This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 473 - 472: Is It Insulting You in a Roundabout Way?

Even now, Rita found it hard to believe she had gotten this lucky.

She asked, "Are time-based and theft-based skills common in the World Battlefield?"

B80234615 responded, "One in ten thousand, maybe. Even among the world's most elite talents, time is not something easily touched. Naturally, time-related abilities are extremely rare."

Rita frowned. "You mechanical race… can you see all players' skills?"

That was a serious concern.

B80234615 had somehow figured out she had both a time ability and a theft ability.

She had assumed locked skills were undetectable, but this thing had barely interacted with her and already identified her rare abilities.

B80234615 reassured her, "I don't know your exact skills. But players with time-based or theft-based abilities are specially marked in our system—so we're always told to monitor them closely."

Rita's expression darkened. "First job for you—erase all skill-related information about me."

"As you wish." B80234615 quickly complied. "Also, locked skills can't be detected by any scouting ability."

Rita exhaled, feeling slightly more at ease.

Ever since her theft skill upgraded to I Just Want to Improve So Badly, and after she had burned her one-use skill I Could Just Steal It on Winter Sea Frenzied Shark, she hadn't been as worried about concealing her skills.

That said, her instincts were still sharp.

In Diamonds Miner, she had acted cautiously, almost paranoid.

Now, hearing from B80234615 just how valuable theft skills were, she felt that paranoia creeping back in.

With that issue handled, Rita dumped all her ore in front of B80234615.

Her robotic pet's battery had already dropped to 9%.

"These ores—you said they might have skill tablets hidden inside? Scan them."

B80234615 hesitated. "I can, but each scan consumes 1% of my ener—"

Before it could finish, Rita tossed a World Graveyard item in front of it—a simple baseball cap.

"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty."

She had 47 World Graveyard items from scavenging in the World Battlefield.

Adding her original three from kill rewards, that made 50 in total.

She wasn't even counting the mahjong-themed World Graveyards.

If it was convertible into power, she had no reservations about using it.

B80234615 buzzed in awe.

"Wow. This is too extravagant… I know how rare these are."

Rita & Nivalis: "..."

Wait a second.

That sounded exactly like what Nivalis had said minutes ago when she scolded B80234615 for being wasteful.

Rita coughed, holding down a wriggling, furious Nivalis in her lap.

"Ahem… we're all family here. It's fine."

B80234615 turned to Nivalis. "Nivalis, do you approve?"

Nivalis was about to explode.

Rita sighed and gave B80234615 a long, skeptical look. "Are you sure you haven't ignited a soul yet?"

The robot was genuinely confused. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

Rita narrowed her eyes. "Because you…"

You're annoying as hell.

But she couldn't say that outright.

Instead, she rephrased it nicely.

"…Because you have a lot of personality. You speak in a way that provokes emotional reactions. That's usually a trait of sentient beings."

B80234615's response was immediate. "That's because of you."

Rita raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

B80234615 confirmed, "Yes. After you charged me, I remained inactive for a while to connect to this world's network.

I gathered all available data on you from phones, computers, and any digital records I could access.

Then, I analyzed your speech patterns and behaviors—and learned from them."

Rita froze.

"..."

She tried to remember all her past black history.

Nivalis, meanwhile, gave a brilliant summary.

"So basically… it's insulting you."

Rita immediately shut that down.

"I don't hear any insults!"

She firmly praised B80234615 instead.

"Great job, B80234615!"

Then, she shoved all the ores toward it. "Now hurry up and get to work!"

The robot said nothing.

But its status bar displayed emotions: Joy. Relaxation. Relief.

Even while scanning the ores, B80234615 kept talking.

Rita still couldn't figure out where its voice was even coming from.

Suddenly, it brought up something unexpected.

"By the way, your past interviews as an actress were amusing. It makes sense you never became an A-lister."

Nivalis perked up, "Wait, what? Explain! Give examples!"

Rita: "...Weren't you two just arguing?"

B80234615 ignored her. "She always lost her temper slightly—never a full-blown rage, but enough that it was awkward.

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She wanted to hold back, but couldn't.

As a result, she wasn't seen as rebellious enough to attract a fanbase… but she offended people anyway."

Nivalis leaned in, intrigued. "Give me an example."

B80234615 obliged.

"For instance, when asked about a failed drama, her agent prepared polite, diplomatic responses.

But instead, she said, 'The sooner you flop, the sooner you get over it.'"

Rita remembered that.

And honestly?

She still didn't think she was wrong.

But she didn't interrupt.

If this gossip session helped these two get along, she had no reason to stop it.

Nivalis, utterly fascinated, whispered, "She sounds so different from the Rita I know."

B80234615 continued scanning, and soon, it finished.

It pushed 27 ores toward Rita.

"These contain skill tablets. You'll need to break the outer layer carefully to extract them.

Be cautious—damaging the tablet might weaken the skill."

Rita nodded, thanking it.

She stored the remaining 78 ores—she'd sell them to Eclipse Vanguard tomorrow.

Meanwhile, B80234615 had scanned 105 ores in total, dropping its battery to 4%.

The World Graveyard hat had vanished.

Rita wordlessly handed it another World Graveyard.

As it charged, B80234615 suddenly spoke up.

"I found something important.

It's from several years ago, but my calculations show it's highly relevant to you."

Rita carefully rubbed the surface of an ore with magic.

"Go on."

B80234615: "There was a historical drama—a project that was very important to you.

It was secretly funded by your grandmother, Eleanor.

She specifically requested you for the role… and forbade anyone from telling you."

Rita's hand slipped.

She was silent for a few seconds before muttering, "…Oh."

B80234615 added, "Also, another piece of information I believe will interest you.

Eclipse Vanguard's leader, Avery—

"She is your father's elder sister.

By human terms… she is your biological aunt."