[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist":3,"chapter-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1386":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1533197,1991,"Chapter 1386 What About Sea Pony Then?","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1386",1386,"\u003Cp>No one knew afterward whether the painting titled Brilliant Imagination ended up in Lightchaser’s hands or Cinders’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Rita finally started painting Beacon, she was instantly surrounded by Vineborne from both Starsea and Quiet Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Deceitful Blooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Cicadas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Smoke Tunes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Spring Guest craning his neck from the outer edge because he could not squeeze in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita genuinely could not understand what was so fascinating about watching her paint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her process was meticulous. One painting took at least ten days to finish, and some especially complicated worlds required half a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For most worlds, she only painted the backs of the inhabitants. She tried not to let any single individual stand as the sole symbol of an entire race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there were exceptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon foxes alone had hundreds of different tail and ear colors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owlfolk had countless wing patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita was not stubborn enough to cling rigidly to her own rules. Without hesitation, she chose Misttail and the Maple lineage as representatives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the era she lived in, no moon fox ruler had ever surpassed Mistblade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among the owlfolk, no leader had ever been more relentless than Maple Syrup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many similar cases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever a race possessed too many physical variations, Rita would prioritize whichever leader had managed to carry their people this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for present day Beacon and the Vineborne, Rita naturally intended to paint Cicada’s silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heartless Temptation would serve as the dark central focus, while the other illuminated vines drifted through the air like glowing fireflies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then came the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should the hair be silver?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or pale gold?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pale gold would be more accurate to reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Vineborne race was defined by silver hair and crimson eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, BS Cicada had still possessed silver hair when Beacon collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet if Rita painted silver hair together with Heartless Temptation, then which Cicada would this become?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starsea Cicada?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or QM Cicada?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita stared at the paint palette for so long that everyone present quickly figured out what she was hesitating over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Deceitful Bloom spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But BS Cicada immediately grabbed Rita’s wrist and said firmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Silver hair.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita lifted her gaze toward her, then glanced quietly at the silent QM Cicada nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She broke free from divine blessing,\" BS Cicada said without looking at QM Cicada. Her eyes remained lowered toward the lonely figure standing amidst the painted sea of flowers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was the exact moment she appeared in Quiet Mountain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant Beacon collapsed, Dawn Cicada was born.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so was QM Cicada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BS Cicada continued,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Smoke Tune was copied into Quiet Mountain that same day too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita’s gaze slowly drifted toward Spring Guest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression clearly read: Then what happened to this one? A genetic mutation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BS Cicada answered flatly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He wasn’t copied. He had only just learned how to walk back then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fair enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not much replication value there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she wanted silver hair, Rita simply mixed silver paint without further argument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spring Guest only learned the exact timing of QM Cicada’s duplication today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I always thought your copy point would’ve been the moment you ascended Dawn’s throne.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BS Cicada’s voice carried a faint smile, but underneath it lay cold certainty, just like the Heartless Temptation vines winding around her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The day Beacon died, my heart had already taken the Dawn throne.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The coronation ceremony just happened to require Dawn’s blood, so it took a few extra years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita painted long silver hair onto the Vineborne figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she added a single red droplet falling through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better not make her cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita had never considered tears a symbol of weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within Beacon’s sigh, the image of Cicada crying had never once looked fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better not to cry again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood and sweat spilled during battle suited them far more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the painting neared completion, the seven crimson eyed Vineborne surrounding her grew increasingly soft in expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita quietly relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This had easily been the most stressful painting she had worked on so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she began finishing the final details, a red flower petal drifted over and brushed lightly against her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starsea Deceitful Bloom asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why didn’t you paint Flower Crown Murder?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Beacon’s story.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cicada was the center of the story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Starsea Deceitful Bloom disagreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this painting eventually becomes an item or evolves into something even higher, then every layer inside it should become richer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief pause, her tone lowered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think of those timelines that become Brilliant through overwhelming suffering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Beacon’s Vineborne went to Dawn. Their final destination became BS. And during all of that, I intervened too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All of those things are part of the Vineborne story.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Most importantly...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have vines as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This painting may belong to Beacon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But it can still contain winds blowing in from afar.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita understood immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at the painting for a while before finally adding two tiny vines into the lower left corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flower of Deceit and Flower Crown Murder crossed together like twin swords, forming a small X.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita pointed proudly at her addition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not bad, right? I even included you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom nodded in satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Acceptable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both herself and BS Rita layered into the artwork, this illustration would probably become second only to BS itself in strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BS Cicada immediately objected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. I disagree.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita: \"???\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why do I need your approval?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she added calmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you not want vines again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>QM Cicada still did not fully understand all the chaos within Starsea’s relationships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she already knew asking the Vineborne directly would get her nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even Smoke Tune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Vineborne looked endlessly gentle and accommodating, yet sometimes possessed terrifying stubbornness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Smoke Tune acknowledged QM Cicada as another Cicada, she clearly still favored Starsea’s version more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way she would casually spill Starsea Cicada’s gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after the painting was finally completed, QM Cicada cornered Starsea Spring Guest at the first opportunity she found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spring Guest lowered his head and looked at the blade pressed against his waist before forcing out a bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Need something?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>QM Cicada asked directly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly happened between Starsea Rita and Starsea Cicada? What did she mean by ’not wanting vines again’?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gossip?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spring Guest instantly lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, that’s a long story!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, sis, let’s grab coffee and talk properly. My treat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their story... no, wait, not just theirs... and Smoke Tune too... actually it’s the whole four person disaster. There’s no way I can explain it quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>QM Cicada: ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A terrible feeling suddenly rose in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several hours later, QM Cicada walked out of the ship’s restaurant wearing an extremely complicated expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right then, she happened to run into QM Mistblade returning from class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Cicada’s unusual face, QM Mistblade asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Weren’t you watching Starsea Rita paint Beacon? What happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>QM Cicada explained everything in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Starsea Rita raising her pinky finger the very first time she met Starsea Cicada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To eventually eating Cicada’s vines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To attacking Lania Kaia for Deceitful Bloom and pointing her blade toward BS.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To finally handing Dawn over to BS Rita before relocating her entire family to BS herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the story continued, the permanently sleepy look on QM Mistblade’s face slowly disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes opened wider and wider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time QM Cicada finished speaking, QM Mistblade blurted out the first thought that entered her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what about Sea Pony?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>QM Cicada: ...Who exactly is that now???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why did this somehow sound like another entire story?\u003C\u002Fp>",1273,"2026-06-06T06:15:33.929Z",1,"novelbin.me","64c348a69bb169fa0d190adf9fad70b95d3ce7a7cbc2eec1c8df8fe55967f126","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1387","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1385",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]