【Flawless Evil】
Unique Talent
Active Activation: Convert your alignment to 【chaotic evil】, and replace this talent with Innocent Heart. Cooldown: 3s.
Trait 1: All your basic attributes increase by 20%, all resistances increase by 20%, and Stealth level increases by 3.
Trait 2: The effectiveness of all your damaging skills increases by 20%.
Trait 3: Gain talents 【No Wrongdoing】, 【Inconstant】, 【Selfish】, 【Collapse】.
Trait 4: All usage requirements, costs, and cooldowns for skills or equipment related to 【Chaos】 and 【Evil】 are reduced by 20%.
Trait 5: Every point of Sin Value obtained under the previous Innocent Heart state can be used to equivalently reduce the cooldown of any of your skills (one point of Sin Value equals one second of cooldown reduction).
Trait 6: You cannot acquire Reputation through any means.
Trait 7: Any of your damaging skills have an additional 5% critical hit chance.
Trait 8: All damage you take has a 5% chance to be converted into Health/Mana or Stamina in a certain proportion.
【Note: You are like a child, overbearing, violent, and temperamental.】
The skipping figure gradually faded into the distance, and the clear, bell-like laughter remained innocent and pleasant, echoing for a long time…
At the same time,
【You have been disconnected urgently. Please choose whether to reconnect.】
“You decide for me~”
【Reconnection initiated…】
【Connection complete, retrieving character information.】
【Welcome back, chaotic neutral Tan Mo. Loading Innocent World. Good night.】
…
Black Tower City, Liuli Pavilion, Room 11.
“Tsk, tsk, since even the system thinks I’m not suitable to be a babysitter for children, then there’s nothing I can do.” Mo Tan, who appeared in the lounge, whistled, picked up a small booklet from the coffee table in front of him, and propped his legs up. While absentmindedly speed-reading the “Pickpocketing Tips” in his hand, he sighed, “Children are one of the most terrifying existences in the world, second only to domestic early childhood education films in terms of harm to society…”
Browsing free books provided by Liuli Pavilion and the Thieves' Guild, occasionally going out for walks, having Cole cooperate with him to test the system, and going to the Wanderer's Inn every now and then to listen to jokes—this kind of life had lasted for three days.
【The time is almost ripe…】
Mo Tan hummed a tuneless song, a playful smile gracing his lips, and then heard a soft knock at the door.
“Come in,” he said without raising his head. “I’m here.”
Cole, dressed in a black leather armor, walked in silently and bowed slightly to Mo Tan: “I’m back, sir.”
This young apprentice Thief looked completely different from three days ago. He carried a pair of short swords radiating black light on his back, and two sheathed daggers, intricately carved with patterns, hung from his waist. His other equipment didn’t seem particularly eye-catching, but each piece was expensive. Coupled with his cold and serious expression, he appeared to be a Mid-Tier professional of considerable strength.
However, Mo Tan still seemed somewhat dissatisfied…
“I’ve told you many times, swagger, do you understand swagger?” He looked up and pointed at Cole’s slightly stiff face, saying earnestly, “Corners of your mouth a little further down, chin slightly raised, eyes narrowed… Yes, sharper, do you understand sharp? Don’t you know the simple truth that narrowed eyes are generally very powerful?”
Cole’s facial muscles twitched wildly, and he was almost rolling his eyes, but he still hadn’t reached the standard that could satisfy Mo Tan.
To be honest, this promising Thief was once a top student at Pading Knight Academy. Although he still nominally held an ‘apprentice’ class, Cole had a level of Stealth, disguise, adaptability, combat, and reconnaissance that was comparable to most Low-Tier Thieves, which was something he was quite proud of.
As a result…
At least in terms of disguise, his pride and confidence had been utterly shattered three days ago!
Three days ago, after Mo Tan assigned Cole a certain ‘task,’ he personally demonstrated a series of ‘disguises’ that could be called art!
Without even needing to use makeup or change clothes, simply by subtly adjusting his expression, demeanor, gaze, tone, and movements, Mo Tan successfully subverted Cole’s worldview.
