking she's in competition with Eclipse Vanguard."
"We're not enemies. We are the same. She's the sharpest arrow, the one who can tear through the path ahead. And Eclipse Vanguard believes that the spark that will light the way is you, Rita."
Rita shuddered at the words and immediately asked, "So this thing is a free gift to me?"
Before anyone could react, she reached out eagerly to grab the World Graveyard from the table.
Shadow.Q was momentarily stunned, and the solemn mood shattered. She quickly pressed the [7-Character] tile down and said, "Escort our Eclipse Vanguard team to the underwater dungeon light barrier. You have five days."
Rita, however, had already pried the [7-Character] tile from her hands. Shadow.Q tried to resist, but Nivalis swooped down and pinned her down.
The moment Rita claimed the [7-Character], her honor points surged by 10,000. Adding the points from collecting the World Graveyard and other gladiator events, her total honor points now stood at a terrifying 103,050 points.