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Chapter 157: Heading to the Ruins
Ronin was a man of action. So, after wrapping up the situation in Greed Island, he didn't stick around to watch Kurapika and the others train. He used the Spell Card [Ticket], selected the port in the Ateli Kingdom, and left the game.
This was probably one of Greed Island's extremely convenient mechanics. However, if he wanted to re-enter the game, he would need to return to Battera's castle.
Before leaving, Ronin handed all the cards he had on him over to Kurapika. It wasn't actually that many, but according to the game's settings, if one left the game for more than ten days, the card records would disappear. The only thing Ronin brought with him was Owl, who he had smuggled into the game from the very beginning using the [Fun Fun Cloth].
He hadn't dared to let Owl out while inside the game, mainly because there was no need to push his luck. After all, the Troupe had already tested it out in the manga; getting caught smuggling would result in eviction.
If Ronin brought Owl out and got discovered, getting evicted along with him would just be a waste of time. But if only Owl got evicted, the loss would far outweigh the gain. After all, over the past month or so, Ronin had long grown accustomed to using Owl as his personal storage equipment.
.....
The Ateli Kingdom was a small country. However, it wasn't too far from the Kakin Empire. Upon exiting the port, Ronin immediately contacted Muhuell. He was about a week early compared to the agreed-upon November timeline.
Muhuell was quite pleasantly surprised by his arrival and told him to wait right there; a mercenary would soon arrive at his location to pick him up. After agreeing, Ronin found a café and sat down.
His knowledge of the Ateli Kingdom came entirely from the internet. With such a superficial understanding, listening to Muhuell's arrangements was naturally the best choice.
The perks of a small nation became apparent here. The Mahavi Ruins were over a hundred kilometers away from Ronin's port, but it would only take a few hours to drive there. Ronin enjoyed some desserts at the café and read the newspaper for a bit before the contact person arrived.
Because they had contacted each other in advance, there wasn't much small talk when they met. They simply got in the car. The arrival was a character Ronin recognized from the manga—a man sporting a bowl cut and a massive, sturdy build. He looked rather honest and straightforward, but the sheer density of the [Ten] he exuded proved his strength was anything but simple.
"My name is Mashuel. We should have met at Heaven's Arena," Mashuel, who was driving, proactively introduced himself.
"Ronin," Ronin replied, even though the other man likely already knew. "You're the one who helped stop the Phantom Troupe from cornering me at Heaven's Arena, right?"
At the time, Yadley had indeed brought Mashuel in as well, and Mashuel's quoted price had been exceedingly high.
"Yeah. I saw you showing off your incredible power in the arena back then," Mashuel praised sincerely. That massive fire in the arena back then had genuinely left him awestruck.
Ronin smiled. "Thanks for last time."
"I didn't really do much to help." Mashuel waved his hands repeatedly. "But since we'll be operating together this time, we're basically temporary teammates."
"I look forward to working with you," Ronin said politely.
"Haha, the feeling is mutual." Mashuel was the forthright type; he spoke openly and magnanimously without hiding anything.
The two of them had quite a pleasant conversation along the way. Mashuel talked a lot about the Mahavi Ruins. Currently, it was mostly the Ateli Kingdom's soldiers excavating the site. The mercenary group would only enter with their weapons when monsters appeared in the ruins.
However, the ruins were massive. If they continued to explore deeper, the soldiers probably wouldn't be of any use. When that time came, the mercenary group would have to step up and handle the excavation and deep exploration themselves. Muhuell hadn't just invited Ronin this time; he had also hired quite a few Professional Hunters.
After all, the conditions offered by the Ateli Kingdom were quite attractive to mercenaries and Hunters. As long as they could bring items out of the ruins, those items would likely fetch a handsome price at auction.
"You know, based on the intel we've gathered from the exploration so far, the Mahavi Ruins have definitely been around for over two thousand years." Excitement gleamed in Mashuel's eyes.
The more ancient it was, the higher the price of the unearthed artifacts naturally climbed. If they could excavate items from the primeval era, or even decipher useful information from them, they could fetch an astronomical payout.
Listening to Mashuel's introduction, Ronin felt his own anticipation for the Mahavi Ruins grow. Had the Kurta Clan really appeared at these ruins two thousand years ago?
After driving from the city into the suburbs and then entering a dense forest, the car started to bump and jostle, but the tire tracks forming a path were still visible.
"The Royal Army of the Ateli Kingdom made these roads to make it easier for the exploration teams to excavate and explore the ruins. It also allows for heavier weaponry to be brought near the ruins, ensuring the monsters inside don't break out and ravage nearby cities," Mashuel explained.
At the same time, armed soldiers began to appear along their route. Mashuel pulled out two work IDs; one was his own, and the other was Ronin's, which had been prepared well in advance. Relying on their IDs, the two of them passed through without any hindrance.
Across both his lifetimes, this was actually Ronin's first time exploring ancient ruins, so his curiosity had been piqued ever since the car entered the forest.
The car came to a stop two kilometers away from the ruins' entrance. They had to walk the rest of the way. But from the moment he stepped out of the car, Ronin could see plenty of marks left behind by battle in the vicinity.
"The monsters in the ruins managed to break out once. Although they were eventually beaten back, it caused the Ateli Kingdom to suffer heavy casualties. That's one of the reasons they're allowing Hunters and mercenaries to step in and explore the ruins."
Mashuel briefed Ronin, "Actually, the Kakin Empire also got word of the ruins and initiated negotiations with the Ateli Kingdom. It's just that they were too greedy; what they want is probably more than just the ruins. So, in the end, it escalated to the point where V5 intervened, forcing Kakin to extinguish their thoughts of invading the Ateli Kingdom. But I reckon it won't be long before Kakin makes a new move. Nasubi Hui Guo Rou is an ambitious man."
Ronin nodded, agreeing with Mashuel's perspective. He just hadn't expected Mashuel to talk to him about Kakin. With Beyond Netero's arrangements in Kakin, how could Mashuel and the other members of Beyond's team not be crystal clear on whatever moves Kakin was making?
In that case, by saying this, was Mashuel testing the waters to some degree? They didn't delve deeper into the topic because the two of them had already arrived outside the ruins. And here, Ronin once again saw Muhuell.
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