"Don't give it to him!! He won't get a single Mora!!"
The official roared in fury.
Ludmila and Mikhail wore troubled expressions.
They were just about to draw their weapons to stop Lin Mo as he approached step by step.
But in the split second they looked down to grab them, a sudden gust of wind whipped between the pair.
Lin Mo moved with astonishing speed, swift as the breeze itself.
In an instant, his foot was planted firmly on the Snezhnaya official's face.
His other hand held the edgeless sword, resting it lightly against the man's remaining arm.
"Lin... Lin Mo, what are you doing...?"
"He's a top financial official from Snezhnaya. If you cross him here in Mondstadt, neither Mondstadt nor Snezhnaya will let you get away with it."
Ludmila and Mikhail pleaded earnestly.
Lin Mo didn't even glance their way.
Instead, he kept his head lowered and said flatly, "Pay up, or I'll turn you into a limbless stump."
"Impossible!!"
The official shrieked hysterically.
With a swift slice—
"Ah~!!"
A scream echoed through the mansion.
Lin Mo didn't hesitate.
The moment the refusal left the man's lips, he casually severed the other arm.
"You've still got two legs to reconsider with," Lin Mo said calmly.
"Here! We'll pay!"
Ludmila was genuinely terrified of him now.
She frantically pulled out a bag of Mora and thrust it toward him in a panic. "This... this is 150,000 Mora. Keep the change."
Lin Mo gave it a quick glance.
He took the bag and headed over to Mona.
Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he led her out of the Snezhnaya envoy's residence with bold swagger.
The two walked along Mondstadt's bustling streets.
Mona's face was still etched with horror—she hadn't recovered from the gruesome scene back at the mansion.
Then, Lin Mo asked casually, "Mona, your place or mine?"
"Huh?"
Mona snapped out of it.
She realized they'd already reached the residential district.
Lin Mo pointed to a nearby house. "I rented this one. Looks like we're neighbors."
Now that he mentioned it, Mona noticed—his rental was just across a 10-meter street from her astrology workshop. They really were next-door neighbors.
"Let's... go to mine," Mona said, her cheeks flushing. "I'll change and give you back your coat."
"Sure."
Lin Mo nodded, and they walked side by side to her place.
Once inside, Mona darted straight to her bedroom.
She quickly slipped into a loose purple camisole nightdress.
Blushing deeply, she emerged holding Lin Mo's coat and handed it over. "This... this is yours. Thanks..."
Her face was as red as a sunset, her voice barely a whisper.
She seemed embarrassed about him seeing her in such thin sleepwear.
"You're welcome," Lin Mo said with a smile, taking the coat.
At the same time, he passed her two bags of Mora.
"This is your payment for the two commissions—40,000 Mora in total."
"And this other bag has 100,000 Mora in it. Compensation for your ruined clothes."
"Ah..."
Mona looked surprised.
She'd never expected Lin Mo to hand over the full 100,000 to her.
"You... you should take half of this 100,000," she said tentatively. "Without you, I never would've gotten that compensation. No—not 'never would have,' I definitely couldn't have."
"Come on, it's your compensation. Keep it," Lin Mo replied with a smile, pushing the bag back into her hands.
"But..."
Mona seemed on edge.
It was hard to tell if it was guilt over accepting the money or lingering fear from his ruthless display back at the mansion.
Her initial impression of him as gentle had been shattered by the blood-soaked chaos, leaving a shadow in her mind.
"By the way, where's your astrology outfit?" Lin Mo asked curiously.
"It's... in my room."
Mona's gaze dropped, clearly upset about it all over again.
"Bring it out, along with some needle and thread. I'll mend it for you—might even get it back to how it was," Lin Mo suggested with a grin.
"Really?"
A spark of joy flashed in Mona's eyes.
She'd seen the damage herself and knew her own sewing skills weren't up to the task.
But then she hesitated, puzzled. "But... you're a guy. Do you really know how to do something like sewing?"
"Of course. Trust me," Lin Mo nodded, still smiling.
Mona gave him an odd look.
A hardworking, no-nonsense guy with a decisive streak—who could also handle delicate needlework?
Despite her doubts, she obediently went back to her room.
She returned with the needle and thread, plus the astrology outfit that had been torn to shreds by those two girls.
Watching Lin Mo carefully inspect her clothes, Mona asked nervously, "It's ripped up so badly... can you really fix it?"
"Yeah... it's manageable," Lin Mo said with a nod. "It's just torn, not warped out of shape. We can salvage it."
"Really?"
Hope brimmed in Mona's eyes.
Lin Mo nodded. "Yep. Hand me the needle and thread—I'll give it a shot."
"Okay."
Mona passed them over quickly.
Before long, Lin Mo was holding the fabric in one hand, needle in the other, patiently stitching away at Mona's outfit.
"Wow... that's incredible..."
Mona covered her mouth in amazement.
Under his expert touch, the outfit—ripped into three pieces—was soon mended perfectly, good as new.
Lin Mo held up the repaired garment and gave it a light sniff at the tip of his nose. "Mmm... Mona, this smells amazing."
"You... ah, how could you~?"
Mona's face turned scarlet as she snatched it from him, pouting playfully. "I've been running around all day—the thing's got to reek of sweat."
"No way~"
Lin Mo chuckled teasingly. "It's more like a sweet sweat scent. Smells great~"
"Anyway..."
"No matter what... thank you, Lin Mo~"
Mona gave him a deep, nervous bow.
In that camisole nightdress, the bow... well, let's just say Lin Mo got quite the view.
Noticing his silence, Mona glanced up curiously.
Catching his less-than-polite stare, she quickly clutched her neckline. "I... I'll go change. Just a sec."
"Hey, hold on."
Lin Mo caught her slender wrist.
For some reason, Mona's heart started racing out of control.
"Listen to those chaotic footsteps outside—sounds like the Knights of Favonius are on the move," Lin Mo said with a smile.
"Ah?" Mona turned to the window.
Sure enough, squads of Mondstadt knights were rushing through the streets, searching frantically for something.
"They... they're not after us, are they?" she asked cautiously.
"Technically, just me."
"But to cool off that Snezhnaya official's rage, they might turn you over too."
"After all... you're from Fontaine. Mondstadt's laws don't exactly protect you," Lin Mo reminded her with a grin.
"Then... what do we do...?"
Panic flickered in Mona's beautiful eyes.
"Mona~"
"I... I'm here..."
"How about it? From today on, let's wander the world together~"
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T/N:
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