This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1283: Divine Game: Graveyard of Bones 5

Rita and Nivalis spoke about Deceitful Bloom so casually that even Byme ended up laughing along.

Rita couldn’t help but wonder if Deceitful Bloom had ever clearly explained their history to Byme. But more likely, this Vineborne simply had no interest in getting involved in whatever existed between the two of them.

Either way, Rita had no intention of discussing it.

If someone had been personally buried here by Deceitful Bloom, their relationship couldn’t have been shallow.

Rita asked, "Are there any rules for being buried in the Graveyard of Bones?"

If even the owners of divine relics were buried here, then beings like Lynx Duke must be here too.

So what about someone like Byme, who clearly hadn’t participated in the final war between Starsea and Quiet Mountain?

Or did it mean that as long as a player had begun detaching from divine authority before death, they could be buried here? That would be far too many...

"Only players who have pushed their divine talent to one hundred percent at the moment of death qualify to be buried here," Byme explained. "A fragment of their will is preserved.

"That means their soul fire has been fully ignited and can no longer be extinguished. They are eligible to be recorded within the Clock of Order and become part of it."

Rita’s gaze shifted to Byme’s forehead.

The outline of soul fire appeared there, already fully ignited.

"That’s another problem," Byme said, sounding troubled. "When I finished Divine Instruction, I had only reached thirty percent."

She had lost part of her memory. Everything after the third Bell. Including how she had pushed her divine talent to completion.

Rita said with certainty, "You think Deceitful Bloom tampered with that too."

"Exactly." Byme nodded, clearly displeased. After a pause, she added, "She’s always been like that. Ever since she was young. She likes controlling everything."

Rita added, "She’s the same now. And she lies a lot."

Byme pressed her lips together in a faint smile. She almost looked... proud?

Still, she spoke in Deceitful Bloom’s defense.

"It’s possible that what she did to my divine talent memories was just incidental."

After satisfying her curiosity, Rita shared what she knew.

"I’ve seen a scene from the final war between Starsea and Quiet Mountain. Quiet Mountain’s Deceitful Bloom said to her, ’You’re the last Vineborne in Starsea. Who are you still fighting for?’"

If there were still so many Vineborne alive after the third Bell, and they even controlled a world, then what could possibly wipe them out?

The answer was obvious.

The Bells.

So why did Deceitful Bloom force Byme to invade Tingo at this exact point every time?

Was invading Tingo the key to preventing Midsummer’s destruction?

Or was she trying to correct some past mistake?

Rita ran through possibilities.

Byme did the same, but she didn’t seem surprised by this information.

After a while, she shifted the topic.

"Deceitful Bloom never gives me answers. But later, I encountered a few gods buried here in the Graveyard of Bones."

"You can meet other wills here?"

"Of course. Time is limited, but everyone is buried within different segments. Sometimes those segments overlap. Even if it’s just one second, if we appear in the same place at that moment and touch, we can enter each other’s time."

It sounded both deeply romantic and deeply tragic.

If time overlapped, then even in isolation, two dead wills could meet by chance.

But if it didn’t... they would never meet at all.

Rita, when she wanted to be, was a good conversationalist.

"They shouldn’t be afraid of Deceitful Bloom. Did they tell you anything about the Vineborne? Or did they not know anything about your era either?"

Byme hesitated, then slowly shook her head.

"Every time we meet, we discuss this. There’s no shortage of time here, so they’re happy to pass it like that.

"We also considered that invading Tingo might be tied to the future of the Vineborne."

At that moment, the scene around them shifted.

Like paint spreading through water, everything dissolved and reformed.

Rita and Byme appeared above the battlefield of Tingo.

It was the first time Rita had seen Tingo in a non-desert form.

An endless ocean stretched out. Whales danced between sea and sky, guiding towering waves.

But it lasted only a few seconds.

The scene shifted again.

They were back in Midsummer. Back in the castle study.

The invasion had ended.

Rita frowned slightly.

"She doesn’t care about the result? Or she can’t simulate too many possibilities?"

"I don’t know," Byme said. "She can come here and seal my memories. I don’t know what her limits are."

Rita returned to the earlier question.

"What’s Deceitful Bloom’s divine talent? I’m not interested in her privacy. I just want the answer, so I can get my reward."

To show she was serious, she added,

"I’m not threatening you. But I won’t stay here forever.

"You know how bad things are in Starsea after the third Bell. This game doesn’t last long either. If I don’t find the answer before the next connection to reality, I’ll leave. After I find Lynx Duke, I’ll come back."

She deliberately mentioned Lynx Duke.

But Byme’s expression didn’t change. No such luck. Either their timelines didn’t overlap, or they simply had no connection.

Byme wasn’t upset.

"I really don’t know. She never told anyone."

Seeing Rita’s look, Byme explained,

"I didn’t tell her either.

"After Divine Instruction, she said we should play a game. Guess each other’s divine talents."

She spoke with a trace of nostalgia.

Rita immediately said, "So what’s your divine talent?"

Byme stared at her.

"...Do you have any sense of timing at all?"

Rita replied, "...I’m not dead yet. I’m in a hurry. If I end up buried here one day, I’ll chat with you for a whole year."

Byme sighed.

"...I understand Deceitful Bloom now."

Rita nodded.

"I don’t. So what’s your divine talent?"

Byme shook her head.

"Find hers first. Then I’ll tell you mine. I can take you to other points in my timeline."

It was a sincere offer, but there was a problem.

"Even if I find what I think is the answer, how do we confirm it’s correct?" Rita said.

"That’s why I only asked you to find out why she made me invade Tingo. Not her divine talent."

"But without knowing her talent, it’s hard to analyze that! Your talents could be the key."

"Then analyze."

"How am I supposed to analyze without knowing them?"

"Then go find them."

"...."

Rita pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Then at least tell me yours."

"Find hers first."

"...."

...

Toy Palace.

Deceitful Bloom had just picked up a windpipe when a familiar voice spoke behind her.

"Sometimes I think you and BS Rita are oddly compatible."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven’t checked on Graveyard of Bones? That’s rare."

"I just finished dealing with Ashveil and Boiling Orange. What about it?"

"Oh, she just entered and landed straight into Byme’s timeline."

Deceitful Bloom’s eyes curved into a smile, and it only grew brighter.

"I’m really looking forward to seeing them talk. I wonder which one is more stubborn."