Chapter 174: The Perverse Zoldyck Brothers x Illumi, Male or Female?
"Don't always make Daddy take the initiative, silly boy."
Silva gently rubbed Roy's back, holding him in his arms. His tall figure enveloped the boy completely.
With a slightly reproachful tone, he looked at Roy. "Adults have their pride. You always keep a straight face and give me no opening. Even if Daddy wants to be close to you, he can't find the chance."
As Silva spoke, his chest was as broad as a mountain, radiating warmth... For a moment, Roy's hands hovered in the air, unsure where to put them.
Roy had never seen Silva like this, never heard him speak such long sentences. In this instant, he was just an ordinary father in an ordinary family. Stripped of his assassin identity, no longer cold, the contrast was jarring.
"Mm." After a long while, the boy buried his head, forcing out a single syllable.
He gradually realized... perhaps this was his father's true self.
Because he thinks this is a dream, that it's absolutely safe, he reveals the "true heart" he keeps hidden in reality?
Roy's eyes flickered, a strange feeling rising within him. Maybe he thinks this is his dream, so he can do whatever he wants, and even if he dreams of me... the real me won't know.
But... the one here was Roy, navigating the dream via the "Gate of Cognition," a "real consciousness," not... the "Roy" Silva imagined in his dream...
When false is taken for true, true becomes false. Where nothing is taken for something, something becomes nothing...
In short, right now, the "Fake Roy" Silva thought he was seeing was actually the "Real Roy"!
[Want to get closer to your child? Try these 6 things...]
[1. Schedule exclusive parent-child time, devote yourself fully.]
[2. Use body language to convey love.]
[3. Give precise encouragement to boost confidence... 4. Respect individual differences... 5... 6. Listen to their emotions, offer understanding and support...]
In Silva's exclusive "unconscious domain," the man noticed the boy was still a bit "awkward." Recalling the tips from the book he had just read, he held onto Roy, applying what he learned, treating him like a "guinea pig."
Roy endured this bizarre, awkward atmosphere, forced to play along with this rare "parent-child time." With a thought, he sensed the dream becoming unstable, signs of collapse appearing. He realized...
Limited by his own "Aura Quantity," his journey here was ending. His form began to fade, dissolving into mist, withdrawing from Silva's unconscious domain. When he opened his eyes...
Dong. The grandfather clock in the corner chimed.
At 4:00 AM, in his own bedroom in the Zoldyck castle, the boy left the dream and woke up...
Tick... tock... Time marched on...
Roy lay quietly on the soft bed, hands folded on his stomach, staring at the ceiling for a while. For once, he lazed in bed.
After shaking off the "emptiness" brought by the hazy dream, he rolled out of bed and went for his morning run as usual.
Passing by... Gotoh, as always, standing by a pool of water, fiddling with the "Infinite Pistol," practicing the "Water Breathing" in his own way... The image of Gotoh from last night's dream floated into Roy's mind. With a faint smile, he drifted down the mountain path, arriving at the entrance. After Gotoh, he saw Kastro, his white hair swaying in the wind.
"Good morning, Young Master." Kastro bowed. His face was rosy, a stark contrast to the pig-head look he sported a few days ago after Gotoh beat him. He looked "spirited." Clearly... last night in his dream, he had given Gotoh a sound beating, and it had boosted his morale significantly.
"Mm, keep it up." Roy breezed past him. Without looking back, he said, "I have a task for you in a few days."
Kastro started, then hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir!"
He straightened up, watching Roy leave, clenching his fists tightly!
Surpassing Gotoh starts with working for the Young Master...
He suddenly shouted, "Young Master, I absolutely won't disappoint you!"
Whoosh~ A mountain breeze blew, swirling a few fallen leaves...
Roy waved his hand without turning around. In a flash, he disappeared from Kastro's sight. Moments later, he arrived at the mountain gate. From a distance, he saw "Bald Uncle" Zebro instructing a girl with wind-tousled blonde hair on her stance and power generation. The goal... pushing open the first Testing Gate.
"You... your posture is correct, you just lack strength. Eat more when you go back, and you should succeed soon..."
Zebro said smilingly, his words swirling into Roy's ears...
He suddenly thought of Kurapika. Gotoh had mentioned that he was Kurapika's younger brother. Roy understood the girl's desperation...
