Chapter 36: Team Invitation
Germain pursed his lips.
The original had caused him so much trouble probably because Bilbo had been torn apart by him before he could pay Little Drop.
Or maybe Bilbo had simply never intended to pay; in the original's mind, he'd been that greedy.
After the original killed Bilbo, the money from Bilbo's account had been transferred to his own, though most of it had already been spent.
So it didn't seem unfair that the debt now fell on him.
"Are you here just to collect that debt?" Germain asked. "How did you even know I was here?"
"I don't know," Little Drop shook her head. "I was just passing by and saw you on the street."
Germain paused and looked closely at her expression calm, serious, and without any hint of deceit.
So either she was incredibly lucky… or he was terribly unlucky.
"How about this," Germain said finally. "If you can show me proof that Bilbo really worked with you that you helped him clean up those scenes I'll pay you 500,000 rings."
A fair offer.
Skizuku had been in this line of work for quite a while. She'd made sure to keep records of her correspondence with Bilbo and a copy of their work contract, which she carried with her. Now she showed them to Germain.
The contract was clearly written, and Germain remembered the five "cleanup scenes" mentioned in it. They had indeed been handled afterward no traces left behind.
Skizuku's work was solid.
So the remaining unpaid amount of 500,000 rings was, in all likelihood, legitimate.
"Alright," Germain said, setting the contract down with a sigh. "I'll save your contact info. Send me your bank account number, and I'll transfer the money."
Skizuku shook her head, adjusting her glasses firmly.
"No. I spent three months tracking you down after Mr. Bilbo's death. I want to see the money transferred with my own eyes."
She clearly meant she wanted to go to the bank immediately.
But Germain had a faster solution.
"Don't worry," he said, taking out his phone. "Since it's such a hassle to visit the bank every time, I registered for online banking a few days ago. I can transfer the money directly through my phone."
He wasn't lying he'd set it up when he paid Machi earlier.
"Online banking?" Skizuku asked curiously, narrowing her large eyes behind her black-rimmed glasses.
"You've never heard of it? Never mind. Just follow my instructions. First, give me your phone number."
"Ah, okay." Skizuku obediently recited a string of numbers.
Germain saved it in his contacts, casually labeling it "Girl with Glasses." Then he asked for her bank account number, and after a few more taps, transferred 500,000 rings.
"Ding dong." Skizuku's phone chimed. She opened it curiously and saw a new text message.
"Oh," she gasped, covering her mouth. "Some idiot just sent me half a million rings."
"That idiot was me."
"Eh? That was you?" Skizuku blinked. "Ah… so this is what they call 'online banking'." She nodded, finally understanding a bit.
And so, Skizuku's overdue payment was settled.
Having already visited three auction houses in Yorknew City, Germain was in no hurry anymore. Instead, he gazed thoughtfully at Skizuku.
The base of the lantern bore four small imp-like figures each one capable of transporting someone to the Dark Continent. A clear sign.
That meant the maximum number of people who could join an expedition there was three. Including Germain, that would make a four-person team.
Beyond raw power, the team needed well-defined roles an elite group capable of handling any situation.
Germain himself would handle combat and ensure safe passage between the Human World and the Dark Continent.
Other roles included medical care, psychological support, combat coverage, baggage handling, biological knowledge, and hazard detection.
Though Germain could juggle some of these himself, he couldn't be an all-in-one "hexagonal warrior" fighting alone.
He and his teammates would function like a Nen system.
Germain belonged to the Conjuration category with the potential to shift into Transmutation, and under special conditions, even evolve into a rare Specialization type.
If he wished, he could even skip Transmutation and neighboring traits to learn Enhancement, Manipulation, and Emission instead though the cost would be inefficiency and glaring weaknesses.
Rather than doing everything himself, it was wiser to rely on specialists.
Germain had long understood this and had been watching several potential teammates. But he was wary hesitant to share the lantern's secret with anyone.
Machi was backed by the Phantom Troupe, and Biscuit by the Hunter Association. Either of them could attract the attention of top Nen users from the V5 nations.
Germain wasn't ready to take that risk until he was strong enough to protect himself.
As for Hisoka that was uncertain.
Hisoka loved fighting, making him a good candidate in that sense. But his unpredictability was dangerous. On a journey to the Dark Continent, his impulses could turn lethal.
Then there was Skizuku.
Her Nen ability, "Floating-Eye Fish," allowed her to swallow anything she considered inanimate and later regurgitate the last thing she had consumed.
If she had been with Germain during his battle against the Crow Lord a few days earlier, not only could she have helped protect him, but she could have retrieved the corpse afterward.
In that case, what Germain would be auctioning now wouldn't just be "The Crow Lord's Single Eye," but his entire corpse worth several times more.
Germain fell silent for a long moment, then asked with a spark of excitement, "Xiao Di, have you joined any organization or group?"
"No," Skizuku said, glancing at her phone and counting the zeros in her new balance before looking up. "Why?"
"If I hired you as a teammate to accompany me to an extremely dangerous place… would you come?"
Skizuku looked startled, then blinked slyly. "How much are you planning to pay me?"
"That depends on what we earn when we come back," Germain replied. "For now, it's just the two of us we'll split the profits equally. If more people join, we'll share evenly with them too."
"Where are we going? What's the danger? And what's the reward?" Skizuku asked seriously.
"I can't tell you until you agree and sign the contract."
"Really?" Skizuku said, touching her lips thoughtfully. "Don't say anything yet. Let me think about it."
(End of Chapter)
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