Chapter 287: Netero's Visit x Quick Wits and Borrowed Prestige
"The Young Master truly dotes on you."
Tap... tap... The sound of footsteps faded away as Roy disappeared into the butler villa. Tsubone, Kurajin, and a few other butlers stood in place, respectfully seeing him off.
Once he was out of sight, the old head butler straightened her back, her pink pigtails swaying behind her as she spoke to Kurajin.
A sweet, lingering smile remained on Kurajin's soft face as she watched Roy's silhouette completely vanish down the brightly lit corridor. She murmured softly, "The Young Master has always been a gentle person."
"Except for when I first met him..." The young girl, her golden hair tied into a single ponytail cascading down her back, spoke truthfully as she recalled the various moments of "meeting" and "getting to know" Roy during the Hunter Exam.
Tsubone cast a deeply complex, envious look at her. What the girl said was the absolute truth; she was like this, Gotoh was like this, and the Young Master was never stingy when it came to treating "his own people" well—provided they truly were his own.
"Let us disperse." The old butler let out a gentle sigh, waving her hand to dismiss the others. She then turned her head to Kurajin and added, "Regarding your little brother's arrival, you had better give Mike a heads-up in advance."
"When it eats people, it doesn't care about who they are."
Mike, the true guardian of the mountain gate, was a canine magical beast tasked specifically with dealing with trespassers attempting to sneak into the Zoldyck estate through the side door. However, Tsubone's well-meaning reminder was evidently unnecessary.
Kurajin rolled up her sleeves, exposing her robust biceps, and said with a bright, beaming smile, "Rest assured, Head Butler. I can push open the Testing Gate by myself now."
Tsubone stared blankly at her for a moment, then let out a silent chuckle. She raised her palm and flashed the girl a massive thumbs-up. Her fist, when clenched, was actually larger than Kurajin's head, her gaze completely filled with profound appreciation!
The women of the Zoldyck family could truly hold up half the Zoldyck sky. The grand mistress was like this, she herself had been like this in her youth, and now... Kurajin visibly carried a trace of her former shadow. Complemented by Young Master Roy's personal cultivation, it wasn't an exaggeration to say the future was in good hands.
Kurajin bowed slightly, gave Tsubone a firm nod, gripped her staff, and eagerly went off to guard the mountain.
Tap... tap... Her golden ponytail flicked back and forth. In her immense joy, the young girl's steps were light, skipping and jumping along as she headed down the mountain under Tsubone's warm, watchful gaze...
"Truly wonderful~" After a long while, watching Kurajin descend the steps and disappear from sight, the old butler snapped back to reality. She gazed far off toward the east, where dawn was breaking and tens of thousands of rays of morning glow pierced the sky.
She thought of the new generation emerging since Master Killua's birth. Within the butler sphere, there was her own granddaughter, Amane, and an abandoned infant recently brought back from Meteor City named Canary...
It was a scene bursting with vibrant vitality.
Tsubone murmured softly to herself, pushed up the monitoring glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, and turned toward the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Roy.
Whoosh~ A leisurely, cool breeze swept over Kukuroo Mountain, blowing into the far distance.
In Toriko City of the Republic of Minbo, Flight K8741—a direct flight to Dentora City of the Republic of Padokea—was currently awaiting boarding.
Beep... Inside the massive boarding hall, the security gate opened. Walking through was a young boy who appeared to be roughly six or seven years old. Generally, children of this age were accompanied by adults, but the boy walked in entirely alone. He carried himself like a little adult, his expression grave, his eyes quietly scanning the surroundings with no small amount of vigilance. Possessing a level of maturity that far exceeded his years at such a young age clearly proved his extraordinary nature.
Beep... The security gate opened and closed. The boy wore small, round-toed cloth shoes and a set of traditional tribal clothing, topped by a head of smooth, golden hair. His backpack was worn in the front, held firmly within his embrace. Picking an empty spot where no one was sitting, he plop-seated himself down.
Subsequently, completely ignoring the people around him, he unzipped his backpack, fished out a picture book—a book with the title Dentora Geographical Record of the Republic of Padokea clearly printed on its cover—and began reading quietly. He paused to read with absolute meticulousness on a page introducing a specific scenic attraction.
Dentora Famous Scenic Attraction: Kukuroo Mountain
Rumored to be the estate of the Zoldyck Family, the world's number one assassin family...
The route is fixed, with the bus running once a day between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM. Visitors can ride the mountain-circling bus to reach the scenic attraction.
Note: Kukuroo Mountain can only be observed from a distance; entering is strictly forbidden. It is best to observe from afar under the guidance of a tour guide. Trespassers do so at their own risk...
Special Warning: Kukuroo Mountain has entry but no exit; any attempt to trespass is an absolute taboo.
