Chapter 1018: 1018 Divine Game: Player Relic 21

Rita had no idea whether hiding her Player Relic inside the gacha machine could have avoided this forced-loss mechanic, but she didn’t regret not doing it. The only reason she never stored it there was because she suspected that, in the second phase of the Divine Game, if the system failed to detect a Player Relic on her, it might immediately mark her as unqualified for the battle royale and eject her from the game entirely.

If the gacha machine could block Divine Game rules well enough to let her smuggle in piles of items, then blocking the game’s key item might just as easily get her disqualified. The more someone relied on exploiting loopholes, the more they feared being caught by the same kind of loophole.

These thoughts flashed through her mind only briefly. Rita didn’t dwell on the problem already in motion. Instead, she began scanning the trading zone, trying to locate L175246—and ideally Y128 as well.

She was almost certain Y128 would appear here too.

She’d already sensed the gods’ amusement. As long as they didn’t interfere with the core gameplay or alter any rules, they clearly enjoyed stirring trouble.

Rita asked B80 in her mind, "That question you asked earlier—why the painting only had two event bundles—was that really your own curiosity, or did someone tell you to ask?"

B80 replied, "Hard to say."

Rita smiled faintly. B80 was getting better and better at slipping around technicalities.

A burst of fireworks lit up the sky, signaling the start of the game.

Rita observed only briefly. After confirming that every Mechanoid was carrying an item that absolutely did not match their usual design style, she immediately dismissed the golden rain curtain to avoid influencing other players. Then she triggered a time-stop.

The penalty hit her again—another punishment for violating a personal game rule. And because she’d broken that particular rule too many times, the penalty became harsher: the stolen-goods return window now stretched all the way back to one week before the game began.

But she had practically done nothing but deal with BS-related business during that entire week. The only things she had stolen were a few attribute points off dungeon creatures. Losing them barely mattered, and it was still far less painful than getting hit with divine punishment for breaking universal rules.

It took multiple tests for her to realize she had one ordinary rule too—she wasn’t allowed to step out of a game zone with her left foot first.

Walking through the area, she examined every Mechanoid and the items they carried.

The game wasn’t trying to make players completely desperate. At the very least, Mechanoids couldn’t store the Player Relic inside spatial inventory nor hide it away. That alone justified why she entered time-stop without hesitation.

She activated Fishing Master, letting her see the numeric ID floating above every Mechanoid’s head.

Not even halfway across Oasis Town, she found both L175246 and Y128 frozen in mid-step in the sand. L175246 had a tiny violin strapped to its back. Y128 held a metal case no bigger than a wallet.

Rita paused for just a second before moving on—she still needed to find the Mechanoid holding her gem-ring Player Relic.

But after inspecting every Mechanoid in the entire trading zone, she still couldn’t find her transformed painting. She even double-checked the Mechanoid count and player count; they matched perfectly. She hadn’t missed anyone.

She returned to L175246, tapped its head as she passed, and then once again stopped in front of Y128.

Dropping down cross-legged beneath a tree, she sat barely half a meter from it.

She reached out to touch the metal case, but her fingertips slipped right through it. Just like the other Relics in Mechanoid hands, it couldn’t be touched—meaning brute force wouldn’t work.

She shaped her right hand into a gun, fingertip pressed lightly against Y128’s chest.

Should she use The End of the Story and kill Y128? And if it died, would its Player Relic vanish with it?

This metal case was one of the few Relics still labeled as unknown. She had no idea what was inside. And as long as it remained unopened, it could still be hers.

Her right hand remained raised; her left hand propped her chin as she studied Y128.

After a long silence, she finally spoke. "You’re conscious during time-stop, aren’t you?"

Y128 didn’t answer.

Rita continued, "You hide it well. But a very adorable friend gave me a hint."

Every time she walked past L175246, its displayed emotion shifted. That emotional display was clearly something that could be toggled on or off, otherwise it wouldn’t be the only Mechanoid revealing its feelings.

As soon as she finished speaking, the text above Y128 shifted from "Calm" to "Confused."

It was talking to her in the only way it could, asking what exactly BS-Rita intended to do.

Rita finally voiced what she had been considering for a long time. "That last match matters to you too, doesn’t it? How about working with me? My Player Relic should be pretty good."

It took a long time before Y128’s display changed—"Confused" followed by "Shocked?"

There was even a question mark after shocked, as if it were asking: Are you out of your mind?

"Yes. I want to cooperate." Rita’s voice grew calmer. She lowered the "gun," shifting into a more relaxed posture—one knee bent, her right arm draped loosely over it, her left hand supporting her as she leaned back slightly.

"With your ability, you could have found a partner long ago. Even a tier 17 or tier 18 player would be thrilled to pick you. Yet you still came to this zone."

"Whether someone directed you here or you simply refused to let go of our grudge, it means you intend to settle things in this game."

She waved her hand, cancelling the time-stop. Golden rain crashed down as the world came alive again. Rita remained seated under the tree, and Y128 still didn’t walk away.

It stared at her, voice cold. "You’re full of yourself. Why would I fight for someone I hate?"

Rita asked, curious, "Then what did you plan to do when you found me?"

Y128 shot back instantly, "Obviously, to get revenge. To stop you from entering the battle royale. To make sure you don’t get first place in the Divine Game, and to make you lose your bet."

Rita felt a headache coming. Why did it seem like literally everyone in the world knew about that wager?

The zone had already erupted into chaos. After discovering they couldn’t touch the Relics in Mechanoid hands, players resorted to the obvious next step: attacking. Player skills didn’t work on other players, but no rule said they couldn’t be used on Mechanoids.

Rita asked, "Is that metal case my Player Relic?"

Y128 nodded, then looked at her with open challenge. "Yes. And here, only if you satisfy a Mechanoid’s requirement can you touch your own Player Relic."