Chapter 1316 1316: 1316: Divine Game: Graveyard of Bones 38

Rita continued her story all the way until she arrived at the Graveyard of Bones.

She skipped over Deceitful Bloom and Byme, skipped over the past of the two Foolishnesses, and finally brought up the purpose that both she and Lynx Duke already understood.

"How can I upgrade Wrathful Moon?"

Lynx Duke didn't answer.

Instead, she asked, "When you first obtained Wrathful Moon, did it already have the skill Wrathful Moon?"

"Yes," Rita replied. "Planetary, Temporal Stroll, and Wrathful Moon. Those were the original three skills."

The moment she finished speaking, she realized something had changed.

At some point, she had already left the lantern and returned to the ground.

Not far away stood Lynx Duke, still holding the lantern.

Unlike Lightchaser, whose presence was sharp and constantly oppressive, and unlike the storm-like Lynx Duke from the final battle, the one before her now felt like cold flame.

Beautiful. Elegant. Noble.

Not relaxing, but calm in a way that reminded one of the eye of a storm.

Lynx Duke gave a slight nod, a formal acknowledgment.

"If your divine relic were to fall into the hands of a player in the next era," she said, "and only you could decide whether it could reach its peak and carry your name… what conditions would you set?"

Rita thought carefully.

Then she immediately transformed into the strictest possible "guardian" of a divine relic and answered without hesitation:

"First, they must be ranked number one in Starsea.

Second, they must personally upgrade the relic at least three times, not rely on luck.

Third, they must be chosen by Quiet Mountain and copied there, and their counterpart must also rank first."

After listing those conditions, she paused, as if trying to come up with something even harsher.

Failing to do so, she reluctantly added, "That's it for now. I know it's strict, but that's the minimum."

Lynx Duke stared at her silently.

At some point, a magnificent staff had appeared in her free hand.

Standing on Rita's shoulder, B80 stared longingly at the lantern. It very much wanted to go back inside.

As the staff began to glow, Rita immediately raised her hand.

"Wait. You tell me. What conditions do you want?"

The staff struck the ground with a dull thud.

Lynx Duke seemed to understand, more and more, the expression Lightchaser wore whenever she mentioned this student.

"You are Lightchaser's student," she said. "That makes you my student."

Rita frowned. Even knowing this wasn't the best moment to argue, she still spoke up.

"I'm Lightchaser's student, not yours. Lightchaser is Lightchaser. Lynx Duke is Lynx Duke."

One of Lynx Duke's brows lifted slightly. She looked at Rita with a hint of curiosity.

At the moment when she should have been tactful, she chose not to be.

Lynx Duke let out a faint laugh, then turned and continued walking down the forest path. Her tone remained slow and refined, like a noble in a bard's tale, but it carried a bit more warmth now.

She didn't pursue the previous topic.

Instead, she said, "I will teach you a skill. Lightchaser took seven days to comprehend it. If you take less time than that, I will upgrade Wrathful Moon for you."

Rita, who had been walking lazily behind her, instantly rushed forward to her side.

"What skill? Is it the one that summons the little duke? Brilliant Imagination?"

Lynx Duke glanced at her sideways. "No. That was her own creation. What I teach is only a vague outline. What it becomes depends on you. Your personality, your preferences, your way of fighting. Think of it as me giving you paint. You create the painting."

Rita didn't hesitate.

"Deal."

She looked at Lynx Duke with genuine gratitude. Compared to what Lightchaser had said, Lynx Duke didn't seem difficult at all.

A faint smile curved at Lynx Duke's lips. She placed a hand on Rita's shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

The gesture felt oddly familiar. Rita had a bad feeling, but she still nodded eagerly.

"I'm ready."

A trace of amusement flickered in Lynx Duke's eyes.

"Then… find the name of this fairy tale."

Rita: …

That bad feeling just got worse.

The last time someone patted her shoulder and asked her to find something, it had been Beacon Byme.

Before she could respond, the staff struck the ground again.

The hand on her shoulder pushed forward.

In an instant, Rita felt herself falling into darkness.

It was like dropping into a deep well.

At the top, Lynx Duke looked down at her calmly, while B80 tried desperately to follow, unable to jump in no matter how hard it tried.

…

Demon Tavern.

Deceitful Bloom and Foolishness clinked glasses three times in a row.

"Congratulations."

"Congratulations."

Boiling Orange had just come back from making juice and missed the moment. After delivering several barrels of fruit wine, he hurried back.

"She really found Lynx Duke?" he asked Ashveil.

Ashveil nodded. "Yeah. She's been in there for hours."

Boiling Orange glanced at Deceitful Bloom and Foolishness, who were happily toasting again, and whispered,

"Why are they so happy? Is there something special about Lynx Duke? If even BS Rita can't get Wrathful Moon upgraded, then who can? It can't be that only Lightchaser qualifies, right?"

Ashveil frowned thoughtfully and turned to Hearthsmoke.

"Has anyone ever brought an SSS Wrathful Moon to Lynx Duke before?"

Hearthsmoke shook his head.

"No. Wrathful Moon is the most slippery divine relic. Whenever it's about to drop below A rank, it immediately finds a strong player. Once it stabilizes around SS, it runs off again. It's ranked number one every year as the most annoying divine relic."

"Then why are they celebrating?" a small voice asked.

Hearthsmoke looked down.

Boiling Orange had somehow crawled under the table again.

"…," Hearthsmoke leaned down as well, lowering his voice. "When you visited friends in the Graveyard of Bones, did you ever run into Lynx Duke?"

"No," Boiling Orange whispered. "I just thought everyone avoided her out of respect."

"That's not it," Hearthsmoke said. "Lynx Duke's favorite thing is to throw anyone who enters her time into a fairy tale she created. You have to play your assigned role. The worst part? Every character in the story looks like someone you know. Imagine entering a story and having to call me 'father.'"

"…So…" Boiling Orange's breathing slowed.

Hearthsmoke nodded.

"Yes. To upgrade Wrathful Moon, BS Rita definitely has to go through one of those stories."

Boiling Orange trembled.

"So Deceitful Bloom and Foolishness have gone through those too? Does that mean… they might've called each other 'mother'?"

Hearthsmoke: "…."

A few seconds later, the tavern door opened.

Boiling Orange, Hearthsmoke, and Ashveil were all standing against the wall, staring blankly ahead.

Ashveil: ???