Quadruple split.

Chapter 2959 Divine Meeting
"Although something good happened..."

Taking the illusion as an opportunity, Mo Tan fully mastered the [Domain of Arrogance], which, although not yet completely under her control, was powerful enough. After experiencing a full second of the epic-level skill, Mo Tan breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of rushing back to the memories of the spear soul, she sat cross-legged on the spot and began to organize her thoughts.

First, it's about that 'bug' we just talked about—

The reason it's called a 'BUG' rather than a bug is because Mo Tan is very clear that, theoretically, there is absolutely no possibility of a bug appearing in the [Realm of Innocence]. Considering that a certain super system is fully capable of preparing for any 'accident' before it occurs, the so-called 'BUG' just now was most likely just a joke.

In other words, Mo Tan believes that his actions just now were completely fine. After all, this game has a 'mission completion rate exceeding the limit' setting, so even if the real script is that he enters the inn and cooperates with the plot development without revealing Xue Ying's identity, his exploration just now was absolutely not a problem, and in some ways it should even be encouraged by the game mechanics.

So here's the question: if there's no bug in theory, why does the panel for the [Su Xue Qiang] display a lot of garbled text, and at the same time, I see those ambiguous, complaining notes?
In Mo Tan's view, this matter should probably not be analyzed from the 'surface' perspective, because doing so would only lead to getting caught up in various subtle misunderstandings and would be meaningless.

After all, this wasn't the first time Mo Tan had directly dealt with the system of the [Realm of Innocence].

In fact, during the [Questioning Simulation Battle], Mo Tan had a very brief but very constructive and milestone exchange with the system because he had an extra system function compared to other players.

The reason for this is that, in addition to the regular [Questioning Simulation Battle - Individual Matchmaking] and [Questioning Simulation Battle - Team Matchmaking] features, Mo Tan has added a strange new feature called [Questioning Simulation Battle - Character Selection].

In short, for the first time in his life, he could switch his mental state without restraint and without paying any price.

It was at that time that the system of the [Innocent Realm] had its first direct 'communication' with Mo Tan, in the form of a system notification sound.

That exchange itself wasn't very meaningful; at most, it was a reminder that Mo Tan would be affected by the 'retribution' for directly interacting with the system. However, the system didn't mention the specifics, so Mo Tan didn't realize the seriousness of the problem until she permanently lost her appendix.

One affirmation.

An early warning.

This was all the information he had obtained during his last interaction with the system. In addition, when Mo Tan wanted to gather more information—more precisely, when he proactively inquired about his 'fourth mental state' from the theoretically omniscient and omnipotent being within the [Realm of Innocence]—he obtained fragments of information that the system had to 'follow the rules' of.

The premise of this exchange was a meaningless, even non-existent, 'bug'.

Mo Tan rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes as he began to think.

The only information I could glean from the 'bug' was that the event itself was meaningless. But thinking about it carefully, the so-called 'event' probably didn't refer to my brief advancement to Epic rank, because that was the trigger for the exchange we just had, so it must have had some meaning.

……

In other words, what's meaningful is the epic progression, while the exchange itself is meaningless?

……

If communication itself is meaningless, then why do we even need to communicate?

……

Think about it again, think about it again...

……

[Exchanges are always meaningful, epics are always meaningful; in this context, this exchange about the bug is meaningless...]

……

In other words, the last exchange was meaningful?

……

What was the main focus of our last discussion?

……

[Did things within the rules, the so-called karmic retribution, help me smoothly navigate the debate and accusations?]

……

[Things outside the scope of the rules cannot be mentioned... The original statement was, 'Unless there is a serious violation of the rules, including but not limited to discrimination or sexual harassment, the Innocent Realm will not disclose any player's privacy.']

……

[Given the context, that player was obviously referring to myself, or more precisely, the one lurking in the southwest who has recently begun to make moves... my fourth side.]

