I'm No MOTH Hero

"There's still half an hour until the dance starts. Lin and Hua are heading to Squad Seven, so why don't we take a photo together before we split up?"

Himiko bustled off to find someone to take their picture, dragging Hua along with her. Suddenly, only Lin and Soul were left.

"Um, Squad Member Lin..." Soul still felt it was best to address Lin this way; he didn't seem to mind. "Do you feel troubled by this? It feels like we've just taken things upon ourselves."

"No."

"That's good." Soul breathed a sigh of relief, a shy smile gracing her girlish face. She walked behind Lin and placed her hands on the handles of his wheelchair. "Let me push you."

Lin had said that his current state was the best he could be. Perhaps his great love for humanity had overshadowed his personal affections, preventing him from ever settling down beside any one person.

But Soul felt that this was enough. She gazed at Lin's retreating back, and even though he wouldn't turn around, it was enough to satisfy her.

Yes, this was enough...

"Soul, the dress suits you. You look beautiful."

A brief sentence drifted into the girl's ears, causing her heart to skip a beat.

It was just a simple compliment, and his tone was as flat and emotionless as ever...

But her heart, which had been calm moments ago, was now pounding uncontrollably.

"Raiden Mei, what are you looking for?"

The helmeted man, rarely seen, appeared before Raiden Mei. This time, he held some silver coins that Mei found familiar. He casually placed them on the counter of the lounge and asked Mei directly, "What are you looking for?"

Mei was usually wary of Lin, but she recalled that his words were rarely as cryptic as Kevin's. He was the type to speak his mind, unlike Elysia, whose words were hard to discern. Inquiring with him seemed like a good idea.

So, Mei walked up to him and began to tell him about the rumors surrounding the darker side of MOTH.

After Mei finished speaking, Lin, who was sitting on the sofa, lowered his head and remained silent. "..."

Mei waited for a while, but Lin didn't speak. She asked subtly, "Did you fall asleep?"

The living statue raised his head and said faintly, "No, I was considering the pros and cons of revealing Mobius's information to you."

"Pros and cons? Is that Mobius also one of the Heroes? Are you afraid of her?"

"The pros and cons I'm referring to are for you. Whether exposing you to Mobius too early would cause irreversible negative effects on you and the Imaginary Tree, and whether your pursuit of a certain truth would do the same."

Lin's fingers lightly tapped his armor, making a clinking sound. He said, "Obsession with something might start with good intentions, but the outcome may not be satisfactory."

"...I can relate deeply." Mei thought of a certain blonde man upon hearing this, and her mood immediately soured.

"The pursuit of saving lives ultimately turning into a tragedy with bodies strewn everywhere is not an uncommon example in my era." Lin stood up, picked up the silver coins he had just put down, and handed them to Mei.

"This is..."

"You put it there when you passed by Pardo's shop. This is her payment for helping me find something."

Lin then took out a tube of glowing green potion and handed it to Mei. Under her confused gaze, he mumbled, "I've finished considering. Mobius has been watching you since the moment you entered the Imaginary Tree, but she hasn't appeared. This is more worrying than telling you the information."

"It would be easier for you to meet her yourself than to hear me explain."

Chapter Twenty-Three: MOTH Completion Plan

"Hey, hey, Lin will take the photos."

The pink-haired girl's slender hand took out the instant photo and placed it on Lin's lap. She tilted her head slightly, smiling charmingly.

She just had to find the most troublesome person to take pictures.

Himiko and the others had already gone ahead to the dance venue to prepare. They said they needed to change Hua's outfit, leaving Lin and Elysia behind. Soul, in particular, had left in a hurry.

Lin put the four-person group photo into his pocket and looked Elysia up and down. She was wearing a maid outfit today, which had a unique charm. "What's with the getup?"

Elysia chuckled at his words and spun around gracefully, showcasing her figure. Her short skirt, lifted by the sea breeze, and her white stockings made the alluring flesh between them even more tempting.

"Ta-da! Maid Elysia makes a dazzling debut! To make today's dance more spectacular, Miss Elysia has put in a lot of effort to dress up." Elysia made a V-sign with her fingers and winked, smiling. "What do you think? Doesn't a cute maid running around with an instant camera taking pictures for everyone feel special?"

