Rita's refusal did not anger Crab. This was, after all, a negotiation.

Crab wasn't after a verbal victory or the dignity of the strong. Power, status, prestige meant nothing to it. The only thing it wanted was for Sea Pony to become the mascot.

It wanted Sea Pony to live in a world where every living being liked it.

No matter what those feelings might truly stem from.

It wanted everyone to witness the good in Sea Pony.

No matter whether their idea of good matched its own.

Crab added more weight to its offer. From what I've explored, most of BS is ocean. And in most of those waters, there is no trace of your kin. But there are dungeons on the seafloor, and many strange beasts. Your development of the ocean is almost nonexistent.

If you agree to make Sea Pony the BS mascot, once the Skycrabs enter the sea, we will build a huge number of nests and open travel points that humans can use. Skycrabs can develop the ocean together with humans.

Of course, in that case we need a treaty. Humans and Skycrabs cannot hunt each other at will. If someone kills the other side, they will be marked with a special tag and Skycrabs will have the right to avenge their dead.

A kill marker, basically. Rita understood.

This demand was not excessive. And among all players here, the Skycrabs were probably the only race capable of forming such a treaty with BS.

Lania Kaia had invaded BS. That fact could never be erased, and the rift it created would never fully heal.

Countless lives were lost that day in the BS war, cut down by real Moonhares and Owls, not by copies made from abyssal beasts.

Hatred did not vanish just because stances shifted. Even if Mistblade and Pine Bloom joined BS, their kin still needed the right and freedom to seek vengeance.

As Adjudicator, Rita could set any rule she wanted, but she hated ruling from that perspective of big picture. Under overwhelming crisis she needed to recruit the best allies for BS. Yet she could not, would not, and had no right to order BS players to abandon their hatred for the Moonhares and Owls.

That would violate human nature and disgrace the title of Adjudicator.

Mistblade and Pine Bloom clearly understood this as well. BS needed the right to strike back, and their kin needed that same right. Many of their own had also died at the hands of BS players.

They could moderate things for collective benefit, but they would never fully stop it.

After a bit of thought, Rita asked, Skycrabs don't have any relics or tools that train your own kin?

Crab replied, None. I don't have a city. Everything I bought with honor points boosts the whole species directly. Why mess around with fancy stuff? Straight stat points are great.

Rita had no comeback.

After weighing the pros and cons, she realized that compared to what the Skycrabs could offer, letting BS players experience a bit of shock from Sea Pony's blessings did not seem that bad.

Seeing Rita begin to waver, Crab hurried to press on. Sea Pony is really good. Just give it a chance. It will make BS a better place.

She could not listen to this anymore. Did Crab hear itself? And even if Crab didn't know what nonsense it was spouting, could it at least look at the little seahorse beside it? This was the first time Rita had ever seen Sea Pony blush.

Rita rubbed her nose tiredly and laid out her bottom line. One condition. If a BS player suffers unbearable harm because of a blessing from Sea Pony, and we can have a few players evaluate the severity, you must compensate the victim.

I will also issue warnings in advance. Anyone who goes to play with Sea Pony must be mentally prepared.

The little seahorse, who had been quietly listening, fidgeted with its tiny hands. It could tell Rita was softening. In a shy voice it said, I won't hurt anyone. We came here to join this family. How could I ever hurt my family?

Every player present made a face like they had swallowed something foul. Even BS Smoke Tune's eyebrow twitched. In the Divine Game, MarmangCrab's pet was far more infamous than MarmangCrab itself.

Anyone who had dealt with it would never forget.

Crab agreed immediately to Rita's bottom line.

The third leadership invite and its terms were sent. Rita left plenty of room for negotiation so Shadow.Q and the Seagaze group could handle the full talks later.

How to distribute seafloor resources, rules for avoiding harm, what trades players could conduct with Skycrabs underwater, all of this would take significant work.

Finally, Rita looked at BS Smoke Tune, the player she knew absolutely nothing about.

Throughout the negotiations, Smoke Tune had watched her quietly. When their eyes met again, that strange feeling from their first meeting washed over her once more.

There it was. That uncontrollable urge to call her big sister, mom, big sister again.

Seeing Rita turn toward her, Smoke Tune adjusted her slightly relaxed stance. Her red eyes shimmered with expectation and curiosity. She smoothed her suit and vest, then spoke in Moonhare tongue with a soft voice. Is it my turn?

BS was already half paralyzed at this point.

Once the familiar BS announcement rang out, every player knew the Adjudicator had gone hunting outside again. And it was easy to hear how excited BS was this time, but things quickly took an unusual turn.

Not long after the announcement, someone said they saw the Adjudicator riding a dragon into the sky and leaving BS.

A few moments later, everyone received a popup from the Adjudicator.

BS Adjudicator: You will always have the right and freedom to hate, and as your Adjudicator, I will do everything I can to keep BS alive.

It was the first time BS players had ever received a message directly from her. The notification sat in every player's chat window.

It felt like an explanation, yet also a declaration. And right after that, a series of announcements followed.

BS Announcement: Welcome Moonhare player BS Mistblade and her followers to BS. BS Mistblade is now an official BS leader and joins BS in honor and hardship.

BS Announcement: Welcome Owl player BS Pine Bloom and her followers to BS. BS Pine Bloom is now an official BS leader and joins BS in honor and hardship.

BS Announcement: Welcome Skycrab player BS Crab and its kin to BS. BS Crab is now an official BS leader and joins BS in honor and hardship.

BS Announcement: BS Adjudicator has appointed BS Sea Pony as the BS mascot. A mascot's blessings have a chance to become real. Players are welcome to encounter it.

A mascot? If such a role existed, why wasn't it the Adjudicator's pet, the beloved ice dragon Nivalis?

Even if not Nivalis, the B8017913 who fought for BS during the war would have made sense. Why this creature called BS Sea Pony?

While every BS player was stunned by the mascot announcement, their Adjudicator sent a separate popup just for it.

BS Adjudicator: All for BS. Be careful of the mascot.

BS players: ???

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