……

[I cannot disclose his information within the rules, ostensibly because I am neither an official nor a member of the police, and he has not engaged in discriminatory or sexually harassing behavior. But what if this is linked to the keyword 'BUG' in this case?]

……

Things within the rules are normal; things outside the rules are abnormal, unusual... in other words, bugs.

……

Now let's start extracting keywords—

……

[A meaningful advancement epic, a meaningless exchange this time, a meaningful previous exchange, and a bug.]

……

"call."

Mo Tan took a deep breath, slowly opened his warm and bright eyes, and said softly, "Even if it's just to deal with my own 'bug,' I have to work hard to increase my strength, but the [Epic] rank is just the beginning... Strength itself has no meaning, but the act of becoming stronger has meaning, right?"

Unsurprisingly, he received no answer.

"Is the reason for reminding 'me' separately because, compared to my other two mental states, the character 'Mo' has been progressing too slowly lately?"

Not expecting any answer, Mo Tan raised her right hand, gently pinched her brow, and murmured, "I'm truly grateful to avoid the so-called 'retribution' and prevent me from losing any more parts." Feeling an invisible urging and convinced that her previous line of reasoning was the 'correct answer,' Mo Tan helplessly tugged at the corners of her mouth and let out a short, bitter laugh.

He didn't question whether he might have 'guessed wrong,' because if it was the function he understood—which not only allowed him to switch personalities at will, but also the function that could completely detect whether his [Chivalry - Honesty] should be fulfilled—it proved that the main system of [The Realm of Innocence] was infinitely close to the concept of 'God' in this world.

It is not a god of dawn, darkness, abundance, justice, or the sun, but a god who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omniscient, the manager and absolute will of the world itself.

Although this will still needs to follow a certain framework of rules when acting, even so, Mo Tan still felt that the system was like a high-dimensional being with terrifying analytical, reading, and execution abilities. So even the thought process of 'Mo' could probably be directly simulated by it, and it could choose the most appropriate way to communicate with him.

In other words, if the person you are communicating with is Mo Tan in his 'Tan Mo' or 'Black Fan' state, the system will definitely change its communication mode with him and ensure that his core purpose can be achieved.

"Thank you so much."

Instead of feeling frustrated after realizing her powerless existence like a puppet, Mo Tan simply closed her eyes and said from the bottom of her heart, "You are so gentle."

Having said that, he let out a soft sigh, gripped the spear again, and once more entered the dark, rainy autumn night.

……

[I was the one bullying someone, and I'm actually being thanked...]

[Clearly aware of the other person's ill intentions, yet willing to show the utmost consideration and understanding, completely ignoring one's own negative feelings...]

So that's why you're the one closest to 'having an episode'...

【well. 】

……

In the autumn of the fifty-eighth year of the Dahao calendar

In front of the tavern "Relief" on the northern frontier
Without hesitation, Mo Tan, who was here for the third time, started walking towards the tavern in the distance the instant he synchronized with 'Chi Qing', and gently knocked on the heavy wooden door.

"They're here! Normally you'd hardly see a soul here, so why have so many distinguished guests appeared on such a rare occasion? Come in, please come in!"

Although he spoke as if he were complaining, the waiter was very enthusiastic. He quickly opened the door from the inside and said with a smile, "Please sit wherever you like. You can order whatever you want to eat or drink. However, the cook went home early today, so although there is still wine, there is only some coarse food left."

Seeing the exact same process and hearing the exact same lines, Mo Tan nodded slightly and slowly walked into [Relief].

After that, the proprietress cursed the waiter as before, calling him a "freeloader," and the waiter, with his head down, led Mo Tan to a well-lit corner that had no windows and was sheltered from the wind and rain, just as before.

Then--

"I'll sit over there."

This time, Mo Tan, who had pulled his straw hat down low, did not follow the waiter's instructions. Instead, he walked to the dark and gloomy table in the far corner, casually took out a small piece of silver and placed it on the table, saying indifferently, "Just some food, no wine, and a room."

