Mog had many ideas forming in his heart regarding this matter, intending to test them one by one to see whether each could truly be realized.
Just as Mog began immersing himself in research, on the other side…
"What a terribly annoying and arrogant guy. He actually wants us to beg him..."
On the garbage mountain outside, Uvogin strode ahead, cursing under his breath:
"Isn't it just a couple of mouthfuls of food? He's acting as if no one else in Meteor City has ever eaten before."
"Originally, I thought he was a decent guy, but now it seems~~~"
"He's exactly the same as those bastards who constantly sneak into my territory to steal things!!"
Machi, who followed behind him, remained silent, her thoughts fixed on that unique [glutinous rice cake machine] and the strange scene of crops being planted and harvested in an instant.
Everything about it felt like something that did not belong in Meteor City.
To her, it was a truly incomprehensible and almost mystical existence.
She was deeply curious about how those things had appeared.
Or rather, how that man had [invented] them through his Nen… Bang!
Lost in thought, Machi failed to notice that Uvogin had suddenly stopped and crashed straight into his broad back.
"What's wrong?"
She stumbled back two steps, steadying herself before raising her head to look at Uvogin, who had halted in front of her.
Uvogin was gritting his teeth, veins bulging slightly on his forehead, his fierce gaze fixed straight ahead at three figures moving about within his territory.
Machi leaned slightly to the side and saw them clearly as well.
As fate would have it, they were all familiar faces~~~
Uvogin inhaled deeply, puffed out his chest, and then let out an earth-shaking roar toward them:
"Chrollo!!!"
"You bastards actually dared to run into my territory to steal things again! You've got guts!!"
"Today, no matter what, all of you are staying right here!!!"
The moment he finished speaking, Uvogin charged downhill without hesitation, his heavy footsteps crushing debris beneath him.
"Woah! It's Uvogin!!"
"We were just saying how great it would be if this wasn't Uvogin's territory, and now he shows up?"
"That shouldn't be possible. It shouldn't be Uvogin's active time right now, and didn't he just finish chasing the last group away? How could he suddenly appear so fast?!"
All You Bastards, Stop Right There!!
Startled by Uvogin's thunderous roar, the three figures rummaging below stiffened.
They immediately stuffed the items they had found into their clothes and scattered in three different directions without hesitation.
As they ran, the slender figure at the very front still carried a trace of puzzlement on his calm face.
Based on his understanding of Uvogin's habits and patrol timing, Uvogin should have already returned home by now.
If not for the previous occasions when Machi happened to cross paths with them and subsequently brought Uvogin over, they would never have been discovered so easily.
It had to be said that every time they were exposed in the past, it was because of Machi.
It was almost as if she possessed an uncanny instinct that could sense when they entered this area.
However, regardless of the reason, once Uvogin appeared, escape was the only logical choice.
And when it came to escaping, they were exceedingly experienced.
It was obvious they had explored Uvogin's territory more than once, having long since mapped out multiple retreat routes.
"All you bastards, stop right there!!"
Uvogin, whose temper burned hotter than scrap metal in a furnace, had no intention of letting these thieves slip away under his nose again.
He spread his arms wide and accelerated, charging forward like a rampaging beast.
"Waaah, Uvogin is catching up!!"
Among the trio, the boy with a missing tooth—yet still possessing strikingly handsome features—was the first to shout.
"Eh? Why does he have so much stamina this time?!"
The slender, fair-faced youth running at the very front frowned slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"Now isn't the time to analyze that. I'll stay behind and hold him off!!"
The slightly larger and taller youth at the rear, whose resolute expression carried the natural composure of an elder brother, abruptly halted.
He turned to face Uvogin directly, planting his feet firmly on the unstable ground.
"You want to stop me again? Franklin~~~"
Uvogin grinned ferociously, his speed not decreasing in the slightest.
"Don't even think about escaping today. Whether it's you, Shanark, or Chrollo, all of you are going to answer to me right here!!"
"Dream on!!"
Franklin replied without a trace of fear.
In the past, whenever the trio had been discovered and could not immediately escape, he was always the one who remained behind to restrain Uvogin.
Although Uvogin possessed overwhelming raw strength and explosive power befitting an Enhancer.
Franklin, being slightly older and more physically mature at this stage, was by no means easy to overwhelm.
Whenever the two clashed, their fights were fierce and evenly matched, often dragging on before a clear advantage could be determined.
During the time Franklin tied Uvogin down, Chrollo and Shanark would calmly withdraw.
The trio had successfully escaped using this strategy several times before.
Naturally, Franklin assumed that this time would be no different.
"Chrollo, you guys go first. I'll handle Uvogin."
As he spoke, Franklin fixed Uvogin with a steady glare and adopted a firm blocking stance.
"Uh..."
A faint voice came from behind him as Shanark said quietly, "It seems we can't run right now."
"Hmm?!"
Franklin instinctively turned his head.
Directly ahead of Chrollo and Shanark, an almost scrapped motorcycle blocked the narrow exit route.
Sitting astride it were two figures—one large and one small—both staring straight at Chrollo and Shanark.
"Yo, little Chrollo..."
The punk seated at the front of the motorcycle, dressed in patched clothing, his hair spiked high like a hedgehog and one hand casually tucked into his pocket, sized Chrollo up brazenly.
"Looks like you found something good again this time~!!"
He twitched his upper eyelid as he spoke.
Why the eyelid instead of the eyebrow… because he didn't have any eyebrows.
"We're all very friendly here, unlike that hotheaded idiot Uvogin..."
With that, he displayed a grin that could only be described as unsettlingly "kind."
"So be good and hand the stuff over to me!!"
"After that, I'll generously return it to you!!"
Behind the eyebrow-less punk, seated on the rear of the motorcycle, was a short and compact youth.
His messy, fluffy hair framed a cold expression, and a worn baseball bat rested on his shoulder—nearly taller than he was.
In response to the punk's words, he tilted the bat slightly, his posture clearly conveying: If you refuse, I'll smash you with this.
His eyes were sharp and defiant.
"Phinks… and Feitan..."
The fair-faced youth Chrollo calmly looked at the eyebrow-less Phinks, whose smile did not reach his eyes, and at the quietly menacing Feitan.
"This is Uvogin's territory. Your range of activity shouldn't extend this far."
"Heh..."
Phinks immediately let out a scornful laugh.
"Talking about territory in a place like Meteor City? Do you think we're as stupid as that muscle-brained Uvogin?!"
He sneered.
"We go wherever we want!!"
As he said this, he slapped the battered motorcycle beneath him.
With transportation like this, moving quickly between zones of Meteor City was indeed effortless.
"Besides..."
A darker expression flickered across Phinks's face as an unpleasant memory surfaced.
"That bastard Uvogin snatched our stuff before, so of course we can snatch his stuff too!!"
His voice hardened.
"We're just taking back what's ours!!"
"Uvogin stole your things, did he..."
You're Relishing This, Right? You're Relishing This!!
Chrollo frequently visited the church whenever he had the chance.
He was well acquainted with Father Litzol there, and the gentle priest held a deep admiration for the intelligent and composed boy.
Through that connection, Chrollo had received quite a few benefits from the church over time.
Not long ago, he had vaguely heard that the church had obtained a small quantity of food known as mochi, which was distributed specifically to particularly devout children.