Chapter 240: Late Night
Game Time AM 04:15
Southeast Continent, Violet Empire
Crystal Wolf Territory, Whitmane City Central District, Liuli Pavilion
【You have been urgently disconnected. Please choose whether to reconnect.】
“Happy New Year, it’s really tough with only two days off~”
【Reconnection starting…】
“Don’t be so cold, traditionally you should at least politely expose your chest and reply with ‘Happy New Year’~”
【Connection complete, retrieving character information】
【Welcome to Innocent Continent, Tan Mo, the chaotic neutral. Good night to you.】
……
Liuli Pavilion’s underground cellar
“Tsk, truly unmoving and boring. It would be better if you at least called me a pervert.” Mo Tan, who appeared amidst a large pile of oak barrels, stretched comfortably, then took out a dagger and skillfully pried open a nearby barrel. He then took out a healing potion from his satchel and, without a word, tilted his head back and took a gulp.
His current HP was 100%, so the bizarre action of chugging half a bottle of healing potion seemed to have no purpose at all…
“How could it have no purpose? Wasting things for no reason is a crime, you know.” Mo Tan suddenly started laughing, the kind where he was leaning against a wine barrel, gasping for breath. Then he quickly dipped the small bottle, now only half-full, into the barrel and obtained…
【Wine-Infused Healing Potion】
Quality: Trash
Usage: Restores a very small amount of health. Players under sixteen cannot use it.
Trait: Alcoholic Beverage
【Remarks: It is not a simple healing potion, but a healing potion filled with a century of accumulation from the Little Snow Wolf Winery, featuring carefully selected imported Violet imperial banquet wine. Pure, mellow, trustworthy.】
Mo Tan carefully examined the full, fragrant, trash-quality, pale purple liquid in the bottle, his mouth twitching slightly: “Good, very good… You win, I’m convinced…”
He casually stashed this item back into his satchel, put on the Hundred Aspects mask, disguising himself as a handsome, somewhat effeminate male elf, and then walked confidently up the stone steps in the wine cellar.
Half a minute later
A goblin waiter, dozing at the kitchen door, groggily opened his eyes, lit the portable magic crystal lamp beside him, and prepared to go to the restroom. He looked up and came face to face with a sneaking figure.
“Who’s there!” The Gold Coin Merchant Guild service staff, who had at least level 15 warrior strength, barked, swiftly switched the magic crystal lamp to his left hand, drew a short sword from his waist, and steadily aimed it at the suspicious person in front of him: “What are you doing?!”
Mo Tan rolled his eyes, then leaned in, smiling softly and gently said: “I’m your daddy.”
Skill activated—Bewitch!
Despite having no advantage in level, this skill, whose effect depends on the difference in intelligence between the two parties and the target’s mental state, was still remarkably effective. The groggy goblin waiter was instantly stunned, repeating blankly: “Dad… daddy?”
“Yes, I’m your daddy.” Mo Tan nodded quickly, and casually took out two small yellow books with green covers from his satchel, fanning them by his ears. His tone was gentle and benevolent: “See how much our ears resemble each other~”
However, a hint of clarity returned to the other party’s eyes, and he asked in Confusion: “Why are they ‘White Lotus Uncensored’ and ‘Lebi Library Issue 766’…?”
“Holy crap, your range of interests is quite broad!” Mo Tan was instantly shocked, then immediately activated Confusion: “Stop talking nonsense, I’m your daddy, just go to sleep now, and tomorrow I’ll reward you with the complete ‘Hot Winter’ series!”
The goblin waiter nodded in a daze, then suddenly struggled slightly and whispered: “But I want to go to the toilet…”
“No peeing! Or no more dirty books!”
Mo Tan rudely interrupted him.
“Oh…”
The goblin waiter nodded obediently, sat by the wall, and continued to doze.
Meanwhile, Mo Tan sauntered upstairs.
……
Five minutes later
Mo Tan, who had already removed his mask, used a key card to unlock the magic restriction of a room on the fourth floor, then pushed the door open casually, meeting Shaliya’s gaze, who was sitting inside.
“Yo~ I’m back.”