A resolute mercenary…
A graceful noble…
A greedy merchant…
A rigid judge…
A gentle priest…
It was clearly the same person, the same face, the same voice, the same set of clothes, yet he could instantly overturn the current temperament displayed and transform into a completely different person before your eyes.
Five seconds ago, he might have felt like a penny-pinching peddler, but in the blink of an eye, he made you feel like a refined scholar. And before you could react, he transformed once again into some naive bumpkin, the kind that makes you feel bad if you don’t con some money out of him…
Terrifying!
Cole was immediately deeply shocked at the time. He clearly remembered that his sir also had a very powerful magic mask that could give the user another face, and even completely change the voice!
If that thing were added…
Although he didn't know how many secrets his master, whom he followed, still had, at least one thing Cole could be sure of…
He was a lucky guy!
To have intersected with this sir, to be able to follow him, to not stand against him…
Extremely fortunate!
“Alright, you can practice it yourself later.” Seeing that the other party’s face was starting to cramp, Mo Tan stopped the ‘teaching’ at an appropriate moment and casually asked, “Any news?”
Cole immediately breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked up to Mo Tan, handed him a small piece of paper, and whispered, “This is what I just got from the Thieves' Guild…”
Mo Tan took the paper, lowered his eyes to scan it, and then immediately chuckled foolishly.
“Finally took the bait…”
The content on the paper was simple, just a short line of text:
【Reward: Clues to the Ancient Sealed Box, Reward: Slot in a certain ruin exploration team / 50,000 gold coins. Contact Thieves' Guild for details.】
This was exactly what Mo Tan had been waiting for!
…
At the same time, Black Tower City Thieves' Guild, First Reception Room.
The bald, bearded, stout dwarf took a sip of tea and nodded to an elf opposite him whose entire face was covered by a mask: “Nice to meet you, Vice Guild Leader Muse, my name is Breen.”
“It is an honor to personally receive you, Mr. Breen of the Wanderer's Inn~” The elf man, whose face was obscured, spoke in a very gentle voice: “May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
Breen sneered, but instead asked, “I don’t think you wouldn’t know the reason, would you?”
Muse immediately shook his head, his two long ears exposed outside twitching slightly: “Forgive my ignorance.”
“I don’t like beating around the bush when I speak.” Breen heavily set down his teacup and said in a deep voice, “Three days ago, a very important item was lost from our Inn. I don’t think you wouldn’t know about that, would you?”
Muse’s eyes, hidden in the shadow of his mask, narrowed slightly: “Such a thing happened? Then you didn’t come here to ask our Thieves' Guild to help you find lost property, did you?”
“I just said it! Vice Guild Leader Muse…” Breen looked coldly at the other party and pointed at himself: “I don’t like beating around the bush!”
However, the second-in-command of the Black Tower City Thieves' Guild shrugged and shook his head: “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Breen.”
The old dwarf, who had just taken office not long ago, immediately stood up with a ‘thump’ and stared fiercely at the High-Rank Thief in front of him: “If I have to spell it out, fine. I ask you, was that God Extinction Society’s sealed box stolen by you?!”
“No,” Muse replied calmly. “Please sit down, Mr. Breen.”
“Heh heh, no?” Breen twitched the corner of his mouth, plopped back into his chair, and asked in a deep voice, “Besides your Black Tower City Thieves' Guild, would anyone else be so eager to get that intelligence?”
Muse sighed softly: “To be honest, I personally don’t think so.”
“Haha!” Breen laughed in extreme anger: “I thought you wouldn’t admit it!”
“Please watch your words, Mr. Breen.” Muse spread his hands: “I never admitted that the Thieves' Guild ‘stole’ the sealed box; I was merely answering your question from an objective perspective.”
Breen was slightly stunned: “What do you mean?”
“My meaning is simple.” Muse explained unhurriedly: “You and I both know that the key to the sealed box is in the hands of the Thieves' Guild, and that intelligence is indeed very important to us, so we are indeed very eager to get that box.”
