Chapter 174 The Kakin Empire
After bidding farewell to Gon and the others, Haze departed, boarding a spaceship bound for the Kakin Empire.
His mission was simple: to help elevate the lady of the Field's family, King Grey Nasubi, to the throne.
Grey Nasubi had eight queens: Umma, Dauzul, Tang Zhao Li , Katrono, Swinko-Swinko , Seiko Hui Guo Rou, Sevanti Hui Guo Rou, and Oito.
Umma was the mother of the First and Fourth Princes;
Dauzul was the mother of the Second, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Princes;
Tang Zhao Li Hui Guo Rouwas the mother of the Third Prince;
Katrono was the mother of the Sixth Prince.
The mother of the Eighth Prince was Swinko-Swinko ;
the Tenth and Eleventh Princes were born from Seiko Hui Guo Rou;
and the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes were from Sevanti Hui Guo Rou.
The Fourteenth Prince the one Kurapika would later protect aboard the Black Whale in the original story belonged to the youngest queen of the Kakin royal family, Oito.
At this time, however, the Fourteenth Prince had not yet been born… This was more than one year before the Kakin Empire would announce its expedition to the Dark Continent.
There was also information on the thirteen princes:
The First Prince Benjamin
Benjamin had a strong personality and was privately described by his siblings as "arrogant."
He served as Assistant Advisor in the Royal Army of the Kakin Empire, wielding considerable military power. Because of his position, he could send his private army to other princes under the pretext of surveillance on the Black Whale.
He was the first among the princes to learn about Nen abilities and also the first to understand the succession war, beginning to cultivate his own army of Nen users.
Haze's evaluation of him could be summarized in one phrase: brave but reckless.
He possessed excellent physical abilities and a decent grasp of Nen, but his actions were biased, and he was extremely arrogant and self-important.
Despite being the older brother of the Fourth Prince, Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou, he despised him the most, wishing he could kill him.
The two were profoundly conflicted.
The Second Prince Camilla
Camilla was a woman extremely egocentric and described by other princes as greedy.
Her dream was to control the entire world, which differed slightly from Benjamin's ambition. Benjamin wanted to subjugate the world with force through the Kakin Empire; Camilla wanted absolute domination by her own will. Subtle differences existed between them.
Both revealed ambitions of expanding Kakin, perfectly aligned with the purpose of the Jar Egg Ritual.
The Third Prince Zhang Lei
He appeared mature and possessed exceptional diplomatic skills.
He excelled at building relationships, forming alliances, and generally acted peaceful.
However, the Fifth Prince described him as "extravagant and greedy," someone whose true nature contradicted his appearance. His true identity was intriguing… He had a certain connection with Maor, the underworld leader of the Kakin Empire the head of the Shamanic Family. In the original story, Zhang Lei greeted Maor as "father" upon their first meeting.
Maor himself had a dual identity: his scar-covered face belonged to King Nasby Grey, his half-brother.
The Fourth Prince Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou
The one who impressed Akuma the most.
This man was a pervert, a collector of human organs, with a literary persona and a deep love for literature but his psychology was extremely twisted.
He could be considered the most repulsive character in the entire anime, perhaps even worse than the Phantom Troupe.
But that alone was not what bothered Akuma.
Akuma remembered him clearly because of his talent his talent for Nen.
Aboard the Black Whale, he awakened Nen in a short time based solely on the explanation of a Nen user and controlled it with precision.
But there was more: he grasped the essence of Zetsu after only a few words… all within less than half a day, perhaps even less than an hour.
What did that mean?
Neither he nor Hisoka could reach that level at the time.
He was a true prodigy.
As for the other princes, they didn't leave a deep impression on Akuma… They all seemed rather ordinary.
Except for the Fourteenth Prince still wrapped in diapers who emanated an extremely sinister aura sensed by Kurapika.
Sitting by the window of his spaceship's private cabin, Haze mentally reviewed the information about the princes. His fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"Which one should I choose?"
Princess Oito had just married into the royal family; it was impossible for King Nasubi to marry another woman.
The best solution was to eliminate one prince… creating a vacancy in the current lineup.
Haze had no interest in Kakin's plan to travel to the Dark Continent or to use it as leverage against the V5. He already had a way to reach the Dark Continent without Kakin. His only interest in the empire was infiltrating the royal family with the Field's family's influence. He coveted the powerful nation of Kakin.
Killing King Nasubi himself was unrealistic.
Two people had likely already guessed that he was on his way to the Kakin Empire: Bi Beyond and Pariston.
The previous press conference of several national leaders although its momentum had been suppressed early had still drawn some public attention. Many had likely seen it.
First, the Black Tide incident was heavily reported, followed by news of discord between several nations and the V5… Given his gangster background, the truth wasn't hard to guess.
"Bi Beyond…"
Haze murmured his name softly.
The man was not young. By normal standards, he was elderly. But as Netero's son, he remained in good condition despite his age.
