I'm No MOTH Hero

...Perhaps it wasn't a pebble thrown, but a bomb.

The young woman adjusted her tall top hat, her languid gaze falling upon the pink-haired girl standing at the doorway, excitedly examining the mechanical creations within the room... and the helmeted head beside her.

"Elysia, long time no see. And this is Mr. Lin, nice to meet you. Welcome to the Spiral Workshop." She closed her book, placing it aside, and gestured politely to the two seats in front of her.

Lin remained motionless, standing at the doorway and appraising the young woman whom Elysia had introduced as the head of the Engineering Department, as well as the overwhelming number of tools and finished mechanical products filling the room.

It had been some time since she took on the role of head of the Engineering Department, but Lin hadn't met her directly. The only indirect interaction was when Elysia asked her to remodel the second gym.

To be honest, calling it a workshop was rather inaccurate. What Lin saw were countless creations whose purpose was completely unknown, each marked with a simple sticker bearing a name, like "Texas Chainsaw No. 3" on a lipstick – a nonsensical label. Compared to the orderly assembly line production and professional design of the Research and Development Department, this place felt more like a private, self-indulgent corner.

Finally, Lin's gaze landed on the most incongruous item in the room.

The young woman chuckled lightly, raising her poetry collection. "Interested? It's a collection of poems by some obscure medieval poets. It has many interesting verses, at least to me."

"...That last line of poetry was by Goethe, not exactly obscure."

"The phrase 'I love you, regardless of you' first appeared in Goethe's work, so the poem titled 'I Love You, Regardless of You' is widely believed to be his creation. However, the author was actually a female poet." The young woman's finger traced the edge of the book, her eyes fixed on Lin with amusement. "More than poetry, I'm interested in the life of that poet. Her legendary experiences in love and revolution might be more widely known. According to records, her second husband divorced her because he couldn't tolerate having only one wife..."

She tapped the cover of the book. "Quite an interesting life, isn't it?"

"..."

"It seems I got a bit too carried away. Please, have a seat, both of you."

"Mmm, is it 'Great Writer' Vill-V today?" Elysia sat down with a beaming smile.

"You should call me... 'Great' Artist." Vill-V replied with a smile.

Lin walked over and stood beside Elysia, standing as straight as a pine tree. He had no intention of sitting, but Elysia casually pulled him down into a seat.

"Indeed, her personality is just as described. 'Colorful white? Dazzling black?' It's hard to describe. If there were someone who understood colors better than I do, they would know how to describe you."

"Why does it have to be colors?"

"Who knows? I don't even know what I'm thinking."

Vill-V's way of speaking was unlike anyone Lin had ever met. She seemed kind and polite, yet her words were disjointed, full of leaps and a peculiar energy, giving the impression of being on the fine line between genius and madness.

Just as Lin was about to start the formal discussion, Vill-V's eyes lit up as she stared at Lin's power armor. "Oh~ your equipment is more avant-garde than the last design. But it still lacks my favorite heat dissipation fan design. It could reduce armor load and cool the wearer, yet Delta is so stubborn."

Would the expelled heat really not cook the wearer?

"...Speaking of which, you seem to have given him some design suggestions."

For example, the Phase Teleportation Device, which nearly caused Lin to die on the spot in the Human Headquarters' main base, bore traces of her design. A genius mechanical engineer, that's how she should be called.

Vill-V counted on her fingers. "Phase Teleportation Device, Titan Energy Miniaturization, Information Integration System, Equipment Backpack... Which one are you referring to?"

"..."

Lin hadn't expected her to be involved in so many pieces of equipment. He was already starting to worry about the stability of future gear. He hoped that no functions would be added to the Titan that increased the indoor temperature based on the pilot's emotional value, causing it to catch fire.

"I've come this time because there's something I need to ask of you." Lin steered the conversation back on track, realizing it might lead to topics that would give Delta and himself cerebral hemorrhages.

"Sure, is it equipment modification or discussing poetry? Poetry discussion is today's special. Tomorrow's topic is culinary arts, the day after is mystery, and the day after that is magic... By the way, magic can be discussed anytime, but I prefer performing magic to exchanging techniques."

Lin waited for her to finish before speaking. "The Deepest Place."

