Quadruple split.

Chapter 2669 Interlude: Making Things Difficult
Game time: 16:51 PM
Tianzhushan, the seventh outer mountain, in front of the workshop
"So, that's the situation, and that's the matter."

Jadka, holding his staff in his left hand and stroking his beard with his right, sat on a parts box lying on the ground and laughed at his companions surrounding him: "Haha, I was planning to rest a bit on the mountain before coming to find you guys, but I didn't expect you to be so amazing. In just a few days, you not only got into new trouble, but you even solved it and came here."

"Old Jia!"

Looking at the old monk sitting there chatting and laughing, his face beaming with pride, Ji Xiaoge finally felt a lump in her throat and said, her voice choked with emotion, "Why didn't you tell us sooner? This kind of thing, this kind of thing..."

"It's no big deal, little pigeon."

Jadka chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Master Ruvi and Mr. Noyce have already spoken with me. Although I have indeed lost my power as a 'knight,' it will not affect my lifespan or cause me any irreversible damage. To put it simply, apart from knowing when to stop and doing what I can during my morning training, I am exactly the same as before."

Ji Xiaoge pouted, looking at Jadka with heartache. Jadka's face was now much more wrinkled, and his energy was much worse than before. He was clearly far from having recovered his vitality. She said angrily, "I don't believe you! You old rascal!"

"Haha, although I am indeed a decrepit old man, I really don't have any bad intentions."

Jadka laughed and explained seriously, "As for my current physical condition, you don't need to worry. In the words of Master Ruvi and the others, I've just not fully recovered from my deficit. I just need to rest for another ten days or so. Of course, I don't mean lying in bed like an idiot. Appropriate activity is actually a good thing."

Ji Xiaoge remained silent, only casting her gaze silently at the three people who had been at Tianzhu Mountain all this time, keeping their mouths shut and not revealing even the slightest bit of information about Jadka.

“Uh, I can testify that what the old man said is true.”

The beautiful girl (actually a boy) dressed in a princess dress, Lu Jiang, smiled awkwardly and said apologetically to Mo Tan and the others, "I'm really sorry, everyone. It's just that Jadka didn't want me to tell you the truth, worried that it would delay your business, so I... uh, anyway, I'm sorry."

"Hey, there's nothing to apologize for."

His body was still in the shape of a dog-headed man. The usually carefree and easygoing Cordova waved his paw and said seriously, "Old Jia meant that you don't need to worry. After all, judging from his condition, it's no different for him to be ruined if his 'Knight' talent is gone. It's just that his mentality is much better than that of a normal person. He doesn't seem to have been affected at all."

Wang Badan, who was lying at Ji Xiaoge's feet, clicked his tongue and said succinctly, "This is what they call 'the less ability you have, the less responsibility you bear'."

"Shut up."

Mo Tan kicked Wang Ba Dan's shell, then grinned at Jadka and said jokingly, "So, you've finally achieved your long-cherished wish?"

"Who says it isn't?"

Jadka laughed too, winking at Mo Tan with a grin: "I couldn't be happier."

"Hahahahahaha~"

"Hahahahahaha!"

So the two men looked at each other and started laughing like idiots, which made Ji Xiaoge frown repeatedly.

"Alright, alright, Pigeon, don't worry about it. That's just how men are."

Ever since arriving at Tianzhu Mountain, Gu Xiaole, who was in high spirits, pulled Ji Xiaoge into his arms and said with a smile, "In the end, you're just a complete idiot."

Ji Xiaoge glanced at Mo Tan and Jadka, who were looking at each other and laughing, their silly smiles devoid of any gloom. After confirming several times that the two of them had no intention of putting on a brave face, she finally sighed with a wry smile and shook her head, saying, "Indeed, they are complete idiots."

"Well."

Lu Jiang scratched her hair and said with a somewhat subtle expression, "Oh no, I feel like I can empathize with Sister Ye Ge and Sister Xiao Le's feelings more than Brother Mo and Jadka."

Wang Badan: "Is it so hard to admit that you have a man's body but a woman's heart?"

