Quadruple split.

Chapter 2611 The Little Girl Selling Fireball Scrolls
Anka Market has always been a place where all sorts of people mingle.

Of course, the "mixed baggage" here refers to the situation compared to the relatively normal population centers in the "Innocent Realm" worldview. After all, if we take a place like the "Free City" as a reference, then most areas of this world could probably be described as civilized and polite.

In summary, Anka Market is, in most cases, more 'lawful', but it is also a place with many unstable factors.

Many players, especially those who play the game "Innocent Realm," often fall into a misconception: that under the logical framework of the nine-square grid of factions, law and chaos are absolutely incompatible, good and evil are absolutely incompatible, and neutral... neutrality can tolerate almost anything.

But in fact, this is a rather rigid and biased way of thinking.

Here are three simple examples—

The City of Freedom is widely recognized as the most chaotic place on the entire continent. However, only those who have lived there for a long time know that the City of Freedom is actually more 'rule-oriented' than most other places. And 'rules' are, in most cases, a representation of 'order'. Therefore, abiding by the rules is naturally equated with being law-abiding. In addition, most people in the City of Freedom abide by the rules of the City of Freedom...

If we follow our previous way of thinking, we would conclude that the 'City of Freedom' is extremely orderly, which is obviously absurd, ridiculous, and flawed.

Then there's Anka Market. As a massive trading hub, a market centered on commerce and trade naturally belongs to the 'lawful' camp, since 'trading' itself carries a strong sense of lawfulness. However, when you see [Playground Cocoon] and [Earthworm Excavation Site], no one would associate them with 'lawfulness,' but it's also difficult to define them as chaotic or neutral.

Finally, there is no doubt that the Holy Alliance is on the 'lawful' and 'good' side, and there will be a minority within it. However, although their behavior can easily be defined as 'evil', in their own perception, it is undoubtedly a kind of 'good'. Behind the 'chaos' of the just sect is an almost rigid adherence to lawfulness.

In conclusion, we can see that in philosophical questions like this, apart from a central theme, proving any one of them is extremely difficult, and even the core logic of that central theme remains ambiguous.

However, this does not mean that we do not need to understand it, especially for players in the "Innocent Realm". Perhaps just thinking about one or two more aspects can save our lives or avoid a lot of trouble.

However, it's clear that Mo Tan can't avoid this round of trouble today.

Admittedly, neither the current personality 'Mo', nor 'Hei Fan' and 'Tan Mo' have ever actually visited Anka's black market. However, this does not mean that he is completely ignorant of the largest black market on the continent. On the contrary, at least on a theoretical level, Mo Tan's understanding of it is by no means incomplete.

That's why he didn't want Ji Xiaoge to go to that kind of place. It wasn't that there was anything there that would make him feel physically uncomfortable, but rather that as an exceptionally beautiful woman whose beauty was still undeniable even with her talent of "being aloof from the world," Ji Xiaoge was likely to be easily targeted by people with ulterior motives.

While this doesn't mean that human traffickers or similar creatures will come looking for trouble, nor does it mean that those scoundrels who usually only appear in third-rate works will harass or tease them, considering that the [Woof Woof Adventurer Squad] had just caused quite a stir, Mo Tan really didn't want to attract too much attention.

Of course, that's not the point.

In fact, if Ji Xiaoge just wanted to go to the black market to buy some things and browse around to see some new gadgets, Mo Tan wouldn't mind too much. After all, the former wasn't the type to (actively) cause trouble, and with Mo Tan watching over her, there was probably no problem.

The key to the problem lies with Xueyin!

If Ji Xiaoge is only attractive because she's too pretty and her habitually uncontrollable urge to cook can easily cause minor accidents, then Xueyin is an absolute troublemaker.

While in the eyes of most people on Earth, a certain planet-level idol is simply an artist who can dominate any stage and elevate anything related to 'melody' to its ultimate level, leaving people in awe, few people can recognize the true nature of Xueyin.

