Chapter 34: York New City City
Germain didn't stay long at the Opera Hotel. The day after Machi's departure, he too left under the reluctant gaze of the receptionist.
He transferred the money to Machi and soon received a confirmation: the 20 million Jenny had been received.
That night, he boarded an airship and left the city. After several hours of flight, he arrived at the famous York New City City early the next morning.
Every September, York New City City hosts the world's largest auction a crowded event that draws both the underworld and the criminal elite.
The underground auction, organized by the Ten Dons, global mafia leaders, features a massive collection of rare treasures, attracting high-ranking mob figures and celebrities alike.
Items on display include human organs, Warcraft corpses, and advanced technological devices.
Such practices inevitably turned the event into a plague of greed and death. Despite the mafia's iron security, they could not prevent the Phantom Troupe's bloody massacre and looting the following year.
For the rest of the months, smaller open and secret auctions continued throughout York New City, though never on the same grand scale as September's.
Germain arrived in York New City on January 16. After a brief rest, he avoided the auction houses and instead went looking for the city's largest church.
The elderly priest watched in astonishment as the young man in a black hunter's coat meditated in the cloister, prayed in the nave, and even performed self-flagellation in the penance room.
"I've never seen anyone confess so many times at once… He must have sinned deeply. But the Lord has clearly touched his heart, guiding him back toward goodness and faith."
The priest hurried over, Bible in hand, and stopped Germain.
"Sir, could you spare a moment? I would like to speak to you about our Heavenly Father and Savior "
"No, thank you."
To the old priest's disappointment, Germain refused flatly and walked out of the church.
The priest stood there, confused and surprised, watching the young man's back disappear around the corner, puzzled by what had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, Germain walked through the streets of York New City, gently brushing the whip marks still visible on his skin, sighing regretfully.
"Does it really not work? Maybe it's because I don't truly believe in God, or pray sincerely… The 'stress' hasn't decreased at all. In fact, a few lash marks reopened."
That had been his first attempt at "stress relief", and it was a total failure.
Still, it was only the beginning and Germain wasn't one to give up easily.
So, he tried a second method of stress relief.
Soon, a classic-style bar in York New City buzzed with the clinking of glasses and lively chatter.
Germain sat at the long counter, drained his drink, set the glass down, and slid it toward the bald bartender.
"Would you like another, sir?" the bartender asked cautiously.
"No, thank you," Germain replied gloomily. He had already had enough.
At that moment, a woman who had been flirting with him for some time leaned closer, licked her lips, and teasingly scratched the back of his hand with her long, crimson-painted nails.
"Don't worry… If something's bothering you, you can talk it out with big sis. How about it? I'll buy you another drink but somewhere a bit more private, hmm?"
The woman gazed at Germain's profile seductively, waiting for his reaction.
Germain did have problems plenty of them.
He had already tried gambling and drinking, but his 60-point stress hadn't budged an inch.
Turning his head to look at the fragrant woman pressing up against him, he couldn't help thinking:
"Do I really need to resort to lust and passion? Is that what it takes?"
Just as her fingers grazed his body, Germain's rationality prevailed he pulled back at the last moment and pushed her gently away.
"You…" The woman stared at him, stunned.
Germain stood up calmly and looked her in the eye.
"Forget it. If I caught syphilis or gonorrhea, that'd be a real problem. I need a healthy body right now."
The bald bartender, who had been mixing drinks nearby, couldn't help bursting into laughter.
The woman froze, then her face darkened in fury.
She immediately pointed at Germain and began cursing him loudly.
No matter how handsome he was, she wasn't going to forgive that insult unless he groveled for it.
But Germain didn't apologize. Ignoring the amused and astonished stares of the patrons, he simply left the furious woman behind and walked out.
Once outside, the difference was stark the bar had been loud and hot, while the street outside was cool and quiet.
Germain walked until he reached a wide plaza.
He had now tried all the simple forms of "stress relief" he could think of except one. None had worked.
So, he moved on to his third option.
Sitting by the fountain at the plaza's center, he pulled out his phone, found the contact labeled "Granny", and sent a message:
"Did you receive the 'Color-Shifting Red Insect Stone'?"
"I need your 'Magical Beautician, Miss Cookie.'"
Germain waited beside the fountain for about ten minutes, watching pigeons pecking at crumbs before finally receiving a reply from Biscuit.
"I already told you your greetings and concern were way too shallow (angry face). But yes, I received the 'pretty gem,' and I like it a lot (smiling face)."
"You actually know about my Nen ability? Seems like you've been researching me. Scary~ You're not planning something weird, are you? (shocked face)"
"I asked you to get a Hunter License and gave you a website for hunters not so you could go snooping into girls' secrets like that (sighing face)."
The usual mischievous teasing from Biscuit at least Germain was certain it was her on the other end.
"I want to test the abilities of 'Magical Beautician Miss Cookie.'"
After typing that, Germain paused for a moment before adding:
"There will be proper compensation."
"Really? My services are expensive~ (greedy face)"
"How much?"
"Well… since we know each other, 20,000 Jenny per session."
20,000 Jenny?
Compared to Machi's "Spiritual Suture," which cost 20 million, Biscuit's offer was incredibly cheap.
Germain didn't complain. His bank account wasn't in great shape, but 20,000 Jenny was manageable.
Besides, he had come to York New City City specifically to find the underground auction house and sell the Lord of Crows' Monocle to a criminal syndicate for a large sum.
So Germain accepted.