At the bottom of the page, a picture of the "Testing Gate" was printed. The picture bore the annotation: "Gate to the Underworld." It was towering, majestic, and heavily steeped in the aura of time. Merely looking at it made one's breath catch, their heart rate accelerating along with it.
The boy stared at it quietly, when a weathered, old chuckle suddenly drifted into his ears from out of nowhere.
"Hohoho... The world's number one assassin family, kowai ne (how scary)..."
"Little friend, if you don't have an adult accompanying you, you shouldn't be running around blindly~"
As the words fell, the boy's body visibly tensed up. He shifted his torso closer to the edge of the seat, turning his head vigilantly to look beside him. On the two chairs that had previously been empty, two silhouettes had appeared at some unknown point.
One wore loose, billowing robes, a massive martial arts uniform making him look completely ethereal. He possessed elongated earlobes, long eyebrows, completely white hair and beard, and a peaceful expression as he looked at him with a beaming smile, appearing to be roughly eighty or ninety years old. The other possessed an incredibly bizarre appearance—or rather, didn't look human at all!
Aside from a pair of perfectly round, mung-bean-like green eyes and a sharply tailored Western suit, its other features and entirely green skin tone instantly triggered an intense urge within Kurapika to stand up and distance himself.
As a member of the Kurta clan who chose to live in seclusion from the world, Kurapika was undoubtedly sensitive. Complemented by his naturally cautious, sensitive personality, the Nen aura naturally escaping from the crown of his head instantly manifested a vigilant shade of "yellow."
"Does Grandpa know about the Zoldycks?" The boy closed the book, quietly slipping it back into his bag.
The old man wearing the ethereal martial arts uniform merely smiled without speaking. He casually reached out his hand, and a thread of Nen aura wound out like a snake. Within Kurapika's quietly widening eyes, the old man performed what looked like a magic trick, quietly plucking the book he had just placed inside his bag and holding it firmly within his grasp.
"Where are the adults of your household?"
"How is it that you are all by yourself?" The old man casually flipped through the picture book, the pages rustling with a clatter, sounding like a string of warning bells abruptly echoing within Kurapika's heart.
Sister told me that whenever I encounter strange occurrences or strange people, I must absolutely stay far away. Does this... count as strange?
I want to leave so badly... I want to get out of this seat, but... my stiffening body and weakening legs are invisibly telling me that I can't run away.
Was it fear? Or curiosity? Perhaps it was a mix of both.
The boy's brain operated at rapid speed. Operating on the absolute worst assumptions regarding Netero, by some strange stroke of luck, he reached out his hand and pointed straight at the page displaying the picture of the "Testing Gate," which happened to be open to the section introducing the Zoldyck family estate. He stated, "My family is right here."
Netero froze instantly, and even Beans beside him curiously poked his head over to take a look, his expression exceedingly bizarre...
Hohoho... Bizarre. How is it that I didn't know Silva had a illegitimate child out in the world?!
Looking at Kurapika's age of six or seven years old, he could only be Silva's spawn. But taking another look, inspecting Kurapika's fluttering golden hair complemented by the traditional tribal clothing unique to the Kurta clan... Netero's old eyes narrowed into a slit, a sharp glint faintly swirling deep within them as he recognized Kurapika's identity in an instant.
He belonged to the clan of the Scarlet Eyes—one of the World's Seven Most Beautiful Colors that was frantically sought after and pursued by depraved human body collectors!
Netero closed the book, smiling calmly. The old man blinked, feigning utter shock as he said, "So... you belong to the world's number one assassin family."
Kurapika didn't know what Netero's goal was. In his daily conversations with his sister, he frequently heard the name of a person called Roy Zoldyck. Forcing himself to remain composed, he said, "That's right. My older brother is Roy Zoldyck."
"Is that so?" The smile in Netero's eyes deepened. He quietly exchanged a glance with Beans, who was visibly startled, thoroughly sizing Kurapika up from top to bottom. He too was wondering when Silva Zoldyck had sired another son... Could it be that Killua? Growing this large right upon birth?
Absurd! A phenomenon that could only occur within certain magical beasts, phantom beasts, or rare beasts would absolutely never transpire within a human being, unless...
That person wasn't human, much like the entities ruling over the Dark Continent from his old home... those Gods!
"Of course!" Kurapika quietly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, remaining completely poised as he said, "My older brother is currently waiting to pick me up at Dentora Airport."
The implicit meaning behind his words was a roundabout warning to Netero not to make any reckless moves.
The amusement in Netero's eyes grew even more pronounced as he looked at Kurapika with immense appreciation. What an incredibly shrewd kid. If it weren't for the fact that he truly knew Roy and shared no small amount of friendship with the Zoldycks, anyone else sitting here might truly have been thoroughly bluffed by his display of borrowed prestige!