After all, his father had lived more than a hundred years and remained vigorous.
A few days later, Haze arrived in the capital of the Kakin Empire. As soon as he stepped off the spaceship, he witnessed the extraordinary power and foundation of the nation.
Even a single terminal was magnificently built, with towering skyscrapers one after another, covering a vast area.
The city skyline was a forest of imposing buildings it felt like an international metropolis.
It was the most modern and prosperous place Haze had seen in his travels across continents.
As for the V5 superpowers, he had not yet visited their capitals… He wondered if they could compare to Kakin.
Exiting the terminal, he found a gangster-operated vehicle waiting for him.
A mafia boss bowed to Haze and opened the car door.
This time, Ao tried to maintain a low profile to avoid drawing too much attention.
Although the Field's family lacked strong control over Kakin's underworld, they still held influence. With the death of the Ten Dons, the local underworld had grown restless, competing for resources and power left behind… Though they publicly acknowledged the Ten Dons, privately each faction acted independently.
"Sir, the Ninth Prince is already waiting for you at his hotel,"
his subordinate said as he drove.
"Mm,"
Ao replied.
Previously, when Prince Halkenburg had become one of Cheko's Ten Dons, he had refused to even record a congratulatory video.
But now, he was willing to "condescend" to meet Haze proof that the Field's family was no longer what it used to be. They were aware of the power struggle between the Field's family and the V5, and of their impending domination over the underworld.
The fact that the Field's family remained unharmed meant even the V5 was wary of them.
As the mastermind behind the Field's family, Haze was naturally someone Halkenburg dared not underestimate.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he was "condescending" to meet Haze because, in his eyes, the underworld was still an inferior force.
Furthermore, the Ninth Prince was righteous and upright, disliking involvement with complicated forces, especially the underworld.
His visit this time was also influenced by his girlfriend, who had convinced him again.
In the original story, the Ninth Prince firmly opposed the Jar Egg ritual, deeming the succession method cruel and ruthless. To avoid fratricide, he had even prepared to kill his own father.
Of course, he failed and received a harsh lesson from King Nasubi.
He had long harbored resentment toward the monarchy of the Kakin Empire, earning supporters both domestically and internationally.
This revealed much about his character.
In terms of ability, Halkenburg was also outstanding, as shown by his academic and personal achievements.
He had earned a degree from a top university and had participated in numerous international competitions, achieving remarkable results.
In short, he was possibly the most righteous and humane among the princes.
After a while, Haze stepped out of the car and entered one of the capital's most luxurious establishments. He took the elevator to the hotel's top-floor suite.
As soon as he exited the elevator, he saw several expressionless, black-clad bodyguards stationed in the corridor entrance soldiers.
The personal guard of the Ninth Prince, his private army.
From the moment Haze entered the hotel to his ascent, he had been under the surveillance of the Kakin royal family's soldiers. They did not question him, only checked for dangerous objects before opening the door to let him in.
In the living room sat a man and a woman.
The man, dressed in a gray-brown suit and green tie, was quite handsome, while the woman was beautiful and elegantly dressed.
Upon seeing Haze, the woman was startled and quickly stood to bow.
She was a member of the Field's family one of their favored members. Naturally, she dared not be disrespectful.
However, her action caused Halkenburg standing nearby to frown.
He also stood, looking at Haze, who wore sunglasses and did not resemble a mafia boss at all, and hesitantly asked:
"Are you the head of the Field's family?"
He seemed somewhat skeptical.
"Yes, I am."
Haze stood still, smiling faintly, examining Halkenburg from head to toe.
"Can you represent the entire Field's family?"
Halkenburg asked again.
"Her attitude already answers that."
Haze glanced at the woman and smiled.
"Fine… then I'll get straight to the point. I'm not here to discuss cooperation or deals. To be honest, I'm not interested in what you have to say. I just want you to release Saga and give her freedom,"
the Ninth Prince said seriously.
Saga was a woman's name.
"You're very devoted…" Haze smiled, removing his sunglasses and playing with them.
Halkenburg already knew that Saga had contacted him with ulterior motives and had been sent by the Field's family. Yet he was not angry nor had he abandoned her; instead, he wanted to free her from the family's control.
He was truly in love.
"What? Do you want to marry her?"
"Would your father agree? Even if the king didn't care… your mother, the queen, would never allow such a woman to stand beside you."
Haze stretched his legs and leaned back on the sofa.
"You don't have to worry about that… just let her go."
"Why should I?"
Haze suddenly replied.
"Do you think I would just let her go? Do you know how much effort I invested in her? To seduce you, the Field's family spent a great deal of time and a fortune cultivating every aspect of her… And it seems she's succeeded. I'm quite satisfied."
Haze spoke plainly and directly.
Everything required a fair exchange.
Even buying a bottle of water cost money.
"What do you want?"
Halkenburg expression froze.
"That depends on how much you're willing to sacrifice for your woman…"
(End of Chapter)