This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita's mind was racing as she thought about all the potential benefits of the Orange-Red Light Wings—the flying ability, the Cheers and Drunkard skills, and the potential to gain even more skills from Maple Syrup in the future. All these things depended on the wings.

Time was another factor. Whether she wanted to practice cooking, alchemy, or combat abilities, she could always return to High Tower once she was fully prepared. Even though there were many drawbacks, such as the uncontrollable time flow, the difficulty of finding suitable opponents, and the need to gather sufficient materials for practice, High Tower was still a great place for her.

In other words, while this special time flow training space wasn't irreplaceable, the hidden benefits brought by the Orange-Red Light Wings couldn't be replaced for now.

After contemplating all of this, Rita looked at the rabbit, who had just jumped off the cooking table and deactivated its shield. "Alright," it said, "although I still don't agree, this answer is enough to convince me."

That was enough for Rita. Seeing the rabbit hop over to speak with Sea Pony, she lowered her head and focused on preparing the dish again.

Rita thought to herself, "Do these gods have private bets or something?"

B80234615 responded, "Why do you ask that?"

Rita: "It just feels like they're giving out rewards too easily... just for a little gossip..."

B80234615: "If Shadow.Q had a problem you were curious about, and you could just give her a D-level skill or item you didn't need, and she'd happily tell you the answer, would you do it?"

Rita: "Alright, I see your point."

In Rita's view, these gods were treating good items like they were just cleaning out their inventory.

Rita: "You didn't answer my question directly."

B80234615: "Alright... you're really perceptive sometimes."

Rita: "Can you tell me?"

B80234615: "The information in the database, I can't share. I can only tell you what I've analyzed myself."

"The gods come and go, tens of thousands of them, but only a few are remembered. Being watched by the gods is an extremely rare stroke of luck. When they enter the game in the form of event loot boxes, they'll prioritize players they're interested in."

"They don't give out things that would break the game's balance, but for players they like, they might give out a little gift within the rules."

Rita thought back to her former profession and her connection to BS. It dawned on her—of course! Why hadn't she thought of this earlier? The gods would treat watching the Divine Game as entertainment, so naturally, they would have their preferences.

This made her think of a term: star players.

Rita: "So what happens if the gods really dislike a player?"

B80234615: "They just cause trouble within the rules."

Rita: "The event loot boxes being from the gods and demons, was that also your analysis?"

B80234615: "Of course."

Rita: "Besides the loot boxes, do the gods give other conveniences to players they're paying attention to?"

B80234615: "I can't say."

Rita: "You still haven't directly answered my first question. Do the gods really have small bets or votes between themselves?"

B80234615: "I can't say."

Rita: "Do the results of their games give rewards to players?"

B80234615: "I can't say."

Not being able to answer was still an answer!

Rita realized that just having B80234615 with her was already a big win. If the gods' attention really did matter, she couldn't afford to ignore it. She needed to adjust her playstyle in Divine Game accordingly.

She understood that becoming a "star player" was a double-edged sword—she couldn't expect to do it perfectly. If some gods liked her, others would inevitably dislike her.

But as long as she made the game more interesting, the gods wouldn't want her to fail!

She had to see for herself what other benefits the gods' attention could bring beyond just the event loot boxes.

The gods' gaze wasn't as simple as it seemed—Maple Syrup was a perfect example.

Even though her battle power was only 15th rank, it felt like everyone knew her!

And her rise to power was terrifyingly fast...

In less than a hundred years since the Forest Sea was invaded, Maple Syrup had already made it into the top 4000. Pine Bloom wasn't far behind at 4200, but Peach Crown was over 6000.

Was Peach Crown weak? No.

Rita had met Peach Crown in High Tower. Her first identity was Peach Crown's relative.

Peach Crown, despite her battle talent, her abilities, and her determination, was no match for Pine Bloom or Maple Syrup. Otherwise, she wouldn't have qualified to be one of the three leaders of the Oak Owl.

With Maple Syrup and Pine Bloom's personalities, they would never allow a weakling to be named alongside them.

If she had to compare, Peach Crown was like the typical, brooding CEO in a drama—reserved, clever, and emotionless...

So boring!

In fan terms, her character just didn't work...

In contrast, Maple Syrup and Pine Bloom, whether they were liked or not, were extremely distinctive personalities...

Making trouble, they always made trouble!!

After coming to this realization, Rita's cooking speed increased.

B80234615: "It feels like you're about to cause some trouble."

Rita: "I can't say."

B80234615: "..."

...

Just then, another rabbit entered the restaurant, this time being greeted by Octopus Bucket.

Meanwhile, Marmang-Crab was vigilantly watching Sea Pony and the first rabbit customer chat. He and Sea Pony, working together, were slyly making unreasonable demands of the rabbit.

However, the rabbit seemed to prefer talking to Sea Pony and barely acknowledged Marmang-Crab. When Marmang-Crab spoke three times, it only responded once.

Sea Pony noticed this and asked, "Don't you like Crab?"

The rabbit answered, "Oh, I'm more interested in you."

Marmang-Crab: "You have a strange taste."

Sea Pony fell into thought for a moment, unsure whether Marmang-Crab was talking about the event loot boxes or insulting her.

The rabbit asked Sea Pony, "Are you interested in changing masters? Want to come with me?"