This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1254 Romantic Bullet

"Before pulling the trigger, you must wager one of your personality traits. If you win, any treasure you have lost will return to you, ignoring all rules, time, and space."

Foolishness stood there, quietly watching her student.

A long silence passed before she spoke.

"Are you provoking me, or trying to repay me? Or both?"

For a Fireglint who had lost her eyes, what counted as a "lost treasure" was obvious to both of them. The gun and bullet placed right in front of her were indeed a possible way to retrieve it.

But for someone like Foolishness, a genius with extraordinary intelligence and creativity, someone who took pleasure in turning both possibility and impossibility into toys, she accepted herself completely.

She was her own most satisfying creation.

To "wager a personality trait" meant examining every part of herself, then choosing one trait she was willing to discard.

For someone as proud as BS Rita, that might already be difficult.

For Foolishness, whose pride was no less than Rita’s, it was impossible.

Because choosing meant denying.

Romantic, BS Rita

"Wager a piece of yourself on the chance your treasure returns. When the gun fires, will you feel regret, or anticipation?"

This bullet can only be used on its own. When using it, no other special bullets may exist in the chamber. Hold Foolishness Game, wager a personality trait, and at the moment of firing, imagine the treasure you wish to reclaim.

If the first shot hits Romantic, that treasure will immediately return to you, ignoring all rules, time, and space.

If the first shot misses, you will lose the personality trait you wagered.

Regardless of the outcome, after the first shot, the Romantic bullet will temporarily disappear, only returning when you act against your instincts.

Note. The treasure has no restriction on rank or level. As long as it once belonged to you, if you win, Romantic will bring it back.

The moment Rita finished reading the full description through Foolishness Game, her first thought was simple.

She did not have a single personality trait she was willing to lose.

She was not perfect.

But there was nothing about herself she wanted to reshape or remove.

Even her flaws were hers.

And she would not gamble them away.

If that was how she felt, then what about Foolishness?

Facing the question just asked, Rita answered calmly.

"It is not really a provocation. I am just curious about your choice."

She paused slightly.

"And yes, part of it is repayment. Consider it tuition."

Foolishness reached out and held the gun.

But instead of taking it, she pushed it forward.

The barrel pressed lightly against Rita’s throat.

"This is a provocation."

Rita opened her hand.

A golden bullet rested in her palm. The butterfly fluttered over and landed on it, as if they shared the same origin.

She said nothing.

She simply extended her hand a little further.

The other students, along with Rita’s two small companions, had already scattered through the Toy Palace, making full use of the remaining time. None of them seemed surprised that Rita might annoy their teacher, nor were they worried that Foolishness would actually do anything.

Time passed.

Ten seconds, maybe more.

Eventually, Foolishness lost interest in this silent standoff.

She placed Foolishness Game back into Rita’s hand, pressing it down over the Romantic bullet.

"Unfortunately, I have no lost treasures."

Rita did not look disappointed, nor annoyed.

She simply put the gun and bullet away, planning to use the remaining time to explore more of the Toy Palace.

Foolishness turned to leave.

But after a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back.

"What is IKEA?"

Even Boiling Orange had not known the answer to that.

Rita kept a straight face.

"The highest hall of BS architectural art."

Foolishness stared at her for a few seconds. She clearly knew she was being fed nonsense again.

"You had better hope that answer is correct."

With that, she turned and walked away.

The farther she went, the more her presence grew quiet.

Fireglints were always like this.

When speaking with others, they were not cold or distant. When standing in a crowd, they did not feel out of place.

But once they were alone, once they stepped away, they gradually returned to their original state, like gemstones cooling back to their natural temperature.

Rita stood there, watching her leave, her thoughts drifting.

Then, from the distance, Foolishness’s voice came again. Calm, without warmth.

"Seven twenty two and seventeen seconds, to seven twenty five and seventeen seconds."

An address that existed only within the Graveyard of Bones.

Who was buried within that slice of time?

Rita watched until Foolishness disappeared into one of the workshops. Only then did she turn and continue exploring the Toy Palace, revisiting areas she had not yet fully searched.

From time to time, she opened the ranking board, checking for updates to combat power.

She had a feeling this evaluation would tie into the final stage of the game.

Ever since Quiet Mountain, there had been signs of everything converging toward a final battle.

Just as she picked up The Rain in the Wind, preparing to play the windpipe again to see whose voice she might hear this time, Queque and Fury Prayer approached her.

Behind them were Dawn Cicada and Maple Syrup, both looking less than willing. Each of them had one arm firmly grabbed by Queque.

Rita raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

Queque said, "We are going to Cloud Flower Island to look for Ask My Heart."

Then she added, slightly annoyed, "Why did you only tell Rita about something like that?"

Dawn Cicada looked helpless.

"You had already found your divine talent words back then. She had not."

Rita tried to play dumb.

"Oh. Then just go."

Queque replied, "It will be faster with more people."

Rita looked away, speaking with complete seriousness.

"That is Deceitful Bloom’s island. Classes are over. We cannot just go there on our own."

Maple Syrup let out a short laugh.

"You sneak onto Flower Island every night to harvest vines and get thrown out. Do not pretend we do not know."

Rita fell silent.

A finely made leather pouch was suddenly held up in front of her.

The opening was wide, revealing a bag packed full of high-grade gemstones in all kinds of colors. There were so many that if the holder loosened their grip even slightly, they would spill out.

Fury Prayer said, "Just a small gift. Fireglint needs your help."

"At my level, I am not short on money," Rita said with a straight face as she reached out and took the pouch, cradling it in her arms.

Prayer, who came from a background where wealth was never an issue, nodded seriously.

"I understand. You are simply expanding your collection."

As they walked out together, Rita turned to Maple Syrup.

"This is what you call the art of language."

Maple Syrup had been about to make a sarcastic remark, but when she glanced over, she saw Rita enthusiastically going through the gemstones, her eyes lit with genuine curiosity, like someone who had just received a new toy.

Many of these gems were probably things she had only ever heard of before.

Thinking about how Rita had only spent a few short years rising from entering the game to becoming a world Adjudicator, without ever absorbing another world’s resources, it made sense she had little accumulation.

The thought took the edge off Maple Syrup’s sarcasm.

She turned to Queque instead, her tone still blunt.

"Why do I have to go too?"

Queque answered simply.

"It would not be right to leave you out."

There was an easy lightness in her voice, one she did not even seem aware of.

It was obvious to everyone.

She genuinely enjoyed being around others.