"Alright. I'm in York New City City. When can you get here?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 35: Small Drops
While waiting for Biscuit's reply, Germain's fingers brushed against something in his pocket. He felt a small bulge, pulled it out, and found a pink wallet, decorated with little trinkets.
Opening it, he saw an ID card with a woman's photo.
He examined it for a moment and confirmed it was the woman from the bar, only without makeup.
So the wallet was hers... but how had it ended up with him?
Ah... right, now he remembered.
Germain had a habit of petty theft, one that flared up occasionally and came as naturally to him as walking, blinking, or breathing. He wouldn't have remembered it at all unless he'd consciously thought about it.
When the woman had leaned in close to him earlier, his hands had acted on their own rebellious and restless, they had slipped subconsciously into her arms.
It was unclear whether the woman had noticed, or if she had mistaken it for flirtation and simply let him take it.
Germain rummaged through the wallet, counting the cash. There were over twenty thousand Jienis just enough to pay Biscuit for the first session. He pocketed the money.
As for the personal items, like the ID card, he'd find another opportunity to get rid of them later.
A moment later, Biscuit replied:
"I didn't mean you had to come all the way here to see me... But, whatever. I'm actually quite close to Youkexin City, so I'll be there the day after tomorrow."
The day after tomorrow would be January 18th.
With only two days to sell the "Eye of the Raven Lord," Germain knew he wouldn't be able to complete the deal before Biscuit arrived but that was fine.
"Then it's settled."
"Yes, see you the day after tomorrow. Love you ♥"
Germain finished the text exchange and was just about to put his phone away when a female voice came from beside him.
"Ah. It really is you."
At first, Germain thought it was the woman from the bar again but when he turned, he saw that it wasn't.
Standing in front of him was a short-haired girl with thick-rimmed glasses, a golden inverted cross necklace, a black sweater, and tight jeans.
She adjusted her glasses and repeated flatly:
"Ah. It's you."
Perhaps worried that Germain hadn't heard, she said it again in the same monotone.
Germain studied her and quickly connected the dots.
She was Shizuku, who in the original timeline had become the eighth member of the Phantom Troupe but Germain had beaten her to it.
He was slightly surprised to see her here and even more so that she recognized him.
After all, Shizuku's memory was notoriously selective; she quickly forgot anything that didn't interest her.
That meant Germain must have left quite an impression.
However, after searching through the countless memories left behind by his original self over the past two months, he found no trace of ever meeting Shizuku.
So how did she know him? Maybe they had both come from Meteor City, and she had seen him there before?
"Do I know you?" Germain asked cautiously, putting his phone away and adjusting his tricorn hat.
Shizuku nodded several times, her glasses sliding down her nose until she pushed them back up again. Her large eyes seemed innocent and curious but Germain knew better. She could be just as ruthless as he was.
"You owe me 500,000 rings," Shizuku said, holding out her palms. "Please pay me back."
Germain's expression turned cold instantly. He stood up and shook his head.
"I don't recall that."
"Eh?"
Now it was Shizuku's turn to look confused. Tilting her head, she thought for a moment, muttering:
"Am I remembering wrong? Maybe it's not him?"
Sensing that it wasn't wise to linger, Germain turned to leave but hadn't gone far before he realized she was following him.
"I don't owe you money," he said over his shoulder without turning around.
Shizuku pressed her palm to her temple, squinting thoughtfully.
"Don't say anything yet. Let me think."
Germain ignored the strange woman and went into a nearby internet café.
He turned on a computer, pulled out a card reader, and scanned his Hunter License. Then he logged into a hunter-only network, searching for exclusive auction houses in Youkexin City.
He didn't plan to sell the Eye of the Raven Lord directly to the mafia. Instead, he was looking for Nen users buyers who could truly appreciate its value.
After paying a small intelligence fee, Germain quickly compiled a list of names and addresses. After reviewing them, he identified three promising auction houses.
Just then, Shizuku pulled up a chair beside him, dropped into it, and snatched the mouse and keyboard.
"Let me see."
Germain sighed and leaned back, giving her space.
She typed "Germain" and "Meteor City Killer" into the search bar. Instantly, several hits appeared.
"From Meteor City."
"Professional Assassin."
"Wanted: Class B Threat."
"Suspected New Member of the Phantom Troupe."
Each phrase was bolded beside a slightly outdated photo of him one taken long ago, where he still looked a bit younger.
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Shizuku adjusted her glasses again and pointed at the picture.
"That's you?"
"Yeah."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then I didn't remember wrong."
She extended her palm toward him again.
"You owe me 500,000 rings."
"Then where did we meet?" Germain frowned. Her unwavering tone made him hesitate. "And what exactly were the 500,000 for?"
"Huh?" Shizuku blinked, tilting her head again. After thinking for a moment, she said:
"Oh... right. Now that I think about it, I guess we've never met."
"We've never met?"
"Yeah. Mr. Bilbo used to pay me directly. But he suddenly died three months ago, so now I can only collect the 500,000 rings he still owed me from you."
"Bilbo..." Germain muttered, piecing things together. "So my middleman pocketed the difference... And why did he owe you 500,000?"
Shizuku pointed at him again.
"You owe me 500,000 rings. We agreed you'd kill someone, and I'd clean up afterward 250,000 each time."
"I cleaned up five crime scenes for you in total. You only paid for three. Two are still unpaid. 250,000 plus 250,000 equals 500,000."
"Cleaning up a crime scene..." Germain blinked. "I see. With your ability, you'd be good at that. But Bilbo hired you he should've paid."
"He's dead," Shizuku said matter-of-factly. "So now, I can only collect from you."
(End of Chapter)