Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Cui Xiaoyu

Mo Tan woke up at just past eight in the morning the next day. Usually a creature of habit with a regular schedule, he had slept nearly an hour longer than usual. The main reason, naturally, was his recent slight indulgence in Innocent Realm. The Game Pod’s wake-up function inevitably had some impact on his circadian rhythm—after all, humans are among the most dependent creatures, especially when it comes to things that make life noticeably more convenient.

For instance, once you get used to some bizarre fully automatic toilet, your manual skills start to degrade…

Ahem, I’ll restrain myself.

Anyway, Mo Tan was aware of this, but he didn’t pay it much mind. After all, a relatively stable schedule didn’t mean much to this current college student, who rarely showed his face at school these days. Besides, he’d mostly been gaming lately with no other plans, so sleeping in or staying up a few hours later wasn’t a big deal.

What’s more, at this moment, his personality was the most agreeable one…

“Looks like I actually went to bed properly before,” Mo Tan muttered, flipping over in bed with his hair a mess and sitting up. It was clear he felt relieved not to wake up and find himself already lying in the Game Pod.

Like most of us, he generously allowed himself to collapse back onto the bed, clutching his phone to laze around for a good while before sluggishly getting dressed and reluctantly shuffling into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. Throughout this process, he barely opened his eyes…

Then he walked into the kitchen. After a quick survey of the remaining ingredients at home, he started preparing breakfast while mentally planning when to go shopping, simultaneously calculating his daily expenses and the expiration dates of discounted foods.

As mentioned before, Mo Tan lived relatively frugally. Honestly, this was pretty reasonable for any young person living alone and still in school, but for him, it felt a bit out of place.

After all, setting everything else aside, his hacking skills and knack for extortion in certain states alone could ensure he never had to worry about food or shelter…

The issue was simple. First, he never actually lacked food or shelter—no one had ever seen Mo Tan go hungry or cold.

Second, while Mo Tan had plenty of ways to make money, he also had several substantial fixed expenses. Chief among them was his extreme custom computer—just the periodic hardware upgrades alone cost a small fortune, not to mention that the secondhand dealer he was familiar with always pushed the priciest stuff on him…

Finally, there was his personality problem.

To put it simply, when in the [Chaotic Neutral] state, Mo Tan prioritizes spiritual pleasure over material things like truffles, foie gras, or caviar. A bottle of 1982 Lafite and a bag of 8.2 yuan coffee make little difference to him. He doesn't mind material comforts, but he never actively pursues them, because such things hold no 'fun' for him. Of course, if something he's interested in requires spending money, he won't hesitate to splash out...

Next is [Lawful Good]. In this state, Mo Tan almost never pursues material things, though for different reasons than the state above. At such times, he too is the type to seek some kind of 'spiritual nourishment.'

Finally, there's the [True Neutral] personality state that Mo Tan is currently in. In this state, he's no different from an ordinary person: he prefers good food over bad, and would rather be comfortable than suffer. He actually yearns for fancy cars, villas, and pretty girls (strikethrough)...

But at the same time, he has plenty of concerns and is quite content to go with the flow. While he wishes he had a bit more money, he steers clear of anything risky or too stressful. Besides, he doesn't mind his current life, since it allows him to keep a low profile...

There's no one in this world without desires; everyone just has different needs. At least for Mo Tan, this pace of life suits him just fine.

Of course, people are fickle, and Mo Tan, who is already full of self-contradictions, is no exception. So who knows, one day he might suddenly get a whim to mess around, amass a fortune, and treat himself to some fancy cars, villas, and beautiful women...

But you probably won't see that in this book.

Alright, enough digression. Back to the main story.

Just as Mo Tan finished his breakfast and was turning on his computer to browse the forum and watch some anime, his doorbell rang.

"Buddy! I brought a friend to hang out with you!"

Yi Dong's voice sounded from outside the door.

So Mo Tan adjusted his mental state, then shuffled over lazily to open the door...

