The next morning, eight o'clock.
Mo Tan woke up from his bed with extreme self-discipline, quickly washed up, and made himself a simple yet relatively hearty breakfast (expiring milk, homemade sandwich, fried egg, homemade pickles).
After neatly arranging the dishes, he left.
He needed to buy some cat food and dog food, and also restock his refrigerator at home…
As for Mo Tan's personality state at this moment, it was obviously unnecessary to elaborate.
…
The area Mo Tan lived in was quite good; the surrounding environment was not noisy, and transportation was relatively convenient.
At the same rent price, it could be said to be extremely cost-effective.
Although such good fortune, according to probability, generally wouldn't fall on him, and Mo Tan had never admitted that the series of malicious incidents his landlord encountered many years ago had anything to do with him…
So, in summary, let's just say he was lucky.
Anyway, that landlord had been doing very well these past few years, and Mo Tan also contributed a lot to that~
In short, Mo Tan, familiar with the route, strolled into a large department store nearby.
Ever since his map-reading skills reached mastery, he could now achieve the feat of finding his way in B City even with his eyes closed~
Of course, before that, no matter how much he kept his eyes open, humbly asked questions, observed the sun, pondered the stars, or consulted the I Ching and Eight Trigrams… he would invariably get lost within five minutes of leaving home.
"It feels great to know what I should do," he said with a smile, pushing a shopping cart on the first floor of the mall, then added with emotion, "It feels even better to know where I am."
He grabbed two bags of dog food and put them in the shopping cart, then stared at a rather expensive can of cat food for a long time, finally gritting his teeth and taking it.
"When pregnant, she needs to eat well, and only with adequate nutrition can she give birth to good kittens," Mo Tan muttered as he tossed the imported cat food into the shopping cart, "The two days before her due date will have good weather."
Last week, while feeding the cats, he suddenly discovered that Whirlwind Charger was pregnant.
Although it was a perfectly normal occurrence, it still made Mo Tan, who had poured so much love into these small animals, a little nervous.
Incidentally, Whirlwind Charger's mate is Devil Commander, and her brother is Pioneer Sonic… these names were all given by Mo Tan while he was in another personality, and after that, these cats no longer recognized the names 'Little Flower,' 'Little White,' and 'Little Moe.'
It shows that 'chuunibyou' (middle school syndrome) not only disregards gender and age but even disregards species.
Mo Tan rarely went to pet supply stores or similar places because he found the prices there ridiculously high, and the quality and taste (personally tested) were not much better than what he found in department stores.
Some of the cheaper ones were even expired (also personally tested), far inferior to the good and inexpensive items he bought now.
Another reason was that once, on his way to buy cat and dog food… he switched personalities and walked into a shady pet agency on the next street.
Subsequently, due to some unspeakable reasons, he was blacklisted by a large number of related industries, and regardless of the process, Mo Tan basically did not go out to replenish the small animals' food reserves for half a year after that…
And the rumor of 'Kun sighted' gradually became an urban legend in major pet agencies in B City.
What was even more chilling was that, it was said that the shady pet shop owner who encountered the giant Kun, even after switching to selling vegetables… still could not escape that seemingly omnipresent shadow.
He became a monk the following year…
Anyway, getting back to the point, just as Mo Tan finished browsing this floor and went downstairs, preparing to restock his refrigerator at home, something very alarming happened to him.
On the second basement floor, which had just been redecorated yesterday, he didn't recognize it.
And by the time Mo Tan realized this, he had already turned past two rows of shelves…
It was as if malice from the entire world rushed towards him.
"I was careless…" Mo Tan, who had completed his shopping five minutes ago, drooped his head in frustration, beginning to reflect on whether he had been spending too much time with Cordova recently.
Just then, a voice like a heavenly melody suddenly sounded behind him.
"Mo Tan?"
Although a little unfamiliar, it was indeed a voice he had heard before!
He had heard it, and she knew his name, which meant he wouldn't have to trouble the already busy staff, and he could save himself some embarrassment…
He turned around and saw a short-haired girl wearing a baseball cap standing gracefully, looking at him.
She also pushed a full shopping cart, and her smile was full of vitality and vigor.
Although she still had that tomboyish look from his memory, her flawless face was still as stunning as ever.