"...Is there a necessary connection between the dance and you dressing up as a maid?"

It looked like Elysia's playful nature was at work.

"Of course there is."

Elysia smiled mysteriously, walked behind Lin, and grasped the handles of his wheelchair. She leaned down, her face close to Lin's, and blew a fragrant, warm breath towards him. "You're the star of today's dance, and I'm your exclusive maid~"

The girl's skin was a beautiful rosy white. With only half a hand's distance between them, Lin could see his own reflection in her crystal-clear pink eyes.

"Why am I the star?" Lin asked calmly.

"Mmm, Lin, you're asking the obvious." Elysia couldn't do much with this living statue. She straightened up, spread her hands, "You're the biggest contributor to the Third Honkai War, aren't you? You defeated the Judgment-class Honkai Beasts and the Herrschers. Many young warriors who just joined admire you greatly. You're a hero among heroes."

Lin's eyes flickered. "The Judgment-class Honkai Beasts were ultimately defeated by Himiko and Soul. The Herrscher was killed by Mei based on calculations and decisions. I merely acted as bait, and before I went to Changkong City, it was always you guys..."

Elysia pouted, covered her ears, and shouted, "La la la, I'm not listening!"

"..." Lin swallowed the words that were about to come out.

As usual, he was helpless against Elysia's high-handedness.

If it were anyone else, Lin could state facts. A stubborn person might argue with her, but when Elysia threw a tantrum, Lin could only resort to comedic banter.

Elysia smiled and pushed Lin's wheelchair back. "In short, you must participate fully in the dance today and get along well with everyone, understand?"

"No..."

"You're not allowed to say no."

"No..."

"Don't say no, don't say no."

Elysia reached out and covered Lin's mouth, silencing him completely.

The soft touch on his lips made Lin wisely shut his mouth. If he dared to say another word, she might just shove her hand into his mouth and pinch his tongue.

Lin closed his eyes in resignation, lying back in his wheelchair. He let the smiling Elysia push him toward the ballroom, without any desire to resist.

Fine, just for today.

However, things were not as simple as Lin had imagined.

In fact, they were far too complicated.

"Tap."

A pointy party hat was placed on Lin's head.

"Clap clap clap clap clap..."

Delta applauded and said with a smile, "Congratulations."

Himiko applauded and said with a smile, "Congratulations."

Bianca applauded and said with a smile, "Congratulations."

People Lin didn't recognize surrounded him, clapping vigorously, their applause a unified sound.

Elysia also clapped her white-gloved hands, congratulating him with a gentle smile. "Congratulations."

"..." Lin, sitting in his wheelchair, showed no outward change in expression, but his desolate gaze completely revealed his current mood.

"What are you guys doing?" His gaze swept across a large portion of the crowd like a blade, causing half of the clapping people to stop.

His glare was undeniably potent; those caught in its path felt a chilling sensation, as if they were being stared at by Medusa's petrifying gaze.

"Oh, Lin, don't be so stern. Aren't we all here to celebrate you becoming the captain of Squad Seven?"

"I came to attend a dance, not a funeral." If Lin's legs were not inconvenient, he would have wanted to bolt out the door immediately.

He shouldn't have believed Elysia's nonsense.

"Shh, Lin, your good friends and teammates are watching too~ Even if not for me, just for them, can you please calm down a bit?"

"..."

Elysia's lips brushed against Lin's ear, her moist breath tickling him.

Hearing her words, Lin shifted his gaze and saw Kevin and Mei, also dressed in formal wear, standing side-by-side in the crowd. Kevin looked at him with some concern, which made Lin, who had intended to flee immediately, calm down.

"Alright, Lin says he's very grateful to everyone, but he's too shy to thank you all loudly, so I... cough cough, the maid will do it for him."

Elysia's smile was enchanting. The stiff atmosphere in the room began to flow again under her smile.

MOTH had diverse sources of income, including manipulating global stock markets, controlling the treasuries of small and medium-sized nations, and occasionally "leaking" one or two advanced technologies... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that MOTH possessed the economic power of the entire Earth.

Therefore, hosting an extremely luxurious dance party to reward the warriors was merely a trivial matter, like casually slicing off a few pieces from the treasury.