Working hard to change the fate of the Kurta Clan. Clearly—
She knew very well that the Kurta Clan, possessing the "Seven Most Beautiful Colors in the World," was like a child walking through a busy market carrying gold. Because the "Scarlet Eyes" were coveted, disaster was inevitable.
Counting the time, the Kurta Clan massacre was only a few years away...
Tap... tap... Footsteps approached... Zebro glanced over, pulled Kurapika aside, removed his hat, bowed low, and said, "Young Master."
Roy didn't stop. He circled in front of the gate, glanced at the two impassively, turned on his heel, and headed back up the mountain path. Returning to the castle, passing the dimly lit small room, he finally stopped. Hearing the faint snores from inside, he remembered there were two dream tunnels left unexplored from last night. One was his mother Kikyo, and the remaining one was likely his Great-Great-Grandfather Maha.
Grandfather Zeno was out on a mission and hadn't returned all night, so it couldn't be him... Roy straightened up, peeked through a corner of the window, and saw the old man sleeping soundly under a blanket. He took a breath, left quietly, returned to his bedroom, took off his coat, and immediately went into the bathroom.
Time to add points.
Last night, after killing Akaza, Enmu, and Rui, his "Life Energy," which had been empty, was back to 190. Plus the daily point of "Physique" from "Sun Breathing"...
Roy braced himself against the wall, took a deep breath, prepared himself mentally, and willed it. The panel popped up...
[ "Life Energy" cleared... Congratulations, Host, "Physique" +191... ]
[ Current Physique: 438.4 → 629.4 (Note: Average person is 1) ]
[ Aura Output: C- (3950/100,000 → 17854/100,000) (Note: Rating based on Chimera Ant benchmark...) ]
[ Potential Aura: C (48651/100,000 → 68741/100,000) ]
He let out a muffled groan, digging his fingers into the wall. It took a long time before he dazedly came back to his senses, feeling the power surging from inside out!
Pop... pop... pop... His new body cracked continuously as he moved his joints... He looked in the mirror. His height and build hadn't changed significantly, but his strength... had increased substantially!
This was evident when he tried to turn on the shower to rinse off the grime, and with an careless motion, snapped the handle right off...
Clatter~ The handle hit the floor. A voice called from outside, "Young Master, what happened?"
The young butler pushed the food cart in, right on time as usual. Hearing the noise, he asked.
A metal handle flew at him. He caught it deftly. "The handle broke. Have someone replace it later." Roy walked out wrapped in a towel, grabbed a steaming beef burger, and took a big bite, juices exploding in his mouth.
"Yes, sir." Gotoh nodded, pocketing the handle. He served Roy. "The ingredients you asked for were purchased yesterday. They'll be ready by this afternoon."
The old man had demanded a stir-fry. Roy took the opportunity to adjust his own palate. He reached into the drawer, took out the guide Silva had given him, spread it out, and read carefully while eating. He instructed Gotoh, "Go tell Kastro to pack his things. In a few days, he's going to Meteor City."
"What for?"
"Charity."
"Can he handle it?"
"Do you think he can?" Roy looked up...
Gotoh frowned, choosing his words carefully. "He's learned Ten and Zetsu, but hasn't mastered Ren and Hatsu. If the Young Master plans to send him alone to a place like that..."
Gotoh pushed up his glasses. "Dealing with small fry is fine, but if he encounters a seasoned 'Nen user', he'll probably be in trouble."
"Are you protecting him?" Roy smiled.
Gotoh: "No, I'm just speaking the truth."
The young butler said seriously, "It's fine if he dies, but he can't ruin the Young Master's mission!"
"Mm..." Roy washed down the burger with milk, wiped his mouth slowly with a napkin, and said noncommittally, "Since you said so, add another person."
"Who?"
"Me."
Roy smiled at Gotoh. "Book two flight tickets to Meteor City. In a week, I want to be standing on that land!"
Two?
Gotoh paled. He looked at Roy cautiously, asking tentatively, "Does the Young Master not plan to take me?"
That Kastro thing has only been here a few days, and he's worthy of traveling alone with the Young Master?!
If I had known... I should have killed him back at the Heavens Arena!
Thoughts exploded... his heart was a mess... Just then, a warm hand patted his back. A gentle voice said, "Don't overthink it."
The butler snapped out of it. The boy winked at him. "I'm not going. Another 'me' is going."
Gotoh: "..."
Stunned. His brain was even more confused...
Roy didn't elaborate. It involved his "Clone"; Gotoh would know when the time came.
He left Gotoh to clear the messy table and walked out towards the training room.
