Mother Killua's belly is growing day by day, and it's often seen that Father Silva supports her as they take a walk in the garden to aid digestion after dinner.
Silva often sheds his serious fatherly demeanor during this time, perfectly playing the role of a considerate husband.
Roy came out from Grandpa Jager's room, lasting three minutes this time.
He leaned quietly against the window ledge, relaxing his mind while waiting for Wutong to bring food, hearing a string of footsteps approaching from afar... a head of white hair swinging, Grandpa Zeno came with hands behind his back, accompanying him in gazing at the night view; in the garden, Killua was complaining about something and pounded Silva's chest discontentedly...
"Your great-grandfather asked me to tell you, for three generations in our family, there's been no brothers, so there's no way to provide you with advice, so..."
"In the future, if you need to hit, hit, if you need to scold, scold. As long as you don't cause death, the family has no objections."
"He overdid it." Illumi was still hanging from the willow tree, putting out the word… unless Roy personally unties him, he'd rather hang there for life, simply dying here is fine.
Roy pretended not to hear, and Silva and Killua, who were on a walk, also pretended not to see. However, Milluki went over once in the evening and peed under him. If he hadn't been out of reach, he probably would've pissed on his head. Even so, Illumi endured it all.
"People from the 'Manipulation' category are all like this, the more they can't get it, the more they want to possess it, Roy," Zeno tilted his head jokingly at the young man, "I reckon you're in for a lot in the future."
Is that so... The sun sets in the west, but it never disappears... The sun never belongs to one person, so how can one talk about possession?
Roy was indifferent: "It's not a big deal."
"Cross the line once, get hit once."
"Until he dares not to reach out again."
This is indeed simple and crude, yet effective enough... Zeno thoroughly agreed, glancing at the foolish Mamen Beans swaying in the cold wind, then shifted the conversation to serious matters: "Your application to the family to use the intelligence agency, I denied it."
Zeno calmly said, "Since you know there are boundaries that can't be crossed, you should observe them more closely yourself."
The world of the Hunter is not just about mindless fighting; it's more about intelligence gathering. The conversation with Father Tanjuro during the festival is still fresh in his mind; Roy figures it's time to take further action —
If not to delve deeper into "Conjuration" to heal Tanjuro's illness, he must also strive to gain reliable and stable intelligence sources, among which... the Hunter Association's official website is an excellent choice.
"I understand." Only the reigning Patriarchs have the authority to mobilize the intelligence agency, this is an ironclad rule.
In the original, Milluki would transform into a computer genius, not without reason in this respect…...
"You are a sensible one." Zeno turned around, looking at the young man with satisfaction, "Since you seek freedom, rely on your own abilities. I look forward to hearing your name on the continent one day."
"I will." The young man smiled broadly, "Just don't disappoint grandpa."
"Heh heh..." Zeno chuckled, said nothing more, patted his shoulder, and left with his hands behind his back...
The weather is getting colder, and the old man is spending more and more time indoors. Roy should visit him occasionally, not for any other reason, but being able to give him a massage and loosen his muscles is always good...
"Step... step..." Zeno walked away,
In the garden, Killua got her desired ice cream, and contentedly held onto Silva's arm...
Roy watched quietly for a while, then turned back to his bedroom, just as Wutong pushed a dining cart inside. Seeing the young master staring inexplicably at him for a long time, he suspiciously touched his own beard and set the meal on the table.
"This morning, Illumi disguised himself as you and got into my bed...."
As Roy took a bite of pizza sprinkled with onions, he said indifferently,
Wutong: "..."
Unexpectedly at a loss for words, he reflected on his appearance... in bed... no wonder he was wondering this morning why the young master was so furious, now it seems... punishment is required!
However, since it involved Master Illumi, as a servant, he couldn't ask much, so he attended to Roy's meal while reporting: "The tickets you asked me to buy, young master, have already been pre-booked in advance."
"Departure on December 27th, with a transit in Gaslan, and departing again on December 29th, estimated to arrive in the United States of Saherta on January 2nd, then take a ship to Whale Island."
Roy had long anticipated that the request might be denied, hence he instructed Wutong to make preparations on both fronts, seeking the line of the Hunter website and obtaining a Hunter's License first....
"Gaslan is the entertainment capital famous for its performing arts, isn't it?" Roy finished the pizza and took a napkin to wipe his hands.
Wutong adjusted his glasses: "Yes, their circus is very famous, and we have a day of rest in between; young master can go for a stroll."
Roy responded non-committally with a light hum, thinking of someone at the mention of the circus. That person had rich experience in apple cultivation and was good at card games, and their initial place seemed to be in Gaslan... that famous place where the Murielito Theater Company, known for performing "Flying Swimming", is located.
"Hundred-faced John Doe"... the perverse serial killer... "Oppressed to Death" Nen ability... Roy glanced at the interface, "Life Energy" at zero, urgently needing replenishment.
"Go down and get ready; the Hunter Exam on January 7th must not be missed."
"Yes."
Wutong cleared the table and left...
In the following days, Roy ate, drank, and trained as needed. December came in an instant,
The weather became increasingly colder. Unlike the year-round summer of Whale Island, Kukuroo Mountain, upon entering winter, was barren, devoid of green, only desolate bare land as far as the eye could see…
Roy practiced "Sun Breathing" in the morning by ingesting poison to enhance his constitution, and in the afternoon, he let the poison take effect, sunbathing while envisioning the sun, in the evening climbing off the ground to pay respect to Grandpa Jager; the days passed busy and fulfilling.
During the time, Illumi hung on the tree for several days, secretly cutting the rope in the night and jumping down... the young man burst out of the soil, hands in his pockets, following Roy towards the basement,
one on each side of the path, neither touching the other...
After a while, Illumi spoke up: "Why were you able to see through my disguise?"
Apparently, this question had been stifling Illumi for several days, held up in his heart.
"Because there was no light in your eyes."
No light is a desecration of the sun, Roy spoke truthfully,
Illumi: "...."
He stopped in his tracks, raised his hand to touch his face, dissatisfied... who said there's no light?
Every night he transforms into his image, carefully comparing in front of the mirror, at that time it obviously had a lot of light!
"Hey~" the young man called to his brother, "Even if you see through me, don't think you can shake me off, even if you escape to the Dark Continent!"
Roy kept walking, not turning back, not even intending to respond, his gaze sweeping over the corner.....
The camera in the corner, with a flash of red light, clearly captured the young man's words,
So, my foolish Mamen Beans, pay attention to yourself first.
That night,
"Report to the master, Master Illumi said he wants to go to the Dark Continent..."
"Is that so?"
As the moon rose high, Illumi, who had just cut the rope and come down, was strung up again...
The order was made by Maha, the message conveyed by Zeno, the hands moved by Silva, and the urine spilled by Milluki...