A red carpet covered the entire venue, adorned with gilded lines forming pathways. Cuisine from various countries and regions was presented on silver platters on tables lining the path, emitting enticing aromas.

Waiters and maids moved orderly through the crowd with platters, politely asking if guests would like a glass of fine wine. Upon receiving an affirmative response, they would serve a glass of clear champagne. If refused, they would inform guests that they could freely take drinks from the champagne tower in the center of the venue.

Perfectly textured decorations hung on the walls surrounding the venue. The soft light emanating from the crystal chandeliers illuminated the spacious dance floor, where a top-tier orchestra played a soothing prelude to open the dance.

"I planned most of it myself, isn't it as perfect as me?" Elysia pushed Lin along the side path of the venue, allowing him to take in the details of the grand dance.

No matter how much Lin denied it, Elysia's aesthetic taste was undeniable. Even he couldn't find fault with the ballroom, which was perfectly balanced between luxury and elegance.

It was like a meticulously crafted work of art, a beautiful crystal flower.

"Is there anything you want to eat? Or drink? I'm your exclusive maid today, you can order me around as you please~"

"..."

Her hazy tone and demeanor, along with her suggestive words whose purpose was entirely unclear.

Lin stared intently at her, afraid she would cause any more trouble: "No."

"Eh? You're such a party pooper... Hmm? Could it be that you want to do something to me? I never expected you to have such a rich inner world, Lin? But unfortunately, even a maid can't fulfill all requests~" Elysia lightly touched her jelly-like lips, giggling and playfully ruffling Lin's face.

"You're thinking too much."

"What part am I thinking too much about?"

"Every part."

Chapter Twenty-Four: Lin's Student Friends

"Lin, what was that just now..."

It wasn't long after Lin and Elysia were strolling around that Kevin, as expected, showed up. For him, who had always been by Mei's side, he was completely unaware of Elysia and this ball.

He looked at Elysia, who was smiling like a blooming flower, then at Lin, who was quietly sitting there, with a rather strange expression on his face.

How to put it, it gave him a subtle feeling, like he had just established a relationship with a girl, and was wondering where to find happiness for his friend, only for that friend, who wasn't very popular, to suddenly tell him he was already married.

"Hello, I'm Elysia, and I know you, Kevin~" Elysia said, her eyes sparkling as she spoke to Kevin. She couldn't free her hands because she was pushing Lin's wheelchair.

"You know me?"

"You showed amazing combat talent in the aftermath of the Third Honkai War in just a month. You're quite well-known, many people know you, including the fact that you're always by your cute girlfriend's side~"

"Uh... I'm not always by her side..." Kevin sheepishly scratched his head, completely missing the point of Elysia's words.

"Should I say you're a good friend? Your performance after joining MOTH is similar to Lin's. Oh my, time flies so fast, I didn't expect Lin's title of genius boy to be passed on so quickly." Elysia patted Lin's head with a look of pity, but he slapped her hand away.

"Lin, she is..." Kevin's expression became even stranger as he cautiously signaled Lin with his eyes.

Elysia had already introduced herself. So what Kevin was asking was clearly about the relationship between the two of them.

If Kevin had joined MOTH any earlier, he probably wouldn't have asked such a question.

"..." Lin glanced at Elysia, who was looking at him expectantly. His lips twitched, and he sighed, "A friend."

Elysia nodded with satisfaction.

Kevin couldn't help but ask again, "Uh, just a friend?"

"You're asking too explicitly." Lin's face darkened again, and he put his hand to his forehead. "Just friends, don't overthink it."

He then thought about the discussions on the internal network regarding Lin and Elysia's relationship. He couldn't understand why MOTH's internal network would have a dedicated "water posting" section, which contained everything from a cat lost in the lab to gossip about the love lives of MOTH's leadership. New posts appeared daily, and the popularity remained high. They were truly idle.

"Alright." Seeing that Lin seemed displeased, Kevin didn't ask further. Instead, he congratulated him, "Although many people have already congratulated you, congratulations again, Lin, on becoming the captain of Squad Seven."

"...This isn't something worth celebrating with such a grand ceremony. It's just an appointment."