As soon as Rita moved, the remaining players followed suit. Almost 99% of them stopped attacking the mechanical race and retreated to the backlines to grab the World Graveyards. The only one who remained still was Maple Syrup...
If this war hadn’t been coming to an end and the outcome already decided, BS Rita, who was causing confusion and disrupting the morale of the troops, would have been dragged out and given a long, painful beating by Maple Syrup.
But unfortunately, there were no "what-ifs."
At this point, not grabbing the World Graveyards would have been foolish.
Maple Syrup had to admit, BS Rita was indeed clever and decisive.
They had all been cooperating for a common goal, but their fundamental relationship was still competitive. When Maple Syrup rose from nothing, she had been just as ruthless, grabbing every opportunity she could.
Rita bent over and tirelessly started picking up the World Graveyards. She almost felt sorry for Nivalis; yet again, the mech battle and the post-war loot had passed her by...
As she flew around collecting them, Rita didn’t stay in one place for more than a second. Every time she reached down, no matter how many World Graveyards were in the area, she only grabbed one, leaving the rest as bait for the other players to fight over.
The players who caught up, with World Graveyards scattered on the ground between BS Rita and themselves, didn’t even hesitate. They all chose to fight over the unclaimed World Graveyards rather than engage BS Rita, who could potentially retaliate with her [Ancient Curse].
Once the players stopped, the mechanical race didn’t press the advantage. Their primary goal was survival and freedom, not wiping out the players.
The remaining mechanical race quickly regrouped and started charging each other, healing and recharging.
Maple Syrup scowled and dispersed the lightning gun in her hand, silently observing the chaos in the backline.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want the World Graveyards, but at her level, the ticket prices for entering each Divine Game were no small matter.
However, as the commander, she couldn’t just jump into the fray like BS Rita and get involved in a chaotic grab for the loot...
Alright, she admitted it: She had become too much of a powerhouse to act like this. She had forgotten the way she used to be...
Rita, meanwhile, understood that her actions were like elderly people fighting for free eggs at a market.
Back in BS, she couldn’t understand why people with rich pensions would fight over free eggs. But now, with the eggs replaced by World Graveyards, she immediately understood. Oh, she understood all too well. The feeling of getting something for free was truly different!
Charge!!!
Rita raised her hand and elbowed a player trying to sneak in beside her.
No one was going to steal her World Graveyards!
From the air, Maple Syrup watched the spectacle, speechless.
She thought to herself, "Is it too late to sever our mother-daughter relationship?"
After thinking for a moment, and realizing it wasn’t possible to break it off, Maple Syrup decided to at least get something in return. She called out to Rita, "BS Rita, help me pick up some too."
Rita, catching her breath, asked, "Who are you?"
Maple Syrup didn’t understand the English, but she clearly saw the confusion on BS Rita’s face — she was bewildered, like "huh?"
Maple Syrup couldn’t help but laugh. "...30 World Graveyards. Consider it repaying the favor for teaching you [Cheers]."
Rita immediately replied in Owlspeak, "Deal!"
She had already collected at least 50 World Graveyards, so using just 30 to settle the debt was more than worth it.
Maple Syrup raised an eyebrow, not at all surprised. She found BS Rita’s complexity amusing.
She had once thought of Rita as distant and rational. After spending ten years in High Tower together, she felt like she could never truly get close to her. Neither Maple Syrup nor Maple Mu had managed to get through to Rita’s heart. She even doubted every act of kindness shown to her.
But now, she realized, the truly cold-hearted wouldn’t act like BS Rita, whose attitude was so complicated.
Maple Syrup remembered how Rita had always ignored her in the chat channels, pretending to be dead when they joked around. She hadn’t responded once. But after witnessing Rita curse Winter Sea Frenzied Shark and shut him down in the blink of an eye, Maple Syrup knew Rita was keeping an eye on the chat.
Yet, whenever they met on the battlefield — whether it was in a car race or the Diamond Miner event — every time Maple Syrup teased her, Rita always took the bait after a few tries. She’d keep her distance, always observing from afar, but the moment they interacted, Rita was quick to cut ties again.
This, in Maple Syrup’s eyes, was fascinating.
In the last ten seconds before the battlefield was to be turned into an abandoned zone, Rita handed over the 30 World Graveyards.
With a light and relaxed tone, Rita smiled and said, "We’re even now."
Her Owlspeak carried a distinct accent, with a rising tone at the end, a feature of the Maple Clan that even Rita had failed to correct despite many attempts.
For the three hundred years of their existence, ten years wasn’t much. But in Rita’s case, it had left an indelible mark.
Maple Syrup smiled.
At that moment, she understood something clearly.
Rita may have once been touched by the warmth they shared during their time in High Tower, or perhaps, at some point, she had been tempted by the power and resources Maple Syrup could offer. There might even have been times when Rita envied Maple Burn.
She had wavered, and even now, she probably still thought about those ten years.
But Rita would never return to Maple Syrup’s side like Maple Mu had. She would never crave her affection.
3… 2… 1!
The system’s voice cut into Maple Syrup’s thoughts.
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[Ding—Special event triggered in Special Shop Area 8017: mechanical race rebellion—Failure!] [Special Shop Area 8017 has officially turned into an abandoned zone] [Abandoned Zone 8017 will merge with other abandoned zones in 100 seconds] [Surviving players will lose their qualification for Divine Game: Diamond Miner and cannot receive rewards] [Top 100 players who killed mechanical race will receive rewards]
The next moment, everything went quiet.
The rewards were only announced to the players themselves. Read new adventures at freewebnovel
This was the real climax. Those players who had suicided to exit the game could not receive these rewards.
They had chosen to prioritize their Divine Game rankings, while the remaining players focused on the mechanical race rebellion rewards.
Rita had hesitated too. Her ranking in the Divine Game wasn’t low, and she was confident she could get a Golden Tree Withered Leaf.
But... when she saw Maple Syrup fighting fiercely at the frontlines, she inexplicably didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her.
Maple Syrup didn’t retreat, and Rita didn’t want to either.
Even though, rationally, she knew Maple Syrup would never see her as a daughter and she never thought of Maple Syrup as a mother, Rita just couldn’t bring herself to back down in front of her. She didn’t want to disappoint Maple Syrup.