The reason is simple: each of her songs represents one or more complete personalities and lives, so much so that when people like her performances, it is difficult to find the real Xueyin among those countless characters.

As for the staff who had worked with Xueyin, their impression of her was that she was a polite, capable, unpretentious, and occasionally mischievous trendy girl, who seemed no different from other popular stars, and whose presence was even less noticeable.

The last time she showed a tiny bit of her 'true colors' was on the commentary panel of [Questioning and Debating]. However, even so, most people only saw Xueyin's true nature and unpretentiousness, without really realizing what kind of person she is.

In fact, 99.99% of Xueyin's die-hard fans know her less than Bilge, a Highland NPC with whom she has only met a few times.

Unfortunately, even the sensitive and thoughtful highland boy who witnessed Xueyin expose someone in the street with a soft song could accurately summarize the young lady who made him feel a little scared.

But just because Bilge can't doesn't mean Motan can't.

Even whether it's 'Black Van,' 'Tan Mo,' or now 'Silent,' their evaluations of Xue Yin are so similar that it's as if they were all (indeed) made by the same person—

[A source of trouble].

An undeniable source of trouble, a genuine source of trouble.

Specifically referring to a destructive woman, although in contemporary context it can also describe forces that disrupt social stability, it is mostly used to refer to individuals who bring serious negative impacts. This word formation gives the word a strong derogatory connotation, sharing the semantic field of 【祸】 with idioms such as 'misfortunes never come singly' and 'bring disaster to the country and the people', forming a disaster semantic matrix.

Given that Mo Tan's own ideas are completely consistent, even if his conclusions are not 100% accurate, the error from the objective meaning will most likely not exceed 1%.

In other words, even in the most ordinary daily life, Xueyin's presence can bring a lot of variables, and in a place like the 'black market' that is already quite chaotic, its effectiveness will increase exponentially.

So from the beginning, Mo Tan didn't mean she didn't want Ji Xiaoge to go to the black market, but rather that she didn't want her to go to the black market with Xue Yin.

His final solution was simply to follow along.

Although he trusted the security of [Clown Card] and the [Market Supervision Bureau] at Anka Market, he couldn't trust Xueyin at all. However, if he were with her, the situation should be more or less under control.

After all, the person who used the term "Teacher M" still held some weight in Xueyin's eyes and heart.

Even Xueyin's ability to completely liberate herself in the "Innocent Realm" was ultimately thanks to someone who also thrived on chaos.

In conclusion, even if Mo Tan was unwilling, she had no choice but to use her own face to restrain him during their upcoming shopping trip.

He felt almost no psychological burden about this. After all, putting aside 'Mo Tan's' own messy and unresolved issues, even if the other party was Xue Yin, he had helped write a few lyrics for her in terms of 'lawful goodness'.

After all, he is an artistic young man who can write dark and healing works like "The Tale of the End of Love". Even his current "silence" is not entirely contrary to Xueyin's so-called "soul wavelength".

"Well then, I'll go take care of something else first."

Mo Tan sighed silently, pinching his brow as he smiled wryly at Ji Xiaoge and Xue Yin, a pair of people who were both incredibly capable in every way: "The black market opens at midnight. I'll be back here before then. You two should stay here quietly during this time."

"Okay!"

Ji Xiaoge chuckled and said with a smile, "I was thinking of asking Ya Ya to come over here later, so we can go together tonight, okay?"

"No problem, just send a message to Dabs, they should all be with Wreck-It Ralph right now."

Mo Tan nodded, then nodded to Xue Yin and Spider respectively, and then, somewhat confused, accepted a flower wreath from a half-dragon girl who ran over on tiptoe and handed it to him before quickly leaving.

"Hey, girl!"

Xueyin grabbed the little dragon girl's tail and pulled her in front of her amidst the latter's exclamation, saying with a smile, "Why did you give the flower wreath to that big brother? You spent the whole afternoon weaving it, isn't that a waste?" "Not a waste."