"Oh? My new creation, interesting." Vill-V wasn't particularly surprised. "Honestly, I'm not very satisfied with it, as most of the designs inside weren't according to my wishes..."

"I'm not here to discuss technical issues with you." Lin felt it necessary to curb Vill-V's frequent tangents, which were very similar to Delta's. "I want to know how to get there."

"How to get there?"

Vill-V narrowed her eyes, her unique colored irises fixing on Lin. "Why do you want to go there?"

"I need to verify something without MOTH noticing, and for that, I need your help."

"'The wise and the foolish do no harm; the most dangerous are those in between.' " Vill-V nodded. "Instead of blindly following rules without understanding, it's better to seek the truth yourself. This point is already different from what's written in books."

"What books?" She had mentioned "books" twice already. Lin raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Here."

A hardcover copy of "One Hundred Questions About the Silent Helmet" was placed on the table.

Lin glanced at Elysia; she whistled nonchalantly, pretending not to see.

"Although I built The Deepest Place, I don't have administrative control over it. So, even I can't let you go there openly."

Lin countered, "But you are the builder, so you likely left a backdoor in it."

"You guessed correctly on that point. I usually leave backdoors in my creations."

Vill-V crossed her arms and looked at Lin's visual display, meeting his gaze.

The large overhead light suddenly went out, her colored irises glowing in the darkness.

"But what condition do you have to convince me to help you?"

Lin left with the so-called "backdoor," and Elysia walked back to the switch, turning the light back on to illuminate the room again.

"Was turning off the light also one of your little magic tricks?" Elysia tilted her head, looking up at the light bulb.

"The switch is just in my hand." Vill-V revealed a small switch hidden in her sleeve and chuckled triumphantly. "Don't you think it's intimidating to use glowing contact lenses after turning off the lights? It's very much like a villain in some works."

"I didn't expect you to agree to Lin so easily; it's a bit beyond my expectations."

"Agree? No, no, no, I didn't agree. He just found out on his own, it has nothing to do with me."

Vill-V cleared her throat, resuming her elegant poet persona, and sighed as she looked in the direction Lin had left:

"You will not end, this is your greatness;"

"You have no beginning, this is your fortune."

"Your song revolves like the starry sky, the beginning and end radiating the same brilliance."

Chapter 52: The Hated Fox

Lin tucked a small piece of paper into the activation unit, injected the medicine Mobius had given him into his neck, and after finishing the injection in one go, headed to his room. He needed to organize his equipment to deal with the upcoming issues.

From a distance, he saw someone leaning against the doorframe. The person turned their head upon hearing Lin's footsteps.

A vibrant red hair, unique to MOTH, was like a bright flame in the dim reflection of the matte metal wall.

Himiko had been waiting for a long time in front of Lin's room.

Lin slowed his pace, then sped up slightly, walking up to Himiko.

"Soul's condition is not good. Her spirit has been impacted and may take a long time to recover," Himiko handed the medical report to Lin.

Lin opened the report with Soul's ID number. Some glaring words made him purse his lips.

"Lin, what did you see at the time? Why was there such a notice?"

"...It's the same as what the notice said. I was on another mission at the time and just happened to miss the attack," Lin handed the report back. "I have another mission to carry out immediately. Take good care of Soul."

Himiko's eyes darkened as she stared at Lin, "Now? A mission? Are you sure?"

"...Yes."

"Lin, Soul needs you." Himiko tightened her coat, feeling a chill in her body, perhaps it was something else that was colder. "She has already lost her parents; you are her last hope."

"And you, team... Himiko."

"You mean something different to her. Staying by her side now is the only way to cheer her up."

Seeing Himiko's sincere expression, Lin realized that he had unknowingly become someone's support.

The eroded area of Honkai Energy on his back ached faintly.

Lin unconsciously averted his gaze. Even though Himiko couldn't see his face inside his helmet, he still did it subconsciously.

"I will," he added before Himiko could relax, "after this mission is over."

Himiko clenched her fist, "What mission is it?"

"A classified mission."

"..."

Lin walked around Himiko and entered the room, feeling as if he were fleeing.

Inside the room, he took off his helmet and looked at the photo on the table.