This girl, as delicate and refined as a work of art, seemed to possess the ultimate right to interpret all words of praise; her beauty was pure, her beauty was bold.
Even with Mo Tan's psychological fortitude, he couldn't help but be stunned for half a second…
"Xiao Ge," he said with a smile, greeting her after he regained his composure, "What a coincidence~"
That's right, the young girl in front of him was naturally Ji Xiaoge from the previous gathering, the twin sister of Ji Xiaodao, who had a somewhat cold demeanor.
Both sisters were children of Yi Dong's parents' good friends.
"Just call me Xiao Ge, no need for the surname and 'classmate'~" The girl smiled and shook her head, "Although I did consider studying at Tanhua University before."
Mo Tan nodded, indicating it was fine.
Ji Xiaoge stood on tiptoe and glanced at Mo Tan's small cart: "Wow, you have pets at home, do you?"
"No, but I occasionally take care of the small animals nearby," Mo Tan shrugged, "It's a small hobby."
The young girl smiled sweetly: "That's a very loving hobby.
I occasionally go to the square near my home to feed the pigeons, and they all like me very much."
Mo Tan absolutely believed this statement.
Honestly, he genuinely felt that the girl in front of him had enough affinity to transcend species.
But that wasn't the point!
"Um…" Mo Tan scratched his hair, somewhat embarrassed, and asked her, "Xiao Ge, have you finished your shopping?"
Ji Xiaoge looked down at her cart, and nodded with a serious expression: "Yes, I've bought all the ingredients! I'm going home to make curry chicken for Xiao Dao!!"
Mo Tan carefully examined the items Ji Xiaoge had bought, then fell into an internal struggle…
On one hand was the self-esteem of the girl in front of him, and on the other hand was the health of her sister.
He was a little unsure which one to protect.
"Hmm?" Ji Xiaoge tilted her head, somewhat puzzled: "Is there a problem?"
Mo Tan twitched his lips, finally saying nothing.
After all, if Ji Xiaoge really used all the ingredients she bought, then any normal person probably wouldn't put it in their mouth…
"Are you going to walk me home?" The girl tapped her lips with a slender index finger, smiling with a hint of trouble, "Although I'd welcome it, my dad might hit you… so maybe not? He hits really hard."
This wasn't Ji Xiaoge being conceited; it was mainly because she had encountered too many such situations.
It was fine when her sister was around; the low pressure around Ji Xiaodao was enough to deter most flirtatious individuals.
But sometimes, if a boy insisted on walking Ji Xiaoge home, the result was usually him being beaten into a blur by her father, and there was a fifty percent chance her mother would also join in.
So, in such situations, the girl would usually politely refuse with an excuse.
Of course, if there was someone she really disliked who annoyed her, she wouldn't mind letting them get beaten into a blur by her dad…
"Uh, no, that's not it." Mo Tan shook his head with a wry smile: "I just want to follow you out of the mall."
Ji Xiaoge blinked: "Huh? Are you not feeling well? Do you need me to help you?"
"No." Mo Tan closed his eyes in pain: "I just got lost."
"Huh? You mean lost… Pfft! Haha, puhahahahahahaha~~"
The girl, with her incredibly low threshold for laughter, immediately bent over laughing, hanging onto the shopping cart in front of her for a long time without straightening up.
A few tears even hung on her long eyelashes, and she trembled with laughter on the spot…
…
"Ha, pfft haha~ Sorry, sorry~" Even after the two of them left the department store, the girl's small shoulders were still shaking.
She covered her mouth apologetically and shook her head at Mo Tan: "I didn't mean to, but getting lost in a place like this is really… haha, hahahahaha…"
Mo Tan sighed, looking down: "You must have had a tough time."
"No, no, you're the one who had a tough time, I'm fine now."
Ji Xiaoge took her two shopping bags from Mo Tan's hand; she had been unable to carry anything because she had accidentally laughed so hard she choked…
Just then, Mo Tan suddenly felt a chill pass over him.
He instinctively turned his head and saw a small, long-haired girl in a white dress standing in the middle of the road, staring intently at him.
Her gaze towards him was somewhat curious, as if she had discovered something interesting, smiling playfully.
Her fair skin seemed devoid of any color, yet it wasn't a sickly paleness; it was a 'lustrous' feeling, not quite human, and this was still not the point…
Mo Tan rushed over without any hesitation, but was pulled back by Ji Xiaoge at his side.
