NOVEL NEXT Chapter 288: Chapter 288
Ron handed a USB drive to Mizaistom.
"Mizaistom, here's all the intel on Hongtelang. It's stored in this device."
"At the Nirvana Assembly in the Kingdom of Fiora, Miste and a peripheral member of Hongtelang happened to be sitting behind me. I sensed something unusual."
"So I took Miste away."
"From that peripheral member, I obtained some information."
"Using that as a lead, I managed to uncover more."
A faint gleam of excitement showed on Mizaistom's face.
"Ron, I've been investigating this Hongtelang group for a while, but I haven't made much progress."
"With the intel you've provided, my investigation will definitely speed up."
"However…"
Mizaistom paused.
"Ron, I can't pay you right now. I'll have to wait until this is all over."
Ron waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it. But, Mizaistom, I do have one request."
"What is it?"
"If your investigation eventually leads deep into the United States of Saherta, let me take part. I want to help Miste uncover her true origins."
(T/N: Just going to call it Saherta or Saherta Federation)
"Well…"
Mizaistom hesitated.
"Hongtelang is a very dangerous organization. This won't be easy."
"I understand, Mizaistom. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't ready. Besides, I've handled danger before in Taris as well."
After a brief silence, Mizaistom nodded.
"All right. But if you're involved, you have to follow my commands. You can't just act on your own, or I can't guarantee your safety."
"Understood. I won't do anything reckless."
"Good."
Standing up, Mizaistom said, "Then I'll take my leave. Once we reach that stage in the investigation, I'll contact you. But it'll be at least two or three months from now."
"Ron, thanks again for the intel. Take care."
"Farewell, Mizaistom."
After seeing Mizaistom off, Ron returned to the Sky Arena and resumed his daily training—partly physical, partly honing his Nen techniques.
He also conjured several Nen beasts to spar with Natsu, Hanma Baki, and Ryunosuke Akutagawa, testing out Natsu's strengths and characteristics. That gave Ron a clearer idea of what Natsu could do in real combat.
"There's definitely a noticeable difference."
"I can calculate it pretty simply. Thanks to my conditions and vows, every Nen beast I create is stronger than if I just used my aura normally."
"There are two parts to these conditions and vows."
"One is the absorption trait."
"The other is the information I carry in my memory."
"If I invest one unit of aura, Ryunosuke Akutagawa's power can reach about a 2. Hanma Baki reaches 2.2. But Natsu can go up to 3."
"So funnelling more aura into Natsu gives me way more return."
Nina didn't sign up for more matches. She was training intensely.
After Ron came back, Nina requested a sparring session with him. The outcome rattled her confidence, so she threw herself into even harder practice.
Shizuku had climbed to the 120th floor by now, while Miste was still working on basic physical fitness and hand-to-hand skills.
Ron took a short trip to TST along the way and chatted with Doppo Mita again, though he didn't see the disciple from last time.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Ron's three-month window at Sky Arena ended. He went to the front desk to request another match.
There was no suspense whatsoever.
As soon as his opponent realized they were matched with Ron, they forfeited before even stepping into the ring.
That boosted Ron to nine wins on the 200th floor—just one victory away from qualifying to challenge a Floor Master.
Several Floor Masters who heard the news couldn't help growing anxious. Not only those at the lower ranks—those in the mid-lower range were worried, too. Given Ron's prowess, very few combatants could confidently claim they'd beat him. And those familiar with Ron knew he wouldn't necessarily pick the weakest Floor Master to fight.
Just then, three folders were uploaded to Ron's laptop by Chii's transmission:
one detailing the Saheerta Union,
one about the Mingbo Republic,
and one file—selected by Chii—about a place called Gourmet Paradise.
Its peculiarity lay in its founder: Linne.
Long ago, when Netero journeyed to the Dark Continent, he brought only a few companions along. One was Zigg Zoldyck; another was Linne. Linne was a Double-Star Hunter at the Association, extremely advanced in years—probably not far behind Netero. That particular expedition to the Dark Continent was one of the rare instances where humans returned without bringing back disaster, and everyone's strength played a key role. Netero's prowess hardly needed mentioning. Zigg Zoldyck wouldn't have been weak, either. So Linne must have been extremely strong as well.
Gourmet Paradise was a gathering place for Gourmet Hunters, chefs from all over the world, and anyone passionate about the pursuit of exquisite food. Ron guessed that if he could absorb Gourmet Paradise's traits into a conjured beast, he'd come out with something truly remarkable.
"In the 287th Hunter Exam, there were two Gourmet Hunters: Menchi and Buhara."
Just then, an email dropped into Ron's inbox.
He opened it and felt his eyes narrow in surprise.
"'Crack the Kurta Maze?'"
Ron remembered the Kurta Clan vividly. In the original storyline, they were tied to several crucial plot points. One of the main early characters—Kurapika—was a survivor of that very clan. According to Kurapika, the Phantom Troupe destroyed the Kurta Clan, which triggered the Yorknew City events.
"As for Yorknew, there were two sides to that. One was the Phantom Troupe targeting the Underworld Mafia. The other was Kurapika getting his vengeance on the Troupe."
"But really, the Troupe itself isn't that interested in the Scarlet Eyes."
"The biggest collector of Scarlet Eyes is actually Tserriednich, the Fourth Prince of Kakin."
"He didn't stop at just the eyes. Tserriednich even collected a complete head from a Kurta Clan member in full Scarlet-Eye state."
Given what Kurapika showed of the Scarlet Eye's powers, Ron couldn't ignore them.
He studied the contents of the email carefully. It wasn't addressed to him personally but sent to Chii—and not only to Chii alone. The sender had blasted the same message to a large group of information specialists.
"Chii, can you trace the sender's address?"
Before long, Chii located an IP.
"Kakin, huh?"
Ron's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
In the original story, the details behind the Kurta Clan massacre weren't laid out clearly. He didn't know the precise motivations, or what real part the Phantom Troupe played, or how Sheila was involved.
"It looks like this Kurta Maze is basically a puzzle. If you crack it, you get a map leading to the Kurta Clan's hidden settlement."
"If I can tap into the Kurta Clan's unique traits, that might be interesting, too."
"I recall that, before long in the original plot, the clan is wiped out."
"This could be a godsent opportunity!"
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