Chương 40: Conqueror's Malice

The Troupe passed through three checkpoints on the way out. Each time Aren presented the permits issued by the elders, the guards bowed with almost excessive respect and hurried to let them through. No one knew what instructions the elders had sent ahead, but the guards treated them better than they probably treated their own fathers. Aren did not care why. The result was convenient. After the last checkpoint, they finally left Meteor City's territory. A short stretch of highway came next.

Modest houses appeared along the roadside, simple but intact. For the others, who had never stepped into the outside world, even those buildings were worth staring at. Uvogin nearly stuck his entire head out of the window. Before long, a large sign spanning the highway came into view. Welcome to Gambi Town. Aren knew they had arrived.

"Hey, we're almost there," he said.

"What do we do first? Captain, you can't keep slacking off this time." Chrollo laughed softly.

"When we arrive somewhere new, the first thing we need is a place to stay."

"After that, we need legal identities."

"A place to stay?" Uvogin asked.

"You mean a base like the one we had in Meteor City?" Chrollo shook his head.

"No. This is temporary. There is no reason to invest that much effort. Besides, our deputy leader seems to have strong opinions about your suggestion." He gestured toward the driver's seat. At some point, Aren had turned around and fixed Uvogin with a dead-eyed stare. A dark, almost visible pressure rolled off him. Building another base like the one in Meteor City meant conjuring an absurd amount of furniture, supplies, walls, and equipment. His body would not tire. His mind absolutely would.

Aren had left Meteor City to enjoy himself, not to become the Troupe's unpaid construction crew. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Cold sweat ran down Uvogin's back as he remembered the fear of being ordered around by Aren.

"I was wrong, deputy leader! I... ahead! Look ahead!" Halfway through the apology, Uvogin pointed in terror. A car was coming directly toward them. Aren turned back without any sense of urgency, moved the steering wheel slightly, and avoided the collision at the last possible second. Uvogin released a long breath. So did everyone else. Their Nen was not strong enough yet to protect them from a high-speed car crash without injury.

If the two vehicles had collided head-on, getting away with only minor wounds would have been optimistic. Everyone turned toward Uvogin with murderous eyes. He raised both hands.

"I was wrong!" Franklin continued the earlier conversation.

"Captain, where do we find a place to stay?" Chrollo smiled.

"We go to Meteor City's natural allies."

"The mafia."

"Small towns around Meteor City are full of minor criminal organizations. A temporary base and legal identity papers are exactly the sort of things they can provide."

"When you're away from home, you really do have to rely on friends," Aren said. His eyes lit up as he understood Chrollo's plan. For their current needs, a small mafia group was perfect. It could provide a place to sleep and use its channels to arrange legal documentation. Smaller gangs were also unlikely to have Nen users. If an organization had even one competent Nen user, it would not remain insignificant for long. That made the plan efficient and low-risk.

Even if they killed gang members, the authorities would likely classify the incident as underworld violence instead of looking more closely at the newcomers. Meteor City's friends really were generous.

"Aren," Chrollo said, "watch for bars that look disorderly. We should find the information we need in one of them."

"Understood, captain." As the minibus traveled from the outskirts into Gambi Town itself, the scenery became brighter and more colorful. Gambi Town was only a town, but its position near Meteor City made it unusual. Mafia activity damaged public safety while also feeding the local economy. The result was a place more prosperous than most settlements of its size. Pakunoda rested her chin on one hand and looked out the window.

"So this is the outside world. It looks beautiful."

"Very different from Meteor City," Feitan said. Nobunaga held his sword and clicked his tongue.

"These people know how to enjoy themselves even though they're so weak."

"The outside world works differently," Chrollo explained.

"Status does not come from strength alone. Money, resources, and connections can all become bargaining chips." Uvogin frowned.

"Weird rules. If they don't have strength, why doesn't someone take everything away from them?"

"Their laws forbid that."

"And people actually stop because someone tells them not to?" Uvogin dug a finger into his nose and casually flicked whatever he found out the window.

"Captain, don't waste time explaining it to him," Aren said.

"We can follow our own rules."

"True enough," Chrollo said. Aren suddenly pulled over. Beside them was a stairway leading down to a basement bar. Two intimidating men guarded the entrance with expressions that announced their profession clearly enough.

"What about this one?" Chrollo examined the entrance.

"It looks suitable." He turned toward the others.

"Who wants to take a look?" Everyone answered at once.

"Me." The Troupe climbed out of the minibus, completely ignoring the car trapped behind them. Its horn blared repeatedly.

"Hey! You bastards! Move your damn bus!" The driver was an oily, middle-aged bald man wearing a gold watch that looked expensive enough to matter to him. When the group continued toward the bar without reacting, he leaned farther out of his window and kept shouting. Aren rubbed one ear and glanced back.

"Too loud." Malice rolled out of him. The driver stiffened the moment it touched him. His eyes rolled back. Foam gathered at his mouth, and he collapsed unconscious over the steering wheel.