"Alright, sir/madam~"

The waiter quickly swept the loose silver on the table into his sleeve and said with a smile, "Please wait a moment, I'll go find you some food and then tidy up your room."

Mo Tan, who didn't think he had given too much money, nodded and casually said, "Go ahead."

So the waiter left, and Mo Tan was able to observe the other people in the shop again.

The proprietress, casually fiddling with an abacus in one hand and admiring herself in a small mirror with the other, was a master, a peak expert.

Sitting at the table in the center of the lobby, the five burly men, though their voices were not quiet, were deliberately controlled and did not sound noisy. Each of them was a master, at the peak of the high level.

There is also Xie Yu'an, the one furthest from Mo Tan, who has a close relationship with Chi Qing and is the eldest son of the Xie family in Jiangnan. He is ranked thirty-fifth on the weapon ranking list and possesses the [White Jade Sword]. His strength is naturally extremely strong. After Mo Tan's close observation, it can be basically confirmed that he has the strength of a half-step epic.

It's important to understand that this isn't the "Innocent Realm" where swords and magic exist, but rather a 'history' that mostly takes place in worlds similar to or with the same worldview as those outside the game. This level of power is simply outrageous.

However, based on Xie Yu'an's ranking of thirty-five on the "Weapon Ranking", Mo Tan had previously concluded that the limit of power in this world view is mostly epic, and it is impossible for such an outrageous existence as a legendary level powerhouse to exist.

The reason is simple: he always felt that the world in which these spirits in [Akatsuki] once lived was the history of the 'real world' outside the game. Although this statement sounds like a joke, unscientific, unmagical, unreasonable, and illogical, he always felt that this possibility was not necessarily zero.

Under this premise, if there were indeed powerful figures in history who were equivalent to the legendary level in the [Realm of Innocence], then history would definitely not be as Mo Tan knows it.

but--

Just now, Mo Tan, who was already able to perfectly control the legendary-rank [Pure Snow Spear], had his weapon shattered by the attacker. Despite having the full support of [Reverse Scale: Full Release], [Herrscher's Resolve], and [Domain: Rage], he was still powerless to resist and was blocked.

Admittedly, since [Domain of Arrogance] failed to take effect on the attacker, Mo Tan's physical strength was still only at the half-step epic level and had not yet been able to advance to the next step. But even so, with his weapon directly shattered by the opponent, Mo Tan, who couldn't even react in time, let alone fight back, could vaguely sense that... the newcomer was either legendary or not far off.

The identity of the other party is also obvious. Mo Tan, who believes that with multiple buffs stacked up, he should not be much worse than Chi Qing in his full-force state, is almost certain that the person is Wuming, the number one ranked weapon in the "Weapon Ranking".

Moreover, the so-called 'Nameless' is probably not a real name, just like Chi Qing's 'Snow Shadow'. In other words, the other party may even be hiding their true identity and infiltrating [Relief from Worries], just like 'myself'.

So the question now is... who might be the [Divine Sword], and among the guests who help relieve worries, who might be the [Divine Sword]?

Mo Tan, who didn't intend to gather intelligence this time but wanted to observe the situation more closely, didn't even take off his bamboo hat. He simply ate the coarse food served by the waiter while observing everyone without making a sound.

During this process, he roughly figured out the background of the five men. In short, they were martial arts heroes who wanted to protect the people and also see Xueying's style. They were a team called the "Five Tigers of Yanshan".

The proprietress was distractedly fiddling with the abacus, but based on Mo Tan's observation, she was probably a master whip user, and her weapon was likely hidden inside her belt.

Xie Yu'an, not having spotted his 'Brother Chi,' remained seated and ate his meal, though most of the time he turned to gaze out the window at the wind and rain.

The waiter, meanwhile, kept babbling on and on, seemingly busy carrying a rag around cleaning, but in reality, he didn't do much work.

This atmosphere lasted for about half an incense stick's time, until the door to "Relief from Worries" was knocked on again.

This time, the visitor was a woman with a beautiful face and an indifferent demeanor.

Chapter 2950: The End