Chapter 1372 1372: 1372 An Eternal Shackle

"Sometimes you're very easy to read."

The two of them leaned against the railing as the wind blew past.

Not far away stood Quiet Mountain's estate.

From time to time, sneaky Quiet Mountain players and gods could be seen secretly peeking at them.

Once upon a time, Rita had thought Deceitful Bloom was impossible to understand.

There were moments when it was genuinely hard to tell what she was thinking.

Her actions often felt unpredictable.

Not in terms of purpose.

Rita could understand Mistblade's choices in Card Swap, so naturally she could also understand many of Deceitful Bloom's decisions.

What Rita had never understood before was why Deceitful Bloom always insisted on taking one extra step.

Like deliberately stepping out onto the temple platform.

Or deliberately controlling her in Quiet Mountain.

She always pushed relationships one layer deeper and more complicated.

Just as Lynx Duke once said:

"She can't stand days where nothing happens. Peaceful lives and peaceful relationships are like flowers without fragrance to her."

That statement was only the conclusion.

The real reason lay hidden inside You Are My Graveyard of Bones.

Ever since Rita saw Deceitful Bloom's past through Beacon You Are Mine, she had finally obtained the last missing puzzle piece.

Of course Deceitful Bloom could not tolerate quiet days.

People carrying immense pain and trauma always needed something to keep themselves busy.

She treated intense conflicts as seasoning for life.

Used fresh, passionate love and hatred like alcohol to intoxicate herself.

More importantly...

Deceitful Bloom was the same kind of person as her.

Both of them hated manipulation and restraint.

Rita's hatred came from the deception and manipulation of family in her previous life.

Deceitful Bloom's came from the cruel joke fate had played on her.

Beacon You Are Mine had not only manipulated and rewritten Deceitful Bloom's destiny.

She had also shackled Deceitful Bloom forever with the burden of "my entire race died because of me."

That invisible shackle forced Deceitful Bloom to forever sit at the highest point.

Forced her to constantly watch over the future of the Vineborne race in every era.

She could never become numb like the gods of other races.

Because in the dead of night, she would inevitably ask herself again and again:

"Do you deserve your entire race's sacrifice?"

Every Deceitful Bloom born from timelines branching after that era of You Are Mine would inevitably walk the same path.

She had to shine brilliantly.

Otherwise, that tragedy would lose all meaning.

And with Deceitful Bloom's pride, she would never comfort herself with thoughts like:

"Maybe the Vineborne would have been destroyed eventually even without You Are Mine."

As long as Deceitful Bloom remained seated upon the highest throne...

As long as even one Vineborne or living being looked up at her...

She would inevitably remember that price.

Rita was certain of one thing.

The Deceitful Bloom who personally buried Beacon You Are Mine would have matched Wrathful Moon perfectly.

Because she had buried part of herself alongside her.

You Are Mine would never receive the Deceitful Bloom she waited for.

Deceitful Bloom would never go see her.

Because doing so would mean reconciling with the past.

It would mean truly letting it go.

So why did Rita say Deceitful Bloom was easy to understand now?

Because whether during the manipulation itself or after their falling out, Deceitful Bloom had still been teaching her.

It was compensation.

An apology.

She instinctively loved controlling things, yet simultaneously resisted that instinct.

That contradiction tore her back and forth endlessly.

Deceitful Bloom carried a trace of guilt toward her.

It was deeply hidden.

She would never say it aloud.

But it undeniably existed.

That was why Deceitful Bloom tolerated her beyond all reason.

Why Deceitful Bloom had come over now to ask what troubled her.

And yet, Deceitful Bloom would never admit she had done anything wrong.

Nor would she stop creating passionate love and hatred.

The Unchanged Fate Rita had comprehended during their first meeting did not merely summarize many events.

It summarized both of them.

"This is the first time anyone's ever called me easy to understand."

After a long silence, Deceitful Bloom finally spoke.

