Chapter 71: The Goal
The Yorbian Continent was vast, stretching much further east-west than it did north-south. The majority of the central and southern landmass belonged to the Minbo Republic, one of the V5 nations.
Kai, banished by Razor in the dead of night, found himself in the northwest corner of this massive continent, somewhere in the Republic of Padokea.
Shizuku, on the other hand, had been flung to the complete opposite side. She was in a small country on the eastern coast.
Kai traced the distance on his newly purchased map with his finger.
Eight thousand kilometers.
They were separated by half a continent.
"And yet..." Kai thought, shaking his head in amazement. "I can still hear her perfectly. The range on this Moon mark is ridiculous."
He tucked the map under his arm and walked down the unfamiliar city street, the night air cool against his skin. The mental connection with Shizuku was still open, a clear, silent line in the back of his mind.
{You should find a place to rest, too,} Kai projected, trying to multitask between reading street signs and talking telepathically. It was harder than it looked. He gave up on reading and just tucked the maps away. {It's been a long day. Ship blew up, drifted on the ocean all day, found an island, got kicked off... I'm beat.}
Thirty minutes later, Kai found a decent motel. Since the terrorist attack a few weeks ago had force-grown his body to about 1.5 meters, he could now pass for a young teenager. He didn't need to flash his Hunter License; he could just book a room like a normal person.
He kicked off his shoes, took off his shirt, and sat cross-legged on the small bed, spreading his maps out around him.
{Shizuku, did you find a place?}
{Mm. I did,} Shizuku's voice echoed in his mind. It sounded just as calm and placid as if she were standing right next to him. {I'm in the bath right now. Oh, I need to feed Rock Sparrow and the others later...}
{The fact that you remembered to feed them is a miracle in itself,} Kai laughed mentally.
He couldn't see her face, but he could imagine her blinking in confusion, wondering what he meant by that.
A few minutes later, her voice returned. {I'm done.}
{Okay. Open your map.} Kai placed his hand on his own map of the Yorbian Continent.
{Okay. Ready.}
{First, let's figure out where we meet,} Kai transmitted, tapping the right side of his map. {You're in the Dolle Harbor area, right? Look south. The southeast corner of the continent. There's a country called... Republic of Padokea... wait, no, that's where I am. You're near the Heavens Arena. Find it?}
{Mm... found it. Isn't that where you wanted to go originally?}
{Exactly. Let's meet there.} Kai tapped the location on his map. {You're closer. Go there and wait for me.}
{Okay,} Shizuku agreed instantly. Then she paused. {If you take an airship, you could get there pretty fast, right?}
{No more airships,} Kai said firmly. {I'm taking the train. The whole way.}
{Oh. Okay...}
Kai moved his finger to the top left of his map. {Now look at the northwest. Where I am. Republic of Padokea. See it?}
{I see it.}
{There's a landmark marked Kukuroo Mountain. Do you see it?}
{Mm... found it.}
Kai grinned. {I'll give you one minute. Use your phone. Look up what that place is.}
Less than a minute later, Shizuku's voice came back, tinged with surprise. {Zoldyck Family. The assassins...}
{Kukuroo Mountain is the Zoldyck estate,} Kai leaned back, crossing his legs and staring at the ceiling. {I've been dying to see it. Since I'm right next door—it's only a few hours by train—it would be a crime not to visit. Just a quick sightseeing trip.}
{Oh... okay...}
{Shizuku? What's wrong?} Kai sensed a hesitation in her mental voice.
Silence stretched for a few seconds. Then, Shizuku's voice echoed in his mind again, quiet but clear.
{I wanted to see you sooner...}
Kai froze.
Her tone hadn't changed. It was the same flat, matter-of-fact delivery she always used. She probably didn't even realize the impact of what she'd just said.
But Kai felt like he'd been hit by a truck. He stared at the ceiling, speechless for a solid ten seconds.
He rubbed his thumb over the "Jia" ring on his finger. Finally, trying to regain his composure, he asked, {Shizuku... what are you doing right now?}
{I'm lying on the bed. I'm a little hungry...}
{You have tons of food in Blinky, don't you?}
{Oh. Right.}
Silence followed. Kai assumed she was busy summoning her vacuum.
Kai looked out the window at the pale moon. {You know... this is the first time we've been separated since we met, isn't it?}
Another pause. She was probably thinking back through their whirlwind few weeks together.
{Yes,} she confirmed. {It is.}
More silence. Kai sighed. {Don't just eat. Since we don't have to talk out loud, it's easy. Boss's orders: find a topic and talk to me. It's a long night, and I can't sleep. Entertain me.}
Shizuku actually took a moment to think of a topic. Finally, she asked, {Do you really think Pariston let Chrollo steal his ability on purpose?}
{Most likely. That guy is a psychopath. You can't judge him by normal logic.}
{But isn't it risky? What if stealing the ability left him unable to use Nen at all? Or crippled him?}
Kai thought about it. {If the original user dies, Chrollo usually loses the stolen ability. Based on that principle, Chrollo's Hatsu must leave the victim with some ability to survive. If I were designing that ability, I'd probably even give the victim a little kickback—maybe return some Aura to them—just to keep them alive longer. If the victim dies right after you steal from them, it's a waste of a theft.}
{Besides, form Pariston's perspective...} Kai continued, {Even if he did lose his Nen and become a normal human... so what?}
Shizuku was confused. {So what?}
Kai laughed mentally. {Is being a Nen user really the only way to be powerful? With Pariston's brain, if he lost his Nen, he'd just go into politics. Give him three to five years, and he'd be running a country. He'd have armies, resources, and power that dwarf any single Hunter. If he needed protection? He'd hire someone like Kanzai. Or the Zoldycks. You don't need Nen to hire an assassin.}
{Oh,} Shizuku said. {That makes sense.}
(End of Chapter)