This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

At some point, Nivalis snuck out of her space, invisibly perched on Rita's shoulder as she listened to the story of Lucia.

After leaving the alchemy shop, the cow-and-dragon pair continued discussing Lucia.

Nivalis revealed to Rita that back when she was still just a dragon egg, her mother, Holy Grail, had wanted to invite Lucia to be her tutor—not to teach her alchemy but simply to share stories about the world or have casual conversations.

Holy Grail believed that Lucia was a true legend, someone whose vision, magnanimity, and emotions were worth learning from.

But by the time Nivalis was born, Lucia had already stopped teaching students.

Everyone understood that this master alchemist, who once claimed that true geniuses didn't need guidance and that she wanted to dedicate her time to ordinary children, had long since broken her own vow.

Though Lucia never admitted that Hecipah was her student, and Hecipah never called Lucia her teacher, the truth was undeniable. Lucia had stayed for eight years in one place—for Hecipah, a true alchemy prodigy.

The holy races and alien beasts respected Lucia and kept silent out of admiration. No one dared to question her actions.

After all, at that time, both Lucia and Hecipah were members of the undead race. By nurturing Hecipah's talent, Lucia had contributed to her people. No one could fault her for it.

But then came the stubborn student.

That student sacrificed children of her own oak owl species to a demon, exchanging their lives for alchemical talent. Eventually, this student became a high-ranking alchemist.

To atone for this, Lucia stayed in Eternal Day City, treating poor oak owl children for free. However, she still charged adult oak owls market rates.

As Lucia bluntly put it: "I'm here to make amends for the little owlets, not you old birds! If you want to haggle, get lost!"

Since the task of delivering the notebooks wasn't too troublesome, Rita decided not to return to Blue Star. Instead, she and Nivalis headed straight to Eternal Day City.

What she didn't expect was that it would take over an hour just to track Lucia down. Hecipah had only mentioned that Lucia spent most of her time in Eternal Day City, without knowing her exact whereabouts.

Lucia wasn't as much of a homebody as Hecipah. She was restless by nature. In her younger days, she would travel extensively to teach, and even now, she rarely stayed in one place for long.

By the time Rita considered drinking her second [Melting Time], she finally got a lead from a young oak owl after bribing him with food from her backpack.

Lucia, it seemed, was spending most of her time in Eternal Night Fortress these days, occasionally returning to Eternal Day City.

Rita and Nivalis made their way to Eternal Night Fortress.

Since Rita had received angel investment from Mistblade, the atmosphere in the main cities had become increasingly tense. Moon fox patrols were frequently seen on the streets. Rita walked past one squad, her expression so genuinely earnest and simple that she looked every bit like an honest old minotaur.

Eternal Day City and Eternal Night Fortress lived up to their names. One was perpetual daylight, the other endless night. The third oak owl capital, Four Seasons City, alternated between day and night, with all four seasons cycling daily.

The three capitals shared a similar architectural style, relying heavily on oak wood as their primary material. However, the designs were intricate and elegant, blending natural beauty with artistic creativity. Every structure radiated vitality.

Eternal Night Fortress was illuminated around the clock. Following the young owl's directions, Rita headed toward the livelier parts of the city.

However, Eternal Night Fortress was massive—roughly a third the size of the entire US—and most capitals were similarly enormous. In the past, Rita had relied on teleportation arrays to zip straight to her destinations. But now, searching for a specific person rendered that convenience useless.

Even Nivalis grew so tired that she fell asleep leaning against Rita's ear.

With no sunrises or sunsets to mark the passage of time, the only way to tell the hour in Eternal Night Fortress was by looking at the tallest tower.

Though called a "tower," it resembled a giant oak tree, its intricate design meticulously crafted. At the top, branches extended outward, with the highest branch holding a clock more captivating than the moon itself.

The clock's hour, minute, and second hands shone like three radiant galaxies, crossing paths again and again.

Compared to other capitals, Eternal Night Fortress felt like it existed in another dimension, where people lived by their own time. The moon seemed to follow the city, leaving it perpetually cloaked in night.

The silver moon above gave the eerie illusion that it was always directly overhead.

Rita had experienced this sensation on previous visits and took the opportunity to ask an oak owl about it while inquiring about Lucia.

The owl explained that everyone in Eternal Night Fortress felt as though the moon followed them. "The moon loves all living beings," the owl said. "Only the moon foxes arrogantly believe the moon god loves them exclusively."

Rita: Why do I feel like this is shade…

Once you got used to it, though, it did feel rather romantic.

Rita used her potion consumption to track time. When she drank her sixth bottle of [Melting Time], she noticed an icy chill emanating from the pocket watch she carried.

It was as if her watch was made of ice rather than metal.

Rita didn't touch the watch immediately. Instead, she calmly walked to a secluded spot, checked her surroundings with [Hunter's Eye], and confirmed she was alone before pulling out the pocket watch.

The source of the chill wasn't the watch itself but the tiny [Wrathful Moon] bead inside.

The moody, non-glowing lantern fragment was now faintly pulsing with light.

What's going on? Feeling better now?

Rita glanced at the silver moon overhead. Did it find its original self?

She had brought the lantern outside at night before, but those times were either for sneaky activities or brief outings. This time, it seemed to react differently.

Maybe Blue Star's moonlight isn't the same as this one's, she thought. Perhaps Wrathful Moon only absorbs native moonlight.

Rita re-secured the pocket watch. While she didn't know what a happy Wrathful Moon meant, it was surely better than an angry one. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

After another bottle's worth of searching, Rita finally found Lucia in an open-air tavern within Eternal Night Fortress.

[Lucia · Level 100 · 100%┃100%]

Even without detection skills, Rita recognized her immediately.

Lucia's photo in her autobiography was unforgettable.

Despite being undead, Lucia had been converted by the Undead Monarch after abandoning all her faith upon death. In life, she had been a siren.

Siren culture, rooted in the deep sea, emphasized physical fitness. Their legs could transform freely between human legs and fish tails, and their constant swimming kept them in peak physical condition.

Lucia was no exception. Though she appeared slightly older than Hecipah, her exposed arms and abdomen displayed smooth, defined muscles.

She was a stark contrast to Hecipah's frail, sedentary figure, who spent her days in a shop indulging in cigarettes and alcohol.

Lucia exuded raw strength, and one punch from her would probably leave Hecipah crying for days.