After all, Franklin was the one who invited him into the group, and there were still some matters and doubts from this mission that he wanted to talk to Franklin about.
Plus, compared to Meteor City and the various places he had wandered before, living in a building like this was far more comfortable.
As for Chrollo, the reason he chose to stay was to learn how the mafia operated.
And also...
"Meteor City needs support from the mafia as well."
Chrollo smiled. "If there is backing from a mafia at the level of a Don, direct, point-to-point support, I believe Meteor City will definitely grow stronger."
Luke: Father Lisores's judgment and decision back then were absolutely correct! Chrollo really didn't disappoint him; he was truly thinking for Meteor City!
Since Chrollo planned to stay, Luke felt even more reassured.
With him here, securing the Don's position was a sure thing.
Luke could leave without worry.
Before leaving, he glanced at Pablo Escobar, who was still kneeling on the ground.
Right now, he looked timid and completely obedient.
But if he ever thought he had a chance to rise again, who knows what he would do.
Even so, Luke already had ways to easily deal with him should he betray them.
And to be extra safe, he left Chrollo a Friendship Capsule, so he could control this guy anytime and anywhere.
And with Pakunoda's memory-reading Nen ability to monitor him, double insurance was never a bad idea.
After settling everything, Luke waved and bid farewell to everyone.
As for his destination...
"What's wrong?"
When Luke stepped into that network world again, he was met with Ickshonpe's fixed, unblinking stare.
Even though Ickshonpe only had a doodle face, Luke could still feel that intense stare.
[Did you really get rid of the Kute Gang of Thieves?]
Ickshonpe held up his signature white cardboard.
Words formed on it: [That group was quite troublesome.]
Luke didn't think much of it.
"Troublesome? It wasn't that bad..."
Ickshonpe: [Why does it sound so easy when you say it?]
"What, does it have to be difficult?"
[Kute's Nen ability is extremely tricky. Many Nen users have fallen because of it...]
"Ah, you mean Kute's Nen ability, that Forgery of Time thing?"
Luke stretched lazily. "I didn't see that Nen ability."
Before Ickshonpe could question him, Luke answered on his own: "He sacrificed his ability."
Ickshonpe: [Sacrificed?!]
What does that even mean?
"This will take forever to explain. I'll keep it short."
Luke cleared his throat. "But I need a specialist here to listen and to help me solve a problem."
He looked at the confused Ickshonpe.
"Call Ging over."
[Ging? Why would we call him?!]
Ickshonpe reacted instantly: [That guy is so self-absorbed, he won't come unless he wants to...]
"Just tell him I have something interesting."
Luke took out the Restoring Beam.
"And tell him it can perfectly restore ruins. Then watch how fast he shows up."
Ickshonpe: [...]
If that's the case, Ging Freecss would definitely come.
And indeed.
"So here I am."
Five seconds after Ickshonpe sent the message, Ging Freecss appeared in the network world.
He sat across from Luke.
"Looks like I'm interrupting your work."
Seeing Ging's dusty, unusually disheveled appearance, Luke instantly knew he had been busy.
"It's not really an interruption."
Ging waved. "I happened to find what seems to be a very ancient ruin.
Restoration work is underway, and it's a little troublesome, so..."
Ging stared at Luke.
"That thing that can perfectly restore ruins, what is it?"
"I'm really curious."
Beside them, Ickshonpe silently held up a board with the same question written on it.
He also wanted to know about Kute.
"It's just this little thing."
Luke tossed the Restoring Beam lightly.
The bouncing of the lamp didn't distract Ging; his eyes stayed fixed on Luke.
"Tell me. What do you need me to do?"
Ging spoke calmly.
"You had to get Ickshonpe to call me, and even used the ruin-restoring item as bait. You clearly went through trouble to drag me here."
"There must be something you want from me, right?"
"Smart."
Luke praised him. "I like talking to smart people."
"I recently dealt with the Kute Gang of Thieves."
He dropped the heavy statement casually.
"You dealt with the Kute Gang of Thieves?"
Ging nodded slightly. "Perfect. Because of the Two-headed Wolf and damage to ruins, I was planning to go after them."
"Since you've already handled them, that saves me the trouble."
He paused to think.
"But I haven't heard any news about the Kute Gang of Thieves being wiped out."
Ging's intel network was extremely resourceful.
If even he hadn't received the news, then either the information was fake, or it hadn't been spread yet.
Since Luke said it himself, it absolutely wasn't the first option.
In other words, the time when the great thief Kute was eliminated wasn't just the recent time that Luke mentioned, right?
"What do you mean by recently?"
Ging asked.
"It hasn't been long..."
Luke smiled. "It just happened today."
Today... Just happened...
Ging gave his signature dead-fish stare and couldn't help but complain: "Your efficiency is pretty high."
"So while you were fighting Kute, some unpredictable outside factors happened, right?!"
"Smart."
Luke sincerely admired him and gave Ging a thumbs-up.
When it came to intelligence, Ging was on a completely different level from others, miles above them.
Even Pariston was slightly inferior to Ging in scheming and strategy.
So, Ging being evaluated later as one of the five strongest Nen users in the world wasn't without reason.
Strength wasn't the only factor; it also included mastery over Nen, its application, and the wisdom to use it in battle, along with battlefield control and planning.
At least in Luke's eyes, anyone worthy of that title definitely couldn't be stupid.
Even Netero, the oldest among them, despite always smiling and acting like he was fooling around, when he got serious, he was capable of trading his life to take down the Ant King.
"When I fought Kute Gang of Thieves, I discovered that Kute's Nen ability was sacrificed."
"The main purpose was to control something..."
Luke explained the matter regarding the Stone of Seven Emotions and Six Desires.
"So there's something like that? But..."
Ging slightly raised an eyebrow. "Why does it sound like some kind of cursed object?"
"Take it out and let me see it."