Chương 74: Silva Zoldyck

Over the next few days, Aren did almost the same things every day. Wake up. Drag Neon out of bed. Eat. Watch Neon train. Eat again. Coax Neon to sleep. Sleep himself. Training was another matter. Training was impossible. Not in this life. Eating, drinking, playing, and teasing Neon were obviously enjoyable. Milk tea and snacks still tasted good, and Neon was still fun to tease. Since awakening Nen, Aren had not encountered a single real opponent. Forget opponents. He had not even met anyone who could touch him.

Gradually, he forgot how dangerous the Hunter world could be. Aside from beings connected to the Dark Continent, he began believing no one else could defeat him. Even if he could not win, they surely could not beat him either. The Dark Continent would not enter the stage for more than ten years. There was no rush. With that mindset, Aren even set aside the Perfect Mimicry research he had planned. Self-hypnosis was tiring too. As for the Zoldycks, he remained alert for the first few days.

But as time passed, he relaxed. At night, he still opened En from time to time, but the frequency steadily dropped. On the other side, after Aren brought Adam back and Adam found Light Nostrade to explain the situation, Light understood very clearly that Adam had been sent to monitor him. But Light did not guard against Adam or push him away. Instead, he immediately promoted Adam to the Nostrade Family's second-in-command. After asking Aren's opinion, Adam officially took the position.

Light Nostrade really knew how to make himself useful. He understood that whether Adam existed or not, he could never escape Aren's grasp. So if Aren had sent him a talented person, Light might as well use him. Promoting Adam allowed the family to make maximum use of his abilities. At the same time, it showed Aren once again that Light had no second thoughts. After Adam joined, the Nostrade Family became even more dangerous. In only a few days, it successfully replaced Fanobi's position.

Adam had made a name for himself in the mercenary world through intelligence and planning. In the underworld, those talents were even more useful. Hidden talents inside Nostrade were dug out one by one and placed where they suited best. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. At this rate, the Nostrade Family might soon unify every town surrounding Meteor City. Republic of Padokea, Dentora region, Kukuroo Mountain.

The mountain was a famous local tourist attraction and the well-known home of the legendary Zoldyck Family. Well-known, yet legendary. That contradiction existed because while everyone knew the Zoldyck name, very few people had actually seen a member of the family. A single photograph of one of them could sell for nearly one hundred million Jenny. The only thing most tourists could see was the grand Testing Gate, also known as the Gate of Hades.

According to rumor, anyone who stepped through that gate would see hell itself. Deep inside Kukuroo Mountain, in the manor where outsiders could never enter, a tall, muscular man with long silver-white hair was walking toward the foot of the mountain with a black-haired boy of about eleven or twelve.

"Father, why are you bringing me on this mission?" The boy's tone carried curiosity, but his eyes remained hollow, like black pits.

"The target this time is a Nen user," Silva said calmly.

"Illumi, now that your Nen has awakened, this is a good chance to see how one handles a Nen user. Starting with your next missions, you may encounter opponents who have awakened Nen." There was no emotional fluctuation in Silva's voice, but the words showed some concern for his son.

"I see. I will observe carefully." Silva placed a hand on the Testing Gate. His arm tensed, and the massive gate opened under his push. This was not truly the Gate of Hades people spoke of. It was simply the Zoldyck Family's front gate. It was called the Testing Gate because anyone who could not open it was not qualified to enter the Zoldyck estate. A Zoldyck member who could not open it was likewise not qualified to leave. The first gate weighed two tons per side, four tons total.

The second weighed four tons per side, eight total. The weight rose from there. Opening all seven doors required one hundred twenty-eight tons of force with one arm, two hundred fifty-six tons with both. From Silva's effortless expression, this weight meant little to him. Illumi looked at him with a hint of envy. At eleven or twelve, Illumi had not yet become as warped as he would be later. Some normal emotions still remained. Sensing that envy, Silva's cold face softened slightly.

He rubbed Illumi's smooth black hair.

"How many gates can you open after awakening Nen?"

"Four."

"Four. Very good." A hint of regret crossed Silva's eyes. Unfortunately, Illumi's hair was not silver-white. With Illumi's aptitude, he would have been able to inherit the Zoldyck Family perfectly. At the very least, compared with Silva's second son, Milluki, Illumi was a far more suitable heir. The only pity was that he had not inherited the proper Zoldyck silver-white hair. If Illumi's hair had been silver-white, perhaps Milluki might never have been born.

Silva himself had been Zeno's first child, and he had inherited silver-white hair. One proper heir had been enough for Zeno. He never planned for a second child. Of course, with Kikyo's personality, she might not obey as quietly as Silva's mother had. Thinking of his wife gave Silva a headache. Recently, Kikyo had been dragging him back to bed day and night. The mission was the first chance he had to breathe. After so many attempts, he still did not know whether she had conceived.

"Master Silva, Master Illumi, the car is ready. The private airship to Gambi Town is ready as well." Tsubone's voice pulled Silva's thoughts back. Silva said nothing. He only nodded coldly and entered the black car with Illumi. The front of the car bore a Y-shaped mark, almost like an inverted Mercedes emblem. Tsubone bowed slightly and watched the black car drive down the mountain. Kukuroo Mountain was not too far from Gambi Town by airship. After roughly two days, the private airship reached its destination.

Gambi Town had no proper landing pad, so Silva simply held Illumi, picked a deserted area near the town, and jumped from the airship as if stepping off a curb. Boom. Aura burst downward from Silva, throwing up dust and letting them land smoothly.

"Father." After landing, Illumi handed Silva a phone-sized device. It was a small navigation tool. The target's approximate location had already been recorded inside. Silva glanced at the flashing point.

"South. Illumi, let's go." He crushed the device in his hand. Apparently, it was disposable. Then he called Illumi and ran toward Chinkola Point. To accommodate Illumi, Silva did not move at full speed. He maintained a pace Illumi could barely follow. At Villa 21 in Chinkola Point, Aren had no idea the Zoldyck assassins were approaching. He had just coaxed Neon to sleep and returned to his room.

"Francis Evans wasn't bluffing, was he? Are the Zoldycks really coming? It's already the sixth day, and I haven't seen a shadow. Once this interlude ends, I still want to go east." Lying on the bed, Aren complained out of boredom. He had grown tired of Gambi Town. It was a remote town at the edge of the continent. There was little worth playing with. No food worth mentioning. No entertainment worth mentioning. The place was full of casinos, smoky clubs, and brothels.

Aren's private life in his previous world had been messy, but he had always preferred mutual desire. He refused to let money stain the pure feelings between him and the ladies. So those pleasure districts did not interest him. Going out was less fun than staying home and teasing Neon. Luring her with snacks was at least entertaining.

"Forget it. I'll wait a little longer. I've waited this long already."