"Oh, you two are already that close?" After opening the door, Mo Tan looked with some surprise at Yi Dong and Wan Yang, whom he'd met at the gathering the other day, then smiled at another person he hadn't seen before: "And this is?"

This guy must have been nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a sturdy build, but unlike the similarly tall and robust Wan Yang, he lacked that slightly arrogant aura and instead gave off a very restrained vibe. He had a rather handsome face with a pair of black-rimmed glasses, looking sunny and intellectual...

But for some reason, Mo Tan felt a distinct aura radiating from him... an endlessly tragic, broken-record kind of energy...

"Let us in first~" Yi Dong shrugged. "I've been wandering around outside with these two for almost the whole morning."

Mo Tan nodded and ushered the few people into the living room. He then grabbed a few cups and a bottle of juice that was about to expire but hadn't yet, and sat down with the three of them around the tea table.

"Hey!" Wan Yang winked at him. "Long time no see~ Though it hasn't really been that many days."

Mo Tan gave him a friendly smile. Wan Yang had left a good impression on him that day.

"Nice to meet you." The unfamiliar guy extended his hand to Mo Tan. "I'm Cui Xiaoyu. I was supposed to be at that gathering the other day, but something beyond my control held me up."

Yi Dong leaned in and added, "Xiao as in 'little,' Yu as in 'rain and snow.'"

Mo Tan's smile instantly stiffened.

Cui Xiaoyu...

This guy's name really didn't match his appearance!

"Uh..." Cui Xiaoyu let out a dry laugh and spread his hands. "My parents originally wanted to name me Cui Xiaoyu, but it seems the person registering the household registration misheard, and so..."

Mo Tan scratched his cheek with his index finger. "Shouldn't you be able to change it?"

"Yeah, I could. My dad was planning to go change it for me." Cui Xiaoyu sighed. "But just then, a somewhat eccentric grandfather of mine was freeloading a meal at home. He did a divination for me, and so—Cui Xiaoyu, 'Great Fortune.'"

Mo Tan felt a bit unsettled...

"And your dad gave in?" Yi Dong asked, holding back a laugh. This was the first time he'd heard this story from his newly acquainted friend.

Cui Xiaoyu shook his head with a grimace. "No. I heard my mom gave in, but my old man still wasn't willing, so..."

"So?" The three of them were curious.

"So, apparently, he did his own mystical calculation on the name." Cui Xiaoyu looked utterly resigned. "And then he gave in."

...

The atmosphere was heavy for a moment...

If this guy were frail and effeminate, it might be fine, but with his appearance being so incongruous, anyone would have a bit of a psychological shadow!

"Ahem." Mo Tan quickly changed the subject and asked Yi Dong, "You've been pretty free lately, huh?"

Yi Dong half-lounged on the sofa and laughed. "Pretty much. The family gatherings aren't over yet. Xiaoyu only came yesterday. When I picked him up at the station, I could tell he was in a bad mood, so today I called Wan Yang to take him around. We just happened to pass by your place."

"I find the daytime too boring now," Wan Yang said, spreading his hands. "But playing Innocent Realm at night is incredibly fulfilling."

Yi Dong's eyes lit up. "Right! My nightlife has never been this rich!"

The three of them were speechless for a moment, and then...

"Innocent Realm, huh." Cui Xiaoyu suddenly sighed, sounding lifeless. "It's not fun at all."

Wan Yang was taken aback. "You play too?"

"Heh." Cui Xiaoyu, who had instantly turned into a bitter Xianglin Sao, seemed to have tangible resentment coiled behind him. He laughed dryly, "I used to..."

Then, as if entering a state of Zen-like detachment, he lowered his head and fiddled with his phone.

"You've been way too busy lately." Yi Dong rolled his eyes at Mo Tan. "Last time we agreed to meet in the Public Space, you stood me up. Not that I can't understand, though."

He knew most of what was going on with Mo Tan, so he was indeed more understanding.

"I've tried adding you several times too," Wan Yang chimed in. "Every time it said no corresponding online character. Mo Tan, you're not thinking of quitting the game, are you?"