Lu Jiang: "..."

"Wang Deka is fine, Wang is happy!"

Yaya jumped up excitedly, ran to the old mage's side, hugged the latter's arm, and said happily, "Even if Wanderka can't bark anymore, woof can still...woof?"

Mo Tan flashed to Ya Ya's side and grabbed the dog girl's right wrist with one hand, chuckling, "Old Jia definitely knows what you mean, but you'd better be careful in the future, or you'll shake him to pieces."

Ya Ya then realized that she had almost shaken Jadka's leftovers out, and quickly raised her hands, pitifully muttering, "Woof knows, woof, it wasn't my intention."

"It's alright, it's alright, but what Mo said makes sense. Ya Ya, you really need to be careful with my old arms and legs in the future."

Jadka patted Tooth's head, then his smile faded, and he said seriously, "So, could you tell me more about your conflict with the Viper Guild?"

Deer Sauce and Cordoba, who were standing nearby, also came over, clearly wanting to listen in as well.

So, Mo Tan and the others started by recounting the conflict between the Destroyer Mercenary Group and the Unicorn Mercenary Group, beginning with their arrival at Anka Market with Bill. They then extended the story to the Viper Merchant Guild's "Soot Worms." When they got to the Playground Cocoon and the Earthworm Excavation Site, unsurprisingly, Jadka, Cordova, and Deer Sauce all turned red with rage, wishing they could personally go there and tear that "Soot Worm" to pieces.

After hearing that the woodlice had indeed been killed—

"What do you mean? Could it be that this so-called 'Wildfire' Viper Merchant Guild steward is a good person?"

Cordova frowned and said frankly, "Anyway, just for the fact that he was able to send people to kill the [Woodworm], I respect him as a man."

Deer Sauce shook her head vigorously and said seriously, "It's not that simple, Brother Cordova. Think about it carefully. If Brother Mo and the others hadn't destroyed that [William]'s base and imprisoned him, would [Wildfire] have really made a move? Even if he dealt with the [William] at the last moment, could that offset the problem of him condoning the existence of that [Playground] and [Excavation Site]?"

Cordova clicked his tongue and hesitated, "So that [Wildfire] isn't a good thing either?"

"This isn't a matter of wildfires and woodlice."

Jadka took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Personally, I think the existence of the Viper Guild is the biggest and worst problem."

Ji Xiaoge nodded in deep agreement, her pretty face full of determination: "We all think that the Viper Merchant Guild should be eliminated."

"Don't be so naive, little pigeon."

Lu Wei, who appeared at the workshop entrance at some unknown time, stared calmly at Ji Xiaoge with an expressionless face. He said seriously to his overly naive disciple, "It's not that I want to dampen your enthusiasm, but you must know that taking down an unpopular deacon is a completely different matter from making an enemy of that damp, treacherous serpent."

Ji Xiaoge frowned slightly, flapped her wings and flew to Lu Wei, grabbed the old goblin's hand and began to shake it vigorously, angrily saying, "But I just hate them!" "Okay."

Lu Wei nodded calmly and continued expressionlessly, "They're dead, I said."

"Cough cough!"

Jadka immediately coughed loudly, reminding the eager engineer to calm down.

"Hmm...hmm...of course, even though they're doomed, it's still not advisable to act rashly to ensure your safety during this process."

Master Lu cleared his throat and said to his obedient disciples in a serious tone, "I will not comment on your sense of justice, nor do I intend to stop you from punishing evil and promoting good. But you must know that being a hero requires resources, and with your current resources, challenging that Viper Guild is simply a pipe dream."

Cordova, in his kobold form, tugged at his miner's pickaxe with annoyance and said angrily, "We can't let those bastards get away with this! If we can kill them, why not? Putting aside Nightsong and the others, I'm a player and I'm not afraid of death. I can always carry out a suicide attack!"

"you?"

Ruvi glanced at Cordoba and sneered, "Who do you think you are?"

Córdoba: "You damn old bastard..."