Breen laughed exaggeratedly: “Haha, yes, Vice Guild Leader Muse, you’re absolutely right. You have the key, we have the box, and then the thing was stolen the very first day it was delivered to the Inn. The perpetrator was even a master of disguise. This matter is truly too strange! I can’t connect anything, and the purpose of my visit today is simply to have tea with you! Yes, that’s it!”
“Please don’t get agitated, I have no intention of teasing you at all.” Muse shook his head slightly, still looking calm: “In fact, we did arrange people at the Wanderer's Inn…”
Breen swore a string of curses.
“Hear me out.” Muse picked up the cup in front of him, took a sip, and said softly, “Since you don’t like beating around the bush, I’ll be frank now. The Guild did arrange people on your side. That was a very excellent High-Rank Thief. If only considering Stealth and disguise abilities, he is even not inferior to me. The purpose was to… opportunistically steal it after that box was delivered into your hands.”
Breen really hadn’t expected Muse to be so generous as to reveal this, but he wasn’t an idiot either. In the current situation, there was only one reason that could make the other party frankly confess this arrangement, and that was…
“Don’t tell me your man failed!” The old dwarf said in astonishment.
“Yes, he failed.” Muse nodded: “That High-Rank Thief immediately sent the message back at the time, and as far as I know, he has no reason to lie.”
Breen’s brows furrowed tightly. He was silent for a long while before asking weakly, “Are you really not lying to me?”
“Yes, if we had truly succeeded in stealing that sealed box, I would obviously have no reason to tell you what I just said.” Muse spread his hands, and while leaning over to refill Breen’s tea, he said, “In fact, if you hadn’t come today, I would have soon personally visited the Wanderer's Inn to call on you…”
Breen blinked: “Why?”
“To buy that sealed box containing the Shadow Wolf Fang intelligence,” Muse replied concisely.
“Buy it from me?” Breen smiled bitterly, weakly: “What kind of ridiculous logic… Wait! You wouldn’t be suspecting that the thing wasn’t lost at all, would you?”
Muse nodded: “In fact, before your visit, I did have such a conjecture.”
“So you were just playing dumb with me all that time?”
“Yes.”
“Actually just to confirm if the box was really lost?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.” Breen rolled his eyes: “Then you should have reached a conclusion by now, right?”
Muse sighed: “That’s right. Combining the intelligence I’ve gathered these past few days and your recent statements, I think that box is indeed no longer in the hands of the Wanderer's Inn.”
Previously, after learning that the God Extinction Society’s sealed box had fallen into the hands of the Wanderer's Inn and was about to arrive in Black Tower City, the Thieves' Guild had prepared two sets of plans.
The first plan was the most ideal: to send people to infiltrate the Wanderer's Inn in advance, constantly gather information, and as soon as the sealed box was discovered, immediately steal it.
The second plan was a backup: if the above action failed, to purchase the sealed box from the Wanderer's Inn through a transaction. Of course, the Thieves' Guild was prepared to be heavily exploited by the other party, but that intelligence was truly too important to them, so even if it meant paying a very high price, they had to get their hands on it.
As for intercepting the transporters midway, they really couldn't do that, because no one would know who the specific ‘messenger’ would be. They couldn’t possibly send people to kill everyone who traveled south to Black Tower City during that period, could they?
“I understand.” Breen saw that Muse had spoken to this extent, and he was already ninety percent convinced. He drained the tea in front of him, then stood up and said, “Then I won’t bother you any longer, Sir Muse.”
The old dwarf also felt helpless. He had only come here today to try his luck. After all, even if the box was indeed stolen by the Thieves' Guild, if the other party denied it, he would be powerless. Moreover, it now seemed that a third party had genuinely intervened, making the possibility of achieving anything here obviously slim…
In fact, Breen originally had two plans as well.
First, to sell the sealed box to the Thieves' Guild and earn a large profit.
Second, if the other party couldn't offer a satisfactory price, to send it to the Wayfarer's Inn Headquarters located in Free City, generating a large amount of performance.
As a result…
“Take care, Mr. Breen.”
“You too, Vice Guild Leader Muse.”
Both of their eyes showed a hint of bitterness…
Who was interfering?
Who was he?
And what was his purpose?
Chapter 123: End