Mo Tan immediately shook his head. "No, I've just been busy with other stuff lately and haven't had much time to play. Next time I log in, I'll add you two. You guys are probably online every day, right?"

The two nodded.

"I used to be online every day too," Cui Xiaoyu said, his tone filled with despair as he muttered and shook his head vigorously. "Quitting the game, quitting the game..."

The other three wisely chose not to press further, and they chatted casually for a while. During this time, Mo Tan noticed a rather coincidental thing.

He remembered that when he was using his character 'Tan Mo' to provoke Futaba in the Public Space by deliberately mistaking someone, the red-haired orc he grabbed was actually Wan Yang.

Wan Yang had later described it as meeting a lunatic and had just been ranting about it a moment ago...

Of course, in a sense, what he said wasn't entirely wrong.

By the afternoon, the three took their leave. Throughout this time, Cui Xiaoyu had worn an expression of utter misery. Although he talked plenty and left a decent impression, he was perpetually shrouded in an aura of bleak desolation. As he walked away, even his retreating figure struck Mo Tan as that of an endlessly lamenting broken record...

After another half hour, Mo Tan, having gone through one Personality Switch, fed the stray cats and dogs outside, then returned home and began browsing the forum.

He felt somewhat restless, the reason being his earlier speculation about the 'two-hour gap.' If 'that possibility' really existed, he had to find a way to deal with it. So, as soon as he got home, he immediately started searching for information on a certain topic in the 【Innocent Realm】 forum...

He didn't find the relevant information, but in the process, he came across a post pinned to the very top of the general discussion section.

The title was "Malice from the Whole World," and the poster's ID was: Slaughter Like a Supergod.

When he clicked in, lo and behold, Mo Tan realized he had seen this poster's thread before—a few days ago, it was an informational post about the Death Penalty.

It briefly explained the cost of dying in Innocent Realm, basically equating to deleting your account and starting over. The system would randomly assign the dead player a new race and starting location, and all previous items and experience would vanish. It couldn't be more severe.

Today's post, however, was a personal rant, basically describing just how miserable, pitiful, and unlucky the poster was—how many tragic, tear-jerking disasters they had endured since the game launched. In the end, they declared their decision to AFK, vowing to cherish life and stay away from online games from now on.

But...

Because within just a few hours of this post being published, it received a massive amount of support and encouragement. The original poster seemed to perk up slightly in their most recent reply, mentioning that they might consider giving this game another chance.

Mo Tan felt he couldn't let this poor kid suddenly lose their dreams, so he also briefly replied to the first floor. His general gist was something like, "When heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will torment them, disgust them, break them, and hurt them," hoping this poster would believe that as long as they kept fighting despite repeated defeats, they would eventually taste sweetness after bitterness...

Then he continued his information gathering, and after spending two hours with no results, he shut down his computer and lay down in the game pod.

...

[Your mental connection has been detected. Confirming personal information...]

[Connection complete. Loading character data...]

[Welcome back, Lawful Good Mo. About to load into Innocent Realm. Good night.]

When Mo Tan appeared in a corner of Anka Market, the largest trading district on the Northwest Continent had already woken up. Merchants and travelers came and went in an endless stream, bustling with lively activity.

There were still two days until the Forest Spirit elder said someone would come to pick him up. Mo Tan planned to stay as far away from danger as possible during this time, hoping to complete that World Quest smoothly.

But at the same time, he also wanted to improve his strength a bit. After all, his other characters, Tan Mo and Hei Fan, were now much stronger than Mo—especially since the former had just completed the Unique Quest "Destroy the 'Hero' Dave," which directly raised his Deceiver profession to level 5, while this current character was still just a level 1 Warrior...

Suddenly feeling mentally exhausted, Mo Tan thought for a moment and then headed toward the Adventurer's Guild, silently resolving to properly complete a few quests today!

But just then, he suddenly heard a loud, clear, melodious, adorable call that grew from far to near, drawn out in length...

"Woof!!"

Chapter 44: The End