"If I remember correctly, not long ago you were completely overwhelmed by an inferior legend who lacked wisdom, rationality, and a sound mind, even when you were giving it your all, turning a precious rune body into a pile of scrap."

Ruvi interrupted Cordova rudely, saying in an unfriendly tone, "I'm curious, you unlucky bastard, who gave you the courage to challenge an organization with at least several legendary-level combatants and a structure far beyond the imagination of your stupid brain?"

Córdoba: "I'm not unlucky!!!"

"In short, your decision is not only reckless, but also ill-considered."

Without hesitation, Ruvi ignored Cordoba and slowly turned to look at Mo Tan, who had been listening attentively in silence since earlier. After a long silence, he said softly, "Give me a reason. I know you're not the kind of brainless idiot who's unlucky enough to fail."

Córdoba: "I'm not unlucky!"

"I believe that there is no need for a reason to practice what you believe is justice."

Mo Tan met Lu Wei's gaze calmly and said politely but firmly, "I cannot accept what the Viper Merchant Guild has done, and after initial contact and understanding, I have come to the conclusion that they should be completely destroyed. So I have made up my mind to do so. It's that simple."

Lu Wei sighed, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes: "But it's not that simple. You should know very well that whether it's the Gold Coin Merchants' Guild, the Wanderers' Inn, the Adventurers' Guild, or those imperial duchies and all that other nonsense, they all want the viper to die a horrible death, but what's the result? That long worm is still alive and well."

"So I didn't plan to lead everyone in a direct confrontation with the viper."

Mo Tan changed the subject and smiled at Lu Wei, saying, "You can investigate a bit. Although all traces of the [William Worm] have been completely erased, our [Woof Woof Adventurer Team] was actually invisible the whole time."

Lu Wei raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "So? What are you trying to say?"

"Some enemies should be defeated honorably, but some enemies, to put it simply, are not worth talking about chivalry with."

Mo Tan shrugged and said in a calm tone, "The Viper Guild is clearly not a worthy opponent. So, just as they like to hide in the shadows and manipulate everything, pushing countless events to develop in the direction they want, we also do not intend to confront them head-on."

Lu Wei chuckled and said with amusement, "So what? You're going to play dirty tricks on Viper? Play dirty tricks on the Viper Merchant Guild, which is even better at underhanded tactics than open attacks? Are you sure that Viper will be the one killed by their schemes and tricks, and not you yourselves?"

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Mo Tan said this noncommittally, staring intently at Lu Wei with his warm, bright vertical pupils: "I believe that as the emperor of the underworld, Viper has reached the point where he must step down from his peak and fall from his pedestal. Even if this world will never lack villains, those people have crossed too many lines. As the saying goes, those who lose their moral compass find little support. I..."

"Think what you want, Mo boy."

Lu Wei rudely interrupted Mo Tan, saying irritably, "I can't control you, I can't control the Diesel family's kid, and I can't even control Lu Jiang who is apprenticed to Yu Long, but at least I can control my own apprentices and unlucky ones."

"I'm not unlucky!"

Cordova first shouted instinctively, then gritted his teeth and said, "Besides, what makes you think you can control me?"

"I can put you into a dog-headed man's body anytime, anywhere, depending on my mood."

Ruvi glanced coldly at Cordoba and asked with a sneer, "Or would you rather be active in someone's dandruff as a bionic?"

Córdoba: "..."

Clearly, Ruvi's threat, though simple and crude, was indeed effective.

Having at least seen the so-called 'bionic worm' in person, Cordova immediately became obedient and shut his mouth, pretending to be mute, after this blatant threat.

However, just because Cordoba kept quiet doesn't mean the other party involved would be so obedient.

"tutor!"

Ji Xiaoge immediately widened her eyes and looked intently at Lu Wei, saying, "I'm not afraid of danger, I think I can..."

"No, I don't think you can."

"tutor!"

"Stay on Tianzhu Mountain and don't get involved in those dangerous activities."

"I--"

"Or complete that quest called 'Valkyrie's Glory' and prove to me that you are indeed capable of fighting against the Viper."

Chapter 2660: The End