The moment the little robot hopped upstairs, a transparent barrier shimmered into place around Rita and SmokeTune. It was one of SmokeTune's skills.

SmokeTune said, My Vine reacts to killing intent. It's amazing. Since the moment we met, this is the first time I've ever sensed killing intent from you. And not just once. You wanted to kill it? I thought you were happy to meet it.

What she didn't say aloud was this.

The gentle, caring Rita from earlier had vanished.

In her place was someone cold, measured, testing.

Every word Rita said to Y128, every gesture, had an intentional edge, as if she were feeding the robot carefully chosen signals. The moment Y128 reacted in its clumsy, earnest way, Rita's emotions shifted again. A hint of guilt. A bit of regret. A flash of sadness.

This volatile mix of instinct, suspicion, longing, and doubt felt very Vineborne.

Vineborne could face world ending catastrophes with perfect calm, but if there was even a chance someone was lying to them emotionally, they would analyze it until their last breath.

And if they had ever been deceived badly once, their dying words often became, What was real?

But Rita's brand of volatility wasn't cruel.

Because right after SmokeTune questioned her, Rita flicked her fingers and allowed the golden rain curtain to melt into the barrier. She was the one who canceled the soundproofing, of her own accord.

She turned her back to the stairs, pretending not to notice the tiny metal head peeking between the rails. And she said, Yes. I wanted to kill Y128 several times. Because it seemed like it wanted nothing except me. Just liking me enough to walk across the world to find me… that made me feel unsafe and threatened.

SmokeTune instantly understood.

She had heard Rita's exchange with Y128 back in the shrine.

This wasn't purely logic.

This wasn't purely emotion.

It was both pushing against each other, pulling her in different directions.

Rita slowly turned around, resting her elbow on the sofa back and propping her chin on her hand. She smiled up at the robot hiding upstairs. That smile carried danger.

You can stay here for three days before deciding. My paranoia is acting up again. That's not great news.

Strangely, Y128 wasn't offended.

If anything, its curiosity only deepened.

She truly meant she had wanted to kill it.

Yet she also truly liked it.

A contradiction it could not calculate.

A contradiction that made her interesting.

Exciting.

The little cube chimed happily. Okay.

SmokeTune sighed from across the room. You really do resemble a Vineborne.

Rita's eyebrows shot up. She stared at SmokeTune in disbelief. Why was she suddenly being insulted? And with such precision?

At that same moment, Rita received a message from 7777 requesting to return. She approved instantly.

So when Nivalis finally managed to drag Lidian home, she found the number of available rooms drastically reduced.

Lidian looked at Nivalis, who had gone completely still upon hearing this. She said proudly, Do you know Pine Bloom's best quality? Loyalty.

Nivalis opened her mouth but found no argument whatsoever.

So that awful habit can be spun positively too?!

Nivalis stood frozen for a long time until SmokeTune walked by with a warm cup of coffee. Seeing Nivalis looking shattered, she couldn't help laughing. That sad?

Nivalis whispered, voice breaking, I am… upset.

She tried to run away, but at that moment Rita's voice rang from the living room. Nivalis! You're the host here. Go show Y128 and 7777 around the house.

And just like that, Lidian watched Nivalis whip around and scamper off, wings flaring for balance. The little host is here~~~

Lidian stared. If Holy Cup saw this, she would burn Rita to ash.

SmokeTune thought, If only Dawn were this easy to coax.

…

In less than two days, Shadow.Q, B80, and all the legion commanders delivered several proposal drafts. Rita picked a short term plan. No need for something long and rigid. Once her strength rose again, or circumstances changed, the treaty could be updated.

Rita invited Mistblade, Pine Bloom, and Crab to the meeting room Shadow.Q had borrowed from Seagaze.

She brought Shadow.Q, B80, Avery, several legion commanders, and more than a dozen specialists in various fields.

Mistblade and Pine Bloom also brought ten or so followers each.

Even Crab showed up with a whole entourage of crabs of every kind.

Sea Pony, however… was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone brought their own negotiation drafts.

It wasn't just humans forming ties with Moonhares, Owls, and Skycrabs.

The three races also needed treaties with each other.

Rita had once imagined diplomacy would be elegant, stern, dignified.

But after the nineteenth time Mistblade, Pine Bloom, and Crab started fighting in the meeting room, she abandoned that fantasy.

If it weren't for her updated Mystic Force and Bedtime Tale, Rita might really have let Pine Bloom inherit the Adjudicator seat that day.

She slammed her hand on the table. The newly replaced long table cracked a bamboo wide fissure down the center. She had lost count of how many tables had been destroyed, but the bills were all sent to Mistblade, the primary offender.

She shouted, I gave you Snowfield! Snowfield! And you share this trash with me?!

Mistblade snapped, How many levels do your humans even have? Giving them advanced relics is a waste!

Rita retorted, Waste or not is none of your business. You still have to give!

Mistblade fired back, You nearly killed me with the level drop! Now I can only wear level 91 gear! I should be demanding compensation!

Rita: …

…

Rita: If you don't open transport arrays, how do my people get up there?

Pine Bloom: Fly. If they can't fly, let them die.

Rita: …Then don't you dare come down either.

Pine Bloom: Are you teaching Owls how to live??

…

Crab: What do you mean Sea Crab Express? Yes, we're allies, but Skycrabs will never be slaves!

Rita: And what if your kin want to earn some coin? They can visit human cities and experience BS culture. You won't regret it.

Crab: This isn't about coins or shells! If we go on land, can we ride on your backs?!

Rita patted both her shoulders. Sure. Two crabs max.

Crab: …

…

Rita had never argued with so many people for so many hours in her life.

And she couldn't even delegate. If she let Shadow.Q or anyone else argue in her place, they would die. As Adjudicator, she had to stand at the front.

Since she was personally participating, Mistblade and Pine Bloom had to join in themselves as well. Their assistants weren't qualified, and more importantly, they could be crushed instantly by Rita's pressure.

So all the leaders fought personally.

Rita even discovered that the hamster sitting beside Mistblade—tiny, wearing a black suit and black framed glasses—was actually her most important administrative aide. It stared sternly like Shadow.Q and Avery combined.

But at least, in the end, the result matched Rita's minimum expectations. Pine Bloom and Mistblade conceded half a step.

Rita knew why.

Because the treaty was short term.

And because her gamble was not complete.

If she failed in the next Divine Game, or if she could not evolve her divine talent, none of this would matter.

If she succeeded, then her future was bright, and conceding half a step now was easy for them.

As they finally stepped out of the meeting room, Rita at last learned from Shadow.Q where the little seahorse had gone.

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