The girl's brilliant smile beside him was frozen in that distant past.

"Graveyard, laboratory, sacrificial site..." Mei, with her rare free time, organized the information she had gathered. She manipulated tiny currents to draw some familiar patterns in the air.

Lin's graveyard, Mobius's laboratory, Chrono's sacrificial site... So far, Mei had seen some special spaces within the Imaginary Tree formed by the Heroes... strictly speaking, by Lin and the Heroes' memories. These were manifestations of their intense memories that had made abstract scenes concrete.

This confirmed what Elysia had said about the impact on the Imaginary Tree, which also included the types of monsters and changes in space.

Were there other ways the Imaginary Tree was affected?

The more Mei delved into this miracle left by the Previous Civilization, the more she was enveloped by mysteries.

"Maybe I can ask Elysia... No, Kevin?... That won't work either... Lin? Never mind."

Several names flashed through her mind. There were also Heroes who didn't understand the Imaginary Tree itself. Based on her impression, Mei thought these three were the ones who understood the Imaginary Tree the best, but unfortunately, their communication methods were all quite baffling to her. Recently, even Lin had started responding to her with silence and light signals.

Mei couldn't understand, was talking properly that difficult? Why did they all want her to guess riddles?

"Mei, did something happen?"

A voice, not exactly gentle but not harsh either, interrupted Mei's thoughts. A hint of pink and a pair of long ears appeared before Mei's eyes.

"Sakura, you're here?" Mei had a good impression of this girl from the Previous Civilization, whose childhood experiences were similar to her own. However, the way she spoke was also confusing to Mei. "No, it's nothing. I was thinking about how to ask those three."

"Three people?" Sakura looked confused.

"Elysia, Kevin, and Lin. They seem to understand the Imaginary Tree more deeply, and I have some questions for them."

"Dr. Mobius is the owner of the Imaginary Tree. Aren't you going to ask her?"

"Her?" Mei had known this for a long time, but she subconsciously excluded Mobius. "It wouldn't be of any use."

"Then... Elysia?"

"I don't think she's reliable."

"Kevin?"

"He won't say anything."

Sakura shook her head. "Then, perhaps, you'll have to find the answer yourself. My help is limited when it comes to non-combat matters."

Mei let out a "Hm?" and looked up in confusion. "Why did you deliberately avoid Lin?"

"Lin..." Sakura's gaze darted away when faced with Mei's questioning. "Right, you can ask Lin. If he thinks it's okay to talk about it, he will."

Seeing Sakura's unusual demeanor, Mei suddenly had a strange premonition. "Speaking of which, you and Lin never seem to appear together. It's only you and Mobius who don't appear when Lin is around, and every time Lin arrives, you just happen to leave. Are you... avoiding him?"

"...It's nothing, just some past events." Sakura, having been found out, no longer looked lost in thought. "Lin probably hates me, so to prevent any arguments between us, I try to avoid meeting him."

"Lin gets into arguments with people? Would you mind telling me about it?" Mei sensed a clue and asked Sakura without hesitation.

"..." Sakura was somewhat surprised by Mei's direct question. She hesitated, fiddled with her sword sheath, and sighed. "Mei, you already know the nature of the Poisoned Cocoon's work and its members, right?"

"The MOTH has an auxiliary team that primarily handles clandestine operations. As far as I know, both you and Chrono were members of the Poisoned Cocoon."

"That's right, but that was after the Poisoned Cocoon was reorganized. Before the reorganization, the missions they carried out were all targeted at humans."

"Assassins?"

"You could say that. And I was a member of the first generation of the Poisoned Cocoon. Back then, most of what we did was... taking lives."

"I can roughly understand why you'd say Lin hates you."

Although Mei still didn't entirely believe it, many people described Lin as a warrior who fought for humanity. His outward behavior showed more care for humans than most Heroes.

To draw an analogy, he was like an overprotective father who would forgive any mistake his child made and continue to protect them without wavering.

What Sakura did was completely different from Mobius. She acted with the explicit goal of killing humans, placing her almost directly opposite Lin.

"But it's not entirely like that. Actually, before I took on that mission, an incident related to Lin occurred within the Poisoned Cocoon."

"The Fifth Branch Incident."