This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 92 Zoey's Already Used the Full Version

Just as Rita was pondering over Sanchez's sudden silence, she received a private message from Shadow.Q.

**[Shadow.Q]:** "Take some time to check out the Special Affairs Bureau's website. We've taken the heat for you, so if anyone tries to buy skill stones from you, just direct them to our site."

Curious, Rita visited the website and saw that they had indeed posted a new announcement. It detailed the Bureau's cooperation with players, listing eight unique skill stones, including her own **[Another Happy Day]**. However, no player names were mentioned, and the specific details of the skills weren't provided—just their names, which made it difficult for others to deduce their effects.

The statement boldly declared that the players had entrusted the Special Affairs Bureau with the full rights to handle their skill stones, and anyone interested in purchasing them should contact the Bureau directly. It also assured that the Bureau would protect these players, and in the event of their deaths, the Bureau would use their Divine Gifts to track down and avenge them.

The announcement ended by encouraging other players with special Divine Gifts to collaborate with the Bureau, promising favorable terms.

Rita was quite pleased with the Bureau's efficiency. Not only would this deter people like Sanchez, but it would also reassure Zoey and Rick.

Indeed, Sanchez had seen the announcement, which was why she stopped wasting time trying to negotiate with Rita. Instead, she went to Zoey to complain, grumbling about how they hadn't secured Rita for the Lopez family sooner.

This prompted Zoey to check the Bureau's website as well.

It was only then that Zoey fully believed Rita's claims. Although the butler had previously confirmed that Rita hadn't lied, Zoey knew there were countless ways to twist the truth. She hadn't been entirely convinced—until now.

Turning to Rick, Zoey remarked, "It seems that luck really is everything."

Rick, who had always trusted Rita more than Zoey did, simply nodded in agreement.

Recently, Zoey had been buying gems to help Rick level up his **Jewelry Crafting** skill. Whenever Rick crafted jewelry, the attributes added were always at their maximum potential. For example, if the blueprint for **Bluebird Earrings** indicated that they could increase Intelligence by 2-3 points and Constitution by 1-2 points, Rick's earrings would always add 3 Intelligence and 2 Constitution.

Zoey had even compared Rick's work to that of a professional jeweler who had been in the trade for over ten years, someone she'd sent into the game during the second beta test. Despite the jeweler's skill and careful craftsmanship, his creations yielded truly random results—unlike Rick's, which always hit the maximum stats, even though his work was comparatively less refined.

Seeing this, Zoey decisively shifted all the family's jewelry-related resources to Rick. As for professions like alchemy, which didn't rely on luck, she wasn't as interested.

This caused some unrest within the Lopez family. A few members began resenting Rick more and more. Just before the game's official launch, Rick had arranged for the Lopez family to buy 1,000 green-tier belts—a deal that seemed promising at the time. However, after the game began, belt prices plummeted while other equipment held their value.

This led to murmurs within the family that Rick's short streak of luck was draining his future fortune. Even Mateo and Su Langfeng began to wonder if the family's misfortune was somehow tied to Rick. As a result, they restricted Zoey's ability to funnel resources to Rick, allowing her to use only her own share.

"A mechanical eye," Aaron said. "It can be crafted with Intermediate Engineering. I heard it only costs a few dozen gold."

Rick immediately checked the auction house. If helping Aaron would secure The Jones Family's support, a few dozen gold seemed like a bargain. But there were no listings for mechanical eyes—probably because the materials required for Intermediate Engineering were still too rare. He called Rita right in front of Aaron, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hey, Sis, you've studied Engineering, right?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Can you make a mechanical eye?"

"I'll check."

A moment later, Rita replied, "There's a blueprint for it. Do you need one? The materials are a bit much: 10 **Mechanical Parts**, 1 **Electronic Core**, 5 **Springs**, and 2 **Magic Crystals**. If you can find those, I can make it for you."

Rick searched for the materials in the auction house but couldn't find any. He sighed, then turned to Rita, still on the call. "Can you get your hands on these materials? I'll pay double."

Rita, ever quick-witted, instantly understood what was happening. Rick wasn't asking for himself—he was doing this for Aaron, who was sitting right there, listening in. She played along.

"Oh, are you helping that friend from The Jones Family?" she asked. "Alright, I'll ask around at the Special Affairs Bureau. It won't be cheap, though. I probably can't get it for double, but I'll see what I can do. You understand, right? People always want to make a cut."

"No problem, Sis. Would 80 gold be enough?"

"That should cover two mechanical eyes. No worries, if it's short, I'll cover the rest. By the way, did Lopez Manor pay The Jones Family back after we helped them out with that deal?"

"They did, but... well, you know."

"I get it. Your conscience won't let it go, right? Don't worry, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Do you still need more materials for those vitality potions?"

"No, I'm good."

"Alright then."