The dragon girl, nestled in Xueyin's arms, gently shook her head and said softly, "Big brother has a warm, comforting scent that's perfect for flowers~"

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoge immediately beamed with joy and exclaimed, "You're very knowledgeable!"

"A warm and cozy smell."

Xueyin smacked her lips and hesitated, "How about I put on some sunscreen before I leave?"

"why?"

"I'm afraid that after being touched by Brother Mo's kindness, someone will get jealous."

"Hey!"

"Uh, speaking of which, Pigeon, do you remember how many girls we have here?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

“I always feel like there’s one less person here compared to when I used to sing for them.”

"Oh, then shouldn't we hurry up and look for it..."

"No, no need."

"Eh?"

“No one would come to this place protected by the ‘Market Supervision Bureau’ to kidnap a poor little girl, and there’s no need for us to look for anyone who would still have the mind to leave after listening to my previous song.”

"Hmm, I feel like Xueyin is a bit different from what I saw in the [Debate on Guilt]."

"Hehe, is it because I used to give off the impression of being a silly beauty?"

"Kind of!"

"There's no other way. After all, the head of the household isn't around. If I don't become more independent, I don't know when I'll be allowed out to play again!"

"Uh... I don't really understand it, but it looks like it's very hard work."

"Hehe, actually I'm quite happy~"

……

five minutes later
Anka Market, South District, Gold Coin Trail
"Hey, you half-dragon guy."

A blonde half-elf girl, standing by the roadside, wearing a dirty red cloak and barefoot, called out to Mo Tan. She stared at his clear purple eyes with her pitiful big eyes, and her small hands tremblingly pulled a rolled-up parchment from the basket in her arms. She asked timidly, "Can I buy a [Fireball Scroll]? Just one, please, I haven't eaten for three days."

"..."

Mo Tan glanced at the little girl whose mouth was greasy and whose lips and teeth still had some vegetable leaves that she hadn't wiped clean, and frowned, asking, "How much is one?"

"Three thousand gold coins, my dear sir."

The blonde girl, her eyes shining, ran up to Mo Tan excitedly and said, "Only three thousand gold coins, and I can take home this warm and cozy [Fireball Scroll], sir!"

Without saying a word, Mo Tan turned and left.

"There's a discount if you buy now, sir!"

The little girl hurriedly followed beside Mo Tan, panting, and said, "If you're willing to give me an extra 10,000 gold coins, I can give you three more [Fireball] scrolls for free, sir! Three whole scrolls, sir, for free!"

"Thank you for your kindness, but I don't have time right now... wait a moment."

Mo Tan was about to speed up and shake off the other person when his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he turned sharply to look at that pitiful face: "I've seen you before."

The girl paused, then instinctively took a half-step back: "What, what are you talking about..."

“I’ve seen you at [Playground · Warm Cocoon], or rather, I should say that I rescued you myself.”

Mo Tan stared intently at the girl who looked exactly like the one he had recently rescued from the depths of some 'purgatory,' who had been curled up in a cold 'cage' without any expression before being discovered. He said in a deep voice, "Explain what exactly is going on here."

Are you sure, big brother?

The other person gave a sly smile, gestured with his chin to the passersby who had noticed the somewhat unnatural interaction between the two, and chuckled, "There are too many people here, not suitable for disciplining... or rather, interrogating children?"

Mo Tan's expression darkened, and he was about to say something when he saw the girl playfully stick out her tongue and gently wave her free little hand—

The next instant, at least a dozen pedestrians around them turned their backs to the two men and walked away with mechanical and stiff steps.

In less than two minutes, the once bustling crowd, filled with people including but not limited to merchants, tourists, pickpockets, beggars, adventurers, and bards, vanished completely.

then……

"Greetings, dear Mr. Mo, the uncrowned king of the [Clown Card]~"

The girl bowed slightly and gave Mo Tan an elegant curtsy.

"I am Puppet, a first-class steward under the Viper Merchant Guild. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Chapter 2602: The End