Chapter 9: The Heart Cannot Be Spoken

Inside the Lin family villa.

Several young people stood stiffly in place, clearly stunned by the estate's opulence.

Lin Tianhao strode ahead, while Su Wan walked closely behind, arm linked with Lin Mo.

"Hahaha, welcome, welcome! Don't be formal—treat this like your own home!"

Lin Tianhao's booming laugh broke the silence.

Leading them was a young girl dressed in a light blue mage's robe.

Her long hair flowed like a waterfall, her skin whiter than snow, her features delicate as a porcelain doll—but her eyes held a coldness that repelled all approach.

Behind her followed two boys and one girl.

A tall, slender boy with a longbow on his back, a broad-shouldered giant carrying a massive shield, and a timid little priestess with twin pigtails.

"Hello, Uncle Lin. Hello, Aunt Su."

The cold-eyed girl gave a slight nod and greeted them politely.

"Oh my, this must be the Xia family's daughter?"

Su Wan released Lin Mo and stepped forward with a gentle, maternal smile, taking the girl's hand:

"You've grown so beautiful. Your father told me you awakened an A-rank Water affinity? That's wonderful."

"Auntie, you flatter me."

The girl responded with calm composure.

Lin Tianhao waved his hand and introduced Lin Mo:

"Mo'er, come meet them. This is Xia Qingyue, team leader and a powerful Water Mage."

Xia Qingyue extended a pale hand, her voice crisp: "Hello, Lin Mo."

"Hello, Miss Xia, the campus queen."

Lin Mo reached out and shook her hand politely.

Though they had no prior connection, Lin Mo had heard her name thunderously.

The aloof campus queen from the neighboring high school—rumor said her suitors could line up from south to north of the city, the dream of countless teenage boys.

But Lin Mo felt no stir within him.

For girls like this, he never made the first move—it was too exhausting.

Today was just about teaming up for a Team Fuben.

Xia Qingyue noticed Lin Mo's gaze was clear, not scanning her like other boys did, and felt a faint flicker of approval.

She turned slightly and began introducing her teammates:

"Since we're teamed up, let me introduce the others."

"This is Wang Meng, frontline Shield Warrior, extremely high defense, handles tanking damage."

"That one is Zhang Kai, Ranger, skilled in ranged physical output."

"And Liu Weiwei, Holy Priestess, handles healing and buffs."

"All four of us are currently Level 4, with excellent gear and strong synergy—we shouldn't have trouble clearing this Team Fuben."

Hearing this, Lin Tianhao chuckled beside them and added:

"Mo'er, don't worry."

"Their fathers are all old subordinates of mine in the military—I know them inside and out."

"They've undergone formal military-style combat training since childhood. Though they've just been reclassified, their combat discipline and awareness far surpass ordinary students."

"Understood, Dad." Lin Mo turned and looked at the four, responding politely, "Then I'll rely on you all."

At that moment,

Footsteps echoed from the side hall.

"Master, the gear has been brought."

Ye Hongyu stepped out, carrying a pile of gear emitting a faint orange glow.

At the same time,

The four youths stared, eyes wide.

"This… this is the legendary 'Ziyun Set'? The divine gear for Level 5 and below Mages?"

Zhang Kai, the bow-wielding boy, couldn't help swallowing hard.

Even Xia Qingyue, always expressionless, now flickered with surprise in her beautiful eyes.

Is this the depth of a top-tier aristocratic family?

In this world, gear is ranked: 【Bronze】, 【Silver】, 【Gold】, 【Diamond】, 【Legendary】, 【Mythical】…

To give a brand-new, two-day-old white-level Mage a Legendary set as transitional gear?

It's simply… a waste of heaven's bounty!

Lin Mo felt nothing of the awe; under Ye Hongyu's service, he sat like a helpless layabout while donning the gear.

"Hmm, fits well. Thanks, Ye Jie."

