Chapter 17: Surfing the World
"There are six major continents and six major oceans in the world... under the international order led by the Sahelta United States (Black Country), Ochima Federation (Ochima), Begrose United Kingdom (Beg Country), Mimbo Republic (Pot Country), and Kukan'yu Kingdom (Jade Country) forming the V5..."
The world map distribution is as follows:
Africa Continent (Pot Country), Azian Continent (Kakin Empire)
Dark Continent (Jade Country), Noamiri Continent (Ochima)
Yurubian Continent (Black Country), Vos Continent (Beg Country)
...
Arthur carefully examined the map of the Hunter World on the computer screen, studying it for a while, feeling that the Black Country should swap places with Ochima.
If you look at the map this way, then the mafia capital Yorknew, located on the Yurubian Continent, is equivalent to New York?
The little Taliyah on his shoulder turned its head, watching Arthur amuse himself, feeling puzzled.
With the Hunter License, Arthur had no trouble bringing a bird inside, and the internet cafe manager didn't say much.
Moreover, the bird seemed well-behaved, not noisy or flying around, just perched quietly on the boy's shoulder. The manager sighed inwardly, no wonder they were called hunters; if they couldn't handle an animal, could they be called hunters?
Arthur, based on the manga's storyline, renamed the world map's layout, resulting in this:
Zoldyck's lair + Heaven's Arena, Kite's team investigating animals
Hunter Association headquarters + exam location, no storyline
Yorknew + Meteor City + Chimera Ant, no storyline
"..."
Arthur concluded that he was currently in Ochima, a place not covered by any storyline, located on the upper left of the Noamiri Continent, in a group of islands facing the Azian Continent where the Kakin Empire was located.
The right half of this world map felt too unfamiliar, and once he developed further and prepared adequately, he'd head to the left side of the map for a tour!
With a plan in mind, Arthur glanced at the time and date in the bottom right corner of the screen.
"December 26, 1994, 3:44 PM"
Now he understood, the newspaper on the boat was almost a month old.
But it made sense; his godmother probably sailed the boat from the Azian Continent where the Kakin Empire was, crossing the sea to this side. The boat might not even have been theirs.
However, they still couldn't escape the pursuit, dying on this remote island in the Ochima Federation.
"Was it a vendetta? A crime of passion? Or something else?" Arthur pondered, "Or was it just an internal gang conflict... But since my godmother's bodyguards involved professional hunters, it doesn't seem that simple. Damn, could it be that I crossed over and immediately got entangled with the Kakin royal family's infighting? Am I that unlucky?"
Nen users were powerful, but in the Hunter World, they were no match for national machinery.
The Ant King was powerful, right?
In the manga, the former world's strongest human, Hunter Association Chairman Netero, barely scratched the Ant King. In terms of personal strength, the Ant King exuded an aura of invincibility, but wasn't he still nearly obliterated by a "Miniature Rose" bomb?
And the Miniature Rose's full name was "Poor Man's Rose."
Poor bandits and low-level terrorists, wanting to make a big splash, could barely afford such "cheap and easy-to-make" toxic bombs.
Even the Chimera Ants, who invaded the remote and isolated East Gorteau, actually had nuclear bomb development research. If the Chimera Ants weren't so high and mighty, ignoring most of East Gorteau's population, if they had bothered to learn more about East Gorteau's military research, the harm they could cause to human society would far surpass that of 100 Ant Kings combined...
And the Kakin Empire?
Arthur simply searched and found results comparable to any of the V5 countries, with the current King of Kakin Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's fame even known to kindergarten children in textbooks... It's no wonder that in the later manga, Kakin had the qualifications to join the V5 alliance, turning it into V6.
How many nuclear bombs does such a country hold, how many Miniature Roses do they secretly possess? And how many conventional and unconventional military weapons...
The idea of one person against a nation is probably only a dream.
The Phantom Troupe was so arrogant, yet they never dared to raid a major country's palace.
... Damn, don't scare yourself. It's not necessarily related to the Kakin royal family!
Arthur patted his face, exhaling a deep breath.
Moreover, the targets of the assassins were, besides the godmother he buried, her once-infant child.
And that child was now his five-year-old self, lively and energetic, capable of teasing girls and wielding Nen... Unless the mastermind behind the pursuit had an unimaginable leap of logic, why would they connect his current self with the missing infant?
Arthur, while rubbing the little Taliyah's head, leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
The two birds monitoring the small boat on the north coast hadn't sent any signals...
At most, stay here for a month!
While leveling up and developing, he would observe any developments. If he could uncover the situation for his body's biological mother and his newly recognized godmother, he would have a lead for future actions once he gained strength. If there was no progress within a month, he'd have to consider it a missed connection.
With a plan in mind, Arthur opened his eyes, tossing the little Taliyah onto the keyboard, continuing to surf the web.
Thinking of the Phantom Troupe, Arthur searched for them, and the first result was filled with bloody implications.
"... On June 6, 1993, an investigation team discovered the reclusive Kurta Clan settlement, but unfortunately, the entire clan was wiped out..."
"... The horrific scene left behind this message: 'We refuse nothing, so don't take anything from us'..."
"... Undoubtedly, this massacre was the work of the infamous 'Meteor City'..."
"... The Kurta Clan's 'Scarlet Eyes,' hailed as one of the world's seven most beautiful colors, met such a catastrophic end..."
"... After more than a year of investigation, this massacre is highly likely the work of the notorious 'Phantom Troupe,' rumored to originate from 'Meteor City'..."
"... What mysteries lie within this clan massacre? Did the Kurta Clan truly take something from Meteor City, or has Meteor City finally revealed its brutal nature?..."
Arthur quietly read through this news from over a year and a half ago.
The sole survivor of the Kurta Clan, Kurapika, one of the manga's main characters, was likely somewhere in the world, reading these true and false reports. At twelve or thirteen years old, he had a tough road ahead.
Thinking of Kurapika led Arthur to the Hunter Association, and he recalled the green-haired gourmet hunter Menchi he encountered earlier, prompting him to search for the Hunter Association.
Surprisingly, they had an official website for the public.
He clicked on it, and among the categorized sections, the most prominent was the introduction of the current Hunter Association Chairman, Isaac Netero. The content didn't include any Nen ability descriptions, very official and "muggle" language.
Searching for "Vice Chairman," he found that the Hunter Association didn't have such a position.
It seemed that the guy with the Japanese male host vibe hadn't entered the Hunter Association yet... Arthur searched further and found that the Hunter Association's website listed the successful candidates from each year's hunter exam. Arthur quickly found a photo of the green-haired Menchi among the recent 282nd exam passers of 1994.
"Chirp!" The little Taliyah suddenly tapped the keyboard with its beak.
Arthur turned to see the green-haired Menchi, humming a tune, entering the internet cafe, each computer station had partitions.
"Why are you haunting me?" Arthur asked, exasperated, "How did you find me?"
Menchi leaned on the table, looking down at Arthur, smugly saying, "I'm a hunter! Finding a little guy like you isn't hard. Plus, with your previous look, you'd stand out in any crowded place, making it easier to track you down."
Arthur pointed at the screen, chuckling, "What's there to brag about? You've been a hunter for almost a year, yet your Nen is still a mess, and you dare to boast?"
Menchi blushed, defending herself, "I told you I had reasons! I spent months on a gourmet competition! How can you, "
"Why is this place called Ghost Island?" Arthur interrupted, typing the keyword into the search bar.
Menchi rolled her eyes, "If it's called Ghost Island, it's probably because of ghost or spirit rumors..." She leaned over to look at the screen.