This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita took Apache's subtle warning to heart, deciding that after their conversation, she'd immediately reach out to Shadow.Q about the situation. The last thing she wanted was to be wiped out, bugs and all, while in Lania Kaia.

Apache continued, "I suspect your Disguise skill can evade even the more mysterious types of skills."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As she spoke, she pulled out a crystal ball. "Give me a strand of your hair. This crystal ball can track your movements over the past 12 hours, starting from the moment you pull out the hair. Want to try?"

Rita was more than eager to test the practical use of her Disguise skill, and the past 12 hours had been mundane: chatting with Samuel and Scarlett, then sleeping—nothing to hide.

With a look of mild disgust, Apache watched Rita pluck a hair from her goblin ear and hand it over. Rita discreetly pressed a hand to the Chávez pocket watch against her chest, quietly tucking it into her inventory.

Apache didn't notice her small movements and took the strand, blowing it towards the crystal ball.

The ball projected the image of a small goblin sitting at a table, marveling at the crystal ball. The scene then began rewinding rapidly. The goblin looked up, talking animatedly to her undead instructor, expressions vivid. Soon, the goblin backtracked out of the alchemy shop, retreated into a basement of a nearby restaurant, and then *biu*—vanished into the ceiling through a magic circle.

The crystal ball flickered, and the image disappeared entirely.

Rita, keeping her cool, subtly gripped the pocket watch in her hand. "It's possible that the crystal ball can't track information from Blue Star."

"Oh? Is that so?" Apache smiled slyly, producing a long strand of her own hair and blowing it towards the crystal ball.✘ᒑ

This time, the ball displayed the image of an undead woman, extending a hand towards Kayden, who was lying on the ground.

The image rewound, and the woman withdrew her hand, stepping backward as Kayden stood up. The two moved away from each other. The woman was cautious, avoiding people and keeping a two-meter distance from anyone she passed. The encounter with Kayden seemed like a mere accident.

She retreated into a herbalist's shop, walked past a blacksmith's, and lingered for a long time at the auction house, conducting various business. Finally, she backtracked to a small, shabby room, and then, with a flicker, the image shifted to a modern-looking room.

As the scene progressed, the woman's face gradually morphed, revealing her true human features.

Apache, showing patience, let the scene play for a bit longer before switching off the crystal ball as the woman prepared to bathe. She then looked back at Rita.

Rita was sweating bullets. This woman was clearly a high-ranking player from Special Affairs Bureau, likely involved in transporting resources between worlds...

Luckily, she had come from Blue Star and not from the hidden outpost. Also lucky that Kayden hadn't pulled her hair after she'd visited that outpost...

Now Rita understood why the crystal ball had gone dark just as she stepped through the Portal.

Her Disguise only lasted for an hour, and she was always mindful of every minute. While transforming into a cat allowed her to attend lessons, it wasn't convenient for taking notes, so she usually timed her Disguise to activate at the very moment she stepped into the Portal.

But she still didn't feel entirely at ease.

Apache noticed and handed her a vial of potion. "This will reset your skill's cooldown."

Rita immediately got up to lock the alchemy shop's door, canceled her Disguise, returning to her true form, and then drank the potion to transform back into a goblin. She also discreetly used the Chávez watch to modify her Divine Gift details and attributes.

She didn't touch any of her other information.

Rita had previously made a habit of tweaking her details with the Chávez watch after using Disguise, but she had never tested what it would look like to others if she only used the Disguise without altering her information.

She asked, "Teacher, can you Insight my information now? What do you see?"

Apache studied her for a moment. "Aside from your Divine Gift and attributes, everything is just question marks."

Rita plucked another ear hair and handed it to Apache. "Can we try again, teacher?"

This time, the crystal ball only stayed lit for a short while, showing a brief scene of the goblin sitting at the table, speaking with Apache for a few seconds before the ball dimmed again.

Apache turned to Rita and said, "See? Your Disguise skill is different."

It didn't matter if it was Lania Kaia or Blue Star—the skill seemed to sever all connections, making her appear as an entirely different existence.

By using the goblin hair, the crystal ball could only show what happened while Rita was in her goblin form. As soon as she reverted to her human form, the link was severed.

But Rita quickly recalled when Sanchez had tried to divine her, and the Chávez watch had alerted her to the attempt. She suspected that her skill didn't just transform her into something else—it was more advanced than that. *Disguise!* seemed to overlay a new identity over her true self.

While others couldn't track her, with the Chávez watch, not only could she remain hidden, but she could also sense when someone was trying to track her!

What a powerful ability!

Rita's face turned serious, though the corners of her mouth twitched.

Apache: "...You can laugh if you want."

Rita: "Heehee."

"..." Apache said, "I want you to use your Disguise skill to help me with something."

She didn't mention a reward, but Rita didn't mind. She had already been worried about how to cover the cost of her lessons. Cigarettes and alcohol were nowhere near enough to trade for such precious knowledge, especially one-on-one tutoring from a master alchemist!

In truth, Rita had been treating every lesson with Apache as though it might be her last.

She was always deeply grateful that Apache was willing to teach her and had always wanted to do something in return. And now, here was the opportunity.

But she still cautiously asked, "Can you tell me what it is first, teacher?"

Apache appreciated Rita's calm and composure, feeling relieved that the whole "dibidi-dibidi~ jabba-jabba~" episode had been just a fluke.

Apache fell silent for a moment, as though grappling with a monumental problem.

Rita, seeing Apache's perplexed expression, couldn't help but call out, "Teacher?"

Apache snapped out of it and replied, "Oh, I want you to steal some books for me from the Moon Fox royal library. Only Moon Foxes with six tails or more can enter. No other Sacred Race, not even royalty, can access it.

"Your Disguise skill can fool me, so it should be able to fool the Moon Foxes. And once you escape, they won't be able to divine your identity. Both of us can walk away clean.

"I'll provide you with the information and tools to escape. Even if you fail, you won't be in any danger. So, will you do it?"

With Apache offering her an escape plan and the task unrelated to Blue Star, how could Rita say no? "I'll do it, teacher. Which books do you need?"

Upon hearing Rita's agreement, Apache smiled in satisfaction. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and laid it in front of Rita. "It's just a small list."

The moment Apache started unfolding the paper, Rita caught sight of the ink marks. There weren't many—just three short lines.

But when the list was fully laid out, Rita realized she'd been too naive.

**"Moonlight Elixir: Alchemical Secrets"** – 189 volumes

**"The Most Mysterious Potion Ingredient: Moonlight"** – 3 volumes (complete set)

**"Moonlight and Time"** – 2 volumes (complete set)

A total of 194 books.

So you basically want me to raid the Moon Fox library, huh?

Rita: "Teacher, my Disguise skill only lasts for an hour. I probably can't carry all these books in one go."

Without a word, Apache produced a medicine chest and slid it over to Rita. "There are 30 bottles of cooldown-resetting potions inside."