The cooldown time for **Another Happy Day** was six hours, but with the necklace that reduced cooldowns by 15%, Rita realized that, in practice, she could use the skill every 306 minutes. If she timed it right, she'd only need about eleven days' worth of skill uses to pay for a trip to the other world. This price seemed entirely reasonable to Rita!
If she owned such a portal, she'd likely set the same price herself. It was a fair amount, considering the value of such an opportunity, without being extortionate. It was a good balance that would also build positive relations with the other party.
Rita asked, "I only need you to turn me into an animal and sneak me out of the city. How much for that service?"
Shadow.Q responded, "Five skill crystals."
**What a rip-off...** Rita thought. She sighed and asked the last question: "If that player dies, can we still get back?"
Shadow.Q answered, "Well, that's another paid service."
Rita's patience snapped, and she said, "You know what? Maybe you should leave. Let's pretend this meeting never happened."
Both Shadow.Q and Asher stood up in unison. "Alright then."
Rita raised her hand. "Wait! Let's talk it out."
Asher deadpanned, "But every time we talk, you don't like what you hear."
Rita felt the sting of her pride. **I'm the great, reborn protagonist of a revenge novel! How dare you treat me ? You're really pushing it!**
Shadow.Q offered another solution, smiling as she spoke. "We also have **Skill Stones** with teleportation spells. Crush one, and you'll return safely. Each one costs 52 skill crystals."
Rita grimaced. "Do you accept gold coins?"
Shadow.Q shook her head. "Nope, only your skill crystals."
Rita asked, "Can I pay in installments? Like, I go in first and then gradually pay you back?"
Shadow.Q responded with a saleswoman's enthusiasm. "Of course! In your special case, you'd need to pay every three days, with a minimum of ten crystals per payment, plus five extra as interest."
Rita, now entirely skeptical, questioned them directly. "Are you *really* government officials?"
Asher, without hesitation, answered, "Absolutely."
Rita had a nagging feeling she might have walked into a scam.
The costs kept piling up: 50 crystals for the teleportation fee, 5 crystals to be transformed into an animal, another 52 crystals to teleport back, and an additional 5 crystals for the installment plan.
After they left, Rita found herself sitting on the couch alone, clutching a pile of 112 empty skill crystals, a loan contract, and a confidentiality agreement. The confidentiality agreement was incredibly detailed, forbidding her from telling anyone about the ability to enter the game.
If she was caught, she couldn't reveal anything about players or the game world, or she'd be muted for a few days as punishment.
Shadow.Q had explained that the contract was enforced by a **Divine Gift**, something Rita had encountered before in her past life. After thoroughly checking for any traps or hidden clauses, Rita signed it, satisfied that it wasn't too harsh.
**How did it all come to this?**
Somehow, Rita was still a lone wolf, but now she was a lone wolf burdened by a massive debt.
She had initially thought she could sell her skill for 3 gold coins per use. **108 times... rounding it up, that's nearly 500 gold coins!**
Rita wiped her face in exasperation. **Well, I'd better make sure I break even on this trip.**
She took a few days to investigate both Shadow.Q and Asher, confirming that they were, indeed, legitimate government officials. Feeling more confident, she posted a cryptic message on her social media that only the insiders would understand:
"[Lucky 10]has been claimed by the government. No longer available for public use."
She then prepared for her departure by making sure her backyard cats were well taken care of. She baked batches of nutritious cat biscuits, filling five automatic feeders. These feeders would dispense food every three hours, enough to last a month.
Afterward, she messaged her family group chat.
Only Scarlett, who was the most idle of the bunch, responded immediately. The other two likely had notifications muted.
**Rita:** "My skill is now reserved exclusively for government use. I'll be away for over a month, and I can't share the details of my trip."
**Scarlett:** "Oh? Are they paying you?"
**Rita:** "What do you think?"
**Scarlett:** "Well, they better be!"
**Rita:** "Nope, and they're even making me pay taxes on it!"
**Scarlett:** "What?! That's outrageous! Where's the justice in that?"
After exchanging a few humorous but truthful complaints, Rita dressed in clothes suited for action—long sleeves, long pants, and soft-soled boots. The material was light and flexible, and wouldn't make noise when she moved. She double-checked her weapons, potions, and food supplies. Once satisfied, she drove to the address Shadow.Q had given her. That night, the portal would open.
Rita arrived at the library's top floor, wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. The room was filled with people, most of them similarly disguised to hide their identities.
In the corner of the room, a table was set up with food and drinks. Rita didn't go near it—she had learned her lesson about free food. She'd never trust it again.
At exactly 7 PM, a man in military uniform entered and addressed the crowd of a few hundred people, laying out the rules for the journey ahead.
"Those following the team must obey commands. Disobey more than three times, and we reserve the right to execute you."
"For independent players, you are free to move about once you're outside the city. If you run into trouble, you can seek our protection, but remember, we only take care of our own."
"And to those of you here on a loan, make sure to pay on time. Miss a payment, and future cooperation will be difficult."
"Lastly, respect the confidentiality clauses in your contract. That contract is backed by a **Divine Gift**. You really don't want to find out what happens if you break it."
The group responded with a resounding, "Yes, sir!" The whole situation felt eerily like a military boot camp.
Later that evening, Zoey, after finishing a meeting, heard about what had happened with Rita. Her brows furrowed. **The government took her skill...**
A feeling of displeasure bubbled up within her, as if something that belonged to her had been taken away. However, she quickly regained her composure, considering why the government might need **Wheel of Fate** so urgently.
At dinner, she casually asked Rick if he knew about the situation.
Rick showed her the group chat.
Zoey's gaze lingered on the line, "I'll be away for over a month, and I can't share the details of my trip."
She asked, "Did they really not pay her?"
Rick shrugged. "It seems so. She's stingy, but she wouldn't lie about something like that."
Zoey nodded thoughtfully, then dropped the subject. In her mind, the government probably needed **Lucky 10** for something important, like the time she and Sanchez had used a similar gift to ensure smoother divinations.
While she acknowledged the usefulness of the skill, she wasn't too upset. Recently, she had been considering officially bringing Rita into the Lopez family, though she was still debating which family branch should marry her. Rita was impressive, but too great a match would be overkill, while too poor a match would embarrass Zoey. After all, Rita was still her husband's sister.
**Oh well,** Zoey thought. **It's just a B-level gift.**