Morning. The red sun leaped over the horizon, casting ten thousand rays of morning light. In the early spring chill, it felt warm and comfortable on the face.
Roy walked with his hands in his pockets through the mottled corridors of the ancient castle. Through the window, he saw... Silva supporting Kikyo on a slow walk in the garden after breakfast. The boy stopped, remembering the loving man from his dream last night. His gaze lingered, and Silva sharply caught it.
He looked back indifferently. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing."
What happened to "saving face," "taking initiative," "giving an opening"? ...Don't I need to save face too?
Roy turned and left, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the corridor, not taking a single ray of morning light with him.
Silva frowned. Kikyo, leaning heavily on his arm, asked, "What's wrong?"
The man shook his head slightly, said nothing, watched the boy leave in silence, then turned and continued walking with Kikyo in the garden.
Thinking by day, dreaming by night. Fantasies detached from reality are nothing more than "daydreaming"!
Tap... tap... The footsteps faded... Combining "Sun" and "Dreams," the phrase naturally came to Roy's mind. He found it amusing, gaining a deeper understanding of the "dimensions" of "Nen"...
Still thinking, he arrived at the training room.
Creeak~ The door opened.
Two pink pigtails swayed in the wind...
Tsubone, with a physique unlike any woman, stood holding the electric baton, blocking Roy's view. "The Master ordered that from now on, I will conduct the Young Master's electro-shock training."
Roy nodded. No objection.
He quickly took off his coat, revealing tight, sculpted muscles. Tap... tap...
Another set of footsteps followed Roy inside.
Tsubone looked past Roy, nodded slightly to Illumi, stepped forward, and thrust the baton. "Pardon me, Young Master."
Zzzzt~ Electricity flashed!
The voltage instantly exceeded Luke's limit, reaching 8 million volts!
Last time, with a physique of 343, Roy lasted thirty seconds under Silva's hand. This time... the boy straightened his back, clenched his teeth, and let the electricity snake through his body, silent. The timer ticked towards a minute...
"25... 30... 35... 40... 55!" He was counting silently, and so was Tsubone...
As the time approached one minute, the old butler's eyes wavered, confused...
Yesterday morning, when Roy was knocked out by Silva, she received Silva's assignment. She clearly remembered the Master saying the Young Master's record was thirty seconds.
But now... 60... 65... 70... a minute and a half!
Roy was still holding on!
Tsubone's hand trembled. She didn't know if Silva had lied or if Roy had been faking it yesterday... Otherwise, there was no explanation for such a massive change in one day...
BANG! One minute, thirty-seven seconds!
The electricity exploded!
Roy coughed out a puff of black smoke... staggered back a few steps, and finally couldn't hold on, sitting down hard on the floor.
Illumi leaned against the wall, watching quietly. He reached out a hand to help, but unexpectedly, Tsubone, following Roy, thrust the baton at him without warning. His eyes rolled back, and he fell even faster than Roy, stiff as a board.
"My apologies, Young Master..."
The old butler put away the baton, scooped Illumi onto her shoulder, and looked at Roy. "Young Master, do you need help?"
"No."
"Goldie."
"Caw!"
The Golden Crow spread its wings, bursting from Roy's head. It grew in the wind, nudged him with its long beak, lifted the boy onto its back, waddled its fat butt, climbed laboriously out the window, and placed Roy on the grass in the garden before Tsubone could.
Tsubone watched silently, kicked up a shovel, followed them, dug a hole, and buried Illumi.
By the time the brothers recovered, it was noon.
Whoosh~ A wind blew, carrying the scent of earth...
Illumi, with only his head exposed, slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Roy, peacefully sunbathing beside him. "You got stronger again."
"Mm."
"I'm happy."
"Mm."
"Even if Mother has a silver-haired baby, I will stand firmly by your side. Don't worry..."
"Illumi," Roy interrupted him suddenly. "Are you male or female?"
Illumi froze. "What do you mean?"
Roy opened his eyes and turned to look at him. "I asked, are you male or female? Is that hard to answer?"
"Not hard," Illumi stared at Roy with his empty eyes. "I'm male."
Roy let out a breath. He was just about to say... "Good. Don't have weird dreams."
Unexpectedly...
My foolish, dear little brother changed his tone and said very seriously, "Of course, if Nisan needs it... I can become female for Nisan."
Roy: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched violently. He pointed at the willow tree. "Hang yourself up there!"
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