Rita countered, "Then do you think I'm easy to understand?"

Deceitful Bloom lowered her head slightly.

Her eyes softened.

Then she quietly laughed.

Clearly, she too had recognized someone of the same kind.

Not far away, BS Cicada frowned while staring at the two chatting by the railing.

She asked Smoke Tune beside her, "How are those two somehow getting along?"

Smoke Tune did not find it strange at all.

"BS Rita usually keeps to herself, but honestly, she can get along with almost anyone."

Cicada objected immediately.

"Really? I can't talk with her at all."

Smoke Tune did not bother arguing with something so childish.

She simply replied gently, "That's okay. As long as you and I get along, that's enough."

One sentence instantly smoothed her over.

Fat Goose happened to pass by nearby.

His entire face twisted up as he backed away several steps before stopping in front of the sisters.

He stared at Smoke Tune and asked, "Wait... you don't usually talk to BS Rita like this too, do you??"

Mistblade and Maple Syrup would never say something so ridiculous...

Then Fat Goose froze.

Wait.

BS Rita actually did talk like that all the time.

Fat Goose looked horrified.

"No wait, don't tell me BS Rita talks to you like this too?!"

The double hit instantly wiped the smile off BS Cicada's face.

Even worse, she realized Fat Goose's second guess was probably correct.

Smoke Tune turned toward Cicada.

"I need to handle something. Wait here for me."

Then she immediately chased after Fat Goose, who had already sensed danger and started sprinting away.

That loudmouthed Candlebeast had to die today.

Meanwhile, the conversation by the railing continued.

Rita did not hide her troubles from Deceitful Bloom.

Maybe Deceitful Bloom could think of a better solution.

She knew their conversation could not be hidden from the gods aboard the ship.

It was not because she trusted the Starsea players.

Nor because she did not care whether others obtained part of the mysterious authority related materials.

It was because she had already saved the timeline.

Leaving aside the fact that no god possessed the ability to drag worlds into Graveyard of Bones...

Even if someone figured out a method and traveled to other timelines to seize those materials first, Rita could simply follow after them, learn the method herself, and then rewind the timeline afterward.

To be safe, before discussing her current predicament, Rita first used Read File on the current timeline and rewound everything back several minutes.

Then Deceitful Bloom walked over and repeated the exact same conversation.

Clearly, she no longer retained much memory of what had happened previously.

After patiently listening to Rita explain the problem she currently faced, countless possible solutions passed through Deceitful Bloom's mind.

One after another, she rejected them.

They all required too much time.

During the silence, Rita spoke again.

"I keep wondering... what exactly is pruning timelines? And what decides which timelines are worth keeping?"

Seeing Rita sink into thought again, Deceitful Bloom remained silent.

The problems Rita faced had already exceeded anything they could truly help with.

If it were knowledge or combat techniques, they could still offer guidance.

But matters concerning the truth of the world, order itself, and alternate timelines...

They were powerless there.

Deceitful Bloom simply leaned against the railing and quietly enjoyed the wind without disturbing her.

Only after Rita finally emerged from her thoughts and said goodbye did Deceitful Bloom extend a hand toward her.

A Flower of Deceit bloomed at her fingertips.

"If you run into an emergency and need to activate third phase, try this."

Rita had only just snapped back to reality before the flower filled her vision.

After hearing what Deceitful Bloom said, she blankly answered, "Oh."

Then she carefully picked up the flower and tucked it into her pocket.

The instant she touched it, she could tell the traits and power within it far surpassed the flame left behind by Undead Wildfire.

Deceitful Bloom turned and left.

Only after several meters separated them did Rita finally mutter:

"...Thanks."

The figure who had already walked several meters away suddenly stopped.

Then, extremely smoothly, she walked backward all the way back to Rita and stopped in front of her.

Deceitful Bloom tilted her head slightly.

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

Rita: "..."