Two days passed quickly. Conrad spent almost all of that time focusing on nothing but the basics of Nen.
He didn't try to rush into anything advanced. Ten, Ren, Zetsu, and Gyo filled his schedule from morning to night.
By the time his rental period ended, his control had become more stable, even if it was still far from refined.
When the last day came, Conrad packed his things without hesitation and left the hotel early.
He moved through the streets of Zaban City with a clear goal in mind.
There was nothing left for him there.
At the airport, he used part of the money he had taken to buy an airship ticket to Yorknew City.
He also picked up food for the trip, a new set of clothes, and a basic phone.
Practical things. After paying for everything, he checked his remaining balance.
150,000 Jenny.
Conrad passed through security and entered the airship terminal.
The structure was large and clean, filled with travelers from different regions.
When boarding began, he followed the flow of passengers and stepped into the airship.
He found his seat by the window and sat down, placing his bag under the seat in front of him.
As the airship prepared for departure, the engines began to hum softly.
Conrad leaned back slightly and looked out the window.
The ground slowly moved away.
Buildings became smaller, roads turned into thin lines, and soon Zaban City was nothing more than a distant shape.
Conrad watched silently.
This was only the beginning.
Yorknew was larger, more dangerous, and full of opportunities.
He rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes briefly, maintaining a thin layer of Ten without thinking about it.
His plan was simple for now: observe, learn, and survive.
When he opened his eyes again, the city below was gone, replaced by clouds.
Conrad kept his eyes on the clouds outside, but his attention shifted the moment he caught fragments of whispered voices behind him.
He didn't turn his head.
Instead, he relaxed his breathing and focused his hearing naturally, without using Nen yet.
A woman spoke first, her voice low and careful.
"So… are you sure the Red Diamond is here?"
There was a brief pause.
Then a young man answered.
"Yeah. I confirmed it before boarding. It's in the captain's room."
Conrad's interest rose slightly.
He stayed still.
The woman continued,
"You're not guessing, right? This isn't a rumor?"
"No," the man said quietly.
"It's real. Inside a reinforced chest. Five armed guards minimum. Guns, maybe more."
The woman clicked her tongue softly.
"That makes things complicated."
Conrad finally shifted his gaze slightly, enough to see their reflections in the window.
They looked normal.
Clean clothes, well-fitted, but nothing flashy.
The kind of people trying very hard to look like wealthy travelers instead of what they really were.
The woman leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms.
"But if we get it," she said, "that's two hundred million Jenny."
The number made Conrad raise an eyebrow.
"That's more than enough," the man replied.
"We could disappear. Invest. Live comfortably."
The woman nodded slowly.
"Assuming we don't die."
The man exhaled.
"We won't act yet. The airship stays in the air for fourteen hours. We have time to observe."
Conrad smiled faintly.
So that was it.
Thieves.
Not amateurs either.
They had information, timing, and patience.
He activated Gyo lightly, channeling a small amount of aura into his eyes.
He didn't overdo it.
Just enough to see if either of them had Nen.
Nothing obvious.
Either they were normal humans, or they were experienced enough to hide it.
Conrad leaned toward the first option.
Their posture, their tension it felt like fear, not confidence.
Two Nen Users with plans and patience, would not feel fear against the ordinary people with guns, not to mention five of them.
Of course, it did not meant that guns were ineffective against the nen users.
It was just that nen users with potential have intelligence and means to handle small group of small-caliber armed people with not much of a problem.
The woman whispered again.
"Five men with guns isn't something we can handle head-on."
"We don't need to," the man replied.
"Distraction is what we need..."
Conrad's smile widened just a little.
Two hundred million Jenny.
That amount could change everything for him.
Freedom to move without worrying about rent or food.
He had planned to struggle in Yorknew, slowly build funds, maybe take jobs or hunt criminals.
This was faster.
Still, he didn't rush.
He stayed seated, listening as they discussed routes, blind spots, and the layout of the airship.
Their plan was rough. Too many assumptions. Too much risk.
Eventually, their voices faded as they leaned closer to each other, whispering too quietly for normal hearing.
Conrad leaned back in his seat.
He thought carefully.
Stealing from criminals? Acceptable.
Stealing from thieves stealing from someone else? Gray area.
But if the Red Diamond was being guarded by armed men on a civilian airship, it wasn't exactly clean business.
He closed his eyes and activated Zetsu, completely suppressing his presence.
No aura leaked out. To anyone watching, he was just another passenger resting during a long flight.
Inside his mind, he began planning.
Fourteen hours.
That was a long time.
Enough to scout.
Enough to decide whether he should intervene or simply observe.
He didn't need to steal the diamond himself.
Not yet.
He could let the thieves act, watch how the guards responded, learn who was really dangerous aboard this airship. Information was just as valuable as money.
But if things went wrong…
Conrad opened his eyes slowly and looked at his reflection in the window.
"Let's see how this plays out," he thought.
"I may just wait for them to take the Red Diamond or whatever and rob them when they try to escape with it."