"Be careful!" Xiao Ge shook her head at him with a serious expression: "Being a road idiot is not a capital offense."
"No!" Mo Tan shook his head anxiously, pointing to the road not far away: "There's a… huh?"
On the road where the little girl had been standing, there was no one in sight.
"Uh… I might have seen wrong." Mo Tan rubbed his eyes, then took about a tenth of a second to decide, gently pulled his hand free from the girl's soft little hand, and said with a wry smile: "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night, sorry for making you worry."
Ji Xiaoge playfully stuck out her tongue: "Hehe, I've been playing games these past few days, so I haven't really slept well either.
Oh right, remember to add me as a friend later, I haven't seen you online!"
"Mm, no problem." Mo Tan nodded: "Well, see you later?"
"See you later~"
…
Five minutes later.
"Has Xiao Dao made you angry recently?"
A somewhat ethereal female voice suddenly sounded behind Ji Xiaoge, startling the girl who was humming a tune and carrying shopping bags.
"Ah!!" Ji Xiaoge spun around suddenly, but saw nothing, then looked down…
A little girl with a displeased face was looking up at her, her small leather shoes tapping restlessly on the ground: "This is too much.
I don't know if you're just clueless or doing it on purpose."
"Hehe, Aunt Bai~" Ji Xiaoge chuckled awkwardly, sticking out her tongue at the girl in front of her, who looked at least a dozen years younger than herself: "I really didn't see you!
Uh… what did you just say about Xiao Dao?"
The little girl rolled her eyes and pointed to the shopping bag in Ji Xiaoge's hand: "You said you were going to cook for her earlier, are you sure you're not trying to poison her?"
"Wow! Aunt Bai, how did you know!" The young girl was stunned for a moment, then shook her head: "I wasn't trying to poison her at all! I just wanted to show my sister some care!"
The little girl, whom Ji Xiaoge called Aunt Bai, sighed: "Of all the things you could inherit from your mother, why did you have to inherit her killer cooking…"
"Aunt Bai, you're so mean! It won't kill anyone!" Ji Xiaoge's face immediately flushed, then she blinked and asked curiously: "When did you arrive?"
"Your dad isn't human; your mom's shrapnel hand grenades can't even kill him."
The little girl shrugged: "I just arrived."
"Oh…"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just think Aunt Bai is really strange!"
"Where?"
"She's small! She appears and disappears mysteriously! She's cold to the touch! Not like us normal people at all!"
"Girl…"
"Hmm?"
"Are you asking for a beating?"
"Ugh, I was wrong."
…
At the same time.
Mo Tan walked home with his things, smiling meaningfully…
"I definitely didn't see wrong just now; there really was someone there!"
"This world truly contains many things that I, or rather, ordinary people, don't know about.
It seems that my previous investigations were not in vain, tsk tsk, it's a pity my time is so tight right now…"
"Hehe~" He narrowed his eyes slightly, yawned lazily, and murmured to himself: "Both in the game and in reality, there are too many interesting things… too many…"
…
7:30 PM
【Your spiritual connection has been detected, personal information is being synchronized…】
【Connection complete, character information is being read】
【Welcome back, Absolute Neutral Black Vatican, Innocent World will now load, good night】
…
"Hmm, the Original Sin Erosion negative status effect is indeed still there."
Mo Tan looked at his panel with some annoyance, then opened the message bar and muttered while messaging Shuang Ye: "I wonder if she got the intel last night.
Logically, if things went smoothly, she should have arrived at Fire Claw Territory by now…"
Shuang Ye didn't seem to be online immediately, so Mo Tan decided to delve deeper into Fire Claw Territory first, preferably finding a place he had been to before, the reason being self-evident…
Five minutes later, Mo Tan, who had successfully gotten lost in a forest, suddenly heard the gurgling sound of flowing water.
He hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to go and see.
And then…
He saw a large orc man, pulling up his pants, emerge from behind a tree with a look of contentment…
Their gazes met in mid-air, and instantly, an awkward silence filled the air.
…
"Hi~" Mo Tan averted his gaze from the blurred area (system interference) and broke the silence with a dry laugh: "Busy?"
Chapter Eighty-Four: The End