Lin Mo moved his arms—the shimmering mage robe dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished into his body, his appearance reverting to his original casual clothes.

This was a special feature all gear in this world possessed.

Unless in combat or manually activated, gear automatically concealed its appearance during daily life, leaving normal movement unaffected.

Lin Mo eagerly opened his panel, glanced at the stats of the "Ziyun Set," and sucked in a sharp breath.

Too brutal.

The gear had no flashy modifiers—its entire design screamed one thing: cooldown reduction!

Robe: -10%, Boots: -10%, Necklace: -15%… plus the set bonus.

The total cooldown reduction was a staggering 60%!

What did this mean?

The Fireball, originally with a 3-second cooldown, could now be detonated every 1.2 seconds.

And the Multi-Explosive Fireball, which originally required a grueling 15-second cooldown, now needed only 6 seconds to fire once!

Truly top-tier equipment; it was too good.

Standing not far away, Zhang Kai and Wang Meng exchanged a glance, their hearts aching with envy.

Was this the technical skill of being reborn?

Others are born in Rome, but this equipment worn on a blank-slate mage—what use is it besides looking good?

Every subtle change in expression had not escaped Lin Tianhao's eyes.

As a War God who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, his insight into human nature was already profound.

He saw the jealousy in Zhang Kai's eyes, the envy in Wang Meng's gaze, and also the contempt for Lin Mo that lay hidden deep in their hearts.

The smile at the corner of Lin Tianhao's lips slightly faded, and a trace of cold ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

He pulled Lin Mo aside, deliberately lowering his voice, his tone more serious than ever before:

"Son, remember this."

"This Team Fuben scroll was issued by our family, and we also gave them quite a bit of money. You are the boss; they are the employees!"

Lin Tianhao placed his large hand on Lin Mo's shoulder and said earnestly:

"Mo'er, you must understand that in this world, whether outside the city or inside a Team Fuben, it is a battlefield of Asura where people die."

"Human nature cannot withstand testing. In the face of extreme danger, human instinct will surely be to protect oneself first, or even... might give rise to improper thoughts because of jealousy over your equipment."

Speaking of this, Lin Tianhao turned back to glance at the four young people, his voice unconsciously growing louder:

"Once inside the Team Fuben, if anyone dares to boss you around or speak sarcastically to make you feel wronged... come back and tell Dad! Dad will tear their mouths apart!"

Although those few were children of Lin Tianhao's old subordinates, human nature is just like this: unspeakable, unresearchable, untestable.

Only by making their fear of Lin Tianhao exceed their fear of monsters would Lin Mo be absolutely safe.

"Understood, Dad."

Lin Mo felt a mix of helplessness and amusement.

This was starting to look like a triad.

Afterwards, Lin Tianhao turned his head to look at Ye Hongyu again:

"Hongyu, after escorting them to the Team Fuben entrance, you stay outside. If they disrespect Mo'er on the way, you may deal with them as you see fit."

"Understood."

A flash of cold light appeared in Ye Hongyu's eyes as her gaze swept coldly over Zhang Kai and the others.

"..."

Zhang Kai and Wang Meng felt a chill run down their necks.

Even Xia Qingyue's expression stiffened.

"Alright, Ye Jie, don't scare them."

Lin Mo waved his hand and walked out first, "Let's go, classmates. Don't waste time."

"Ah, ah, yes, Lin Shao."

Zhang Kai and Wang Meng immediately took a quick step to follow behind Lin Mo, looking exactly like two loyal lackeys.

Lin Mo walked at the very front, leading the few toward the villa's main gate.

On both sides of the villa, the two rows of maids who had been waiting for a long time suddenly bowed in unison at a ninety-degree angle.

"Young Master, take care! Young Master, stay safe! May Young Master achieve immediate victory!"

That uniform, delicate shout startled the four of them.

So this is what a wealthy family is like...

This grandeur...

It's freaking terrifying!