Chapter 160: Messy
It is undeniable that Mo Tan's intelligence and emotional quotient are perfectly fine, regardless of which personality he is under.
He has normal preferences, is not dull, not late to mature, not gay, and shameless (chaotic neutral only).
Not only that, but for some well-known reasons, Mo Tan also has a high level of accomplishment in psychology; he is always able to view others and himself very objectively, especially concerning human nature. To put it simply… he is quite good at judging people.
Who is honest and trustworthy, who is a wolf in sheep's clothing, who is two-faced, who is kind-hearted, who harbors ill intentions…
Although human nature is one of the most complex existences in this world, Mo Tan can still make a judgment about people he is interested in within a short time through simple observation and probing, and his accuracy rate is quite high.
This is not some enviable, unconventional ability; in fact, all of us do this consciously or unconsciously in our daily lives. It is an innate human instinct.
We ponder our leader's mindset to determine whether we might get a promotion or raise, face a layoff crisis, have a rough future, or are about to be brutally outed.
We consider our lover's feelings to reflect on whether we said something wrong, did something wrong, should show some affection, or if our life is gradually becoming 'bearable'.
We observe our parents' emotions to guess whether we will get one good beating, two good beatings, three good beatings, or if our misdeeds have not yet been discovered.
We constantly repeat these actions, always observing others, and always being observed by others.
The only difference lies in how accurate the observation is, or how good the performance is.
And Mo Tan naturally belongs to the type who is quite accurate at judging people. Although not 100% accurate, in most cases, analyzing nine out of ten things is not a big problem.
After all, he has three ways of thinking, and each of them understands the others very well.
He knows what a noble person is like, he knows what an unpredictable person is like, and he also knows what a person who goes with the flow is like…
So Mo Tan has a certain advantage in both observation and disguise, but this advantage is now causing him some distress.
Because he observes himself very clearly, but it is very difficult to deceive himself, more difficult than for most people.
“Alas, the way I was just now…”
Mo Tan did a lazy donkey roll (no error) and sat up from the sofa, rubbing his slightly messy hair, which hadn't been styled for a while, in distress. He muttered, “No matter from which angle, no matter from which aspect I analyze it, the conclusion seems a bit bad.”
He looked down at his phone; there were about fifteen minutes left until the farewell time he had agreed upon with Cordova yesterday, and actively switching personalities in reality requires at least five minutes.
He had to sort things out a bit within this time!
That's what Mo Tan thought, so he took a few deep breaths on the spot, trying his best to relax, stay calm, and keep his mind as still as water…
One minute later
“Hmm, utterly useless, still a mess.” He gave a dry laugh, got up, and took a big… took a bottle of Dr. Pepper from the fridge. Although his current personality didn't find this to his taste, unfortunately, there were no other cold drinks in the fridge.
By the way, his ‘lawful good’ personality likes to drink room-temperature mineral water and coffee, his ‘chaotic neutral’ personality prefers Dr. Pepper and coffee, and the current ‘Absolute Neutral’ Mo Tan likes to drink iced cola, orange juice, strawberry juice, and coffee.
Unfortunately, the current Mo Tan only wanted a cold drink, and making iced coffee would take too much time, so he just grabbed something cold to calm himself down.
Of course, although he is not the kind of person who is 'emotionally numb to the point of nerve-ending necrosis,' which is almost extinct in reality, this matter is actually not that serious.
It was just discovering that he had a very ordinary good impression of an opposite-sex person…
In 2049, for a twenty-something male like him, with a correct worldview (?), healthy body and mind, and normal preferences, to develop a slight crush on a certain girl—is that even a big deal?
Well, maybe it really is a big deal…
After all, the current Mo Tan is, in a sense, the most 'normal.' He can't see everything as fun, nor can he face every situation with equanimity. Aside from his rich knowledge and quick wit, he is no different from most people.
And for various reasons, Mo Tan has never had a girlfriend in his twenty-odd years.