Mo Tan raised a hand in greeting, as if it were perfectly natural, then chuckled: “It’s late, why aren’t you wearing the pajamas I bought for you~”
“Bloodseekers don’t need much sleep.” Shaliya leaned lazily on the sofa, and at his words, merely raised an eyebrow: “And that ‘pajama’ you gave me had hardly any fabric. Even if there was no risk of being spied on, I wouldn’t wear it, let alone now that you can freely enter and exit this room.”
【So now she’s in a more calculating state…】
Mo Tan smiled indifferently, then sat down casually opposite Shaliya, changing the subject from his self-made under… pajamas, and said leisurely: “We’ll depart tomorrow. If we move fast enough, we can reach Saramun within three days. Even if those who are hunting you have strong backgrounds, they wouldn’t openly act in the Violet Empire’s capital.”
“If we move fast enough?” The alluring Bloodseeker, dressed in a black gown, elegantly crossed her legs, placing the bardic poetry collection she had been reading to pass the time aside. Her Violet eyes stared directly into Mo Tan’s: “If we were to ‘move fast enough,’ we should already be in Saramun by now.”
Mo Tan feigned surprise, widening his eyes: “Really? Do Bloodseekers also support passenger flight mode?!”
“I don’t fly.” Shaliya shook her head. She stared intently at Mo Tan, as if trying to see through him, and after a long moment, she said in a deep voice: “You should understand what I mean, Mr. Tan Mo. If it weren’t for you dawdling along the way and disappearing for long periods every day, our travel speed would have been at least twice as fast.”
Mo Tan immediately spread his hands innocently: “You’re wronging me, Ms. Remy. I haven’t been dawdling and wasting time. It’s just that my stamina is limited, and I need good rest to ensure I don’t have physical issues while traveling. Don’t forget, I’m just an ordinary person, not a powerhouse like you who can kill a strong man in minutes.”
“I think it’s better if you call me by my name when it’s just the two of us.” Shaliya let out a soft snort, her eyes still fixed on Mo Tan: “Even an ordinary person’s physique doesn’t need such frequent rest, and I wasn’t comparing you to me.”
Mo Tan nodded naturally, then comfortably leaned back on the sofa, his eyes vacant: “Perhaps my physique is even worse than an ordinary person’s.”
Shaliya pouted: “Why?”
Mo Tan sighed faintly: “Because I have many old flames…”
Shaliya frowned slightly: “So what?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it~” Mo Tan ungracefully kicked off his boots, then looked at the Bloodseeker woman in front of him with a perfectly reasonable expression: “Because I have many old flames, I’m weaker. Because I’m weaker, my physique is worse. Because my physique is worse, when I travel…”
“Enough! Don’t talk about that anymore!” Shaliya, her face slightly flushed, interrupted the shameless remarks of the scoundrel in front of her, saying in annoyance: “What about the fact that you completely disappear for a period every day? It’s not easy for a ‘weak’ ordinary person to vanish from a Bloodseeker’s perception without a trace.”
Mo Tan whistled: “Secret.”
Blood lines gradually appeared on Shaliya’s pale hands. She looked at Mo Tan with ill intent, her tone even more hostile than her gaze: “Hmm?”
“Cough, cough, don’t be like that, don’t be like that.” Mo Tan immediately gave a dry laugh and waved his hand (though he remained sprawled on the sofa like a salted fish), explaining rapidly: “I’m just checking if our situation is safe. You won’t tell me the specific details and background of those pursuers. If they’re still persistent, it’ll be troublesome. Anyway, I’m doing it for your own good~”
Shaliya froze for a moment, then lowered her head slightly, her voice suddenly dropping an octave: “You’re the one who didn’t want to ask, okay?”
【Tsk tsk, so now she’s a naive, easily deceived good girl~ Although I can’t completely influence her yet, I’m gradually getting the hang of it.】
Although most of Mo Tan’s energy was spent pondering other matters, outwardly he showed no hint of it: “I just don’t want to hear lies. Since you’re unwilling to tell the truth, isn’t it better not to say anything than to painstakingly make up stories? I’m actually feeling sorry for you~”
“You’re really considerate.” Shaliya pouted, then, after a long silence, turned her head and whispered: “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just… many things are hard to explain…”
“So you don’t have to say anything, I don’t mind.” Mo Tan waved his hand casually, then, with a Magikarp Jump (because it took several tries to get up), he sat upright and gently brushed a strand of Shaliya’s hair from her ear: “As for some of my little secrets, I’ll find a chance to tell you later. Is that okay?”
