"This feels a little out of bounds."

"I think so too. What is up with Dustfire's lingering will. Either approve or refuse. How does it swap in a different skill. And that skill did not even light up under Delicious Funeral."

"That is what you get when you are on good terms with Foolishness."

"That is what you get when you are on good terms with Foolishness."

"Enough. I feel bad for Foolishness. I heard on team match day they did an in and out like dipping dumplings in vinegar, then ran away from home and never came back."

"What if Dustfire insists that is the only skill it wants to give."

"Did you read the big thread. Foolishness says they support every decision Dustfire makes."

"What about Gourmet. I remember Gourmet was close to Dustfire too. What did they say."

"Hearthsmoke gave the same answer as Foolishness. They support all of Dustfire's decisions. Hearthsmoke also said that if it were up to them, they would rather give that skill to BS Rita too."

"If Hearthsmoke has no objection, I sure do not."

"It is Dustfire's relic. As long as Divine Game signs off, I have no objection either."

"Demon camp will not object."

"Of course not. They love this. Their side is basically the BS Rita anti fan headquarters right now."

"It is all an act."

"Exactly."

Rita stared at the friendly little prompt for several minutes, then unhappily clicked accept substitution.

Robbery. Every last one of you.

[Congratulations, player ■■Rita has obtained a Dustfire tier skill — Let It Die]

[Let It Die] Dustfire: Hearthsmoke and Foolishness always say my cooking feels medicinal. I cannot bear to tell them that my secret is pulling a random alchemy recipe and swapping every potion ingredient for a random food item. This was Deceitful Bloom's idea.

Use this skill to receive a magical bento. For two hours after you finish it, you will uncontrollably blurt out odd things, but during that time you will be the luckiest person in the world. You may only prepare and eat one alchemy bento per Starsea day.

Dustfire tier. Another rank she had never seen.

No idea whether this tied into Autumn Deer's divine relic.

Still, Rita was grudgingly satisfied.

At a glance this tier was like Divine Skill, clearly above SSS.

No one at the table asked what she got. In fact, the moment she started claiming her prize, the elders drifted into grown up chatter anyway, treasure rumors and old legends and whatnot.

After the meal, Wail vanished on the spot. GodDraw77 teleported out right after. As a Moonlight Marsh teacher she had to maintain appearances. She could not be seen dining alone with one student and wounding the hearts of the others.

Lightchaser snorted at that. The moment GodDraw77 disappeared she said, "She only fools herself. Those three years she was on leave, even the dogs of Arisentna knew she was out with me looking for you."

The elf fired up the bike and took her student to the doors of Twilight Library.

Before Rita had fully hopped off, Lightchaser asked, "It never once occurred to you that I might keep you from entering GodDraw77 just to make you stay."

"Impossible. You would never do that." Rita answered without a beat.

Lightchaser rested one hand on the bike and turned, watching her student, who was still grinning at her. She clicked her tongue. "Do you have any idea what it cost me to bring you back."

"I know. I asked GodDraw77. But you still would not." Rita sounded utterly certain. "If one day I have a student and she suddenly disappears right in front of me, I will move heaven and earth to bring her back. No one gets to take her without getting past me. But if she chooses to chase something, I will not stop her."

She sprinted for the stairs, lifted a hand to wave back. "I have learned plenty of your bad habits. This counts as one."

Behind her, the elf's voice rose in protest. "That is not a bad habit."

"How is it not."

Whether she fought tooth and claw to bring her student back, or swallowed her reluctance and watched her walk further and further away, beneath both acts lay the same core. She refused to bow to anyone.

Not to the unknown god who took her student, and not to herself.

Lightchaser would never beg someone to stay just because she could not bear to let them go.

Neither would she.

Her dream began because of Lightchaser. It would not stop because of Lightchaser.

Two days later, on the top deck under the great white sail of Twilight Library, every student who had participated in this season's Divine Game and could still stand showed up. Even if their odd debuffs and consumption had not fully worn off, they came anyway.

No one wanted GodDraw77 to open. But since it had, they would see it with their own eyes.

That day, eighty percent of the shops across Arisentna closed outright.

Endless Desert sealed its gates last night. There was simply no more room for visitors.

When the sun rose level with the white sail, the countdown above the white door hit zero.

Rita did not need anyone to urge her. She blink stepped to the threshold.

Both hands on the door, she cast one last look at the stands, at GodDraw77 and Wail, then fixed her eyes on the gate.

The instant she strained to push it open, her health and mana began to plummet, dropping straight to one percent.

She did not panic. GodDraw77 and Lightchaser had told her exactly how this would go. She did not worry about someone stabbing her in the back either. While the door was moving, Divine Game itself would protect her.

A heavy, ancient rumble pressed on every heart. The gate slowly swung wide.

A new world lay beyond.

A wash of magic swept through her, restoring the health and mana she had just spent.

Waves rolled out from behind the door, soaking the toes of her boots. Before her stretched a sea without end. Suspended above the water floated broken hills and shattered stone, and gliding between those fragments swam whale clouds.

Calling them cloud whales was not quite right. They were houses made entirely of cloud, shaped like whales.

Whale cloud homes drifted lively among the broken peaks. Through their eyes and the mouths that opened now and then, she saw the residents within, glimpsed bars and tables and chairs. All told, there had to be more than a thousand whale cloud homes.

One that cruised closest to the surface swam by. Its tail flicked, lifting a wave before it surged skyward again. Rita clearly heard the laughter and bickering from within.

High and low they wandered, those whale cloud homes. The highest lounged within the sea of cloud itself.

"Are you not going in. Is it because you cannot fly right now."

A cool and familiar voice sounded behind her.

Rita did not need to turn to know it was Maple Syrup. She did not answer. Instead she picked the nearest chunk of broken hill and used Flash Step to blink onto it.

Just as Lightchaser had said, mastered to S rank the skill could be cast instantly with a two second cooldown. She had long since reached SSS. Half a second cooldown, and it pierced most shields.

The moment she stepped past the gate, GodDraw77's game prompt sounded in her mind.

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