Even Yi Dong has been dumped several times and then came to him to drink away his sorrows…
There was nothing he could do about it, because even though Mo Tan seemed fine on the surface, he was, after all, mentally ill.
Leaving aside the other two personalities, let's take Mo Tan's current state as an example. Once upon a time, while in his 'Absolute Neutral' state, he was invited to the school rooftop by a young girl who was deeply influenced by idol dramas. The girl had a good personality and was quite pretty, and he, being in his adolescence at the time, naturally felt a momentary stir.
Yes, just for a moment, probably only during the ten-odd minutes it took to walk from the classroom to the rooftop…
It was a sad story.
At that time, the girl's pretty face was flushed, her long dress swayed gently, and her eyes held affection. She stood silently before her beloved, head bowed.
Mo Tan, too, was filled with a myriad of thoughts, his heart pounding like a drum, utterly flustered, dumbfounded, and lost in reverie.
Then…
The girl's face was like a peach blossom, her red lips parted slightly: “Mo Tan Tong Xue…”
Mo Tan's heart surged, his mind wandered, his thoughts were a tangled mess, his spirit restless, his soul yearning: “Hmm!”
And then!
The girl smiled shyly: “I…”
“Shh, don't speak,” Mo Tan gently interrupted her, walking slowly in front of the girl and saying softly with deep affection, “Tong Xue, you have a piece of chive in your tooth gap. At first glance, it looks like it's moldy.”
The girl: “?!”
And then again!
Mo Tan suddenly had a moment of clarity, then quickly waved his hand, saying, “I didn't mean that. What I actually wanted to say was…”
The girl's eyes were misty with tears, her small fists clenched, silent.
Mo Tan hesitated for a long time, then finally mustered the courage: “The day before yesterday afternoon, I saw you casually throw a snack bag on the playground. Later, after morning exercises, the principal helped throw it away, so next time it's best to find a trash can…”
And then again and again!
Well, there was no 'then' after that. In short, from that summer in junior high, Mo Tan kept his distance from any girl who might develop feelings for him. He also constantly reminded himself (mainly when in 'Absolute Neutral' state) not to develop admiration for any girl, because if it ended without a beginning, that would be fine, but if he accidentally encountered a mutually interested pair, it would be terrible.
However, since college, Mo Tan has basically not been troubled by this aspect, as he rarely shows up at school, doesn't go out too often, and most of his outings have very clear objectives.
So he's a little flustered now.
Mo Tan could be 100% sure that for a split second just now, he had developed a good impression of that shy girl with a clean and clear demeanor, which also led to a series of blunders.
Like setting up Cordova for something…
Of course, it was merely a good impression. After all, he and Yu Cheng had only met twice in reality. Even though their interactions in Innocent World were frequent, it was only in terms of chatting. They only officially met yesterday, and 'love at first sight' is mostly nonsense or an excess of hormones; it wouldn't happen with Mo Tan.
So it was merely an ordinary good impression…
This is not strange, as most people might develop such a mindset if they encounter a charming person of the opposite sex at a certain time and place. Of course, married individuals secretly taking off their rings and putting them in their pockets at first sight is a bit excessive.
However, in Mo Tan's eyes at this moment, the nature of this matter seemed not so simple, after all, he was mentally ill.
Several minutes passed
Mo Tan, who had been staring with dead fish eyes, finally gave up thinking. He lay on the sofa, head tilted back, hands clasped behind his head, and sighed, “In any case, I should adjust my mindset first, and also verify…”
With that, he slowly closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind.
A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, his entire demeanor had completely changed from before.
It was a reliable aura that inexplicably inspired trust.
Clearly, Mo Tan was now under the 'lawful good' personality, with its correct worldview.
Then, the first thing he did after his consciousness fully recovered was to conjure up Yu Cheng's cute appearance, shy demeanor, clean and clear aura, and soft-spoken mannerisms.