Shaliya instinctively flinched, then nodded lightly: “Mm…”
“So~” Mo Tan suddenly became serious, and said gravely to Shaliya: “Are you really not going to try on that pajama?”
Clang!!
Mo Tan flew out, spinning, and his HP dropped by over thirty percent…
【Phew, although she’s much more innocent, her control and calm index have also dropped significantly. Time for me to play dead!】
Mo Tan, lying on the ground, flailed twice and then stopped moving.
Half a minute later, Shaliya indeed scurried over, looking worried, and used some magic to check Mo Tan’s physical condition…
And then kicked him even further away three seconds later.
In short, despite a lot of time being delayed due to unstable online time, various experiments, and attempts, the Japanese… I mean, Tan Mo is finally entering the village… entering Saramun.
【As the wheels of history roll forward, I can’t help but recall the first time I met that man. He was so flamboyant, arrogant, and overbearing. We talked a lot in that unknown small village. That man told me that this world would one day be overthrown, and he would be one of the orchestrators, while I would be the future eulogizer. Yes, he had confidence in me from the very beginning, even giving me 100 Gold Coins as startup capital! And I, in turn, gifted him a limited-edition collection of bardic poetry as a symbol of our friendship. That’s how it was! No refutations accepted!
— Autobiography of Beao Lucanus, Volume Two, Section One】
……
Game Time AM 06:19
Central Misha County, Unnamed Wild Tower
Xia Lian Zhuye, the First Dawn Saintess, stood alone on the rubble-strewn top of the tower, wearily holding up her Star Gold Cross. She tried her best to ignore the pain in her body, struggling to communicate with the Dawn Goddess’s power. It took her a full ten minutes to summon a soft and warm light. Xia Lian waved the cross, scattering the light over the two hundred or so Holy Knights stationed below the tower, allowing these physically and mentally exhausted warriors to sleep a little more comfortably.
Although it only provided a negligible healing effect and a calming influence, this was the highest level of divine spell Xia Lian could currently use.
Her condition was very bad, extremely bad.
This had nothing to do with frequent battles, long periods of travel, or several consecutive sleepless nights. The Dawn Saintess’s physique was far beyond that of ordinary people; even several times the fatigue of the past few days combined would not be a problem for her. The real problem was the divine power backlash that still lingered within Xia Lian’s body…
This was the price she paid for forcibly resisting the Divine Word of Darkness Goddess Diliya.
Even with the Dawn Goddess, who had God Descent on Mo Tan, healing her, the power originating from the Darkness Goddess had not completely dissipated.
In addition, Xia Lian had not had a good rest during this period and had been continuously fighting Mutants or rescuing survivors. Her physical condition had not only not improved at all but had even worsened.
“I must go back and recuperate.” The Elf Saintess sighed softly, then smiled bitterly and shook her head: “Otherwise, even if I can hold on, everyone without the protection of divine spells will soon be unable to endure…”
She hoisted the cross onto her shoulder and lightly leaped from the top of the tower, landing gracefully without disturbing anyone. After a silent routine prayer, she looked north, a flicker of worry in her eyes: “I wonder how that child Wang Yu is doing now. The number of these Mutants is increasing every day. Is Mida City really okay? If it’s subjected to a large-scale attack…”
Xia Lian pursed her lips, saying no more, only looking back in the direction she and this group of knights had just come from, her mouth tasting bitter.
That place was once one of the major cities in Misha County, named Elim. It had a population of tens of thousands and last month even provided support to Mida City with a large amount of food, but…
Because Elim City’s lord indiscriminately sheltered all infected and uninfected civilians from the start of the Plague, by the thirtieth hour after Mutants began appearing without cause, it had become a repulsive dead zone. Xia Lian, receiving the news, led her people in a desperate two-day search, but only found less than two hundred survivors.
Other than that, there were only large numbers of monsters, monsters, and more monsters…
Chapter 237: End