Conrad had a general understanding of the Phantom Troupe, and the reason he was thinking about them was quite clear.
They might not be in Yorknew City yet, and some of the Phantom Troupe members who were not in Yorknew City could naturally be spending their time in their own homes and territories.
That meant the situation might not be resolved quite so easily.
"If they decide to interfere, they could easily use Nen to shift blame onto someone else while eliminating me."
"That possibility can't be ignored."
Conrad understood one thing very clearly.
Meteor City was not dangerous because of raw power alone.
Its greatest strength came from secrecy.
A skilled Nen user operating inside that environment could create countless problems.
Conrad took a slow breath.
There was another consequence attached to this mission as well.
"Once this assignment is completed..."
"My relationship with the Phantom Troupe will officially become hostile."
He had never intended to become their friend.
Even before learning more about them, Conrad had no interest in building any sort of relationship with the group.
The more he learned, the less appealing that possibility became.
"They were never going to be my allies anyway."
"Even if I don't actively target them."
"If they show up and start acting the way they did during their childhood years, pretending everything is simple and straightforward..."
"The outcome probably won't be pleasant."
Conrad had no particular emotional attachment to the Phantom Troupe.
He understood their history.
He understood Meteor City's circumstances.
He even understood some of the reasons behind their actions.
Understanding something did not mean approving of it.
Nor did it mean accepting it.
From his perspective, those were entirely different matters.
More importantly, Conrad was no longer weak.
The Phantom Troupe was dangerous.
Anyone who underestimated them was making a mistake.
At the same time, Conrad did not consider them an unavoidable threat.
As things currently stood, the group could not simply appear and eliminate him whenever they wished.
Not anymore.
Unless three or four members managed to corner him under extremely unfavorable circumstances, the Phantom Troupe was not something he needed to fear.
That did not mean he would be careless.
It simply meant he understood the difference between caution and paranoia.
Conrad closed the remaining research files on his computer and stood up from his chair.
The first stage was complete.
He had accepted the mission.
He had identified Lamor's location.
Now came the next step.
Entering Meteor City itself.
Only after arriving there would he learn how much of the information he possessed was actually useful.
And more importantly, whether Lamor Angenia was truly the target of this mission or merely the beginning of a much larger problem.
-
Without wasting any time, Conrad purchased a ticket to travel to Meteor City and began making preparations.
First, he needed to reach a location near the Yorbia Desert. The closest settlement to the desert was naturally a small place known as Yorbia Town. It sat right on the edge of the desert, in a location where, without the conveniences of the modern world, it would have been difficult to imagine any settlement existing at all.
Conrad bought his ticket and set out.
After boarding the bus, he began thinking.
If Lamar was truly a dangerous Nen user and had allies around him, the situation could become very different.
This time, he needed to move more carefully and proceed according to a plan.
Inside the bus were a few young people and a family. It was a direct route to Yorbia Town, allowing the vehicle to continue without interruptions.
After roughly four or five hours, the bus finally stopped.
They had reached the destination.
Conrad stepped off the bus and looked around.
The town was covered in sand and filled with makeshift buildings. It was the kind of place where claiming that civilization truly existed there could almost be considered an exaggeration.
Still, it was not Conrad's main objective, so he paid little attention to such details.
He noticed children begging in the streets and groups of dangerous-looking young men who resembled bandits, but they were not taking action during daylight hours.
Law and order in the Hunter x Hunter world could often be interpreted in different ways, but that did not mean people could freely rob or kill others inside a populated town or city without consequences.
Using information he had obtained from the Hunter website, Conrad headed directly toward the only hotel in Yorbia Town that appeared even remotely respectable.
After entering the hotel called Yorbia Bird Hotel, he noticed a woman standing behind the lobby counter.
She appeared to be middle-aged, with long black hair, an unusual atmosphere around her, and a level of attractiveness that stood out compared to the surroundings.
"Hello," Conrad said.
The woman looked him over from head to toe.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
Conrad smiled.
"I want passage. I'll be paying in cash."
The woman's eyebrows rose slightly before she nodded.
"Five million Jenny."
Conrad pulled out a small stack of money and placed it on the reception desk.
After counting the bills, the woman wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to him.
"At ten o'clock tonight, there will be a vehicle waiting near the same place where your bus arrived."
"It looks like a garbage truck."
"When you give this paper to the driver, they'll take you where you need to go."
Conrad accepted the paper and left the hotel.
It was only around three in the afternoon.
He still had several hours before departure.
He intended to spend that time exploring the area and thinking through the next stages of his plans.