This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 318: High Tower · The Instance Portal Can Be Closed

Rita and Nivalis argued all the way back to their base. As they entered, Shadow.Q was busy organizing some materials. Seeing them come in, she asked with concern, "What happened to your eye?"

Rita waved it off casually, "Just a negative status effect. It’s nothing."

Shadow.Q didn’t press further but said, "I’ve found something. The instance portals can be completely closed."

This was the first time Rita had heard such a thing. She had never come across this information, whether from gossip in the kitchen or while being a grunt. "How do you close them?" she asked.

Shadow.Q’s expression grew serious as she handed over a few documents. "I’ve been analyzing this, and I found that over the years, some instance portals have disappeared. I can confirm they weren’t relocated. Before these portals disappeared, the nearby Oak Owls were always dispatched elsewhere. I suspect this is connected to the dark patches in the Forest Sea sky."

Rita and Nivalis froze, their expressions suddenly serious.

Nivalis exclaimed, "Now I can’t tell whether you’re Sherlock Holmes or not!"

Rita pursed her lips and nodded in agreement, "That makes sense, very good sense!"

Talking to this master-servant duo really tested Shadow.Q’s patience.

With a sigh, Shadow.Q continued, "Additionally, this could be related to the objects the Oak Owls have been collecting."

Rita glanced at the documents in her hands. Flipping through them, she found the list of items:

Minotaur’s nose ring Orc’s tooth necklace Blood Elf’s silver moon crest Night Elf’s moonstone ring Draenei’s right hoof Dwarf’s battle axe Wind Scythe’s scythe Sea Siren’s sharp fang Moon Fox’s first tail Candle Barbarian’s tail flame Undead Heart’s drop of Immortal Spring

These items were unique to each of these eleven races, though they weren’t guaranteed drops. It was similar to the Oak Owls’ Bear Cookies — millions of Oak Owls had appeared in Blue Star, but Eclipse Vanguard had only managed to gather around a million Bear Cookies.

Wait, if these race-specific items were needed to permanently close an instance portal, then... wouldn’t Bear Cookies from the Oak Owls be required to close Blue Star’s instance portal?

Shadow.Q continued, "I plan to start gathering these items, and then the three of us will test it out. For safety’s sake, we’ll collect items of the same level... let’s call them ’specific items,’ and we’ll see if we can use them to close instance portals of the same level."

Rita frowned, "If there is a way to close them, why not make it public so the Oak Owls can start gathering these items?"

Shouldn’t this information be shared with everyone to give hope?

Shadow.Q responded, "That’s why I suspect there’s something else hidden behind it. Only the core members of Pine, Maple, and Peach are involved in closing the instance portals."

Rita chuckled softly, realizing the truth of the matter. Of course. Once beings have something to lose, they start calculating risks, becoming foolish and greedy.

She thought about the Oak Owl who once said, "Peach Jar, I envy you knowing Peach Crown. He must be perfect, so selfless and great! Does he have wings like ours?" and wondered where that person was now.

She joked, "If this is true, will Eclipse Vanguard announce it when we leave?"

It was a question, but she already knew the answer.

Shadow.Q lifted her gaze and quietly met Rita’s eyes. Her voice was calm but her words were chilling. "No. Their approach is correct. The reason the Oak Owls are so fearless is that they have no way out. If everyone knew there was an escape route with great benefits hidden within, the consequences would be unimaginable. Once beings know there is a way out, they begin to measure their gains and losses, becoming foolish and greedy."

Rita wasn’t surprised. She didn’t have a filter for any organization or person. Eclipse Vanguard was great, but she never forgot the cheap healing syringes and pills that flooded the market at the start of the game invasion, nor did she forget how they abandoned their own allies once they were no longer useful. Stay updated with novelbuddy

There’s no right or wrong, only the ruthless calculations of a big power. It must always choose the majority, the most beneficial option. Cold, rational, compassionate yet heartless.

Shadow.Q had clearly risen far within Eclipse Vanguard, perhaps even running her own team. Just thinking about it made Rita tired.

She sighed, "You’re already looking at everything from the perspective of the chess master."

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Shadow.Q smiled, her lips curling into a small but meaningful grin as she glanced down at the materials on her desk. "Because only by doing so can I spot it the moment I’m about to be discarded as a pawn."

Rita tucked the documents away and stood up. "I’ll start collecting these specific items and keep in touch. Good luck."

She didn’t pity Shadow.Q’s situation, as Shadow.Q never pitied herself. Everyone had their own choices and pursuits.

Shadow.Q didn’t look up, but her smile grew a little wider. Lazily, she rested her head on one hand, raised her teacup, and made a clinking gesture toward Rita.

As they left the base, Nivalis whispered, "Is she having a hard time? Is someone trying to harm her? Why did you wish her good luck? Why did she clink glasses with you?"

She had gotten used to asking Rita about everything. No matter how silly her questions were, Rita would always answer her without ridicule.

Rita thought about Shadow.Q’s expression at that moment. It wasn’t sadness or grievance. It was ambition, mockery, anticipation, and even a hint of disdain. Rita paused before explaining in the simplest and most direct way, "She’s after a dragon’s nest called power."

Nivalis immediately understood. "Oh, but isn’t your world being invaded by Lania Kaia? How can she still be busy with this?"

Rita laughed out loud at the question, amused for several seconds as if Nivalis had told a funny joke. Nivalis, annoyed, puffed up and said, "What’s so funny?"

Rita laughed even more, finally calming down. She hugged Nivalis and soothed her. "It’s just something I can handle on the side."

Just like Pine Bloom, Maple Syrup, and Peach Crown.

They resumed their tasks, focusing on collecting the specific items.

Some of them, Rita had already obtained in the past but hadn’t known their significance, so she sold them off as junk.

Now, however, gathering these items became a tedious task. Some required a bit of luck, and others were incredibly troublesome.

For example, the first tail of the Moon Fox. This referred to the tail that the Moon Fox was born with. For the first tail, it was easy enough to obtain, but for the second tail or beyond, it was more about luck, since all tails looked the same. Only the Moon Fox could recognize which tail was its first.