And then…
“Hmm, no feeling at all.”
Mo Tan let out a long breath of relief, then frowned and chugged the bottle of Dr. Pepper he had barely touched, feeling greatly relieved.
Just a few minutes ago, he was still wondering what to do if his next self also developed a good impression of Yu Cheng. Should he first find out about her? Check if she had a boyfriend or something? If not, should he first build up some favorability, then find an opportunity to tentatively confess? What would the children be called?
Facts have proven that even a twenty-something-year-old virgin, no matter how intelligent, how high his emotional intelligence, how much he has studied psychology, or how quick-witted and observant he is, is still just that…
“Purely because I had nothing else to do.”
Mo Tan complained about himself, then closed his eyes contentedly and initiated the mental connection.
Your mental connection has been detected. Personal information is being synchronized…
Connection complete. Character information is being read.
Welcome back, lawful good Mo. Innocent World is about to load. Good night.
…
Game Time AM 11:02
Tianzhushan Grand Arena, Mo's room
Because there was still a short period before Cordova's departure, Mo Tan did not immediately go to the Seventh Outer Mountain after logging in. Instead, he unhurriedly checked the previous battle results.
After defeating the I'll Try team, the Woof Woof team subsequently matched in seven more games, losing two, drawing one due to Jia Deka's staff self-destructing, and winning all four of the remaining battles.
It wasn't that their team's hard power was particularly strong; it was simply that these people were too eccentric.
Jia Deka, a beginner mage who could box head-on with an Orc warrior.
Ya Ya, who occasionally entered a berserk mode, greatly increasing her strength but indiscriminately attacking friend and foe.
Lu Jiang, who, despite her low level and terrible skills, became immune to physical damage and could exert immense mental pressure on opponents when in Slime form.
And Ji Xiaoge, whose cooking was unpredictable and whose dishes had extremely high practical value. Mo Tan still remembered that in one match, a small Hellhound summoned by an opposing beginner warlock accidentally ate a piece of roasted meat thrown by Ji Xiaoge…
It died on the spot without even a whimper!
So Mo Tan, this unconventional Sheep Knight, ironically became the most normal one in the Woof Woof team, a reality that left him a bit speechless.
In short, the Woof Woof team's first Arena journey was quite fruitful. Mo Tan, Ji Xiaoge, and Lu Jiang, the three players, gained a lot of experience and also acquired some high-quality consumables and equipment. Although Jia Deka and Ya Ya were NPCs, they also made significant progress after several matches, though it wasn't as obvious as 'leveling up' or 'equipment replacement.'
Mo Tan was currently planning to check the newly acquired equipment from yesterday to see what he could equip himself with first.
However, just as he opened his inventory and hadn't even had time to reach inside…
He leveled up on the spot… I mean, he disappeared on the spot.
…
You have been disconnected. Please choose whether to reconnect.
…
Reconnection starting…
Connection complete. Character information is being read.
Welcome back, chaotic evil Mo. Innocent World is about to load. Good night.
…
Mo regained consciousness in a slightly bumpy carriage. Ji Xiaodao, who had been sitting beside him with her eyes closed in thought, immediately opened her eyes when she noticed the air turning slightly cold. Her eyes, as dazzling as dark red gems, blinked gently: “You're awake?”
“Hmm,” Mo replied casually, pulling back the curtain beside him and looking out for a while. “How much longer?”
The Dark Elf girl casually conjured a wisp of mist, controlling it to swirl around him as she answered, “About twenty minutes, I guess. Since you said there was no rush, I told Garros to slow down so the ride would be less bumpy.”
“There's plenty of time,” Mo Tan nodded, then lowered the curtain and said softly to Ji Xiaodao, “Now stop your clumsy skill and take that out.”
The girl hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dispersed the refreshing mist and took out the finely crafted snake-head short staff from her inventory: “Now?”
“Now.”
“Alright…”
Chapter 157: End