Moreover, he was only six or seven years old! To possess this level of calculation and wariness... compared to his own Beyond... they were both children, yet the gap was massive enough to utterly infuriate someone.
Amidst his flashing thoughts, Netero reached out his hand and handed the book back, feigning complete trepidation as he said, "My apologies, I did not know."
Visibly to the naked eye, Kurapika let out a sigh of relief. He reached out to receive the book, casually stuffing it back into his cloth bag, and let out a cold snort: "I shall forgive you just this once."
"Gomen... gomen (My apologies)..." Netero hastily raised both hands, feigning surrender as he apologized. He simultaneously shifted his torso, thoroughly blocking Beans, whose mouth was twitching frantically, ensuring Kurapika didn't discover any clues.
The older and younger figure subsequently sat within the massive boarding hall, watching the flow of people and listening to the bustling noise as they waited in silence. Until...
Ding-dong~ The airport broadcast rang out.
"Passengers, please pay attention. Flight K8741 to the Dentora region of the Republic of Padokea is now beginning check-in..."
Kurapika stood up right along with the announcement. Standing up right alongside him was Netero, leading Beans with him.
"You are on this flight too?" Kurapika froze, looking up. Netero stroked his white beard, blinking at him mischievously as he said, "That's right~"
Following that, the old man's massive sleeves billowed as he led Beans past the boy's shoulder, turning toward the boarding gate in the blink of an eye.
Buzz~ Outside the massive glass windows of the hall, the airship had already begun its takeoff preparations. The propellers chopped through the air, emitting a low hum as they conducted final safety checks, uniformly urging the passengers to board as quickly as possible. Seeing this, Kurapika didn't have time to overthink. Scanning the area, aside from himself and that strange old man, there were a few dozen other passengers on the same flight to Dentora. Hesitating for two seconds, the young boy tightened his grip on his backpack, put his head down, and followed them, joining the boarding line.
Ding-dong~ The airport broadcast rang out, announcing the closing of the boarding gate.
Subsequently, the gangway was retracted. The airship's propellers accelerated their rotation, driving the entire fuselage into the high sky.
Kurapika held his ticket and located his seat, which happened to be right across the aisle from Netero and Beans. Looking over, the old man flashed him a gentle smile: "What a coincidence."
Kurapika immediately lowered his eyelids, remaining entirely wordless as he sat straight down.
Buzz~ Another massive humming vibration traveled over as the airship accelerated its ascent, climbing high towards the horizon. In flight, a young boy, an old man, and a bizarrely shaped mung-bean-like demon sat adjacent to each other, none speaking another word. Nearly two hours passed until they touched down. Kurapika didn't even touch the in-flight meal. Launching into a sprint the instant they landed, he bolted toward the gangway. He leisurely heard Netero's well-meaning reminder echo from behind him: "Slow down, Young Master."
Kurapika's small face flushed crimson with embarrassment. Lowering his eyelids as he stepped onto the tarmac, he hurriedly exited the airport, located the red bus running directly to Kukuroo Mountain, and boarded it.
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the bus doors opened. The boy's eyes abruptly widened, revealing Netero's beaming old face... along with Beans, who climbed onto the bus right behind Netero while holding onto the handrail.
"You..."
"What a coincidence, Young Master. As for me... I am sightseeing..."
The bus doors closed, followed by the sweet voice of the ticket lady echoing through the vehicle.
"Passengers, please pay attention. The scenic attraction we are about to view is the estate of the world's number one assassin family... Kukuroo Mountain..."
"Rumor has it that as long as one can afford the price, there is no one in the world they cannot kill..."
Netero boarded the vehicle, located an empty seat right beside Kurapika, and sat down. Directly sensing the boy's forced composure and utter restlessness, he cast a glance out the window at the lush, vibrant midsummer scenery. His memories were instantly pulled back several decades... When his strength was at its absolute peak, spirited and full of vigor, he had delved deep into the Dark Continent alongside Zzigg and Linne to search for the Nitro Rice, only to be pushed into an absolute dead end. Ultimately, they had luckily escaped solely by relying on Zzigg "praying and making a wish" to an unknown existence.
Netero's old eyes were densely packed with time and vicissitudes. Watching the familiar mountain scenery flood into his vision in increasing amounts, he murmured abstractly to himself, "Zzigg, this old man has come to see you."
In a short moment, accompanied by the bus emitting a screech~, tracing two shallow tire tracks onto an empty platform...
The Zoldyck estate had arrived!
Creak~ The bus doors opened.
The tour guide lady's sweet voice echoed once more: "Everyone please pay attention, you must absolutely not approach that towering mountain gate~"
"Anyone who wants to take photos can simply do so in front of the vehicle doors."
Netero stood up at the right time, shifting his torso to make way for Kurapika. He said with a beaming smile, "Young Master, please... you are home."
Kurapika: "..."
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