This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

In the end, everyone compromised. Black Jade would move to a suburban location and provide the Special Affairs Bureau with 1,000 milliliters of Flood Dragon blood each month for their research. Additionally, Black Jade would be required to help the Bureau clear one medium-sized dungeon per month, without causing harm to anyone.

On the surface, it seemed like the Special Affairs Bureau had the upper hand, as they could send Black Jade to handle dungeons they couldn't manage. However, for the Bureau, the stronger Black Jade became, the greater the potential threat. This was a delicate game: as soon as the Bureau found an opportunity, they would strike to eliminate Black Jade.

As for Rick? Considering Rita, Shadow.Q took the initiative to ask him if he had any requests. Rick stated that he wanted to break the contract, but was immediately slapped hard across the face by Black Jade's tail.

Shadow.Q: "…"

She had just recently seen Rita video-chatting, showing her skill crystal account, and at the same time, saw Rita giving Nivalis a slap on the backside while she was on her lap. Now, Rick was getting slapped by Black Jade… Find adventures at empire

These two siblings—one lived like a queen, the other like a dog.

Shadow.Q kept smiling, had the healers restore Rick's health, and then quickly changed the subject.

"Save yourself, or wait for your sister to find you..."

After dealing with Black Jade's situation, Zoey's case came next.

Zoey wasn't as easy to handle. In her contract with the Special Affairs Bureau, it was clearly stated that they were supposed to help her acquire the Flood Dragon, but now that the Flood Dragon had been taken by someone else, the Bureau had to take responsibility.

The Bureau had no intention of shirking their duty. Not only for the Bureau's reputation, but also because Zoey's "Hope's Hymn" project was a long-term collaboration. If the Bureau tried to back out, Zoey could easily retaliate, and it would become a never-ending dispute. After all, they had already worked out their team and tactics, so capturing a second level 12 boss wouldn't be difficult.

However, Shadow.Q didn't immediately agree but scheduled a detailed discussion with Zoey in three days.

While not intending to back out, she knew that in business, it was natural to look for ways to profit from opportunities.

The Special Affairs Bureau could always spin the story and claim that the drama of Zoey and Rick fighting over the beast was just a ploy to have the Bureau help Zoey get another exotic pet. Zoey didn't press the issue too much either. She was quite confused, not knowing what to do if she encountered another creature like Black Jade, one that could reverse a contract. She needed time to think it through.

During this time, Rick kept his head down, not looking at anyone. Even when the healers fully restored his health, he didn't thank them like he usually did.

Now, the Special Affairs Bureau was moving Black Jade to its new residence, and Rick had to go with them. He didn't want to, but when he asked if he could stay behind, Black Jade slapped him across the face with its tail again.

Did Black Jade not know that the dragon's master was protecting this human?

But what of it? As long as the human didn't die, it didn't matter. Black Jade didn't believe the human would truly kill it.

Moreover, it felt that the humiliation it endured from one human and one dragon had to be avenged.

It hated Rick more and more the longer it looked at him. For some reason, whenever it saw Rick, its anger surged.

The Special Affairs Bureau team left with Black Jade and Rick, the latter looking like a walking corpse.

In no time, only Aaron and Ezra remained outside the dungeon. They were even more awkward than Rick—betrayed and failed...

Now, not only had they gotten nothing from Rick, but they had also offended the Lopez family.

As Zoey left with Lincoln, she glanced at Aaron and Ezra, her expression more sarcastic than anything else.

Ezra: "What should we do?"

Aaron: "Have your parents contacted you?"

Ezra shook his head—though they had contacted him, he saw no need to tell Aaron.

They discussed briefly and decided to leave for a while, waiting for things to settle before coming back. They could also go after Julian, as the latest news was that he had escaped to B City. It was a perfect chance to avoid the Lopez family while dealing with Julian, since staying in S City wasn't useful anymore—they had no more dungeons to clear.

...

When Rita woke up, she found herself still on Nivalis' back, surrounded by clouds. It was already morning, the sun hanging high in the sky, causing her eyes to sting. She checked the time—12:35 PM.

With a tired sigh, she rolled over and pulled out a notebook from her bag that Hufflepuff had given her, covering her face with it. She placed her hands behind her head and asked, "Didn't we say we were going back to the apartment dungeon? Killing a monster to lock the dungeon would have sufficed. Why have we been flying outside for so long?" They had been flying for eight hours straight.

Looking at the map, she realized they were already in Yun Province, having made quite a few detours. She even vaguely saw two helicopters following them.

Nivalis said, "I just wanted to fly."

Rita could tell that Nivalis was particularly happy and didn't want to stop, she just wanted to keep flying.

Nivalis knew Rita wasn't angry because her brother was hurt; it was because Black Jade wanted her dragon blood.

Every plan, every line of dialogue Rita made was to protect her.

Rita could now clearly sense Nivalis' emotions. She was curious, "Are you really happy?"

Nivalis: "Yes, because you've done so much to protect me, not wanting Black Jade or the Special Affairs Bureau to force me to give up my dragon blood."

Rita paused. She didn't want to lie to Nivalis. She said seriously, "Actually, you can protect yourself. Without our contract, many threats wouldn't be threats anymore."

The past life hadn't happened yet, and Rita didn't care to use future events to demand gratitude.

She had wandered long enough. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn't want to lose her identity and abandon her life. But Nivalis was different.

In this situation, if Nivalis were a free dragon, with her strength, she could easily hide and level up. No one could catch her, no one could kill her.

Rita added, "And although the main reason is to protect you, I'm doing it for myself too."

Nivalis quietly listened, and Rita felt as though Nivalis was even happier.

Nivalis: "When I left Zelan, my mother told me that real feelings, even if there's only one dragon egg's worth, are a hundred times more valuable than empty words that could fill the ocean."

Besides, no one could deceive a dragon. She knew Rita wasn't lying, but she could sense the emotions Rita had at each stage.

When Black Jade demanded dragon blood, Rita's feelings of anger, pity, and heartbreak far outweighed other emotions. Regret and worry only made up a small part.

After a long time, the wind carried Nivalis' response: "My luck must be a 10, that's why I met you."

It was getting too ambiguous!

Rita couldn't stand the overly sweet atmosphere and turned over, not wanting to respond to Nivalis.

She opened a private message from Shadow.Q.

[Shadow.Q]: Sis, are you awake? ┏(°ゝ°)┓

[Shadow.Q]: Stop sleeping, we're about to cross the border…

[Shadow.Q]: India D is already welcoming you on the world channel… Sis…

[Shadow.Q]: The price for the burst is this high, huh?

[Shadow.Q]: Are you really just sleeping because of the side effects?

[Shadow.Q]: Auntie… can you let Nivalis stop flying so you can sleep? Can we go to a five-star hotel and sleep? We'll send heavy troops to protect you.

[Shadow.Q]: We're about to cross the border again!!!

[Shadow.Q]: Myanmar D is welcoming you…

[Shadow.Q]: I really aged ten years in the last two days.

Rita: …