This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1280: Divine Game: Graveyard of Bones 2

The colors around her began to fade, but slowly. The boundary had only just reached the window. Rita could leave at any time.

She didn’t move.

Sooner or later, she would have to step into the time of the dead. She might as well treat this as a test.

Rita turned around and met the gaze of someone who had appeared behind the desk at some unknown moment.

A Vineborne.

The other had just remarked that the intruder was a Vineborne. Rita found herself thinking the same.

Behind the desk sat a Vineborne.

Even with the muted colors, the silver hair, red eyes, refined features, and the Vine coiling around her made her identity unmistakable.

Rita added silently in her mind, just not sure if she’s from Starsea or Quiet Mountain.

This place existed outside both Starsea and Quiet Mountain. If Quiet Mountain players could enter, then it was entirely possible that gods from Quiet Mountain were buried here as well.

Rita was certain she had never seen this person at Dustfire’s old table. Nivalis and B80 gave no reaction either. They didn’t recognize her.

The Vineborne’s gaze drifted to the lightning sword at Rita’s waist. Her brow lifted slightly.

"Celestialkin?"

Rita replied, "Take another guess."

The Vineborne laughed softly. The Vine coiling around her, like black flowing sand, extended forward. With Rita’s silent consent, it brushed lightly against her shoulder.

In an instant, the world came alive.

Footsteps echoed through the castle. Voices rose and fell. The air filled with the scent of flowers.

The Vineborne had pulled her into the time where she had once lived.

The black Vine withdrew.

"What’s your name?" she asked.

There was no need to hide BS.

"BS Rita. I’m the Adjudicator of BS."

"BS Rita..." The Vineborne repeated the name. She closed the book in her hands, stood, and returned it to the shelf. Her voice remained gentle, almost nostalgic.

"When I was alive, I also had a friend from BS. Quite irritating to talk to."

"I’ve heard of you," she continued calmly. "That’s rare. When those old ones come to visit us, they usually talk about the past. Hardly ever about the present. But I’ve heard your name."

Rita followed her toward the door.

"So, are you from Starsea or Quiet Mountain?"

The Vineborne smiled faintly.

"You’re very confident. You sound certain that even if I were a god from Quiet Mountain, I would still know you."

"I just want to confirm."

"And if I answer, will you believe me?"

"Not necessarily."

She laughed again. She seemed to enjoy laughing.

"You haven’t told me your name yet," Rita said, stepping aside as another Vineborne hurried past in the corridor.

The passerby didn’t react to Rita at all. He greeted the Vineborne beside her respectfully and continued on. Clearly, something was off.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. I know the name of every Vineborne I’ve met."

Nivalis muttered, "That’s not true. You didn’t ask the ones floating in the ocean earlier."

Rita shot back, "Adults are talking. Stay quiet."

The Vineborne chuckled softly.

"Fine. I’ll tell you. For the sake of how often you annoy Deceitful Bloom."

Deceitful Bloom?

So she was from the same era?

Rita recalled what she had seen at Dustfire’s old table. Quiet Mountain Deceitful Bloom had once said to Starsea Deceitful Bloom, "What are you still holding on to? You’re the last Vineborne in Starsea. Who are you even fighting for?"

Then why was this one buried here?

The Vineborne stopped at the staircase. She had promised to give her name, but instead shifted the topic.

"Help me find the answer to a question within this buried time of mine, and I’ll give you a gift."

"What question?"

She didn’t answer.

She simply placed a hand on Rita’s shoulder and gave her a light push forward, dragon included.

Rita didn’t actually move. But the Vineborne vanished.

At the same moment, another Vineborne walked up from below the stairs. This one reacted differently.

Instead of ignoring her, he looked worried.

"Byme, are we really going to invade Tingo now?"

Rita stepped down two stairs, watching carefully. His gaze followed her movement.

More importantly, information appeared above his head.

Midsummer Withering, Level 117. Trusted aide of Midsummer Deceitful Bloom and Midsummer Byme

Rita stayed silent. She was piecing together the situation, the timeline, and the identity tied to the name Byme.

Fortunately, the Vineborne didn’t press her. The scene continued on its own, like a scripted event.

He went on,

"Then we should hurry. While Deceitful Bloom is away in the game..."

Rita stepped down a few more stairs, testing how much freedom she had within this sequence.

"What if we don’t invade?" she suggested. "We could wait until Deceitful Bloom returns."

The aide shook his head with a sigh.

"Byme, you’re the strongest Vineborne. Why would you be afraid of Deceitful Bloom?"

Rita fell silent.

Nivalis whispered, "Is she adding extra drama to the script?"

Rita asked another question.

"Which Bell just rang?"

The aide answered immediately.

"The third Bell just ended. Deceitful Bloom only has a four-star world skill. We barely survived this time. At this rate, we won’t make it through the fourth."

"We currently have 85 world fragments. I’ve heard Tingo’s leader has 67. If we successfully invade and take those fragments from Tingo Howl, combining over 150 fragments should push Deceitful Bloom’s world skill to at least six-star."

Rita tried to think from Byme’s perspective.

"Is Tingo Howl in the game?"

"Yes."

Tingo Howl. The wind whale who had participated in the final battle.

If he wasn’t in Tingo right now, then for the Vineborne, this was indeed a good opportunity.

Once Tingo merged into Midsummer, when he returned, he would likely hand over his fragments for the sake of the remaining wind whales.

"Who’s left in Tingo?"

"Same as us. One player who has begun detaching from divine authority, and three Divine Game players who haven’t."

"I understand."

"So... are we invading Tingo?"

Rita turned to look back at the staircase.

It was empty.

Yet the faint floral scent still lingered in the air.

What was her question?

What answer was she looking for?