Uvogin had always been someone with a strong sense of pride.
Even though he was only a teenager, living in Meteor City had already shaped that kind of personality.
And being at this age only made that pride and concern for face even stronger.
So when he heard Arvin Locke tell him to beg, Uvogin immediately exploded.
"Are you kidding me?!!"
Uvogin sprang to his feet in an instant.
"If you asked me to help you kill someone, or take something from me, or make me do some other task—"
"Then for the sake of good food, I might've agreed!!"
"But!!"
Uvogin's face twisted fiercely.
"You want me to throw away my dignity and beg you in a humble voice?!"
"Keep dreaming!!"
He clenched his fists, producing sharp cracking sounds.
"I'm telling you—even if I never eat such delicious sticky rice cakes again!"
"Even if I starve to death out there—"
"I will never come back here to beg you!!!"
His voice was filled with unwavering determination.
But to Arvin Locke, hearing those words…
They sounded strangely familiar.
And the guy who said something like that usually ended up…
"Well, whatever."
"Let's go, Machi!!"
Still fuming, Uvogin grabbed Machi and marched straight toward the door.
But just before pushing it open, he paused.
"You treated us to those sticky rice cakes."
"In a place like Meteor City, food like that is extremely valuable, yet you gave it to us."
"No matter what your motives were, we did eat it."
"So if you ever run into trouble you can't handle—"
"You can come ask me for help!"
"I, Uvogin, will never refuse!!"
Bang!
With that declaration, he pushed the door open and dragged the silent Machi away.
Ironically, Arvin Locke had just told Uvogin to beg him.
And in the next moment, Uvogin threw the same idea right back—telling Arvin Locke to come beg him instead.
Young people really did have that competitive streak.
"Pretty typical personality for an Enhancer."
Arvin Locke chuckled and shook his head.
But there was no need to rush this sort of thing.
Living in Meteor City, Arvin Locke had plenty of opportunities.
And more importantly… time.
"After all, it's only 1983 right now. The Phantom Troupe members are still just kids."
"No rush. Plenty of time~~~"
After all, hot tofu couldn't be eaten in a hurry.
Come to think of it, Arvin Locke suddenly found himself craving mapo tofu with a bowl of rice.
"Once my ability improves another level…"
"There will be bread. And there will be mapo tofu too."
Thinking that, Arvin Locke slowly closed his eyes again.
Around his body, strands of aura began to swirl.
He had already experienced the advantages and usefulness of the Nen ability [Inventor Master].
But at the same time, he had also deeply felt the enormous consumption of aura it required.
The ability was powerful, no doubt about it.
But the energy drain was equally terrifying.
Right now, Arvin Locke was thinking about how to reduce the cost of his inventions as much as possible.
The best way to do that was by making use of Restrictions and Vows, adding more conditions to the ability.
And regarding that—
Arvin Locke already had plenty of ideas in mind that he wanted to experiment with.
Meanwhile, outside…
"That guy is seriously an annoying show-off. Saying we have to beg him…"
Walking ahead on the garbage hills, Uvogin grumbled nonstop.
"It's just a couple bites of food. Like I've never eaten before."
"At first I thought he seemed like a decent guy…"
"But now it looks like—"
"He's just like those bastards who keep sneaking into my territory to steal things!!"
Behind him, Machi remained quiet.
Her mind was still replaying the scene of the Sticky Rice Cake Maker and all those strange farming tools.
Everything she had seen today felt incredibly mysterious.
She couldn't help wondering how those things had appeared.
Or rather—
How that man had "invented" them.
Thud!
Lost in thought, Machi accidentally bumped straight into Uvogin's back.
"What's wrong?"
She staggered back two steps and looked up.
Only to see Uvogin standing there, teeth clenched, staring straight ahead.
Following his gaze, Machi peeked forward.
And sure enough—
The three figures ahead were all familiar faces.
Uvogin took a deep breath, puffing up his chest before letting out a thunderous roar:
"Chrollo!!!"
"You bastards came to steal from my territory again! You've got some nerve!!"
"No matter what happens today—"
"You guys are not leaving here!!!"
Without another word, Uvogin charged straight down toward them.
"Whoa! It's Uvogin!!"
"Didn't we just say it'd be great if this wasn't Uvogin's territory? And now he shows up immediately?!"
"That doesn't make sense though. It shouldn't even be Uvogin's usual patrol time right now."
"And didn't he just chase another group earlier? How did he show up this fast?!"