Chương 35: Elder City

The next morning, two figures crossed the endless garbage plains in fitted suits and gas masks. Small groups of Meteor City residents searched the waste around them for anything valuable. Even while scavenging, those residents watched the two strangers out of the corners of their eyes. The reason was simple. Nothing about Aren and Chrollo belonged in this environment. Their clothing looked expensive against the mountains of trash.

The pressure leaking from them warned everyone nearby that causing trouble would be unwise.

"Captain," Aren complained, "how much farther is Elder City?" The scenery never changed. Garbage. More garbage. And, beyond that, still more garbage. Chrollo's patience was much better.

"Ahead. We're almost there." Aren rolled his eyes.

"You've said that eleven times. This is the twelfth."

"This time it is true. Look. Beyond that fence." Aren followed his gesture. A wire fence stood in the distance with two armed guards at its gate.

"So you admit you lied the other eleven times?" Chrollo laughed.

"Don't worry about the details." At thirteen, Chrollo was much livelier than the man he would become.

"Stop!" one guard shouted.

"This is Elder City. Unauthorized people may not enter." Both guards raised their machine guns before Aren and Chrollo even reached the gate. Sweat ran down their faces. Aren realized the problem. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He had kept a thread of malice active during the journey in case some idiot tried to cause trouble. The amount of aura involved was so small to him that he forgot about it entirely.

To ordinary residents who had never awakened Nen, that pressure felt monstrous. It explained why every scavenger along the road watched them so warily. If survival had not forced those people to remain near the garbage, they probably would have fled much farther away. Aren looked at Chrollo and shrugged.

"Sorry. I forgot to withdraw it." The pressure vanished. In an instant, Aren transformed in the guards' eyes from a predator preparing to kill them into an approachable boy. Their fingers eased away from their triggers. Chrollo removed his gas mask and stepped forward.

"I'm Chrollo. The elders should be expecting me." The guards released a breath. Their guns had offered very little comfort against the two young men.

"So you're Chrollo," said the bearded guard.

"The elders gave instructions. Follow me." While Aren and Chrollo entered Elder City, all six elders had already gathered in the meeting hall.

"Head Elder," the Second Elder said, "I don't understand why you still want to test Chrollo. He is the only person in Meteor City with the aptitude to become truly strong." The white-haired Head Elder sighed.

"I know. But Meteor City cannot afford more risk. Our territory covers six thousand square kilometers. Nearly one thousand square kilometers have already become contaminated zones. If Chrollo leaves and gets captured..." The youngest and most irritable of the group, the Sixth Elder, shot to his feet.

"That is exactly why we need change. If we continue letting outside bastards stand over us and piss on our heads, why call ourselves residents of Meteor City at all?"

"Have you forgotten our motto? No one takes anything from us."

"Calm down," the Fifth Elder said. He pulled the Sixth Elder back into his seat.

"We all understand the need for change. But the candidate matters. Chrollo is thirteen. It is natural for the Head Elder to have concerns." The Sixth Elder accepted the opening and sat down, still furious. His anger was not truly aimed at the Head Elder. The thought of a thousand contaminated square kilometers was enough. The Third Elder spoke quietly.

"Do we have another candidate?" Silence settled over the table. They did not. No matter how Chrollo performed, they had no real alternative. The elders were not searching for immediate combat strength. Their guards already included people stronger than Chrollo at this stage. But those guards had reached their limits. They might look impressive to ordinary people. Against the Shadow Beasts of the mafia, they would still fall short. Meteor City lacked resources. Nen came from life energy.

A powerful body needed nutrition. Meteor City had very little of that to spare. The city produced hard fighters, but raising a true expert was far more difficult. Chrollo was their only hope. His strength immediately after awakening Nen suggested a future none of their guards could reach. Following the bearded guard through several layers of defense, Aren and Chrollo reached an actual residential district. Elder City called itself a city, but Aren would have described it as a small town.

Its buildings mixed concrete and wood. Most residents were guards and their families. The others were lucky scavengers who found something valuable enough to exchange for the right to live there. Compared to the landfills outside, it deserved its name. The streets were clean. There was no garbage at all. Aren removed his gas mask. Before long, they reached a concrete building different from the houses around it.

"This is the elders' meeting hall," the guard said.

"They are waiting inside. I cannot go farther."

"Thank you," Chrollo said. He looked at Aren.

"Let's go in."