Snap.
Inside the VIP cabin, Moro closed the travel brochure for the great nation of Kukkan-yu.
The content of this brochure appeared to be promoting famous tourist attractions, but it was actually listing numerous warnings for travelers.
However, for Moro, both the introductions to various regions and the reminders aimed at outsiders were quite useful.
In fact, after reading the manual's contents, he developed some interest in the Kukkan-yu Kingdom, which he had never set foot in.
The continent where this great nation, still governed by a monarchy, is located, was once home to numerous competing states during the era of warring lords.
Even now, these nations that once stepped onto the stage of history left their indelible marks in the form of ruins, tombs, ancient artifacts, treasures, and documents.
From a historical development perspective, the Kukkan-yu Kingdom is very similar to the Kakin Empire.
Both nations originated in the era of warring lords, survived through seemingly endless wars and annexations, and have continuously been governed by a monarchy.
However, the Kakin Empire is ostensibly moving towards a democratic system, while the Kukkan-yu Kingdom shows no intention of changing in this regard.
Moro was not concerned with the history of these two behemoths.
Most outsiders would see various museums and already excavated ruins in the Kukkan-yu Kingdom's tourism brochure.
But what Moro saw were the objects of history displayed in the museums and the unearthing ancient artifacts within the ruins.
More precisely, the Nen that might be attached to these objects.
Interestingly...
In the laws of the Kukkan-yu Kingdom and the Kakin Empire, the minimum sentence for tomb raiding starts at a hundred years, with the maximum penalty being death.
Despite the strictness of the law, the number of tomb raiders sent to the execution platform every year remains significant.
This demonstrates the deep heritage of ruins and tombs in the Kukkan-yu Kingdom and the Kakin Empire, enough to make tomb raiders flock to them, willingly risking severe punishment.
In fact, even if the two great nations tried everything to prevent it, they couldn't stop certain tomb raiders who use Nen abilities to commit crimes.
Sometimes, the existence of Nen is an unreasonable variable.
When Moro learned this information, truthfully, he was interested.
This thought and idea didn't stem from his own professional characteristics or for the sake of immense profit, but purely from the need to charge his Tree Rings.
However, he wondered if, one day, he couldn't control the urge and decided to target a certain ruin, would a guy named Ging suddenly descend from the heavens to punish him?
Moro chuckled and shook his head, placing the brochure on the nearby table.
Starting from the thought of tombs and ruins, he recalled Kanzai's profession—
Treasure Hunter and Bodyguard Hunter.
In the field of professional Hunters, dual professions are not uncommon.
This is because in the Hunter Star Rating system, to advance from two stars to the highest level, three stars, the evaluated Hunter must have made significant achievements in multiple fields.
Based on this rating condition, professional Hunters who aspire to three stars will consciously delve into two professional fields.
Moro was somewhat interested in the Treasure Hunter profession, as well as the Ruin Hunter profession...
These two professions, in a sense, legitimize the acts of tomb raiding and ruin excavation.
While a legalized profession naturally comes with numerous restrictions on action, for Moro, who doesn't need to profit from it, it better aligns with the need to charge his Tree Rings.
"Speaking of which, a commission that Kanzai would take..."
The image of the tightly covered woman flashed through Moro's mind.
Employing a member of the Twelve Zodiacs for escort likely means the client is facing immense danger.
But why didn't they travel by land?
That should be the safer option.
Could it be that they were forced to choose airship transport due to some kind of limitation?
The specific reason was irrelevant to Moro.
What mattered was that he was sharing an airship with such an unstable factor...
If the people intending to harm that woman were insane enough to blow up the entire airship, wouldn't that be the end of him?
Although the security measures at the airport were quite thorough, the variable of Nen ability could not be guaranteed against.
Even without a Nen ability, they could directly target the airship's captain...
Suddenly considering the potential impact of the unstable factor, Moro subconsciously looked at the night sky outside the window.
Getting off now... it's too late.
In a certain part of the airship.
Scratch.
A pen tip landed on the waxed floor panel, emitting a slightly sharp sound.
Soft light shone down. A man in work overalls was half-crouching on the floor, holding a pen, and writing on the ground with extreme seriousness and slowness.
Each stroke felt like an immense amount of effort was poured into it.
So much so that the friction between the pen tip and the floor created a series of sounds.
"Done."
The man in overalls put down his pen, slightly panting as he spoke.
On the floor in front of him were lines of peculiar symbols, combined according to a certain rule, forming a black pattern resembling electronic circuits.
Standing beside him was a woman with tied-up hair, wearing a bar uniform.
"Mull, how many spots left?"
The tied-hair woman looked at the pattern on the floor.
Mull, the man, regulated his breathing and said, "Two more."
"Can you manage it?"
The tied-hair woman turned to stare intently at Mull, waiting for a definitive answer.
Mull's eyelid twitched as he put the pen away:
"The hardest part of Shenzi (Divine Character Script) is the time and effort it takes to write, and how taxing it is mentally, especially when applied to Nen-Space requirements. It's difficult, but for me, it's not a big deal."
"So, can you manage it?"
The tied-hair woman frowned slightly, her gaze subtly flicking over Mull's still-heaving chest.
She just needed a definite answer.
Mull looked at the tied-hair woman with some exasperation and confirmed:
"Yes, I can. But to be safe, for the remaining two spots... I'll have to wait until midnight."
"Then I'm going back. I've been away too long."
The tied-hair woman took out her humming phone.
It was the peak business hour for the airship's bar.
The only reason she, in her disguise as a bar waitress, could leave her post at this time was entirely due to the ambiguous relationship she had deliberately fostered with the manager.
Glancing at the manager's name displayed on her phone screen, the tied-hair woman casually dropped the phone into her pocket and walked toward the bar.
However, after a few steps, the tied-hair woman suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at her companion in the engineering uniform.
"Mull."
"Yes?"
Mull looked at the tied-hair woman.
The tied-hair woman said plainly:
"The Prince said that our lives are more important than completing the mission."
"Oh?"
A flicker of confusion crossed Mull's eyes.
The tied-hair woman continued:
"But we cannot think that way. We absolutely must kill the Third Princess here. This is a crucial step."
"You don't need to specifically remind me."
Mull shrugged when he heard this.
The tied-hair woman's gaze suddenly became sharp.
"A few pieces of trash delusionally tried to assassinate the Third Princess with petty means like poisoning, but this also means that other Princes have reached out. Their interference caused us to lose the advantage of 'hiding,' so be prepared to pay with your lives."
Having said this, the tied-hair woman habitually stared intently at Mull.
"This also means... we must act before the airship reaches the refueling stop."
"..."
—
"I'll get off the airship when it lands to refuel..."
Moro gazed at the night sky outside the window.
Just in case, he would rather waste a little more time than face the risk of being pulled into a dangerous situation.
Even if he might be overthinking it...
(End of this Chapter)
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