Chapter 51: Farming Phase
Chrollo Lucilfer arrived in Mordin City seven days after Omokage's death.
Their journey had been plagued by ambushes.
According to Shalnark's investigation, someone had leaked detailed intel on the Troupe members' abilities online.
Although the price for the information was high, many buyers took the bait, leading to numerous attacks.
From Heavens Arena to Mordin City, four airships were blown up.
Three members suffered minor injuries, and Nobunaga, like Uvogin, lost an arm.
Fortunately, the arm wasn't destroyed. With Machi's Nen Stitches, Nobunaga would recover full function after some rest.
"The intel on our abilities... Ronin must have observed us during the Kurta Massacre. That clan had some troublesome members," Feitan said, his voice raspy. He was part of the team now.
In fact, every active Troupe member, except for the missing Omokage, had gathered here.
"Yes, the intel matches what he could have seen. But some of it likely came from his father; based on my memory of his position during the raid, Ronin couldn't have seen everyone's abilities himself," Shalnark sighed, annoyed by the leak.
Feitan narrowed his eyes. "If Uvogin wasn't useless, that kid wouldn't have escaped."
"Shorty, what did you say?" Uvogin's furious roar came from behind.
"Looking for death!" Feitan retorted in a strange, garbled language before vanishing from his spot.
Bam!
Sounds of fighting erupted from the rear, but Chrollo and the others kept walking, completely ignoring the brawling pair.
"No news from Omokage," Isley said. Since tipping him off, there had been radio silence. "He's probably dead."
"Ronin," Chrollo said the name without surprise.
Omokage's obsession with eyes was well known. He was too impatient.
Knowing Ronin was dangerous, he still rushed in alone, likely believing his ability was a hard counter.
He paid for his arrogance with his life.
"Yes. He arrived first. His ability isn't weak, and it should counter Ronin's eye techniques. If he's dead... does that mean Ronin got stronger again?" Isley asked doubtfully.
She hadn't met Ronin, but based on the others' descriptions, the guy was a genius.
A Nen genius, a combat genius, an escape artist, and slightly insane.
Only a lunatic would advertise his location at Heavens Arena while being hunted by the Phantom Troupe.
In Isley's opinion, such a polarized, crazy individual was likely a single-minded Enhancer or a highly opinionated Specialist.
Ronin seemed to be both.
"Who knows? Maybe he got a new helper," Shalnark offered, his voice tinged with frustration.
Reviewing Ronin's actions revealed a contradictory personality.
He was meticulously cautious on airships, leaving no trace. Yet, upon reaching the 200th floor, he sought maximum publicity.
He fought decisively and fiercely, yet his escapes were smooth and premeditated.
He clearly had the means to avoid their attacks, yet he actively provoked them.
Until a week ago, when his behavioral logic shifted completely. No matter how hard Shalnark searched, Ronin had vanished into thin air.
His last known location was Mordin City.
"Since Ronin escaped, should we stretch our legs a bit?" Bonolenov, wrapped in bandages, asked, his tone heavy with killing intent.
Some of his personal info had been leaked too, putting him in a foul mood.
The scavengers watching them from the shadows seemed like perfect targets to vent his frustration.
"Sure. Kill a few. Make them afraid. Fear teaches people to keep their distance," Chrollo said coldly, his aura spiking.
Seven days ago, after killing Omokage and retrieving the Scarlet Eyes, Ronin fused with them immediately.
He sensed that his eye evolution was slowing down. He wasn't sure if absorbing more Scarlet Eyes would be enough to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, his aura capacity (POP) increased again. His total reserves now exceeded 20,000 units.
With Neon secured and Omokage dead, Ronin's mission in Mordin City was complete.
The next destination was Yorknew City.
Before leaving, Kurapika had asked Ronin for detailed intel on the Phantom Troupe members.
He then compiled this information into an intelligence package and sold it on the black market.
Ronin contacted Usamen (Adley) again to borrow his Hunter account, as Troupe intel fetched the highest prices on the official Hunter Website.
The account loan earned Usamen a tidy profit, a win-win.
However, Kurapika estimated that the leak would only cause the Troupe minor trouble, not cripple them.
The key issue was the Troupe's overwhelming combat strength and their tendency to stick together.
Solitary members like Omokage, who had ulterior motives and weak loyalty, were rare.
Even if Omokage had survived, if he were attacked, other members would likely back him up. If Ronin encountered a group, he would have no chance.
Ultimately, it came down to strength. They needed time to farm.
Kurapika was buying that time for both of them.
Ronin happily delegated the planning to Kurapika. As a guy who used to draw blueprints and cosplay, his strategic experience was mostly theoretical. In practice, he had gaps.
Kurapika, however, absorbed knowledge like a sponge and was becoming increasingly adept at strategy.
According to Kurapika, the Troupe shouldn't be able to find them in the short term.
This safety window would last until late August. Because what they planned to do in late August was obvious to anyone with a brain.
Go to Yorknew City. Buy the Scarlet Eyes at the auction.
"Kakin is still a no-go zone for now. Even though your intel says the Fourth Prince Tserriednich has the eyes and is a non-Nen user," Kurapika said from the passenger seat, analyzing Kakin's history. "Historically, in the three months preceding the selection of the next king, no prince with succession rights has ever died of unnatural causes."
"If that's the case, it's tricky. Knowing Tserriednich, trying to buy the eyes from him is impossible," Ronin drove the car toward the outskirts of Yorknew.
They had arrived three days early.
Since they couldn't find any leads on private sellers, Ronin decided to take Kurapika and Neon to the countryside for a training camp.
In September, at least five pairs of Scarlet Eyes would appear at the auction.
Until then, they had two jobs: Get Stronger and Get Rich.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you